Frostgrave: Fireheart 1472852257, 9781472852250

Citation preview

OSPREY GAMES

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc PO Box 883, Oxford, OX1 9PL, UK 29 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, Ireland 1385 Broadway, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10018, USA E-mail: [email protected] www.ospreygames.co.uk OSPREY GAMES is a trademark of Osprey Publishing Ltd First published in Great Britain in 2022 This electronic edition published in 2022 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc © Joseph A. McCullough, 2022 Joseph A, McCullough has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: PB 9781472852250; eBook 9781472852243; ePDF 9781472852229; XML 9781472852236

Osprey Games supports the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. Between 2014 and 2018 our donations are being spent on their Centenary Woods project in the UK. To find out more about our authors and books visit www.ospreypublishing.com. Here you will find extracts, author interviews, details of forthcoming events and the option to sign up for our newsletter.

AUTHOR

Joseph A. McCullough’s first brush with writing for games was as co-author of The Grey Mountains supplement for the Middle-Earth Role-Playing Game, and he has remained passionate about Fantasy gaming since, going on to become an award-winning game designer. He is the creator of the “Frostgrave Family” of skirmish wargames (the Fantasy titles Frostgrave, Ghost Archipelago, Rangers of Shadow Deep, and the Sci-Fi evolution, Stargrave) and of the Oathmark Fantasy battle game and The Silver Bayonet, a game of Napoleonic Gothic Horror. His continued ramblings can be read at: therenaissancetroll.blogspot.co.uk

ILLUSTRATOR

aRU-MOR was born in Tarragona, Spain, and studied Fine Arts at the University of Seville, specializing and working on artwork restoration. She began her professional career in 2000, sculpting historical, fantasy, and science-fiction miniatures. These days she combines her work as a sculptor with her work as a freelance illustrator, and has provided illustrations for various Spanish RPGs, books, and card games.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Artwork: aRU-MOR Official Frostgrave figure design: Giorgio Bassani, Mark Copplestone, Mike Owen, Mark Sims, Bob Naismith, Bobby Jackson Figure painting: Kevin Dallimore and Paul Cubbin Photography: Kevin Dallimore

Contents Introduction 4 Chapter One

Advanced Animation

8

Casting Animate Construct (Before or After?) Scroll Animation Constructs and Potions

9 9 10

Repair and Re-Animation Construct Modification

10 11

Modification Penalty Animated Prosthetics Animated Prosthetics Upgrades

12 24 25

Chapter Four

The Construct Palace Scenarios 58 Scenario 1: Meet in the Middle Scenario 2: The Turbine Scenario 3: Fire Hardened Scenario 4: The Re-alignment Chamber Scenario 5: Incinerator Island

59 61 64 66 67

Chapter Five

New Treasure and Base Resources

70

Chapter Six

Bestiary 80 Chapter Two

New Soldiers

28

Construct Familiar 28 Construct Hound 28 Scrounger 29 Tinkerer 30 Chapter Three

Interactive Terrain

31

Interactive Terrain Tables Interactive Terrain List

33 35

Blade-Dog 81 Candle-Jack 83 Construct of Burden 84 Demonic Prison 86 Glass Man 87 Gnawgrubs 88 Magmite 88 Rat Swarm 89 New Traits

93

Introduction Welcome to Frostgrave: Fireheart, the latest volume in the ever-growing Frostgrave library. Since Frostgrave is a game about collecting magic books, it seems right and proper that players can collect their own library of arcane material to support it! As always though, I have tried hard to ensure that none of the Frostgrave supplements are necessary to play the game. Each one adds something new and different, not because those new rules are needed to make the game better, or more complicated, or to sell more miniatures, but simply because I think the topics are cool and that some players, at least, will want to explore those aspects of the game or world. This book is mainly devoted to two topics: the strange interactive terrain that can be found in the ruins of Felstad, and the building and animation of constructs. Neither are necessary additions to the game, but both contain the potential for a lot of fun! More than any of the supplements that have gone before, this book harkens back to my earliest days as a wargamer. Unlike many, I can’t point to a specific moment or event and say, ‘That’s when I became a wargamer’. I didn’t have that epiphany moment where I was introduced to a game by a friend, or walked into a gaming store, or stumbled upon a convention. Instead, I just grew into wargaming independent of any specific game or line of miniatures. My earliest memories of miniature gaming are of playing with toy soldiers. Sometimes I would do the classic toy soldier thing of setting up two different sides and then knocking them down, but other times, I would send my select group on a ‘special mission’. These missions were played out on a piece of paper. I would draw a path along the paper marked with various death-traps and dangerous terrain. I would then march all my soldiers up to each point, one-by-one, and roll a die. I had already noted on the paper which die rolls resulted in death and which ones would see the soldier safely across. So really, it was just an exercise in dice rolling, but in my imagination, my poor soldiers struggled and fought in cinematic excitement, and always a few would emerge victorious at the end, despite horrendous casualties. In many ways, Frostgrave has always had that element of a death-trap drawn out on paper. So many of the scenarios I have written over the years feature strange and deadly terrain that can kill, maim, or misdirect due to little more than random chance. I don’t apologize for this! Unlike my poor plastic soldiers, Frostgrave players are still in control and can choose the movements and actions of their figures. The fun is working with that deadly, random potential and seeing if you can make the most of it to win the day!

4

In that tradition, I have included a long chapter in this book called ‘Interactive Terrain’, which includes 20 different pieces of strange terrain designed to scupper plans, strike at the unwary, and generally create chaos on the tabletop. Players can either use this terrain to construct their own scenarios, or they can roll randomly on the table provided to see what terrain might be found in the little patch of the Frozen City that they happen to be investigating. I have also used this terrain as the basis for the five scenarios presented in this book. Of course, eventually, I moved on from my solo death-trap missions for plastic soldiers. I discovered ‘real’ miniatures in both metal and plastic and became an enthusiastic painter. Perhaps more importantly, I found a school friend who was also into such figures, and we would meet-up all the time to play ‘wargames’. The thing is, we didn’t actually have any wargames. We had plenty of figures, plenty of dice, but no rules. So, we just made up our own rules as we went along. If someone shot at someone else, we rolled some dice. If the result was high, it was a hit; if it was low, it was a miss. If the dice returned a middling result, it was a near-miss, or a grazing shot, or basically whatever was best for the story we were telling. The more we played, the more complicated our rules became, not because we wanted to create a more realistic experience, but because we had specific stories we wanted to tell for our group of soldiers. So, if we wanted to make a team of specialist tunnel fighters, we’d come up with some quick rules for tunnels. If we wanted to make one of our guys a mad-scientist or biochemist, we’d create rules for designing new drugs. It’s that same spirit of ‘let’s have rules for that because it is cool’, that I have always tried to bring to Frostgrave. It’s in that spirit that I have presented the other main part of this book, the chapter on ‘Advanced Animation’. Put simply, this is a chapter devoted to different things you can do with the Animate Construct spell. Now, instead of simply creating a new small, medium, or large construct, you can do a host of things, including re-animating dead constructs, modifying your constructs to have some new special ability, and even animating a prosthetic limb for a character that has lost one. If selected carefully, these rules might help your strategy in future games for the acquisition of more treasure, but really, it is a toolbox for storytelling. Is your wizard paranoid about invisible foes? Maybe he’d build a construct with Soulsight? Does your wizard like to hide behind the lines and let others take the risks? Maybe a construct with a construct eye-socket is in order? Further, although the Enchanters will always remain the masters of construct building, there is no reason that any wizard can’t have a construct or two in their warband. It’s always fun to ask the question – what kind of construct would an Illusionist have? Or a Witch? Or a Chronomancer? So that’s the bulk of this book: strange terrain and construct fun. Of course, there is also a table full of new treasures, a few new soldiers you can hire, and a bestiary full of strange beasts, including a bunch of new types of construct.

5

Hopefully, no matter what wizard you are playing, or what stories you are trying to tell, this book contains something fun. Although Fireheart represents the 11th supplement for Frostgrave, I have never grown tired of writing these introductions. It’s my best chance to talk directly to you, the reader, in my own voice, and to discuss the philosophy behind the rules. As I hope you see, that philosophy has always been one of ‘follow the fun’. Take these rules, bend them, modify them, break them, or ignore them. Take them for use in another game, or maybe for building your own death-trap trails on a piece of paper. If you are having fun, you are doing it right. Many thanks for your continuing support of the Frozen City and my creative endeavours. The encouragement I have received over the years has been tremendous, and I could never have made it this far without it. Frostgrave just continues to grow and expand, and I hope it will continue to do so for many years to come. If you would like to keep up with all of my work, and to see what hobby projects I’m engaged in at the moment, you can follow my blog at https://therenaissancetroll.blogspot.com.

Until next we meet, happy explorations!



Joseph A. McCullough Kent, England, 2021

6

CHAPTER ONE

Advanced Animation

This chapter contains new rules for players who want to add greater variety and complexity to the creation and use of constructs. While the rules presented in the Frostgrave: Second Edition rulebook allow players to depict their constructs in any way they choose, they all have basically the same stats and capabilities. These new rules allow wizards to create their own, specific constructs, choosing from a list of modifications. Of course, creating modified constructs is more difficult and expensive, but they can also serve as a nasty surprise for a wizard’s enemies! Also included in this chapter are expanded rules for using scrolls to animate constructs and for wizards who wish to attempt to repair or even re-animate their constructs after they have been destroyed. There are even rules for wizards who might want to replace a lost limb with an animated construct version! All these rules make constructs potentially more powerful, and their rules slightly more complex. In neither case is this extreme, and they are unlikely to upset the balance in a campaign. Still, players should discuss with their opponents or gaming group if they are happy to use these rules before they play. If a group does decide to use these rules, then in the rare instances where they contradict the Frostgrave: Second Edition rulebook, the rules here take precedence.

At first, having that heated construct with us was great – like walking around with your own stove to keep your hands warm … but, every step it took, there was a puff of hot steam as the snow and ice evaporated. It’s like we were sending smoke signals to everyone in the area!

8

CASTING ANIMATE CONSTRUCT (BEFORE OR AFTER?) Animate Construct is an Out of Game (B) spell. This is to give players the possibility of having constructs in their warband for their first game. After this point, it generally makes more sense for the spell to be an Out of Game (A) spell, as this allows the player to restructure their warband based on their success or failure with casting the spell. In fact, there is one case below where I specifically state it should be cast after a game, instead of before. In truth, players should be allowed to cast the spell either way – the key is that each spellcaster should only be allowed to cast it once between each game.

SCROLL ANIMATION A scroll containing the Animate Construct spell can be used to create a ‘standard’ small, medium, or large construct with no Casting Roll necessary, following the normal rules for using a scroll (see Frostgrave, page 95). It can also be used in place of the Animate Construct spell needed to modify an already-animated construct. Scrolls can never be used to animate a construct and give it a modification at the same time, as this process requires unique tuning which cannot be done with a scroll. Scrolls also cannot be used to repair a construct with a permanent injury or re-animate a destroyed construct, as again, this requires putting a different twist on the spell.

9

CONSTRUCTS AND POTIONS A construct may never drink a potion or have a potion applied to it, unless the rules for the specific potion explicitly allow it.

REPAIR AND RE-ANIMATION Constructs can be healed of permanent injuries and even ‘death’ with the use of a Miraculous Cure spell, as per the rulebook (see Frostgrave, page 126). However, under these rules, it is also possible to do this using the Animate Construct spell. In the case of a permanent injury, the spellcaster simply casts Animate Construct before a game as normal. However, they suffer -4 to the Casting Roll. If the roll is successful, the permanent injury is fixed; otherwise it remains. In the case of death, or really, a destroyed construct, the wizard (and only the wizard) may attempt to cast Animate Construct after the game, instead of before. In this case, the wizard suffers -6 to the Casting Roll. If the roll is successful, the construct is returned to life. However, if the wizard rolls a natural 1 while casting, the construct has been permanently destroyed and can never be reanimated. On any other result, the construct remains inanimate. Unlike using a Miraculous Cure spell, Animate Construct does not have to be cast on a dead construct directly after the game in which it was killed. In fact, a wizard may attempt to cast the spell once after every game on the same construct until it is successful (or a natural 1 is rolled). While ‘dead’, constructs do not take up a roster space, but do as soon as they are returned to life. So, if a player is willing to do the paperwork, their wizard can keep a whole closet full of dead constructs in the hopes of re-animating one after each game. However, this is only worth doing if the construct features an upgrade or modification. If a wizard casts Animate Construct after a game, it may not cast the spell again until another game has been played. Scrolls may not be used to repair or re-animate constructs as both cases require specific modifications to the spell to be successful. A spellcaster may use any items that specifically allow empowering a spell Out of Game when attempting to use Animate Construct in either of these ways.

DESIGNER’S NOTE Only ‘standard’ constructs (so small, medium, and large constructs) can be modified. Other types of constructs found in various bestiaries can never be modified, even if they become permanent members of a warband. These constructs are treated as though they have already been modified.

10

CONSTRUCT MODIFICATION While constructs have no item slots, and thus can never carry items, they can be ‘modified’ to change their capabilities. In most cases, this will improve one aspect of the construct, say their fighting ability, at the cost of some other aspect, such as speed. A wizard may attempt to modify a construct either at the time of its creation or before any game in which the construct is set to participate. No construct may have more than one modification. The next section contains a list of modifications than can be made to a construct, presented as a table, followed by the specific rules for those modifications (see page 12). It also includes the parts cost for each modification. This table can also be used as a Treasure Table (and is, in some of the scenarios in this book). If players are using the Black Market optional rules (see Frostgrave, Page 104), they may trade up to two of their rolls on the Treasure Table after each game for rolls on the Construct Modification Table to see what is available to purchase. Once a wizard has the parts for a modification, they may store them in their vault until such time as they wish to use them to modify a construct. To create a new construct featuring the modification, they must successfully cast Animate Construct with an additional -2 penalty to the Casting Roll. This is cumulative with the penalty for the size of the construct, so attempting to create a new, large construct with a modification incurs a -8 penalty to the Casting Roll. If the roll is successful, the construct is created with the modification. Its stats should be modified appropriately, and the parts should be removed from the wizard’s vault as they have been used. If the Casting Roll fails, the construct is not created, but the parts remain in the vault for further attempts. Modifying an existing construct follows basically the same rules, except that the wizard just makes the Casting Roll at -2 for the modification; the size of the construct is not factored in. If successful, the construct is modified. If the roll fails, the construct is not modified, but it may participate in the next game as normal, and the parts remain in the vault. Modifying a construct does not change its status as either a standard or specialist soldier, unless the modification specifically states this. The entire passage was filled with frozen spider webs. I mean, you could smash through them easy enough, but you spent the whole time wondering … where are the spiders?

11

Modification Penalty Whenever a construct receives a modification, it also suffers a permanent modification penalty of -1 to one of its Move, Fight, Armour, Will, or Health stats. The player making the modification may choose which stat to lower. There are a few modifications that contain the phrase, ‘No modification penalty’. In those cases, the modification can be added without a stat being lowered. Construct Modification Table Die Roll 1

Die Roll 2

Purchase Price

Sale Price

1–10

1

Modification Construct Eye-Socket

120gc

80gc

2

Mind Shield

100gc

60gc

3

Projectile Weapon

125gc

100gc

4

Construct Hammer

125gc

100gc

5

Projectile Shield

100gc

60gc

6

Potion Reservoir

100gc

60gc

7

Construct Oil

125gc

100gc

8

Improved Joints

150gc

100gc

9

Armour Plating

100gc

90gc

10

Treasure Lifter

150gc

80gc

11

Thought Command Channel

120gc

100gc

12

Climbing Claws

100gc

60gc

13

Impact Absorbers

100gc

70gc

14

Easily Repaired

150gc

90gc

15

Explosive Demise

110gc

100gc

16

Elemental Armour

125gc

100gc

17

Demonslayer

100gc

60gc

18

Poison Reservoir

110gc

50gc

19

Flame Discharge

150gc

100gc

20

Improved Resistance

100gc

80gc

12

11–20

1

Mystic Reservoir

200gc

100gc

2

Watertight

100gc

60gc

3

Lightshielding

80gc

75gc

4

Construct Killer

100gc

75gc

5

Spellfeeder

100gc

90gc

6

Drillhead

300gc

150gc

7

Powerful Shove

100gc

60gc

8

Demon Portal

350gc

150gc

9

Distracting

200gc

100gc

10

Extra Arms

150gc

100gc

11

Soulsight

200gc

130gc

12

Construct Spikes

150gc

100gc

13

Organic Construction

125gc

50gc

14

Swarm

250gc

150gc

15

Wings

250gc

140gc

16

Undead Slayer

100gc

60gc

17

Smoke Release

200gc

100gc

18

Dense Material

300gc

120gc

19

Animal Killer

100gc

75gc

20

Self-Repair

150gc

100gc

DESIGNER’S NOTE Throughout the history of Frostgrave supplements, there have been a few magic items that are designed to work specifically with constructs, such as the Construct Hammer found in the rulebook (see Frostgrave, page 101). In truth, there aren’t many of these, and they are all listed below. The Advanced Animation rules and the Construct Modification Table are designed to replace all of those. In some cases, these items are presented exactly as they were originally presented. In other cases, they have been modified, or renamed, to fit with the new rules. Essentially, if you are using these rules, but roll a magic item specifically designed to use with a construct from another book, check the notes here to see how to handle it. • Construct Crossbow: The Maze of Malcor, page 66, replaced by Projectile Weapon. • Construct Hammer: Rulebook, page 101 and The Frostgrave Folio, page 15, replaced by the Construct Hammer entry in this book. • Construct Oil: The Frostgrave Folio, page 16, replaced by the Construct Oil entry in this book. • Construct Spikes: The Red King, page 67, replaced by Construct Spikes entry in this book. • Construct Varnish: The Maze of Malcor, page 66, replaced by Elemental Armour. • Golem Flesh: Forgotten Pacts, page 57, replaced by Improved Joints.

13

ANIMAL KILLER

This modification includes etching specific runes of power into the body of the construct to make it especially deadly when fighting animals. Whenever this construct is fighting an animal, it gains +1 Fight and +1 Damage.

ARMOUR PLATING

This modification gives additional armour to the construct. The construct receives +1 Armour.

CLIMBING CLAWS

This construct has been given additional appendages to help it climb up and over the ruins of Frostgrave. It gains the Expert Climber ability.

CONSTRUCT EYE-SOCKET

If a construct has this modification, any spellcaster may cast Wizard Eye on it. In fact, more than one spellcaster may cast Wizard Eye on it at the same time, including enemy spellcasters. This Wizard Eye now moves around with the construct. Unlike a normal Wizard Eye, it can see 360 degrees, and thus a wizard using it can draw line of sight to anything that the construct can. Any spells cast through this Wizard Eye that generate shooting attacks suffer the +1 Hasty Shot modifier even if the casting wizard hasn’t moved in the activation. If the construct is ever reduced to 0 Health, or suffers a critical hit that does not reduce it to 0 Health, all Wizard Eye spells it is carrying are immediately cancelled.

15

CONSTRUCT HAMMER

This large, enchanted hammer can only be fitted to medium or large constructs. A construct that receives this modification is treated as carrying a magic weapon and receives a +2 damage modifier.

CONSTRUCT KILLER

This modification includes etching specific runes of power into the body of the construct to tear at the mystical energies powering constructs. Whenever this construct is fighting another construct, it gains +1 Fight and +1 Damage.

CONSTRUCT OIL

This is a barrel of magical oil used to increase the speed and efficiency of constructs. A construct receiving this modification gains +1 Move.

CONSTRUCT SPIKES

This construct is equipped with large spikes or horns. It gains the Horns attribute.

DEMONSLAYER

This modification includes etching specific runes of power into the body of the construct to tear at the mystical energies binding a demon to this plane of existence. Whenever this construct is fighting a demon, it gains +1 Fight and +1 Damage.

DEMON PORTAL

This construct has been enchanted with a demonic portal on it. Whenever the wizard (and only the wizard) casts Summon Demon, and this construct is within 12” of the wizard, it may place the summoned demon in contact with the construct instead of the wizard. If the summoning spellcaster rolls a ‘1’ for the Casting Roll, the demon must still be placed in combat with the caster.

DENSE MATERIAL

This construct is primarily composed of some extremely dense material, such as heavy metals, the hardest of hardwoods, meteoric rock, etc. For that reason, it is very difficult to damage with small projectile weapons. This construct can never suffer more than 3 points of damage from any bow, crossbow, or javelin attack, unless that attack is magical. In this case, increase the maximum by the total addition the ammunition gave to both Shoot and Damage. For example, an arrow that granted +1 Shoot and +1 Damage could do a maximum of 5 points of damage.

We thought it was a flag pole. Then it just launched into the air, like an arrow from a bow. We watched it go up until it disappeared. By the time we looked back down, another pole was rising out of the ground to take its place.

16

DISTRACTING

Something about the design of the construct makes it incredibly distracting. Whenever this construct, or any figure standing within 2” of the construct, makes a Fight Roll versus a shooting attack, it gains +1 to its roll. Additionally, all Casting Rolls attempted while the construct is within 3” of the caster suffer a -1 penalty.

DRILLHEAD

The construct is equipped with a drill, or other means of quickly burrowing through terrain. The construct gains the Burrowing attribute. However, on any activation it uses this attribute, it suffers -1 Move (to a minimum of 1).

EASILY REPAIRED

This construct is built using common parts that can be easily detached and replaced. This construct receives +1 to all Survival Rolls. A wizard receives +2 on all casting rolls of Animate Construct to bring this construct back from the dead or to heal a permanent injury.

ELEMENTAL ARMOUR

This construct has been given additional protection versus elemental magic. It gains Elemental Resistance (3).

EXPLOSIVE DEMISE

This construct has been filled with a highly volatile substance that is released if the construct is destroyed. If this construct is reduced to 0 Health, all figures within 2” immediately suffer a +3 magical attack. This construct suffers a -4 to all Survival Rolls after the game.

EXTRA ARMS

The construct has more arms (or other arm-like appendages) making it more difficult to gang up on in a fight. Figures supporting a fight against this construct only grant a +1 supporting figure bonus instead of the normal +2.

FLAME DISCHARGE

Once per game, this construct may make a +3 elemental magic shooting attack with a maximum range of 8”. This follows all the normal rules for a shooting attack.

IMPACT ABSORBERS

This construct has been modified to minimize the damage of any fall. Treat all distance fallen by this construct as half of the actual amount for the purposes of determining damage. This modification causes no modification penalty.

17

IMPROVED JOINTS

This modification increases the quickness of a construct making it both harder to target and more deadly in combat. The construct gains +1 Fight. This modification cannot be made to a large construct.

IMPROVED RESISTANCE

The construct is given more independent willpower than is common in constructs. It gains +1 Will. This modification can be made with no modification penalty.

LIGHTSHIELDING

The construct’s vision is protected (or it doesn’t use traditional vision at all). The construct is immune to the Blinding Light spell. This modification can be made with no modification penalty.

MIND SHIELD

A construct with this modification receives +5 to all Will Rolls to resist Control Construct, Mind Control, and Suggestion. In the case of Mind Control, this bonus applies to every roll to resist the spell, not just the initial casting.

MYSTIC RESERVOIR

This construct generates a small amount of excess mystical energy that can be tapped by a spellcaster in its warband. Essentially, the construct has a single point of power each game that can be tapped by the wizard or apprentice is his warband, so long as they are within 12” and line of sight, to empower either a Casting Roll or Will Roll.

18

ORGANIC CONSTRUCTION

This construct contains significant amounts of living material, such as plants, in its design. This construct is affected by Heal and Steal Health spells as though it were not a construct. This modification can be made with no modification penalty.

POISON RESERVOIR

This construct is equipped with a small poison reservoir that is injected into a victim when it lands a successful melee strike. The first time in a game this construct damages an opponent in combat, the attack counts as poisonous. This is true even if the opponent is immune to poison, in which case the poison is wasted. After this initial strike, the poison is exhausted until the next game.

POTION RESERVOIR

This construct may carry one potion as though it had an item slot. However, it cannot use this potion. Instead, any friendly figure within 1” may spend an action to consume this potion, provided neither figure is in combat. This modification causes no modification penalty.

POWERF UL SHOVE

When this construct defeats an enemy in combat, and chooses to push them back, it may push the opposing figure back 3” instead of the normal 1”.

PROJECTILE SHIELD

The construct gains +2 Armour and +2 Fight whenever it makes a Combat Roll versus a shooting attack from a bow, crossbow, or javelin (including magical versions). The construct is still subject to the maximum armour rule.

PROJECTILE WEAPON

The construct’s Shoot stat is increased to +2 if it is lower than this. The construct gains the player’s choice of either a bow or crossbow and a quiver. These items should be added to the construct’s notes. These items follow all the normal rules. However, the construct still has no item slots, so it may not be given a magical version of any of these items. If this modification is made on a small or medium construct, that construct now counts as a specialist soldier.

SELF-REPAIR

This construct can repair itself. Perhaps it is composed of material that can flow around and refill damaged areas or maybe it carries tools to work on its own broken parts. Whatever the mechanism, each time the construct activates, it may spend one action (which can replace the move action) to repair one point of damage, up to its starting Health. It may even do this while in combat.

19

SMOKE RELEASE

The construct’s fireheart creates smoke which slowly builds up inside the creature. Once per game, this construct may spend an action to release its smoke. This can be used in two ways. Either the construct can release it around itself, in which case place a 3” diameter cloud of smoke centered on the construct. This is 3” high. Alternatively, if the construct spends the action to release smoke, then spends its second action to move, it releases the smoke in a line behind it. This line is 1” thick, 3” high and follows the exact path of the construct’s movement, up to a maximum of 6” long. No figure may draw line of sight into, out of, or through this smoke. Figures may move through the smoke as though it is not there. At the end of each turn after the turn in which the smoke is released, roll a die, on a 16+ the smoke dissipates and should be removed from the table. This modification can be made with no modification penalty.

20

SOULSIGHT

The construct has been given magic optics or other ways of sensing the world that go beyond normal sight. The construct gains the True Sight attribute.

SPELLFEEDER

These constructs can siphon off magical energy to repair damage to their bodies. Whenever this construct is the target of a successfully cast spell, it regains 2 points of lost Health, regardless of the effect of the spell (though spells that have no effect against constructs do not trigger this ability).

SWARM

The construct gains the Swarm ability (see page 94).

THOUGHT COMMAND CHANNEL

This construct may be activated in the Wizard or Apprentice phase so long as it is within 12” and line of sight (instead of the normal 3”). The construct still counts as one of the three soldiers that can be activated in these phases.

TREASURE LIF TER

This construct has been modified to hoist treasure into a specific compartment. This figure may pick up a treasure token without spending an action, though subject to all the other normal rules. This modification can be made with no modification penalty.

UNDEAD SLAYER

This modification includes etching specific runes of power into the body of the construct, to tear at the mystical energies animating the undead. Whenever this construct is fighting an undead opponent, it gains +1 Fight and +1 Damage.

WATERTIGHT

The construct is modified to operate in water as easily as it operates on land. The construct gains the Amphibious attribute. This modification can be made with no modification penalty.

WINGS

The construct is equipped with wings, or some other means of limited flight. The construct gains the Flying attribute. In addition to the usual modification penalty for taking this modification, this construct may no longer pick up or carry treasure tokens.

21

DESIGNER’S NOTE When I originally wrote these rules, I allowed constructs to receive two modifications instead of one. This led to some fun construct designs but also to some serious problems. Suddenly, it was possible for a wizard to have a warband containing eight constructs, each featuring two unique modifications. While this is great for the player and the modeller, it is a serious headache to keep track of during a game. This is especially true for the player’s opponent who has no chance of remembering the capabilities of each of these unique constructs while playing. Thus, in the end, I reduced the maximum allowable modifications to one. In truth, this fits better with the Frostgrave rules overall, as it matches with other soldiers having one item slot. All of that said, if players wish, they might consider allowing an especially keen enchanter to have a single construct in their warband featuring two modifications. This allows a wizard to have one especially cool construct in their warband but is unlikely to upset the balance and shouldn’t be too hard for people to remember. Any construct with more than one modification should always be counted as a specialist soldier if it isn’t otherwise. Also, players who are keen on constructs should check out the Book of the Construct magic item (page 71) that gives wizards access to some of the constructs found in the bestiary. This is another way that a wizard can end up with a warband full of different kinds of constructs. However, it will likely prove quite expensive and will probably only happen slowly over the course of a campaign.

22

ANIMATED PROSTHETICS Some wizards, apprentices, and captains who have lost limbs have been able to replace these losses through animated prosthetics. Essentially, a spellcaster creates a version of the missing limb out of the same materials they would use for a construct. They then surgically graft the new limb onto the body and use Animate Construct to give it ‘life’. While these replacements are nearly as good as the original limb, they do require a significant amount of upkeep and finetuning to work. In rules terms, a spellcaster or captain that has suffered the Lost Toes, Smashed Leg, Crushed Arm, or Lost Fingers permanent injury may attempt to graft on a construct replacement. To do so, a spellcaster simply needs to successfully roll an Animate Construct spell. While the figure with the prosthetic should still record these permanent injuries on the wizard sheet, they no longer suffer the normal penalties for those injuries. Instead, after each game, they must either receive another Animate Construct spell, or pay a fee of 10gc, to ensure the limb’s continued function. A figure may have multiple Animated Prosthetics but must deal with the upkeep for each of them separately. If a figure suffers a permanent injury to a limb that already has a prosthetic, then treat the figure as Badly Wounded instead.

24

I know it’s been frozen the whole time, but you really think a 1,000-year-old potion is safe to drink? Would you eat a 1,000-year-old cow?

Animated Prosthetics Upgrades It is possible for a skilled spellcaster to upgrade prosthetics so that they function better than the limb or limbs that they are replacing. If a spellcaster wishes to upgrade prosthetics, they simply pay the cost of the upgrade on the table below, and successfully cast Animate Construct (if the spell roll is failed, they may keep the upgrade in their vault and try the spell again after another game). Each upgrade takes up an item slot, and no figure may have more than one of each upgrade. These upgrades must still be upkept in the same fashion as normal animated prosthetics. If, however, the figure suffers the same permanent injury again, they are Badly Wounded and the upgraded prosthetic has been destroyed. It can be purchased again. Advanced Prosthetics Upgrade Tables Upgrade

Permanent Injury

Cost

Climbing Claws

Lost Toes or Lost Fingers

400gc

Fighting Claws

Lost Fingers

350gc

Gem of Power

Any

400gc

Hidden Projectile

Lost Fingers or Crushed Arm

450gc

Potion Reservoir

Smashed Leg or Crushed Arm

500gc

Shock Absorbers

Smashed Leg

500gc

Toe Ring

Lost Toes

200gc

CLIMBING CLAWS

The figure gains the Expert Climber attribute.

F IGHTING CLAWS

The figure gains +1 Damage in hand-to-hand combat and always counts as armed with at least a dagger.

GEM OF POWER

This prosthetic includes a gem containing one point of power, which can be used by the figure to empower spells or Will Rolls in the normal way.

HIDDEN PROJECTILE

Once per game, the figure may make one shooting attack with a maximum range of 12” (use the figure’s normal Shoot stat for this shooting attack).

25

POTION RESERVOIR

The figure can carry two potions that don’t take up item slots.

SHOCK ABSORBERS

The figure can fall any distance without suffering damage.

TOE RING

The figure is allowed to carry two rings at the same time, instead of the normal one. The figure is still limited to its usual number of item slots, however. This prosthetic does not take up an item slot.

Why would you enchant a rope so that it couldn’t be tied into a knot?

26

C H A P T E R T WO

New Soldiers These new soldiers follow the rules for soldiers found in the Frostgrave: Second Edition rulebook unless otherwise specified and can be recruited at any time.

Construct Familiar Some wizards like to build specific constructs to take the place of a familiar. These constructs are all small, highly personalized, and often used to spy out the enemy. While they are incredibly fragile, their ability to climb Frostgrave’s difficult terrain, and their ability to carry a Wizard Eye spell means many wizards prefer them to keeping a live familiar. Construct familiars count as small constructs and a wizard can add one to their warband through casting the Animate Construct spell as normal, without paying any cost. In fact, that is the only way to gain a construct familiar as they are so personalized, they cannot be purchased. Construct Familiars count as standard soldiers. However, a wizard is not allowed to have a familiar from the Familiar spell while they have a Construct Familiar in their warband. Construct Familiar Move

Fight

Shoot

Armour

Will

Health

6

+1

+0

11

+0

2

Notes Construct, Cannot Carry Treasure, Expert Climber, Construct Eye-Socket

Construct Hound Construct hounds are a specific type of small construct, built primarily for speed. In truth, they are generally thought of more as pets that young wizards create to practice animation than as soldiers, but if given sharp teeth, claws, etc., they can be used in a pinch. Like all constructs, their appearance varies wildly and generally depends on the proclivities of the animator and the locally available materials. Construct hounds count as small constructs and a wizard can add one to their warband through casting the Animate Construct spell as normal, without paying any cost. However, such constructs are also available in quantity in

28

the boomtowns around Frostgrave, so they can also be purchased, if a wizard prefers. Construct hounds already count as modified and thus cannot receive any further modification. Construct hounds count as standard soldiers and cost 25gc if hired (instead of animated). A wizard that has a kennel as part of their base, may replace the additional war hound or wolf allowed by the kennel with a construct hound. Construct Hound Move

Fight

Shoot

Armour

Will

Health

Cost

Notes

7

+1

+0

10

-1

10

25gc

Construct, Cannot Carry Treasure

Scrounger The art of creating constructs is dependent upon having quality materials; unfortunately, such things can be hard to obtain in the ruins of the Frozen City. For this reason, some wizards employ soldiers specifically to scout out and recover raw materials for use in building constructs. These scroungers see ‘treasure’ everywhere, in the fittings of furniture, the ironwork incorporated into architecture, the bits of coloured glass remaining in shattered windows, and so on. Since these soldiers are always carrying a pack-full of stuff, they tend to be a bit slow, but they are used to fighting for what they have and need. If a wizard has a scrounger in their warband, and they are using the Black Market optional rules (see Frostgrave, page 104), they may make one additional Black Market roll after each game. This roll must be on the Constructs Modification Table. Additionally, even if the Black Market rules are not being used, a wizard with a scounger receives a 20% discount on all purchases made from the Constructs Modification Table. Wizards may only receive the above benefits from one scrounger, no matter how many they have in their warband. Scroungers carry both a staff and a hand weapon. They may decide which to use during any given round of combat but must decide before the dice are rolled. Scroungers are standard soldiers and cost 60gc to hire. Scrounger Move

Fight

Shoot

Armour

Will

Health

Cost

Notes

5

+3

+0

11

+1

12

60gc

Staff, Hand Weapon, Light Armour, Extra Black Market Modification Roll, Modification Discount

29

T inkerer The terrain and climate of the Frozen City is as tough on equipment and constructs as it is on people. For that reason, many wizards like to hire a general handyman to help out with repairs. These ‘tinkerers’ spend most of their time in a wizard’s workshop, mending weapons and armour, helping to fix damaged constructs, or even aiding in the construction of new and unique automatons. A wizard that has a tinkerer in their warband gains a +1 to one attempt to cast Embed Enchantment or Animate Construct between each game. This bonus only applies to the wizard. This bonus can be applied to any of the uses for the Animate Construct spell. Because tinkerers are used to improvising, they never count as unarmed. If they are ever without a weapon, they count as armed with a dagger. Tinkerers are standard soldiers and cost 25gc to hire. Tinkerer Move

Fight

Shoot

Armour

Will

Health

Cost

Notes

6

+2

+0

11

+1

10

25gc

Hand Weapon, Wizard Spell Bonus, Always Count as Armed with Dagger

It was basically just a giant ball of chains, rolling through the ruins. Twice we saw it reach out a metal-linked tentacle, grab a rat, and keep on rolling!

30

CHAPTER THREE

Interactive Terrain

Frostgrave is a cold, dead city, that strangely seems very alive to those that explore the ruins. It’s not just the undead, constructs, and demons that wander amidst the shattered buildings, it is the buildings themselves, and the magic that remain within them. Back in the days of Ancient Felstad, the wizards who constructed the city layered enchantment upon enchantment to create their perfect metropolis. Even then, the interactions of those spells often had unintended, and occasionally deadly, consequences. Now, after cataclysm, a thousand years frozen in ice, and a slow, traumatic thaw, many of those ancient spells have run amok. What appears to be a simple doorway could be a gateway to a dimension of fire. A length of dangling chain could be the remains of an elevator that is still trying to pick people up. A simple set of cutlery might be self-operating and can no longer tell the difference between the dinner and the dinner guest… One of the fun aspects of working on Frostgrave over the years has been bringing the dead city to ‘life’, not through the creation of a complex or detailed backstory, timeline, or map, but through scenario mechanics. In general, when I create scenarios for the game, I think about what mechanics are going to make this particular scenario new and different, and then I find a way to justify that through narrative. I suspect this is the opposite approach to that taken by many other designers. I have always wanted games of Frostgrave to feel as much like exploration as gang-fights, where the city itself is as dangerous as any opposing wizard and their warband. I want the city – represented by the table – to almost feel like another player, a player with their own agenda. Contained in this chapter are 20 pieces of ‘interactive terrain’ that help breathe life into the Frozen City, giving it movement, danger, and uncertainty. Many of these pieces of interactive terrain are used in the scenarios found later in this book; however, I wanted to present them separately to give players a toolbox that they can draw upon to create their own unique games and scenarios. So, if you ever have a situation where you don’t want to play one of the published scenarios, but you want to add a bit more chaos, danger, and character to a game, simply turn to this section. First, roll Interactive Terrain Table 1; this will tell you how many times to roll on Interactive Terrain Table

31

2. This table will tell you what kind of weird and wonderful terrain is found in this little corner of Frostgrave. The players should then arrange this terrain on the table in a way that is likely to produce the most conflict, fun, and dramatic moments. Once this is done, the rest of the table can be filled up with mundane terrain. Alternatively, players can just use all these pieces of terrain as tools when creating their own scenarios. Need rules for teleportation discs? Conveyor belts? Flame sprayers? They are all right here! As a final thought, if you are new to Frostgrave, it is best to use this terrain sparingly. It is better to become acquainted with the basic rules of the game first, but, as those rules become second nature, you’ll have more brain space, and likely more desire, to bring this extra chaos to the game. So, take your time and build up the threat as you go along – everyone knows that Frostgrave gets more dangerous the deeper you go into the city! Some of the interactive terrain types affect different types of creatures at different times. If this is the case, roll for this on the Random Creature Type Table found at the end of the chapter (see page 56). Unless otherwise stated, all the types of terrain listed are immune to the Crumble spell and can only be destroyed by the means specified. If no means are listed, then the terrain is functionally indestructible.

32

INTERACTIVE TERRAIN TABLES Interactive Terrain Table 1 Die Roll

Rolls on Interactive Terrain Table 2

1–10

1

11–16

2

18–20

3

Interactive Terrain Table 2 Die Roll

Interactive Terrain

1

Spinning Disc

2

Creature Magnet

3

Mind-Wiper

4

Flame Column

5

Energy Pylon

6

Moving Floor

7

Lava Flow

8

Teleportation Disc

9

Invisible Wall

10

Magical Fire

11

Pits

12

Wandering Wall

13

Turbine

14

Displacer

15

Death Rune

16

Phantasmic Sphere

17

Columns of Luck

18

Rotating Plinth

19

Steam Vent

20

Levitation Disc

33

INTERACTIVE TERRAIN LIST

Columns of Luck While fatecasting was a rare branch of magic, it left its mark on Felstad in numerous ways. One of the most obvious were the columns of luck, which came in two varieties – good-luck and ill-luck. When a person stood near, the columns would tug on the magical strings of their fate, influencing probability one way or another. Columns of ill-luck were often placed as low-level security measures, to discourage people from staying long in specific places, while columns of good-luck served the opposite function, and were generally placed in parks, forums, and other open areas. Most of these columns now lie broken and lifeless amidst the snow and ice of Frostgrave, but a few still stand in odd corners and forgotten squares. Unfortunately, even these have suffered damage to the point where it is no longer immediately obvious which type of column they are! Columns of luck can be represented by any kind of small columns or obelisks, so long as they are distinguishable from the normal terrain on the table. It is best to place an even number of columns on the table (four to six is suggested) so that they form a pattern such as a square, rectangle, or circle that means that each warband starts an equal distance from a given number of columns. Whenever a figure is standing within 1” of a column, they are affected by its luck. The first time during the game a figure standing within 1” of a specific column is called upon to roll a die for any reason, you must check which type of column it is. Roll a die, on a 1–10 it is a column of ill-luck, on a 11–20 it is a column of good luck. The column is now fixed as this type and affects all die rolls of all figures that are standing within 1” of it for the rest of the game. If it is a column of good-luck, then the figure should roll two dice for their die roll and take the higher of the two. But, if the dice roll the same number (double 1, 2, 3, etc.) then the figure also takes 5 points of damage that cannot be mitigated in any fashion. If it is a column of ill-luck, then the figure should roll two dice for their die roll and take the lower of the two. But if the dice roll the same number, then the figure regains up to 5 points of lost Health. All figures that are in combat with a figure that is within 1” of a column count as being within 1” of that column, even if that is not actually the case.

35

Creature Magnet This is a catch-all term for a host of devices that all served a similar function – they were designed to attract and trap or kill certain types of creatures. Wizards installed these for a multitude of reasons: summoners would use them as a defence against summonings gone wrong, banks would set them up at night to prevent thieves, bird watchers to attract rare birds, and so on. Creature magnets can take any form but usually resemble squat obelisks marked with various runes. So long as they are noticeably different from the surrounding terrain, the exact look is not important. When placing creature magnets on the table, it is best to place at least four of them, and they should be placed in some recognizable pattern, such as a square, ‘X’, or even a line running through the middle of the table. At the end of each turn, the players should roll one die for each magnet. On a roll of 1–15, nothing happens. On a 16+ the magnet become active that turn and all figures within 10” of the magnet must make a Will Roll (TN12) or immediately move directly towards the magnet a number of inches equal to the amount by which they failed the roll. The figure will move over all other figures and any terrain that is 2” high or less. Higher terrain stops the figure’s movement. If a figure ever moves into contact with a magnet, either through their own movement, being pushed, or failing a Will Roll and being pulled into contact, then the figure immediately suffers a +4 elemental magic attack. Alternatively, instead of using those rolls, the players can instead decide that all magnets become active every turn, but only attract specific types of figures each turn. So, for each magnet, roll on the Random Creature Type Table (see page 56). All figures of that type within 10” must make the Will Roll (TN12) following the same rules as above. The magnets still attack any figures that moves into contact.

36

Creature magnets can be destroyed. Treat them as having Fight +0, Armour 16, Health 10 if making an attack against them. Magnets are immune to bow, crossbow, and javelin attacks. The magnet will not cause damage if it wins a combat.

The wizard picks up this brick, gives it a curious eye, and says that it’s a construct. I ask him, what’s the point of enchanting a brick? He looks at the broken brick walls looming all around us and says, ‘I don’t know…’.

Death Rune Although the wizards of Ancient Felstad had a high tolerance for dangerous magics, even they drew the occasional ethical line. One such outlawed piece of magic were death runes, powerful runes that activated in the presence of specific types of creatures and cast a Strike Dead on them. Of course, while wizards were often happy to make laws, most of them were also happy to break them when it suited their interests, and plenty of wizards, especially Necromancers, employed death runes to protect their libraries and inner sanctums. Thankfully, these runes are dependent upon the underlying architecture they are placed upon, so most have been destroyed. That said, there are still many that are only ‘cracked’ and semi-functional. Death runes should be represented on the table by little runic stones and work best if five or six of them are placed around the central area of the table where treasure tokens are most likely to be found. They should all be at least 8” apart. At the end of each turn, the primary player should roll on the Random Creature Type Table (see page 56). All figures of that type that are standing within 4” and line of sight of a death rune are immediately struck by a Strike Dead spell with a casting number of 14 (in this case, Strike Dead can affect undead and constructs if that is the type rolled on the Creature Type Table). Any rune that reduces one or more creatures to 0 Health should be removed from the table as its power has been exhausted. If a wizard or apprentice is ever affected by a death rune, they gain +10 experience points (each spellcaster may only claim this bonus once each game). Death runes can be destroyed by casting Crumble, Dispell, or Spell Eater on them.

37

Displacer Wizards used all kinds of magic tricks and devices to hide their treasures. One of the odder ones was the use of displacement fields. Essentially, these fields operated as short-range teleporters designed to transport a person over a room or chamber without them being aware of it, no matter from which direction they approached. Essentially, this allowed a wizard to hide a large threedimensional space by ensuring that no one could ever step into it without the proper command words. Often this would be combined with other illusions to make a given hallway, or house, appear smaller than it was, so the missing space wouldn’t be noticed. To achieve all of this, a wizard would need at least three, and usually four, active displacers to generate the fields all around a given space. In truth, it is unlikely that any such set-up survived the cataclysm. Instead, explorers are much more likely to encounter a couple of glitchy displacers that teleport people at random. Displacers can look like any kind of column, obelisk, or pylon, so long as it is obvious what they are. To achieve maximum fun, place two or three of them on the table in central locations, but at least 10” apart. Whenever a figure activates within 6” of a displacer, roll a die. If the result is 1–10, nothing happens; on an 11–20, move the figure a number of inches equal to the number rolled minus 10 in a random direction. So, if a 15 is rolled, move the figure 5” in a random direction. If this moves a figure onto terrain, place them on top of that terrain. If it moves them onto another figure, place them in combat with that figure. If this places a figure where it cannot physically be, or off the table, place them at the nearest legal point on the line from the displacer. If the figure is carrying a treasure token, the token is transported with them. Figures in combat can be transported out of combat. If a figure has been transported by a displacer, it should continue its activation as normal from its new position.

38

Displacers can be destroyed, but it is dangerous. Treat them as having Fight +2, Armour 16, Health 6 if making an attack against them. Displacers are immune to bow, crossbow, and javelin attacks. If the displacer wins a round of hand-to-hand combat, it causes damage as normal, and roll immediately to see if the figure is transported. If a displacer is destroyed, every figure within 10” should immediately roll to see if they are transported.

Energy Pylon When wizards attempt to wield magic on a grander scale, it often requires significantly more energy than one spellcaster can manage. In the case of Ancient Felstad, many wizards set up pylons that could collect mystical energy and then transfer it to a central repository for use in grand magic. Of course, this was always a dangerous business, as it involved transferring this energy through the air and anyone foolish or unlucky enough to get too close might end up blasted by the energies. Energy pylons should be about 1” square and 3” tall, but the specifics don’t matter so long as they are distinct from anything else on the table. In general, one pylon should be placed in the centre of the table. Additional pylons should be placed in an organized pattern around the central one. It is best if the number of these additional pylons correspond to a die-type (so 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12). At the end of each turn, select a random pylon other than the central one. This pylon fires a concentrated blast of mystical energy toward the central pylon. Any figure that is in contact with either pylon or standing within 2” of a direct line between the centre of the two pylons suffers an +5 elemental magic shooting attack. If players want, they can have more than one pylon fire each turn, but this could make scenarios incredibly deadly. Pylons can be destroyed, but it is dangerous. Treat them as having Fight +2, Armour 16, Health 6 (except the central one, which has Health 20) if making an attack against them. Pylons are immune to bow, crossbow, and javelin attacks. The pylon will cause damage if it wins a combat. If a pylon is destroyed, it explodes and every figure within 3” suffers a +5 elemental magic shooting attack. Once a pylon is destroyed, it no longer fires mystical energy, but should still be factored into the random roll. If its number is rolled, no pylon fires energy that turn. If the central column is destroyed, other columns still fire, but you should draw the line of the mystical energy through the destroyed central column until it reaches the table edge.

39

Flame Column Maybe they were part of a defence system, or maybe part of an industrial construction process; either way, now they are just a deadly hazard. These columns can be of any size, but about a 1” circumference and 3” high is reasonable. These columns should be noticeably different to the rest of the architecture on the table, perhaps featuring a more technological look or perhaps being covered in ominously glowing runes. When placing flame columns on the table, it is best to place at least five of them and they should be placed in some recognizable pattern. Placing one in the centre and the others equally spaced around it usually works well. Whenever any figure moves or activates within 3” of a flame column, this figure immediately suffers a +3 elemental magic shooting attack. Assuming the figure survives this attack, it may carry on with its move or activation as normal. Each flame column will only attack each figure once per activation. Flame columns can be destroyed. Treat them as having Fight +0, Armour 16, Health 10 if making an attack against them. They can also be destroyed with a Crumble spell. Columns are immune to bow, crossbow, and javelin attacks. The column will not cause damage if it wins a combat. If a column is destroyed, roll a die, on an 11+ it explodes and every figure within 3” suffers a +5 elemental magic shooting attack.

Invisible Wall Invisible walls were a common feature of the architecture in Ancient Felstad and were often used in the place of glass windows. They could be found in store fronts, as the ceilings in expensive homes, even occasionally used as ‘sky bridges’ from the tops of high towers. They were also used for prisons, zoos, and laboratories – anywhere the wizards might want to keep their eye on dangerous creatures. Most of these invisible walls were destroyed in the cataclysm, but a few have remained, often having shifted position or become intermittent, sometimes there and sometimes not. There are lots of fun ways to use invisible walls during a game. I suggest setting up a bunch of numbered markers around the table (such as dice) with each showing a different number. At the end of each turn, roll two dice that correspond to the number of dice on the table (for example, roll two d8s if there are eight markers). Assuming the dice don’t roll the same number, an invisible wall suddenly springs up between the two markers. Place a piece of string or something similar between the two markers to show that the invisible wall is present. This wall can cut straight through other terrain. If a figure is standing on this line, roll for a random side, then move the figure the minimum distance required so it is no longer standing on the line. At the end of the turn, this wall vanishes to be replaced by a new wall that is rolled. If the same wall is rolled, it does not vanish but sticks around for another turn. Another fun way to use invisible walls is to set up several of them –

40

represented by markers with string running between them. These could be used to form a box around the central treasure token, or to cut off access to some other part of the table. At the end of each turn, roll a die for each wall. On an 11+ the wall switches off if it is currently on or switches on if it is currently off. In this way, the walls will blink on and off throughout the game. Since these walls are invisible, line of sight can still be drawn through them, but shooting attacks cannot be made through them. Spells that do not generate a shooting attack can be cast through them. Invisible walls are 3” high and can be climbed. Neither invisible walls nor the markers can be attacked or destroyed, and Crumble spells have no effect on them. True Sight has no effect on invisible walls.

Lava Flow In places far beneath the surface of Frostgrave, deep in the Breeding Pits and dungeons forgotten, the earth has cracked and split, and molten rock and fire have spewed up. Rarely do these hazards reach all the way to the surface, but there are many who theorize that these lava flows are a major contributor to the thaw that has come to the Frozen City. Lava flows can be used to represent any kind of extremely deadly liquid hazard such as acid sluices, trenches of molten metal, boiling tar, etc. Lava flows can be represented on the table by two-dimensional terrain and can be of any size or shape. It is perfectly fine to have lava pools or long, lava rivers. Just be aware, that by placing these hazards on the table, you are potentially

42

cutting off areas of the table to creatures that cannot fly. So, if you are using long pools or rivers, it is important to put bridges across them – the more the better. Any time a figure enters a lava flow, for any reason, it immediately suffers 5 points of damage, and may make an immediate free move to the closest unoccupied spot outside of the lava. Every time a figure activates while standing in the lava flow, it suffers 5 points of damage and must make a Will Roll (TN18) or be reduced to a maximum of one action during their activation. Figures with Flying or Levitate can move above the lava flow and do not suffer any of these penalties.

Levitation Disc For the most part, Felstad didn’t have mechanical elevators. Instead, the wizards tended to use long shafts holding levitation discs. These are simple platforms, usually circular, that could be commanded to move up or down a shaft to allow the passenger to reach different levels of a structure. While many such discs remain in Frostgrave, they are generally more of a hazard than a help these days. Most are broken in some form, either moving unexpectedly or moving randomly. In many places, the building that contained the disc, or the shaft itself, has collapsed leaving the disc rising to nothing in particular. Levitation discs can be represented by any form of flat terrain, but 2–3” discs work well. If playing with them in a game, I suggest putting four or five of them on the table. To increase their fun and usefulness, it is advised to either place treasure tokens on top of them, or to put them right next to multistorey terrain, where their levitation could prove useful. There are two ways to play with levitation discs, and players should decide before they start which to use. Either the discs function properly, but don’t always function, or they always function, but not always properly. In the first case, whenever a figure steps onto, or activates while on, a levitation disc, they should roll a die. On a 1–10 nothing happens. On an 11–20 the disc activates and the player is allowed to move the disc directly up or down a distance up to 10”. In the second case, a disc will always activate whenever a figure moves onto it, or activates while on it, but it will move randomly 1–10” either up or down (roll a die, if the result is 1–10 it moves that many inches down, if it is 11–20 it moves that many inches -10, upwards). A disc will always stop if it moves to the ground or if it reaches 10” into the air (players can allow it to go higher if they have terrain that goes higher). Since it is impractical to actually move the disc up or down, just place a die next to it to show how high off the ground it is and use your imagination for the rest. A disc will never descend onto a figure; it will stop just above their heads. Figures can fall off a levitation disc in the same way they can fall off any terrain, taking damage as appropriate.

43

Magical Fire Magical fires were incredibly common in the city of old and were used for light, cooking, metal work, etc. While all of these were extinguished by the ice-storm, some have managed to relight in the thaw. Worse, because many different magics are starting to mix together in ways never intended, explosions have become common-place, and these often result in wandering bits of magical fire. Magical fire can be represented by any kind of token, but let’s face it, little flame markers just look the coolest! These can be of any size or shape, but 1–2” in circumference probably works best. I suggest placing six to ten magical fire markers. It is most fun to divide these equally among the players. After the players have placed their warbands on the table, each player should place their flame tokens anywhere they want, provided they are at least 3” from any figure. On any turn, if any player rolls a 1–4 for initiative, all of the flame tokens should be moved 3” in a random direction. Flame tokens may move over terrain but will stop if they reach the edge of the table. If a token moves into contact with a figure, or vice-versa, the figure immediately suffers 5 points of elemental magic damage. Flame tokens count as intervening terrain for shooting attacks. During a spellcaster’s activation, they may use an action to attempt to control a flame token by making a Will Roll (TN10), which can be empowered. If the Will Roll fails, nothing happens, and the action is lost. If it succeeds, the spellcaster may either move the flame token 3” in any direction they choose or may remove it from the table. Either way, the wizard gains +10 experience points as though they had cast a spell (so subject to the +100 experience points maximum for spellcasting in a game). The eight skeletons walked down the street, carrying the casket on their shoulders. I swear there was knocking coming from inside the casket, but we decided not to get involved…

44

Mind-Wiper The wizards of Ancient Felstad often went to great lengths to ensure their secrets were kept. In some cases, wizards even created architectural features that cast a form of Mind Control whenever anyone walked by. Wizards would put these next to the doors of their innermost sanctums. If a person exiting through the door didn’t speak the right command word or make the correct gesture, then a spell would wipe away their memories of anything that occurred while they were in the room. While many wizards argued that such devices were unethical, the number that are still found amongst the ruins suggest that not everyone agreed or that they didn’t care. Tables should feature only one or two mind-wipers as they are extremely powerful and dangerous artefacts. Place them in central locations or near treasure tokens to get maximum effect. In appearance, they can be anything but should always be a something noticeable and recognizable. Large crystal balls, mirrors, or gems make good mind-wipers. Any time a figure moves within 6” of a mind-wiper, voluntarily or otherwise, they must make an immediate Will Roll (TN14) as though they are resisting a Mind Control spell (except that it can affect spellcasters). If the roll is successful, the figure is now immune to the effect of the mind-wiper until such time as it moves out of its 6” range and enters again. If the roll is failed, any current Control spells active on the figure are cancelled. Also, if the figure isn’t already an uncontrolled creature it temporarily becomes one. The figure will follow all the rules for uncontrolled creatures, except, after the figure activates each turn, it may make another Will Roll to resist the effects. Once the Will Roll is passed, the figure returns to its original allegiance. If it is still within 6” of the mind-wiper it is immune to its effects until it moves out of the 6” range and enters again.

45

Mind-wipers have no effect on creatures that are already uncontrolled. As a variation, you could increase the range of the mind-wiper to 18”, but only have it affect one type of creature each turn. Roll on the Random Creature Type Table at the start of each turn to see what type is affected.

Moving Floor Moving floors were popular features of Felstad. They served as a means of conveyance, moving people or heavy objects from point A to point B. They were also used in assembly lines for the production of everything from constructs to undead servants. In a few places they were added to entertainment venues such as museums, galleries, or arenas to give the spectators different angles on the sights. Most of these moving floors have either frozen solid or been so badly damaged that they will never move again – that said, it’s impossible to tell exactly when a moving floor might start back up again or how long it will keep moving when it does. As with everything in the Frozen City, it pays to watch your step. Moving floors can be represented by two-dimensional terrain such as strips of paper or tiles. In general, these floors were about 2” wide and as long as was needed for their original purpose. Basically, when placing them on the table, they function as small roads. If placing moving floors as the result of a random roll, I suggest placing two roads on the table that cross in the middle, so either an ‘X’ or ‘+’ formation, though any number or formation can lead to a fun game. Just remember that since no other terrain should be placed on a moving floor, moving floors can create long open lines of sight, of the kind that should be rare in Frostgrave (both the city and the game!). At the end of each turn, the primary player should roll a die for each moving floor, in whichever order they choose. On a 1–15 nothing happens. On a 16+, the floor moves. Roll randomly to see which direction the floor moves.

46

All figures on the road should be immediately moved 5” down the road in the indicated direction. They will stop if they reach the edge of the table or if they hit something that is sitting across the moving floor, such as a magical wall. Figures that can fly or levitate can choose whether or not to move with the moving floor. Ethereal figures never move with a moving floor. Small objects, such as treasure tokens will always move on a moving floor and if they reach the edge of the table they are lost.

Phantasmic Sphere Sometimes, when a magic experiment goes wrong, or magical items are suddenly destroyed, such as during a cataclysm or when a city is cracking apart due to a massive thaw, balls of pure mystical energy are temporarily formed. Called will-o’-the-wisps by soldiers, these phantasmic spheres drift around the ruins at random. If left alone, they will eventually dissipate, but can cause horrendous damage if they touch a creature. Phantasmic spheres can be represented either two- or three-dimensionally. If you have, or feel like making, some cool spheres that you can move around, go for it. They should be about 2” in diameter and hover just slightly off the ground. Otherwise, it is perfectly fine to use plastic discs of the same diameter to move around the tabletop. For a normal sized game three or four discs work best. These should be placed more-or-less randomly around the centre of the table, but at least 6–8” from one another.

47

At the end of each turn, each sphere moves 4” in a random direction. Spheres will move through any terrain that is 1” wide or less – complete its move to the other side if necessary, even it that takes its total move over 4” – or will otherwise move over any wider terrain. If the sphere comes into contact with a figure or another sphere or the edge of the table, its movement will cease at that point. If a sphere moves into contact with a figure, or a figure into contact with a sphere, that figure must make a Will Roll (TN12). If the roll is failed, the figure suffers damage equal to the amount by which they failed the roll. So, if a figure’s Will Roll after modifiers was 5, it would suffer 7 points of damage. If the roll is successful, no damage is suffered. Either way, after the roll, the figure should be moved 1” directly away from the sphere. If a figure intentionally moves into a sphere during its activation, it must still make the Will Roll; however, if it survives, it may choose to push the sphere 3” directly away instead of moving 1” directly away from it. This push may move the sphere onto other figures who will then have to make their own Will Roll. Any figure reduced to 0 Health by a sphere receives +3 to their Survival Roll after the game. Phantasmic Spheres cannot be destroyed.

Pit The ruins of Frostgrave are filled with hidden pits. Some of these are just holes that have formed due to the destruction suffered by the city, others are points where floors have collapsed into basements and dungeons, and a few have been purposely made as traps by the denizens of the ruins. Regardless of their origins, they all follow the same rules. Pits can be represented by two-dimensional markers on the tabletop and can be of any size and shape. That said, a pit around 3” square or in diameter makes a good obstacle. There is no minimum or maximum number of pits that can be placed, though too many might make the game slow and difficult. In general, it is best to place them near to the scenario objectives, as a pit next to a treasure token often leads to interesting results (you could even put a treasure token in a pit if you so choose). If a figure is ever involuntarily moved adjacent to a pit, it must immediately make a Move Roll (TN20). If the roll is successful, the figure stops moving adjacent to the pit. If the roll is failed, the figure falls in. The pit is assumed to be just over 3” deep, meaning a figure will normally suffer 5 points of damage for falling in. Figures can also voluntarily enter a pit, which requires 3” of movement, but causes no damage. Figures may attempt to exit a pit by spending an action and making a Move Roll (TN14). If successful, place the figure at any point adjacent to the pit. If the roll is failed, the action is lost, but there is no other penalty. This counts as a move action. Line of sight can only be drawn to or from a figure in a pit to another figure in the pit or to one standing adjacent to the edge.

49

If you want to make things more vicious, you could make them spiked pits (pits with sharp spikes pointing up at the bottom). In this case, the figure does not suffer automatic damage when it falls, but instead suffers a +6 attack. You could also set-up ‘hidden pits’. In this case, place twice the number of pits as you normally would have, but the first time any figure moves adjacent to one roll a die, on a 1–10 there is no pit there, on an 11–20 there is. This can be combined with spiked pits.

Rotating Plinth Magical construction often led to strange extravagances in Ancient Felstad, with rotating buildings being one of the best examples. Although there were never many of these in the city, there were always enough to be worthy of comment in the travel logs of visitors. Essentially, these were normal buildings built on some kind of magical fulcrum, so that it could turn to face different directions. Different wizards had different reasons for constructing such buildings: some did it to get differing views at different times, or to follow the paths of planets and stars, or to follow the sunlight as it changed throughout the day. Like most of the buildings of the city, these rotating buildings are mostly cracked ruins, and many have quit rotating entirely, the mechanisms broken or frozen. That said, there are a few that are still at least partially functional. The easiest and possibly most fun way to bring a rotating plinth into your game is simply to buy a ‘Lazy Susan’ (a dinner table accessory which is basically a spinning plate), paint it grey and throw it on the table. Though you will have to be careful not to spin it while moving figures about on it. Alternatively, you can place a large, flat-topped, circular disc on the table, but you need to make sure that you can easily turn it during play. Rotating plinths can be of any size but should probably be at least 12” in diameter to ensure that the rotation actually has a significant effect on the game. At least one, and as many as three, treasure tokens should be placed upon the plinth. Generally, you’ll want to place the rotating plinth in the exact centre of the table and cover it with terrain like the rest of the table. Just be aware that you will be moving it, so any terrain needs to be unlikely to fall over during movement. At the end of each turn, the primary player should roll a die. On a 1–8 the plinth doesn’t move; on a 9+ it does. If it does move, the player should select a point along the edge of the plinth and then roll for a random direction. The plinth should then be rotated so that the selected point is pointed in the random direction. All figures, terrain, treasure, etc. on the plinth rotate with it, but suffer no other effects. If this terrain is rolled randomly, and players don’t have suitable terrain in their collection, they should feel free to re-roll the result and go with something else.

50

Spinning Disc The original purpose of these discs is rarely clear, but now they have just become a hazard. These discs can be of any size, though 2–3” in circumference probably works best. If figures are standing on a disc at the end of any turn, roll a die. On a 1–10, the figures on the disc are flung that many inches in a random direction. This movement is halted by any terrain over 2” tall, but otherwise the figures pass over all other terrain and figures. If a figure is halted by terrain, then it immediately suffers 2 points of damage. If it travels the full distance, it does not suffer any. If the die roll is a 11–20, then the disc does not spin this turn and the figures remain in place. Spinning discs work best if there are two or three of them on the table. It is especially fun to put treasure tokens in the middle of them. These treasure tokens will be affixed to the disc until they are picked up, nor can any form of magical movement be used against them while they are on the disc.

Steam Vent Although it is rarely mentioned, as many people (and other creatures) laboured below the ground of the ancient city as walked upon its streets. Most famously, the Beastcrafters toiled away creating new and exciting creatures, while numerous other factories, storage facilities, and laboratories also operated below ground. Of course, all these underground operations needed proper venting, both to bring in fresh air and to expel potentially toxic gases. For this reason, many places in the city featured steam vents. Generally, these look like small iron gratings set in the ground and they come in all different shapes and sizes.

51

If playing with steam vents, it is best to have a good number of them on table, five or six for a two-player game. Each steam vent can be represented by a simple two-dimensional token, generally about 1–2” in diameter. Steam vents should be placed in a rough geometric shape around the centre of the table – possibly with one in the direct centre as well. At the start of the game, randomly select two of these vents (or one for every three vents on the table) and place an 8” diameter cloud of steam over each of them. Figures may move through clouds of steam normally, but a figure may not draw line of sight into, out of, or through a cloud. Players can use two-dimensional circles to represent the clouds, though covering them with cotton wool can be fun! At the start of each turn after the first, randomly select one steam vent, and place a new cloud over it. If a figure is within 1” of a steam vent when it releases a cloud, they suffer a +3 attack. If they are under or in contact with the cloud, but not within 1” of the vent, they suffer a +0 attack instead. If a steam vent already has a cloud over it, it can still be selected, and figures suffer attacks as normal, but the cloud stays the same. At the end of each turn, roll a die for each cloud. On a 14+ it dissipates and should be removed. If players want, they can increase the danger by making the clouds toxic. In this case, they should either decide before the game if either all clouds should be toxic, or if they should roll a die for each one and on an 11+ it is toxic. Toxic clouds behave in the same way, except if figure suffers any damage from one, they are poisoned.

52

Teleportation Disc All the largest, most expensive houses in Felstad were equipped with teleportation discs so that residents could quickly move from one wing of the house to the other without the bother of walking through most of the rooms. While many of these houses have been destroyed, many of the disc still exist and remain active, if a bit fickle. Teleportation discs can be any size, though 2–3” in diameter probably works best. Place three to five of them on the table, in a somewhat haphazard manner, but each disc should be at least 10” from any other. Whenever a figure first steps onto a disc, or activates while on a disc, roll a die. On an 11+, this figure is immediately transported to the centre of another random teleportation disc on the table. A figure does not have to roll for this new disc unless they move off it and onto it again. Once teleported, a figure may continue with their move or activation as normal. On a 1–10 nothing happens. Another way to use teleportation discs is to have one set up on another, smaller table – a secret room or hidden level that is only accessible by the teleportation disc. Originally, anyone could reach this disc by speaking the proper command word. So, players could either leave it so that you can only reach this room by luck, or they could create a mechanic for the scenario where the appropriate command word can be discovered. For example, any figure that picks up a treasure token also learns the command word, or place a couple of stones that have the command word written on it, so any figure that moves into contact with a stone learns the word.

53

Turbine While not overly common in Felstad, some of the larger factories, laboratories, and entertainment venues had large turbines installed. In most cases, these functioned as air-flow devices to keep the insides of buildings fresh and cool. However, some were used for more specialist purposes, such as extracting or channelling gases, water pumping, and even waste disposal. If using a turbine in a game, it is best to only have one, set-up near the centre of the table. While the turbine can be represented by anything, it is most fun if it looks like a giant fan, standing upright on a base. The turbine must have room to fully rotate during the game. It must be clear which side is the front of the turbine and which side is the back. At the end of each turn, the turbine should be rotated to face a random direction. Then roll a die. On a 1–10, nothing happens; on an 11–20, the turbine switches on for a moment. If the turbine switches on, it affects all figures that are standing within line of sight of the turbine and standing within 3” of a line running straight through the centre of the turbine. If figures are standing in front of the turbine, they are treated as hit by a Push spell, treating the turbine as the caster. If they are behind the turbine, they are treated as hit with a Push spell, except that the attack is only +6 and they will be moved directly towards, instead of away, from the turbine.

54

Any figure that moves into contact with the turbine (such as being sucked into it) immediately suffers a +8 attack and is thrown 3” in a random direction. If a figure holding a treasure token moves into contact with the turbine, it automatically drops the treasure, and the treasure is thrown 3” in a random direction separate from the figure that was carrying it, but is otherwise unharmed. Apparently it was a ‘helm of teleportation’; unfortunately, it only teleported the parts of the body it was actually touching…

Wandering Wall Wandering walls are actually a form of very basic construct. Essentially, they are walls that have been given some mechanism such as wheels, tiny legs, or treads to move around. In the old city, wizards would use these walls to quickly reconfigure large spaces. Wandering walls can be of any size, but generally 4” long, 3” high, and a width of 1” or less works best. When playing with wandering walls, you can put as many as you like on the table so long as they can be distinguished from normal walls. The only real limitation is that you need to leave some room on the table so that they can actually wander! At the end of each turn that there are wandering walls on the table, each player may select one wall to move. Each wall may only be selected once. Begin with the player that had the lowest priority in the turn and work back to the primary player. When selected, a player may rotate a wall up to 180 degrees, so long as this does not bring it into contact with any other terrain. Any figures in the way of this movement are moved along with the rotation. After the rotation, the wall will move 4” in a random direction. It will stop if it contacts other terrain, and any figures that are contacted will be moved along with it. Figures may climb wandering walls following the normal rules and will move along with the wall when it moves. Spellcasters may cast Control Construct or Mind Control on a wandering wall. Wandering walls automatically fail all Will Rolls to resist the spell. Once controlled, the player may move the wall during the Soldier phase, following the same rules as above, except the move direction is chosen by the player and is not random. This wall may no longer be selected at the end of the turn by any player. Controlling a wall in this fashion does not prevent the player from selecting another wall at the end of the turn but does count against the spellcaster’s limit of controlling one construct, or figure, at a time. If Crumble is cast on a wandering wall, it is automatically destroyed.

55

Random Creature Type Random Creature Type Table Die Roll

Creature Type

1–2

Invisible Figures

3–4

Figures wearing Heavy Armour

5–6

Figures with the Flying Attribute

7–8

Uncontrolled Creatures

9–10

Animals

11–12

Constructs

13–14

Undead

15–16

Demons

17–18

Spellcasters

19–20

Warband Members

So the first thing we noticed in the room was the giant clock, which isn’t all that unusual … but this clock didn’t have numbers; instead, it had our names written around the outside. We didn’t stick around to see which name it would point to next…

56

CHAPTER FOUR

The Construct Palace Scenarios While the creation of constructs is a magical art, and not a science, that didn’t stop the entrepreneurial wizards of Ancient Felstad from turning construct animation into a big-money industry. Numerous companies vied to build the newest, most complex, and most desirable constructs. In fact, the industry moved so quickly that most construct varieties had a limited run before they were replaced by something better, flashier, or just newer. While small construct factories existed all over the city, none could compete with the size and grandeur of the vast sprawling factory complex known as The Construct Palace. Consisting of dozens of interlinked buildings, housing manufacturing centres, assembly lines, warehouses, shipping hubs, and more, The Construct Palace stood as one of the wonders of the age. Now, the area is a broken, frozen wasteland, filled with toppling buildings, dangerous broken machinery, and, of course, rogue constructs. Most of the other denizens of the Frozen City avoid the area through a fear of triggering some ancient machine. Of course, no area of the city is likely to contain more of the secrets of magical animation, nor more of the special materials and parts required to create top-of-line constructs. This chapter contains five scenarios set in the ruins of The Construct Palace. These scenarios were designed to stand alone so that they can be slotted into any campaign. They were also created to utilize some of the weird and wonderful bits of interactive terrain presented earlier in the book.

I mean the boulder was at least as big as a person, but still, how were there a dozen arms sticking out from beneath it?

58

SCENARIO 1: MEET IN THE MIDDLE As you picked your way carefully through the blasted ruins of some ancient factory, you heard a gentle, steady hum. As you advanced deeper into the ruins, the hum grew louder. Then, passing through a broken wall, you beheld a strange and wonderful sight. A series of magical paths, laid out like an ‘X’, moved the snow and ice to a central point, dumping it in a pile. Every so often, there was a flash, and the pile of snow and ice vanished!

Set-Up Requirements: 4 Moving Floors, 5 Teleportation Discs Place a teleportation disc, about 4” in diameter, in the centre of the table. Place four moving floors running from the disc to each of the four corners of the table. Place four more teleportation discs so that they form a cross around the central point, so that each of these discs is 10” away from the central disc. The rest of the table should be crowded with ruins and terrain. Place the central treasure in the centre of the table, in the middle of the teleportation disc. Place two additional treasures on the two teleportation discs furthest from either player’s starting table edge. Each player may then place one additional treasure anywhere they wish within 8” of the centre of the table. For the two teleportation discs containing treasure tokens (but not the central one) roll once on the Fireheart Random Encounter Table (page 80) and place that creature on the disc. Warbands should set-up as normal.

Special Rules The moving floors follow the rules presented on page 46. The teleportation discs work differently. Whenever a figure moves onto, or activates while on, the central teleportation disc, roll a die. On an 11+, it is immediately transported to the centre of one of the other four discs. Roll randomly to see which one. The other four discs never transport figures, they are just destinations. The two randomly determined creatures follow the standard rules for uncontrolled creatures.

59

Treasure and Experience Treasure should be rolled for after the scenario as normal, except that any warband that recovered treasure tokens also receives an additional free roll on the Construct Modification Table (page 12). Experience is earned as normal with the following additions: •

• •

•

+10 experience points if the apprentice is on a moving floor when it moves. +20 experience points if the wizard is on a moving floor when it moves. +10 experience points if the apprentice is teleported by the teleportation disc. +20 experience points if the wizard is teleported by the teleportation disc.

SCENARIO 1: MEET IN THE MIDDLE DESIGNER’S NOTE If players want a bit of a set-up challenge and an even more unique table, have the central teleportation disc sit on top of a column 4” above the surface of the table, and have all of the moving roads run from the ground in the table corners up to the top of the column. In this case, it is important that the moving roads are nearly two-dimensional, so that figures can move and draw line of sight under them. Otherwise, the table will likely be too divided to make for a fully satisfying game.

60

SCENARIO 2: THE TURBINE The great turbine of The Construct Palace originally sat in a vast chamber just below ground. Over the years, numerous construct designs passed through the chamber, enduring a rigorous testing process. Unfortunately, the underground location proved to have a severe rodent problem, and despite filling in every hole that could be found, the rats always managed to get in. Normally, this would just be a nuisance, but if a rat, especially a giant one, got in during a test, it would invariably be sucked into the turbine, ruining the experiment and often damaging the equipment. So, the owners conjured death runes all around the chamber keyed to rats. A millennium later, the roof of the chamber has collapsed, leaving the turbine exposed to the freezing air. Although it still turns on from time to time, there is generally no one around to witness it … except the rats, of course.

Set-Up Requirements: 1 Turbine, 4 Death Runes, 2 Rat Swarms Place a turbine in the centre of the table. Place four death runes so that they form an ‘X’ on the table, with each rune being 4” in from a table corner on a line to the centre. Place two rat swarms (see page 91). Each should be 6” from the turbine on opposite sides from one another. The exact placement doesn’t matter so long as they are opposite. The area within 6” of the turbine should be mostly open with only small bits of terrain. The rest of the table should be crowded with ruins as normal. This scenario does not use a central treasure token but should contain three treasure tokens per player. Each player should place one treasure token adjacent to the turbine. They should place another anywhere within 8” of the turbine, and a final one anywhere within 12” of the turbine, so long as it is at least 9” from the warband’s deployment zone. Warbands should be deployed as normal.

Special Rules The turbine uses the rules presented on page 54, while the death runes use the rules found on page 37. Treasure tokens that start the game adjacent to the turbine cannot be moved or affected by any spell until they have been picked up for the first time in the game. If any player rolls a natural 1 for their Initiative Roll during the scenario, they may immediately place a rat swarm adjacent to any table edge. If any player rolls a natural 2–4 on their Initiative Roll during the scenario, they may immediately place a giant rat (see Frostgrave, page 180) adjacent to any table edge. All creatures follow the standard rules for uncontrolled creatures.

61

Treasure and Experience Treasure should be rolled for after the scenario as normal, except that a warband that recovered treasure tokens also receives an additional free roll on the Construct Modification Table (page 12). Experience is earned as normal with the following additions: •

•

• • • •

+5 experience points if any soldier in the warband takes damage from the turbine. +5 experience points if any soldier in the warband takes damage from a death rune. +10 experience points if the apprentice takes damage from the turbine. +10 experience points if the apprentice takes damage from a death rune. +25 experience points if the wizard takes damage from the turbine. +25 experience points if the wizard takes damage from a death rune.

62

SCENARIO 3: FIRE HARDENED One of the last steps in the manufacturing process for many constructs was a trip to the ‘Fire Room’. This huge factory floor consisted of numerous spinning discs, surrounded by columns that spat out jets of flame. These were used for both fire-hardening of wood and for fire-polishing of glass and metal. It was a hot and hellish room in the ancient days, now it’s a frozen wasteland just waiting for a spark…

Set-Up Requirements: 5 Spinning Discs, 4 Flame Columns Place one 2” diameter spinning disc in the centre of the table. Then place four additional 2” spinning discs so that they form an ‘X’ around the central one. Each of these discs should be 4” away from the central one. Place four flame columns so that they form a cross around the central disc, so that each column is standing directly between two of the discs making up the arms of the ‘X’. A few small patches of rubble can be placed between the columns and discs, but this area should be mostly clear. The rest of the table should be crowded with terrain as per a normal game. Place the central treasure in the centre of the central disc. Each player may then place one treasure token in the centre of one of the other discs. Each player may then place a final token anywhere they wish on the table so long as it is at least 10” from their deployment zone. Warbands deploy as normal for this scenario.

64

Special Rules The spinning discs follow the rules presented on page 51, while the flame columns follow the rules on page 40. Do not roll for random encounters as normal in this scenario. Instead, if any player rolls a 6 or less on their Initiative Roll each turn, then roll on the Fireheart Random Encounter Table found on page 80 and place this creature(s) at a random point adjacent to the table edge.

Treasure and Experience Treasure should be rolled for after the scenario as normal, except that a warband that recovered treasure tokens also receives an additional free roll on the Construct Modification Table (page 12). Experience is earned as normal with the following additions: •

•

• •

• •

+5 experience points if any soldier in the warband is tossed by a spinning disc. +5 experience points if any soldier in the warband takes damage from a flame column. +10 experience points if the apprentice is tossed by a spinning disc. +10 experience points if the apprentice takes damage from a flame column. +25 experience points if the wizard is tossed by a spinning disc. +25 experience points if the wizard takes damage from a flame column.

65

SCENARIO 4: THE RE-ALIGNMENT CHAMBER Situated in the heart of The Construct Palace, the Re-alignment Chamber was the last step in the manufacturing process before the constructs were shipped off to sellers. Large batches of constructs were herded into the chamber where a mind-wiper would erase their loyalties to their creators, so that they could be re-aligned to the end customer. The constructs were then sorted using specially tuned creature magnets. Although many pieces of this once mighty chamber still remain, it is now all but unrecognizable in its ruined, frost-covered state.

Set-Up Requirements: 1 Mind-Wiper, 4 Creature Magnets, 4 Creatures Place a mind-wiper in the centre of the table. Place four creature magnets so they form an ‘X’ around the centre of the table, with each creature magnet being 12” from the mind-wiper. For each creature magnet, roll once on the Fireheart Random Encounter Table (see page 80). Place this creature 1” away from the magnet, on the side facing the mind-wiper. Place the central treasure adjacent to the mind-wiper. Each player should then place one treasure token anywhere within 6” of the centre of the table, and another within 9”, provided that no treasure token is within 5” of any other.

Special Rules The mind-wiper follows the rules presented on page 45. The creature magnets follow the rules on page 36. Players may use either variation of the creature magnet rules but should decide which before the table is set up. The creatures that begin the game on the table follow the standard rules for uncontrolled creatures.

Treasure and Experience Treasure should be rolled for after the scenario as normal, except that a warband that recovered treasure tokens also receives an additional free roll on the Construct Modification Table (page 12). Experience is earned as normal with the following additions: •

• •

+10 experience points if any soldier in the warband fails its Will Roll to the mind-wiper. +20 experience points if the apprentice fails its Will Roll to the mind-wiper. +40 experience points if the wizard fails its Will Roll to the mind-wiper.

66

SCENARIO 5: INCINERATOR ISLAND As might be expected, The Construct Palace produced a huge amount of refuse, both in terms of broken or rejected constructs, and the cast-offs from the industrial process. The owners found a novel way of dealing with this junk. They drilled deep into the earth until they tapped into a magma flow, which they diverted up so that a brief segment of it ran through the complex before diving back deep below ground. Any waste material was just tossed into the lava flow and that was the end of that. Of course, this was dangerous work, so the owners set up a series of displacer fields so that their employees could move safely from one side of the lava to the other without having to actually cross over it. That’s how it was when everything was working…

Set-Up Requirements: 2 Lava Flows, 8 Bridges, 8 Displacers, 2 Magmites Place two lava flows running across the length of the table parallel to the player starting edges. These rivers should be about 2–3” wide and about 14” apart, leaving a large strip of the central table between them. Each lava flow should have at least four bridges crossing over them. Place eight displacers on the table. Four of these should be in the middle section of the table. They should form a wide ‘X’ around the centre of the table, so that each displacer is 10” from the centre point and 1” away from the lava flow. Place the remaining four parallel to the first four, with each of these being 1” away from the opposite side of the lava flow. The rest of the table should be crowded with ruins as normal. Place two magmites (see page 90) on the central portion of the table, 4” away and on opposite sides of the central point. Place the central treasure token in the centre of the table. Each player should then place two more treasure tokens anywhere they wish, provided they are between the two lava rivers and at least 6” from any other token.

Special Rules The rules for lava flows can be found on page 42 and for displacers on page 38. If any player rolls a natural 1 or 2 on their Initiative Roll, they may immediately place a magmite (see page 90) at any point on the table so long as it is in, or adjacent to, a lava river and not within 1” of any figure. Magmites follow the standard rules for uncontrolled creatures.

67

Treasure and Experience Treasure should be rolled for after the scenario as normal, except that a warband that recovered treasure tokens also receives an additional free roll on the Construct Modification Table (page 12). Experience is earned as normal with the following additions: • •

• • • •

+5 experience points if any soldier in the warband is moved by a displacer. +5 experience points if any soldier in the warband takes damage from a lava flow. +10 experience points if the apprentice is moved by a displacer. +10 experience points if the apprentice takes damage from a lava flow. +25 experience points if the wizard is moved by a displacer. +25 experience points if the wizard takes damage from a lava flow.

68

CHAPTER F IVE

New Treasure and Base Resources After playing a scenario set within The Construct Palace, a player that has acquired treasure tokens may exchange one roll on the normal Treasure Table for a roll on the Fireheart Treasure Table below. Players may only make one roll on this table after each game, unless otherwise stated by a specific scenario. If using the Black Market optional rules (see Frostgrave, page 104), a player may replace one of their rolls granted by this rule with a roll on the Fireheart Treasure Table. Fireheart Treasure Table Die Roll

Purchase Price

Sale Price

1

Magic Item Hammer Talisman

200gc

120gc

2

Heartsapper

250gc

150gc

3

Staff of Turmoil

500gc

200gc

4

Quiver of Free Will

300gc

175gc

5

Jumping Beans (5)

200gc

125gc

6

Construct Battery

360gc

180gc

7

Orb of Mystic Fire

300gc

140gc

8

Scattershot Comb

300gc

100gc

9

Endless Tea Flask

300gc

300gc

10

Invisibility Cloak

600gc

300gc

11

Sword of Power (1)

400gc

200gc

12

Construct Key

450gc

225gc

13

Wallbreaker

300gc

100gc

14

Bloodfeast Sword

500gc

200gc

15

Treasure Cloak

400gc

150gc

16

Thundershaker

450gc

180gc

17

Necklace of Protection

300gc

150gc

18

Construct Patch (2)

150gc

100gc

19

Apotropaic Charm

300gc

120gc

20

Book of the Construct

300gc

150gc

70

Apotropaic Charm This charm, usually worn on a necklace, belt, or bracelet has the power to ward off curses. A figure carrying this charm is immune to Curse spells.

Bloodfeast Sword When this item is found or purchased, the player may decide if it is a hand weapon or a two-handed weapon. Once the decision is made, it is fixed and may not be changed. This is a magic weapon that grants the wielder +1 Fight and +1 Will. However, every time this figure reduces an enemy to 0 Health, they suffer a cumulative -2 Will penalty for the remainder of the game.

Book of the Construct There are actually numerous different Books of the Construct, each giving instructions on how to build and animate a specific type of construct. When this item is found, the player should roll again on the table below to see which book they have found.

Each of the statues had a blood-stained compartment, right where the heart would be.

71

A wizard with this book in their vault may use the Animate Construct spell to create the specified type of construct and add it to their warband. There are no modifiers to this roll for the size of the construct. The rules for each of these constructs is found in the bestiary. The bestiary entry states if the construct counts as a standard soldier or specialist soldier in the warband. All the constructs that can be created using the Book of the Construct are already modified and can receive no further modifications. If using the Black Market optional rules, the player may roll for the type of book available before deciding to buy it. Book of the Construct Table Die Roll

Construct Type

1–4

Blade-Dog

5–8

Glass Man (Medium & Large)

9–12

Candle-Jack (Medium & Large)

13–16

Demonic Prison

17–20

Construct of Burden

Construct Battery This item can be stored and used while in a wizard’s vault. It has six points of power stored within it. Whenever a spellcaster is casting Animate Construct, regardless of the exact purpose of the spell, they may draw points of power from this device in the same way as using Health to empower a spell. Once these points of power are used up, they may not be replenished and the construct battery should be crossed off the wizard sheet. The cost and sale price listed for this item are for a fully charged battery. If selling a partially used battery, the sale price is 30gc x the number of power points remaining.

Construct Key This magic key can only be carried by a spellcaster. The spellcaster gains +4 on all rolls to Control Construct if the target construct is within 4”.

Construct Patch This magic item usually takes the form of a lump of clay or extremely malleable metal. A figure within 1” of a friendly construct may spend an action and apply the patch, provided neither figure is in combat. The construct immediately regains up to 6 points of lost Health. If found or purchased, this item comes with two patches. Each patch takes up an item slot. If sold, the wizard receives 50gc per patch.

72

Endless Tea Flask This highly sought-after magic item is filled with warm, fragrant, and delicious tea. If the flask is not full, it slowly refills itself. It takes about an hour for a completely empty flask to refill. A figure carrying this tea flask can spend an action (which can replace the move action) to take a drink. This drink heals 1 point of damage and grants +2 to all Will Rolls made by the figure from that point until their next activation. A figure may only take one drink from the flask during each activation.

Hammer Talisman A figure carrying this talisman may cast the Elemental Hammer spell on a construct, even if that construct is not carrying or equipped with a weapon.

74

Heartsapper This fist-sized gem is designed to leach mystical energy from nearby constructs, rendering them less of a threat. All constructs within 3” of a figure carrying this item suffer -1 Move, -1 Fight, -1 Will, and -2 Damage in hand-to-hand combat. A construct only suffers the effects of one heartsapper, even if they are within 3” of more than one.

Invisibility Cloak Once per game, a figure wearing this cloak may activate it as a free action. Treat the figure as though an Invisibility spell has been cast upon it. This spell follows all the normal rules, including rules for how it is cancelled. This spell is immediately cancelled the next time this figure activates.

Jumping Beans A figure carrying one of these beans may eat one as a free action. For the rest of their activation they may spend actions to jump up to their full movement allowance, including combining the distance by spending multiple actions, but still halved for carrying treasure. This jump can be vertical or horizontal, but count the actual distance travelled. If this jump leaves a figure above the ground, it will fall to the ground, taking damage as normal. A figure may jump down and will not take damage if the jump takes them all the way to the ground. If it does not, they take full damage for the entire distance that they fell. Jumping beans cannot be used by constructs, undead, animals, or demons. A figure which finds or purchases jumping beans receives five doses and can carry up to five doses in one item slot. If the beans are sold, the player receives 25gc for each bean.

Necklace of Protection Once per game, a figure wearing this necklace may spend an action to use it. The necklace creates a Circle of Protection, following all the same rules as for the spell. The one exception is that the player should not roll for the circle on the turn it is created, instead roll at the end of each subsequent turn. On a roll of 1–7 the circle is cancelled.

75

Orb of Mystic Fire Once per game, a figure carrying this orb may spend an action to throw it anywhere within 8”. If thrown at an enemy figure, make a +3 elemental magic shooting attack against that figure. After the attack is resolved (or if there was no attack) place a magical fire token at the point of impact. Any figures that would be in contact with this token should be move the minimum distance required so that they are no longer in contact with it. If the orb was thrown at a figure that survived, the player controlling the figure that threw the orb can decide where exactly to place the figure. From this point on, the magical fire token follows the rules for magical fire found on page 44.

Quiver of Free Will The ammunition contained in this quiver has the power to break control spells. Whenever a figure is damaged by ammunition from this quiver, and that figure is under a control spell that makes it a temporary member of a warband, the control spell is immediately cancelled.

Scattershot Comb The figure carrying this comb may spend one action to use it. Treat this figure as though they had just cast the Scattershot spell, even if they are not a spellcaster. The comb is destroyed when used and should be crossed off the Wizard Sheet.

Staff of Turmoil Only a spellcaster can receive the full benefit of this magic staff, though anyone can carry it as a magic weapon. Whenever a spellcaster attempts to cast a spell, the player may declare that they are using the staff. The spellcaster gains +1 to the Casting Roll but suffers -1 Will for the rest of the game. This penalty is cumulative with all other Will penalties, including multiple uses of the staff of turmoil. Furthermore, if the spellcaster fails to cast a spell while using the staff, they suffer 1 point of damage in addition to any other damage they might have suffered. If the figure carrying the staff is ever reduced to a Will stat of less than 0, then they may no longer use the staff to influence casting rolls.

76

Sword of Power (1) This is a magical hand weapon that does +1 Damage. In addition, it has one point of power in the same way as a staff/ring/orb of power. (See Frostgrave: Second Edition rulebook page 102)

T hundershaker This magical musical instrument summons thunderstorms. Once per game, a figure carrying the thundershaker may spend an action to activate it. From this point on, all bow, crossbow, and javelin attacks suffer a -1 penalty for the rest of the game due to wind. (This penalty is not cumulative with any penalties imposed by the Call Storm spell). After a figure has used the thundershaker to call a storm, they can use it to make small electrical attacks against other figures. In this case, the figure may spend an action to make a +1 elemental magic shooting attack against any figure within 8” and line of sight. However, if a natural 1 is rolled while making this attack, the figure carrying the thundershaker suffers 5 points of elemental magic damage instead. Increase this to 8 points of damage if the figure is wearing heavy armour.

77

Treasure Cloak If a figure wearing this cloak is carrying a treasure token and reaches a table edge where that token can be secured, the token is automatically secured, but the figure is allowed to stay on the table. A figure may only use the treasure cloak in this way once per scenario.

Wallbreaker This magical needle, carved with tiny, intricate runes, has the power to destroy magical walls. Once per game, a figure carrying a wallbreaker can move straight through a magical wall (any wall created by the Wall spell). That wall is immediately removed from the table. Fireheart Base Resource Table Resource

Effects

Mirror of Preening

Allows the wizard to cast Beauty as an Out of Game (A) spell. If successful, the wizard receives a 10% discount on a single potion, magic item, magic weapon, or magic armour purchased after the game.

Purchase Price 150gc

Construct Repair Tools

The wizard gains +2 on all Animate Construct rolls that are specifically to repair a construct or bring a construct back from death.

300gc

Construct Forge

The wizard may select one modification from the Construct Modification Table after each game and buy that modification at a 50% discount, even if using the Black Market optional rules. This discount may not stack with any other discounts.

400gc

Talking Head

This is the head of some long-dead person or creature that has been reanimated into some semblance of life. A wizard may spend some time after each game talking to the head to gain valuable information or insight. The wizard gains an additional +10 experience points, but this is still subject to the maximum 300 experience points per game.

800gc

Haven Box

Before each game, the wizard may pick one item carried by any member of his warband. If that item is lost due to a roll on the Survival Table (so either Dead or Close Call is rolled) then the item is instead magically transported back to the wizard’s vault instead. A wizard may own multiple haven boxes and each may be assigned to a different item.

600gc

78

CHAPTER SIX

Bestiary

This chapter contains several new monsters, mostly constructs, that can be encountered in the Frozen City. Also included is a new Random Encounter Table. This table is designed to be used with the scenarios presented in this book, or any scenarios set within The Construct Palace or other area that is likely to have a heavy concentration of constructs. Fireheart Random Encounter Table Die Roll

Encounter

1

Small Construct

2

Gnawgrubs

3

Medium Construct

4

Rat Swarm

5

Large Construct

6

White Gorilla

7

Candle-Jack

8

Giant Rats (2)

9

Blade-Dog

10

Gnawgrubs

11

Demonic Prison

12

Minor Demon

13

Construct of Burden

14

Imp

15

Glass Man

16

Werewolf

17

Gnawgrubs

18

Rat Swarm

19

Wraith

20

Giant Worm

80

Blade-Dog This type of construct has recently become a favourite of wizards exploring Frostgrave. Essentially, the wizard takes a bunch of old bladed weapons such as swords, spears, axes, knives, etc., and beats them into the rough shape of an animal. Usually this is a dog, or some other four-legged animal, but it doesn’t really matter. The resulting construct is designed to move fast, strike hard, and inflict maximum damage, while being ultimately disposable. If this construct becomes part of a warband it is treated as a specialist soldier. Blade-Dog Move

Fight

Shoot

Armour

Will

Health

7

+3

+0

12

+0

14

81

Notes Construct, Construct Spikes, Cannot Pick Up Treasure, Sharp Teeth

Candle-Jack Candle-jacks are a specific type of construct that includes a tough gourd or vegetable as the repository for their mystic energy. Most commonly, they appear like pumpkin-headed scarecrows with carved faces that flicker with their magical energies. Although these constructs aren’t as tough as some other types, the greater flexibility provided by their organic construction means that they are capable of carrying weapons. Every candle-jack is equipped with either a hand weapon and shield or a two-handed weapon. Despite this, should a candle-jack ever lose their weapon, they are perfectly capable of fighting with their hands and thus never count as unarmed. Candle-jacks still possess no item slots, so may not be given magic weapons or shields (although all of their attacks count as magic attacks already). Candle-jack constructs come in two sizes: medium and large. If used in a warband, medium candle-jacks are standard soldiers while large ones are specialists. Candle-Jack (Medium) Move

Fight

Shoot

Armour

Will

Health

5

+3

+0

13

+0

10

Notes Construct, Magic Attack, Organic Construction, Hand Weapon, Shield

Candle-Jack (Medium) Move

Fight

Shoot

Armour

Will

Health

5

+3

+0

12

+0

10

Notes Construct, Magic Attack, Organic Construction, TwoHanded Weapon

Candle-Jack (Large) Move

Fight

Shoot

Armour

Will

Health

4

+4

+0

14

+0

12

Notes Construct, Magic Attack, Organic Construction, Hand Weapon, Shield

Candle-Jack (Large) Move

Fight

Shoot

Armour

Will

Health

4

+4

+0

13

+0

12

83

Notes Construct, Magic Attack, Organic Construction, TwoHanded Weapon

Construct of Burden Even in the days of Ancient Felstad, travels between population centres were always dangerous. Bandits, monsters, and rogue magical creatures all stalked the wilderness, looking for easy pickings. For those wizards who had to travel, and couldn’t link onto a convoy or caravan, many opted to take a construct of burden. Although there were numerous different varieties of these construct, they all had the same basic selling points – a rugged chassis with plenty of cargo space, and the ability to release smoke if necessary to cover an escape. If encountered as an uncontrolled creature, constructs of burden have the Unaggressive trait. If a construct of burden is part of a warband, it does not have the Unaggressive trait and counts as a standard soldier. Construct of Burden Move

Fight

Shoot

Armour

Will

Health

6

+2

+0

12

+0

12

84

Notes Construct, Treasure Lifter, Smoke Release, Unaggressive (if Uncontrolled)

Demonic Prison Dealing with demons is always dangerous, so these constructs were built to aid the imprisonment and transportation of demons. While they can be built to just about any physical appearance, they all feature a cage as a central piece. This cage is made with enchanted iron, and it is less the bars, and more the enchantments, that keeps a demon in place. If encountered as a random creature, assume the construct has an imp inside, and treat the construct as though it were under the effects of a Possession spell (modifiers listed in the stat line in parenthesis). If the construct is reduced to 0 Health, immediately place an imp adjacent to it. The player that caused the construct to go to 0 Health may place the imp. If the construct was reduced to 0 Health because of a Banish spell, the imp is also removed. If this demon is part of a warband, it counts as a specialist soldier; however, it does not start with a demon inside it. A spellcaster in its warband must cast Imp or Summon Demon on it (in this case, treat the Summon spell as line of sight). The summoned demon is always an imp but does not count against the Spellcaster’s limit of controlled demons. If the demon is successfully summoned, the construct counts as Possessed. If the construct is reduced to 0 Health, place the imp beside it as above. This imp is an uncontrolled creature. No warband may include more than one demonic prison. Demonic Prison Move

Fight

Shoot

Armour

Will

Health

4

+4 (+6)

+0

13 (14)

+0 (-2)

14

86

Notes Construct, Demon Portal, Potential Imp Inside (in which case, gains Demon)

Glass Man Back in the days of Ancient Felstad, wizards created constructs of beautiful arrangements of coloured glass to serve in temples, art galleries, and other places of beauty. Of course, being more fragile than most constructs, few survived the cataclysm. The secret of this construct has recently been rediscovered and revived amongst some of the wizards in Frostgrave who have found new uses for these creatures despite their fragility. Glass man constructs come in two sizes: medium and large. If used in a warband, medium glass men are standard soldiers while large ones are specialists. Glass Man (Medium) Move

Fight

Shoot

Armour

Will

Health

5

+3

+0

12

+0

10

Notes Construct, Distracting, Sharp Teeth

Glass Man (Large) Move

Fight

Shoot

Armour

Will

Health

4

+4

+0

13

+0

12

87

Notes Construct, Distracting, Construct Hammer

Gnawbeetles These flying, hand-sized insects feature a shimmering carapace, usually green or blue, as well as a pair of powerful mandibles capable of tearing into flesh, wood, and even soft stone. Gnawbeetles are only dangerous near the time of their birth when they emerge as a swarm from the carcass of a construct. At this time, the gnawbeetles are filled with the mystical energies of the construct which causes them to be extremely aggressive. Within a day, this swarm will have dispersed, with each beetle going its separate way, looking for a safe place to burrow into to lay its eggs. Gnawbeetles are the result of gnawgrubs transforming (see below for ganwgrubs). Gnawbeetles Move

Fight

Shoot

Armour

Will

Health

6

+2

+0

8

+2

16

88

Notes Animal, Flying, Swarm, Magic Attack, Mind Lock, True Sight

Gnawgrubs If there is one thing that all enchanters fear, it is an infestation of gnawgrubs. These thick, pale, worm-like creatures are about the length of a man’s hand and as thick as two fingers. While dangerous to anyone, these parasites are especially deadly to constructs. Attracted to the magical energies that power a construct, these grubs burrow inside any construct they find and feast on its power. This power is necessary for the grub to transform into the next stage of its lifecycle, gnawbeetles (see previous entry). This transformation, which occurs inside a construct causes horrendous damage to the construct. When in combat, gnawgrubs will always attack constructs over all other creatures, and target the one with the lowest health. Gnawgrubs gain +1 Fight and +1 Damage when fighting a construct. If gnawgrubs reduce a construct to 0 Health, the gnawgrubs will transform into gnawbeetles (see above) – switch the gnawgrubs figure for a gnawbeetles figure. A construct reduced to 0 Health by gnawgrubs receives -3 to its Survival Roll after the game. If this results in a ‘dead’ result, this construct cannot be brought back to life using the Animate Construct spell (though a Miraculous Cure spell may still be used). Gnawgrubs Move

Fight

Shoot

Armour

Will

Health

4

+2

+0

6

+0

16

89

Notes Animal, Swarm, Target Constructs, +1 Fight & +1 Damage against Constructs, Survival Penalty for Constructs, Transformation to Gnawbeetles

Magmite The turmoil of volcanic activity is often enough to crack the barriers between planes. Usually this isn’t a problem as even demons cannot usually survive the heat and destructive potential of lava or magma. The little demons known as magmites, however, seem to thrive in it. Standing about three-feet tall and resembling four-armed crabs with a scaly back and more powerful legs, they move freely through lava, and seem almost immune to elemental fire. Since they are often encountered crawling out of fresh lava, they usually drip and splatter molten rock, which can be just as dangerous as their claws. Magmite Move

Fight

Shoot

Armour

Will

Health

5

+3

+0

13

+4

6

90

Notes Demon, Lava Splash, Potential Weapon Destruction, Elemental Resistance (5), Powerful Claws (Treat as TwoHanded Weapon)

Rat Swarm When the explorers of the Frozen City talk about rats, they are generally referring to the giant variety, as those are by far the most dangerous and aggressive type. That said, there are times when a swarm of normal-sized rats can be just as threatening. While normal rats are generally skittish, certain types of dangers such as fire, explosive magic, floods, etc., can cause them to panic. If panicked, these rats stampede, gathering in a large swarm and attacking any perceived danger that gets in their way. Once such a swarm has formed, it is difficult to stop. Rat Swarm Move

Fight

Shoot

Armour

Will

Health

6

+0

+0

6

+0

20

91

Notes Animal, Swarm

The sign on the door read, ‘To Enter, Speak No Evil’.

NEW TRAITS

Lava Splash Whenever an enemy figure rolls a 5 or less (before modifiers) for their Fight Roll when in combat with this creature, they are splashed with lava and suffer an immediate 2 points of damage. This is applied before any effects of winning or losing the fight.

Potential Weapon Destruction Whenever an enemy figure successfully damages this creature with a nonmagical weapon, they must immediately roll a die. On a 6 or less, the weapon is destroyed by lava.

Sharp Teeth This figure has extremely sharp teeth, or some other natural deadly feature. This figure does +1 Damage in melee combat.

93

Swarm This figure is actually a collection of smaller creatures that, for rules purposes, are treated collectively, meaning that they activate, move, fight, and take damage, and follow all other rules as though they were a single figure. Generally, they will be based together on one base. Due to their special nature; however, several rules apply: •

•

•

•

•

•

•

Since these creatures are individually small, they can fit through extremely narrow holes and gaps. These figures are allowed to move through any hole or gap no matter the size. All swarms are Expert Climbers unless their description specifically states otherwise. Due to their collective nature, figures with this attribute always count as having one supporting figure in melee. This support can be offset in the normal way. Bow, crossbow, and javelin attacks can inflict a maximum of 3 points of damage against a swarm, even if they are magical. Hand-to-hand attacks can inflict a maximum of 6 points of damage against a swarm, even if they are magical. Because hands and feet are generally as deadly to a swarm as hand weapons, figures never count as unarmed when fighting a swarm. Swarms are extremely vulnerable to attacks that affect all targets within a specific area, such as those generated by the Grenade, Destructive Sphere, Elemental Ball, and Scatter Shot. Any spell or effect that targets all figures within a specific point does x3 Damage against swarms.

94

Target Constructs Whenever this figure moves, it will move directly towards the closest construct that is a member of a warband on the table, even if it is not in line of sight. If there are no warband member constructs on the table, it will follow the normal priority rules for uncontrolled creatures. If this figure is in combat with multiple figures, it will always choose to attack a construct if one is in the combat, and always the one with the lowest Health if in combat with multiple constructs.

95

96