Lost Colossus - Joseph A McCullough
Page 3
Set-Up
Place the great face of the Colossus in the centre of the table. This should essentially be a hill at least 8” in diameter. The rest of the table should be covered in rocks and scrub.
Do not place the central treasure at the start of the game. Place the rest of the treasures as normal with the provision that all treasures must be placed within 8” of the face.
Crews should set up as normal.
Special Rules
At the end of the second turn, a dragon-bull climbs up from its lair beneath the face. The dragon-bull should be placed adjacent to the face at a randomly determined point. The players should mark this point as the entrance to the lair.
At any time after the dragon-bull appears, any figure that is adjacent to the lair’s entrance, and not within 1” of an enemy figure, may spend an action to make a Move Roll with a Target Number of 18. If successful, the figure has pulled the treasure out from the dragon-bull’s lair. Immediately place the central treasure on the ground next to the entrance. If the roll is failed, nothing happens.
If either player rolls a natural 20 for their initiative roll on any turn, a dust storm kicks up. For the rest of the game the maximum line of sight is reduced to 12”.
Treasure and Experience
The player who secures the central treasure gains a bonus 100gc in addition to whatever is rolled on the treasure table. Other treasure is gained as normal for this scenario. Experience is gained as normal for this scenario, with the following additions:
•+20 experience points for any Heritor that is ever in combat with the dragon-bull.
•+20 experience points if the Heritor or his crew pulls the central treasure out from the dragon-bull’s lair.
•+30 experience points if the Heritor or his crew kills the dragon-bull.
•+5 experience points if the Heritor is on the board when the dust storm hits.
Gaining the Advantage
The crew that secures the central treasure has gained the Advantage in the campaign. The players should now play Scenario Eight if they have not yet done so. Otherwise, they should play Scenario Ten.
SCENARIO TEN
THE HEART OF GOLD
Although it took months of trekking, fighting, and exploring, your Warden finally pieced together the various clues to the Colossus and made a startling discovery. Deep inside that great stone statue there was a heart of gold, a heart that contained the true secrets to the location of the Crystal Pool. Even more fortunate, by drawing together the spell fragments from the various pieces of the Colossus, your Warden was able to fashion a spell which revealed the location of the golden heart.
You guided your ship as close as possible, before the channels between islands grew too shallow. Taking to the boats, you pushed on. Then, just as your Warden said you were drawing close, a deep fog bank, suffused with an ancient magic power, rolled across your path. In seconds, the boats were separated, and even the Warden had lost all sense of direction.
Then, as quickly as it had come, the fog dissipated, revealing an island temple…
Set-Up
Most of the table is covered in deep water. In the centre of the table is an island, about 12” in diameter, upon which sits an open temple. Connected to this island by small wooden bridges are six small islands, radiating from the central island like spokes on a wheel. Each of these islands contains a small redoubt or other fortification facing outward.
Two hemata and Skarak, Protector of the Golden Heart, should be placed inside the temple. One snake-man hunter should be placed within the redoubts on the six smaller islands.
The central treasure, the golden heart, should be placed in the centre of the table. One additional treasure should be placed inside each of the redoubts (this is regardless of the number of players).
Crews do not begin the game on the table – see the Special Rules below.
Special Rules
Each crew is allowed to take up to three small boats for this scenario. The crew may be divided amongst the boats in any fashion the player wishes.
Before the start of the first turn, each player should roll a direction die, and place one of their small boats, of their choice, at that point on the table edge. The first turn then proceeds as normal with only the figures on the table having the chance to activate.
Before the start of the second turn, each player should roll a direction die for each remaining small boat they have, and place that small boat at the corresponding spot along the table edge. The player that has the Advantage may choose to place one boat wherever he wishes on the table edge instead of rolling randomly on this turn. The turn then proceeds as normal.
Players should keep track of turns in this scenario. At the end of the fourth turn, if Skarak is still on the board, a sea serpent (Rulebook, page 139) enters the table from one randomly determined table edge. This sea serpent follows the normal rules for uncontrolled creatures, except, if it is called upon to make a random move, it will move directly towards the central treasure (wherever it currently is on the board) if possible. If the central treasure is no longer on the board, it will make a random move as normal.
Treasure and Experience
Instead of rolling for the central treasure as normal after the game, the Heritor whose crew secures it receives a bonus +50 experience points and may choose any three map stones (Rulebook, page 81) he wishes. For each regular treasure secured, the Heritor receives +50 experience points (instead of the normal +40) and an extra 25gc on top of whatever is rolled on the treasure table. Otherwise, Heritors gain experience as normal with the following additions:
•+5 experience points for each snake-man hunter killed by a Heritor or his crew.
•+20 experience points for each hemata killed by a Heritor or his crew
•+30 experience points if the Heritor or his crew kills Skarak
•+50 experience points if the Heritor of his crew kills the sea serpent.
Gaining the Advantage
The player who secures the central treasure in this scenario has essentially won the campaign and should have a good head-start on his search for the Crystal Pool!
CHAPTER THREE
NEW SPECIALIST CREWMEN
While most specialist crewmen that join Heritor expeditions are dedicated fighters or masters of other trades, few are sailors. There are a couple of exceptions, however, two of which are presented here. Both the bosun and the topman are different from most specialist crewmen in that they may take the place of a standard crewmen. Thus, it is possible to have a crew that consists of a bosun, a topman, four other specialist crewman, and up to two standard crewmen.
Both of these crewman can be hired when creating a crew. Otherwise, it is only possible to hire a bosun or topman while on the mainland. If a bosun or topman is killed, they may be replaced by a standard crewman as normal.
Bosun
The bosun, or ‘boatswain’, is the crewman in charge of the ship’s deck. He is a master sailor who knows every rope and plank and who is tasked with keeping the rest of the sailors in line. He is also in charge of the ship’s boats and will usually accompany any expedition that involves taking them out into the Archipelago.
While a bosun is in a small boat, he fights as though wielding a two-handed weapon (an oar). Additionally, any small boat that holds a bosun gains +1” of movement (to a maximum of 7”).
Such is the respect held for the bosun by the common sailors, any standard crewmen within 6” and line of sight to the bosun receives +1 to any Will Roll.
A crew many never include more than one bosun.
Specialist M F S A W H Cost Notes
Bosun 6 +2 +0 10 +3 12 75gc Hand Weapon, Two-Handed Weapon (while in a small boat), Increased Small Boat Movement, Respect of the Crew
Topman
‘Topman’ is an honorific amongst the sailors of the Lost Isles. It is given to any crewman who is especially nimble and fearless when climbing and working the high ropes at the top of the mast. Such skills are of
ten desirable in the Heritor’s expeditions, and a talented topman can be worth their weight in gold.
A topman never suffers a movement penalty for climbing and receives +5 to any Stat Roll that is made for the purpose of climbing. Furthermore, any time a topman falls, treat the distances as 2” less than it actually is for the purpose of determining damage (so, if a topman falls 5” this is treated as 3” and the topman takes no damage).
The topman always carries a length of rope (see New Treasure).
A crew may never include more than one topman.
Specialist M F S A W H Cost Notes
Topman 7 +2 +0 10 +0 12 75gc Dagger, Rope, Expert Climber, Reduced Fall
CHAPTER FOUR
SNAKE-MEN
If snake-men have a name for themselves, it is unknown to the world at large. This is partly because their language is nearly impossible for humans to vocalize, but mostly because of their habit of slaughtering anyone who comes too close to their settlements. While most people would hesitate to call an entire race ‘evil’, the snake-men are certainly mysterious, violent, remorseless, and commonly practise the bloodiest forms of torture and sacrifice. To call them ‘secretive’ is to understate the lengths to which they will go to protect their isolation. When the snake-men go to war, they kill indiscriminately, and those that are captured are never seen again.
There are no substantiated reports of snake-man Heritors, although their natural capabilities are so little understood, it might be impossible to identify one even if it were encountered. There are, however, numerous reports of snake-man mages. Some of their mystics seem to practise a form of magic similar to that of Wardens, while others display a more powerful form of blood magic that often requires elaborate ceremonies and blood sacrifice. It is perhaps similar to the Summoning magic that is used in the North but, again, no-one has been able to study it safely for long or at close quarters.
In form, snake-men exhibit as much variety as humans. Their scaly skin is commonly greenish-yellow, but snake-men with red, black, blue, and numerous shades of brown have been reported. In size, they generally stand between 5’ and 7’ tall, although their hunched posture makes them seem slightly shorter. Various reports also identify strains or tribes of snake-men who have thick snake tails supporting their bodies, rather than the more frequently encountered bipedal types.
Nothing is known of snake-man reproduction. Most theorize that they lay eggs, but no-one has ever seen a nest and survived. For that matter, the entire question of snake-man gender remains a mystery – the few corpses that have been recovered and brought back for study have yielded little clear indication.
Culturally, it is believed that snake-men live in large tribal groups, but whether these are truly independent groupings, or just separate parts of a single Archipelago-spanning empire remains unknown. Certainly, snake-men have not been seen in conflict with each other.
As to whether the bite of a snake-man is venomous, opinion is divided – some explorers claim to have survived being bitten by a snake-man without suffering any significant effects, while others report witnessing the most excruciating agonies. What is accepted as fact, however, is that they nearly always coat their weapons with various poisons. See here for more on snake-men and poison.
In combat, most snake-men fight in much the same manner as humans, albeit with more inclination to bite their foe, but will often retreat from a battle for extremely unclear reasons, even when they appear to be close to victorious.
Stats for various types of snake-man soldiers can be found in the Bestiary (here).
SNAKE- MAN MAGIC
Most snake-man magic is very similar to that employed by Wardens and follows the same rules. There are also a few mages, generally called ‘priests’, who practice a form of blood magic. Although this uses the same basic rules as Warden magic, it encompasses different spells. Some of these spells are presented here. These spells are not intended for use by players, but can be used in creating scenarios or for games where one player is running the game as a ‘games master’.
BLOOD FURY
Snake-Man / 9 / Area Effect
All snake-men on the table gain +1 Fight for the rest of the game. The caster must have killed a sentient creature in either the current or the preceding turn in order to cast this spell. Multiple castings of this spell have no additional effect.
BLOOD SEEKER KNIFE
Snake-Man / 9 / Line of Sight
The caster makes a +8 magic shooting attack against one figure in line of sight. The target receives no bonuses for cover or intervening terrain. The caster must have killed a sentient creature in either the current or the preceding turn in order to cast this spell.
CALL SEA SERPENT
Snake-Man / 9 / Area Effect
This spell can only be used on a table containing deep water. In the creature phase, three turns after this spell is cast, a sea serpent (Rulebook, page 139) appears at a point in deep water chosen by the caster. If the caster is no longer on the table, the sea serpent does not appear. This sea-serpent follows the standard rules for an uncontrolled creature. The caster suffers 1 point of damage every time this spell is successfully cast.
CALL SNAKE
Snake-Man / 7 / Line of Sight
The caster may place one large snake (Rulebook, page 127) on the table. The snake can be placed anywhere within line of sight of the caster and at least 2” away from any other figure. This large snake will activate in the creature phase and follows all of the rules for uncontrolled creatures. The caster suffers 1 point of damage every time this spell is successfully cast.
CONSTRICT
Snake-Man / 7 / Line of Sight
Make a +4 attack against one figure within line of sight. This figure suffers -3 Armour for this attack (to a minimum of 10). The caster suffers 1 point of damage every time this spell is successfully cast.
DEATH SCREAM
Snake-Man / 9 / Area Effect
All figures of the caster’s choosing on the table must make a Will Roll with a Target Number of 16 or lose their next activation. The caster must have killed a sentient creature in either the current or the preceding turn in order to cast this spell.
RIVER OF F IRE
Snake-Man / 9 / Line of Sight
This spell creates a small river of fire up to 6” long and 1” wide, some part of which must be placed within 2” of the caster. It cannot be placed where a figure is standing, or over any terrain piece, though it can be sized to fit between terrain pieces. The river must run in a straight line. Any figure that moves over the river of fire must make a Move Roll with a Target Number of 16 or else take 5 points of elemental damage. The caster suffers 1 point of damage every time this spell is successfully cast.
STORM OF FANGS
Snake-Man / 9 / Line of Sight
The caster may make a +1 magic poison shooting attack against every figure he chooses within 12” and line of sight. The caster must have killed a sentient creature in either the current or the preceding turn in order to cast this spell.
CHAPTER FIVE
NEW TREASURE
At the end of any Lost Colossus scenario, a player may exchange one roll he is entitled to make on the Treasure Table for a roll on the Lost Colossus Treasure Table. This can include rolls made from securing the Central Treasure, including the optional +2 bonus. All items on the Lost Colossus Treasure Table may be bought and sold as normal, except those without a selling price listed.
This chapter also includes an expanded Weapons and Armour Table which can be used to replace the one found in the main rulebook.
Lost Colossus Treasure Table
Die Roll Treasure Selling Price
1 Rope 100gc
2 Herb Pouch 200gc
3 Spelleater Brooch 300gc
4 Amulet of Forethought 250gc
5 Cloak of Animal Invisibility 250gc
6 Wand of Magic Power (2) 350gc
7 Gauntlet of Throwing 250gc
8 Crystals of Air (3) 200gc
&
nbsp; 9 Swift Oar 250gc
10 Garisol Ring 350gc
11 Crystals of Water (3) 250gc
12 Folding Bridge 200gc
13 Fool’s Gold –
14 Bramble Ring 250gc
15 Bracers of Force 250gc
16 Silver Hook 350gc
17 Offering Bowl 300gc
18 Book of Magic 350gc
19 Ring of Strength 250gc
20+ Map Stone –
AMULET OF FORETHOUGHT
If this amulet is worn by a Heritor, and that Heritor is on the board, the player gains +3 on all initiative rolls. This bonus only affects the initiative roll as it is compared to other players, and does not change the result on the die for any other occurrences determined by the initiative roll.
BRACERS OF FORCE
A Heritor that utilizes the Fling ability while wearing Bracers of Force my push back his opponent up to 5” instead of the Normal 4”. Additionally, a Heritor who utilizes the Hurl Ability while wearing the bracers increases the maximum range on the shooting attack to 10”.
BRAMBLE RING
Plants will not force combat or make shooting attacks against the wearer of this ring. Once the wearer is in combat with a plant, however, this ring has no effect.
CLOAK OF ANIMAL INVISIBILITY
Once per game, the wearer of this cloak may activate it as a free action at any point during a turn. For the rest of that turn, all uncontrolled animals will ignore this figure. They will not force combat with the figure, nor should this figure be taken into account when determining any uncontrolled creature’s actions.
CRYSTALS OF AIR
These small, clear crystals melt in a person’s mouth and fills their lungs with a breath of fresh air. Any time a figure carrying Crystals of Air takes damage due to a failed Swimming Roll, they may instead discard one crystal and take no damage. If this treasure is rolled, the player finds 3 crystals. These can be divided amongst the warband in the normal way. A figure may carry up to 3 Crystals of Air in one item slot (a figure carrying 1 or 2 crystals also uses one item slot).