Zalminen's Beta Diary

Agreyn pulls Silvershield back up and they head on to the third floor.



More golems and couple of bird-like things. Swell.

The foes approach, Sangfar zaps one of them.

The tin golem comes too close and Agreyn gives it a violent swing!



With Sangfar also zapping the walking tin can it soon splits apart The heroes note it's getting a bit cramped near the wall.



As Silvershield fights the ornithopters, Sangfar decides to slip past the foes to a safer spot. Luckily the second Tin Golem is too clumsy to follow.



The heroes soon find out that the damn birdmachines can breath a cone of fire! It isn't that effective though and Silvershield soon kills one of the metal birds. The other decides to sulk in the corner



The next round Silvershield feels like walking.



Agreyn and Sangfar take care of the other ornithopter and spread out just in case so that they can better choose who will engage the foe on the next turn.



Next turn brings enough attack cards for the heroes (and only one for the Tin Golem) so it's no surprise that the foe is soon near death.



The loot brings a Perplexing Mirror and some armor.



Finally, the top floor.



Again one of those nasty Bronze Golems and three Ornithopters. Peace of cake.

The heroes towards the eastern birdie with Silvershield moving to intercept the western one. The bronze golem moves closer but apparently runs out of move cards and just stands there for the rest of the round. The birdies move to surround Sangfar and Silvershield.



The middle birdie discovers the dangers of cone-like spells as the eastern one attacks Sangfar with fire. Sangfar and Agreyn pile on the unlucky critter and quickly take it down with the help of Silvershield's righteous ass-slap.



The next turn the Bronze Golem wastes it's moves trying to chase Silvershield who keeps slipping away. As the foe is acting Clumsy this turn Agreyn sees a perfect opening and slips behind the big lump of bronze and targets it with a Violent Swing and a Bludgeon just for the added fun.



Amusingly the birdies seem to have no attack cards left either.

The next turn the Bronze Golem gets to swing once at Agreyn but is then cut down. The heroes then turn to hit the other birdmachine with everything they've got and the foe is barely left standing.

For some reason Gary decides to retreat after Silvershield's last attack so I get to pass first.



As I get to play first on the next round the weaker foe dies at once and after that it's easy to take care of the last foe.

Woohoo, adventure over! And LOOT!



All heroes also gain a level from the fight which adds an armor slot for Agreyn, an Arcane skill slot Sangraf and a Divine armor slot for Silvershield.

Weapons, boots, treasure... The most useful one seems to be the Clumsy Black Mace (which Silvershield immediately grabs with a nasty grin).

Yes, even though this adventure was much longer than the Trog ones it was also clearly easier.

 

Another great post Zal. Can't wait to get a chance to check out the game soon. Thanks!

Looks like golems were a lot easier to deal with by making them waste moves. Guess the lack of range-2 melee like the Trogs really changes things.

 

Yeah, the golems would have been a lot harder if they had had range 2 attacks...

Next our brave heroes decide to next try their luck against the...

Ruby Demon Portal



"Aren't you guys a little short to be demons?"
"They're imps, Agreyn. Fire and Arcane Imps."
"They're going to be a four chunks on my mace when I'm done with them..."

Trying to use to the rocks as cover the heroes advance, Sangfar towards the Fire Imps, Agreyn towards the Arcane Imps and Silvershield between them. The imps have high enough range that it gets tricky soon enough and Sangfar and Agreyn both take hits.



Sangfar hides behind a pair or rocks and decides to wait for the foes to get closer.
"You're not going to beat those things by hiding," Agreyn laughs and charges at the imp trying to get to a shooting position near the edge.



The first imp drops quickly and while Sangfar suffers from burning Silvershield decides to answer a question that has been lingering in her mind: What does Agreyn look like in a combined Unholy and Holy Frenzy? With an old Healing Presence as an added spice?



Well, according to the second Arcane Imp the answer is. "Ayyyeee...."
The imp promptly flees and Silvershield darts after it.



While the second imp is soon done for the remaining heat proves too much for Sangfar who falls after zapping one of the imps one last time.

Silvershield plays hide and seek with the third imp while waiting for more attack cards in order to use her Violent Swing.



The northern imp foolishly moves once more allowing me to pass first and next turn Silvershield wastes a 2hp imp with a 10hp Violent Swing.
"There's no kill like overkill..."

After that the last imp doesn't stand a chance.

Loot? Staff of Defense and Hide of the Frenzied. Silvershield grabs the latter grinning ear to ear.



The heroes move on to fight two:

And meet more imps. This time two of them are green.

"Acid imps..." Sangfar explains.



As the heroes don't have much move cards, only Agreyn runs forward to meet the first approaching Acid Imp. And makes short work of it. One of the Acid imps manages to spit a big acid puddle at Sangfar's feet. Silvershield swears and leaves tthe cover to intercept the arcane imps.



The first of them is no match for the dwarven warmachine's Violent Swing and bites the dust while the next one gets a Big Zap right between the eyes. Unsurprisingly it decides to flee

Agreyn spends his moves chasing the easternmost imp and manages to land one good hit before it flees again towards the other imp.
'Can't catch one measly imp...' Sangfar chuckles at the running fighter and moves to help.



Zzzap. First imp drops. Zap. Second imp takes damage but stays on his feet.
"That was yours..." Sangfar adds, flinging the critter telekinetically back towards Agreyn.

"...sttrrrike!"
The imp's head flies off to the side as Agreyn's mace connects.

Even though on the next two rounds only Sangfar manages to draw attack cards, it's still more than easy to take care of the remaining imp. Hooray!



This time there's a Copper Mace and a White Orb in the loot. Sangfar takes a look at it and switches his Zapping Headband to it.

 

Third fight

Imps again. Sangfar immediately darts along the eastern side



Agreyn decides to move through the middle and Silvershield takes the western route. Sangfar zaps one imp which flees to the middle.



Silvershield gives Agreyn an Unholy Frenzy which gives him more than enough reason to charge at the two Acid Imps and take out one of them. The other flees again. What's next?



A Righteous Frenzy of course!

With Agreyn dropping one imp with a frenzied Violent Swing and Silvershield doing the same at the other side it's easy to kill the remaining straggler.

The loot includes Tough Fencer's boots and a Hefty Stout Club (which apparently still lacks an icon).

Final Fight

More imps, a Fire Spirit - and this time there's victory squares to capture. Cool.



Too bad I don't have enough move cards to reach the center first.



However both Agreyn and Silvershield have Violent Swings and they put them to a good use:



As Silvershield hits the Fire Spirit it decides to flee - or does it?
What it does: use a run card.
What it doesn't do: actually move.
Looks like a bug...

Well, since it just stays there, it gets whacked by the dwarven heroine. Sangfar then enters the fray as well zapping the imps repeatedly.



Too bad the constant shooting proves too much for Silvershield who falls after using all her attack cards.



The imps in the center soon fall but both Sangfar and Agreyn are getting pretty low on health as well. Luckily it doesn't matter since with only one Imp left, just holding the victory squares for the turn end is enough to grant the heroes the victory!

Woohoo! One more adventure won!

Loot? Did someone say loot?
Hmmm... bacon, Novice Hatchet, two Blessed Branches, one Copper Amulet.



Victory also means a level up for Agreyn (giving a Martial Skill slot) and Silvershield (giving a second Divine Item slot)

---

Well, that was fun. The first three fights were relatively easy but the last one could have easily went all wrong if I hadn't gotten those two Violent Swings at the right time.

 

This is awesome for those of us not in the beta and seems to be giving the Dev's a good look at the Netbook market

Good job and keep up the excellent work

 

Thanks!
I know I wanted to read adventure reports like this when I was still hoping to get in the beta so when I did get lucky I felt this was the least I could do for those who are still waiting.

The saga continues...

Returning from the previous adventure the town the group decided to split up and do some shopping before heading out again.

While selling some of the more useless stuff they had gathered so far, Agreyn noticed that the Thick Club they had found earlier was clearly better than his old Bulky Club so he immediately switched.

Silvershield returned without having found anything useful but Sangfar was nowhere to be found.
When they were just about to go and search for the old wizard, a hat appeared. Under the hat was a rather striking red-haired sorceress.
"Sangfar had to leave town. I'm here to take his place. I'm Mizana. I'm... his sister."

Agreyn and Silvershield exchanged a long look.
"...he never said anything about a sister..." Agreyn said under his breath.
"True. But who would you rather stare at the rest of the month, the cranky old coot or her?"
"...point taken. Welcome to the party, Mizana!"



(Browsed through Cuthbert's Costumes and decided I'd rather look at something prettier than Sangfar's old figure. So I spent 20 pizza for that.)

Highway Robbery

"Filthy goblins. I should've brought my axe..." Agreyn curses as six goblins emerge from the side of the road.



The goblins approach, albeit cautiously after getting zapped by Mizana. (Gary passes and so do since I want better cards)

"Just draw them close enough, I'll burn those filthy things," Mizana announces, a tiny flame flickering in her palm.

Agreyn casts a wary glance at the sorceress. "I prefer to trust my clubs. How about giving me a hand, Silvey?"
Silvershield eyes narrow dangerously. "Don't call me that"
Still, she slaps Agreyn into a familiar Righteous Frenzy and he easily drops one of the approaching gobs.



"Draw them to me, I said!"
Agreyn shrugs and retreats back towards Mizana.

The goblins seem to ignore the red-haired sorceress and a couple of them start encircling the heroes. Silvershield isn't letting that happen and falls back into line as well.
The enemies finally come close enough but decide to pile around Agreyn!
Mizana gives a clearly annoyed growl and zaps one of the green critters - but the foe manages to block the blast with it's shield:



"Why you little..."
Mizana suddenly runs behind Agreyn and lifts her arms.
"Duck!"
"What...YYEEOUUWW"
Agreyn howls in pain as Mizana's fire spray hits him and the goblins.
"Hey, I told you to duck..."

The spell was pretty effective though, having killed one of the foes and leaving the other three burning..



Silvershield uses a Minor Heal on Agreyn who kills another goblin. Mizana tries zapping another goblin - but the filthy bugger manages to block again.



Silvershield, having no attack options of her own, drives Agreyn into another Righteous Frenzy while Mizana's spell gets blocked once more.

"Damn you cowards!"

Mizana uses another spell, but this time targets a different goblin, just in case that one wouldn't be smart enough to block.
It is - but fortunately it's also slower and fails to get it's shield in front of the blast in time.

The other finally succumbs to the flames from Mizana's earlier spell.

The last goblin is again faster with it's shield and manages to block Mizana's zap.

"Your little fireworks still aren't a match for a good weapon," Agreyn laughs and chases down the elusive grunt, dropping it with a mighty whack.

Loot contains a pair of Cheap Fencer's boots and an Adept's Battlemail. Agreyn tries the boots on and decides to give them a try.

 

Fight two

As the heroes chase after the goblin's wagon, they are stopped by a bunch of goblins. This time they're accompanied by a pair of Guard Dogs.



The dogs charge in howling, but Agreyn's Able Bludgeon and Mizana's Big Zap crush the first mutt. The other takes a bite out of Mizana however.

Silvershield supplies Agreyn with an Unholy Frenzy and a Healing Presence for next turn and Mizana uses her remaining spells on the other dog.

The goblins try to surround Agreyn.



Mizana drops the oter dog with a well aimed spell and then takes a look around.
"Duck!"
"Not ag... YEOOUUCCH!"
"Why are you a fighter if you're too slow to duck?"

Besides Agreyn, Mizana's spray had hit two goblins, the third one just managing to block.
Silvershield rolls her eyes at the fiery redhead's actions and gives Agreyn a Righteous slap to help him against the enraged goblins.
Mizana, receiving a blow from one of the goblins retreats.

Agreyn hits the strongest standing foe while Silvershield drops the one Agreyn had previously weakened. Out of attacks for the moment, both pull back.



Agreyn strikes down the next goblin coming near, but pulls back again as Mizana's earlier flames are starting to wear him down. Silvershield fights with the northern goblin and Mizana tries to help her - but her spell gets blocked.

As the turn again changes, Agreyn's burning finally ends leaving him at exactly 1hp.
Silvershield is feeling strong as ever though and her Violent Swing drops one of the green buggers.

There's just one more goblin left and even that one soon falls to Mizana's zaps.

Silvershield walks around checking their dead foes
"Bah, these filthy rats don't even have anything worth taking. Let's take their boots and move on."



Fight three

The heroes finally reach one the wagons they've been pursuing. It's however guarded by two regular goblins and some huge... thing.

Mizana stares at the creature.
"Ok, that is officially the ugliest thing I've seen so far. Is that one of your relatives," she asks Agreyn.
"It sure smells like my uncle - my dead uncle."



Mizana sprays the Goblin Hulk with fire who decides to just act clumsy and then do the Obvious Maneuver of - standing still.

Mizana retreats just to be sure and lo - the hulk finally lumbers towards Agreyn. Since the foe is out of moves Agreyn just pulls back out of the hulk's reach and charges towards the smaller goblin coming from behind.



Agreyn hits the little bugger and while it manages to block Silvershield's hit Agreyn nails it with a another Bludgeon. One down, one big and one small to go.

Mizana zaps the hulking thing twice while Silvershield moves to the side to make it harder for the big foe to reach everyone with one move.

The hulk locks it's beady eyes on the moving dwarf and moves towards her. She retreats but the foe surprises her by doing a Bull Rush.



Since the the Goblin Hulk only moves one square the attack only does 2 damage and Silvershield immediately goes on a Wild Run sprinting around the beast.

A smaller goblin tries to intercept the dwarf but Agreyn comes to help with a Lunging Hack. The smaller foe manages to block.

The hulk advances once more but Agreyn just pulls back a square and then whacks down the smaller goblin, leaving the big hulk as the only foe left.



Unsurprisingly the beast won't last long against Mizana's zaps and Agreyn's blows.

This time the loot contains an Unpredictable Wand (lacking graphics) and a Zapping Staff.



--
At this point it was getting too late to do the next fight so I decided to head to bed and continue in the morning.

 

Cool, looks like the game is saved after every battle so I can continue where I left off yesterday.

Fourth fight

The heroes finally catch up with the real wagons but find them guarded by more goblins and a goblin priest.



One of the green buggers runs towards Mizana who looks at it with disgust and throws it back with a Telekinesis spell.
Silvershield only has support cards so she slaps a Righteous Frenzy on Agreyn before he and Silvershield move forward.



"I'll take care of that spellslinger," Agreyn yells and does two lunging hacks against the Goblin Priest and moves to it's side and away from the regular goblins.

The priest plays an Energize card letting one of the goblins act again.



A goblin hits Silvershield, Mizana tries zapping it but gets blocked.

As Gary passes Silvershield takes the opportunity to heal herself. The enemy isn't out of actions yet though. The priest runs towards Silvershield and Mizana who takes one look at the stinky foe and sprays fire at the priest, hitting another goblin along with it.
"Hey, this time you only hit the enemy, you're getting better," Silvershield comments.
"The big oaf wasn't in the way," Mizana shrugs.

As the turn ends, the foes take burning damage.



Mizana decides to Big Zap one of the goblins - but the spell gets reflected by the foe! Ouch!
"That's what you get from using spells," Agreyn chuckles, bludgeoning a goblin who fails to block the blow.

As the goblins move to surround Agreyn he is forced to retreat.

Mizana does the same and then zaps another foe, this time successfully.



The priest cackles at Agreyn and casts an Unholy Frenzy on one of his subordinates.
"Die... die..."
What the priest didn't notice was that the targetted goblin was already down to 1hp from Mizana's flames and promptly crumbles to a heap from the initial damage of the unholy spell.
"Not you! Weak! Weak! ArgaraggarrRRRR" the priest foams, jumping up and down with anger.
Then he turns his eyes at another goblin and casts a Righteous Frenzy on that one.

The goblins move to surround Mizana who casts a Sorcerous Bolt on the incoming foe. It's not enough to kill the goblin though and Mirana's now in serious danger.



Silvershield takes a hit from the goblin facing her, Agreyn hits one of his opponents and Mizana - unfortunately can do nothing to stop the incoming blow.
"Wizzey down, wizzey down" the goblins shriek victoriously.

Silvershield tries to silence one with a Bludgeon to the face but the fast little bugger blocks the blow. After that she's forced to pull back as she can't attack.

The goblins decide to pile on Agreyn but soon find out it was a bad idea as the human fighter's blows drop both the priest and another foe. Agreyn does take two blows from the goblins while doing that though.

Silvershield draws only runs and an Unholy Frenzy but she's surrounded and can do nothing about it.
The next turn she still draws no attacks while Agreyn draws one.

The slow progress continues as the dwarven priestess still draws no attacks. Agreyn however gets a Violent Swing which he uses to drop one of the remaining goblins.
Silvershield takes more damage from the opposing goblin.

Agreyn retreats to avoid enemy blows but the green stinkers relentlessly pursue him.

The next turn Silvershield finally draws an attack:



Both Agreyn and Silvershield are in a bad shape but I decide to attack with Agreyn first. The weaker of his foes fall to his blow - and he gets lucky by blocking the other goblins blow!

Silvershield wastes no more time turning her foe into paste with her Violent Swing and Agreyn runs away from the remaining goblin.
Silvershield uses a Minor Heal on herself.

The next turn the goblin gets to act first but it's blow is softened by Agreyn's armor.


The goblin doesn't manage to block Agreyn's return hit and dies. Hooray!

Loot contains only a Cracked Shield and another Hide of the Frenzied.

Last Fight

The heroes chase after a fleeing goblin and enter a cave. A moment later another one of those hulking figures emerges from the cave, apparently supported by a shaman and two regular goblins.

"Goblin chief crush humies!"



Agreyn roars a challenge and moves forward.
Mizana rolls her eyes. "All brawn, no brains."
Silvershield tilts her head.
"Which one? The green bozo or the blonde idiot?"
"Take your pick..."

The chieftain has more moves than expected and reaches Agreyn. The human fighter gives the beast a frenzied Violent Swing and another weaker strike but receives two heavy blows in return, leaving him with 1hp.

The other goblins are apparently even dumber than their chief and get lost in the side passage.



As I get to pass first, Agreyn gets to retreat before taking a fatal blow. Mizana uses her spells to a deadly effect, zapping the chieftain twice and then following up with a Fire Spray.

The other goblins finally find the correct direction and spill out of the passage to the main cavern. Mizana retreats towards the back of the cave.



The hulking chieftain moves towards Silvershield, but the dwarf unceremoniously strikes the approaching foe and it falls backwards with a huge thud.
Mizana, having been supplied with a Healing Presence earlier, uses a Telekinesis spell on Agreyn.
"Come here big boy, I'll patch you up with my radiant beauty..."

The foes once again advance, Silvershield hits but the foe blocks the strike.

The foes seem to be out of attacks for now so Mizana tries to circle behind the closer foe (just in case it has one of those reflecting blocks ready). The green buggers however pursue.
Since the first one is in the way of the second goblin's direct move, it has to go around the first goblin, leaving it unable to block Mizana's zap hitting it's side.

The shaman finally decides to take part in the battle, using two heals on the goblin Mizana just zapped.
Since the goblins still haven't had a chance to replenish their attacks, Silvershield uses the opportunity to turn the 2hp Agreyn into a double-frenzied killing machine.



The bloodthirsty hero launches himself against the goblins - and turns out they have no regular blocks to defend themselves with. Three attacks and both are dead.

The remaining shaman is now alone against three heroes and soon joins the pile of dead goblins.

Adventure complete!

Mizana gains a level up (getting a robe slot) just like Silvershield (who gains an Unskilled divine slot) The loot is nothing special: some bacon, Chipped Dagger, Dull Buckler, 2x Adept's Healing Mail.





Here's what my party now looks like:

Agreyn
Level 4 Human Warrior

Kobold Killer​

Thick Club​

Reinforced Cloth​

Rusty Shield​

Cheap Fencer's Boots​

Unskilled Martial​

​

Mizana
Level 4 Human Wizard

Versatile Staff​

Orzo's Excellent Wand​

White Orb​

Cloth Robe​

Weighty Boots​

Unskilled Arcane​

​

Silvershield
Level 4 Dwarf Priest

Clumsy Black Mace​

Hide Of The Frenzied​

Black Boots​

Blessed Demon Claw​

Crude Healing Charm​

Unskilled Divine​

​

I'll probably go take revenge on the Trog Wizard next

 

Always awesome to read the story and Mizana is a welcome addition :-D

 

My favorite thread. Thanks for letting us experience the beta, too!

 

This thread is fantastic. I greatly enjoy it as someone who is playing beta and seeing these situations again through the prism of your humor. (I get too engrossed to take all these screenshots.) Go get those filthy Trogs!

 

Trog Wizard

The party finally decides it's high time to do a little return visit to the Trogs who proved too dangerous for the heroes the last time. Now the party is notably better armed and each has more health.

(This time I'm also playing this temporarily on another laptop with a higher resolution, the screenshots are just resized afterwards to keep the size down.)



Armed with a couple of 6 range spells Mizana gets to immediately open fire on the westernmost Trog. The second zap is enough to kill the first one and the third one severely injures the other hairy beast coming from northwest.

Agreyn gets hit by the Trog approaching from the south but he immediately gets to take revenge by running next to the foe and splitting it's chest open with a Violent Overswing.
Mizana takes another hit and she retreats, with Silvershield following her example as the dwarven priestess has no attack cards this round. Silvershield can however use her Minor Heal to heal part of the damage done by the Trog.



Since Mizana would be in danger if the Trogs got the first turn Silvershield decides to make a wild run towards the Trogs. As expected, one of them takes the opportunity and whacks the dwarf, which allows me to pass first.

The next turn Mizana flees, the trogs move towards the others and Agreyn runs to meet them. After his first hit the foes try to retreat to maintain the spearing distance but this time Agreyn has a couple of Lunging Hacks ready.
Both hacks drop a Trog although Agreyn takes a hit in between.



With one Trog left, the rest is simple.

Loot: Tough Fencer's Boots (again) plus a rare treasure.



Fight two



Ok, I'm really going to find Silvershield some equipment that would give her more attacks sooner or later...

Mizana zaps the nearest Trog but it's tough hide protects it completely.
Silvershield gives Agreyn a Righteous Frenzy and the human fighter puts it to good use by charging in and dropping one Trog with a Violent Overswing and bludgeoning another. Silvershield uses a Minor Heal to patch up some of the damage caused by a Trog stab.



Mizana tries to zap the weakest Trog but it's doublethick hide protects it partially.
Agreyn gets stabbed but manages to block the blow with his shield.

Out of attack opportunities the heroes decide to make a run for it and maybe get around the Trog line to kill the hairy spellcaster behind them.
One of the Trogs gets a hit on Silvershield during this maneuver and the Trog Wizard tries to zap Mizana but the woman seems completely unfazed.
"How..." Silvershield starts to ask.
"My cloth armor stopped it. Triple-layered."
Silvershield glances at the running sorceress.
"...What armor? And you're barely wearing *one* layer..."
"Hey, it's a big hat."

The next turn Mizana again tries to zap the weakest foe but it's thick hide protects it from harm. She moves closer to get a better shot.

Agreyn charges the three Trogs facing him and one of them immediately pulls back. Agreyn takes a blow at another tough and forces the other two to retreat as well. Agreyn pursues both and this time the Trog Wizard decides he wants to be farther away from the angry warrior - even though it's already safely behind the other Trogs!
Agreyn wastes no time and strikes down the weaker of the opposing beasts, it's hide failing to stop the accurate blow.



The Trog Wizard zaps Agreyn and Mizana does the same to the nearest Trog. Silvershield gives Mizana a Healing Presence just in case.
Agreyn gets stabbed and I quickly pass first in order to move first on the next turn.

The next turn Silvershield still has no attack cards so it's up to Agreyn to do the damage. He quickly charges the Trogs again forcing the spellcaster in the back row to pull back. One of the Trogs gives the scaredycat spellcaster an angry glance and gets struck down by Agreyn's club. The other Trog pulls back.

Silvershield moves towars the Trog Wizard and Mizana does the same but she gets both stabbed by the closer Trog and zapped by the stinkier wizard.

Next turn - and still no attacks for Silvershield. Agreyn charges the weaker foe. The other Trog pursues him but Agreyn's attention is on the foe in front of him. His blow only does 1 damage because of it's doublethick hides.

Mizana gets zapped again by the Trog Wizard.



Mizana retaliates with a Short Spark and pursues the fleeing beast burning it down.

The other Trogs again retreat from Agreyn and Silvershield takes advantage of the opening by healing Agreyn.

The Trogs get to strike Agreyn and would have killed him if it wasn't for his armor.

Agreyn quickly charges at the foe who had hit him (since the minion had already used it's attack and wouldn't be able to hit again this turn). His blow isn't quite enough to kill the beast and it manages to stagger back with just 1hp.
Mizana isn't going to let the foe get away though. Zap! One more dead Trog! (It failed two armor checks)

The heroes move closer to the remaining foe but it manages to kill Agreyn before they get there.



Mizana runs next to foe trying to scare it back, and the foe retreats, confused by the approaching hat.
Mizana immediately zaps the foe.
As Silvershield tries to get into striking distance the Trog pulls back.
"Oh no you don't" Mizana laughs and uses her spell to slide the dwarven priestess right next to the beast.
A Violent Overswing cuts off it's hairy arm and the Trog falls, staring at the stump dumbfounded.

(1hp left, swing does 10 damage. Just to be sure...)

Victory!

Loot: Light Spear, Red Lacquer Box and some treasure.



This time this adventure was a lot easier but still no pushover.

 

All hail the hat

 

Rescue from Shieldhaven Prison

So I'm off to save a damsel in distress. From prison. Whee.



Our heroes manage to slip inside the building but suddenly come across a few servants as well as two men-at-arms.

"We need to take care of them fast before they can raise the alarm," Agreyn realizes.

The unlucky servant who happened to meet the heroes first falls to Mizana's Sorcerous Bolt and Short Spark.

The others hear the commotion and immediately Raise The Alarm:



The alarm is echoed as the other servant does the same and the closest Man-at-arms lunges at Agreyn but his Cloth Armor takes most of the blow.
Agreyn's return hit is even less effective:



The guard smiles smugly.
"Throw down your weapons, you're no match to my superior OOOF"
His words are cut short as Agreyn's frenzied second blow is quick enough that the Man-at-arms doesn't have time to even try parrying. (the enemies didn't manage to get more than a single Parry card during the whole fight)

The next turn the only one who manages to get attack cards is Agreyn. The others just settle for moving closer.

The smug Man-at-arms decides to run towards Mizana, apparently deciding that the wizard is the weakest available target.
His maneuver is cut short by Agreyn's club hitting his back and the guard falls, his smug grin turning into a confused one.

As Gary and I both pass, the remaining Men-at-Arms is forced to discard 4 cards.



The heroes move closer and Silvershield's mighty slap again sets Agreyn into an Unholy Frenzy.
The guard manages to surprise the dwarven priestess with a Penetrating Lunge but takes a hard blow from Agreyn.

The guard suddenly notices Mizana - and also darts towards her!



The guard meets the same fate as the previous one, except this time it's Silvershield's mace coupled with Mizana's Spark that stop the enemy in it's tracks..

Mizana gives the dead guard a kick.
"Why are all these louts trying to grab me? Do I have a sign 'Free Booze' on me?
"...more like Free Boobs..." mutters Silvershield.

With both Men-at-arms dead, the party is victorious!

The loot isn't that great though: Cracked Shield and Steel-toed Boots

Fight two

Moving on our heroes arrive at a guardhouse and will need to fight off two more Men-at-Arms, two guard dogs and three more servants.



Roaring something that is probably meant to be a challenge but sounds more like a off-key drinking song, Agreyn charges at the the Men-at-Arms.
One of them does an Obvious Maneuver and hits the incoming Agreyn but the fighter splatters the other guard's brains against the wall before it has a chance to act.

One of the servants starts yelling:
"Raise the alarm! We're being attacked! A man, a dwarf and a hag have invaded!"
"A whaaat?"
Mizana's eyes lit up with a terrible glow and she runs after the servant, setting him on fire with a Fire Spray. The other starts yelling "Raise the alarm" as well but is smart enough to not repeat the rest.

The dogs dash closer, one of them reaching Mizana and Silvershield tries to use a Wavering Faith on it - but turns out the mutt is Hard To Pin Down.

Agreyn hits the remaining guard as he tries to move away but the other dog arrives, lunging at Agreyn. The other canine does the same to Mizana.
The servants do a Team Shift and everybody's suddenly moving again, one servant even coming to Bash Mizana.

Mizana Big Zaps the dog that bit her, the other does a Vicious Thrust at Agreyn



Mizana zaps the dog again, while servants continue raising the alarm. servants raise alarm. The red-haired sorceress decides to retreat while the other dog gets a whiff of Agreyn's socks and immediately turns into a Coward.



The servants move again, one of them moving close enough to get a blow from Silvershield. The dog that previously harassed Mizana picks another target and darts after Silvershield who promptly pulls back.

The other guard tries hitting Agreyn but the fighter easily blocks the blow. Silvershield decides to help his ally and slaps an Unholy Frenzy on the fighter - who nearly collapses from the demonic power.

The priestess' spell leaves an opening and the dog lunges at her left leg.



Agreyn Bludgeons the remaining guard - but the Man-at-arms parries the blow.
Meanwhile Silvershield gets hit again, this time by the bleeding servant.

As Agreyn gets to move first on the next turn he wastes no time hitting the ferocious Guard Dog. The guard decides to pick a smaller target and hits Silvershield while Mizana takes revenge on the closer dog by blasting it into a mush.
"Good dog! Stay!"
The other dog leaps at Agreyn and manages to knock the fighter down.



Mizana darts to a casting range of the remaining mutt and it bounces towards Mizana, drool dripping from it's maw.
"Come here, boy! Fetch!"
Mizana punctuates her command with a Spark. The dog's leap turns into a spasm and it's down.

Silvershield hits the remaining guard and he fails to parry the dwarf's sharp blow.
As the foes move once more I get a chance to pass first.

I get only one attack card the next turn but it's enough. A Penetrating Zap kills the remaining Man-at-Arms and the victorious heroes move on.

After looting the guards of course.



Agreyn gets some Chain Scraps and they pick up a Soothing Relic to be sold later.

 

Fight three

"Gah, more of those damn four-legged fiends," Mizana curses.



Agreyn runs towards the man who's probably the prison's Dog Boy and lands a sharp blow. The dog handler shouts in pain and manages to bash Agreyn a little back, while Mizana drops the guy with a Long Spark just to be keep him from leading the dogs (No idea what kind of cards the Dog Boy would have had, decided to kill him first just in case)

Mizana runs towards Agreyn in order to keep the mutts from surrounding them but the slower dwarf gets hit by a Cowardly Attack (luckily from the side and not the back).

Mizana zaps at one of the dogs who fails to Dodge.

Silvershield hits the mutt that bit her and then follows the others, although slowly as the dog is partially in the way. The other mutts run after the dwarf.



The dogs are luckily out of attacks and as I passed first, I get to start the next turn.



Gee, Lady Luck seems to favor one of the heroes this round...

Silvershield retreats while the northernmost dog manages to land a blow despite all the armor Agreyn's wearing.
Silvershield patches some of the damage while the dogs move towards the dwarven priestess.

Mizana tries zapping the dog that bit Agreyn but it's again Hard To Pin Down and it keeps moving towards the sorceress.



Agreyn moves back while another dog lunges at Silvershield. The dwarf heals Agreyn again but a Cowardly attack drops the heroine.
Mizana runs to a better position and raises her arms:



On the next turn Lady Luck continues to mock the heroes as this time Mizana gets no attack cards - and her two armor cards both fail to protect her from a dog's bite.
Agreyn quickly hits one of the dogs still on fire, counting on it dying on the next turn.
Mizana gets bit again - and again the hit lands despite her two armor cards! It's too much for the sorceress and now it's one man versus 5 dogs...

Agreyn retreats to the corner to keep the dogs from hitting his back and but his attempt to hit the dog pursuing him fails as the dog is too fast.
His armor also fails to protect him from the dog's teeth.
One of the dogs burns to death on the next turn and the rest decide to act like Cowards!

Agreyn manages to drop one of the hard-to-pin-down dogs as it also fails to Dodge and by moving once more Gary ends up using one more movement card giving me a chance to pass first!



Agreyn vs two dogs, Agreyn with 3hp and the dogs with 1hp and 10 hp... Agreyn kills one while it's still facing away and can't block but his armor AGAIN fails him and the other dog's bite is too much...

Ok, the amount of failed armor rolls I got was just silly... and the cards weren't exactly favoring me either.

Attempt two

Silvershield immediately slaps Agreyn into a Righteous Frenzy and the fighter runs towards the eastern dog. He lands a good blow on the mutt while Mizana retreats away from the incoming pack.

Agreyn gets bit and the Dog Boy starts raising the alarm (giving more cards to the dogs).

Mizana zaps the dogs twice but the ferocious mutts keep lunging at her.

Agreyn kills the dog he was facing but Mizana is forced to flee to the opposite direction, with the intent of maybe drawing some of the pack after her.

Agreyn lunges at one dog and gets healed by the dwarf but gets bit twice.



Agreyn manages to kill one more dog but then both he and Mizana get killed by the mutts.

And since Silvershield fails to draw any attack cards for the next two turns, she's soon dead as well.

Attempt three

The first turn - and Lady Luck giggling behind my back.



With only Mizana getting attack cards I ended up with a dead Mizana on round 1.

Round 2 I got only one attack for Agreyn, ending with one dog and Silvershield dead.

Round 3 I got only one Lunging Hack for Agreyn, ending with him dead.

--

Damn, that dog yard fight was pretty hard. Sure, bad luck had a big part but being surrounded by 5 dogs with Cowardly Attacks, lunges and nimble strikes wouldn't be easy with a better luck either.

Looks like I'll try something else next and return to the prison later.

 

Unlucky with the dogs, that sounded really harsh yeh.. Glad theres a challenge though and the difficulty seems rather well done.

 

Dungeon of the Lizard Priest

This time our heroes are trying to go and meet exotic people - i.e. go and kill a Lizard Priest.

Their road - or well, sewer - gets blocked by three Lizardman Warriors:



Silvershield pulls back, having received no attack cards.

Mizana zaps the closest lizard twice and has to then retreat as well as the reptilian warrior stabs the sorceress.

"Your turn," Silvershield slaps Agreyn and the frenzied fighter leaps to attack the incoming foe, manages to block it's spear
and does a Trained Bludgeon on the lizard's extended arm.

Gary passes first so I take the opportunity to heal Mizana but this just prompts Gary to use something a little nastier:



Well, at least I get to pass first.



..aaand Lady Luck shows up carrying a whip.

Agreyn uses his one measly attack on the foe but ends up getting stabbed in total five times, three of them managing to pass his armor completely. Despite Silvershield using both her heals this is still enough to kill the valiant fighter.

Next turn Mizana both Mizana and Silvershield get a single attack each and manage to kill the first lizardman but take a severe beating from the attack-laden foes.

Fourth turn - and again only one attack card. Mizana uses it to burn both foes but then dies for her efforts.

Fifth turn... The remaining lizardmen have 3hp and 4hp left but Silvershield again has no attack cards. The result is one dead dwarf.

I'm seriously considering switching Silvershield out for another fighter atleast until I get some better equipment for the priestess. She doesn't get enough attacks, her heals are too weak to be useful and her buffs currently become useless when Agreyn dies...

Second attempt

This time Agreyn switches his weapon to a one offering more reliable damage (Kobold Killer -> Hefty Stout Club). No more Violent Overswing but the average damage should be better nevertheless.

The heroes retreat to a defensive formation in the southern room, Silvershield casts a Healing Presence on Mizana and the sorceress zaps the first foe as the Lizardman peaks around the corner.



The lizardman uses it's longer reach to hit Agreyn who again gets a Righteous Frenzy from the dwarf behind him.
The second lizardman moves close enough to Agreyn for the human to hit and his clubs immediately leap at the foe.
With two quick hits the enemy crumbles to the sewer floor, it's counterattack hitting Agreyn's armor.

Another reptilian climbs over the first one's corpse and starts stabbing Agreyn.
The human fighter manages to land one blow between the hits but even with Silvershield's healing he is soon forced to retreat, barely managing to stay on his feet, having only 1 hp left.
The enemy ignores the fleeing fighter and turns her spear against the dwarf next.

I take a chance trying to move forward in an attempt to make the lizard's pull back to maintain their ideal spearing distance but Gary passes first.

Amusingly, the next turn Gary uses his chance to act first - by retreating with one of the Lizardmen.



Silvershield's Violent Overswing drops the foe between the two women and then takes a blow from the other enemy.

Mizana runs to the doorway - and the Lizardman retreats from the scary sight of the incoming hat.



As the Lizardman's still in range for Mizana's spells, she uses both of them on the reptilian.

Meanwhile Agreyn moves closer to the woman to benefit from her Healing Presence.

The next turn Mizana gets a poisonous stab but her Big Zap fries the enemy.

Yay, victory!



Loot: Uncertain Healing Orb and Steel-toed Boots. Nothing great.

 

Fight two

The heroes continue through the sewers.

"Ok, whose turn was to guard the rear again?"
"Ummm... Yours?"
"...damn."
"And what is that black thing? Somebody's past lunch?"



Mizana zaps one of the lizardmen and Silvershield slaps Agreyn into a frenzy as the ooze slides forward. The dwarf retreats as the reptilians tighten their ring around the heroes.
Mizana zaps her previous target but gets a poisoned stab in her hip. She moves forward trying to chase the enemy back but the Lizardman ignores her and tries to Stab Agreyn. Luckily his armor protects him.



Agreyn moves closer as does the ooze. Silvershield uses a wavering faith on the ...thing just in case. The oozes remaining attack forces Agreyn to discard a card, luckily his attack remains and he uses that on the nearest reptilian.
The eastern foe stabs Silvershield.
I pass first.



Silvershield drives Agreyn into a frenzy and the reptilians slither closer. As this brings another Lizardman into range, Mizana uses her Fire Spray to set both of the foes on fire.
Agreyn gets a minor stab as the blow doesn't fully penetrate his armor and his frenzied attack drops the other nearby reptilian. Silvershield gets hit as well.

Mizana retreats out of northern Lizardman's range but the foe moves with the others, now threatening Agreyn. Agreyn pulls back around the corner but gets struck by the ooze. Silvershield heals Agreyn and as the lizards move once more.

Mizana uses Telekinesis to push the lizardman who still hasn't attacked this turn to the side passage while the ooze strikes Agreyn again.
I quickly pass first in order to act first next turn.



Mizana drops the closest foe with her Short Spark and Gary gets confused enough to just pass!

Agreyn charges the western Lizardman and the foes run - that is, the lizardman stuck in the side passage just turns to face Agreyn. Instead of attacking. Is Gary taking it easy on me after the previous loss?

Well, Agreyn certainly doesn't intend to waste his chance and hits the ugly reptilian while Silvershield gets a Predictable Stab from the eastern Lizardman and is forced to retreat around the corner.

The reptilian ignores the dwarf and moves towards Mizana.

As Mizana has a Spark with a nice big range she retreats, just like Silvershield is forced to do as the ooze oozes after the dwarf.
Agreyn gets hit by his burning opponent.



Silvershield attacks the reptilian who is still surpised to find the dwarf again in front of it. As the ooze again catches the dwarf she uses her last strength to heal Agreyn before the slimy puddle strikes her down.

Mizana zaps the Lizardman which unfortunately gives Gary the chance to pass first.

The flames finally die out on the trapped Lizardman but it targets Agreyn with an Strong Stab which manages to bypass the fighter's armor completely, leaving him with just 2hp.



The heroes quickly considers their options. Agreyn doesn't want to waste his stronger hit on the near-to-death foe in front but neither can he drop the foe with a lunge as it would move him out of range. And Mizana's out of spells with a higher range.
As Agreyn doesn't have enough moves to totally evade their foes this turn anyway he decides to try out his luck against the eastern reptilian.

The reptilian pulls back towards the west which gives Agreyn a chance to lunge after the weaker foe after all. His luck holds out as the other lizard's stab gets partly stopped by the armor and Agreyn gets to strike the foe one last time.

The ooze moves - or not. Apparently it decides to just change it's facing.



Mizana moves closer and while the ooze again moves closer she fries the remaining reptilian with a Little Zap.
Agreyn gets a lucky block against the Black Ooze.which allows Mizana to zap the ooze.
Gary passes. I consider trying to lure Gary to take one more action in order to get to pass first but decide to save my Run to better keep Mizana safe from the Ooze.

For once Agreyn gets two good attack cards - but falls before getting a chance to use them.
Mizana uses her moves to run away from the Ooze as she's going to need better attacks in order to have a chance against that freaky puddle.

And this time Lady Luck is feeling generous. Armed with two Big Zaps Mizana rounds the corner and the ooze quickly oozes towards her.



Zzzap! Zzzap! The big bad black blob of b-something is no more!

Loot: Chain Scraps and Cheap Fencer's Boots, Silvershield getting the latter. Hey, a couple of weak attacks is better than nothing, especially against higher range Lizardmen.

To be continued, probably tomorrow....

 

Great job as usual, Zalminen!

Just a thing, maybe you were not aware of this, but when you say "The heroes quickly considers their options. Agreyn doesn't want to waste his stronger hit on the near-to-death foe in front but neither can he drop the foe with a lunge as it would move him out of range" i think (from the videos i have seen - still haven't been able to play ) that you can use it just to change facing even without moving, since Step 1 allows you to move up to 1 square before attacking.

Am i being right?