Zalminen's Beta Diary

Fight four

"So, this is the famed ballroom, " Leafstorm notes, looking at the opulent looking room.
"And filled with marksmen," Shalar adds.
Urambar grins. "Let's dance..."



Shalar Charges towards the southern part of the room, getting hit by a Tricky Stab but countering with an Arcane Curse. The foe tries to Jump Back twice (both rolls succeed) but with the wall right behind it, the maneuver just makes the human knock his head against the wall.
The dwarf follows up with a Lunging Strike, the marksmen scrambling to better positions.

Leafstorm runs to aid the other woman as Urambar dashes to the other side, forcing the marksmen there to retreat.

Alonzo, the lord's famed sniper realizes his position at the top of the greased stairway is a bit useless when none of the intruders are in his line of fire and so the man starts carefully descending the stairway.
"Who blithering idiot decided to grease the stairs anyway!"
"Check the mirror, moron..."
"Who said that?"

Leafstorm zaps the nearest marksman with a Devastating Spark while Shalar gets hit by the first arrow from another one.
The elf sorceress moves to a better position, Shalar doing the same and as the marksmen perform an Escaping Run, Leafstorm uses her Wall Of Fire against two of the guards.

Unfortunately the guards prove too agile to get trapped by the lava, doing another Escaping Run. Which they had just drawn thanks to the previous one. Damn.

Alonzo finally gets down the stairs and quickly runs to a position where he can aim at Urambar. Oh gimme a break. The sniper had drawn nothing but moves on the very first turn? Had this happened later in the fight, it would have been helpful but now it just allowed Alonzo to join the fight fast.



Urambar dashes to pin the the nearest marksman against the wall and as the foe hits him with a Piercing Missile, the fighter retaliates with an Able Bludgeon, followed by a normal Bludgeon. The human tries to evade both with a Jump Back, failing both times. (Or actually rolled successfully with the second one but the move back just didn't help him to evade the blow)

The marksmen again move to better positions, Shalar turning to zap the weakest of the nearby ones with a Sorcerous Blast. She drops the foe with a simple Dissolve Armor spell, Urambar getting hit by another arrow.

Alonzo runs back to the center of the room, Shalar quickly retreating before the sniper has a chance to fire.
"You think you can escape my arrows, little elf?"

Again a Piercing Missile strikes Urambar. He has a Stunning Blow left but I'd rather use it on the next turn when the stun would actually help.



Urambar hits the trapped marksman with a Stunning Blow, leaving the fighter free to finish the guard with another Bludgeon, albeit getting hit with a Puncturing Shot himself.

Alonzo tries again to find a firing line but the elf fighter is too fast and slips between the pillars, leaving the famed sniper cursing at the elusive foes.
"Stop running, you freaks!"

Shalar hits another one of the regular marksmen with a Deadly Spark, the foe retaliating with another arrow.

Leafstorm dashes to attack the the lone marksman northeast as Alonzo again hops around the pillar, trying to gain line of sight on Shalar. The dwarf counters with a Wall Of Fire just as the sniper hits the dwarf with a Tricky Stab.

Shalar again slips to safety while Leafstorm uses another Wall Of Fire against her opponent.


I don't dare to use the Sorcerous Bolt, just in case the foe has a Jump Back card he just didn't happen to use yet as a normal move. Getting the lava damage is more important, I can use the bolt next turn so I just hit Pass.

The lava claims one of the guards, the other two screaming in agony as the scorching heat damages them.
"Owowowow.... Goat's balls, I'll get you for this, shortass," Alonzo curses.

Leafstorm's opponent stabs Leafstorm, the elf immediately countering with a Dissolve Armor spell. Nope, no Jump Back cards so I'm free to attack.

Alonzo again runs to a new position, again cursing as Urambar dashes closer but behind the pillar out of Alonzo's reach.
"What's the matter? Too fast for you," the elf heckles the sniper.

As the last of the regular marksmen runs away from the Lava, Leafstorm dashes to Urambar, then turning to zap the fleeing guard down almost as an afterthought.

Alonzo runs to a better position again, finally reaching a spot where he can target multiple foes.
"I got you now!"



Shalar quickly casts a Wall Of Fire under the sniper, but the famed bowman finally gets to shoot, dropping Urambar with a Puncturing Shot.
"I am Alonzo! No man, elf or dwarf escapes my arrows!"

The dwarf retreats behind the pillar, Leafstorm doing the same as a Piercing Missile hits her.
The foe performs an Escaping Run but just ends up trapped in another Wall Of Fire, this time from Leafstorm. The sniper fires again, hitting Leafstorm with another arrow, the elf slipping to safety.

Alonzo curses like mad as the scorching lava burns his feet, hopping to safer location, although heavily burned.
"£@!!¤%%&/¤*"
"Hey Alonzo! The stupid kingdom called! They want their Lord and Sovereign back," Shalar yells, drawing another stream of curses in the same foreign language.
Extra points to anyone recognizing that little reference...


Deadly hide and seek. Everyone's weak enough to fall to one hit. Too bad Shalar is one square too close to be able to kill the foe with a Charge.

Shalar quickly slips out of Alonzo's line of fire, forcing the sniper to find a new position.

The famed foe makes his last mistake as he decides to go after Leafstorm - and the elf's Sorcerous Bolt slays the great marksman.
"Too bad Alonzo. Unless someone happens to come by and resurrect you, it does look like one dwarf and one elf just did escape your arrows," Shalar notes, walking to wake Urambar up again.

Loot: treasure and Reverberating Shield.

To be continued...

 

Fight five

"Intruders! Intruders! They're here!"
"Bah," Shalar says, shaking her head. "At this rate it will be easy to find our way back. Just follow the long line of corpses!"



Leafstorm quickly uses her Elvish Insight to assess the situation, the war dog jumping back at the elf's keen look. Hah, Jump Back triggered on Elvish Insight
As if realizing it wasn't doing its job, the angry canine bounds forward, Shalar blasts one of the servants down with her Deadly Spark. I don't want to give the two foes too many extra cards.

As the dog hops closer and closer, Leafstorm uses her Elvish Insight again as Urambar starts flailing at the war dog.
Strong Bludgeon. Trained Bludgeon. The dog lunges back, hitting the elf with a Vicious Thrust.

Shalar joins the fight with a Fire Spray just as the second servant finally realizes its time to Raise The Alarm.
Before the fierce mutt has time do anything more, Leafstorm's Sorcerous Bolt puts the beast down.

The guard finally gets off his lazy ass and starts walking towards the intruders, feeling rather Clumsy.
Shalar zaps the foe with an Arcane Curse, the spell managing to slip past the foe's attempt to Block and also finding a weak spot in the mercenary's Solid Mail.

The servant orders a Team Shift, the guard finally reaching the heroes.



Shalar slips to the side as the guard's Powerful Hack hits Urambar, the fighter dashing past the foe before the human can hit again.

The hardened mercenary marches after Urambar but the fighter again leaves the slower foe easily behind.
The servant yells for help as Shalar moves to better location.

Leafstorm zaps the panicked servant with a Spark, then teleports past the mercenary as Shalar traps the guard with a Wall Of Fire.

The guard curses, quickly hopping out of the lava as the scorching stone burns his legs.

Leafstorm easily evades the mercenary's advance, allowing Shalar to take out the servant still screeching for help, the dwarf's Unstable Bolt easily killing the weak foe.

Urambar notes that the mercenary is too Clumsy to move fast and quickly dashes behind the foe.



The guard's Solid Mail allows the surprised foe to withstand the elf fighter's blows (3 successful armor rolls, one failed) but even it cannot save the human from another Wall Of Fire.

Loot: 2x treasure.

 

Fight six

The heroes barge down another flight of stairs.

An old man stares at the intruders from behind some overturned furniture.
"Aren't you too short to be a lord," Shalar asks, ignoring the three guards standing in the room.
"You've killed my servants, my guards and my chef! Do you have any idea how much good help costs these days! And now a dwarf insults me by calling ME short? Kill them all! Kill them all dead! DEAD!"


Hmm, this looks dangerous. Three guards and a dog plus Lord Batford and not much room to maneuver in.

Shalar hits the nearest mercenary with a Bungled Bolt. Ok, no blocks or armor cards on them.
Leafstorm joins the barrage, hitting the foe with a Devastating Spark and then retreating as the guards move closer.

Another guard hits Shalar with an Impaling Stab but the dwarf ignores the pain and flings a Sizzling Bolt, still targetting the same already wounded foe. The sorceress then retreats as well as Lord Batford tries to Raise The Alarm.
I don't want to risk clicking Pass as I still want to use Wall Of Fire but the mercenaries might have just drawn another move so I don't dare to use it yet either. So I waste Leafstorm's Ember Spray at the wall to keep the action going.

Another mercenary hits Urambar, the fighter moving closer to retaliate. The guard manages to Block Urambar's Trained Bludgeon but his follow-up blows hit their target, leaving the foe too weak to survive against the flames still licking his skin.

The war dog scampers closer, finally reaching Urambar while Shalar traps one of the guards with a Wall Of Fire.
The angry mutt lunges past Urambar, hitting Shalar instead with a Vicious Thrust.
Grr, typical. The dog started on the other end of the map but managed to draw a hand full of moves and just one attack.


And now Shalar draws no attacks at all. Sigh.

Shalar retreats to the stairway as the war dog proves out to be a Coward! Phew, some good luck as well.
Leafstorm zaps the canine with a Sorcerous Bolt as Urambar gets hit by a Potent Stab, his armor failing to help against the blow.
The fighter quickly steps closer, but just as he's ready to hit both foes with a Strong Chop, the other guard's Impaling Stab pierces his chest, felling the elf. AARGH. And the blow wouldn't have been enough to kill Urambar if his previous armor roll had succeeded.

Leafstorm sidesteps, Lord Batford's yells for help echoing in the chamber. I'm waiting for the dog to waste its move before using the Wall Of Fire.

The old man marches closer - and the dog stays where it is. And Gary passes instead of moving the war dog. Damn!



Leafstorm traps the chokepoint with Stone Spikes as Lord Batford hits the elf with a Hurled Dagger, the projectile slipping past her robe's Resistant Hide. The elf retreats, zapping the war dog. The mutt moves closer and Shalar joins the fight, her Little Zap doing extra damage thanks to her Arcane Aura.

The guards and the lord mill about on the other side of the pit, unwilling to brave the sharp spikes. This suits the sorceresses just fine and Shalar again attacks the dog, this time with a Dissolve Armor spell. The dwarf gets struck by another Hurled Dagger, the hit disrupting her Arcane Aura.

The dog is down to 5 hp but still has its Run card left. So I just click Pass.
The dog bounds past Leafstorm, its Penetrating Lunge dropping the dwarf.

Leafstorm, now alone against four foes, grabs a tighter hold of her staff and casts a Wall Of Fire, targetting the weaker guard and Lord Batford with it.



The lava burns both men horribly, the guard staying alive only because of his Solid Mail. ARGH.

Lord Batford starts climbing past the spiked pit but manages to hit his own leg while doing so (Ouch! card).
Leafstorm immediately targets the man with a Spark, but the foe manages to Duck and hit the elf with an Able Stab. AAAARGH. Against the Hard to Block 2 spell, the foe had to roll a 6 and did just that. The dice are truly trying to kill me this time...

With no other options left, Leafstorm tries to use her Elvish Insight to find a way out of this deathtrap - and Lord Batford manages to steal the card with another Duck! Heh...


Yeah, considering the amount of attacks the war dog has, Leafstorm's as good as dead already.

Leafstorm finally manages to slay the old geezer with her Devastating Spark before getting struck down by the remaining foes.

--

Yeesh. One more attempt left.

Agreyn switches to a Parrying Buckler to get more Parry cards.

 

Attempt two


At least Urambar draws some good cards.

Urambar uses his Elvish Insight to evaluate the situation, Lord Batford attempting to Duck his glance, then deciding to Raise The Alarm. The mercenaries have two Clumsy cards and a Dropped Guard. After the replacement cards, I can only see two of the remaining cards and one of them is the default Run.

Shalar steps back, zapping the closest mercenary with a Surging Bolt, her Arcane Aura dealing extra damage.

As the mercenaries run closer, Leafstorm quickly hits the first one with a Little Zap (mostly to make sure the enemy doesn't have any Blocks in hand). As the enemy howls in pain, Urambar lets loose a Chop, his All Out Attack felling the weaker guard and dealing heavy damage to the second one.
I didn't want to use Obliterating Bludgeon first as most of the All Out Attack's doubling effect would have been lost.
The still standing foe counters with a Potent Stab.



Leafstorm retreats, then turns to Spark the closer guard.

Lord Batford makes his way slowly closer, yelling for help.

I'd prefer to use Urambar's Obliterating Bludgeon against the war dog or the stronger guard but neither is currently close enough for me to hit.

Shalar backs away as the war dog runs around in the small room, keeping near its master. Or actually unable to slip past the old geezer standing in the difficult terrain.

The second mercenary finally acts, trying to run past Urambar to get at the spellcasters. Immediately he feels a horrible pain in his back as the elf smacks him with an Obliterating Bludgeon.
Too bad Leafstorm is standing in the way, otherwise I could finish the foe with Shalar's Charge.

The other guard turns, hitting Urambar with an Impaling Stab.



Urambar swings his axe, felling the weaker guard with his Strong Chop but the other one manages to Block the blow.

Shalar comes to aid, blasting the mercenary with a Powerful Spark strenghened by her Arcane Aura. The guard tries to escape but Leafstorm's Surging Bolt hits him in the back. The guard gargles, falling down lifeless.

Urambar uses his Elvish Insight, the old geezer again Ducking under his gaze. (He had two Duck cards in hand, rolled successfully with the second one and stole my Elvish Insight. Well, better that than an actual attack...)

As Lord Batford scampers to a better vantage point, Urambar slips behind a pillar, Leafstorm quickly doing the same as the old human emulates Urambar's gaze. The man then Dodges closer, again forcing Urambar to slip to safety. This time Leafstorm isn't fast enough and gets hit by a Hurled Dagger.

Shalar walks to join the fight, her Charge surprising the old geezer as the man flings another dagger at Leafstorm.

Lord Batford tries to draw his weapon, managing to wound himself in his panic (Ouch! card). His attempt to Able Stab fails as the dwarf proves too Hard To Pin Down, the woman slipping to a safer distance.



Leafstorm dashes next to Lord Batford, parrying the foe's attempt to hit her with an Able Stab.

The big question here: how am I going to get to whack the war dog with the Obliterating Bludgeon without getting struck down by its Nimble Strike or Vicious Thrust.
Old Batford is a difficult target as well, thanks to that Duck card.

Shalar backs away as the old guy hits Leafstorm with another Hurled Dagger, this time failing to any damage past her armor.
Gathering speed, the dwarf's Charge against barrels into the human, causing the man to curse at the impudent woman.

As the war dog tries to climb over the overturned furniture, Shalar's Deadly Spark hits it (again with extra damage from both Arcane Aura and Spark Inductor).

Leafstorm runs past the human. As Lord Batford tries to use this opportunity to escape, the quick elf casts a Hot Spot under the geezer's feet.

Urambar retreats, wanting to make absolutely sure the fierce dog won't hit him first.



Hooray, the dog just discarded Nimble Strike. It still has Vicious Thrust and some unrevealed cards - and of course the two new cards.

Lord Batford falls, the scorching lava becoming his funeral pyre.

Shalar attempts to hit the approaching mutt with a Bungled Bolt, the dog managing to Dodge behind the pillar.
Leafstorm runs to a better vantage point but as he stops a little too close, the dog goes on an All Out Attack, hitting the elf with its Vicious Thrust. (I somehow remembered the attack had Step 1 instead of Step 2...and the All Out Attack was a total surprise.)

Shalar moves to get a line of sight on the war dog but the canine ignores her and instead goes after Urambar. The fighter decides the time has come to attack and dashes to meet the mutt who immediately scampers behind the elf. Phew. If its last card had been an attack, that would have been that for Urambar.

The fighter spins around, crushing the canine's spine with an Obliterating Bludgeon.

Adventure Complete!

And damn was that a close victory!



Loot: Ring Of Appropriation (the treasure hunt reward), treasure, Infused Cloth Armor, Gazelle Moccasins, Advanced Toughness, Superb Pyrmancy (sic).

 

Since I was only a couple XP short of reaching level 15, I fought my way through the first gnome adventure to get the XP.

After that I again updated my equipment. Here's what my party now looks like:

Urambar
Level 15 Elf Warrior

Infused Greatclub
Simple Axe
Hefty Stout Club
Solid Mail
Parrying Buckler
Viking Helm
Polished Leather Boots
Insight
Powered Slicing
​

Shalar the Blue
Level 15 Dwarf Wizard

Staff Of Peril
Mighty Sparkping Staff
Hot Rod
Amulet Of The Burning Barrier
Blister Stone
Amulet Of The Burning Barrier
Cotton Wizard's Robes
Polished Leather Boots
Novice Ferocity
Advanced Sparking
​

Leafstorm
Level 15 Elf Wizard

Unstable Staff
Short Blasting Staff
Stone Of Shards
Blister Stone
Hot Rod
Amulet Of The Burning Barrier
Crackling Cloak
Poosyn Boots
Insight
Novice Blazing
​

And now it's time to return to

High Mountain Pass

Urambar moves to the chokepoint near him, ready to take on the incoming goblins.



The goblins move closer, one trying to slip through another hole in the stone wall but gets zapped by Shalar's Mighty Spark while it's still facing the wrong way. The dwarf steps closer.

The other gobling group tries to get through the next opening but Leafstorm quickly traps that route with Stone Spikes. She then runs to the side just as the first goblin group charges in, the first two meeting Urambar's Strong Chop. One of them manages to retaliate with a Clumsy Chop, the other's Weak Block proving enough to stop the elf's Bludgeon.

Shalar spins around, dropping the weak goblin trying to sneak behind her, then turns again. This time her Arcane Curse gets Missile Blocked.

Leafstorm raises her hands, catching the first ogre with a Wall Of Fire. I save the other one for a better opportunity, it would be a waste to kill two 3hp foes with it. So I just pass.

The first goblin from the other group manages to get past the spike trap, despite taking deep wounds.



The green foe's Weak Block is enough to stop Shalar's Devastating Spark (needed to roll 5+ and rolled a 6) so the dwarf again backs away as the ogres move. They can't actually get any closer though, what with the lava partially blocking the route and with all the goblins standing in the way.

The goblin wave pushes on past Urambar, forcing Leafstorm to back away as well.

Urambar's Parry stops the first goblin attack and this time his Able Bludgeon connects, sending the unconscious foe crashing against the stone pillar.

Still no good opportunities for using Wall Of Fire and I still don't want to waste Obliterating Bludgeon on a 3hp foe. So I pass again.

The badly burned ogre makes its last mistake as it marches on, ignoring the scorching lava blocking its path. The molten stone certainly does not ignore the ogre and the mighty beast quickly burns to death.



Shalar hits the nearest goblin with a Dissolve Armor spell, the foe blocking the spell (and revealing that the group has two more block cards in hand).
The green horde moves to melee range, Urambar's Obliterating Bludgeon crushing one of them. Another manages to hit the fighter, the blow too quick for the elf to Parry and it also manages to find a weak spot in his Hardy Mail.

Leafstorm tries to zap one of the goblins near Urambar with her Unstable Bolt but the spell just gets blocked. The sorceress retreats as another foe hits Urambar.

Shalar targets the same goblin Leafstorm did, her Deadly Spark managing to surprise the short foe completely. The goblin collapses, its body spasming from the electrical jolt. Then the dwarf pulls back as well as Urambar turns to face the next goblin to face him. He parries the ugly critter's Bludgeon, pulling back before the next attack (he just drew another Parry and I want to be sure no-one's hiding any move cards...)

The goblins run closer, catching the retreating heroes. Shalar quickly uses a Wall Of Fire against the group harassing Urambar.
Leafstorm gets Bludgeoned by a goblin club, but the elf's counter traps the foes in another Wall Of Fire while another one lights up under the second ogre.

Two of the goblins prove quick enough to slip away from the lava but the others are less lucky.



The molten stone engulfs four goblins and causes heavy harm to the ogre who quickly marches away from the dangerous terrain.

Leafstorm's Surging Bolt hits one of the remaining goblins just as it targets Urambar with a Clumsy Chop. The elf turns, ready to Parry the other foe's attack but the green critter ignores the elf, hopping to the other side of the lava. The fighter uses his Elvish Insight (making the goblins waste a Weak Block), the goblin circling to behind Urambar.
It gets struck by Shalar's Spark and as it turns to face the attack, Urambar's Bludgeon hits the goblin in the back.

Leafstorm takes a quick look at the fight and suddenly dashes towards the ogre, teleporting to the other side of the stony wall. Before the mottled beast has time to notice the elf, another Wall Of Fire springs up, again under the ogre.



The ogre howls in pain as it meets the same end as its ally before.

The remaining goblins try to attack Urambar but the elf parries the first blow, his Chop cutting down both green foes.

Loot: Spiked Shirt, Advanced Gouging.

 

Fight two


Good, some lava spells and Chops straight away.

Leafstorm zaps one of the western goblins with a Dissolve Armor spell, the foe's Weak Block stopping the spell. A Spark against the same target - and another Weak Block. (Needed a 6 and rolled just that)

The ogre and the western goblins advance. No battlerage yet, but an Obvious Maneuver. Oh well.

An Arcane Curse hits the same goblin, this time connecting squarely. Shalar continues with an Unstable Bolt, the foe stumbling a little but continuing on.

Shalar backs away as the eastern goblin group charges in. Urambar darts to intercept them, getting hit with a Simple Strike from the first goblin but retaliating with a Chop. The other goblin strikes as well, his Bludgeon hitting the elf's leg.
I don't want to use the second Chop quite yet as I'd rather keep the weak goblins as a wall until the ogre has used its remaining Walk card. Since for all I know, that unrevealed card might be another Walk...



Leafstorm steps aside as the ogre moves closer, slowed down by the smaller goblins standing in the way. Urambar's Chop takes down two of them and Gary passes. Good.

As the shredders also run closer, Shalar creates a Wall Of Fire under the huge ogre. Leafstorm also joins in, creating more lava to trap the ogre and the goblin next to it. Bah, I should have started with Leafstorm, then I could have targeted another goblin with the second spell. Now the next goblin was out of Leafstorm's line of sight...



The ogre bruiser gets consumed by the huge lava pool, just like the small goblin next to it.

Shalar hits the nearest of the western goblins with another Dissolve Armor spell, the foe just failing to block the spell.

The shredders surge forward, one of them even braving the lava in its urge to reach the heroes. Leafstorm shrugs and hits the foolish foe with a Surging Bolt, the spell again proving too quick for the foe to Missile Block. The shredder is already close enough to reach Urambar, hitting the fighter with a Penetrating Stab.

Leafstorm dashes forward. Despite her move bringing her close enough for the first goblin's Simple Strike to hit her, she gets to retaliate with a Fire Spray, hitting three of the green foes with the spell. Unfortunately two of the goblins manage to Missile Block the flames and the third's Reflect Missile turns the flames against Leafstorm herself!

On the other flank the goblins rush in, forcing Shalar to back away.
Urambar gets hit with a Clumsy Chop but retreats as well before the green foes have time for another attack.

As the enemy wave pauses for a moment, Shalar casts another Wall Of Fire, this time targetting two grunts and a shredder.


Two more goblins burn to death, the shredders still strong enough to charge on.

Leafstorm's Mighty Spark fries the weakest of the shredders while Leafstorm's Unstable Bolt hits the next one. The foe howls in pain but hits Urambar with an Impaling Stab, dropping the elf fighter.

Leafstorm backs away before the third shredder has time to attack but gets the westernmost grunt after her, the smaller foe Bludgeoning her.

The other goblin group moves closer, forcing Shalar to retreat twice.

One of the shredders finally falls, getting burned alive by the lava.

Leafstorm gets hit by another Bludgeon, the blow slipping past her Resistant Hide.



Leafstorm quickly retreats to the other side of the goblin before its allies have time to reach the elf. She then uses her Elvish Insight, drawing out one Weak Block in the process.

For some reason Gary has passed twice in a row now.

Shalar Sparks the nearest goblin, finally making the other group run to join the fight. Argh. I can't use Wall Of Fire yet as all enemy groups still have move cards left. The goblin that just moved next to Leafstorm has only one attack in hand, so I'll just have to take the gamble that Resistant Hide roll will succeed against the foe's Simple Strike - or that the foe will attack Shalar instead.

Leafstorm hits the goblins with an Ember Spray, one of them fast enough to block the flames. Gary passes again.

Hmm. Since the goblins are already close enough, they may not use their Run cards at all. I'll just have to use the spell to get a little more breathing room then. The big question is: do I try to save Leafstorm or just concentrate on protecting Shalar...

Leafstorm creates a Wall Of Fire targetting the three nearby goblins, one of them hitting Shalar with a Simple Strike before pulling back.

The third goblin looks at its allies dumbfounded, as if not comprehending why they left. As the molten stone starts eating its legs, its already too late and the green foe burns to death. Ha! One of Gary's random passes happened at the perfect time for me!



Shalar's Spark hits the weakest of the retreating goblins in the back as the shredder moves to circle around the pool of lava. Leafstorm joins in on the barrage, managing to hit the nearest foe despite its attempt to Missile Block.
Shalar then casts another Wall Of Fire, the two grunts proving too slow to escape.



With the goblins out of the way, Leafstorm takes one look at the goblin shredder determined to reach her - and dashes right over the field of lava.
"Hot hot hot hot hot hot hot..."

For some reason Gary passes again which suits me just fine.

The shredder notices its prey trying to escape and runs after the elf but the sorceress proves way too fast for the goblin to catch. Instead it finds itself in a crossfire, getting hit by spells from both sides.
Deadly Spark. Sorcerous Bolt.

After one more Mighty Spark from Shalar, the shredder finally gives its last whimper and falls, leaving the clearing again free of enemies.

Well that was again close. Without the help from Mindless Battlerage it takes a lot of attacks to clear all those goblins.

Loot: 2x treasure.

To be continued...

 

Fight three


Hmm. It's unlikely any foe will get close enough for me to use Shalar's Arcane Curse so I'd better keep three cards so I can discard it instead.

The ogre starts raging as it smells the heroes' presence. The shredders hear this and start moving.

Shalar targets the first goblin with a Mighty Spark and for once her aim is true. (One failed Quick Reactions roll and two failed Missile Block rolls, even before calculating Hard to Block 2)

The ogre also gets moving, catching up with the shredders. Too bad I don't have enough spells to kill the first shredder and make use of the ogre's Mindless Battlerage...

The group of grunts proves faster than their shredder allies and Urambar darts to intercept them.

The ogre pushes past the shredders just as Urambar attacks, whacking the first goblin with a Trained Bludgeon. The enemy counters with a Clumsy Chop and and its Weak Block stops the elf's second blow. Damn.

Another goblin strikes Urambar, parf of the blow's damage stopped by the elf's armor.


Neither sorceress has good enough attacks to stop that ogre. Unless I can lure the grunt group in front of it, I'm going to get squashed soon.

Urambar retreats as he notices the hulking foe and the goblins charge forward, half of them going after Shalar. The dwarf pulls back as well, zapping the weakest goblin with a Dissolve Armor spell that the foe manages to block.

Leafstorm gets cursed with Bad Luck but hits the same goblin with Unstable Bolt, the green foe again fast enough to Missile Block the blast.

As the elf gets hit with an Unholy Curse, Shalar tries again and once again the goblin's shield is faster. Needed a 6 and rolled just that. Yeesh.

The ogre marches closer. Hmm, if I could get those shredders close enough, I might still be able to salvage this...



Leafstorm zaps the ogre magicker with a Surging Bolt as the shredder charge closer. Bah. Only the first one moved close enought to the ogre. Oh well, time to attack anyway.

Leafstorm zaps the weakest goblin one more time - and the lucky bugger Missile Blocks once again. Head, meet desk. The damn goblin group had FOUR BLOCK CARDS... Yes, I should have saved that Surging Bolt for the goblins but with my luck that one unrevealed card would probably proven to be yet another block.

The shredders move again, the fastest one overtaking the ogre. Its speed also means it's the first one to reach Urambar and immediately gets its face crushed in by the elf's Obliterating Bludgeon.

The ogre behind it flails in anger, hitting the two goblins close enough as the magicker behind it tries to hit Leafstorm but its Devastating Spark does no damage thanks to the elf's Resistant Hide.



Shalar quickly uses an Unstable Bolt against the weakest goblin and the small foe finally takes the full force of the blow and dies. This causes the ogre to flail about again, slaying another goblin.
As the remaining grunts spread around the heroes, Leafstorm sidesteps to evade the foe's clubs. Right after I've clicked I realize her new position isn't good as I thought as the ogre can now push between the elves and hit one of them while the other retreats. Oh well, maybe I can draw a Parry card for Urambar...

Urambar gets hit but uses his Elvish Insight to think of a way out of the sticky situation as the magicker blasts him with a Powerful Spark.
He drew just a Trained Bludgeon and it looks like the ogre has three Walk cards in hand so there's not much hope of evading it anyway. Unless...

Shalar quickly creates a Wall Of Fire in front of the ogre. The huge foe takes a look at the stream of lava - and turns around.

Leafstorm uses her Elvish Insight as the shredders charge in, forcing the elf to retreat. And she only drew a Fire Spray. Plus the shredders have more moves in hand. Sigh.

Leafstorm sprays the goblins with fire, unfortunately hitting Shalar with the flames as well.
The goblin counters with a Shredding Strike, doing extra damage to the cursed elf. Undeterred, she hits the foe with a Spark, causing the ogre to rage once more.
Before the sorceress has time to retreat another goblin targets her with a Penetrating Stab, dropping the elf but causing even more damage thanks to the ogre's raging.



Urambar finally goes on the attack, slaying the goblin in front of him with two blows. The elf then charges forward, killing the the weakened shredders with a Strong Chop, albeit taking a Shredding Strike in return.

The ogre magicker looks at Urambar - and places a Dastardly Curse on him, then following up with a Path Of Knives. The foe then retreats.

Two heroes left, Urambar with just 5 hp and unable to move safely. Two ogres, both with most of their health left and a single goblin. The rest is going to depend on Shalar's luck.

And as the turn ends, Shalar's burning triggers Arcane Aura so I lose that card as well. Whee. I do draw one Wall Of Fire and a couple of attacks for Urambar though.

The ogre marches up to Urambar and the fighter has time for one last Chop before falling to the the bruiser's huge axe.

The last goblin moves after Shalar, the dwarf retreating out of its reach.
The magicker moves again, zapping Shalar with a Powerful Spark and forcing the dwarf to retreat.

Finally Gary passes so it's time for me to attack.

The ogre bruiser finds itself in a pool of lava as the goblin catches up with the dwarf, Bludgeoning her.



The first ogre burns down, consumed by the lava below and the flames remaining from Leafstorm's earlier Fire Spray.

Shalar turns her attention on the goblin next to her, hitting the foe with a Deadly Spark. The spell, strengthened by the sorceress' Arcane Aura and her Spark Generator skills, slays the weaker foe, leaving the dwarf up against the ogre magicker.

The foe flings an Unholy Curse on Shalar as she moves towards safety. The dwarf flinches as she gets hit again, this time by a Devastating Spark.

Shalar quickly marches behind the hedge before the enemy has time to fling more spells.


Well, now I have plenty of lava. The only problem is: How am I going to use them without getting hit?

Shalar uses a Wall Of Fire to slow down the foe's advance, just in case the ogre tries to march forward anyway.

She peaks around the corner - and notices the foe's sudden Defensiveness. Well, it's now or never then.
The dwarf runs around the corner and the panicked foe tries to hit her with a Devastating Spark but fumbles the spell, allowing Shalar to fire back with a Mighty Spark. The foe retreats and Shalar casts a Wall Of Fire below it.

The angry ogre turns and flings a Dastardly Curse on the dwarf.

Well, now we'll see if my luck holds out. If the foe has any 4 damage attacks, Shalar's dead. If the foe has any moves, it will just slip away from the lava. Otherwise I win.



I click Pass...

The foe fires another Devastating Spark and Shalar falls.

Lady Luck... you're such a tease.

 

Attempt two



Leafstorm uses her Elvish Insight to check the situation. The shredders have Reflect Missile so I'd better not shoot at them with anything too strong. And the other group has three Runs so they'll get to melee range on the first turn.

The goblin horde charges closer, the heroes moving to better positions to prepare.

Leafstorm hits the first grunt with a Devastating Spark, the spell slipping past its Missile Block attempt.

The goblin group reaches the heroes, Shalar's Little Zap getting blocked by a goblin shield and the foe hits Urambar with a Clumsy Chop.


The grunts are out of cards so I'm free to attack.

Urambar's Bludgeon hits one of the goblins as the ogre magicker moves closer.

I pass, waiting for the ogre or the shredders to move.

The shredders charge after their grunt allies.
Urambar's Strong Bludgeon flattens the first grunt, causing the mad ogre to hit the magicker in its rage. The huge foe marches closer as well as Leafstorm creates a Wall Of Fire under the grunts

The bruiser is a little too far for Shalar to hit it with her Mighty Spark. She can't hit the shredders either as I don't want to risk getting the spell reflected and the grunts will all fall to lava anyway.



The lava claims the three grunts, causing the mad ogre to flail at the two shredders in the back.

The shredders charge with a high-pitched roar, running into Urambar's Chop.

The ogre marches closer and Shalar Charges to the side, away from the shredders spears. The magicker also walks closer as Leafstorm joins her ally.

The shredders split up, two of them running after the women and and two staying to fight the elf fighter. Shalar curses and turns to fling a Mighty Spark at the closer goblin before it gets to strike. The foe is too slow in its Reflect Missile attempt but manages to Missile Block. Another Mighty Spark - and this time the goblin falls.

Urambar gets hit by a Penetrating Stab, failing to Parry the blow. He turns, parrying the next Impaling Stab and retreats before the third goblin gets to strike.

Leafstorm attacks again, her Wall Of Fire catching two of the three goblins. As she notices the magicker's approach, she zaps the big foe with a Surging Bolt. The huge spellcaster retaliates with Path Of Knives, managing to cast the spell despite its Defensiveness. Its next Devastating Spark is ruined by the ogre's panic though but the foe gathers its composure and inflicts an Unholy Curse on the elf.

The lava engulfs the weakest shredder and burns another.



Leafstorm zaps her bigger counterpart with a Sorcerous Bolt, the foe countering with a Devastating Spark.

The shredders charge closer and Urambar's Bludgeon[card/] Kills The First One. The Elf Looks At The Second Shredder - And Dashes To Engage The Magicker Instead! The Ogre Spellcaster Seems To Consider The Elf Sorceress The Greater Threat And Zaps Her With A Second

 

Fight four


Well,now a lot depends on how many blocks the shredders have...

Urambar runs to stop the goblins from getting past him. He Bludgeons the first foe but the foe's Weak Block is faster. The goblin retaliates but meets the elf's Parry, the fighter countering with a Trained Bludgeon.

The shredders run towards the intruders. Leafstorm flings a Sorcerous Bolt at the first one but the goblin manages to reflect the spell right back at the elf. Her next Devastating Spark connects. The foes fail Quick Reactions roll on both spells.

The shredder wave reaches Shalar, the dwarf's Fire Spray hitting all four goblins. One of them hits the dwarf with a Shredding Strike, forcing her to retreat. The goblins target Leafstorm instead, one of them hitting Leafstorm with an Impaling Stab.
Leafstorm's at 2hp. The elf retaliates with a Little Zap (and the foes finally succeeds in a Quick Reactions roll) and the woman retreats.

Shalar flings a Deadly Spark at another shredder - but the spell just meets its Missile Block. Bah. Had that hit, the next Wall Of Fire would have killed two shredders instead of one.

Cursing at the hard to hit foes, Shalar creates a Wall Of Fire under the goblin row.



The goblins scream as the molten stone burns them, killing one as it stumbles in the lava.

Urambar gets hit by the badly wounded goblin in front of him.


Heh. I should be able to kill the rest of the shredders with these cards...

The grunts try pushing past Urambar but his Strong Chop kills the first one moving past him and wounds the next one who retaliates, although with just a Weak Strike.

The shredders charge forward, Shalar creating a new Wall Of Fire under them. The dwarf then backs away, leaving the goblins in the molten stone.

And Gary's random pass comes at the PERFECT time. The shredders didn't even attack Urambar! Or did they draw no attacks this turn?

The lava engulfs two more shredders, leaving the last one heavily burned.



Shalar flings a Deadly Spark at the goblin, again failing to get past the foe's Missile Block (needed 5+, rolled 5).

Urambar laughs at the weak grunts as one of them Bludgeons him, whacking the green foe down with a Stunning Blow. Another takes its place, only to meet Urambar's Strong Chop.

The shredder darts behind Urambar, forcing Leafstorm to dash past the foe, out of its spear range. As this also takes her behind the goblin, she immediately flings a Sorcerous Bolt at the shredder, taking out the last of the stronger goblin group.

As the ogres continue their trek along the main passage, wanting to get at their lunch, Leafstorm creates a Wall Of Fire under the remaining goblins. The small foes scramble to escape the lava, one of them feeling foolish enough to go after Urambar despite the molten stone.
The elf retreats, Shalar moving closer to take the fighter's place.

The goblins move once more, the dwarf targetting one of them with a Big Zap but hitting only the foe's Missile Block. I used the attack to check if the foes had any moves left, not because I needed the damage.

As the enemies pause to reconsider for just a blink of the eye, both sorceresses act and both cast a Wall Of Fire, Shalar targetting the goblins and Leafstorm trapping the first ogre with the lava.



As the molten stone burns away the last remnants of the goblin infestation, the ogres continue towards the heroes, undeterred by the fate of their smaller foes.

The first ogre tries to push past the lava pool but as its already so burned that it can barely stand, Shalar's Dissolve Armor is enough for the Clumsy bruiser to keel over.

The ogre magicker tries to find a line of sight on Urambar but the fighter slips away again.

Leafstorm uses her Elvish Insight to study the ogres, then runs toward Urambar to help against the bruiser.

The magicker moves back and Leafstorm quickly steps out of the foe's line of sight, hitting the bruiser with Surging Bolt in the process.

Urambar dashes through the narrow passage towards the magicker. Although it manages to inflict the elf with a Dastardly Curse and Bad Luck, the fighter counters with an Obliterating Bludgeon and a Chop that nearly kill the big spellcaster.

Too bad Shalar is a little out range to hit the magicker with Mighty Spark. Oh well, next turn then.



Urambar's Trained Bludgeon finally slays the ogre magicker as the bruiser finally steps into the lava, hungry to get at the elf on the other side.

Leafstorm hits the huge foe with a Big Zap and quickly retreats as the foe closes in.

The ogre clears the lava - but finds itself in a new pool, staring at the elf who calmly watches as the ogre burns to death.

Adventure Complete!

Phew. This time I had enough luck with cards to win.

Loot: Impetious Shield, Magnetic Shield (the treasure hunt reward), 2x treasure, Trained Footwork - and Forwal's Chain, a Legendary Arcane Item:



Two more premium adventures left: Cliffs of the Wyverns (level 16) and Lair of the Yellow Dragon (level 17).

Next time: Wyverns...

 

I play through the other gnome adventure to get everyone to level 16 and find Frenzied Slicing among the loot.

Then the heroes prepare to visit

Cliffs of the Wyverns

"Not that I mind climbing but do these wyverns really need to build their nests so damn high..."



Leafstorm Unstable Bolts the nearest wyvern who turns out to be Vulnerable. Leafstorm joins the fight but her Devastating Spark proves useless against the flying lizards as the wyverns' skin acts out as Grounding Plates.

Shalar turns to target the other group who turn out to be young enough to not yet have developed the same resistance, her Deadly Spark causing the targetted foe to flinch. Ok, the other group hasn't drawn armor yet, I'd better concentrate fire on them first.
The dwarf hits the nearest wyvern with an Arcane Curse, the foe retaliating with a Short Spark that does only minimal damage to Urambar thanks to his Hardy Mail.
Again the dwarf sorceress casts a spell, her Devastating Spark hitting the same foe as before.

Leafstorm uses her Elvish Insight to consider the situation as Urambar charges the nearest wyvern, cleaving the foe with a Strong Chop, its scales stopping most of the damage.

Leafstorm dashes closer to the enemies, getting hit with a Short Spark but retaliating with a Sorcerous Bolt, the spell nearly dropping the scaly foe out of the sky.

Another Short Spark hits the elf.



Shalar's Devastating Spark finally kills the weakest wyvern as Urambar fights another one. The elf fails to Parry the lizard's Bite but Bludgeons the foe twice, one blow hitting only scales but the other one causes the poisonous lizard to howl in pain.

Leafstorm pushes past the wyvern, zapping it twice with her spells, her results proving similar as Urambar's.

Shalar traps two of the baby wyverns in a Wall Of Fire, bringing more howls of pain.

The wyvern fighting Urambar fails to get past the fighter's Parry.



Shalar's Mighty Spark slays one of the bady burned baby wyverns.
"These reptiles don't put up much of a fight, do they..." Shalar remarks.

Another wyvern hisses, then zaps the dwarf with a Wild Spark.

Leafstorm hits the nearest wyvern with an Unstable Bolt and as both her spell and Urambar's Bludgeon manage to find a weak spot in the foe's scales, the wyvern cries out in pain and dies.

Three foes down, three more to go.

The heroes move to better positions.

Another wyvern shoots a Wild Spark at Urambar, the blast doing only minimal damage thanks to the elf's armor and the boulder next to him. The elf uses his Elvish Insight to consider the situation as Shalar zaps the weakest reptile.

The other foes move closer to Urambar and the elf hits one of them with a Trained Bludgeon. The wyvern counters with an Infected Bite, the elf dancing away from the foe to nail the weaker, Vulnerable one near Shalar with a Chop.



Shalar traps the weaker remaining wyvern in a Wall Of Fire who gets engulfed by the molten stone.

The last foe has barely time to hit Urambar with a Swarming Attack before getting crushed by the elf's Obliterating Bludgeon.

Loot: Smoldering Pin, Spiral Medallion

Ok. This fight was WAY too easy for such a high level adventure. The foes have armor but only mediocre attacks and get very few new cards per turn (only 0.5 cards per character!) I wonder if there's a bug in this fight or if it's just not been balanced yet. Or maybe the difficulty will ramp up as the first battle was against baby wyverns after all...

Urambar switches to a Magnetic Shield and the party continues their climb upwards. And after clicking Onward I remember I was supposed to switch the womens' equipment as well.

 

Fight two


Placeholder figures. These have been already added and should show up in the next build.

Leafstorm uses her Elvish Insight to prepare for the fight.

The wyverns fly to new positions and Urambar dashes to intercept the closest one. He gets hit with a Short Spark but retaliates with two Bludgeons, neither blow managing to harm the foe.

Leafstorm moves closer to the approaching reptiles, zapping the young wyvern fighting Urambar with an Unstable Bolt, then creating a Wall Of Fire under the baby wyverns as Shalar does the same against both young wyverns.



The wyverns howl in pain as the lava burns them.

Leafstorm slips to safety behind the nearest boulder as the young wyverns fly around.

Shalar traps two wyverns in a new Wall Of Fire as a young wyvern zaps Urambar with a Mighty Spark.

Urambar fails to draw any attacks for the second round in a row.

Shalar and Leafstorm zap the weaker young wyvern, doing only minimal damage through its two layers of Grounding Plates.

New turn - and still no attacks for Urambar. And since I didn't remember to switch either sorceress' equipment I'm forced keep fighting with just lava...

Shalar gets hit with two Short Sparks but as the foes again pause for a while, she uses another Wall Of Fire, trapping three wyverns in the hot lava.

Leafstorm gets hit by a Wild Spark, the spell dispersing harmlessly upon hitting her Resistant Hide robe. She moves, trapping two more reptiles in lava as Shalar uses a Dissolve Armor spell to weaken the protective scales of the baby wyverns.



The lava claims one young wyvern and two baby wyverns, the surviving young wyvern quickly zapping Shalar again with a Wild Spark. The dwarf's Unstable Bolt fails to damage the foe who retreats, ending up in Leafstorm's Hot Spot.

The elf then turns and casts a Wall Of Fire under the baby wyverns trying to flee the other way.

The lava quickly turns the remaining wyverns into screaming torches, allowing the heroes to climb on.

The young wyverns did have Mighty Sparks in addition to the earlier Wild Sparks but they were still not much of a danger, even without proper anti-armor cards equipped.

Loot: Wand Of Rapid Air, Zinnober Boots.

To be continued...

 

Interesting, I haven't seen the placeholder figure in battle before.

 

Before the next fight, Shalar switches to a Sulphuric Staff and a Cauldron Orb. Leafstorm also picks up a Sulphuric Staff and a Destructive Wand.

Fight three



Leafstorm weakens the nearest wyvern with a Dissolve Armor spell as the others fly closer.
Urambar dashes to intercept one of them and as Shalar gets zapped with a Wild Spark the elf whacks the foe with an Obliterating Bludgeon. The reptile retaliates with a Wild Spark but most of the electricity gets grounded by the stone pillar behind the elf.

Shalar moves to the side to prepare for a Charge but as two more lizards land in between, the dwarf changes her mind, not having enough momentum to do much damage. Instead she zaps the closest one with an Arcane Curse.

Leafstorm steps closer, trapping the weakest wyvern with Stone Spikes and hitting the other three with a Wall Of Fire.



The young wyverns zap Shalar with a Short Spark, the dwarf retaliating with a Dissolve Armor spell. The foes retreat again, but not far enough to escape Leafstorm's Unstable Bolt.

Another Wild Spark hits Urambar and after Leafstorm's Dissolve Armor hits the wyverns again, the fighter dashes closer, killing the weaker wyvern with a Chop and wounding the other who retaliates with a Bite.

Meanwhile Shalar has circled one of the rocky nests



The dwarf's Charge knocks the wounded wyvern out, leaving the heroes to face only one more flying reptile.

The enemy soon falls, unable to evade Urambar's axe.

Loot: Zinnober Boots, Rusted Headdress

 

Fight four


Another missing artwork.

Frenzy Aura is nice for Urambar but it's a bit useless without any attacks....

Shalar gets hit with a Wild Spark as the heroes wait for the wyverns to move first.

The young wyverns swoop closer and Urambar slips behind the stone pillar as the other young wyvern also zaps the dwarf.

The adult wyvern joins in.
"Now! Open fire!"

Shalar blasts the reptilian creature with a Dissolve Armor spell, gets hit by the foe's Mighty Spark but retaliates with a Deadly Spark.
Leafstorm's' Devastating Spark hits the same foe, causing it to take flight and land in the middle of the heroes.
Shalar spins around, hitting the foe with a Little Zap as it targets Urambar with its Infected Bite. Then it does the same to Shalar while Leafstorm's Spark hits its scaly body.



Urambar's Trained Bludgeon hits the adult wyvern just as another Wild Spark hits Shalar, taking the dwarf out of the fight. The largest flying foe raises its head to strike - but falls down lifeless as Lifestorm's Dissolve Armor spell proves too much for it.

The baby wyvens scuttle around as the elf sorceress uses her Elvish Insight on the foes, then zaps one of the baby wyverns with another Dissolve Armor spell. The young wyverns didn't have any armor cards in hand.

With the wyverns finally pausing for a moment, Urambar dashes out from behind the pillar, running to engage one of the young wyverns. The fighter takes a Short Spark in the chest but counters with a frenzied Obliterating Bludgeon against the Vulnerable foe, smashing the wyvern's head in with one blow. Good thing Frenzy Aura didn't trigger as an armor.

The baby wyverns hit Leafstorm with another Short Spark, doing little damage past her Hardy Mail.



Urambar immediately dashes on after the baby wyverns, the foes scuttling around the elf. One of them ends up close enough for the fighter's club to get hit by his Able Bludgeon. The foe counters with an Infected Bite, his Frenzy Aura absorbing some of the damage. Darn.

I'd love to use Urambar's Chop against two foes but he only has 4hp left so if I move first, he might just get bitten again.

Leafstorm joins in on the fight, zapping the weakened wyvern with an Unstable Bolt, the spell managing to find a weak spot in the foe's scaly body. Crude Plates. There wasn't even a roll before when Urambar attacked as Frenzy Aura also added penetrating keyword to his attacks. Too bad its gone now.

The young wyvern moves closer to gain line of sight against Urambar.

The baby wyverns have one unrevealed card just like the young wyvern. As the baby wyverns have Crude Plates, I should really try hitting them from behind and since Urambar will fall soon enough anyway, I might as well attack now.

Urambar grits his teeth, feeling the poison running through his veins and dashes once more, this time to engage the lone wyvern behind him. His Chop hits the winged foe just as Leafstorm gets zapped with a Short Spark. The elf retaliates by creating Stone Spikes under the foe.

The wyvern manages to stay upright as its scales resembling Crude Plates protect it from some of the spikes while another foe targets Urambar once more with a Short Spark, ending the elf fighter's fight.



Leafstorm frowns but spins around, hitting the other nearby baby wyvern with a Sorcerous Bolt while its still looking at its previous opponent.

Another wyvern zaps Leafstorm with a Deadly Spark, the blast dispersing harmlessly upon hitting the sorceress' Resistant Hide robe.

The elf just stays in place as the flying and scuttling foes move around her.

Well, there's only one hero left standing but the AI seems to prefer keeping its distance and using the wyvern's ranged electrical attacks which do nothing against Resistant Hide. The only wyvern type who actually preferred attacking up close was the adult wyvern I killed first.

Leafstorm stands, using her spells to hit the foes. Unstable Bolt at another unprotected wyvern back. Big Zap against the nearest young wyvern.
The scaly foes keep blasting the elf with spells but their attacks prove useless. Not that they're drawing that many of them in the first place. The adult did have a 3 card per turn draw but the young wyverns only draw one card per turn and the four baby wyverns only draw 2 new cards in total so the enemies now draw just barely more than Leafstorm!

Leafstorm's Dissolve Armor manages to take out the weakest wyvern (discarded Crude Plates, Grounding Plates roll failed and the foe had just 1 hp left)

The fight goes on, Leafstorm zapping another Vulnerable wyvern with a Dissolve Armor spell, the foes trying in vain to hit the elf. The elf finally leaves her place, moving to hit the lone young wyvern with an Ember Spray, causing the foe to retreat.

The sorceress zaps the retreating wyvern with a Devastating Spark, then retreats as the foe finally happens to move to bite range.

Bah, what a fight. The foes don't do any damage at all against Leafstorm and it's easy to evade when one of them does happen to move to melee range.
The foes seem to be drawing mostly move cards anyway and since Gary isn't that keen to waste them for spurious moves this time, it means I can't use the few lava spells Leafstorm happens to draw either. So I end up having to click Pass quite often.

The wyverns move about, Leafstorm again zapping the most Vulnerable baby wyvern with a Dissolve Armor spell, then later hitting the young one with an Acid Spray.
The wyvern flies aside in panic - and ends up in the middle of the elf's Wall Of Fire along with two of the baby wyverns!


Finally.

The lava makes short work of the three wyverns, leaving Leafstorm agains only one. She uses her Elvish Insight against it - and then traps that one in a new Wall Of Fire.

The wyvern does make it out the molten rock, although heavily burned but as its body gets hit by another Dissolve Armor spell, followed by a Little Zap, it also falls, leaving Leafstorm the not so fun task of having to patch up her allies.

Adventure Complete!

Ok, this last fight was the first one in this adventure that felt in line with the game's general difficulty. Although I did like the idea that the adventure started against baby dragons and became more tricky the higher you got until you faced the adult wyvern as well in the last fight.
It's just that the baby wyverns draw too little cards to be much of a danger and the AI prefers to keep its distance despite having half its deck filled with Infected Bites, Bites and Swarming Attacks.



Loot: St. Ulrich's Bones (the treasure hunt reward), Wand Of Rapid Air, Rusty Red Boots, Zinnober Boots, Advanced Bruising, Angry Attacker.

--
One more adventure left: Lair of the Yellow Dragon.
Although I'll have to wait for the next build before going there as the adventure is currently buggy and the dragon doesn't show up at all.
There's also been hints in Rudolpho's twitter about a couple new adventures. We'll see how soon those open up

 

The next build will probably come next week but as I'm waiting for that, I've been raising new heroes and doing some of the early quests. Most of them haven't been interesting enough to write about but here's one that's a bit more so:

Lair of the Trog Wizard - and each equipped item must have one Drawback card!

Here's the party I put together for this adventure:

Cliffbreaker
Level 4 Dwarf Priest

Possessed Blade
Angelic Nimbus
Glowing Sandals
Tarnished Prayer Beads
Tome Of The Withering Source
Untrained Ablution
​

Nightcape
Level 4 Elf Wizard

Staff Of Peril
Armorbane Pendant
Fiery Rod
Distracting Robe
Misenchanted Mail Boots
Novice Rifthopping
​

Jeynee
Level 3 Human Warrior

Defender's Dagger
Curved Sword
Cloth Shirt
Bare Arms
Rat Boots
​

The biggest problem was that I didn't have any low level heavy armors or shields with drawback cards so those slots are empty.

Lair of the Trog Wizard, drawback quest



"Ok, which one of you greased my boots," Cliff curses, fumbling as the trogs' roars echo in the cavern. "Ha, it was you!"
The dwarf kicks the grinning Nightcape in the knee, making an ugly 'CRUNCH' sound. The elf's grin fades, as he hobbles backwards, the pain clearly slowing him down.
"Eww...don't do that again, I HATE that sound," Jeynee admonishes the dwarf, her face showing her Squeamishness.

The scuttlers move closer and Nightcape dashes southward as Jeynee gets stabbed by the trog waiting there.
Cliffbreaker flings himself at the hairy beast with a Dancing Cut, forcing the beast to retreat.
"Arr, your kneecaps are mine," the dwarf growls.

The scuttlers move closer, forcing Jeynee to retreat as well and the nearest trog can only hit Cliffbreaker.

Nightcap unleasher his magic, frying the wounded trog with a Deadly Spark.
"Hey, I just said that one was mine, you wimpy treehugger!'

The elf just shrugs and turns to fling another Deadly Spark at one of the remaining foes who push closer once again.



"Hmm, I've never seen a mushroom like that before. I wonder if it has magical qualities," Nightcape ponders.
"Focus, damn it! A Dropped Guard will mean a dead elf if those hairy buggers get to you," Cliffbreaker growls.

Cliffbreaker suddenly seems filled with a Holy Presence - and then groans in pain as some kind of a Demonic Revenge attacks him from the inside.
The dwarven priest attacks the nearest trog with a Demonic Miasma and as the trogs push closer again, Jeynee retreats once more. I really don't want to waste Parrying Strike as a block card.

Cliffbreaker gets hit by a Spear Thrust but retaliates with a Wavering Faith incantation, causing the remaining foes to just stand there dumbstruck (Gary's random pass). As the dwarf backs away, one of the trogs stabs Nightcape instead and the elf runs away as well.

The dwarf then turns his head towards the trogs - and gets struck down with a Predictable Stab.



The trogs scuttle towards Nightcape, surrounding the elf. The trogs still have one Scuttle in hand and the elf has Unfortunate Surge so he's going down anyway. Might as well attack while he still can.

The elf quickly blasts one of them with an Unstable Bolt but as the spell fails to fully penetrate the foe's Tough Hide, it gets to retaliate with a Spear Thrust that nearly fells Nightcape.

Feeling squeamish no more, Jeynee runs to join the fight. The nearest beast scuttles away but the human pushes on, felling the weakest trog with a Penetrating Cut just as Nightcape falls to yet another spear. The fighter spins around, hitting another trog with a Parrying Strike.

One hero, three trogs left and two of them with full health. And they have two Tough Hide cards still in hand. Not looking good.


Well, I didn't draw any attacks so at least that Ouch! card doesn't matter. But the replacement is just an Unreliable Block.

Jeynee quickly escapes the ring of trogs, her Cloth Armor stopping most of the single Stab the foes have time to perform.

The human retreats behind the corner, hitting the trog trying to pursue with a Weak Strike (the only attack she drew). The attack fails to hurt the hairy foe and the trogs quickly move to surround the human, forcing her to switch direction and try to escape the other way. She gets hit again.

Jeynee's Backbiting Strike fells the weakest trog but causes her to wince in pain herself, even more so after two more Spear Thrusts hit her.
The human continues her desperate fight, wounding one trog with a Shifty Stab and managing to stop another spear with her Unreliable Block. Her Lunging Hack proves useless against the trog but even despite the difficult terrain slowing her down, she manages to slip to safety and prepare her attacks.


With just 1hp left it's going to take some luck to win this one...

Jeynee waits for the foes to approach, yelling insults at the hairy beasts. First time Gary just passes.
The dumb foes finally come and the weaker immediately gets hit by the fighter's Strong Stab, falling down lifeless. Phew, failed its armor roll. The other one seems to realize the danger and backs to a spearing distance. Jeynee shrugs and backs away and as the foe takes the bait and pursues, the woman hits the enemy with a Lunging Hack that fails to hurt the foe.

Next turn - and not only do I draw Parrying Strike again, Gary does another one of his random passes!



Jeynee strikes - and her Parrying Strike finds a weak point in the trog's Tough Hide and the foe howls in pain, strenght leaving its limbs. The fighter yanks her weapon free from the hairy beast as the spark of life disappears from its eyes.

Phew. That was a close victory.

Loot: Cracked Sword, Gaul's Stone

 

Fight two



"I've got to stop letting those tavern wenches seduce me. Now I've picked up some kind of a Travelling Curse," Cliffbreaker mumbles, making Jeynee laugh so hard se cuts her own thigh with her sword.
"Ouch!"
"Drawn by your Holy Presence, right? The gold in your purse, more like it," Nightcape chuckles. The elf gets another kick in his knee as a reward, making him Slowed once again.

The dwarch marches closer to slow the trogs' advance. As the hairy beasts advance, Cliffbreaker retreats.

Nightcape gets hit by one of the scuttlers but pulls back before the speartrog coming after him gets to strike.

The scuttlers move closer again and Cliffbreaker lunges after the closer one, getting hit by another Predictable Stab from the speartrogs.


Oo, looks like I got much better cards this turn, except for Jeynee.

Cliffbreaker chants something that sounds like an ancient curse and his weapon suddenly lights up. He hits the nearest speartrog with a Fiery Stab, the blow suddenly setting the beast's fur on fire.

The scuttler hits Nightcape with another Spear Thrust as Cliffbreaker enchants Jeynee with Unholy Wellspring, the fighter eagerly darting to intercept the approaching trogs. Although she fails to stop the trog's Predictable Stab, her Backbiting Strike hits the foe back, the hairy beast only barely staying upright after the blow. Phew, I wasn't sure if Unholy Wellspring would also increase the backlash part of Backbiting Strike. It didn't.

Jeynee retreats, holding her back. As the foes advance and Jeynee gets hit by a Spark from the trog wizard, Cliffbreaker dances away from the trog horde.
With his ally out of the way, Nightcape is now free to use Burning Fingers against two of the trogs.

Another Spark hits Jeynee, her feeble attempts to block proving quite unsuccessful.

The speartrogs still have one Run left so I can't use Wall Of Fire yet.

Nightcape dashes towards the trog wizard, forcing the speartrogs to switch targets and move towards Cliffbreaker instead. One of them hits the dwarf with a Predictable Stab but three of the hairy foes suddenly find themselves trapped in a Wall Of Fire.


Everyone's a little low on health but unless that one unrevealed card is a Run, the lava will even the odds pretty well.

Another trog targets Cliffbreaker with a Strong Stab but the dwarf miraculously survives, as if a Guardian Angel had turned the blow aside at the last moment.
"Ah, that was close. The Almighty One must have not heard what I did with her priestesses on the temple altar..."

Guardian Angel triggered, Cliffbreaker drew Fumble to replace and then to replace that...

An unearthly sound echoes in the cavern and Cliffbreaker falls clutching his head, as if struck by some Demonic Revenge.
"Well, I think you just revealed that secret yourself, " Nightcape notes.

Three of the trogs become hairy torches as the lava eats them alive.


Nightcape has Resistant Hide so he's pretty safe from Crundyup and Jeynee still has Unholy Wellspring active and a Lunging Hack to help her hit the scuttler first. Too bad the scuttler has that Tough Hide in its hand...

Jeynee moves closer to the last scuttler, then stops to wait for the hairy beast to come closer. The dumb foe just stares at her. Gary passed.
As Nightcape moves closer to the trog wizard, the scuttler finally makes its move towards Jeynee. The human fighter springs into action as well, hitting the big beast with a Lunging Hack, the blow slipping past the foe's Tough Hide. The trog falls, devoured by the unholy energy of the blow. Phew.

Nightcape chases after the trog wizard, the elf hitting the foe with a Surging Bolt and an Arcane Curse. Meanwhile Jeynee slips back behind the nearest pillar, not quite trusting her speed against the last trog's spells.

The trog however decides to run closer to Jeynee instead of away.



"Ha, what kind of an amateur are you, Crud-pup? There's a clear error in that magic circle of yours..."
"Nightcape, stop staring at the ground, even if it has pretty figures. Dropped Guard makes even your fancy Resistant Hide robe useless!"

Yeesh, what a timing for that card... Oh well.

Screaming obscenities at the last trog, Jeynee charges towards the hairy spellcaster. The foe scuttles to the side but Nightcape's Memory Loss spell makes Crundyup suddenly unprotected and Jeynee's quick Stab takes the big foe down.

Adventure Complete! And quest complete as well.

Loot: Rusty Spiked Helmet, Neophyte's Healing Ring and Boiling Stone.

--

My next diary entry will probably come after the next build. This was just a little extra

 

New build! And a whole new adventure!

I haven't been showing Gary's texts before and between the battles, mostly because the devs have been adding those little by little during the beta, usually after I'd already finished the adventure they added the texts to.

Anyway, Melvin is Gary's older brother who's a major pain in the backside and convinced he's the greatest GM in existence...
Which finally causes Gary to get his little revenge by creating his own little adventure:


The adventure involves Giant Cockroaches and a Vile Demon Morvin but what kind of enemies those are in practice, I have no idea. But here's the party that will take the job:

Urambar
Level 17 Elf Warrior

Hefty Chopper​

Hefty Chopper​

Crummy Short Sword​

Solid Mail​

Dueler's Buckler​

Viking Helm​

Cheap Fencer's Boots​

Insight​

Frenzied Slicing​

​

Leafstorm
Level 17 Elf Wizard

Short Blasting Staff​

Balsa Boltstaff​

Amulet Of The Burning Barrier​

Amulet Of The Burning Barrier​

Hot Rod​

Blister Stone​

Lava Robes​

Poosyn Boots​

Insight​

Untrained Sparking​

​

Shalar the Blue
Level 17 Dwarf Wizard

Arcanist's Staff​

Staff Of Peril​

Amulet Of The Burning Barrier​

Amulet Of The Burning Barrier​

Hot Rod​

Blister Stone​

Robe Of Cinders​

Off-balance Boots​

Novice Stoutness​

Advanced Sparking​

​

Yes, they're a bit overleveled so the adventure will probably prove a bit easier than would normally be the case.

Against the Cockroaches



Heh. A hand drawn battle map It truly looks like something Gary whipped up himself. And looks like most of the enemies are named 'Filth' which fits the fight's name quite well...

The cockroaches begin to scuttle closer to the heroes, the first one getting hit with a Big Zap, its Resistant Hide failing to protect it.
And looks like killing the cockroaches earns no VPs so I truly have to hold the VP square for six turns to win this one - or to kill them all.

Leafstorm steps on the lever that will eventually close the gate that would end the cockroach invasion, then turns to zap another one of the filthy bugs moving in from behind her. Good, that group doesn't have Resistant Hide yet.

Shalar's Powerful Spark blasts the same bug into bits and she quickly backs away from the approaching critters. Then she raises her hands, creating a Wall Of Fire under the northwest group just as Shalar does the same to the bugs coming from southeast. The northwest group has Resistant Hide but the AI hasn't so far taken that into account when planning its moves so the lava may keep the bugs from approaching anyway.

Urambar's Lunging Hack hits the one of the cockroaches, the foe biting him in retaliation.

"I haven't seen this many filthy bugs around since I visited a distant relative's wedding party," Shalar notes. "At least these ones don't try to sing!"



The lava claims three cockroaches, the ones approaching from the other direction seem unharmed thanks to their Resistant Hide.

Shalar steps closer to block that group's advance and turns to zap Urambar's opponent down. The dwarf gets bitten and while Leafstorm zaps another bug, the filthy creatures push past Shalar. Hmm, looks like the AI isn't quite as dumb anymore. Good for the game, bad for my plans

Urambar uses his Elvish Insight against the foes as Leafstorm gets bitten. Looks like the foes truly have just Bites, Scuttles and Resistant Hides in their decks. The elf's Stab pierces another cockroach while Shalar manages to Duck under another bug's attempt to Bite her.
The angry dwarf growls - and Bites the filthy bug back!
"Ewwwgggh... Remind me to never do that again..."

The remaining foes scuttle to the clearing, surrounding both sorceresses as Leafstorm uses her Elvish Insight to consider the situation. She still hasLong Spark but it's a bit useless while the foes still have Resistant Hide. I really need to switch equipment after this fight...

Second VP for holding the square.



Urambar moves closer as the bugs keep perforating Leafstorm with their sharp teeth. The fighter's Strong Chop slays the weakest bug straight away, leaving the other one in badly wounded but still alive. His Lunging Hack proves less effective, failing to pierce its shell.

Third VP for me. Too bad both wizards are a bit useless since most of their spells are fire and lightning based.

Leafstorm manages to Parry another attempt to Bite her and she quickly retaliates - with a Dissolve Armor spell! Ha, that came at a perfect time!

The bug expires but another one tries to attack Urambar, failing to hurt the elf through his Hardy Mails.

Leafstorm's Big Zap blasts another one to bits while Shalar's Sizzling Bolt and Urambar's Penetrating Cut kill another one. The last one ends up in the middle of Leafstorm's Wall Of Fire and burns to death.

Loot: Hot Amulet, Apprentice Bashing.

For the next fight, Shalar switches to Forval's Chain and a Charged Opal while Leafstorm switches to Stone Of Shards, Simple Mail Boots and a Sulphuric Staff.

 

Fight two



"That guy must be related to you, Urambar. I can practically smell the family resemblance... Not to mention the similar style in clothes" Shalar notes.
"Nah. A bit too tall to be his relative," Leafstorm replies, her voice again almost too neutral.
"Tall or short, I'm taking him down," Urambar says, yelling a challenge at the ugly fiend.

Leafstorm uses her Elvish Insight to reveal the foes' plans as Urambar marches forward with her. As the bugs refuse to move closer, the elf fighter takes the initiative and dashes to Chop the nearest bug, killing one and wounding another one despite getting bitten twice himself.

Leafstorm dashes along the side, surprising one the bugs with an Acid Spray.



VP for Gary.

The acid softens the targetted cockroach's shell and as the bugs move to attack Urambar, the fighter easily flattens it with a Lunging Hack.

As the malodorous demon moves, Shalar flings a Dissolve Armor spell against another bug, leaving it easy pray for Leafstorm's Surging Bolt and Spark combo.

As Shalar's Devastating Spark blasts another already wounded bug away, Urambar has a free path to dash forward, moving to cleave another giant cockroach into two with a Strong Chop.

Leafstorm also dashes forward, trapping Morvin in a Wall Of Fire.



As the horrible foe groans in pain, Shalar evades the first bug moving after her. The second one manages to reach the dwarf as Leafstorm uses her Elvish Insight to decide what to do. As she doesn't have much in the way of attacks, she quickly retreats behind the nearest pillars.

Shalar turns, hitting the cockroaches hunting her with a Wall Of Fire. She Ducks under the enemy Bite, then flings an Acid Blast towards the third bug who Bites Urambar.

Meanwhile Morvin has started its slow march towards the heroes.

The molten rock eats two of the cockroaches, the lava nearly doing the same to the third one.



"Your smelly ass is mine," Urambar roars, dashing towards Morvin. The horrible demon turns to fling a Stink Bomb towards the sorceresses, poisoning both but also killing the last cockroach in the process.

Urambar's Chop nearly severs the demon's head (Slicer and Frenzy Aura both add to the damage) but the foe stays upright and targets the elf with a Choking Bolt.

Leafstorm quickly runs to aid and just as the demon flings another Choking Bolt at the fighter, she launches a Sorcerous Bolt at Morvin and the foe staggers backwards, gurgling and cursing at the heroes before diving into the noxious stream.


Heh. Unsurprisingly Melvin rage quits

Loot: Felt Boots, Trained Devotion.

To be continued...

 

Fight three



Cool level design! The party's separated with Shalar trapped in the room with the demon Morvin. Plus there's a Reinforced Door in the way.

As Urambar uses his Elvish Insight to make his plans, Leafstorm uses a Dissolve Armor spell to weaken the door's Solid Wood.

Shalar turns around, flinging a Deadly Spark through the keyhole and killing the Giant Cockroach on the other side. The door doesn't actually block line of sight as it's a creature.

Urambar dashes to the door, Chopping down the two cockroaches moving to attack him and then turns to Stab at the door, both sorceresses also joining in to blast at its reinforced planks.


The cockroaches shown near the top are actually already dead, they're just not placed correctly outside the game area. It's a bug and already been reported.

Urambar hits one of the cockroaches coming after him with a Penetrating Cut but gets bit in return. Shalar again plays a sharpshooter by flinging a Short Perplexing Ray through the keyhole at the cockroaches, then slips out of sight as the disgusting demon marches towards her.

Leafstorm is forced to flee from the wave of bugs coming from both directions and one of them manages to bite her. She gives a little yelp and quickly casts Wall Of Fire twice, targetting four bugs and the weakened door with the spells.

Morvin keeps marching closer, forcing Shalar to slip to a safer location once more.


Now we'll see if the bugs have Resistant Hide in hand or not.

The lava does its dirty work, burning four cockroaches into crisp and turning the door into ash. This does however draw Morvin's attention and the demon flings a Stink Bomb at the elves, although Urambar is fast enough to Block the projectile.

Leafstorm hits the nearest remaining cockroach with a Dissolve Armor spell but then retreats as the bugs scuttle closer.
The malodorous demon unleashes another Stink Bomb, this time hitting Urambar but doing no direct damage thanks to his Hardy Mails.

The elf dashes through the lava-filled doorway to the main room, slipping behind the pillar just as the huge fiend chases once again after Shalar, the dwarf easily evading the bigger foe.

The cockroaches continue their chase but before they have time to reach Leafstorm, the first one gets zapped by Shalar's Powerful Spark and as the bug shakes its head to recover from the jolt, its prey has used a Reflexive Teleport to blink inside the main room as well.

Shalar runs from behind the pillar and casts a Wall Of Fire under Morvin.

The room fills with groans as both elves suffer from the effects of poison and the lava burns at the huge demon who once again marches towards Shalar.



The dwarf retreats next to Urambar but the demon is smart enough to not fall for the trap and although it moves after Shalar, it keeps its distance from Urambar.
The elf nevertheless roars a challenge and dashes around the pillar, getting hit by the demon's Poisoned Pseudopod. Undeterred, his Stunning Blow connects and stuns the huge foe, leaving the heroes free to pound on Morvin with everything they've got.

Beaten, zapped and burned by lava, the malodorous foe finally falls.

Killing the demon gives all 6 VPs available in the adventure so it's

Adventure Complete!

Loot: Beggar's Maul, Hefty Chopper, Boots Of The Rhino, Boots Of Aggression



Heh, love the background story that's shaping up here. After Melvin quit and took his modules with him, Karen the pizza delivery lady offers to help the guys out and bring her own modules - and even offers to GM some adventure.
(I clicked past it before remembering to take a screenshot...)

--

According to the build notes there should also be two other new adventures left besides the dragon one (Melvelous the Magnificient and Card Hunt 2) but those aren't yet visible on my map. Maybe they'll open up after the dragon fight or maybe I'll need to replay the correct one of the previous adventures since the unlock was only added now. Or maybe they'll only work after the future reset.

 

Lair of the Yellow Dragon

Didn't bother to switch equipment. I'll make changes later if my current gear won't cut it.



Urambar grins as he sees the approaching sentries.
"Woohoo! Three ogres - that's one for each of us!"
Shalar rolls her eyes at the elf.
"...I wonder if we could just sneak past them and leave Babar here for their lunch..."

The ogres start their slow march closer and Shalar zaps the first one with a Devastating Spark, Leafstorm following her example.
The elf then dashes closer, spraying the huge foe with fire and trapping it in a Hot Spot.

The bruiser groans in pain and moves toward Leafstorm who promptly backs away, zapping the enemy with a Surging Bolt.

Urambar looks around and then slips to the narrow passage nearby, intending to move behind the Clumsy ogres.
"Follow him, Shalar yells, realizing they're going to get trapped otherwise.



Leafstorm dashes after the other elf but one of the ogres catches her. She spins around, trapping the foe in a Wall Of Fire just before the ogre's Crushing Sweep hits her.
The blow also hits the other nearby ogre, drawing a bunch of curses from the wounded bruiser.

Shalar flings a Sizzling Bolt at the third ogre, followed by a Devastating Spark.

Leafstorm falls as another Crushing Sweep hits her, again smacking its ally as well.

The wounded ogre roars and smacks its ally, causing the other to retaliate with a new blow.

Heh. Leafstorm's death triggered Mindless Battlerage on both nearby ogres and they hit each other. One of them is now at 17 hp without taking any damage from my heroes



As the lava claims the weakest ogre, the other pair continue flailing at each other in their Mindless Battlerage, one of them stumbling and getting burned to death by the lava beneath it.

Shalar laughs at the sight and flings a Deadly Spark towards the survivor who's already mad enough to have stepped into the lava as well.

Gary passes. Either the foe did have more moves in hand and this was just one of Gary's random passes or the foe was just dumb enough to step in the lava without a way out. Doesn't matter, I'm not going to waste this opportunity so I pass as well.

The ogre looks at the dwarf dumbfounded, screaming in terror as the lava slowly engulfs the huge foe.

Loot: Muscle Boots, Superb Sparking

To be continued...