BALTAR'S STAFF

A quest pack for use with HeroQuest.

Written by Dewayne Agin  dagin@my-dejanews.com
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Baltar's Staff is copyright 1998 by Dewayne Agin, and may not be reproduced in any form without permission by the author, except for personal use.

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File Note:  

The pack zip file contains the following files: 

    Readme.txt                (this file)
    Tiles.bmp                 (tiles in bmp format)
    Cards1.bmp                (card sheet 1 in bmp format)
    Cards2.bmp                (card sheet 2 in bmp format)
    Board01.bmp - Board12.bmp (the board maps in bmp format)
    Board01.txt - Board12.txt (board descriptions)
    Key.bmp                   (a key to the symbols found on the board maps in bmp format)
 
The quest pack is different from anything I have ever written or played before.  I designed it after a player in a game that I was the Game Master for made a minor complaint: "That was fun, but all the quests seem to be the same".  The challenge was made that I could not design a different type of quest, yet still hold true to the spirit of the game.  This is what I came up with.  I hope you have fun with it.  Before I get any emails, I do not think that the quests for HeroQuest are all the same.  I was just responding to a challenge to write one.

I have not formatted this file or any of the board descriptions in any way.  You may want to load them into a word processor before printing to set the font and line length to whatever you prefer.

 
I have tried to give thorough descriptions of the actions resulting from the Heroes' decisions in the game; if I have left out anything, please contact me.  I would like to know of any errors or omissions and will try to update the pack.  My email address is at the top of this page.  I welcome any comments, criticisms, and suggestions. 


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Error Corrections:


10/16/1998:

I made these corrections

a.  board06.txt, Location 'K' - added this as the last sentence

Take the spell tile away from the Hero.


b.  board10.txt, Location 'A' - changed the last paragraph to read as follows

The chest contains 60 gold coins, two potions of Minor Restoration and a potion of major restoration, and a scroll.  Read to the players {in the bottom of the chest you find a scroll, tied with a piece of leather cord.  There is a message around the cord.  You open it and read 'Master, I have stolen this from the Wizard Welscar.  It may be of some use.'  You untie the cord and read the scroll.  It says 'Spell to open Tower #4}  Give the Hero the Scroll tile.


c.  board12.txt, Location 'D'  added this as the last sentence

Give the player the Amulet Tile.


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Intro (to be read to the Heroes at the beginning of the quest):

The wizard Baltar has hired you to retrieve an item, the Silver Staff, stolen from him by a rival wizard, Welscar.  The fee you agreed upon to retrieve the staff is 1000 gold coins, half payable in advance.  You came to collect your advance at the appointed time, and Baltar gave each of you a chest filled with 125 gold coins.  You were eager to see the gold within, and opened up the chests to count the gold.  When you did, a brilliant flash erupted from them.  It seemed that along with the coins, Baltar rather unexpectedly cast a spell on you.  You started to draw your weapons, ready to fight.  

"Calm down, my friends. The spell will do you no harm," Baltar said in a soothing voice.  "Will do you no harm, that is, as long as you do not try to double cross me."  This last sentence was said rather more menacingly than the first.  "The spell I have cast on you is insurance.  If you try to double cross me, it will cause you to quickly die.  Return my staff to me, and I will cancel the spell.  Be careful to disturb nothing in my home on your way out.  If you take anything from me you will face my wrath.  Welscar lives in the castle across town. I urge you to use the money I have given you wisely.  Buy provision and weapons in town to use in the assault against Welscar.  Talk to the townspeople while you are there, they may have information that will prove useful to your task.  Also be careful when entering Welscar's castle.  It is said that he has a very effective burglar alarm.  You are not the first adventurers I have hired to retake my staff.  None have returned, so it must be a very effective alarm indeed.  Leave me now.  I will be waiting here for your return with my staff."

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Special Notes For The Game Master (The rest of this file is not meant to be read to the Heroes.  Doing so will reveal parts of the game):

This pack includes 12 different board maps, and was designed to be an 'interconnected' quest.  This means that the Heroes may move freely from one board to the another and back again, even if they have not finished the board.  Instead of considering a 'quest' to be one game board, in this packet a 'quest' is one sitting or session.  All gaming sessions start and end at the inn, except for the first session, which starts in Baltar's home.  The Game Master will have to keep up with several items for each board: which traps have been sprung, which monsters have been killed, which doors have been opened, which rooms have been searched, and which treasures have been found.  This will add some work to the Game Master, but I hope you don't feel that it is too much.  

This is a list of the differences between this quest pack and regular quest packs.  I have listed them here so that you can be sure and let the players know.  
    1)  Movement between boards  
    2)  Ability to talk to people in game  
    3)  Can rest only at inn in town   
    4)  Must visit the armory and potion shop in town to buy items from them.

1.  Movement Between Boards: It is probably a safe assumption that no one is going to set up 12 different HeroQuest boards to play this game, so the Heroes should move from one board to another as a group.  If the Heroes are all together as a group and have not split up,  when the first Hero moves to the door or stairs to another board, remove him from the current board.  Wait for the other players to get to the door or stairs.  When all players have been removed from the current board, set up the new board.  Place the players on the new board in the same order they left the old board.  Unless you have more than one board and want to set them up, don't allow the Heroes to split up across boards.  Playing one group of Heroes on one board with the other group on a second board can be difficult if not impossible.  If the Heroes split up and one group tries to leave a board before the other group, tell them that the door is locked and will not open or the stairs are blocked.  Keep the door locked or the stairs blocked until the group reunites and tries to leave the board together.  You may have to hint to the Heroes that they will not be able to leave until the whole group is together before they get the point.  The doors and stairs that move players between boards are described in each board's notes.  On most boards, if the Heroes leave and later return the monsters will not re-appear.  On some, though, the monsters will reset (any killed monsters will re-appear).  These boards are noted in the notes.  

2.  The players can talk to the people they meet in this quest.  They may have some information that the players need.  If the players make a general talk request (such as 'talk to the Innkeeper') the response is listed under the general query.  Many of the people have information about specific things or people.  Read these responses when the Heroes ask specifically about that person or thing.  Anything in a room description that should be read to the players is enclosed in brackets like this {...}.  Nothing else in the descriptions should be read to the Heroes.

There are no 'quest' descriptions to read to the players each turn.  Instead, the players get information about the quests by talking to the people they meet.  Make sure the players are made aware of this fact.  They should be aware that if they need to return to town to get more items or to rest and be healed, and can do so at any time.  They can leave the current board that they are on and make their way back to town.  They should also be aware that everything might not be just the same when they return.  

3.  Safe places to rest: The only safe place to rest is in the Heroes room (room 'I' on board #2) at the Inn found in town.  This is where the Heroes can regain lost body and mind points and also re-learn spells.  Make sure that the players are aware of this.  As soon as the Heroes declare they are resting anyplace else wandering monsters should attack them.

In the basic game the Heroes start each session fully healed.  They start fully healed in this game also; only each game is started from the Heroes room at the Inn room 'I' on board #2.  Players end the gaming session by going to the Inn.  Players may go to the Inn anytime to be healed, not just at the end of the game, although the players will have to pay the Inn's price each time they go there.  

4.  Instead of letting the players buy items from the armory or potion store at the beginning of a quest, they must visit the appropriate shop in town to buy these items.  They may do so at any time during the game.



I have given descriptions for many of the rooms found in this game, whether anything happens there are not.  I tend to be verbose in my descriptions when playing, giving details on every room, even empty ones.  I feel that this adds atmosphere to the game, and can help set the mood for the players.  I have included some of these descriptions in this game.  If you do not want to use these descriptions - don't.

Also, I have tried not to make this quest pack too difficult.  Some boards have purposefully been made easy, others harder.  If your players are more experienced you may wish to make the pack harder, and if they are novices you may wish to make it easier.  The wizards Baltar and Welscar are very strong characters.  You may wish to lower their values and spells, depending on your players.

If the Heroes search a room on a board for treasure, leave the board, then return, they cannot search the room again.  Each room can be searched once by each Hero.

The quest is rather complex.  It started off simple and then just seemed to grow with a life of it's own.  Here is a map to help show the Game Master how the boards interconnect, and a list of the plots in the game.  



  +------------+            +------------+            +------------+
  I            I            I            I            I            I
  I  Board 3   I            I  Board 1   I            I  Board 11  I
  I Temple Of  I            I Baltar's   I            I The 4      I
  I Bohn       I            I Home       I            I Towers     I
  I            I            I            I            I            I
  +------------+            +------------+            +------------+
        I                         I                        I
        +-------------+           I                        I
                      I           I                        I
  +------------+      I     +------------+            +------------+
  I            I      I     I            I            I            I
  I  Board 4   I      +-----I  Board 2   I            I  Board 6   I
  I Thieves'   I------------I Town       I            I Castle     I
  I Den        I            I            I            I Level 2    I
  I            I            I            I            I            I
  +------------+            +------------+            +------------+
        I                         I                         I
        I                         I                +--------+ 
        I                         I           +----+ 
  +------------+            +------------+    I       +------------+
  I            I            I            I----+       I            I
  I  Board 12  I            I  Board 5   I            I  Board 9   I
  I Goblin     I     +------I Welscar's  I------------I Castle     I
  I Tunnels    I     I      I Castle     I            I Graveyard  I
  I            I     I      I            I            I            I
  +------------+     I      +------------+            +------------+
                     I             I                         I
        +------------+             I                         I
        I                          I                         I
  +------------+            +------------+            +------------+
  I            I            I            I            I            I
  I  Board 8   I            I  Board 7   I            I  Board 10  I
  I Troop      I            I Castle     I            I Lower      I
  I Barracks   I            I Cellars    I            I Crypt      I
  I            I            I            I            I            I
  +------------+            +------------+            +------------+


Plots in the game:

1)  Main Plot - Baltar and Welscar both want the Silver Staff and the Ruby Sphere.  Players must decide if they want to help Baltar regain the Silver Staff or Welscar get the Ruby Sphere.

2)  Sub Plot 1 - The Stablehand's brother is a grave robber.  He is missing and the Stablehand is concerned.  The Stablehand asks the Heroes to help him find any information about his brother.

3)  Sub Plot 2 - The Butcher recently lost a great sum of gold playing cards with Welscar.  He wants proof that Welscar cheats.

4)  Sub Plot 3 - The Mayor needs help finding out how thieves are sneaking past the Sheriff.  He would also like the Heroes to destroy them.

5) Sub Plot 4 - The Baker's son recently joined the cult at the Temple of Bohn.  The Baker asks the Heroes to rescue his son from the cult.

6) Sub Plot 5 - The Head Thief wants the Heroes to get the thieves out of jail.  The Heroes can help them escape.




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Tiles and Cards Note:

I have created some new tiles for this game.  They are in the file Tiles.bmp.  These should be printed and then cut out for play.  You may want to print the tiles on regular paper then past them to posterboard or cardboard.  There are also some cards to print out in the files Cards1.bmp and Cards2.bmp.  I have not made extra cards for scrolls and potions found in the game.  If a Hero finds one of these, note it on his Character sheet.

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These are the potions sold by the potion shop.  You can read this to the players when they enter the shop, or print it out and give it to them.

Potion Shop:

Potion of Minor Restoration    Cost:  500 Gold Pieces    Restores 1 lost Body Point and 1 lost Mind Point.

Potion of Major Restoration    Cost:  800 Gold Pieces    Restores a Hero's Body or Mind Points to original levels.

Potion of Speed   	       Cost:  100 Gold Pieces    Adds 5 movement squares to the Hero's next movement dice roll.

Potion of Strength             Cost:  250 Gold Pieces    Doubles the number of attack dice a Hero can roll on his next attack.

Potion of Invisibility         Cost:  300 Gold Pieces    Turns the Hero invisible for the next 5 turns.


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