heroquest — Gandalf adventures

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 A collection of Hobbit/Lord of the Rings-themed custom character heroes for the 1989 fantasy tabletop game, HeroQuest:

Gandalf is part of the WIZARD character class. He is a master of magic and has the power to cast a wide assortment of spells. However, he cannot make use of most weapons or armor. The one exception is the Elvenblade, an enchanted broadsword given to him by Elrond Half-elven. The power of the Valar watches over Gandalf, providing protections beyond the reckoning of mortals:

• Spells. As the primary spellcaster in the party, Gandalf’s spell selection cards differ from the standard Wizard. Rather than selecting three elemental groups (Air, Earth, Fire, or Water) he is able to utilize all four—but only two spell cards from each.  At the start of the quest he should identify which two he intends to make use of, for a total of eight. (Alternatively, the cards can be shuffled and his selections made at random.)

• Wizard's Staff. Gandalf’s main weapon is the Wizard’s Staff. Like the regular staff it allows him to attack enemies that are diagonal as well as adjacent. Each attack from the Wizard’s Staff is worth 2 combat dice.

• The Elvenblade. Gandalf also carries an Elvenblade, gift from his friend Elrond. Crafted by the High Elves of the West during the Goblin-wars, the Elvenblade is imbued with its own special magic. When attacking goblins, orcs, or fimirs, the Elvenblade gives Gandalf three attack dice. It gives only two attack dice against all other opponents.

• Resurrection. As one of the Five Istari, death for Gandalf is but a temporary thing. The first time his body point total reaches zero, Gandalf is not removed from the quest. Instead he is sent back and resurrected, returning to the board at the heroes’ original starting position with fully restored body points. He does not, however, retain any armor, weapons, or treasure he has accrued thus far—including the Wizard’s Staff and Elvenblade. (These can be retrieved by other heroes who are in the room or corridor with him when he dies.) He now attacks with one combat die and can only attack adjacently; he may still utilize any remaining spell cards. The second time Gandalf’s body points are reduced to zero he is removed for the remainder of the quest. 

Thorin is part of the DWARF character class. He is an excellent hand-to-hand fighter, and also well-versed in the arts of smithing and dwarf-craft. As the King of Durin’s Folk and head of their clan he bears certain items unique to himself:

• Disarm Traps. Thorin is able to disarm traps without a tool kit, with a heightened probability of success. He follows the usual dwarf rules for trap disarmament (anything but a black shield on a combat die).

• Oakenshield. As homage to his title, Thorin bears the Oakenshield. This device gives him one additional combat die in defense. It cannot be used if he upgrades to a two-handed weapon.

• Ring of Thrór. One of the great heirlooms of Thorin’s house is the Ring of Thrór, last of the Seven Rings of Power that were gifted to the Dwarves by the Elven-smith Celebrimbor. Believed lost when Thorin’s father was captured by the evil necromancer Sauron, this mighty artifact was recovered by Gandalf during his mission into Dol Guldur. As the Three Elven Rings grant control over Air, Fire, and Water, the Dwarf Ring grants Thorin control over the Earth. It enables him use of the three Earth spell cards (independent of, or in addition to, whichever two Earth cards Gandalf has selected). 

Bard the Bowman is part of the BARBARIAN character class. A brave captain of Laketown, his primary strength lies in his skill with weapons and arms. However, he is all but defenseless against magical attacks:

• Black Arrows. As his name implies, Bard is an excellent bowman. In addition to his standard broadsword he always carries a longbow along with a quiver of deadly arrows. He makes use of a special arrowhead called the Black Arrow: a resilient metal crafted by the ancient Dwarves of Erebor centuries ago. He has an unlimited supply of these Black Arrows. Bard is such a keen marksman that he is able to fire at any monster he can “see”—even over the shoulders of other heroes who might otherwise hinder his shot.