==========================================================================
                         The Alchemist's Bench
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
        New Quests, Characters, Rules and Other Support Material
                     for Milton Bradley's HeroQuest
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
          http://www.heroscribe.org/thealchemistsbench/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Issue 4                                                     April 21, 1999
==========================================================================

                           IN THIS ISSUE
                           -------------

WELCOME

NEWS --  New Material on Red Dragon site; Karnov moves

QUEST and ATTACHMENTS -- ChaosWar and cave tiles.

FEATURE -- Finding HeroQuest sets and used miniatures online

GAMEMASTER HINTS -- Incorporating Other Game Components into
                    Your Hero Quest Adventures

IN THE STORES -- MicroTactix Games

NEW MONSTERS -- Giant Spiders



==========================================================================

                               WELCOME!
                               --------

The Alchemist's Bench is a completely free e-mail based newsletter that
exists to provide information, ideas and interesting new gaming material for
Milton Bradley's terrific yet out-of-print HeroQuest boardgame.

Also, feel free to visit our website for back issues of this newsletter and
assorted other goodies. It's small but growing fast, and, like this
newsletter, it's free!  The URL is
     http://www.heroscribe.org/thealchemistsbench/


A WORD FOR SUBSCRIBERS WHO RECEIVE OUR ATTACHMENTS

Different internet providers impose different restrictions on the size of
attachments that their users can receive.  If an attachment is ever too
large to come through your server, or if it ever gets 'garbled' in the
transmission, simply click on the links provided to download the files that
were in the attachment.  (These links are found throughout the newsletter,
as part of the articles that describe the downloads.  Several are in the
"QUEST and ATTACHMENT" section, below.)


==========================================================================

                                   NEWS
                                   ----

Karnov has moved his site.

Red Dragon ( http://members.fortunecity.com/ozgurhan/games.htm ) have added
several new room overlays and a new link to their site.  Work continues on
the quests in the campaign pack they're developing.


==========================================================================

                          QUEST and ATTACHMENTS
                          ---------------------

CAVE TILES
by Dewayne Agin

The first quest pack that I ever wrote was called Chaos Wars.  I was fairly
pleased with the quests except for one thing.  The first quest took place in
a cave.  I created a map for the cave using the regular HeroQuest board.  As
versatile as the HeroQuest board is, I just couldn't get it to work the way
I wanted it to for this quest.

There were several problems with the cave system I created using the
HeroQuest board.  In a cave, if you have never been in an area before or
don't have a map, you don't know what is up ahead.  On the regular board,
though, you can guess what is up ahead - there could be a room there or
there, the passage must turn left at the end, and so on.  I wanted to
simulate more of the feel of exploration than I could get with the regular
board.

The second problem I had with the regular board was darkness.  I wanted the
Heroes to have to carry a light source.  When in a cave, your light
illuminates only a little bit in front of you and a little bit behind you.
I wanted to be able to place the passages and rooms on the board as the
Heroes got to them to simulate this, instead of having the entire board laid
out in front of the players.

QuestGnome and I have been talking about releasing some tiles to alleviate
these problems.  After much discussion about the design, I went to Ron
Shirtz for the artwork.  He came up with the tiles that are included with
this issue.  I hope you enjoy them.  With the tiles I am releasing the first
part of my Chaos Wars quest pack, oddly enough entitled Chaos Wars.  I hope
to release more quest packs using the Cave Tiles in future issues of the
Alchemist's Bench, along with the rest of the Chaos Wars quests.

For those of you who receive versions of this newsletter that don't include
attachments, the quest can be downloaded from
   http://www.yeoldeinn.com/downloads/fanquests/dewayne/chaoswar.zip

Cave Rooms 1 - 5:
    http://www.yeoldeinn.com/downloads/fantiles/ronshirtz/caves-cave1.zip

    http://www.yeoldeinn.com/downloads/fantiles/ronshirtz/caves-cave2.zip

    http://www.yeoldeinn.com/downloads/fantiles/ronshirtz/caves-cave3.zip

    http://www.yeoldeinn.com/downloads/fantiles/ronshirtz/caves-cave4.zip

    http://www.yeoldeinn.com/downloads/fantiles/ronshirtz/caves-cave5.zip

The tile art is Copyright 1999 by Ron Shirtz and Dewayne Agin, permission
granted to print for personal use only.  Please take note of the
restrictions described in the enclosed "Read Me" file.

==========================================================================

                                 FEATURE
                                 -------

QUESTING FOR COLLECTIBLES ONLINE
by Dewayne Agin (some material by John Burnham and Nathan Stout)

For HeroQuest fans who want to buy Milton Bradley's original Quest Packs,
some extra components or even an additional copy of the Game System itself,
online auctions have become an important way to find sought-after items.
This article discusses some considerations that are worth keeping in mind
when using the services of eBay and similar online auction sites.

Before we begin, it is worth stressing one point: stay alert and exercise
common sense.  Take reasonable precautions when dealing with a stranger over
the internet.  If something seems wrong with an offer, don't be afraid to
back away from it.  We will provide more specific safety advice later in
this article, but remember that any risks you take online are your own.


[Where to Look]

Although eBay ( http://www.ebay.com ) is the biggest and best known online
auction site, it is not the only option for finding game sets and used
miniatures.  Here are some additional possibilities:

   Amazon.com Auction ( http://www.amazon.com )

All of these are very small.  While you will not find HeroQuest on these
sites very often, fewer people use these auctions than use eBay.  If you are
patient, and check the sites often, your chances of getting a bargain are
much better. If you are interested in these smaller sites, there is a free
newsletter you can subscribe to that announces the creation of new auction
sites.

Finally, it may be worth scanning newsgroups such as
     rec.games.miniatures.misc
     rec.games.board.marketplace
     rec.games.frp.marketplace
for leads.


[Getting Started with eBay]

Here are some tips to help new eBay users get oriented quickly.  The first
step is to become a registered user.  Go to
   http://pages.ebay.com/aw/register-by-country.html
to register.  For buyers, registration is free.

Next is finding an item you want to bid on.  This can be accomplished two
different ways.  From eBay's homepage (http://www.ebay.com/ ) you can click
on the category you want to look at.  If you are interested in just browsing
around the auctions, this is the way to do it.

On the other hand, if you want to look for something specific, such as
HeroQuest, you need to go to eBay's search page.  There is a link to it on
the top of all of eBay's pages, or you can go to
http://pages.ebay.com/aw/search.html .  When searching, you may need to do a
little bit of detective work to search out an item.  For instance, what
spellings might the seller be using.  For HeroQuest, you should search for
'heroquest' (1 word) AND 'hero quest' (2 words).  The game gets listed both
ways.  If you are looking for miniatures to go with the game, you might try
'warhammer' and occasionally 'war hammer' for Games Workshop miniatures.

When you have found something you want, you will need to scroll down and bid
on the item.  eBay is a proxy bidding service.  What is meant by that is
that you must enter the highest amount that you are willing to bid for the
item.  eBay will then bid for you against other bidders until that amount is
passed, and then you will no longer be bidding.  For instance, if you have
found that rare quest pack that you have been looking for, and  you bid $30
for it.  The high bid at the time is $20.  Depending on the increment chosen
by the seller (let's say that in this instance it is $ 0.50), you will bid
$20.50.  If the other person's high bid is above this amount, he will then
bid $21.  And so the bidding goes until either the bid gets above your
highest bidding amount or your bid is the highest.

There are a couple of other rules to the bidding that you should be aware
of.  The first is Reserve Amounts.  The seller has the option of setting an
amount that he wishes to make on the auction.  He does not release this
amount to the bidders, though.  This is the reserve amount.  You can bid
under this amount, and the note 'Reserve is not met' will be displayed at
the top of the auction.  If the auction closes and the reserve is not met,
the seller doesn't have to sell the item to you, even if you have won.

The second rule has to do with the bid increment.  In the example above, the
bidding is moving in $ 0.50 increments.  What if I set my high bid at
$30.01, and you set yours at $30.00.  You bid $30, then I bid $30.01 (even
though this is not the increment) and I am the high bidder.  Next time
someone bids their first bid will have to be at $30.51 (my high bid plus the
increment).


[Protecting yourself on eBay]

The FTC has come down on eBay recently because of some scams run on their
high stakes type auctions (antiques, coins, etc) and some words of advice
might help the novice, plus reassure the old hand.  Before bidding, you
should do the following:

1)  Check the Seller's ratings.  Every item listing page includes the
seller's name or handle.  Beside this is a number.  This is the seller's
rating (number of positive comments by separate people minus the number of
negative comments).  Clicking on this number will bring up the comments
posted for that seller, along with the number showing how many of the
comments are positive, neutral, or negative.  If a seller has some negative
comments, take this into consideration.  If he or she has very many, avoid
this person!

2)  Games like HeroQuest have many pieces.  Often the Seller does a
cursory check and everything appears to be there (Skeletons?  Yes, there
they are.  Orcs?  Yes.  Spell Cards?  Yes.)  Email the Seller.  Ask him to
do a complete inventory check and the amount present for each item to make
sure everything is there.  Most Sellers are willing to do this.  I have
never encountered any that were not willing, but it could happen.  If it
does, beware.

3)  Even if the package says 'shrink-wrapped', this does not mean it hasn't
been opened.  Shrink-wrapping is easy to do.  The Seller may be advertising
an item as shrink-wrapped, and may believe it is unopened, but this may not
be the case.  Sellers will probably be unwilling to open the package and
check for a complete inventory if the box is shrink-wrapped, though.

4)  You may want to ask the Seller what his policy is if the item does in
fact turn out to be incomplete.  This is especially true of shrink-wrapped
items that the Seller is unwilling to open for you.  Most Sellers will
attempt to make the deal satisfactory to you, either by sending you the
missing pieces or giving you a break on the price.

5)  eBay is located in the US, and most Sellers are located in the US.  If
you are from a different country, email the Seller and see if he is willing
to ship to you and what the shipping cost will be.

6)  Ask the Seller if he is willing to take out insurance on the package. It
is well worth the cost, even though the Seller will probably pass this cost
on to you.  Besides paying for a lost item, it gives both the Seller & the
Buyer the assurance of knowing that a package has been shipped and picked up
(neither can claim that they didn't send it/receive it).

I have had fairly good luck buying items from eBay this past year, but you
still must practice caution on eBay or when making any other purchases over
the Internet.  A little bit of time spent on your part contacting the Seller
can make sure your transaction is a happy one.

eBay has been in the news lately because some of the higher priced items
for auction have turned out to be scams.  Since the Buyer is required to
send the Seller money via the mail, any scam is considered Mail Fraud.  The
typical scam artists is not willing to risk this for a game that sells from
20-50 dollars.


[Pricing]

One final thought: prepare for sticker shock.  In recent months, bidding on
eBay for the European HeroQuest expansions "Wizards of Morcar" and "Against
the Ogre Horde" exceeded $350(U.S.) and $300(U.S.) respectively.  If you are
a die-hard collector, these are the kind of prices you may have to pay to
"collect the whole set."  If you simply want more quests and spells for your
game, you may find you'd rather download homemade ones for free rather than
pay auction prices for Milton Bradley's "official" ones.


[Quest Packs and other Fantasy Boardgames]

Next issue, we'll provide more assistance to HeroQuest collectors when we
begin our coverage of the HeroQuest expansion sets and other fantasy games.
We'll look at the miniatures and cardboard components that they include and
the quality of the quest writing or rules.



==========================================================================

                              GAMEMASTER HINTS
                              ----------------


INCORPORATING OTHER GAME COMPONENTS INTO YOUR HERO QUEST ADVENTURES
By Lou Harland
   ballth@midwest.net

I'm a gamer and love the thought of creating unique adventures.  Hero Quest
is the perfect engine for my creativity.  I was cutting out one-inch
cardboard squares and making up new tile ideas before I ever bought my first
expansion pack.  (For example, I had Trap Door tiles connected by
underground tunnels before they came up with them in Kellar's Keep.) I have
also used figures and maps from other games to make new adventures.  I think
Hero Quest is an awesome game that should be brought back as I'm sure you
will agree if you are reading this article.

There are many games out on the market today (and many out of print) that
include miniatures and maps that can be used with the Hero Quest game
system.  I have read numerous articles from other people about this same
topic.  My reason for this article is to give you a few other examples and
hopefully give you some additional inspiration in your adventure creations.

Dewayne Agin does a fantastic job of explaining uses for figures out of
TSR's Dragon Strike and Mattel's Dark World.  I was wondering, why not use
the platform at the end of the Dark World game as a prop in an adventure.
Maybe you could use it without the staircases and have the main villain
waiting in this room for the final showdown.  I thought about setting it up
at the edge of the board with stair tiles leading to it or even a secret
door concealing it.  Some folks have mentioned using Lionheart, Battle
Masters and even Key to the Kingdom pieces.  My thoughts are to someday make
an outdoor adventure using two Battle Masters mats and possibly have a
castle set up at one end to be the destination of the party.  This way I
could incorporate the figures from Battle Masters and Lionheart.  Then I
would use a Hero Quest board to continue with an inside adventure once
they've reached it.  At present I am still working out details for movement
on the Battle Masters mat.

Some games I haven't seen mentioned before are Tower of the Wizard King by
Parker Brothers, TSR's New Easy to Master Dungeons and Dragons along with
its expansion sets (for example, The Goblin's Lair and Dragon's Den.) and
Weapon's and Warrior's by Milton Bradley.  Tower of the Wizard King included
some miniature characters that would be great to use in your quests such as
a gold colored wizard, a skeleton, a minotaur, a dragon, an elf, a dwarf, a
warrior, an orc and an ogre.  They are all sized to fit in the one-inch
squares, so you may want to give them special stats.  For instance, the
dragon may be a young dragon since it takes up only one square.  Some of the
others are a little too tall also, so they need to be champions or a special
type.  The minotaur and ogre would work well though.  The main problem with
using these characters is that at all times half of the figures are locked
inside the tower, although I'm sure you can remove them or at least swap
them with the figures you aren't using.  By the way, if you've never played
Tower of the Wizard King, it is a fun game.

TSR's D&D boxed sets included only cardboard stand up playing pieces for the
characters, which some people might find boring to add into an HQ adventure,
but the maps included in the boxed sets are good to use for variety in the
map layouts.  I have the boxed sets mentioned above and have used a few of
those maps in some of my quests.  The only drawback I found (which wasn't a
big problem) was that the rooms on the maps are numbered and have the
doorways preprinted on them.  To solve this problem, I simply explained to
my players ahead of time that they should consider these maps to be blank
and that the doors printed on them were not necessarily the doorways in my
quest.  This worked out fine and the adventure was a big success.

The various Weapons and Warriors sets put out by Milton Bradley can also be
useful.  Since these pieces are outdoor sceneries, they would fit in nicely
as props or backdrops for an outdoor quest with the Battle Masters mats.
Also their figures are mostly soldiers armed with halberds and large
shields, so they would make great guards or even the king's army.  In the
Pirate Clash expansion set, the pirate figures carry swords and pistols.
Now I don't get into using guns in my adventures, but have read some quests
where the GM spoke of the invention of gunpowder.  If this is something you
would like to include in your stories, then you might think about using
these figures.

If you really like the idea of creating outlandish adventures, I have also
thought of using dinosaur pieces from Milton Bradley's Jurassic Park and JP
The Lost World.  You could make an adventure where you're characters get
sent through some sort of time warp and end up in a prehistoric setting.  If
you combine figures from both JP sets, you'd have two T-Rexes, thirteen
velociraptors, and six spitters.  I have not made any quests like this yet,
so you would have to come up with the stats on them yourself.  In continuing
the thought of time warping, I have also considered using cowboy and Indian
figures for a Wild West adventure and little green army men for a wartime
scenario.  You could also use some futuristic type figures or robot type
figures to create a space age adventure.  Honestly, these are a little too
far-fetched for me, but I wanted to throw them out as ideas if you are into
this sort of thing.

There you have it.  Some new ideas for many hours of creative questing.  I
do own all the board games I spoke of in this article.  If any of you have
some other ideas for more uses of these game components, let me know at
"ballth@midwest.net".  I am still looking for copies of Advanced Hero Quest
and Warhammer Quest to make even more great adventures for my party to go
on.  Have fun creating and happy questing.



==========================================================================

                               IN THE STORES
                               -------------

NEW RELEASES FROM MICROTACTIX GAMES
by QuestGnome

MicroTactix Games has a number of products that can enhance HeroQuest and,
in one case, even replace its rules.  Except where noted, all of the
following products are currently available for sale, directly from
MicroTactix ( http://microtactix.gamingoutpost.com/ ).

VYLLAGE-ON-THE-CHEEP

"Vyllage-on-the-Cheep" is a line of cut-out-and-assemble cardboard buildings
presented in a scale that makes them compatible with HeroQuest figures.
MicroTactix Games says the buildings are "printed in black and white on
sturdy cardstock."   The first release, "Set #1," provides 30 pages worth of
buildings created by Gary M. Williams.   MicroTactix describes the contents
of Set #1 this way:

"City Walls, Gate, and Gatehouse / General Store / Wild Hog Tavern / Two
Large Inns / Magic Shop / Apothecary / Noble's Coach with Horses / Pawn Shop
/ Two Large Shoppes / Bakery / Blacksmith's Home / Vyllage Smithy / Barn /
Vyllage Market / Family Farm / Elven Temple... and more!"  In addition to
the buildings, Set #1 includes "over 40" cardboard stand-up figures.

Set #1 costs $14.95.  For now, it is available exclusively from the
MicroTactix Games web site at http://microtactix.gamingoutpost.com
Orders can be made using any major credit card.

MicroTactix clearly has lower production values than Milton Bradley. They're
trying to make up for it with low pricing.  If you would like to try
assembling a few "Vyllage" buildings for free before committing to a
purchase (albeit without the sturdy cardstock), you can find a sample PDF
(Acrobat) file on the MicroTactix website.  This includes a shanty-house, an
outhouse and two stand-up figures.
    ( http://microtactix.gamingoutpost.com/votcfree.shtml )

Vyllage-on-the-Cheep Set #2 is not yet available, but it will contain 30
more pages of buildings and figures.  Buildings will include the Church, the
City Jail, the Wizard's Tower and the Gentlemen's Club.


COMPACT COMBAT FOR FREE

Compact Combat is a position-oriented combat system that could be used to
replace the HQ rules.  MicroTactix describes it as "a head-to-head arena
combat board game, or the basis of any small unit action combat scenarios."

To the best of my knowledge, the Compact Combat product line is the only
HeroQuest-like game system that is currently receiving active support from
its publisher.  As such, it deserves our attention.  As this review will
demonstrate, the Compact Combat line has very different strengths from
HeroQuest's.

As a low-risk starting point, MicroTactix has provided free sample "Compact
Warrior Special Edition" rules in PDF (Acrobat) format
         ( http://microtactix.gamingoutpost.com/cwspec.shtml ).

For clarity's sake, I should point out that "Compact Combat" refers to the
rules system and to the entire product line that utilizes it.  "Compact
Warrior" refers to the system's non-magical melee rules and "Compact Warrior
Special Edition" refers specifically to the free PDF.

Indeed, there is no support for magic of any kind in the sample rules.  It
is possible to try running HeroQuest scenarios under Compact Warrior Special
Edition, but you'll have to leave the Wizard, the Chaos Warlock and maybe
the Elf at home and rely on First Aid (which is covered) for healing.  A
future release, Compact Sorcerer, promises to address this area.

The best way to understand the free rules is to try out the step-by-step
Compact Warrior walk-through on the MicroTactix website.  This can be found
at ( http://microtactix.gamingoutpost.com/cwdemo.shtml ).

The 24-page sample Special Edition rulebook is laid out in a highly readable
format in which boldfacing, italics and diagrams are used to good effect.
Additionally, there are three pages of tables, a page containing nine
stand-up figures and seven armory cards, and a one-page mapboard.

Compact Combat describes characters using four attributes (Strength,
Coordination, Health and Intellect) plus lists of skills and weapons.  The
rules require ten-sided dice and are more complicated than HeroQuest's.  The
upside to the complexity, for those who find HeroQuest unsatisfactorily
abstract, is that Compact Combat addresses things like:

    loading weapons,
    drawing weapons,
    running out of ammunition,
    encumbrance (how much equipment a character can carry at once),
    cover (hitting characters who are partially concealed),
    which way an attacker is facing,
    and whether a character is standing, sitting, or prone.

The downside, for those who like HeroQuest's elegant simplicity, is that
Compact Combat requires a lot more thinking and record-keeping before and
during play.  For all the complexity, there are several places in which
Compact Warrior Special Edition leaves it to the gamemaster to choose a
difficulty number or figure out how a skill works in a given situation.
Arguably, a system that chooses to be complex really should make up for it
by being thorough.  Presumably these gaps are scheduled to be filled in
future supplements.

Compact Warrior Special Edition provides for different typical attributes
between fantasy races.  For example, humans are stronger than Elves but have
lower dexterity.  This is spelled out in a seven-race table that provides
mathematical descriptions for humans, dwarves, elves, halflings, goblins,
orcs and hobgoblins.  Working from this foundation, the players are free to
build customized characters with unique skills and weaponry.

It falls to each group of gamers to decide whether they prefer the almost
visceral thrills of HeroQuest's dice system or Compact Combat's more
satisfying level of detail.  Despite its battle-oriented title, Compact
Combat can certainly be used for ongoing quests.  Furthermore, according to
MicroTactix, future releases "will expand the role playing experience.  Some
will be designed for solitaire play.  Others will allow a team of players to
cooperate toward a common goal or even face each other across an expanded
field of battle."


COMPACT COMBAT SUPPLEMENTS

The first commercial release in the Compact Combat line is called
"BAR-Barians!"  As the title implies, it pits the players' characters
against barbarians in a bar fight.  Priced at $4.95, the set includes a
mapboard, stat cards for weapons and characters, and a number of components
to cut out and assemble, including tables, chairs, the bar and character
stand-ups.  Like the Vyllage buildings, these are all printed "on heavy card
stock."  Some specialized rules are added to round out the Compact Combat
system to include coverage for swinging from chandeliers and improvising
weapons out of furniture and broken bottles.

MicroTactix promises more such products are on the way.  Immediate plans are
for an Old West gunfight scenario and a Post-Y2K battle for control of "the
last gas station/mini mart."  The mini mart set will include 25 mm
three-dimensional cardboard models of everything from the building itself to
the gas pumps to the interior store fixtures.

In the longer term, similar mini-games are in the works for fantasy horror,
space opera and superhero action. Additionally, the company has announced
that an expanded print edition of Compact Warrior (with more weapons cards,
among other things) is "[c]oming very soon," as is the Compact Sorcerer
magical combat expansion set.


PLAINLABEL RPGs

MicroTactix also publishes "PlainLabel" roleplaying games such as "Pocket
Fantasy."  These are rules-compatible with Compact Combat, but their focus
is less on tactics and miniatures and more on character and story.



==========================================================================

                               NEW MONSTERS
                               ------------

GIANT SPIDERS
by Dewayne Agin

Giant Spiders inhabit the woods and underground labyrinths of the Empire and
surrounding lands.  There are several types to be found; all are dangerous.
Giant Spiders inject venom when they bite, although the effects of the
poison may vary.  Some Giant Spiders actively hunt; others wait for their
prey to become caught in their webs.

Giant Spiders are animals, and are not intelligent.  What they lack in
smarts they make up for in ruthless hunting ability.  They will eat, or
attempt to eat, anything that moves, including Heroes!

Unlike some animals that ignore potential prey when not hungry, Giant
Spiders will hunt at all times.  If they find prey when not hungry, they
will wrap the unlucky victim with web thread, saving it for later. Giant
Spiders keep their 'future food' from escaping by injecting a smaller than
normal dose of poison.  This renders the victim unconscious.  Web Spinning
Spiders will hang their future food from a spot on their web, while Hunting
Spiders will carry future food back to their lair.


TYPES OF GIANT SPIDERS:


Giant Hunting Spiders:

These Giant Spiders do not spin webs to catch their prey.  Instead they hunt
it.  While they do not spin webs, they can produce the web thread, and often
encase their victims in the sticky substance to reduce struggling and help
prevent the victim from getting away.  Giant Hunting Spiders are larger than
Web Spinning Spiders, using their bulk to hold down their victim while
striking.

 a.  Stalking Spiders:  These Giant Spiders hunt and stalk their
 prey, using sight and smell to find food.  Once these Spiders
 have caught the scent of an animal, they will tenaciously
 follow it, not giving up until it is caught.  These Spiders can
 leap several times their own body length during their attack.   They use
this ability to pin their prey underneath them, giving  them a chance to
envenom it.

 Movement: 8
 Attack Dice: 4
 Defend Dice: 2
 Body Points: 4
 Mind Points: 0
 These Spiders have the special traits of Venom, Leaping,
 Enveloping Prey, and Following Prey.


 b.  Ambushing Spiders:  Ambushing Spiders are a type of Hunting
 Spider that waits for its prey to come to it.  It hides and
 waits for prey to come near, at which time it leaps out and
 attacks.  Like Stalking Spiders, it can leap several times its
 body length.

 Movement: 6
 Attack Dice: 4
 Defend Dice: 2
 Body Points: 4
 Mind Points: 0
These Spiders have the special traits of Venom, Enveloping Prey,
Camouflage, and Leaping.


 c.  Net Casting Spiders:  These Giant Spiders are a type of
  Ambushing Spider.  Instead of leaping on the prey when
 ambushing it, this Spider casts a net made of web to entangle
 the potential meal.

 Movement: 6
 Attack Dice: 4
 Defend Dice: 2
 Body Points: 4
 Mind Points: 0
These Spiders have the special traits of Venom, Enveloping
Prey, Camouflage, and Net Casting.

If the Heroes come upon the lair of a Giant Hunting Spider, they will find
the residue of past meals there.  Hunting Spiders care nothing for gold,
weapons, and other treasure, so if this Spider has feasted on creatures
carrying such things, the Heroes will find it once the Spider is destroyed.



Web Spinning Spiders:

These Giant Spiders spin huge webs, hoping an animal will become caught in
it.  Giant Spider webs, like the ones spun by their smaller cousins, are
hard to see yet incredibly strong.  They often spin them along game trails
or near watering holes.  Web Spinners are always found close to their webs,
and often are hidden in a concealed corner of it.  They will use any
material that can be found nearby to build their place of concealment.  Web
Spinners are sensitive to vibrations in the web, and can often be lured from
hiding by tweaking one of the strands.

a.  Regular Web Spinners:  Regular Web Spinners will wait on or near the
web, often concealed from view.  When a creature gets stuck, they
immediately rush to the prey, injecting it with venom.

 Movement: 5
 Attack Dice: 3
 Defend Dice: 2
 Body Points: 3
 Mind Points: 0
 These Spiders have the special traits of Venom and Enveloping  Prey.


b.  Hypnotic Web Spinners:  Unlike Regular Web Spinning Giant Spiders,
Hypnotic Web Spinners sit out on their web in plain view.  When an animal
(or Hero) comes close to the web, the Spider will begin swaying
back-and-forth, in an attempt to hypnotize the creature, hoping that it will
then stumble into the web.

 Movement: 5
 Attack Dice: 2
 Defend Dice: 2
 Body Points: 3
 Mind Points: 0
 These Spiders have the special traits of Venom, Enveloping Prey, and
Hypnotism.


SPECIAL TRAITS OF GIANT SPIDERS:

Venom:
Besides causing normal damage, a Giant Spider's bite is venomous.  When
bitten by a Giant Spider, the Hero must roll 1 red die.  On a roll of 6, he
has been envenomed.  Until an anti-venom potion is taken, the Hero will
loose one Body Point per turn from the poison until dead.  A healing potion
or spell will restore Body Points, but the Hero will still be envenomed.
Some Giant Spiders will use their venom to knock a Hero unconscious, hoping
to save the Hero to eat later.  To do so, they will inject only a partial
venom dose when attacking.  When a Spider is attacking this way, the Hero
should still roll one red die.  Again, on a roll of 6, the Hero is
envenomed.  He immediately becomes unconscious, and cannot move.  The Spider
will no longer attempt to attack the Hero, but will envelop the Hero in web
thread.  If the Quest being played makes no mention of whether the Spider is
attempting to kill the Heroes or knock them unconscious, this decision is
left up to the Game Master.  Once a Hero is envenomed, additional Spider
bites will do regular damage but he will not receive additional doses of
venom.  An unconscious Hero can be restored by either a healing spell, or by
forcing a healing potion down his throat.

Leaping:
Once per turn, during its movement phase, the Spider may leap onto a Hero.
The Spider makes this leap onto any Hero no more than two squares away.  The
Spider may leap over other Heroes, Monsters, or furniture.  When making this
leap, it attempts to jump on top of the Hero.  The Hero must roll one red
die.  On a roll of 1-4, he has avoided the Spider.  Place the Spider on a
square adjacent to the Hero (if none are free, leave the Spider in its
current location).  If the Spider pins the Hero, he may not attack with any
weapon besides a dagger, and may attack no other monster besides the Spider.
If the Hero has a dagger but is not currently wielding it, he must spend a
turn dropping his other weapon and drawing the dagger.  The Hero remains
pinned as long as the Spider lives.  As long as the pinned Hero lives, the
Spider will only attack him, even if other Heroes attack the Spider.

Enveloping Prey:
If the Giant Spider has knocked a Hero unconscious, it will attempt to
envelop him with web thread.  The Spider cannot move or attack that turn.
If the Spider is wounded while trying to envelop a Hero (i.e., if the Spider
is attacked and takes at least one point of damage), the attempted
envelopment fails.  On the Spider's next turn, the Game Master can decide if
the spider a) attacks the attackers or b) goes back to enveloping the Hero.

Once enveloped, the Hero may not move, attack, or defend.  A Hunting Spider
will attempt to carry any enveloped Hero back to its lair, where it will
leave him and resume hunting.  A Web Spinning Spider will hang the Hero from
its web, and will return to attack any other Hero in or near its web.

Camouflage:
A Spider with this ability can hide from view, often times in places that
most would not believe could hold a Giant Spider.  If the Heroes search
for traps in an area containing a Camouflaged Giant Spider, they may
spot it.  Have the Hero roll one red die.  On a roll of 5 tell the Hero that
he has spotted
something unusual, and give a vague area (over by the bookcase, under
the table, in the shadows of the wall over here, and so on).  If the Hero
rolls a 6, he spots the Spider.  Tell him where he is hiding.  Camouflaged
Spiders, whether spotted or not, will wait until a Hero is close to it (one
turn of
movement squares) then attack.  If a Spider is attacked while
Camouflaged, such as when spotted by a Hero, it will leave its place of
concealment to attack and defend itself.

Following Prey:
Once a Spider with this trait either sees a Hero, or crosses the path where
a Hero has traveled, it will follow him as long as it lives - it will not
give up the pursuit until it dies.  If the Hero dies, it will still follow
his scent until coming to the death place.  In this place it will either
begin following another Hero's scent (if another Hero was in the same
location) or begin hunting again.  If a Spider with this trait crosses a
trail where more than one Hero has been, assign each of the Heroes a number
on a red die (use the left over numbers as 'roll again').  Roll the die to
determine which of the Heroes the Spider begins following.

Net Casting:
A Spider with this trait carries a small net made of web thread in its front
legs.  When attacking from ambush, it will attempt to tangle its prey in the
net.  The net can be thrown at any Hero no more than two squares from the
Spider, and is thrown any time during the Spider's movement phase.  Throwing
the net does not count as the Spider's attack.  When the net is thrown at a
Hero, he must roll one red die.  On a roll of 1-3 the Hero is caught in the
net.  The rules for a Hero caught in a net of web thread are the same as a
Hero caught in a Spider web.  Once the net is thrown, it cannot be used
again.

Hypnotism:
As long as a Spider with this trait is still in its web, it will sway back
and forth, attempting to hypnotize any Hero looking at the web (the
direction the Hero is pointed is the direction he is looking).  Roll two red
dice for the Spider, and the Hero should roll two.  If the Hero's roll plus
his current Mind Points is greater than the Spider's roll, the Hero escapes
being hypnotized.  Each turn that the Hero is looking at the Spider in the
web he must make the throw against being hypnotized.  A hypnotized Hero will
continue walking in the direction of the web until he is caught in it (see
rules for Heroes caught in webs).  The Spider will continue to try to
hypnotize the Heroes until either all are caught, or either it or its web is
attacked.  A hypnotized Hero will stay that way until either the Spider is
killed or he is attacked.


WEBS:

When fighting Giant Spiders, the Heroes may have to deal with this menace.
Giant Spiders' web threads are very strong, yet almost invisible.  The webs
often outlast their owners - it is not uncommon for Heroes to stumble into
the web of a long dead Spider.

Webs, whether ones of living Spiders or dead, should be treated as a trap.
If the Heroes search for it they can spot it, but if not they will blunder
into it, becoming stuck.

There are times when a Hero needs to cut a Giant Spider's web, such as when
a Hero is caught in it or when it is blocking a passage.  It may be cut with
a sharp weapon (blunt weapons like staffs, maces, clubs, and hammers, will
not work).  A Hero that is stuck in a web rolls 1/2 (round down) his normal
attack dice when attacking or trying to cut the web.  Other Heroes roll
their normal number attack dice when cutting a web.

 a.  Trying to free a Hero:  Roll two defense dice for the web.
 When the Hero scores two hits on the web, the stuck Hero is
 freed.  Note that cutting a Hero loose does not automatically
 destroy the web.

 b.  Destroying a web:  When a web accumulates a number of hits,
 the exact number depending on the size of the web, it is
 destroyed.  A small web may only have 5 or 6 points; a larger
 one could have 10, 15, 20, or more.

When a Hero attacks or gets stuck in a web with a living Giant Spider in it,
the vibrations alert the Spider to the presence of the Hero.  The Spider
will immediately attack, attempting to make the Hero his next meal.

When a Hero attacks a web, there is a potential for his weapon becoming
entangled in the sticky substance.  After the Hero rolls his attack dice
against the web, he should roll two red dice.  On a roll of 2 or 3, his
weapon has become stuck in the web.  He must cut it loose, just like when a
Hero is stuck, to retrieve it.

When a web is destroyed, anything that is stuck in it will fall to the
ground.  This includes Heroes, stuck weapons, and the residue of past meals
- gold, treasure and weapons if the past meals have included Heroes or
Monsters that might carry these.

A Hero stuck in a web cannot move at all until freed.


Encased Heroes:

When a Hero is encased in web thread by a Giant Spider, he can no longer
move.  The web thread is so strong that he cannot break free by himself, and
must be helped by another Hero.  When a Hero rescues an encased friend, he
must have a dagger or sword.  It takes one turn to cut the web from the
encased Hero, during which the rescuing Hero cannot attack.  The encased
Hero cannot attack or defend while encased, and since he cannot move he
cannot cast a spell or use any item he has in inventory.


USING SPIDERS IN QUESTS:

Generally Giant Spiders are found alone.  They do not hunt in packs, nor
will you find more than one web in a room.  You might find more than one
Spider in a long passage, though, with one on each end.  Spiders are
cannibalistic, and will eat other Spiders if they catch them.

Having said that, there is nothing to stop you from playing Spiders any way
you wish.  You might want to give them some intelligence.  There could be
more than one Web Spinner on a web, or more than one web in a room.  The
Spiders could work in tandem to catch their victims.  Hunting Spiders could
work in packs, like wolves.

Another way to play them is to make the Giant Spiders intelligent, like the
ones in Tolkien's books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.  Perhaps the
Heroes will stumble on a Spider city in the treetops, built of web thread.
Or they could find an underground city of Hunting Spiders.  Whether these
Spiders are friendly or not would depend on you.

If there are Camouflaged Spiders in the quest, you may want to make
the Heroes roll a red die everytime they search for traps.  Only making
them roll when a Spider is present will alert them that one is near, whether
they spot it or not.  When doing this, you may want to occasionally tell
the Hero that rolls a 5 that 'You seem to spot something over here', even
when no Spider is present.


SPIDER MINIATURES:

I found three miniature manufacturers selling Giant Spider figures on the
web (a fitting place for Spiders, eh?).  The first is Ral Partha -
http://ralpartha.com/cgi-bin/RalPartha/cat.html?7 .  Look under the heading
OFFICIAL TSR MINIATURES for the Spiders.  They sell two types:  Large
Spiders, which make good Web Spinning Spiders, and Giant Spiders, which make
good Hunting Spiders.

Harlequin Miniatures - sells a Giant Spider figure.  Go to their Catalog,
and click on FANTASY MINIATURES, then on MONSTERS.  Unfortunately there is
no picture yet for their Giant Spider, so I don't know what it looks like.

Finally, Games Workshop is selling a sprue of plastic figures that includes
a Giant Spider, a Giant Rat, a Snotling, and a Giant Bat.  It is $2.50 for
each sprue, or you can buy it as a boxed set of 5 sprues, called Fantasy
Swarms, for $12.50.


[For a reformatted copy of the above Spiders article, plus last month's
Skaven article, visit Dewayne Agin's "New Monsters" page.  Also keep an eye
out for a PDF file or two of Spiders monster cards, coming this month.  It's
all at ( http://www.yeoldeinn.com/agins-archive/monsters.html ).]


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End of Issue 4                                          See you next time!
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