HeroQuest

HeroQuest
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Converting Anaxial's Roster
from Hero Wars to HeroQuest

When detailed in both places, the entry for a creature in HeroQuest should be used in conjunction with the entry in Anaxial's Roster. In cases of discrepencies or contradictions, data in the HeroQuest entry (such as specific ability ratings or weapon bonuses) should take precedence. However, where Anaxial's Roster has additional information (such as the additional powers possessed by nymphs), such were usually left out of HeroQuest for simplicity's sake, and the information in Anaxial's Roster is still valid.

General Notes

  • Anaxial's Roster shows many examples of rounding not in line with HeroQuest rules (p. 79). HeroQuest rounding should be used instead.
  • All references to a dangerous world modifier (-10) should be replaced with an alien world modifier (-20) instead. Thus, a demon in an "alien" part of the Underworld takes a -20 modifier to all abilities, just as if it was in the Inner World or a foreign Otherworld.

Tapping

Some creatures have abilities similar to Tapping, which is not in HeroQuest. Such creatures can use their tapping ability to drain points from entries on the character sheet that match the description of the tap ability. Generally, the highest ability is targeted. If the tapping creature wins the contest, the target permanently loses an amount from its ability based on the level of defeat. The tapping creature adds these points to its abilities as defined in the creature's description, distributing them as evenly as possible. For example, if a memovore attacks Hogar's Know Local Area ability and drives him to -14 AP in the extended contest, Hogar suffers a minor defeat and loses 10% of his Know Local Area 10W ability, and so loses 3 points. The memovore adds 1 each to its Aura of Confusion, Detect Intruder, and Induce Amnesia abilities. This loss is permanent, but Hogar can spend hero points to increase his rating. If the tapping creature loses the contest, losses from the Consequences Table are applied to its Tap ability. Thus, if the memovore is driven to -14 AP, it suffers a minor defeat and loses 10% from its Tap Memories. If this brings the Tap ability of a memovore, hellion, or kon-kon below zero, the creature ceases to exist. Others suffer the concequences of the Results Table.

Poison

For poison, three entries are listed in Anaxial's Roster:

The first entry (debilitating, instant, lingering) describes how long the poison takes to finish its effect. For HeroQuest, debilitating and instant should be considered the same. HeroQuest states that poison can be either a simple or extended contest and this entry can be used as a guideline for the narrator in making that decision.

The second entry (lethal, painful, paralyzing) describes the effect. If a lethal poison wins the contest, the victim suffers based on the level of defeat (if done as an extended contest, lethal poisons will generally attempt a parting shot [HeroQuest, page 69 or Hero's Book page 19]).

The third entry, potency, is the ability rating of the poison. Poison is mindless, and will generally bid 1/4 of its starting AP in an extended contest, although it always up to the narrator, so that an especially virulent poison might make an "all-out attack" when first injected, reflecting its speed of action and potency and (perhaps) the innate immunity of some people to its effects.

Specific Notes

p. 11 Combat Abilities: As with the creatures in HeroQuest, creatures described in Anaxial's Roster receive automatic augmentations from appropriate abilities.
p. 12 Other Abilities, Variations: Starting ability for added abilities is 13, not 12.
p. 29 Nar sylla: Any integrated spirits should be treated as charms, part of the Common Magic keyword. If the nar sylla concentrates his common magic, he can manifest these abilities as nymphs do (see page 219).

The Ally with Kolati talent should be replaced with a spirit ally, per the normal rules in HeroQuest (pages 137-138).
p. 52 Goldeneye: Ignore the reference to integrating spirits. Any integrated spirits a goldeneye possesses can be treated as common magic talents in HeroQuest.
p. 62 Zerapralor: Consider the talents as common magic talents and assume that Zerapralor has concentrated his magic. He may embody these talents as described on page 219.
p. 70 Mralotings: Consider the talents as common magic talents and assume that the Mraloting has concentrated its magic.
p. 76 Satyr: Any talents should be treated as charms, part of the Common Magic keyword and assume that the satyr has concentrated his animist magic.
p. 77-78 Unicorn:Treat a unicorn's Unicorn Law ability exactly as if it were a Use [Grimoire] ability, with its horn functioning as the grimoire. Unicorns cannot create talismans for the effects that they know.
p. 80 Gorthak: Consider the talents as common magic talents and assume that Gorthak has concentrated his magic. He may embody these talents as described on page 219.
p. 88 Manticore: Narrators should decide which abilities of a devoured foe are "mental abilities."
p. 98 Hrognar: Consider the talents as common magic talents and assume that Hrognar has concentrated his magic. He may embody these talents as described on page 219.
p. 122 Typical Male Zabdamar Shaman: "Typical Talents" should read "Typical Fetishes".
p. 125 Elves: As described on page 212 of HeroQuest, an elf bow should be treated as a retainer rather than a spirit.
p. 127 Typical Elf Forest Guardian: Replace "Elf Bow ^4 (acts as a follower, lending 15 AP to Ranged Combat)" with "Elf Bow 17 (+4 weapon bonus)".
p. 130 Occupations: Ignore the reference to Close Combat. Dwarf "occupational abilities" should be treated as broadly defined abilities.
p. 136 Typical Baboon Hunter: "Typical Talents" should read "Typical Fetishes".
p. 173 Basilisk: Note that the Death Gaze is not "pompous magic" (see HeroQuest, page 99), but a very deadly Chaos feature that works exactly as described.
p. 178-179 Huan To: Rather than assigning a D+40 difficulty to healing the effects of huan to venom, treat the venom as a magical attack that has no effect unless it attains a complete victory. If it does, then only major magical healing used before the transformation is complete will heal the victim and prevent him from becoming a ghoul. Once the victim is transformed into a ghoul, he is a standard undead creature, and can be killed/destroyed normally.
p. 196 Kilin: Treat the Curse Foreigner or Wicked Person as a wizardry curse but with doubled effect because of special magic, thus causing a -10 automatic penalty to appropriate ability ratings (rather than -5) if the kilin is victorious in its contest.
p. 205 Kivis: Treat a fire bear's Kivis Law ability exactly as if it were a Use [Grimoire] ability, with the bear's flames functioning as the grimoire. Fire bears cannot create talismans for the effects that they know.
p. 207 Luathan: Most luathans use their armor and weapons as talismans.
p. 207-208 Memovore: See the notes above about Tapping.
p. 211 Redcap: The special rules for redcaps may be used as written, or the edges treated as bonuses (see General Notes above) at the narrator's option. Either way, the redcap loses 1 point for each Hurt, 2 points for an Impairment, 4 points for an Injury, and 8 points if it would otherwise by Dying.
p. 212-217 Nature Spirits: For now, all references to integrating spirits should be taken as binding them into fetishes or charms. If a nature spirit has multiple abilities, usually only one will have a rating equal to the Hero Wars Might; the others will generally have lower ratings.
p. 219-223 Nymphs: Although embodied talents seem similar to spirit allies (see HeroQuest, page 137) in some ways, they are not separate entities, and their description in Anaxial's Roster can be used exactly as written.

The Might given in Anaxial's Roster is for a relatively weak nymph, and determined both the nymph's Perceive Events in [Home] rating and the ratings of her talents (for dryads, it also determined her Elfsense rating). An older or more powerful nymph will have a higher rating in Perceive Events in [Home] and her talents.
p. 224-230 Disease Spirits: All disease spirits replace their Might with a specific disease ability. Thus, a Boggle Trot Spirit with Might 15 now has Boggle Trot 15, and a Creeping Chills Spirit with Might 15W has Creeping Chills 15W.
p.225 Infection: The default is for a disease to cause an illness penalty of 1/10 the disease's potency, as if it were a wizardry curse. However, the narrator is free to apply different penalties, as described under "Illness Penalties" on page 226.
p. 227 Fetishes and Integration: For now, ignore references to living beings integrating disease spirits (last paragraph).
p. 231-232 Healing Spirit: A healing spirit bound into a charm or fetish acts as like any other charm or fetish described in HeroQuest, rather than having a limited number of uses.
p. 232-235 Passion Ghosts: These are called specters in HeroQuest. Ignore any reference to a separate Might; the passion ghost uses its Aura of [Trait] as its primary ability.

Ignore any special description of fetishes and charms; a fetish or charm containing a passion ghost works exactly as described in HeroQuest.
p.235 Violence Spirit: See the General Notes for Storm Tribe for information on berserker magic.
p. 238 Hellion: See the general notes above about Tapping.
p. 240 Kon-kon: See the general notes above about Tapping.
p. 243 Boggle: See the general notes above about Tapping.

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 Latest revision: 11 Sep 2003, new 		Core Runes