Heroica RPG - Quest Masters' Lounge

[The Legonater]

I was re-reading the Lost Party when I stumbled on this:

"We.... are..... not..... dead......... we...... are...... an Acerpusculum.... we do not..... die.... so........ easily......"

That puts whatever Vonnetate did to her in a really, really creepy light.

[Waterbrick Down]

Quest Feedback:

Story: Excellent, while it seemed to drag at points you managed to keep us all entertained and engaged till the very end. I’m not a big fan of railroading, but I think you handled it better this time round than in previous quests. I’m sad to see Hans go as he and Poletad are the two characters that Skrall felt the closest to, but I think that it is fitting that the end of Wren was accompanied by the end of the Wren hunters. A few words of criticism: too many spires. I know you tried to give us choices with them, but they honestly got to be too repetitive. I would have liked to see interactions with the different villainous NPC’s in a different setting than just defending a spire, perhaps it was more an issue of believability than anything. If you had sent us to stop baddies from stealing ingredients from a certain location that would have seemed more realistic than a dozen dimensional rifts opening up all across the city that no one had ever seemed to notice before. The ending seemed a little anti-climatic with Wren and Felton walking off into the distance, but it’s your story and you have the right to end it like you want. Other than that, you did a superb job in bring all of your NPC’s together for this quest and giving each of them a unique voice. The court of demons was an excellent addition, and I wish we could have seen more of them. The Regret stuff was really poignant and gut-wrenching as well, so congratulations for a well played scene. All together you can pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

Mechanics: Battle wise things were tough, but as a QM I understand that they had to be. No complaints from me, besides maybe a little loot stingy at the end, with no drops from the summoned chaos beasts. Would it be possible to see the stats of the big bad if we hadn’t saved any of the spires?

Players:

Cronk/CM: This had to be one of the most difficult quests to be Party Leader, having to manage everything from party split-ups, battle tactics, loot distribution, and the fact that NPC’s and some of the PC’s were on perma-death mode. You did wonderfully though and always struck the exact balance between role-playing and game-playing. I really enjoyed what you did with Cronk at the end as I think it accurately portrays how such events can affect people in different ways.

Nyx/Pandora: As my fellow 2^nd in command, you also performed marvelously in taking charge of situations both in and out of battle. Your interactions with XX are some of my favorite parts in the entirety of the quest.

Atramor/CMP: As with Nyx, your role-playing in this quest was top-notch though I missed some of McCafferey quips during the latter points of the quest. You and Flipz really were a blessing when it came to battle strategies and loop-holes/battle mistakes, and saved our hides on more than one occastion.

Haldor/Scorpiox: I’ve grown to really enjoy your combat role-playing, keep it up. It was also good to see you role-playing more with the current situations than Haldor’s backstory. He’s really started to take on his own persona and it was neat to watch him grow. The shift in demeanor after his encounter with the regret was made me smile (especially his updated avatar). As a player, I was always glad that Haldor could be depended upon to stick to a plan even at the risk of his own well-being.

Dyric/Legonator: You do a really good job of engaging the NPC’s and actually treating them like individuals, so keep it up. I’m liking the direction you’re going with Dyric as an assassin of light and it’s neat to see how the past quests have influenced his current development. While Dyric sometimes seems aloof to his other party members, it was good to see a spectrum of reactions to Arthur’s decisions and I’m glad you had Dyric take the more understanding sympathetic role as it fit well.

Arthur/Flipz: I’ve got to say that at some points Arthur was annoying to his party. From a role-playing perspective I think you did an excellent job in keeping consistent with his character (i.e. the fact that he saw Wren as the fulfillment of his wishes concerning chaos), but from a game-playing perspective, it was annoying to have a party member refuse to fully assist his party in accomplishing their quest goal. Also remember to be careful of taking up too much of the spotlight with your character. I know that it was difficult as Arthur’s background is steeped in this sort of material, but it did feel like at times that it was more a story about Wren, chaos, and Arthur, rather than Wren, chaos, and the party, remember that we are merely actors and gamers rather than protagonists and QM’s. Otherwise, as I stated for CMP, I’m glad you were along for all of your strategic assistance, it really cut mine and I’m sure CM’s time in half.

Hoke/UsernameMDM: Hoke is a man of action and few words, and enchantments, lots of enchantments. Kidding aside, he’s everything another party member could wish for: a knight that knows his duty and does it well. Great job with your incorporating Vipera into your role-play, I’d really like to see him go Dragoon at some point with Vipera as his mount, but I think Zepher might have other plans.

Thothwick/Professor Flitwick: Skrall hasn’t had much experience with Thothwick, but I enjoyed the conversations they had together. Who knows you might be able to convert him to S.O.W. after all. The tension you developed between Thothwick and Atramor were fantastic, in addition to how Quest 44 affected his character. The gentleman metasimian will always be one of my favorite characters in the whole of Heroica.

Alexis/Masked Builder: Quiet Elf maiden who shoots enemies from afar. Not breaking any stereotypes are we? I know you didn’t role-play as much as some of the other characters, but I really think you had something going with Alexis being so fickle between her lovers. Keep up that storyline and I think it can really shine. Otherwise, it was great to have a second assassin along for the ride, though it would have been more helpful before the “immune to instant kill” enemies started becoming more common.

Self-critique: Skrall had an interesting journey this time round. He started the quest somewhat discouraged at the state of the world, threw himself into the business of getting the job done, but in the end left somewhat bitter and still unsatisfied. I guess that has always been the theme to him, dissatisfaction. I haven’t figured out a way to write him out of it, but this quest definitely gave him more to stew over. I sort of wished I could have interacted more with some of the NPC’s, but it is how it is in that regard and I can’t really do anything about the dead ones now anyways.

[CMP]

Repetition was one other thing I didn't like. I like how there were different enemy NPCs to talk to at each spire, but like WBD says, it feels like we just did the same thing over and over.

Atramor/CMP: As with Nyx, your role-playing in this quest was top-notch though I missed some of McCafferey quips during the latter points of the quest.

She left about halfway through the Quest.

[JimBee]

Well, awesome quest Zepher. It truly was the most epic so far, and I really enjoyed reading it. Too bad Hybros couldn't participate, but maybe it's for the better. I'm not sure how I would've roleplayed him in such a dramatic setting. And it was really awesome seeing all the other characters participate instead.

The characters and the story were truly excellent. You're a really good writer, and I think this quest lived up to all the hype. Overall it was a fitting conclusion to the Wren arc. Scuba said that Wren didn't really do anything wrong (wrong as wrong can get in this "gray" theme ), but I disagree. She obviously killed many people or was responsible for doing so, mass terrorism, attempted hostile takeover of a kingdom, kidnapping, mindreading, chaos-mongering... the list goes on. I'm satisfied with the way she went out.

I also liked the challenge of the battles. I fully agree with you - heroes are tougher than most players realize. Being KO'd is not the worst thing that could happen, and while many got KO'd, especially during the final battle, the battles were not impossible. The heroes had a lot of resources and options, as far as tactics and also choosing battles. Expecting to win a battle designed for a full party with half is not realistic. And I agree, battles (and quests) should be fail-able.

Sometimes the plot was a bit hard to follow, with all the characters and sub-plots over the five quests, but those are my only gripes. Overall, like Legonater said, a bittersweet ending to the arc. Well done Zeph.

As for the heroes involved, I have to say this has been a really good party dynamic. It was interesting to see each character's different point of view on this "chaos", including those with little or no opinion at all. Everyone did an excellent job, but I'd like to say that I especially enjoyed Hoke, Dyric, and Thothwick. Both Hoke and Dyric have developed into awesome characters in this quest. From my perspective both were the sort of quiet type, with perhaps less roleplaying involved, previous to this quest. Thothwick was really great to see, too, since he seemed to be the most removed from the issues of chaos and gray and whatnot, and the least affected. He kept his usual cheery temperament for the most part, which added a good aspect to the party dynamic.

[Zepher]

Still working on character critiques, but will respond to a few things.

I did feel a little betrayed that Felton was always scripted to die. I picked him over Hans because he was the one I'd miss most, but if I had seen foreshadowing that Felton was plot-essential, I would have saved Hans instead.

The ending was also a lot "quieter" than I had expected--this isn't a good or bad thing, but I've learned again not to make ANY predictions around you.

I may just be stupid and missing stuff, but was there any foreshadowing for this? (Aside from him living after being KO'd in the Observatory fight--I'm kicking myself for not noticing that before.)

Mallelio definitely needs a Quest in which he actually does something useful for the Heroes, rather than being saved by them--he reminds me a lot of Princess Peach, and I loathe her as a character in most of the Mario games. At the very least, it'd be nice to see Mallelio score a few kills before he's kidnapped by Bowser again. In general, I think I prefer NPCs when we don't have to constantly make sure they're not going to die on us. That may just be my own pet peeve, though.

Is Hans supposed to be on that list? Or do you mean we'll get to meet people who knew Hans...?

You. EXCEL. At improvisation.

The best parts of EVERY Quest you have EVER run are all parts where neither you nor your players knew exactly what they were doing, but you ran with it anyway (CM's side-Quest in 7 and its effect on the main team, Wren's odd love for Cronk, Wren herself (gender-wise), the side-Quests in 30, the character RP in 38, Zane, XX, and Everyman in 53, and the side-Quests with me and, from the sound of it, Pandora in 53). This is where you shine as a QM. Show me more of that, and I will always dive right in with you.

Lots of stuff to respond to:

Felton was always scripted to die because he was the antithesis of Wren. I will actually make a longer post explaining how I came up with his ending, but no, there were NO HINTS. Purposely. He just was going to die. It was not something you could control, or know about. I'm interested that no one has talked about that twist. Felton was a Chaos Beast. What do people think about that as a story device? How does that make you feel?

If there were hints, they are these: Felton and Hans both have by far the least "back story" of all the NPCs I created. Felton never mentions really interacting with people or things before the Arena, only alluding to vague back story. The Chaos Replica of him in Haddon proved it could be done. It also explains why he was so rattled from that point on in the quests: he saw the heroes cut down a Replica just for being not "real". His distrust of the Gray Wizard, a different God than his own, also stemmed from that.

Mallelio isn't a fighter, really. He's a teacher. He came because he likes you guys, but taking him into combat isn't good for his health. He rallied the Dragon Knights for the end of the Drakencourt, and helped expel Emperor Brunt, but he's really not a fighter, you're right. You're not supposed to like him for that.

Hans was added to that list before he died. He will not reappear. XX, Poletad, Vipera, Zane and Everyman are the five who will do important things in future quests, most likely.

Improvisation is impossible while I'm at college. Improvising is important, planned story is important. I try to keep a healthy mix. Thank you for the feedback, Flipz!

I was re-reading the Lost Party when I stumbled on this:

That puts whatever Vonnetate did to her in a really, really creepy light.

I put thought into things. There is a reason he had to split her in half.

If you had sent us to stop baddies from stealing ingredients from a certain location that would have seemed more realistic than a dozen dimensional rifts opening up all across the city that no one had ever seemed to notice before. The ending seemed a little anti-climatic with Wren and Felton walking off into the distance, but it’s your story and you have the right to end it like you want. The Regret stuff was really poignant and gut-wrenching as well, so congratulations for a well played scene. All together you can pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

I did try to throw in the Master of Regret and The Court of Demon detours to help break it up, along with the Mallelio and Triad saving phase, but yes, too many spires, agreed.

It was anti-climatic on purpose. Wren was a complex villain (I know others disagree, but I find her to be). She is racked with inner conflict and, ironically, chaos. She really just is obsessed and deranged with the idea of seeing this beauty she has found in the world forever. I wanted to leave it open - does she get to see the beauty forever? Where did she disappear to? Is it death? Is she in the realm of Chaos now? Is she happy? Is she sad? That's for you to decide. Death would be too easy for both her and Felton.

Sometimes the plot was a bit hard to follow, with all the characters and sub-plots over the five quests, but those are my only gripes. Overall, like Legonater said, a bittersweet ending to the arc. Well done Zeph.

I agree. I think a rereading of the quests as a whole now would answer a lot of questions for some people, but who has time for that. I wanted to include everything. I tried to have NPCs reference past events when they were relevant to help everyone keep track of things, but I agree, it was confusing at points. Thanks for the feedback and praise, JimBee!!

[The Legonater]

Felton was always scripted to die because he was the antithesis of Wren. I will actually make a longer post explaining how I came up with his ending, but no, there were NO HINTS. Purposely. He just was going to die. It was not something you could control, or know about. I'm interested that no one has talked about that twist. Felton was a Chaos Beast. What do people think about that as a story device? How does that make you feel?

To me, it wasn't really a huge sort of 'I am your father' revelation as it was the sort of revelation that kind of sparks a reaction of 'ah. Well, that makes sense.' Because as you've said, we don't know much of Felton except that he has some sort of connection with Wren. Even while he lay bruised and battered in the cells of Dastan, we didn't learn a whole lot about him. As Poletad said, he's a character of the present.

Hans was added to that list before he died. He will not reappear. XX, Poletad, Vipera, Zane and Everyman are the five who will do important things in future quests, most likely.

Aw, I was excited there for a second. If I could make any request, it'd be that McColt show up in the future, particularly if Dyric's on that quest - McColt's the character I feel Dyric's the most connected to, due to their both growing up in the High Kingdoms. It'd be nice to see a reunion of sorts between them.

[Flipz]

Improvisation is impossible while I'm at college.

I have to disagree. Look at the Q38 roleplay sequence. Not a scrap of photography (well, aside from the universal character portraits), but still one of the best moments in both your Quests and in Heroica in general. Don't sell yourself short, Zeph.

[Pandora]

I will have more to say at some point, just unfortunately not right now. What I would like to say though is thank you Zepher!

I really enjoyed this quest, the story was fantastic and the characters you bring to life are so much fun to interact with. The battles were challenging, but for a Wren finale that was to be expected. Anyway, more later, but I wanted to heap some praise on you and say thank you again for having Nyx along. To all the players too, it was great questing with you all (some of you again), and again I'm sure I'll have more to say.

Just don’t assault your loving QM next time.

I'm really sorry you felt that way, and I hope I didn't contribute to that. We know you love us, and we also know you wanted to make it a challenge, which as I've said is fair enough.

I just hope you know that we love you too!

Nyx/Pandora: As my fellow 2^nd in command, you also performed marvelously in taking charge of situations both in and out of battle. Your interactions with XX are some of my favorite parts in the entirety of the quest.

Yet again, I'll say more later, but I wanted to say thank you for this. You are a great player to quest with, and Nyx has certainly developed a lot of affection for Skrall (very much in the same way as she had/has for Cronk too; it's not a romantic thing before Skrall makes a run for it! ) so your words here mean a lot to me. Thank you.

[Masked Builder]

Only Negative Group Feedback – I was told that NEARLY every battle on this quest was impossible. They were not, it turns out. Heroes are tougher than you think – it bothered me particularly when you complained before even trying the battle. It started with the first round of meeting the Court, where you didn’t follow my suggestion and still won 2/3 battles and came close to winning the third. It happened for a number of other battles after that. How many times did you guys lose a battle after that?! Nearly never. QMs will get tougher, because you have gotten tougher. This was meant to be a challenging quest, but you should all feel accomplished now that it’s over, because you actually beat some challenging battles. This made this quest genuinely unpleasant to host at times, something I’ve never experienced before in Heroica, and something I hope to never experience again. Just don’t assault your loving QM next time.

Ignore all of the complainers. You did a wonderful job. I know I am never going to host 16 rather high level characters! Thanks for the awesome quest Zeph!

Alexis/Masked Builder: Quiet Elf maiden who shoots enemies from afar. Not breaking any stereotypes are we? I know you didn’t role-play as much as some of the other characters, but I really think you had something going with Alexis being so fickle between her lovers. Keep up that storyline and I think it can really shine. Otherwise, it was great to have a second assassin along for the ride, though it would have been more helpful before the “immune to instant kill” enemies started becoming more common.

Nope. Yeah that was a lack of effort on my part. I think I could have been much better this quest. Not really sure why I lost heart half-way through the quest. Oh yeah, I've got lots more planned for that. Trust me it will get good.

[UsernameMDM]

Thanks for the EPIC quest Zeph!

[Scorpiox]

I'd like to join in saying a huge thank you to Zepher for taking me on this quest and previous in the series, it was truly brilliant in both gameplay and writing standards.

[Sandy]

I also want to thank you for your contributions to Heroica RPG, Zepher - and may they continue aplenty in the coming years! Sometimes I wish your storylines were more interconnected with mine, but mostly I'm glad they aren't - they make the world that much richer when everything doesn't revolve around Eubric Freeport and its deranged citizens. This last quest in the storyline had pleasingly many ties to the precrafted world, though - not just to my quests but also those of others.

The little interludes were a wonderful addition, although not all of them were really connected to the on-going quest. I hoped you like the connection I made with my interlude, anyway. I have big plans for Baba, and I look up to Wren as inspiration in writing her. Baba is no doubt a villainess with immense power, but I hope to bring depth and purpose to her, just like you did with Wren.

So, a job well done, my friend, and congratulations to all the players for making out alive from such a challenging quest. I know I personally wouldn't have allowed Ellaria to just die permanently, not with so much story left to tell about her, but I admire those of you who were willing to take that chance.

A party of 16 is too much, it was hard to memorize all your traits, abilities, and artifacts.

Yet you continuously insist on having humongous parties, despite all my advices. You only have yourself to blame.

[Endgame]

...Aw, crap.

Zepher, most of what needs to said has been said: That was an amazing quest. Some variation to the spires would be great (perhaps make some puzzles/puzzle battles?), but the story-telling in the quest was superb. I believe making Wren female was probably the best bit of improvisation in the entire saga - it allowed a flighty personality that really made the Dark Lady a lovable, yet hate-able, villain. Wren probably is the best villain Heroica has had to offer, and it is indeed a bit bittersweet to see her go.

Maybe it is just because you and I are both QM sadists, but I didn't see the issues others had with your fights. The only question I have for you is: why lock them in so rigidly?

I'm very curious to see what each of the spires did exactly, if you're willing to share.

Once again, excellent quest, Zepher. :thumbup:

[CorneliusMurdock]

Zepher, this quest was amazing. The plot was superb, the battles challenging and, as always, your characters shone. I can't say enough about how thankful I am to have been a part of this. It was a great conclusion to the Wren Saga. Thank you so much for doing all the hard work of QMing so that we could experience it.

This was a stressful quest to be a party leader. There were so many PCs and NPCs to keep track of, many of which seemed to have little angels of death hovering over them. The party split up so many times and it was tough to figure out who to send where. And I constantly worried that I made the wrong decision each time.

I'm sorry if we complained too much and that it made things more stressful for you. I assure you, I didn't mean to make you feel bad in the slightest. Especially in the last battle it seemed like the battle kept being determined by luck (or lack thereof) rather than strategy. In the context of the story's plot, that was awesome. It just got a little overwhelming at times. I'm really proud of us as a team that we were able claim victory and the difficulty makes it all the more sweeter.

Your battles really forced us to really think and use the strengths of the party. Sure, we were defending a lot of spires, but it didn't seem all that repetitive to me since the unique enemies and mixing up the sub-parties helped keep it fresh.

Player Feedback:

Pandora and WBD- Thanks for being my back-ups. It made it much easier to let the party split up when I knew I could count on you two to keep your parties cohesive. You were both quite awesome. I love Nyx and Skrall so much and I cherish every opportunity to quest with them.

Pandora- I can't say enough nice things about Nyx this quest. The RP was superb, especially her interactions with XX and the way she is with both Cronk and Atramor.

WBD- When I found out (by accident) that you'd put in for perma-death, I cringed every time Skrall was KO'd. My greatest fear in the final battle was that he'd fall and then someone else would finish off Wren before we could revive him. Not that I had any choice in letting you take on Wren almost single-handedly. I really don't know how we could have won that battle without Skrall.

Masked- You were really great in sharing a lot of your equipment. I think you could have been a little more present during bits of the quest but you were there when needed. A little stoicism is good for a character sometimes.

CMP- It's always a pleasure to quest with you. You're an asset to any party you're in and you helped a lot with strategizing. My only advice is not to KO half the party by accident again.

Scorpiox- I think your character progressed nicely this quest. And you didn't KO any of us this quest. I love that Arthur is now dead to Haldor.

Prof. Flitwick- I think you had some really good moments this quest. I loved the interplay with Atramor. I also like the direction you've taken in being a "Black Knight". Thothwick is still Thothwick no matter what class he is and that's nice.

Legonator- Take that pile of gold you earned and invest in some SP. You were great this quest but you need to be able to take a hit. You got us through some tough spots, though.

UsernameMDM- I love when Hoke gets to interact with Vipera. There's a nice tenderness there and it really shows us a good side of Hoke.

Flipz- Yes, I saved you for last. There were times on this quest that you were a real pain in the butt. There were a lot of us on this quest and I feel that some other characters missed out on RP opportunities because Arthur was being Arthur. There were times, too, that I thought you were really trying to press Cronk's buttons.

That being said, you are excellent at optimizing the party for battle. And your analysis whenever the party had to split up really helped. Your strategies, while not the only ways to win battles, are normally pretty sound.

One last thing for you and Masked... the relationship between Arthur and Alexis just seems forced to me. Or at least rushed. Take your time with it. It'll seem more real when it's earned.

[UsernameMDM]

Again Zeph, thanks for the quest!

Story: It was great! Loved how expansive it was, and that it will branch out and continue to grow. The characters are good and well thought out. I would have enjoyed them more if I kept up with other quest, but I try to separate in game knowledge with out of game knowledge (I try to only know what Hoke knows). I thought it was fun having the group of NPCs fight alongside with the party. I don't know if the quest would have been won without VIpera and McColt.

Action: For the most part, I liked it, but agree with others that it was kind of repetitive with the spires. But then again, there were a lot of spires to shut down. What would have been cool I think is that if these spires appeared once in previous Wren quests. Looking forward to seeing what spires did what and how they influenced the final battle.

Mechanics: As frustrating as some of the mechanics were, I think it all worked out well. Tough bosses should be tough to fight. The active and passive specials were intriguing and challenging and required an extra depth to strategy. I am interested to see all of the Wren battle mechanics.

Players:

Cronk - I do not envy you. You had a tough job, and you handled it well. Hoke looks forward to joining Cronk in battle again soon!

Nyx - Good side-quest! Your dedication to the character, down the the flirty/girly actions, is really good.

Skrall - Enjoyed questing with Skrall again. Gah that you wanted perma-KO! Skrall handled a lot of the damage on this quest, and Hoke was glad he game along.

Atramor - Kinda missed the chicken. Good job of staying in character, and thanks for the strategies!

Thothwick - Enjoyed the tension between you and the other PCs. Wished to see you get to roleplay a SHIELD skill roll for the black knight.

Haldor - MUCH BETTER THAN QUEST 19! Haha. Again, laughing with you, not at you. Really enjoying the nordic intensity of Haldor.

Alexis - Not much from your character this go round. I agree the relationship with Arthur needs to be worked out a bit more.

Dyric - Stay alive. Keep working on the character. You stick to your back story to the T and look forward to how Dyric develops.

Arthur - See relationship suggestion. Give others time to RP. GREAT strategies! Looking forward to seeing how Arthur's character progresses now that his goddess tried to kill him.

Self Critique: Would love to RP more, but I tend to do so through narration and not through conversation. I will try to work on that in the next quest. I've tried to a few funny quips in here and there to show a lighter side of Hoke. What I really want to do is RP more with Vipera. Hopefully I can get on a quest with her again. Trying to balance out the fact that Vipera is a sentient being, soon to be a monstrous nightmare to her enemies and not a pet lizard.

Thanks for the FUN quest! Look forward to questing with ANY of you soon!

Edited March 28, 2013 by UsernameMDM

[PsyKater]

Is it yet revealed who opted in for perma-death?

[Flipz]

Is it yet revealed who opted in for perma-death?

I know Skrall (WBD) did, since he's stated many times that he's got backup characters. I also came VERY close to opting-in for Arthur (several times, actually), but ultimately decided not to.

As for my own speculation: I'm pretty sure Cronk (CM), Nyx (Pandora), and possibly Haldor (Scorpiox) also opted-in. I know for certain that Alexis (Masked Builder), Dyric (The Legonater), and Atramor (CallMePie) did not.

Edited March 28, 2013 by Flipz

[UsernameMDM]

I know Skrall (WBD) did, since he's stated many times that he's got backup characters. I also came VERY close to opting-in for Arthur (several times, actually), but ultimately decided not to.

As for my own speculation: I'm pretty sure Cronk (CM), Nyx (Pandora), and possibly Haldor (Scorpiox) also opted-in. I know for certain that Alexis (Masked Builder), Dyric (The Legonater), and Atramor (CallMePie) did not.

What about Hoke?

[The Legonater]

I know Skrall (WBD) did, since he's stated many times that he's got backup characters. I also came VERY close to opting-in for Arthur (several times, actually), but ultimately decided not to.

As for my own speculation: I'm pretty sure Cronk (CM), Nyx (Pandora), and possibly Haldor (Scorpiox) also opted-in. I know for certain that Alexis (Masked Builder), Dyric (The Legonater), and Atramor (CallMePie) did not.

With your penchant for roleplaying, I was very scared that you had opted in, and was determined to keep Arthur alive.

Yeah, I decided not to risk killing of Dyric, I feel he still has a lot of development to be had. He did have his near-death experience though, so that will be interesting to play out.

[Flipz]

With your penchant for roleplaying, I was very scared that you had opted in, and was determined to keep Arthur alive.

I'm not going to lie, I was about this close to, when Thothwick checked Arthur's pulse, telling him there was none. There's a reason it took me two whole days to finally post. The thing that finally tipped the scales was that I could never recreate Arthur's family tie to the Zeigfrieds or his relationships with Dyric, De'kra, and Knyghton, and that I did not have a new character I could use at the time (though I have taken the time to flesh out a replacement now should I ever need one).

[Zepher]

Thank you for your continuously kind words all. I am happy that a story that I so enjoyed telling was enjoyed by others.

I have a few more notes. a) None of you complained too much alone. With a party of ten if you all complain about 2 of the 10+ battles, that's about 20 complaints. So, it was none of your faults, just got to be a lot of complaints over all. Don't feel guilty! I was just trying to spare future QMs. b) A quick final story from my point of view: I rarely think about the quest when I'm out and about (well, not rarely, but not too heavily). The Felton as a Chaos Beast Demon was something I purposely didn't figure out for a long time, because I wanted to write it as if he were normal. I stumbled upon the idea early in Quest 19 (he WAS always meant to die, but only then did he become a possible Chaos Beast). The idea was to give the false Felton a long dying speech, saying he too had thoughts and feelings, even if he was just a creation. I scraped that due to time and story structure, but the idea appealed and I sort of transferred it over as a possibility for the real Felton. But I kept it up in the air. About two days ago, the day before I wrote that final Wren post, I sat down to lunch with friends, and my head just suddenly said: Felton HAS to be a Chaos Beast. And so he was.

Player Critique

Cronk – I didn’t originally plan to make you a PL (Skrall was my original choice for the job), but you were the one who spoke to Bennetton, and since he got to pick, he picked you. I’m so happy he did. You and Wren go way back (you were the first person to fight a Chaos Beast). I’m glad Cronk is in this game. He is unique and genius, and really genuine. He’s got pain and he’s still funny and loving and has real true morals. I maintain that you are one of the best players out there. What’s more, you really follow the story. Cronk appears sometimes to be a bit simple, but you are not (I’ve given you this note before) and it makes me so happy that someone as smart as you puts in the time to following these crazy stories I think up. Your strategy of using your high SP to fight long battles safely from the back row was very sound. A Paladin with counter-strike could survive this way alone for a long time. I also don’t know if you know this, but you are the reason Chaos Beasts exist. You fought the first one back in the side-quest I hastily threw together for you at the end of Quest 7 so you’d have something to do. All in all, I think Wren and Cronk had a long and successful relationship, and I’m thankful you came along for so much of it.

Nyx – I have a problem hosting both you and Cronk. I am INCREDIBLY affectionate towards your two characters… and I finally noticed this quest how much it bled over to the NPCs. Poletad idolizes you, Felton and Hans trust you, XX and you have your thing- I was in the middle of writing praise for you from Zane when I deleted it because I just thought it was too overwhelming (if you go back and read the post where he says he’s not surprised Zee beat you… that was originally the other way around). Not EVERYONE can like Nyx. That being said, I love her. You are smart and original (much of my praise for Cronk can be applied to you, and vice versa). You follow the storyline and remember your relationships with my massive host of NPCs. It is LOVELY to host you. I will try to warn you when XX is back, but fear not, he’ll return more than once. I’m sorry things ended rockily between the two of you, but isn’t it more exciting this way than a perfect love story? I also think Nyx may be the character I most often forget to deduct ether from… *shrug*

Atramor – The praise for my crew has got to keep on coming, right? Atramor, gotta love this fellow. He’s a good person to give the group an edge. I’ll still always remember the time he got Tarn to throw the Bomb XX, it remains one of the grandest moments in Heroica history in my mind. But, onto this quest. Between squabbles with Thothwick, standing strong in the cemetery with Thothwick, going to save Triad, scaling the side of a tower after watching a murder, fighting the Court of Demons, battling your demonic chicken… Atramor just does epic stuff. He just does. I think Atramor somehow got some of the greatest battles and moments in the quest- you said that you kept seeing NPCs dying, and that’s because some how you kept being given the pivotal quest moments. CallMePie, I fully expect to host and quest with Atramor way more. Final piece of praise while I have you: your story with that chicken demon of your’s is the BEST PACED side story in Heroica- it is still being revealed, but is not AT ALL intrusive EVER. It’s literally the perfect example.

Thothwick – Thothwick is a great character. His politeness is a perfect choice in comparison to some of the other characters. He’s just a mild-mannered ape trying to make his way through this world, doing the best he can. Sometimes you seem to get a little quiet, but I figure it sort of fits his personality. I’d like a FEW more reactions out of you, and a FEW more references to Hoptet, but other than that, you’re always a great player. You make many references to previous quests: my favorite moments for you were the battle with Atramor against Zee, and EVERYTHING once you got into the temple itself. I also enjoyed the number of times you rolled Hide. It’s a kind of silly ability to roll that many times in most cases, but it helped you out a lot in the final battle. I want to take Thothwick on more quests some time, see if I can’t push his buttons more in a smaller group setting.

Alexis – Very quiet this time around. I think that you are a pretty good roleplayer, and as I’ve said in the past I don’t mind quieter characters (Thothwick and Hoke are both relatively quiet, generally, and I love them). It didn’t seem so much a choice for you though; so much as you just didn’t have much to say. I liked the switch to Assassin, but I advise trying to not do planned roleplaying, and just see where the story takes you. I don’t know. When you do roleplay, it’s always a good time. As for your relationship with Arthur: here’s my advice. I have a stinking suspicion that Flipz thought it up :P. That’s fine and good, but take it into your own hands now. How does Alexis really feel about Arthur. I’d actually advise you and Flipz to plan less and allow for more natural interactions. Glad to have you along as always, hope you made enough gold!

Haldor – One of the MANY characters who have blossomed over time. Everyone compares Haldor to Haldor of Quest 19. I also prefer this Haldor better, but I don’t think we need to discount the other Haldor. Haldor has just grown up. He was once a flirty, macho young man, and a year in Heroica has turned him stoic. He’s just aged quickly. I think it could be something fun to play with. Let him still let his juvenile side poke through time to time, but let his stoic side always win out. Haldor is wise, strong, Nordic… I love everything he does. He reacts very well, has strong convictions about other characters, and really is powerful now. He is turning into a great leader, but allow those past sillier interactions still be weaknesses. Great, great job. I hope to have you along again soon.

Skrall – What to say? Skrall is way up there on my favorite characters list. He is outrageously unique, very sad but not in the same tragic past way that most of the character have. He’s just, old. He reminds me of a more gung-ho King Lear or a less delusional Willy (Death of a Salesmen). He just is dried up. He doesn’t know what to do with himself except to keep doing something. It’s very sad, very convincing, very normal. I’m sorry that Wren didn’t give him a direction, but I keep rooting for him to find a direction. Maybe I’ll design a quest for him. He’s one of the characters I really want to host a private quest for. I think it was extremely fitting that you killed Wren. There was something about you and her that clashed. I think it was Skrall’s noble sadness and sadness- it doesn’t seem it, but it is sort of the antithesis of her reckless passion and love for the world. Your philosophy on roleplaying is my favorite as well. Just play your part, let the story effect you and let yourself effect the story, but don’t steal the spotlight. You follow your own advice superbly.

Hoke – Hoke is quiet. I love it. I’ve given you the same notes (post-19) but really, he is just a simple man. I think it’s required that we have some of those. That being said, he really blossomed this quest. He can be simple and still have convictions. He has a real love for Vipera that is a really interesting character choice. He likewise sees the world very black and white: bad dies no matter what their reason for evil is. I love that too. I’m so so so glad that you came back for this quest, and hope that you’ll stick around again!

Arthur – Arthur is a roleplay based character, and it shows. You’re very dedicated, and I love it. As others have stated, you sometimes end up stealing the spotlight a bit. I think Skrall put it best: just see how the story affects you, and react. My main advice to you is actually this: don’t plan ahead. At all, really. Not with other players, not with the QM- just see where the story goes, and see how Arthur reacts. Don’t write out long posts, just respond with small responses, and then see what people say, and respond again. That being said, you had same great moments. You interacted with Chaos often and well. Your change of heart when Wren hit you over the head was perfect. I would tell you to play off of it… but I don’t feel the need to, because I know you will. Finally, like I said: you saved me this quest. Well, ruined me first with all the trades, but then saved me by helping me out with them. The players of this quest owe you a huge debt.

Dyric – Last but certainly not least. Everything you did this quest was superb. Dyric grew, roleplayed a lot, responded well, played nice with others (NPC and PC alike), made friends, made enemies, made convictions, maintained his backstory, factored in past events and current events… the list goes on and on. You were one of my favorite parts of this quest. I’m interested to see where your relationships take you, and where these events lead Dyric. Thank you so much for being such a great player.

The Monster Quest Notes

Please note, some things have indeed changed. You can also see that I wrote many of these notes before the Lost Party was written, because my cast list still lists Triad and Bal as "Ranger" and "Rogue" and Bennetton hadn't received a name yet.

CAST OF FINAL WREN QUEST

Allies

Hans

McColt

Felton

Poletad

Vipera

Phil

Gray Wizard

Ranger

Rogue

Mallelio

Johnny Everyman

Lieutenant

Cadet Gnash

Enemies

Wren

Vonnetate

Sphinx

XX

Court of Demons (5)

Party

-Party

-Poletad, Hans, Felton, McColt, Vipera, Phil, Mallelio

Intro

McColt, Felton, Hans, Poletad, and the remainder of the Lost Party arrive in Eubric, hot on Wren’s trail. They meet up with Johnny Everyman, who has secured them a meeting with a Lt. of the city guard. The Gray Wizard departs to talk to Byblos and figure out Wren’s plan, while the others advance to the Town Watch Garrison. The Lt. refuses to help at first, focusing efforts instead on a group of men called Mephisto’s Fist. A Bomb XX is brought in by a suicidal Pongcanis, and the blast is absorbed by Bal, killing him. Felton paints the situation vividly, and the Lt. agrees to help.

[interlude by JimBee]

Phase 1 (Hans, McColt, Poletad, Triad, Lt., Recruit)

The Gray Wizard informs the heroes that he has figured out Wren’s plan. Below the city is an ancient temple to Zoot. Scattered throughout the city are a series of spires of the temple, which poke through the surface. Wren is trying to pour chaos into these spires, as it will make Zoot’s entrance into the world stronger and better. The Gray Wizard enlists’ Felton’s help try to figure out where the other spires are, and sends the party with a huge entourage off to the first spire. Johnny Everyman tells the heroes he will stick by the Lt. for fear that the enemy will be over-whelming. The Lt. prepares to send troops to warn the houses and tell citizens to remain indoors.

Spire A – Hopefully defeated. [Triad Park]

Party v. 6 Chaos Beasts

Walking Back Talks – McColt (Hoke, Dyric, Skrall) Bennetton (Cronk, Nyx) Hans (Alexis, Arthur) Gnash (Thothwick, Haldor) Triad (Atramor)

[interlude by Rumble Strike]

Phase 2 (Hans, Poletad, McColt, Recruit, Phil)

Mallelio, Phil and Vipera arrive. Vipera sends a message via her normal means, alerting the heroes that she has arrived and they have found four more spires. Mallelio goes to protect one that they don’t think Wren even knows about (Sycamore hid them), and the Ranger goes to protect another. The heroes are asked to choose between the last two – attack one of them, or attack them both with split forces. Phil also promises to make his way to their position, and Everyman is sent to guide him. The Recruit forces Bennetton to go back to base.

Spire B – +5 SP [Hinckwell Store]

Party + 2 Town Guard v. 2 Pongcanis Archers, 2 Pongcanis Warrior, 2 Pongcanis Clerics

Spire C - +250 Health [shrine to Mercutio]

Party v. 2 Bombsters, 10 Chimera Guards

[interlude by Endgame]

Phase 3 (Felton, Poletad, McColt, Phil)

Phil and Everyman join the heroes, and Vipera calls out three more spires.

Spire D - +15 Level [Apothecary]

Party v. Zane, 4 Experts

Spire E - +250 Health [The Hovels]

Heroes + Gnash v. Zander, Magician, 2 Masters, 4 Apprentices

Spire F - +5 SP [The Cemetery]

Party v. Zee, 6 Ancient Dead, 4 Recent Dead

Each Spire will have a different member of the renegade Court of Demons, a small four-person cult started by people who have seen Chaos in Eubric and elsewhere. It is revealed that THEY know the entrance to the Temple. The Gray Wizard says that he knows an informant who will know where they are. He takes the heroes to them, leaving the rest in the ramshackle place they’ve set up base.

[interlude by Etzel]

Phase 4 (Gray Wizard, Vipera, Felton)

The heroes delve into Gray Wizard’s past…. Yata yata find informant. Lt., Everyman, and McColt go to hunt down the Court.

[interlude by Russel]

Phase 5 (Vipera, Gray Wizard, Felton [Mallelio/Ranger])

The Captain Bennetton, McColt, Gnash and Johnny Everyman go to prepare a raid on the gang’s lair. Vipera reports with dread that the heroes have reached a terrible place in their quest. Wren has made her movement known, for a change, and is marching on the spires that house Mallelio and the Ranger, along with one of the four main spires. The heroes must decide which to save, and Vipera warns that splitting troops will probably not work this time.

Spire G – +250 Health [south Tower]

Party + Triad v. 2 Chaos Beasts, 4 Pongcanis Archers, 4 Pongcanis Warriors

Spire H - +15 Level [Observatory]

Party + Mallelio v. 3 Bombsters, 10 Chimera Guards, 2 Chaos Beasts

Spire I - Spire I – Gives Lucky Effect [Edge of Guffington Manor]

Party v. 8 Chimera Guards, 4 Archers, 2 Clerics

[Mallelio and/or Ranger are sent back to the Gray Wizard to be healed.]

[interlude by Scuba]

Phase 6 (Poletad, Hans, Phil, Vipera [McColt, Lt., Everyman])

Vipera now tells the heroes that McColt, Everyman, and the Lt. have been jumped themselves. Wren has betrayed them, meeting with the leader before they could stop him. Wren has used the opportunity to send XX to another of the main spires, and a few Chimera guards to minor ones. The heroes must pick who to go face. Vipera cautions against attacking XX AND facing the Court, saying the forces will be too thin-spread.

Court

Party + Gnash, McColt v. Mis, Magician (1/2 health) 4 Apprentices, 3 Experts, 2 Masters

Spire J - Gives Hastened Effect [The Sewers]

Party v. 3 Pongcanis Warriors, 2 Pongcanis Clerics

Spire K - Gives Immunity to Blinded and Hexed [The Sewers]

Party v. 4 Chaos Beasts

Spire L - Gives Immunity to Stunned and Sealed [The Sewers]

Party v. XX, 2 Bombsters, 10 Chimera Guards

[if not saved at the Court, the Lt., McColt, and Gnash are killed. If saved, the Lt. dies anyway, and Everyman flees, wishing the heroes luck.]

[interlude by BD]

Phase 7 (Poletad, Hans, Phil [McColt, Triad])

[if still alive, Triad rejoins the party.]

XX visits the heroes and wishes them luck, explaining his job is done and he is fleeing the city. He tells them the location of three minor remaining spires, and two major remaining ones. He also tells them that Vonnetate’s Pongcanis’ are marching on one, and the surviving Fist members is leading a group of Cultists on the other. He tells them, finally, that Wren did not tell him the entrance’s location, or he’d tell them. He then flees.

Felton and the Gray Wizard grow terrified that they are out of options. They decide instead to only research the entrance to the Temple, so they will be able to ascend and fight Zoot where he appears.

Spire M v. 3 Chaos Beasts

Spire N v. 9 Chimera Guards

Spire O v. 4 Apprentices, 2 Experts

Spire P v. Vonnetate, 2 Pongcanis Clerics, 2 Pongcanis Warriors, 2 Pongcanis Archer

Spire Q v. Surviving Court Members, 2 Experts, 4 Apprentices

Phase 8 (Felton, Vipera, Hans, Poletad, Phil, [McColt, Triad, Mallelio])

The heroes have gathered the entrance to the Temple of Zoot is in the sewers, and so go there. They run into Donny Dozenhands, who has made short work of the Chaos Beasts, but tells the heroes that the Gray Wizard has been taken by Wren. The whole gang meets up and marches on the temple, only to be greeted by a host of Chaos Beasts.

Party v. Supreme Chaos Beast of Life, Supreme Chaos Beast, 2 Master Chaos Beasts, 6 Chaos Beasts

Phase 9 (All Surviving)

The heroes ascend into the temple of Zoot and fight the Chaos Beasts, Sphinx, Wren, and Zoot himself, in the body of the Gray Wizard.

Party v. Sphinx, Wren, Chaos, 4 Chaos Beasts

Conclusion

A void rips open and Zoot begins to stretch his hand out. Chaos starts to pour through, but Felton plunges forward and breaks the spell by tossing himself and Wren into the void. The heroes emerge victorious. All surviving NPCs go their separate ways

[interlude by Gufington]

Court of Demons [Court of Demons] (+2 City Watch)

Spire M - +15 Level [Embassy] (+1 Lion Knight)

Spire N - +5 SP [The Docks]

Spire O - +250 Health [Glassblowers]

Spire P – Gives Passive Special “Brute Force” (Vonnetate) [The Fishmarket]

Spire Q – Gives Passive Special “Eye of the Gods” (Court of Demon Members) [Paladin Shrine] (+2 4^th Battalion Forces)

Allies

City Watch Guard

Base Health: 14

Weapons: Daggers, Longswords, Greatswords, Throwing Daggers

Job Trait: Strength in Numbers – Receives a +2 bonus to attack before multipliers for every other City Watch Guard in the battle.

Shield: Guarding the Guards – Any free hits delivered to the Guard next round are null. Also, deals damage equal to their power.

All other attacks function normally (Critical Hit is Critical Hit, Damage is Damage, etc.)

Frog Paladin

Base Health: 1

Weapons: None

Fighting Style: Honorable – Outside of combat, Frog Paladins may gift ether or health to other players. For every 1 ether/health gifted, the receiver gains 2 ether/health.

Shield: Croak –

Critical Hit: Deals damage equal to three times his level.

Hit: Deal damage equal to power.

Miss: Ribbit – Restores ether to the party equal to ¼ his level.

Damage: Takes damage equal to the enemy’s level.

Special Damage: Hip-Hop – Has a 2/3 chance of avoiding the foe’s special damage.

Chaos Regulators

* Additional Health: +12

* Job Trait(s): See Below

* Battle Style: Chaos Defenders are deeply troubled by the force they are sworn to fight, and so switch between Chaos and Order.

*Weapons: Axes, Daggers, Greatswords, Hammers, Longswords, Staves, Shields

ORDERED: Job Trait – Order: Deals Light Elemental Damage, Diplomacy: Defenders often times must work with others to stop chaos. Calculating Mind: The Chaos Defender may use 1 item in addition to other actions in the first round of each battle.

1. SHIELD: Internal Conflict – The Chaos Defender goes through inner conflict, changing their battle style. They become Chaotic. While making the change, the Chaos Defender halves their opponent’s current health.

2. RALLY: The Defender attacks the enemy with a power equal to their weapon power added to their level. The party rallies and are safe from free hits the remainder of the round.

3. HIT: The Chaos Defender attacks the target with strength equal to their weapon power added to their level.

4. OPTIMISM: The Chaos Defender is safe from free hits the remainder of the round.

5. DEFENDED DAMAGE: The Defender takes damage equal to the enemy’s level minus the Defender's SP.

6. SPECIAL DAMAGE: The Chaos Defender is struck by its opponent’s special skill and takes damage minus the Defender's SP.

CHAOTIC: Job Trait – Order: Deals Darkness Elemental Damage. Intimidation: Chaos Defenders can scare others into helping them to prevent chaos. Wild Mind: The Chaos Defender may deal a free unblock-able hit (equal to WP+Lvl) to one enemy in the first round of each battle in addition to other actions.

1. SHIELD: Internal Conflict – The Chaos Defender goes through inner conflict, changing their battle style. They become Orderly. While making the change, the Chaos Defender brings the opponent to half of their current health.

2. CHAOTIC STRIKE: The Chaos Defender feints and slips past the target to hit a random enemy with strength equal to (WPx3+Level). The random enemy is not considered targeted by the Chaos Defender.

3. CRITICAL HIT: The Chaos Defender attacks the target with strength equal to (WPx2+Level).

4. PESSIMISM: The target is jinxed for the following round.

5. DEFENDED DAMAGE: The Defender takes damage equal to the enemy’s level minus the Defender’s SP.

6. SPECIAL DAMAGE: The Chaos Defender is struck by its opponent’s special skill and takes damage minus the Defender's SP.

Vipera – Every turn, has a 1/3 chance of giving target the Gift of Dragons (Lucky and Blessed Effect). Alternatively, has a 1/6 chance of Reviving target.

McColt – Every turn has a 50/50 chance of giving target any of the following effects: Encouraged, Hastened. Alternatively, has a 1/6 chance of Inspiring target.

Phil (NPC) 


Level 22 Dastanian 


Power: 37

Defense: 0


Health: 23/23


Gold: 50


Equipment: Dastan War Hammer (WP: 15; Fire, Earth)


Inventory:
 Mead x2

Shield – Strikes the enemy with a terrific hit, halving their current health.


Critical Hit – Attacks with WPx2 + Lvl

Gray Wizard

Level 27 1/3 Cleric

Power: 39


Health: 35/35 


Ether: 31/31


Gold: 0

Equipment: Old Stone Staff (WP: 12, Light Elemental)


Inventory: Tonic, Speck of Gray

Triad


Level 22 2/3 Ranger
 *Immune to Effects*

Power: 37 (43)


Health: 28/28


Gold: 0

Equipped: Acerpusculum Blade [Acerpusculum Shuriken] (WP: 15 [21, Retrievable], suitable for rangers/rouges, unable to channel magic), Cowl of the Acerpusculum (Headwear, User is Immune to Status Effects)


Inventory: None

Enemies

Bombster

Level 34 Fiery Humanoid *Immune to Burned*

Health: 350/350

Special: Slash and Scorch – Gives hero the burned and bleeding effects. Deals 8 damage to hero for remainder of battle. If healed to full health, deals 3. If remedied, deals 0.

Drops: Fire Bomb, 60 Gold

Advanced Chimera Guard

Level 20 Mechanical *Immune to Slowed and Sealed*

Health: 80/80

Special: Savage – Deals 40 damage to the hero.

Passive Special: Quick Cogs – The Chimera Guards are hastened for the first round of combat.

Drops: Nothing

Chaos Beast

Level 32 Demon

Health: 500/500

SP: 5

Special: (Determined by a second dice roll) Chaos: 1 – 20 Damage, 2 – 40 Damage, 3 – +1 Level to Self, 4 – 15 Damage to Self, 5 – 7 Damage to each Player (Regardless of row/SP), 6 – +1 WP to Hero’s Weapon

Pongcanis Cleric

Level 16 Bestial Humanoid

Health: 430/430

Ether: 4/4

Special I: Miracle - The Pongcanis Cleric restores the health of all allies by 50.

Special II: (Used if ether depleted) Meditate – Restores 1 ether.

Drops: Tonic (Staff, WP: 4) (4 Bones)

Pongacnis Archer

Level 24 Bestial Humanoid

Health: 324/324

Special: Triple Shot – The Pongacnis Archer deals 24 damage to the first three enemies in the BO.

Passive Special: Back Row – Takes ½ damage unless from ranged attack. Attacks ignore row.

Drops: 3 Gold (Precision Bow)

Pongacanis Warrior

Level 32 Bestial Humanoid

Health: 436/436

SP: 4

Special: Defensive Strike – The Ponganis Warrior deals 15 damage to all opponents and is protected from all damage the following round.

Drops: 4 Gold (Pongcanis Sword, WP: 7, Pongcanis Boots, SP: 2) (Pongcanis Brew)

Ancient Dead

Level 20 Undead

Health: 150/150

Ether: 3/3

Special I:

Special II:

Drops: Bone

Recent Dead

Level 24 Undead

Health: 215/215

Apprentice to the Court of Demons

Level 22 Dark Humanoid

Health: 156/156

Ether: 3/3

Special: Ether Drainer – Drains 3 ether from target. Costs 1 ether.

Passive Special: Lust - This Apprentice wants to prove himself. When doing damage to heroes that are of higher level than him, he will defy SP.

Drops: 4 Gold

Expert of the Court of Demons

Level 26 Dark Humanoid *Immune to Instant Kill*

Health: 305/305

Ether: 5/5

Special I: Ether Drainer – Drains 3 ether from target. Costs 1 ether.

Special II: Insane Fervor - Cuts himself multiple times to show Akkaba he’d do anything for his blessing. Enemy is encouraged for the next round at the cost of 10 health and 1 ether.

Note: Specials alternate. If ether is depleted, nothing happens.

Drops: 12 Gold, Potion

Master of the Court of Demons

Level 32 Dark Humanoid *Immune to Blind, Stunned, Sealed, Bound and Instant Kills*

Health: 464/464

Ether: 7/7

Special I: Ether Drainer – Drains 3 ether from target. Costs 1 ether.

Special II: Insane Fervor - Cuts himself multiple times to show Akkaba he’d do anything for his blessing. Enemy is encouraged for the next round at the cost of 10 health and 1 ether.


Special III: Creepy Croak - The Master gives a mighty croak, and doubles his health, at the loss of 20 health from each party member. Costs 1 ether.

Passive Special: Ether something or other (Endgame)

Note: Specials alternate. If ether is depleted, special damage will count as normal damage.

Drops: Health Core

Magician of the Court of Demons

Level 10 Humanoid *Immune to Negative Effects and Instant Kill*

Health: 800/800

Special: Ravenous Hunger – Drains 10 ether and 10 health from the hero, disregarding row/SP.

Passive Special: All AoE attacks/effects only effect the person the hero is targeting.

Drops: Ether Core, Health Core, 200 Gold

Zane, Jester to the Court

Level 32 Humanoid Demon *Lucky* *Immune to Instant Kills* *Immune to Sealed, Blinded and Jinxed*

Health: 440/440

Special: Jokes on You – Zane inflicts the cursed, fragile and jinxed effects on the hero. He also steals half of the hero’s current gold, which becomes irretrievable.

Passive Special: Taste of Your Own Medicine – Gains all boosts and immunities of anyone targeting him for the round.

Drops: Nostrum x2, Remedy x6, Jester Hat (Artifact, Headwear, Hero is immune to any one thing their target is immune to)

Zander, Prince of Power

Level 34 Electric *Hastened* *Immune to Instant Kills* *Immune to Slowed, Stunned, Sealed, Bound & Blinded*

Health: 656/656

Ether: 12/12

Special I: Electric Field – Forms an aura of electricity around Zander that causes 15 lightning-elemental damage to the next five attackers that score a hit against him. Uses two ether.

Special II: (Used if Electric Field is in effect) Electrocute – Instantly KO’s the target. Uses one ether.

Drops: x4 Lightning Bombs, x2 Topaz

Note: If ether is depleted, special damage will count as normal damage.

Zee, Queen of the Undead

Level 40 Ice *Immune Instant Kills*

Health: 520/520

Ether: 16/16

Special I: Helvetia’s Kiss – Zee deals 10 ice-elemental damage to the entire party, disregarding row and SP. This costs 1 ether.

Special II: (Used if ether is depleted) All of Hel’s Wrath – Deals 30 ice-elemental damage to entire party.

Passive Special I: Miracle of the Court – Negative effects inflicted on Zee last only one round.

Passive Special II: Undying Love – At the end of each round, at the cost of one ether, Zee revives all fallen comrades at 0 health. They become SOULLESS. They cannot again be killed until Zee dies or runs out of ether.

Passive Special III: Human Shield – All attacks directed at Zee are redirected to a random ally as long as said ally is not SOULLESS.

Drops: Phoenix Incense, Zee’s Staff (WP: 12, Successful hits deal the hexed ability except against the undead), Opal

Mephisto, King of Demons

Level 42 Ancient *Immune to Instant Kills*

Health: 980/980

SP: 10

Ether: 3/3

Special I: Soul Eater – Mephisto eats the hero’s soul. The hero is sealed until the end of the quest. Cannot be remedied, ignores immunity. Uses one ether.

Special II: Mind Eater – Mephisto eats the hero’s mind, instantly KOing them. Used if no ether remains.

Passive Special I: Miracle of the Court – Negative effects inflicted on Mephisto last only one round.

Passive Special II: Soul Sucker – All heroes targeting Mephisto lose one positive effect of their choice at the end of the round.

Drops: Amulet of the Court of Demons (Artifact, Accessory, Negative effects last only one round on user), Amethyst, Diamond, Opal

Note: If ether is depleted, Mephisto will attack normally on special damage.

Vonnetate

Level 46 Bestial Humanoid *Immune to Instant Kills*

Health: 650/650

SP: 7

Special: Backbreaker – Vonnetate breaks the hero’s back. The hero is fragile until the end of the quest. Cannot be remedied, ignores immunity.

Passive Special I: Warrior’s Might – Vonnetate pierces SP.

Passive Special II: Warrior’s Roar – All heroes targeting Vonnetate become enraged for the remainder of the battle unless remedied.

Drops: 340 Gold, Chains of the Pongcanis Chief (Artifact, Bodywear, Hero pierces SP if attacking from the front row, Enemies disregard SP if hero is in the backrow, Suitable for Rouges, Knights, and Barbarians), 2 Pongcanis Brew

Supreme Chaos Beast of Life

Level 20 Ancient *Immune to Negative Effects and Instant Kills*

Health: 1200/1200

Special: Chaotic Life (Determined by another roll) – (1) Heals self by 100 (2) Heals all Allies by 100 (3) Heals all Allies by 50 (4) Heals all Allies by 25 (5) Heals Hero by 5 (6) Heals all heroes by 5

Drops: x6 Zoot’s Cookies, x2 Phoenix Down

Note: Free Hits/Damages count as Special Damage

Supreme Chaos Beast

Level 20 Ancient *Immune to Negative Effects and Instant Kills*

Health: 800/800

SP: 10

Special: Chaotic Death (Determined by another roll) - (1) Damages hero for 20 damage (2) Damages all heroes for 15 damage ignoring SP and row (3) Damages all heroes for 20 damage (4) Damages all heroes for 10 damage (5) Damages self by 50 (6) damages whole party by 20

Drops: x6 Grand Zoot’s Cookies

Note: Free Hits/Damages count as Special Damage

Sphinx

Level 20 Humanoid *Immune to Negative Effects & Instant Kill*

Health: 600/600

Special I (Used if Health 600-401): Lion’s Claw – Deals 25 damage to hero.

Special II (Used if Health 400-201): Lion’s Roar - Burns all heroes for 3 damage, and gives all burned effect, causing 3 more damage at the end of each turn.

Special III (Used if Health 201-1): Lion’s Mane – If targeted the following round, the hero targeting them receives 5 damage regardless of row/SP, no matter what is rolled.

Drops: x2 Dragon Scales

Wren

Level 0 (+4 each round) Ancient *Immune to Negative Effects and Instant Kills*

Health: 0/0 (+40 each round)

Ether: 0/0 (+2 each round)

Special: Warp – Each round a special is randomly selected from all specials used by Court of Demon Members, Vonnetate, or Sphinx. Costs 1 ether, plus any additional ether cost already outlined. If out of ether, nothing happens.

Passive Special I: Warp – Each round a passive special is randomly selected from all specials used by Court of Demon Members, Vonnetate, or Sphinx.

Passive Special II: Chaotic Power – Wren will be either Encouraged, Lucky, or Hastened every round.

Passive Special III: Chaotic Love – Wren cannot be damaged until “Chaos” is defeated. All attacks that would damage her are null. She may still deal free hits if not targeted.

Drops: ???

(1)Special I (Used if Health 600-401): Lion’s Claw – Deals 25 damage to hero.

(2)Special II (Used if Health 400-201): Lion’s Roar - Burns all heroes for 3 damage, and gives all burned effect, causing 3 more damage at the end of each turn.

(3)Special III (Used if Health 201-1): Lion’s Mane – If targeted the following round, the hero targeting them receives 5 damage regardless of row/SP, no matter what is rolled.

(4)Special: Backbreaker – Vonnetate breaks the hero’s back. The hero is fragile until the end of the quest. Cannot be remedied, ignores immunity.

(5)Special I: Soul Eater – Mephisto eats the hero’s soul. The hero is sealed until the end of the quest. Cannot be remedied, ignores immunity. Uses one ether.

(6)Special II: Mind Eater – Mephisto eats the hero’s mind, instantly KOing them. Used if no ether remains.

(7)Special I: Helvetia’s Kiss – Zee deals 10 ice-elemental damage to the entire party, disregarding row and SP. This costs 1 ether.

(8)Special II: (Used if ether is depleted) All of Hel’s Wrath – Deals 30 ice-elemental damage to entire party.

(9)Special I: Electric Field – Forms an aura of electricity around Zander that causes 15 lightning-elemental damage to the next five attackers that score a hit against him. Uses two ether.

(10)Special II: Electrocute – Instantly KO’s the target. Uses one ether.

(11)Special: Jokes on You – Zane inflicts the cursed, fragile and jinxed effects on the hero. He also steals half of the hero’s current gold, which becomes irretrievable.

(12)Special: Ravenous Hunger – Drains 10 ether and 10 health from the hero, disregarding row/SP.

(1)Passive Special I: Warrior’s Might – Vonnetate pierces SP.

(2)Passive Special II: Warrior’s Roar – All heroes targeting Vonnetate become enraged for the remainder of the battle unless remedied.

(3)Passive Special II: Soul Sucker – All heroes targeting Mephisto lose one positive effect of their choice at the end of the round.

(4)Passive Special: Taste of Your Own Medicine – Gains all boosts and immunities of anyone targeting him for the round.

(5)Passive Special: All AoE attacks/effects only effect the person the hero is targeting.

(6) Immaculate Chaos

Chaos

Level 30 Ancient *Immune to all Negative Effects (EXCEPT: Blinded) and Instant Kills*

Health: 600/600

SP: 2

Special: Azazot Feeds – Deals damage and drains ether equal to the hero’s level.

Passive Special I: Explosive Temper – On rounds 1-5, drains that much Health and Ether from each party member. Repeats sequence at 6. Etc.

Passive Special II: Immaculate Chaos – Every round, spits out a Chaos Beast determined by a roll:

1-3: Chaos Beast

4: Master Chaos Beast

5: Chaos Beast of Life

6: Chaos Beast of Death

Passive Special III: Brute Force – On even rounds, Chaos pierces SP.

Passive Special IV: Demon Eyes – On odd rounds, Chaos drains 8 ether from all party members.

NOTE: While Wren is alive, Chaos loses 2 levels and 20 health every round. While Sphinx is alive, Chaos gains 3 levels and 30 health every round.

Drops: Zoot’s Plaything, x4 Chaos Beasts

BOOSTS: +5 SP, +250 Health, Hastened, +15 Level, +5 SP, +250 Health

Heroica Hall Floor

Level 25 *Counterstriking*

Health: 300/300

SP: 30

Special Damage: Floor – This is a floor. Nothing happens.

Passive Special: DRAINAGE ELI - Drains 2 ether per round. Drains 2 health per round.

Note: Bombs ignore SP of Heroica Hall Floor.

Chaotic Wren

Level (Chaos Final Level + Wren Final Level)

Health: (Chaos Final Health + Wren Final Health)

SP: 12

Special: Warp – Each round a special is randomly selected from all specials used by Court of Demon Members, Vonnetate, or Sphinx. Costs ether costs already outlined. If out of ether, nothing happens.

Passive Special I: Warp – Each round a passive special is randomly selected from all specials used by Court of Demon Members, Vonnetate, or Sphinx.

Passive Special II: Chaotic Power – Wren will be two of the three (Encouraged, Lucky, or Hastened) every round.

Passive Special III: Explosive Temper – On rounds 1-5, drains that much Health and Ether from each party member. Repeats sequence at 6. Etc.


Passive Special IV: Immaculate Chaos – Every round, Chaos spits out a Chaos Beast determined by a roll:


1-3: Chaos Beast


4: Master Chaos Beast


5: Chaos Beast of Life


6: Chaos Beast of Death

Passive Special V: Chaos in Eubric – At the end of the round, anything can happen. Good luck.

Note: Defeating Wren will destroy all the Chaos Beasts.

Chaotic Things (roll for two at the end of the round):

1) Summons a monster for the following round: (random quest, random page number, and first enemy)

2) 10 damage to all heroes

3) Chaotic Burn -100 damage to Wren

4) Lose and Gain –Wren goes up 5 levels and gains 100 health. Add a gem/100 gold/a bone to her drops.

5) Wren Swap – A hero and Wren switch spots. Wren is treated as a party member, and the hero as an enemy.

6) Weapon Swap – Two heroes randomly switch weapons. If they are unsuitable, they may not be used.

Shops

Hinckwell Goods

-Potion 10

-Tonic 20

-Remedy 25

-Ether Core 40

-Grating Stone 120 *2 in stock*

-

Glass Blowers

-Hollow Blade Service 400

Guild of Invision

-Nostrum 25

-Smelling Salts 15

-Meads 7

-Paralyzing Venom 45 (x4)

-Decaying Venom: 85 (Does 3 damage and subtracts 1 SP each round) (x3)

-Plague Venom: 160 gold (Does 15 damage and -1 SP per round.) (x3)

[Scubacarrot]

I just want to add to the praise that I thought that the interlude system was amazing! I only supplied the picture for my part (Zeph did the dialogue), but it was really cool to me to see the different interludes and have something a lot of different QM's have worked on. Great idea, Zepher!

[Capt.JohnPaul]

Quest 60- That's a wrap!

Now for comments:

Skyrimguy/Sarge: I'm glad you are on my quests again! You were a great party leader, and good eye for catching Sullivan the very first picture! He would've gotten away, if it wasn't for you! Too bad you were sick and all, but you still mostly posted once a day, which is acceptable. Also, where'd the old sarge go? I liked the one who poisoned horses, stole armor, and insulted people!

shoker87/Arnulf: Nice job! You were active and.... um... I'm not sure what else to say. But I know you did a good job playing! That business card test and handwriting was very clever!

Brickington/Sir Brickington: Curse your sentinels! I liked you were also very active, and you really helped out the battles. I hope to quest with you or host you again.

Self critique/comments: I think that's my second favorite and second best quest I've done. (37, Princess Panic being first.) I liked the rain pictures at night, and that Noir feel was what was going for. I apologize at the end for the not as good pictures, my camera got messed up. Also, you missed a lot of talking. You could've asked the market people and shopkeepers things, and even buy items. And finally, I was SO CLOSE to a perfect quest without stat mistakes. I've never ran battles so well before, but it's depressing I forgot about Sarge's sticky gloves.

[CMP]

Is that your entire Quest write-up, Zepher? No wonder I can't focus long enough to write one myself, I write out almost every single little thing of dialogue.

Atramor – The praise for my crew has got to keep on coming, right? Atramor, gotta love this fellow. He’s a good person to give the group an edge. I’ll still always remember the time he got Tarn to throw the Bomb XX, it remains one of the grandest moments in Heroica history in my mind. But, onto this quest. Between squabbles with Thothwick, standing strong in the cemetery with Thothwick, going to save Triad, scaling the side of a tower after watching a murder, fighting the Court of Demons, battling your demonic chicken… Atramor just does epic stuff. He just does. I think Atramor somehow got some of the greatest battles and moments in the quest- you said that you kept seeing NPCs dying, and that’s because some how you kept being given the pivotal quest moments. CallMePie, I fully expect to host and quest with Atramor way more. Final piece of praise while I have you: your story with that chicken demon of your’s is the BEST PACED side story in Heroica- it is still being revealed, but is not AT ALL intrusive EVER. It’s literally the perfect example.

Thanks. Though I suspect most of the reason I ended up where everything was happening is because I was a healer for most of the Quest. This Quest has shaped a lot of Atramor's course, which is pretty convenient as I plan for him to go Regulator. And accidentally killing Hans and Gnash as well as Felton's revelation pretty much forced him to understand that Chaos isn't just some random word Wren uses to justify killing a bunch of people. I actually was tentatively planning McCafferey to leave, but since I've decided to choose Regulator, I now have to justify the Orderly side of things, so she'll be back soon enough. I'm glad you like that side story, I was worried that I was kind of forcing it too much, but her appearances are directly related to how often Atramor screws up, and he got KO'd like six times this Quest...

Out of curiosity...were we really supposed to use the super Bomb XX on the Floor? It does damage to use, too, you know, that would've killed all of us.

[Flipz]

Alexis – As for your relationship with Arthur: here’s my advice. I have a stinking suspicion that Flipz thought it up :P. That’s fine and good, but take it into your own hands now. How does Alexis really feel about Arthur. I’d actually advise you and Flipz to plan less and allow for more natural interactions.

---

Arthur – Arthur is a roleplay based character, and it shows. You’re very dedicated, and I love it. As others have stated, you sometimes end up stealing the spotlight a bit. I think Skrall put it best: just see how the story affects you, and react. My main advice to you is actually this: don’t plan ahead. At all, really. Not with other players, not with the QM- just see where the story goes, and see how Arthur reacts. Don’t write out long posts, just respond with small responses, and then see what people say, and respond again. That being said, you had same great moments. You interacted with Chaos often and well. Your change of heart when Wren hit you over the head was perfect. I would tell you to play off of it… but I don’t feel the need to, because I know you will. Finally, like I said: you saved me this quest. Well, ruined me first with all the trades, but then saved me by helping me out with them. The players of this quest owe you a huge debt.

---

Spire M - +15 Level [Embassy] (+1 Lion Knight)

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Shops

Glass Blowers

-Hollow Blade Service 400

Guild of Invision

-Nostrum 25

-Smelling Salts 15

-Meads 7

-Paralyzing Venom 45 (x4)

-Decaying Venom: 85 (Does 3 damage and subtracts 1 SP each round) (x3)

-Plague Venom: 160 gold (Does 15 damage and -1 SP per round.) (x3)

---

Chaotic Things (roll for two at the end of the round):

1) Summons a monster for the following round: (random quest, random page number, and first enemy)

2) 10 damage to all heroes

3) Chaotic Burn -100 damage to Wren

4) Lose and Gain –Wren goes up 5 levels and gains 100 health. Add a gem/100 gold/a bone to her drops.

5) Wren Swap – A hero and Wren switch spots. Wren is treated as a party member, and the hero as an enemy.

6) Weapon Swap – Two heroes randomly switch weapons. If they are unsuitable, they may not be used.

Actually, Masked approached me about the relationship. I admit I've been the one pushing it since then, though.

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I was really glad it happened the way it did; if Nyx hadn't suggested Arthur take the Free Hit, I would have been in a really weird spot with Arthur. That Free Hit finally gave Arthur the betrayal that virtually every other character in the group had experienced from her--recall that Arthur had expected a Wren Victory from the start of 38, so it didn't really affect him that way. That's what's allowed him to relate to other Heroes again, and why he's able to put things in (relative) perspective now. I'm really interested to see where he goes now.

As to the stats...I fully expect my item-trading antics to be avenged when I step into the QM's shoes...(oh gosh, I JUST NOW got the joke of those boots Thormy has requiring QMship. Good one, Jebs. )

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We could have had a Lion Knight?! Would he have been a Skirmisher?!? Now I wish I'd gone to the Embassy...

---

...and holy crap that Hollow Blade upgrade is expensive. I know 50 gold is kind of cheap for it, but that seems a tad excessive--maybe he's charging extra for the rush? In any event, I'm glad I didn't go there, I could NOT have afforded that one.

Wait, the Guild of Invision had a Spire? Or is that another remnant from the pre-38 plans?

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You know, that is a REALLY creative way to do an enemy-summoning Special. Thank goodness you never rolled anything from 48, we would have been screwed so hard it's not even funny.

Also, I wonder what would have happened had Arthur gotten Wren Swapped...