Leave no Dungeon Card Unused - Fighting Pit

Warhammer Quest can be played in one of two modes.  In the Basic Game, we use the Dungeon Cards to generate a random dungeon on the fly for the Warriors to explore.  In the Roleplay Game, the dungeon layout is usually pre-planned (created by the GamesMaster).  Originally, I was a bit of a snob in my preference for the Roleplay Game.  However, more recently, I've become a convert to the Basic Game, as it provides a unique and fresh experience each time it's played, even if played with a GamesMaster, and the randomization functions of the Dungeon and Event Cards produce quite interesting results.

But, I think we can make it even more interesting ...

As I was playing through a few games, and composing the initial Dungeon deck, it struck me that the process of building the deck results in almost all of the most interesting cards (the Objective Rooms) being discarded.  The variant described here is a way to keep these interesting rooms in the running as your dungeon gets generated!

To try this out, first select a random Objective Room card as usual, and determine your adventure from the Adventure Book like normal.  Next, shuffle the other Objective Room cards back into the deck before you continue to build out the Dungeon Deck.

Now, as the Warriors explore the dungeon, they might come across one or more Objective Rooms before they reach their ultimate Objective Room.  I've outlined a few simple rules to use when the Warriors encounter these "Pre-Objective Rooms".

The first consideration is whether or not these rooms should generate an event.  A normal Dungeon deck is carefully balanced with corridors that don't generate Events, and rooms that do generate events.  To keep this balance, a Pre-Objective Room will normally generate an Event on a die roll of 1-3.

The second consideration is how many doors that the Pre-Objective Rooms should contain.  Unless otherwise specified in the room's Special Rules, roll 1d6.  On a 1-3 the room has 1 exit door, and on a 4-6 it has 2 exit doors (in this case, split the Dungeon deck into 2 piles, just like you do with a T-Junction).

Finally, I created some Special Rules that come into play for each of the Pre-Objective Rooms.  This gives these rooms flavor, and can add a great tension to the game.  These Special Rules were crafted carefully to keep them simple.  Since these rooms might also trigger an Event, it was important to keep any Special Rules to a minimum to avoid an explosion of complexity.

I will publish the Special Rules for each Pre-Objective Room in separate posts, but for now here is the Fighting Pit:

Fighting Pit - Special Rules

Exits

Warriors always enter the Fighting Pit from the raised platform. Place one exit at the far end of the room, along the wooden door.

Events

The Fighting Pit always triggers an Event.

Multi-Level Room

The Fighting Pit follows all the rules for Multi-Level Rooms, except there are no stairs. To go up or down the Warriors will have to traverse the pit.

Traversing the Pit

A model can use Rope (including the rope depicted in the card art) to traverse up or down the pit, but roll as normal for the Rope to break after each use. Without a Rope, models can Jump or Climb, using the appropriate rules.

The Spiked Edges

Warriors can walk along the spiked ledges. If they they wish to Climb up without a rope, they must roll an extra Initiaitive Test or suffer 2d6 Wounds (modified as normal) to avoid harm from the wicked spikes.

The Trap Door

A Warrior beginning their turn on the trap door can attempt to open it, which requires a Strength Test, they must do nothing else that turn. If successful, the Warrior can roll once or twice on the table below. They must decide how many rolls to make before rolling. Resolve each roll independently.

1. Poison Needle Trap! 2d6 Wounds unmodified (poison damage).

2. Spike Trap! 1d6 Wounds unmodified.

3. Sleeping Gas Trap! Warrior falls asleep 1d6 turns unless they pass a Toughness Test.

4. The Warrior discovers a partial map, they can examine the next two Dungeon Cards beyond the wooden doorway immediately.

5. The Warrior discovers a pouch containing 1d6x100 Gold.

6. The Warrior discovers a hidden cache, and takes 1 Treasure Card.