Warhammer Quest

Creating Event Tables
and Secret Door Rules

by John K- 8/03- version 1.0

With the current rules, you use either written E-Event cards, or you roll on the D6xD6 Event table in the Roleplay book. I find both of these methods unsatisfactory, so I have created my own method. I presume that those who read this are already familiar with using Monster Tables. Since some events include secret doors, I've included my secret door rules that replace them.

 

Setting up the Event Deck

1. The starting Event deck is made up of 12 M-Events (for monsters) and 7 E-events (for events). From now on I distinguish them as E-events, or M-events. When the power roll is 1, an event card can be either an unexpected E-event or an unexpected M-event.
2. One of the first things I did was to remove the written E-Events and replace them with the blank E-cards which came with the set. I also did this with the M-Event cards. Then, when you draw an event card, you roll on the appropriate table: monster or event.
3. I numbered my blank E-event cards 1-7 for creating a simple level one event table. My set actually came with 8 blank E-event cards.
4. If the adventure calls for you to encounter specific characters, like Gorgut or the Dread King, then put those event cards into the deck. A D6xD6 monster table has too many entries to be likely of encountering a specific monster. Even if the character has an E-event card, your event table may also have more than 7 or 8 events. You should now have three types of cards in the deck: M-events, E-events and enemy characters.

 

Important New Rules

1. No unexpected E-events may occur while monsters are on the board!
After losing so many characters and parties due to unexpected E-events during combat, we decided to prohibit them when there are monsters on the board. So when a 1 is rolled, remove an M-event card from the draw pile, and generate monsters. If the top card was an E-event then shuffle it back into the draw pile.
2. Since M-events are now much more likely, you may wish to remove 2 M-event cards from the deck.
3. If you go down the stairs in the dungeon (or down the spiral staircase) then you may choose to have the maximum monsters arrive with an M-event and/or allow E-events to occur when there are monsters on the board- overriding rule #1. Decide before starting the adventure. Rule #3 does not apply to the objective room.
4. You may decide to change rule #1 from monsters on the board, to monsters on the board section. In this case, if a warrior has no monsters on his board section, he may be succeptible to an unexpected E-event.
5. If warriors walk into an explored, but unvisited room, while monsters are on the board, an E-event could occur (during the Monsters' phase) for those warriors foolish enough to go into that room.
6. Do not include events with secret doors in your table. See secret door rules, below.
7. If you ever decide to allow multiple light sources, such as 2 lanterns, then when they are on different board sections, a power roll of 1 & 2 results in an unexpected event, with the wizard getting no bonus to power for his battle level.

 

Modifying Existing Events

1. Some events should have a probability of happening on every level. These usually require the party to carry a specific item (rope, lockpicks, door spike, or pick axe).
2. Traps should be modified to have a greater severity on higher levels.
3. Since E-events are less likely using NEW RULE #1, you may wish to modify them to require a draw of another event card, either automatically or on a roll of 1-3.
4. Whenever an event says something takes 1D6 turns, do not roll a dice. It should not be possible for the warriors to know how long they will be trapped or asleep. Instead use the 6 Catacombs of Terror counters. Draw a counter after the power roll (and its event) is resolved. When the skull is drawn, the time has elapsed. If you don't have catacomb counters, you can put 5 web, power, or luck counters into a cup, along with a different one.
5. Sometimes the gold value is too low for higher levels. Feel free to increase the gold reward or penalty. For example #23 Gold Digger requires 100 gold; for level 6, I have increased it to 1000 gold.
6. If a trap is a magical spell, warriors may use magic resistance items to block it.
7. Since you will be using blank event cards, an event like Dwarf Ghost may be changed to influence the power roll, instead. In this case, the warriors may choose not to draw a card (once) on a power roll of 1; the wizard gets 1+BL power, instead of 1.

 

The CAVE-IN.
Many of my adventurers have met their end due to an untimely cave-in. If you do not allow E-events to occur when there are monsters on the board (NEW RULE #1), then this should be sufficient to reduce the hazard. If not, then use the following rules:
a. The cave-in cannot occur on the first board section; randomly determine another event.
b. Warriors automatically break from pinning.
c. Warriors may escape through any doorway, if it is explored, not just the one from which they entered. If they can't leave, they may roll on the Escape Table, before the false alarm check.
d. The cave-in could be a false alarm. At the end of the next turn when death should occur, roll a dice. If the die roll is greater than the dungeon level, then it is a false alarm and models take (DL)D6 damage from falling rocks (instead of death).
e. If it is not a false alarm, then all figures still on the board section are dead.
f. If it is not a false alarm, then there is 1D6x10 rubble blocking the passage. A dwarf with a dwarf pick may remove Strength+6 rubble per turn, while other characters with a pick axe or shovel may remove 1D6+St rubble per turn, unless they roll a one. Limit two workers.
g. The dwarf pick is now available at the Dwarf Guildmasters for 125 gold with a stock of 4. Breaks on a 1.

The PIT TRAP.
As you may have noticed by looking at the different events in the book, different pit traps have different probability of occurrence and different damage. You need to break these up into what you think is appropriate for each level. I've listed my own ideas from low to high dungeon levels. In most cases a pit trap is like Magic-Ambush in that you can't cast a spell before falling and taking damage. To get out of a pit, the warrior must use a rope (during the warriors' phase), use magic (levitate, fly, teleport), roll on the Escape Table, or use my own personal secret door rules.
a. Vermin Pit: 1D6 wounds, no modifiers then ambushed by a rat or spider in the pit.
b. Event #31-Trap. Pit trap on a 2-5, which does 2D6 wounds, modified.
c. Trip Up card. Pit trap on a 3-4, which does 2D6 wounds, modified for toughness, only.
d. Deep Pit. Causes 2D6 wounds, no modifiers.
e. Spiked Pit. Causes 4D6 wounds, modified.
f. Well. Take 1D6 wounds, for each weapon, shield, or piece of armor you keep, no modifiers.
g. Fighting Pit. One warrior has fallen into the pit of the Fighting Pit objective room. The warrior takes ?D6 damage. There is at least one monster (usually it's the toughest one) who gets to ambush. Warriors may climb down the rope to help. Reward for completing the event?
h. Pit of Eternity. Modify to place it on one unlucky warrior and 3 spaces. Spells and rope may be used to avoid death. Roll 1D6: 1-dead, 2-6 safe.
i.  Pit of Despair. Spells and rope may be used to avoid death. Choose a random warrior.
Unlucky warrior rolls a die: 1-dead, 2-5 hits ledge, takes damage ?D6, 6-safe
Each adjacent warrior rolls: 1-dead, 2-3 hits ledge, takes damage ?D6, 4-6 leaps to safety.
Place Pit of Despair marker where unlucky warrior stood.

The PORTCULLIS / LOCKED DOOR / MAGIC DOOR and KEY.
These events come in pairs (e.g. portcullis and key to the portcullis). If you use a D6xD6 event table, you may never find the key. There is a different pair on my first three event tables. On higher levels one event gives you the master key while the other tells you what type of barrier: 1-2 Magic Door, 3-4 Locked Door, 5-6 Portcullis.
a. The Portcullis. This slams behind the warriors (between them and the entrance). Requires the Dying Dwarf to give them the key, or the use of lockpicks or Open Door spell. Note that the The Dying Dwarf card says "Draw another Event card, immediately," but Event #13, Dying Dwarf, doesn't say that. Use the rule on the card.
b. The Locked Door. The next door is locked. Requires warriors to get the key from Event #53, the Dying Orc, the use of lockpicks or the Open Door spell.
c. The Magic Door. The next door is magically sealed. Can only be opened with the magic key or the Open Door spell.
d. Braced Door. The next door is braced. If no monsters are on the board section, up to two warriors may combine their strengths to the roll of a die. On a score of 10 or more the door opens.

SLIDING WALL.
This is from White Dwarf magazine #197.
"As the Warriors enter, the wall behind them starts to grind across the doorway, blocking off the route out of the dungeon. Unless one of the Warriors discards a weapon or door spike to wedge the sliding wall in place, the exit is closed off, just as with the Cave-in Event. Draw another Event card Immediately."

WEBS and NETS.
These are more likely to be the result of a monster's attack, but they could make for good traps that also result in drawing another event card. The house rule we now use is that once there are no monsters on the board section, a warrior could spend his turn to cut free one fellow warrior.
a. One random warrior is caught by a net and hauled to the ceiling. Only flying monsters, spells, or missile weapons can hit him while netted (at +2 to hit). He may do nothing while netted except try to free himself. At the start of the turn roll 1D6+Initiative. Success on a 7+, but a natural 1 is an automatic failure. Take 1D6 wounds, no modifiers as he falls to the ground. A levitating or flying warrior may free him automatically, if there are no monsters on the board section. Draw another event card immediately.
b. Spiders' Lair, from White Dwarf magazine #193. Warriors are automatically caught by webs, and ambushed by giant spiders (1D6+3). This could be gigantic or enormous spiders on higher levels. Gain treasure card(s) for resolving this event.

 

FALLING BLOCK.
There are two falling block traps from The Lair of the Orc Lord expansion, as well as #34 Stone Block from the RPG book. I do not put any on my lower-level event tables. Instead, the first time an unexpected E-event occurs in the collapsed passage (while no monsters are on the board) it is the falling block trap. The warrior tries to leap out of the way, but the result may mean some warriors are lost in the dark, or must remain still until they are dug out.

Combinations.
A couple modest events could be combined or enhanced on higher levels.
a. Missed Footing, #62, -1 Move for the rest of the dungeon. Later levels this could be Jaws of Death Trap: Take 3D6 wounds, not modified for armor, then suffer -1 Move for the rest of the dungeon.
b. Poison Dart, #33, after taking 1D6 damage not modified for armor, on a 1-3 roll suffer -1 Strength for the rest of the dungeon. At higher levels this could be added to the result of 2-3 on the Ghost event, #16.

c. There's a rule that states if any of your characteristics (strength, toughness, move) falls to 0, then he is dead. This is pretty unlikely, unless you get Nurgle's Rot. However, you may want to set up a dungeon level with Skaven Assassins, and several events that reduce stats such as #36 Gaseous Explosion, #33 Poison Dart, #23 Gold Digger, etc. so that this may occur. This is a threat that bypasses heavy armor.

d. The thrust of The Lair of the Orc Lord, and Catacombs of Terror expansions is to have enemy characters and a theme dungeon with orcs or undead, respectively. There's a White Dwarf magazine that makes suggestions for Skaven dungeons. You could do this yourself. There are a few Dwarf events: #23 Gold Digger, #13 Dying Dwarf, and Dwarf Ghost card. You could set up a Chaos Dwarf dungeon, with relevant monsters and events.

One-time events.
Some events should only occur once per party or once per warrior. For example, once a character gets Nurgle's Rot, he should be immune and not get it again. Once a party has encountered the Curse of Years or Flames of Khazla, they need not encounter it ever again. You could write this on the back of your character sheet, next to the adventures you've completed. You may also shuffle enemy character cards into the event deck, which are only encountered once per party.

 

Making an Event Table

GOALS:

1. To make the E-events match the level of the warriors. One event that is too tough can ruin an adventure.
2. To give variety. If the same events occur every adventure, it is not fun.

3. To make some events occur less frequently. For example, I believe there should always be a chance of a pit trap and cave-in occurring, but if the cave-in happens too often, it is not fun.

4. To make some events occur more frequently. As I mentioned above, if you encounter a portcullis or similar barrier, you want the party to have a reasonable chance of finding the key. If you use the official D6xD6 table, your odds of getting a specific event result increase with each event as 1/35, 1/34, 1/33, etc. My event tables improve your odds.

5. To postpone events with high rewards such as Imperial Knight or free treasure for the more dangerous dungeons.

 

MAKING A SIMPLE TABLE.
As I stated above, the set comes with 7 printed E-event cards, and 8 blank E-event cards. It's simple to number the blank ones 1-7 or 8. You then write a list of the events you want for your adventure. When the card is drawn, you consult that number event on the table. If you want more events, you can add some of the printed cards. A level one table doesn't need much variety, since a successful adventure or two may result in the party advancing to dungeon level two. The only problem is what to do if you go through the whole event deck.

A TABLE WITH 9 EVENTS.
When you create your event table, list 9 events. Put 6 in the left column and 3 in the right. When an E-event card is drawn, instead of looking at the number on it, roll 1D6. Check the left column. If it is a repeat, then roll 1D3 and consult the right column. If that is also a repeat, then start over. The kinds of events you'll want to put in the right column are Cave-in, Key to Portcullis/Door, and a reward event. This system makes the events in the right column less likely to occur.

A TABLE WITH 12 EVENTS.
This is the same as for the 9-event table, but the right column has 6 events so roll 1D6, instead of 1D3.

A TABLE WITH 12/14/16 EVENTS.
This uses the blank event cards, which you've numbered. You may add the #8 card, or remove the #7 card. Make two columns of 6, 7 or 8 each, depending. Put events that you want to occur less frequently in the right column, and note that you always use the left column first when that # card is drawn. If another # card is revealed for the first time, roll a die to decide: 1-3 left column, 4-6 right column. Shuffle the card back in the deck. The second time that specific card is drawn, consult the other column, then discard the card. This system makes E-events a little more common, later in the adventure. It's possible with this method to encounter all the events on the table before the event deck runs out. Since the mix between M and E cards is changed from 12/7 to 12/14-max, don't remove any M-event cards; ignore NEW RULE #2.

This may be the best method for creating an event table, when used with NEW RULE #1. The effective mix of E-events and M-events is restored.

A TABLE WITH 18 EVENTS.
This is what I've used for my higher battle levels, when it might take more adventures for the party to gain enough gold to increase a dungeon level. This time create 3 columns with 6 events, each. When you draw an E-event, roll a D3xD6. The first die determines the column of the second die roll. Reroll both dice for repeats. The events are equally likely to occur, so it doesn't matter where you place them on the table. However, I label my three columns traps, encounters, and fate. This size table has enough variety to last a couple of dungeon levels. The odds of getting a specific event here is twice as great as the D6xD6 table, but still low. This means if you use really bad events, they won't necessarily occur every dungeon.

SAMPLE LEVEL 1 TABLE:

1. #42 Old Bones 1. #11 Cave-in *
2. #44 Portcullis. 2. #13 Dying Dwarf w/Key *
3. LotOL Map card    3. #45 Lost
4. WD Snake Pit. 4. #31 Trap (or Vermin Pit trap)    
5. CoT Vampire Bats 5. #23 Gold Digger
6. #15 Sneaky Git      6. WD Orc Ambush (M-card)
7. #62 Missed Footing. 7. LotOL Wounded Knight card

* A left column event must occur first for cards 1 & 2..

 

SAMPLE LEVEL 2 TABLE:

1. #31 Trap 1. #11 Cave-in *
2. #43 Locked Door. 2. #53 Dying Orc w/Key *
3. #21 Prisoners  3. #54 Change of Plan
4. #25 Scorpion Swarm     4. #63 Orc Runes
5. #26 Snakes 5. LotOL Spikes card
6. WD Spiders' Lair 6. LotOL Boar Know Wotz
7. CoT Ghost  7. LotOL Bogoff the Snotling card

* A left column event must occur first for cards 1 & 2.

 

SAMPLE LEVEL 3 TABLE:

1. LotOL Trip-up card 1. #11 Cave-in *
2. WD Sliding Wall  2. #61 Daylight *
3. #12 Dead Body.  3. #65 Imperial Knight *
4. #14 Warrior 4. LotOL Get the Little Git card
5. #33 Poison Dart. 5. LotOL Spore Fungus card
6. #36 Gaseous Explosion 6. CoT Laughter of the Damned
7. WD Shifting Sands 7. CoT Horror in the Darkness card

* A left column event must occur first for cards 1, 2 & 3.

Events saved for higher-level event tables: #16 Ghost, #22 Stranger, #24 Nurgle's Rot, #32 Spiked Pit, #34 Stone Block, #35 Paralysis Spell, #41 Lightning Bolt, #46 Flames of Khazla, #51 Footprints, #52 Slaves, #56 Lost Gold, #64 Lantern Goes Out, #66 Curse of Hashakk.

 

SAMPLE LEVEL 3 or 4 TABLE:

(This is an untested table based on Combinations c, above. The events affect characteristics, and may be used with Skaven Assassins who's poisoned weapons may also affect Strength).

1. LotOL Trip-up card 1. #11 Cave-in *
2. WD Sliding Wall  2. #61 Daylight *
3. #65 Imperial Knight 3. #24 Nurgle's Rot *
4. #33 Poison Dart.  4. #36 Gaseous Explosion
5. LotOL Spore Fungus 5. CoT Dwarf Ghost card
6. CoT Death Rot Fungus. 6. WD Shifting Sands
7. #23 Gold Digger 7. CoT Spectral Attack card
8. LotOL Spider Bite 8. CoT Horror in the Darkness card

* A left column event must occur first for cards 1, 2 & 3.

 

Secret Door Rules

SECRET DOORS.
Although this system is great in that you have self-generated dungeons, the lack of a GM (or DM) makes it very difficult to have secret doors. Here are my rules, and a Secret Door Table below.
a. You must eliminate secret door events from the event tables, if you've included them.
b. This voids the rule that suggests when warriors reach the end of a T-junction they may leave and return to the entrance. You must now search for a secret door exit.
c. Many adventures have the warriors returning to the surface by a secret door found in the objective room. You can continue to allow this, or require that the warriors search for a secret door exit.
d. Warriors may search for secret doors from the start, but it's best if you wait until they have to search, such as from a dead-end, blocked passage, or after running out of cards when you need a specific dungeon room.
e. Each warrior may perform one thorough search per board section, but there is never more than one secret door per board section. You may need to mark or record what sections are searched by which warrior.
f. Searching occurs during the exploration phase, when no monsters are on the board section.
g. Warriors with abilities or treasures that allow them to find secret doors must be modified. They may add 1 to search for secret doors and/or they may re-roll the type on the table below. For example, the event Get the Little Git results in warriors finding the Rusty Key (which only succeeds once, and only in that dungeon). It now gives +2 to search and, if successful, automatically makes the type #4.

Secret Door Table. Roll 1D6.
1.
Trap or falling rubble. All models on the board section suffer (DL)D6 wounds, no modifiers. Roll for each.
2-5. Nothing.
6. Found a secret door. Place a doorway on the board section. If the warrior with the lantern is anywhere on the board section this turn, you may immediately roll for the type of passage beyond it. Otherwise he must be next to it during the exploration phase, like a normal doorway.

Type of Secret Passage. Roll 1D6.
1.
Extra Objective Room after 1D3 dungeon cards with exit. If all monsters are killed, each warrior receives 1000 gold (instead of treasure cards) and they may leave the dungeon.
2. Extra Objective Room with exit. If all monsters are killed, one random warrior receives an objective room treasure, while the others draw their own dungeon room treasure card. These don't count against your card count, and are not distributed by the warrior with the lantern. The warriors then may exit the dungeon.
3. Dungeon Room & secret passages. Place an unused dungeon room section. Upon entering draw an event card as normal. Optional: you may put a doorway on the other side, which is not a secret door, then roll on this Type-table for its exploration.
4. Corridor, short-cut. The end of the corridor may connect either to the top card of an unexplored dungeon card deck, or a previously explored board section.
5. Treasure Room. Use a 2x2 board section, like Gaol or Khazla. Upon entering, roll 1D6. If the number is less than or equal to the number of treasure rooms found, then draw an Event card. After resolving any events, gain 1 dungeon room treasure card, distributed normally.
6. Exit. All exits allow the Warriors to leave the dungeon and the adventure, or return via the main entrance.

 

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