Warhammer Quest

Favours of the Ladies...

By Peter Haresnape (peter@glynan.idps.co.uk)

Before venturing on the Quest, the Bretonnian Knight is granted the favour of a fair maiden, as tradition dictates. This favour supports him through his perilous task by providing him with a reminder of those depending on the strength of his swordarm and the nobility of his spirit. As the Knight grows in renown and fame, known across Bretonnia and the Old World, other influential and rich ladies seek to claim him as their champion.

Although young novices often carry the favours of maidens for the sheer romance of the thing, few of them return to marry, either because their career calls them to greater things, or because they get killed. Usually the first favour a Knight is granted is little more than a vanity for the young aristocratic women, to gossip about amongst themselves, and a source of boasting among the young knights! In some cases, the Knight has emerged from the dungeon and ridden back to society in triumph to find his love has been married off to another noble. Those who take this badly tend to give up being a knight and write bad poetry, while the others simply move on. In later years the knight is often granted the favours of women who are happily married, and act as their official champion. This is (usually) entirely removed from matters of the heart, and is an economic arrangement. The lady receives thrilling tales of derring-do when the Knight is in town, as well as an attractive ornament for her court, and the Knight receives the patronage of a powerful lady. As well as a patron, an older knight is more likely to have a true love, who has been officially betrothed to him, or even married, and who awaits his return from adventure.

In these ways, a Knight moves up through society even while on campaign or adventuring. The flightily promises of youth are replaced by solid financial and emotional arrangements, all the better to support the knight. Over the course of his adventuring years, he may receive favours from many ladies. Some may be trophies of love, given either of a flirtation, an arranged marriage, or a true courtship. Others may show the patronage of a powerful lady, seeking a champion to parade. Still others may be rewards and thanks, given to the knight after he rescued a fair maid or foiled a villainous plot. All of these act as trophies, encouraging and revitalising him, even in the darkest depths of the earth.

A Knight may have a number of favours depending on his Battle Level and his Renown;

Initiate- these knights may have no more than 1 favour
Champion- these knights have at least 1 favour.
Hero- these knights may have 2 or more favours
Lord these knights have at least 3 favours

Meagre/Moderate- these knights have no extra favours
Widespread- these knights have 1 extra favour
Legendary- these knights have up to 2 extra favours.

A knight starts with one favour, as described on the Questing Favour Card. This first favour lasts for one adventure, whereupon he must seek another. His lady or patron in the early stages of his career is usually not intended to marry him, or support him in his later life, but merely to get him started on the road to glory.
When an initiate claims the title of Champion, he puts this behind him, and seeks a permanent pledge. Roll on the table below to see which lady offers him her support.
When a knight goes up a title (for example, becomes a Hero at level 5) he is highly likely to have attracted the interest of another maiden, who will ask him to carry her colours into battle. In this way, at Battle-Levels 2, 5 and 9, roll on the table below for the new favour. In addition, when he reaches Widespread, and later Legendary Renown, he generates an extra favour.

11-12    Monique la Merasan's Favour

Once per adventure, you may increase the strength of one blow by a number of wounds equal to your Battle-Level

 

13-14    Sylvie of Bastonne's Favour

Once per adventure, a blow that would have brought you to zero wounds may be negated completely

 

15-16    Brigitte de Bastonne’s Favour

+1 to Pinning Roll (so 6+ becomes 5+)

 

21-22    Lady Imogen de L'Astalla's Favour

For one turn, your to hit rolls only fail on a natural roll of 1

 

23-24    La Belle Isabeau de Quenelles’ Favour

+1D6 Toughness for one turn in each adventure

 

25-26    The Favour of Zoe de la Belle Fleu

One attack in each adventure may ignore armour, even magical armour.

 

31-32    Morganne de Normaigne's Favour

Once per adventure, all monsters adjacent to you or attacking you must roll 4 or higher on 1D6, or loose their turn (roll individually)

 

33-34    Angellique Barriote's Favour

Once per adventure, you may regain Battle-level wounds, up to your Starting Wounds total.

 

35-36    Countess Letitia Dimante's Favour

You may ignore completely the effect of one spell cast against you in each adventure.

 

41-42    Blanchflor de Brionne’s Favour

+1D6 Strength for one turn in each adventure

 

43-44    Lady Kate de Parunville’s Favour

May re-roll one result of ‘none’ each time you search for a Grail Chapel etc.

 

45-46    Elisabeth de Margente's Favour

You may automatically break from pinning and move at +2 movement rate (maximum of 6) once per adventure.

 

51-52    Vivienne d'Argent's Favour

When rolling or drawing treasure, you may reroll or redraw once per adventure.

 

53-54    Marianne Sonalamon’s Favour

Roll twice on the first day in the Baron’s Castle, taking the first roll unless the other was the Errand. If both were the Errand, roll twice and select which challenge the Knight accepts.

 

55-56    The Favour of Galia de la Sange Bleu

Once per adventure, you may force a re-roll of a monster group (for example, as the result of an event. It would be necessary to roll on the monster table again).

 

61-62    The Favour of Lady Juillette Margreth 

You may avoid travelling Hazard per adventure, making it an uneventful week   

 

63-64    Lady Geraldine de la Sacre Chêne

The Knight has become famed across the world for his nobility and pure heart, even among other races. He may enter a Wood Elf Camp as if he were a High Elf, and may find and enter the Elf Quarter and Noble House on a roll of 8. In the Noble House he need not buy anything, but must offer an item of treasure worth at least BLx50 gold to the Lord (using gold to make up any deficit). He can roll once on the News Table, treating a result of 1 or 2 as 1, and can roll 1D6 times on the Noble House Knight Table.

 

65-66    Baroness Astrana's Favour

You may get 10% off any item from a Trader in any City, up to a maximum discount of Battle-level x 10 (so a Battle-level 5 warrior could get up to 50 gold off the price of an item worth 500 gold or more).

 

As well as ladies who give a knight their colours through love, the Knight may, during his career, come across certain maidens who will grant him a favour as thanks a heroic service he has done, namely rescuing them. If he should rescue the one of the ladies on the following list, he gains their favour. If this takes him above his normal allocation, he may keep it, but not gain another at the designated time. These Favours represent the great heroism he displayed in saving the lady, and may inspire him to further feats that will be remembered in song…

 

1    Lady Heloise de l’Anguille

This Favour allows a knight to protect one adjacent warrior with his shield, giving him the same benefits for one turn against any attacks, but not burdening him. For example, a Knight could use his shield to help the wizard, giving him +1 Toughness (or whatever the shield’s bonus is). However, when the Knight does this he is at +2 to be hit, and does not count the shield’s bonus for himself.
Lasts for one turn, once per combat. Neither warrior may move, and the Knight makes 1 less Attack.

 

2    Dame Isolde de Couronne

Should the Knight ever become trapped, separated from his companions by a wall of the enemy, he may choose to forgo his normal attacks and slash his Broadsword (no other weapon) all around him, forsaking his own safety to strike at the foe. If he does this, roll to hit against all adjacent foes. If the attack hits, it ignores all but magical armour. If it misses by anything but a 1, roll another D6. On a score of 5+ that Monster has lost its weapon in the fight. It must resort to it’s backup sword, which simply does Damage Dice + Strength (doesn’t affect beasts, strangely!). He may perform this attack once per adventure if there are no friendly models adjacent, or empty spaces, only enemy models.

 

3    Marquise Rowena de Bordeleaux

Once per adventure the Knight may challenge an enemy leader to single combat. It must be a humanoid model, intelligent enough to understand him, and one who is leading a number of lesser brethren- perhaps an Orc Big Boss, or a Necromancer. It is necessary to taunt and shame the enemy into a battle, so roll 1D6, adding +1 for Legendary Knights and +1 for Knights of Hero Level and above. This is your perceived strength. Now roll 1D6 for your opponent, with the following modifiers.
+1;If he is a necromancer (he can’t be embarrassed in front of his troops)
+1;If his troops outnumber the warriors by greater than 2 to 1.
+1;If he uses magic- not used to dealing with threats by the sword
+1;If he is armed with a missile weapon (a bow or gun rather than a thrown weapon)
–1;If he has a Magic Weapon and/or Armour
–1;If he has at least one Magic Item
–1;If he is a warlike race (orcs, beastmen)
This is the extent he is influenced by your challenge. If this score is less than or equal to yours, he has accepted. All of the fighting must stop. If there is another monster group not under his command, they will count as under the cease-fire. The Monsters and warriors must withdraw out of the room, giving the combatants room to fight. The Monster will fight as normal, using all skills and spells, though they will only affect the Knight. If the Knight loses the warriors are obliged to take his body and roll on the Escaping Table, at –2 because they are being pursued. Any that do not must fight against all of the monsters. The Knight can be healed as usual, but cannot take part in this combat or the Escape. He loses Honour equal to 1D6x100 for losing.
If the Knight wins he double honour from the monster (4D6 per 100 gold). Roll 1D6 for each monster group. On a roll of 5-6 it retreats, otherwise the warriors must fight as normal.

 

The Grey Seer sniggered as his minions leapt from their hiding places the attack the unsuspecting warriors. He paced forward into the lantern light, so they could see him in all his glory. Then, one of the intruders looked directly at him, and began walking towards him, pushing aside the stormvermin and gaining speed. He was running when he hit the tide of plague monks, squashing them in their filthy robes beneath his steel boots. Then, the seer began to get worried, as he barrelled into the mighty Rat Ogre, pushing it down like a rotten door. The seer turned to summon more allies, but the Knight charged directly at him, crying the name of some woman of his acquaintance. The ratman dropped his staff and ran like the clappers…

4    Baroness Celestine de Brionne

Once per adventure the Knight may summon all of his energy and take every advantage of his armour, charging the enemy and moving up to 6 spaces, instead of his normal movement. He must end in an empty square, but may pass through squares occupied by enemy models, knocking them down. He cannot affect flying or large monsters like this. For each monster he runs down he takes 1D6 wounds due to the exertion of moving armour so quickly. Add up all the scores and modify the whole for toughness, not armour. Each monster is placed prone, and will spend the next Monster’s phase picking itself up and locating it’s teeth. The monster takes 1D6 wounds for each of the Knight’s toughness and armour points, as it is squashed beneath his feet, modified once for the beast’s toughness.
Once the Knight has moved his total 6 squares, he may make his attacks as normal.

 

5    Duchess Ursula de Bastonne

The Knight may try and distract the enemy by calling out his ancestral insults, handed down to him by his noble father. He may pick a monster that is not engaged in hand to hand combat and let out a torrent of slander, making allegations against the monster’s ancestry, personal health and future career prospects. Use the same process as detailed in no 3 to see if the monster replies. If it does, it pushes its way through the monsters to enter hand to hand combat with the monster. Move it next to the Knight. The Knight’s whole turn is spent luring the monster into battle, so the monster usually strikes first in the Monster Phase. The Knight may try this once per combat.

 

6    Princess Estelle de Quenelles

With the thought of this lady in his mind, the Knight may attempt to hold a doorway or corridor against the monsters. Roll 1D6 at the start of his turn. On a score of 4+ he succeeds, and may not move this turn as he valiantly stands in the gap. No monsters, not even flying ones may pass him, as if he had the Wall of Steel skill or sword. In addition, he receives Ignore Blows 5+. The Knight may hold the door for as long as he continues to roll 4+. During this period he may attack any monsters within range, as usual, but may not move, and no monsters can move past him.