While all of the scenarios presented in the main rulebook could be set underground, the five scenarios presented here have been written specifically for underground games. Players may select a scenario to play or roll on the table below.
Into the Breeding Pits Scenario Table |
|
d20 roll |
Scenario |
1–4 |
The Moving Maze |
5–8 |
Here Comes the Flood |
9–12 |
The Breeding Pit |
13–16 |
The Rats in the Walls |
17–20 |
Mating Season |
The warbands have wandered into a vast chamber filled with ruins and lit with a dim phosphorescent glow. Most of the ruins appear to be covered in various forms of strange fungus, some of which appear to be swaying slightly from side to side. In fact, as the warband moves closer, some of the ruins themselves actually seem to be moving…
Set-Up
Set up the board as per a standard game of Frostgrave. It is, however, advisable to use smaller, separate pieces of terrain, instead of large single piece elements (see below). It is also worth leaving a little more space between the terrain pieces than is normally encouraged.
In this scenario, the giant patches of fungus that cover the ruins are actually causing parts of them to slowly move around. To reflect this, at the start of each turn, the player who had the lowest, unmodified, initiative roll may select one piece of terrain and move it up to 4” in a straight line. The terrain piece must stop as soon as it touches another terrain piece or the edge of the table. If the terrain piece would move through a figure, that figure must be moved to the closest point so as to be out of the way of the movement of the terrain piece. Exact placement of the figure is determined by the figure’s controller, but they may not move the figure into combat with a member of an enemy warband. If the terrain piece moves through multiple figures that are in combat, the placement of these figures is determined by the player who is not moving the terrain piece. If a figure is on the terrain piece when it moves, it is moved along with the terrain piece.
Do not roll for Random Encounters in this scenario. Instead, whenever each piece of treasure is picked up for the first time, a violent fungus enters play (see Bestiary). The violent fungus should be placed on the board following the rules for Random Encounters presented in the Underground Exploration chapter (see here). The violent fungus should be placed by a player other than the one whose warband member picked up the treasure. If there are more than two players, then all opposing players should roll a die and subtract their wizard’s level – whoever scores the highest should place the violent fungus.
The maximum line of sight for this scenario is 20”.
Follow the rules for treasure as for a standard game of Frostgrave. Experience is gained as normal with the following addition:
•20 experience points if either the wizard or apprentice is forced to make a Will roll against violent fungus spores.
…The air was still and dry, and the whole place should have been black as midnight, except there was a bright rainbow shining over that dark chasm...
The warbands have been wandering for hours, lost in the ancient sewer systems of Felstad. Instead of treasure, they have found nothing but rats and freezing cold melt water. Just as despair is about to overwhelm them, the tunnel through which they’ve been sloshing opens into a large chamber that used to house some form of waste processing plant. Although the plant has long been reduced to ruins, it makes a welcome change from the narrow, claustrophobic tunnels, and there might just be something of value to be found. As the warbands step into the chamber, they hear a distant crash and feel a blast of cold air rush down the tunnel they have just left...
This scenario should be played on a nearly square tabletop. Two perpendicular canals, both 3” wide, split the table into four equal quarters. Numerous small bridges should be placed over the canals connecting each quarter to its neighbouring quarters. Once the canals and bridges are in place, fill the rest of the table with ruins as for a standard game of Frostgrave. Place treasure using the guidelines presented in the Underground Exploration chapter (see here), but place one more treasure on the board than is called for in a standard game.
Special Rules
The canals are filled with freezing cold water and large chunks of ice. They are not, however, particularly deep. Figures suffer no falling damage from falling into a canal but may, however, suffer shock from the cold. Any figure that enters a canal, voluntarily or otherwise, must make an immediate Will roll against at target number of 10. If the figure fails, it takes 1 point of damage and is reduced to one action next turn. A figure must continue to make this roll every time it activates while inside a canal. Undead and constructs do not have to make this roll as they are immune to the cold. While in a canal, a figure moves at half movement and must spend 2” of movement to climb out. Furthermore, it suffers a -2 Fight (though this may not take a figure below +0).
Unfortunately for the warbands, the noise they heard just after they entered the chamber was the sound of a restraining wall collapsing in another part of the sewage system. Unknown to them, a massive wave of freezing water is rushing down the tunnels straight for them. At the end of turn three, roll a die. On a 12+, the flood bursts into the chamber. If it does not arrive, roll again at the end of turn four, with the flood hitting on a 9+. On turn five the roll drops to 6+. On turn six it becomes 3+. If it hasn’t arrived previously, the flood automatically hits at the end of turn 7.
When the flood hits, roll for a random board edge. This is the edge of the board from which the flood strikes. Immediately roll for every figure on the board as though it has been hit by a Push spell. Treat the origin of the spell as the nearest point along the flood entry board edge. Figures standing directly behind terrain receive a cover bonus as normal. Figures completely behind terrain receive a +5 cover bonus, but are still hit. Figures standing on terrain are also hit by the crashing wave of the flood. When moving a figure that has been ‘pushed’ by the flood, ignore intervening terrain. A figure is either washed over it or driven through it. Figures that are moved take 1 point of damage for every full 5” they are moved. Figures do not take any additional damage for falling if they are swept off a piece of terrain. In the turn following the flood, every figure caught in it (except for undead and constructs) is limited to a single action as they pick themselves up. Thereafter, they return to their normal number of actions.
If a figure is holding treasure when the flood strikes, the figure must also make a Will roll against a target number of 10. If the figure fails the roll, it has lost hold of the treasure. The treasure is moved 5” further along the path of the flood from where the figure ends up after being struck by the flood. If this places the treasure in a canal or off the board, then it has been swept away and lost. For every unsecured piece of treasure on the board when the flood strikes, roll one die. This is the number of inches the treasure is moved in a straight line away from the flood entry board edge. Ignore terrain for the purposes of this movement. Again, if the treasure ends up in a canal or off the board, then it is lost.
The maximum line of sight in this scenario is 20”.
Treasure and Experience
Follow the rules for treasure as for a standard game of Frostgrave. Experience is gained as normal with the following additions:
•20 experience points if the wizard is on the table when the flood strikes.
•20 experience points if the apprentice is on the table when the flood strikes.
•Any captain that is on the board when the flood strikes receives an additional 10 experience points.
…The walls were covered in grey tiles, each with a rune painted on it. As we watched, the tiles slowly moved about, almost like they were working out some formula…
After seemingly endless wandering, the warbands have finally discovered one of the ancient laboratories of the Beastcrafters! Who knows what scraps of knowledge were left behind, or what experiments might have survived...?
Set-Up
This scenario can be played with either a Standard Set-Up or a Dungeon Set-Up, and has no special terrain requirements.
Special Rules
Do not roll for Random Encounters when picking up treasure in this scenario. Instead, roll a Random Encounter at the end of every turn using the rules presented in the Underground Exploration chapter (see here).
The maximum line of sight in this scenario is 20”.
Treasure and Experience
Players may exchange any one treasure recovered during this scenario for the Book of the Beastcrafter. They must make this decision before rolling on the treasure table. Furthermore, the normal limit of one roll per game on the Breeding Pits Treasure Table does not apply after this scenario – a roll may be made on that table for every treasure recovered if a player so desires.
Calculate experience as normal for this scenario.
As the warbands advance through the tenebrous passageways beneath Frostgrave, they hear soft scrapings and scratching coming from the dark shadows all around. Dozens of red eyes gleam at them from the shadows, but quickly disappear if anyone approaches. Then, just as their torches catch the first hint of gold, the walls come alive in masses of black fur, and suddenly the rats are upon them…
Set-Up
This scenario can be played with either a Standard Set-Up or a Dungeon Set-Up, and has no special terrain requirements.
Special Rules
This scenario does not use the standard rules for Random Encounters. Instead, whenever a treasure is picked up for the first time in the game. Immediately place a giant rat (Frostgrave, p.114) in combat with the figure that picked up the treasure. Alternatively, if a treasure is moved by some other means before it is picked up (e.g. Telekinesis), place a giant rat on the spot originally occupied by the treasure. This treasure may now safely be picked up without generating another giant rat. The giant rat follows the standard rules for creatures.
This scenario uses the rules for Traps found in the Underground Exploration chapter. However, when a player rolls for a trap, instead of selecting a target figure, the player should select a target warband and then roll randomly among the figures in that warband (including all figures under temporary control) to determine the target. Instead of rolling for a random trap, all traps in this scenario will be Death From Above and the creature will always be a giant rat.
Finally, at the end of each turn, a new giant rat should be placed on the board. The placement of this creature follows the rules for placing Random Encounters found in the Underground Exploration chapter (see here). Once placed, the giant rat follows all of the standard rules for creatures.
The maximum line of sight in this scenario is 20”.
Treasure and Experience
Roll for treasure as normal after the game but add 5gc for each soldier that made it through the game without being reduced to 0 Health. This represents loose change that they managed to scavenge from the refuse during the fight.
Experience is calculated as normal for this scenario.
Most explorers of the Frozen City never encounter a devourer as they are rare and solitary creatures. Once every few years, however, these dangerous beasts seek out one another to battle for mates. It is an epic spectacle, but one that most adventurers hope to never see…
Set-Up
This scenario can be played with either a Standard Set-Up or a Dungeon Set-Up, and has no special terrain requirements.
Special Rules
During the Creature Phase of the first turn, place one devourer (Bestiary) on the table edge in the exact centre of each warband’s deployment zones. These creatures activate immediately. As long as these creatures remain at full health, they only use one action per activation to move directly towards the centre point of the table. If this causes a devourer to move into another figure, the controlling player must move the figure 1” to get out of its way. If a devourer moves through an uncontrolled creature, the player with the lowest-level wizard should move this creature 1” out of the way.
If, at any point, one of the devourers is at less than full health, treat all of the devourers on the board as though they were at less than full health for the purposes of determining their actions (Bestiary).
If, at any point, two devourers get within 6” and line of sight of one another (on a 2’x2’ table), treat all devourers on the board as though they are at less than full health for the purposes of determining their actions. Adjust this distance to 10” for a 3’x3’ table and 14’ for a 4’x4’ or larger table.
The maximum line of sight in this scenario is 20”.
Treasure and Experience
Follow the rules for treasure as for a standard game of Frostgrave. Experience is gained as normal with the following addition:
•50 experience points if either the wizard or apprentice is on the board during a turn in which a devourer is treated as having less than full health.
…We saw their torches first, of course, coming towards us down the passage. When they got closer we saw they were walking on the ceiling. Or maybe we were. We both decided to go back the way we had come and meet up later topside…
