Revisions to the
Basic Rules
HeroQuest Rule Revisions
Revisions occur in the same order as they appear in the HeroQuest instruction book.
Only the sections with changes have been included.
Hero Movement
Each Hero may move up to 7 squares on their turn. Heroes do not have to move their entire distance. When moving, Heroes may not pass over monsters, move through walls or move diagonally. Rooms may only be entered through doors. A Hero may not share a square with another figure, except in pit traps.
Looking, opening doors, getting caught in a trap, drinking potions, and picking things up do not count as actions. They can be done at any time during a Hero's movement phase. These things may not be done during the action phase. (See bottom left of Zargon's info screen.)
The Heroes' Actions:
Heroes may do one or none of the following actions on their turn:
Action 1 - Attack
Prone, held, sleeping and unconscious creatures receive the maximum
amount of damage their attacker can inflict each turn.
Action 3 - Search for Treasure
How a Hero Searches for Treasure
- A Hero may only search if there are no monsters within their line of sight.
- A Hero must declare the object being searched before they can find anything. Treasure is never found by simply declaring a Treasure search.
- To search an object the Hero must first move adjacent to the object they wish to search.
How Zargon Reacts to a Hero's Search for Treasure
- If there are no traps, Zargon will reveal any treasure that was concealed in the searched object.
- If there is a trap, Zargon will describe its effects and any damage the Hero sustains. The Hero's action phase is then over.
Treasure may occasionally be concealed in hidden tiles in the floor or wall. This treasure will always have an indicator showing where to search, such as a map, pointing statue or other special object. To find this type of treasure a square by square search must be conducted in the floor/wall area indicated.
Action 4 - Search for Secret Doors
How a Hero Searches for Secret Doors
- A Hero may only search if there is no monster within their line of sight.
- A Hero must declare where they are searching for secret doors before they can find anything. Secret Doors are never found by simply declaring a search for them.
- To search, the Hero moves to the wall to be searched and, with the remainder of their movement, conducts a square by square search. A Hero must move along the squares next to the wall being searched. The wall is searched in sections equal to the width of a floor tile. The Hero may search the same number of wall sections as the number of movement points they have remaining. As each square in the area is visited the Hero tells Zargon which ones are being searched.
How Zargon Reacts to a Hero's Search for Secret Doors
- If the Hero did not trigger any traps, Zargon will reveal any secret doors that are found.
- If there is a trap Zargon will describe the effects of the trap and any damage the Hero sustains. The Hero's turn is then immediately over.
Secret Doors may occasionally be concealed under tiles in the floor. These
secret doors will always have an indicator showing where to search, such as a map, pointing statue or other special object. To find this type of secret
door a square by square search must be conducted in the floor area indicated.
Action 5 - Search for Traps
How a Hero Searches for Traps
- A Hero may only search if there is no monster within their line of sight.
- A Hero can search either objects, like furniture, or areas of floor, like a room or corridor. A Hero must declare where they are searching before a trap can be found.
- To search an object the Hero must first move adjacent to the object they declared they are searching.
- To search an area the Hero simply declares the area within their line of sight that they are searching, for example a room or corridor.
How Zargon Reacts to a Hero's Search for Traps
- For object traps Zargon will tell the Hero serching that, "That object looks suspicious." For floor triggered traps Zargon will indicate the squares and say, "Those squares look suspicious." The type of trap should not be revealed and no trap markers should be placed at this time.
Types of Traps
- Falling Block Traps
- A floor tile triggers the release of a block of stone from the ceiling directly overhead. If a Hero triggers a falling block trap, they must roll the two red dice. If the Hero rolls equal to or less than their movement they reacted quickly enough to avoid damage. If they roll above their movement, they must subtract their movement score from the number rolled. This is the number of combat dice they must roll to determine the amount of damage taken from the trap. The Hero suffers 1 point for each skull rolled. Defend dice are not rolled.
Whether or not they sustained damage, the Hero must then immediately decide to leap ahead or jump back, because this square is now permanently blocked. The Hero should choose carefully, as they may become trapped forever, or cut off from the rest of the party.
- Spear Traps
- A floor tile triggers the firing of a spear from the wall, floor or ceiling. If the Hero triggers a spear trap they must roll the two red dice. If the Hero rolls equal to or less than their movement they reacted quickly enough to avoid damage. If they roll above their movement, the spear hit the Hero, causing 1 point of damage and ending the Hero's turn. The spear trap is gone forever and the square can be traversed safely.
Jumping a Trap
A Hero may attempt to jump over the tile containing a trap's triggering mechanism. There must be an empty tile beyond the trigger tile onto which the Hero can land, and the Hero must have at least two movement points left. The Hero then rolls one combat die. A skull indicates failure to clear the mechanism, and they sustain damage from the trap. Place the Hero's figure on the trap tile and follow the directions for the type of trap triggered. Rolling either shield means the Hero successfully jumped over the trap. They have expended two movement points to do so, though they can continue to move if they have any movement remaining.
PC's can voluntarily enter a pit without suffering damage, but expend 3 movement points to do so. Climbing out of a pit also requires 3 movement points, one to move forward and one for each of the two 5' changes in height.
Do not place traps at corridor intersections and corners. Design the dungeon so that diagonal movement is not necessary.
Action 6 - Disarm a Trap
In order to disarm a trapped object, a Hero must be adjacent to it. In order to disarm a floor tile trap, a Hero must be on it. If the trap is disarmed it is considered completely safe and is not put on the game board. If however, the disarm roll is missed the trap is sprung and the Hero immediately suffers the corredsponding damage.
Hero w/o tools - 1/6 (6 on a d6)
Dwarf w/o tools - 2/6 (5, 6 on a d6)
Hero w/ tools - 4/6 (3-6 on a d6)
Dwarf w/ tools - 5/6 (2-6 on a d6)
Zargon, the evil sorcerer's turn
Monsters may not:
o Move freely into unexplored areas
Monster Movement
Monsters should remain in areas which the Heroes have previously
explored. Occasionally a fleeing monster will enter an unexplored
area of a dungeon. Dungeon features should ONLY be revealed when a
HERO has direct line of sight into an area. When a monster in an
unexplored area flees out of the Heroes' line of sight, they are
removed from play. Zargon should keep careful track of the monster's
location because the Heroes may wish to pursue.
Dead Heroes
When a Hero reaches zero points they are dead! They cannot do any last second healing to prevent death. All possessions, armor, weapons, and treasure remain on the fallen Hero's body and may be picked up by any creature adjacent to the body. If a monster picks up the posessions, Zargon should keep track of which monster has the items and where they are taken.
If Zargon allows it, the fallen Hero's companions may try to have them resurrected. The cost is typically 1000 gp for each quest the Hero had completed prior to death.
Between Quests
The Heroes typically rest and prepare for their next adventure between quests. All body and mind points are fully restored and all spells are regained.
Most adventures start out from and end at a town. Some towns will contain shops and NPC's whose goods and services can be purchased by the PCs. Zargon will tell the PC's which goods & services are available in the current town. All items are purchased at the full price at which they are listed. Items may be sold to merchants for one half their listed price.
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