Vizier

I just played through a game with my custom Vizier character (modeled after the Vizier from the Aladdin stories).



I rather like the design. If you haven't seen him, he has an immunity to snakes, and starts the game with a Viper as a companion. His fight chits are particularly weak for his vulnerability of Medium (intentional), and he's not all that quick. He has four type VI chits, and one type IV chit. This means that he can fire off one type VI spell per turn, and rarely has a chance to do type IV spells without another source of purple magic. He is also unable to enchant tiles.

I thought that initially he would be fairly underpowered, but after playing a game, I find that his advantages are rather nice, if a bit weird. I did lose my Viper to a battle with a T Spider early on, but at least I managed to stay alive. With development rules turned on, I knew that by achieving a new advancement level, the Viper would regenerate (this is the only way for companions to regenerate), and so I aimed to survive long enough to achieve the needed VPs. Since I started at level 4, I knew this would take some doing, especially since losing my companion already put me 2 notoriety points in the hole.

I started the game with 2 spells: Transform, and Fiery Blast. Yeah, hopeful thinking. My first major encounter after losing my Viper was with the T Flying Demon. I hid, and thought it might be worth turning it into a frog and then killing it. Alas, I turned the Demon into a Lion, but thankfully I remained hidden, so the Lion didn't attack. Whew!

I snuck out of the clearing, so I could rest my chits, and the Flying Demon returned to the setup card, which cancelled the Transform spell. I'm not sure that's correct according to the rules (might be a bug) but that was good enough for me. I went back to the Shrine where the Demon had been, and looted it for all it was worth. I managed to pick up the Scroll of Alchemy, which was perfect for the Vizier with his type VI proficiency. I stood near the Chapel and read runes until I learned all the spells. Several curses, and Chapel cleansings later, I had them all: Unleash Power, World Fades, Phantasm, and Dissolve Spell. Not too shabby!

I decided at that point to move through the caves nearby, and see if there was much treasure on the other side. In the caves, I got pounced on by a pair of Trolls, but a quick Transform turned me into an Eagle, and I was able to fly away. Cool!

I came across the Small Campfire, and the Woodfolk were waiting for me there. I rested my type IV chit, and made more purple magic before moving into the evening. The Woodfolk decided to battle me, so I quickly turned into an Eagle, and somehow managed to kill the leader, before flying away. Sneaking back, and looting the clearing, I found one L Bow, M Bow, and both small treasures (Alchemists Mixture and some other potion... can't remember now). With the L Bow (couldn't really use the M Bow - not strong enough), I used ambush to slowly kill the remaining Woodsfolk. I finished cleaning up the clearing, and moved into the Cliff tile.

Whoa! The Lost Castle reveals itself, along with the Lair, Hoard, Pool, and Altar, as well as a tub-full of dragons. I wasn't able to do much but fly away as the Eagle , and land in a nearby woods tile, where the Vipers appeared. With the Vizier's immunity, the Vipers simply watched me rest my chits, and allowed me to move back towards the Cliff. At the site of the Woodsfolk slaughter, the Lancers had appeared (FRIENDLY), and the Vizier was finally able to unload some previous loot, and earn enough gold to hire the Lancers, AND achieve a new level (yay, my Viper friend is back!) With an army of Lancers, a Viper, and a well-oiled bow, I thought it was time to make work of the Dragons in the Cliff, and revel in my riches.

Without going into excruciating detail, I can tell you that we cleaned up a lot of dragons, but ultimately, a few crummy rolls left me in the grips of the T Flying Dragon, with not much else to do but die. It sucked, but the game was fun nonetheless. I considered reloading an earlier save, but I'm thinking I should probably quit for the night, and spend some time with the family downstairs. :-)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and may your travels be safe!