Double-decker DungeonQuest
==========================
This is an experimental DungeonQuest variant which tries to use more
of the bits from Catacombs without the rather disappointing tileless
Catacombs themselves. We normally play using the Catacombs bits which
don't explicitly put people into the Catacombs.
Reinsert (if removed) the Passage Down Room cards and the Stairs Down
and Narrow Bridge Room tiles. The lower level is a tiled map like the
normal map but with two fewer rows and columns of tiles. The
outermost ring of tiles on the upper level, which have no
corresponding spaces below, are referred to here as the "Belt".
The Treasure Chamber is present on both levels, but the good stuff is
on the bottom level; you draw only one Treasure Counter while "up on
the balcony". The dragon works as normal, and is quite capable of
toasting characters on two levels at once. You may not jump off the
upper balcony into the Chamber below; falling onto a big heap of metal
objects right next to the dragon does not appeal.
Catacombs radically reduced the success rate of Searching; we doctored
one Empty card and the Passage Down into Secret Doors. The Empty card
remains a Secret Door; the Passage Down is now a Secret Staircase.
You'll need to bodge up some "Pit Above", "Chasm Above" and "Collapsed"
tiles.
The game lasts for four additional turns.
Normally a move between levels is a move taking a turn like any other,
but sometimes you will move between levels by falling. If you enter an
unexplored tile, the tile is oriented in the same way as the tile you
left. This procedure also applies for effects like the Amulet of
Tele****tation [1].
Sometimes you will have the option of making a descent not by stairs
but by lowering yourself down dangerously; this also is a move
demanding a turn in its own right. If you do this, you make an Agility
check on d12 if you do not have a Rope; if you fail this check, you
fall. You take d3 damage from a failed lowering attempt if there are
no other rules. You may not attempt this if there is a player in the
room below; you may not do it in the Treasure Chamber, even with a
Rope.
If you draw a Bottomless Pit or Chasm on the lower level, it works as
normal. If you draw it on the upper level and the tile below is
unexplored (or you are in the Belt), it works as normal and the tile
below is considered to be a space of the same type. If the tile below
is explored, discard the Bottomless Pit or Chasm tile and draw again -
lucky you!
If there is a Pit or Chasm on the upper level, you can lower yourself
down, but if you fail the Agility check you plummet to your death. If
you make it, you end up at the same entrance to the lower Pit or side
of the lower Chasm that you started on.
You may search a Chasm - there's no reason why not - but obviously you
can't leave by a secret door on the other side of the chasm. You may
leap the chasm by making an Agility check on 1d12; if you fail, you
plummet to your death.
If you draw a Narrow Bridge on the lower level, discard it. If you
find one on the upper level, use this procedure (which is _not_ the
one in Catacombs). You may attempt to cross the bridge on the turn you
enter the tile or on any subsequent turn you spend in the tile - if
you cross the bridge on a subsequent turn, you can leave the tile as
well. Make an Agility Check to cross; if you fail, you fall to the
lower level taking d6 damage; you can't move away in the lower level
after a fall. If you have a Rope, you may instead return to the side
of the bridge you started from; you only take d3 damage (regardless of
where you opt to end up), but you still forfeit your move.
You may lower yourself down from a Narrow Bridge tile. You may search
a Narrow Bridge tile, but a secret door can't let you leave from the
other side of the bridge.
Stairs tiles obviously lead to the other level. If you draw a stairs
tile in the Belt, replace it in the pile of undrawn tiles and draw
again.
If you enter an unexplored tile by stairs, place a stairs marker on it
unless it is a Rotating Room, Bottomless Pit, or you moved upwards
into a Cave-In; if you enter an already explored tile with no marker,
the stairs are hidden, and the staircase is effectively one-way;
however, you can Escape from a monster back the stairs you entered by.
Passage Down Room cards place a stairs marker in the tile you are
in. If you draw this card in the Belt or in a Rotating Room or upper
level Cave-In, it counts as an Empty room.
The "Secret Staircase" card (which is the Passage Down Search card) is
like a Secret Door, it's a once-only op****tunity to move to the other
level. Like a Secret Door, it is lost once used. If you draw this card
in the Belt or a tile below a Collapsed tile, draw another Search card.
A Trapdoor trap on the lower level or in the Belt works as normal. A
Trapdoor trap elsewhere on the upper level drops you into the lower
level for d6 damage but, until you leave the tile you entered, you can
climb back up again by making an Agility check. Unlike in normal DQ,
climbing up does take a turn. If you evade a Trapdoor, you may lower
yourself down on your next turn (only).
If you involuntarily move (eg by Trapdoor, Narrow Bridge, or Amulet)
into a space with another player, you instead end up in a randomly
selected free adjacent space on the same level, perhaps having fallen
through a series of exciting chutes. You can still never voluntarily
move into a space with another player.
The Ring of Tele****tation now moves you between levels either upwards
or downwards. It can be used after drawing a Room Card (but not a
tile) you dislike. It can be used to change levels in the Treasure
Chamber. It takes no time to use. Like any ring, it works only once.
A Cave-In card on the upper level works normally. A Cave-In card on
the lower level, if there was no player in the tile space above,
converts whatever tile was present to a Collapsed tile. Any stairs
below a Collapsed tile also collapse and are removed; no stairs can be
found below such a tile, not even the Secret Staircase.
You may not search a Collapsed tile, and may only leave it in the
direction you entered or by lowering yourself. You do not draw a Room
card when entering such a tile. A Collapsed tile always has openings
in all four directions.
[Remember that a Cave-In tile, a Cave-In card, and a Collapsed tile
are all different things.]
The Amulet of Levitation has many more uses. You may use it as normal
to evade Trapdoors and cross Bottomless Pits, Narrow Bridges, and
Chasms. You may leave a Collapsed tile by any entrance.
In any tile where a normal player could fall into the lower level
(including the Collapsed tile, or immediately after drawing a
Trapdoor), you have the option of falling safely; you take no damage,
and you do not plummet to your death if you arrive on a Pit or
Chasm. This does not use a move.
In any situation where a player could lower themselves down, you may
do so, automatically passing any checks made. Normally, of course, it
is easier to fall safely.
In a tile below a Collapsed tile, Pit, Chasm, or Narrow Bridge, or in a
tile you have entered by Trapdoor, you can take a turn to rise up to
the upper level.
In the Treasure Chamber, you may levitate between levels. This takes a
turn (even if descending) but you do not draw a Dragon Counter.
Doomshadow has a 50/50 chance of giving up when a player moves between
levels (either way), but this check is only made once per Doomshadow -
you can't bounce between levels repeatedly to get rid of it.
Optionally (CEB, 14 May) Doomshadow works as follows. 1/3 of the time
it continues to pursue you. 1/3 of the time it gives up. 1/3 of the
time it does not pursue you on the other level, but will start pursuit
again if you return to the level you first encountered it on. It is
not recommended to refer to it as a "Dalek".
Interactions between room types and moving between levels
=========================================================
Normal Room or Trap Room:
Take d3 damage if you fell in. Take a Room or Trap Card as normal.
Bottomless Pit (bottom level):
If you fell in, you plummet to your death. If you were successfully
lowering yourself, make a second Agility check (automatically
succeeding if you have a Rope) to scrabble back up to the upper level
(do not draw a Room or Trap card for the tile you reenter); otherwise,
you plummet to your death.
If you were descending stairs, make a Luck check to notice the
ingenious collapsing stairs arrangement and return to the upper level;
you lose this turn (again, do not draw a card for the tile you
reenter). If you fail the check, you notice the collapsing stairs
arrangement as it collapses and you plummet past it to your death. If
you had the Amulet of Levitation, you may either return to the upper
level or remain in the Pit tile as you please.
Bottomless Pit (any):
If you were tele****ted in, make a Luck check (if you do not have the
Amulet of Levitation) to end up on a randomly selected side of the
pit; otherwise you end up in the middle and plummet to your death.
Chasm (drawn on the upper level):
Obviously stairs, trapdoors etc. connect to the same side of the chasm
on both levels.
Chasm (lower level only):
If you descend by stairs from a non-Chasm to a Chasm tile, roll randomly
to see which side of the Chasm the stairs connect to. If you descend by
Secret Staircase, it arrives on a side of your choice.
Chasm (any):
If you are tele****ted or fall by exciting chute into a chasm space,
make a Luck check as for the Bottomless Pit, above - if you do not
have the Amulet of Levitation.
Collapsed:
If you are tele****ted into such a space, you immediately fall into the
lower level, taking d6 damage - unless you have the Amulet of
Levitation, in which case you remain on the upper level or fall safely
as you please.
Cave-In, Spider Web:
If you fall or are tele****ted in, you are automatically stuck and must
make the appropriate check to leave in any direction. If you are
descending by stairs and find such a tile, you may choose to retreat
as normal on your next move. If you were successfully lowering
yourself, you may opt to make a second Agility check (automatically
successful with a Rope) to scrabble back to the top level (and do not
draw a card); if you fail you are automatically stuck but do not take
damage.
You don't take any damage when falling into a Spider Web, since it
cu****ons the fall.
If you attempt to go upstairs and find you are moving into a Cave-In,
you take d12-Armour damage as loose debris falls on you, and you
remain on the lower level. No stairs except the Secret Staircase can
lead down from a Cave-In.
Chamber of Darkness:
Stairs in a Chamber of Darkness count as an exit to be chosen from
like any other. If you leave a Chamber of Darkness by stairs down,
make an Agility check or take d3 damage from falling on the stairs. An
Amulet of Levitation prevents this damage.
Corridors:
Stairs can exist in a corridor, and you can use the extra move to go
up or down stairs or after arriving by stairs or by successfully
lowering yourself into a corridor. You cannot get an extra move after
falling or being tele****ted into a corridor tile.
****tcullis:
If you arrive in a ****tcullis room by moving between levels or by
tele****tation, the ****tcullis was already closed. It's impossible for
there to be a placed ****tcullis tile with the ****tcullis open.
Rotating Room:
If you arrive in a Rotating Room by stairs, they are always secret
one-way stairs. Furthermore if you arrive in a Rotating Room by moving
between levels, the Room is "untriggered" - it will still rotate the
first time an explorer enters the room by the normal entrance. Place a
counter to track this.
Treasure Chamber:
If you are tele****ted into the Treasure Chamber, make a Luck check. If
you succeed, you end up on the upper balcony. If you fail, you land
on the dragon. You are killed instantly, and other players in the room
suffer the normal effects for the dragon awakening.
[1] Rules lawyers will spot this doesn't help if you left the Treasure
Chamber. Choose an orientation at random in that case. I'm not even
sure if this can happen.
--
David Damerell <damerell@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Kill the tomato!
Today is Second Sunday, May - a weekend.
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