Welcome back to Four Short of a Strategy, a video series where the Battle Systems team takes on the Dungeons of Enveron campaign from their game Maladum. If you missed the first article and video, you can catch up here.
We’re now heading into the fourth dungeon, and it’s starting to show. The skills the party has picked up along the way are finally shaping how they approach each game and it’s making a difference. Last time out, the crew tried a more methodical approach. Less chaos (well…slightly less), more planning. They worked their way through the dungeon by carefully managing the Dread Tracker and pushing it upwards when necessary to trigger different adversaies in order to gain more objectives. We saw our first Hidden Room event card come into play, an NPC handed out a side quest, and things got tense when Grogmar needed rescuing…. again!
He made it out in one piece though and even picked up his first XP. That means he officially joins the rest of the crew in this month’s update.
Now, before we dive into the next dungeon, we’re taking a bit of time to look at how everyone has spent their XP and how the party is shaping up going forward.
Character Builds
Nerinda
Nerinda’s doubled down on what she does best, putting another level into Reflexes ahead of this quest. It keeps her firmly in that fast, agile assassin role, in, out, and hard to pin down.
Now, when she’s engaged, she can slip away with a Move action without worrying about attacks of opportunity. And even if something does catch her on the way out, she can ignore one hit from those attacks entirely.
Apparently, Nerinda’s also claiming she’s turned over a new leaf and is ready to be more of a team player this time.
We’ll see.
There’s every chance she says that… and then immediately disappears in the opposite direction the moment things get interesting.
Brahm
Heading into Quest E, Brahm has levelled up Weapon Mastery to level 2 and it’s a solid upgrade.
On the surface, it lets him follow up a melee attack by Wounding and Stunning the target. Always useful.
But in true Brahm fashion, the real appeal is the passive bonus. He can now make a melee attack as an effortless action, which opens up a lot more flexibility in a fight.
It’s the kind of ability that really shines when things go wrong. Giving him more attacks to get out of a sticky situation, especially helpful if party members aren’t rushing to his aid.
Of course, this all depends on the dice agreeing with him… which isn’t always guaranteed.
Moranna
In between quests, Moranna took a trip to the Artisans Guild and she didn’t come back empty-handed.
Heading into the next dungeon, she’s upgraded her kit quite a bit. She’s picked up a new bow that lets her re-roll one attack die every time she fires. Pair that with Vicious and Sharp ammo, plus a quiver that keeps her from running out (no matter how the dice behave), and she’s looking far more reliable at range.
She’s also added a new chest piece to her loadout. It gives her a re-roll when she’s attacked and bumps her up to level 1 Reflexes. Better still, it doesn’t have an Armour value, so it won’t interfere with Malacyte flow, meaning no extra pegs needed for spells.
Clearly inspired by all this, Moranna has also taken Counter Shot at level 1. This lets her react when targeted by a ranged attack or spell, striking back before the attack is even resolved.
Safe to say, she’s not planning on just being a squishy magic user from here out, and lets hope so. As the majority of party funds and all of their gathered materials went towards this load out.
Grogmar
Fresh off of earning his first XP, Grogmar is taking it for a spin and maybe showing it off a little too.
He’s chosen to level up Intimidation, giving him the ability to decide who an enemy targets each round from anyone they can see. Even if they’re already engaged. Even if someone else is closer. Subtle, he is not.
After scraping through the last dungeon with barely any gear left, the party pooled their remaining funds to get Grogmar back up to fighting shape. That meant replacing his much-loved halberd and picking up some armour; offering protection value 1 and a handy re-roll on incoming attacks.
He’s also ended up carrying all of the objectives from the previous quest. Originally, this was meant to double as a makeshift fireball shield… and, to be fair, that’s still the plan. Being the toughest one in the group, he’s the safest bet to take the hit or at least survive it. Althoughm that theory hasn’t played out so far.
In this dungeon, Tom will be running both Moranna and Grogmar. So while the chances of the team accidentally eating a fireball have dropped significantly, although Moranna might have a new problem to deal with.
Let’s see how she gets on with her new Barbarian “protector” whilst Dan is away.
Quest E – Eclipse of the Scholars
Emerging from the depths of the caves with undeniable evidence of the abominations you encountered, you set out on the road to Kelthion. Your quest eventually leads you to the great city. Its reputation for scholarly pursuits would undoubtedly aid in your enquiries, yet your arrival is met with naught but chaos. An ominous crimson hue stains the streets, and despite your attempts to seek answers, the frantic populace rushes past without heed. Frustration mounts, and you seize the arm of a passing citizen, demanding their attention. “Can’t you see we’re under siege!?” the terrified individual exclaims, eyes wide with fear. “Daylight wanes, and we must prepare before they rise from beneath us once more. I have no time for idle chatter!” With a trembling hand, the citizen points towards the nearest sewer grating, wrenches free from your grasp, and hastens away, leaving you little choice but to traverse the city’s underbelly.
You can view the full dungeon play through here.
Until next time,
Happy Gaming!
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