The following scenario has been created for Song of Blades & Heroes, though it can be easily tweaked to fit any skirmish gaming system.
The aim is to take on the role of a Chaos sorcerer who roams a small village, attempting to recruit as many allies as possible before a band of bounty hunters arrive to take him dead or alive.
As Thul’garr the Eldrich, a tentacle-faced servant of chaos, and his formidable bodyguard, Jarek the Damned, descended upon the remote hamlet of Middensbury, the forces of corruption drew nigh, veiled by the fading light of day.
Pursued by relentless bounty hunters, Thul’garr and Jarek had sought refuge in this unsuspecting outpost on the edge of the Empire. Their pursuers, driven by vengeance, gold, and the desire to extinguish the sinister influence Thul’garr embodied, drew closer with each passing day.
Thul’garr, a master of manipulation and cunning, had a plan as simple as it was sinister. He intended to exploit the villagers, to bind them unwittingly to his nefarious cause, using his dark, corrupted magic. In the throes of chaos, they would become both a shield and a weapon against his relentless pursuers.
Yet Thul’garr knew of a witch hunter’s presence in this region—a relentless and deadly foe dedicated to quelling chaos. Caution was his ally.
As twilight settled over the rustic roofs of the Middensbury hovels, the stage was set for a dark and insidious transformation. Thul’garr the Eldrich had arrived, ready to whisper forbidden incantations and weave the threads of corruption into the very soul of the settlement. Villagers went about their business, oblivious to the horrors that drew closer, the very essence of chaos beginning to infest their souls.
Under the guise of a charismatic leader, Thul’garr extolled the virtues of chaos and its transformative power. His words would sway some, whilst others would prove strong enough to resist. Maybe even to fight back.
But with each step, Thul’garr whispered the promise of power and the temptation of chaos. The air in Middensbury crackled with unspoken promise, as the dark priest extended his influence. And as the bounty hunters closed in on the village, Middensbury’s fate hung in the balance between chaos and order.
Chaos Player Objectives
- Try to convert as many allies as possible in six turns before the bounty hunters arrive.
- Watch out for the undercover witch hunter.
- Dark magic makes Thul’garr and Jarek appear normal to the villagers unless they become hostile to the pair.
- Hostile villagers will turn any other villagers within 6” hostile, too.
Converting Allies
- Move into range of any villager and spend an action to attempt a conversion.
- First, draw from a deck of villager cards. If you draw the joker, this villager is the undercover witch hunter and is now hostile. See suggested witch hunter rules below.
- If any other card is drawn, roll to proceed with the spell.
- Villagers have varying conversion difficulty. Roll a D20 and compare it with their split number. For example, 10/15.
- On a roll of 1 to 9, Thul’garr has failed, and the villager is now hostile.
- On a roll of 10 to 14, the spell is unstable, and you should roll on the Unstable Magic Conversion Table.
- On a roll of 15-20, the spell is a full success, and the villager is now under Thul’garr’s control until they are killed.
Unstable Magic Conversion Table (D20)
1, 2 – Villager Dies: The villager succumbs to the chaos or the stress of the situation and dies.
3, 4 – Villager Becomes Hostile: The villager’s encounter with chaos has driven them into a frenzy, and they become hostile to everyone, including your characters and other villagers.
5, 6 – Temporary Conversion: The villager converts to your side but only for a limited duration, lasting for D4 turns. Use their newfound allegiance wisely.
7, 8 – Villager Transforms into a Rat: The villager undergoes a bizarre transformation, turning into a rat. You gain control of this peculiar rat, which may have its uses in the future. One time outcome, re-roll this result in future.
9, 10 – Villager Transforms into a Chaos Spawn: The chaos taint within the villager fully emerges, transforming them into a chaos spawn under your control. Roll a D6 to determine the spawn’s Quality and another D6 to determine its Combat rating. One time outcome, re-roll this result in future.
11, 12 – Villager Enters a Trance: The villager enters a mysterious trance, revealing vital information about the situation or the surrounding area. They share this crucial knowledge with your characters before passing away. Reduce bounty hunters by D4. One time outcome, re-roll this result in future.
13 to 18 – Villager Fully Converts: The villager undergoes a moment of intense mental deliberation and fully converts to your side, becoming a valuable addition to your warband.
19, 20 – Villager Opens a Chaos Portal: In a chaotic twist, the villager somehow becomes a portal to the Realm of Chaos, inadvertently unleashing a greater daemon. Control the daemon, but be wary of its formidable powers. Pass a Quality test each turn, or the daemon will be hostile to the Chaos player. One time outcome, re-roll this result in future.
The Witch Hunter
There’s a possibility Thul’garr will attempt to convert a villager who’s an undercover witch hunter. Should this happen, here are some options for the impact on the game.
- Reduce the number of turns until the bounty hunters arrive.
- Increase the number of bounty hunters.
- Turn another D6 number of villagers hostile to Thul’garr and Jarek.
- Reduce Thul’garr’s stats or abilities.
- Increase difficulty of conversion stats for all.
If you have any ideas or suggestions for improving this scenario, please let me know in the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast Discord Community!