Hi

I'm a new player to Descent, and I have some questions regarding the equip "phase".

When it is the heroe's equip phase (right before declaring his action) can he also "de"-equip? (if he has sword + shield in his hands, can he then swap to a two-handed axe that is in his back pack?)

What is the re-equip movement for? (it says on p. 16 that it costs 2 movement points to re-equip)

If a hero receives an item from another hero can he then place whatever he has in that slot in his back pack or must the item he receive be placed in the back pack? Can he drop whatever he has in his hands to make room for the item he gets from the other hero?

I hope someone can explain the equip stuff a bit clearer than it has been written in the rulebook Thanks in advance...

/peter

I'll answer as best I can, I'm sure others will go into better detail...

The equip phase is basically a freebie... you can swap out your gear however you please for no movement points. Re-equipping later in your turn costs 2 movement points. You might do this if you a) picked up something better and want to use it immediately or b) need to change weapons based on the monster you are encountering.

If someone gives you something, you have to have room to store it. You can't drop anything at that time because it is not your turn. Trading items can be a real pain since it really needs thought out in advance. It costs 1 movement for each item you are giving to someone, and that person must be adjacent.

Veinman said:

1st point correct. Equipping at the start of your turn, or re-equipping later for 2 MP is basically reorganising all your gear in any manner you choose. Assume all the gear is laid out on a blanket on the ground in front of the hero and then 'equip' it in any way you wish that conforms to the equipping limits on pg 13. You can change armour, move items from backpack to hands or vice versa, move potions from pack to potion-belt or vise versa, anything.

2nd Point wrong. FAQ pg 2
Q: When can a hero equip items?
A: A hero can equip, drop, or place items in his pack at the beginning of his turn, just after refreshing cards. In addition, whenever a hero receives an item from another player or from a chest, he may immediately equip that item, dropping or placing other items in his pack to free up the hands necessary for the just-received item .

Interestingly, although all other cases that I can find where the rules or FAQ discuss equipping or exchanging items they use 'items'. However the 1MP movement action to give something to someone else only actually covers weapons and potions - so arguably (unless there is something I am missing) you cannot exchange armours or others (which does have the benefit of stopping some of the weirder abuses)).

Veinman said:

Actually, you may freely equip an item when you receive it, de-equipping or dropping other items as need be to do so. This is true no matter where the item comes from (chest, market, another hero, etc.) The reason the 2MP re-equip action exists is in case a hero should want, for whatever reason, to change what equipment he is carrying mid-turn. For example, if he had two weapons equipped to attack during his turn, but then he wants to two-fist shields to protect himself during the OL's turn. In my experience heroes almost never need the 2MP re-equip, but it's there if they want it.

I'm too lazy to pull out my rulebook right now, but I'm 90% certain heroes are allowed to trade anything except gold and skills (and now Feats with ToI). That's how we've always played it anyway.

The 2 mp de-equip can be great in lieutenant encounters when you expect dark charms in the OL hand.

Corbon said:

@ Corbon: Where does the limitation to giving someone just weapons or potions come from?

Parathion said:

DJitD Pg 16 (the Movement Actions Table)
5th Item; 1MP, Give 1 weapon or potion to an adjacent hero*.
(*Hero players only)

There is no other item in the table that covers giving other equipment away.

I never realised it was only weapons and potions until checking it for this thread. Amazing what you can learn even after going over the rules so many times...

Whoa! That´s a good one - thanks!

I doubt my players will accept this, having played it differently all the time... This would definitely need clarification by FFG.

Since there is no similar hint in the RtL rules (heros may trade items freely whenever on the overland map), I guess it was also meant like that for Vanilla Descent. But the rules are clear - this time.

Yet this increases the power of Bardic Lore immensely - a skill which I had always regarded as a little weak (yet my players always love it).

Edit: Just sent the question to FFG. Maybe others could do the same to make it a "frequently asked" one?

Parathion said:

Sorry, I don't get it. What is the question?

The rules are clear. They even fix some of the potential abuses that people have used (like every hero using Elven boots each turn).
Even RtL is still clear - heroes can interchange any equipment while on the overland map, but normal rules (weapons and potions only) still apply inside the dungeon (or while in town during a dungeon).

It sounds like a case of "I don't like this rule so if I ask a leading question perhaps I can get them to change it." ???

The question is like:

Is it intentional to exclude armor and other items from in-dungeon trading?

Thematically it makes no sense to allow trading big two-handed weapons while a tiny ring of protection cannot be swapped.

To be clear: I like this rule very much since I am the OL. My players will not be amused, though.

As amusing as this discussion is, that question is already in the FAQ, and has been for some time. Page two.

Q: Can a hero give any type of item to an adjacent hero, or just weapons and potions?
A: A hero may give any item to an adjacent hero at the cost of one movement point. A hero may never give money to another hero.

Dang, you are right. One tends to read only the red portions of a new FAQ, forgetting/ignoring older rulings.

I feel stupid now.

Parathion said:

+1

I read the FAQ after I had posted my answer.... and instantly realized that we had been playing incorrectly ever since we started. It's crazy how the FAQ can turn things around on you.

Yeah, thats the bad part about FAQs.