Good evening,

back with another question related to Overlord tactics.

In the quest "Web of Power" from Labyrinth of Ruin the overlord is allowed to choose one open group in addition to the predetermined groups of Arachyura and Cave Spider .

With my current collection of minions I can choose from the following:

Changeling , Wraith , Harpy , Goblin Witcher , Volucrix Reaver , Hybrid Sentinel , Fire Imps , Ettin , Flesh Moulder , Zombie , Ynfernael Hulk

Neither of them catches my eye concerning the overlord objective to perform the ritual with Ariad, especially because no reinforcement comes from this groups.

It is to expected that both Arachyura die before I even have the chance to activate them, so they are more less useless for the first couple of turns. Except for my open group and with token luck some Cave Spiders nothing really stands in the heroes to march towards Ariad.

Flesh Mould without something to block for them are too squishy by themselves.

Zombies are to slow to even reach the heroes and could simply be outrun.

Goblin Witchers could be used to curse the heroes which could be a nice setup for Ariads cursed blast, given that I don't start the ritual as fast as possible.

Ettins could block the way for maybe a round or with luck two, and inflict some nice damage. Lava is close by and could be used in combination with web trap.

Hybrid Sentinels could be devastating if I draw the right cards to setup the Master.

Fire Imps do not look really intimidating, as there is not nearly enough lava to make there healing ability viable.

Volucrix hit rather hard and are really agile but are squishy.

Harpies could profit from nice spider spawning but are weak by themselves.

Wraith could be nice if set up right but I personally never tried them.

Changelings could be abused to spawn some Cave Spiders.

I would be grateful for some advice be it open group or tactic related.

Regards

Funkfried

Changelings could be abused to spawn some Cave Spiders.

Did you try the changeling tactic?

Did you try the changeling tactic?

I did not. Our OL chose Ettins, and we destroyed them. The Labyrinth campaign I've got going now is not including the Nerekhall expansion. However, having just come through a Nerekhall campaign, changelings are surprisingly useful between the master's hideous laughter, the wither surge, and the whisper ability. They're also resilient as small monsters go, rolling black/brown (which is statistically better than gray/gray, for the record.)

Not one of the missions for the Overlord I guess. Did you rush towards Ariad or did you have enough time to easily kill off monsters and collect search token?

Not one of the missions for the Overlord I guess. Did you rush towards Ariad or did you have enough time to easily kill off monsters and collect search token?

We did rush Ariad- we didn't defeat her before her ritual got going, but in the second to last turn before it ended- the thing you need to be careful about (as OL) is that she is the most vulnerable just after the ritual begins, and just before it ends. If you can keep the heroes from attacking you during the brown/brown turns, you're probably OK. If not, you're done. We ended up searching everything (though there is only one encounter) using a summoned stone and ways of stone to get around spawning more spiders.

Also, the way the objective tokens are set up, if the heroes are careful/lucky, they can figure out what token you've got on top and never spawn a cave spider for the rest of the encounter.

Yeah, the brown brown phases seem to be really dangerous. I agree that without help of minions or cards it will be really hard to spawn spiders, that's why I'm counting on the changelings to play their part. But honestly, the reinforcement makes it really hard to put pressure on the heroes.

I have 2 exp left to spend. I could buy another web trap or save it for the 3 exp trap from the saboteur deck.

I have another question, spiders do spawn when a hero enters an adjacent space and the overlord has the corresponding marker. What happens in the case when a figure stands on a token, which is possible as they do not block LOS or movement, and a hero enters an adjacent space lets say via the changeling ability. Would the cave spider be placed on the nearest empty space or would there be no spawning of spIders as the web is blocked? In the case that the spiders would in fact spawn in adjacent empty space, it might be possible given the right circumstances to spawn multiple spiders from the same web on the same turn.

1. The tokens don't block LOS or movement in this quest.

2. Stepping on a token doesn't spawn a spider, since tokens are not adjacent to themselves.

3. The spider would be placed in the nearest empty space if a different figure is already on the token, but note in the rules it specifically says that is a spider is on the token when a hero steps, don't place another spider.

Your best bet for winning the quest is to get a bunch of cave spiders on the map to slow the heroes or help ariad (read: help ariad.) The heroes can easily win this quest if they can keep your cave spider numbers low- all they need to do is crowd around ariad and kill arachyura in that case.

My plan is to either position a changeling or a hero on a web and then use the changelings abilities to make the other heroes run around the web, to spawn as much spiders as possible using only one token. As it is my turn I could afterwards activate the previously spawned spiders to help Ariad perform her ritual.

Wow, changelings are evil and extremely durable! Heroes dodged the webs but changelings made them spawn spiders. Walled around Ariad with changelings and spiders. Bought me enough time to finish the ritual and leave the map with Queen Ariad. Thanks for your advice.

Sorry for the bit of necro on this topic, but just wanted to mention that I used Golems as an open group and they worked pretty well.

The master monster just blocked the way out of the sewers. With it's immunity to pierce, the fact that it can't be moved and Grey + Black defense dice it's already hard to get past,

but on top of that the master Golem also grabbed the search token from the sewers thanks to 'Petty Theft' from Raythen's Skullduggery, granting him +1 Shield (from another Skullduggery card) and also making sure that Logan the Treasure Hunter couldn't use that search action to move through the master.

That, and quite a few good rolls (5 shields or more on average thanks to the dice, extra shield and no pierce), stalled the heroes long enough so the first two heroes able to attack Ariad did so only on the last step of the transformation. Queen Ariad was then able to escape relatively unscathed, despite a failed Blinding Speed card (Lord Hawthorne as Warrior)

Once the transformation is complete, it's all over. The key for the heroes is to deal as much damage as possible while Ariad has 2 brown defense, either toward the beginning or end of the transformation. The OL's biggest hurdle is protecting her during those vulnerable turns and limiting the amount of time she spends with that defense pool.

Well, that seems pretty hard to do for the heroes.

(I was sort of lucky that I got the 'Evil minions gain strength' travel card. (Which gives 2 extra movement points), which is just enough to move Ariad into the marked space in one go.)

But, since the Arachyura almost always roll a surge, the heroes have maybe 3 turns to get to the Ariad before she is past that first vulnerable point.

3 Turns to move past the arachyura, water spaces in the sewer, the open group, all the webs, and still have an attack left...

If they get held up at any point, they'll arrive late, and then they have that second point (which only lasts one turn) to do 28 damage (assuming they don't get there earlier) which, at least for my heroes, seems pretty hard to do .

Otherwise she just discards all the damage and all was for naught.

We were able to win this quest as heroes (it was one of only two besides the finale that we won during the whole campaign.) It was our first Act 2 quest, and so we didn't have Act 2 gear. What we did have was:

Trenloe the Knight

Orkell the Skirmisher

Quellen the Geomancer

Jain the Wildlander

Quellen was able to get a stone into the unique space, which delayed Ariad getting to her transformation by a turn. We were also quite lucky in that we didn't spawn a spider during the entire quest. I really, really wanted to carve a path around an objective token and kill all the spiders immediately after spawning them, but the other heroes convinced me it was a bad idea. Trenloe and Quellen kept the Arachyura at bay well enough that we had time to kill Ariad before she finished transforming.

Same here, first Act 2 quest.

Alright, so I count 13 movement points needed + spawn stone within 3 spaces + move stone 2 spaces to block that space

That could be done in 2 turns I guess (and needs to be done, since ariad can move there in 2 turns, or even 1 with that card I got),

Move(4) + Move(4) & Move(4) + 1 fatigue move + Summon stone and then move the stone into the .

I just don't see how to do that when you enter the monsters into the equation. (I don't know what open group was used in your quest though)

I sort of replicated the setup for the quest (don't mind the unfinished minion arachyura, serena and golem).

The arachyura started like that, but the heroes spent their first round killing them (can't remember exactly). The Golem moved to where he is standing now during my first turn (and grabbed the token), and held off the heroes for at least 2 rounds or so.

I just don't see how Quellen is supposed to get passed all that and still have all his needed actions left. And that's still only one hero that can effectively block her one turn.

Just to be clear, I'm not trying to be negative or anything like that. It's just that my heroes are really complaining that the game is very unfair towards them and totally unbalanced,

at the same time that I'm reading everywhere that this quest (and others) should be easy for the heroes and that some of the heroes they've selected should be wiping the floor with me..

I just want to figure out what they might be doing wrong, so they don't get tired of the game because they find it unfair.

Heroes:

Hawthorne - Beastmaster

Skinning Knife, Lifedrain Scepter, Lucky Charm, Heavy Cloak

Bound by the Hunt, Stalker, Survivalist, Savagery.

Quellen - Hexer

Staff of the Grave, Mana Weave, White Wolf Cloak

Enfeebling Hex, Viral Hex, Internal Rot

Logan - Treasure Hunter

Leather Whip, Dead Man's Compass, Shadow Bracers

Delver, Dungeoneer, Gold Rush, Sleight of Hand

Mok - Spiritspeaker

Elm Greatbow

Stoneskin, Healing Rain, Cloud of Mist

The open group was ettins. It was awhile ago, but I'm pretty sure that Trenloe and I killed the minion arachyura on turn 1, which based on placement allowed Quellen to move up. I know we had the elven boots, and I know that trenloe had "inspiration." That and Quellen's hero ability allowed for good fatigue generation- he also had ways of stone, which I think he used to teleport up to one of his stones on the second turn. I could be remembering wrong, but it may have involved turn 1 move a bit and summon a stone, then walk the stone up. On turn 2 "ways of stone" to that second stone, then fatigue move, summon a second stone, and walk that stone to the unique space.

We chose our party/skills with a focus on movement. Between the knight's "Advance" and "Oath of Honor," Quellen's heroic feat and "Ways of Stone", Orkell's "Carve a Path" (with a speed of 6!) and Jain's heroic feat + Nimble/Fleet of Foot combo, we could cover huge distances in very little time. On top of that, in the case of several of our abilities, monster blockades made no difference.

One of the other things we were able to do in this particular quest was position stones such that it was difficult for the Arachyura to get adjacent to Ariad- this was helpful because we were successful in keeping the cave spiders out of play, forcing the OL to manage the 2x2 monsters (thank the particular group of people playing- we made a logical deduction about what the top token had to be as a result of what hadn't triggered and just avoided that token.)

Got a question on this quest. Rules say that Ariad recovers the amount of "hearts" dealt by Arachyuras and Spiders attacks. But, does this mean that she recovers the amount suffered, so she remains untouched, or she does not suffer anything, and recovers health, thus, making those attacks healful?

Got a question on this quest. Rules say that Ariad recovers the amount of "hearts" dealt by Arachyuras and Spiders attacks. But, does this mean that she recovers the amount suffered, so she remains untouched, or she does not suffer anything, and recovers health, thus, making those attacks healful?

As I understand it, the attack is a way for Ariad to actually recover health. She does not roll defense so as not to reduce the amount of damage she recovers. The spiders and arachyura are not actually attacking her, they're assisting in the ritual, and the means of doing that is targeting her with an attack.

In any case, we played that way and the heroes still won.

She does not suffer damage from the monster attacks.

If she was damaged by the heroes however, she would recover the damage rolled on the attacks of the monsters (without rolling defense dice)

That's what I thought, but wasn't really sure. I don't think the text is actually clear. Thanks.

And now my question is not rules concerning. Is it actually an advantage for the OL to get Queen Ariad for the Finale? Yes, Queen hits harder on average with base dice, but Ariad can add A LOT of yellows with Cursed Assault, attacking everything cursed on LoS at range.... Has anyone "test" them both to say accurately which one is actually better?

I played this quest recently as the OL against an overpowered group of heroes (long story). It was also our first Act II quest that I chose myself. I lost "only just" due to unbelieveable bad luck. My 5 first defense rolls on the Arachyuras gave 0 shields, first search token gave treasure chest into Rage Blade which then killed Ariad in the end, my two first spider attacks on Ariad with 3 dices gave no surge etc. It just kept piling on and I have no idea how I could still be able to stay in the game. A Blinding Speed on Ariad on the first turn seemed to be a big deal, though. Not really because you reach the transformation space earlier (you have no spider at that time, except if the heroes kill the Arachyuras), but because she gets out of sight of ridiculous ranged attacks from heroic feats.

I chose Changelings but I also had the Baron Zachareth agent, which removed 1 master and 1 minion. The Baron is really great for the job, with 20 health and BGG for defense, his Direction skill which pushed the heroes towards the webs etc. Definitely an option for those who choose his plot deck. I would do it again. Golems would have gone down much faster in comparison. Pierce immunity is great but there are too many attack actions to withstand from a full party of heroes.

The mechanism behind the webs is deceiving. Heroes can figure out which color it is in no time and then avoid the tokens of the same color during all game. Since you never get into a situation where you reveal the token, you don't discard it either and keep it on top of your stack, which felt lackluster at best. I wish it would refresh automatically every turn but no matter how I read the quest rules I couldn't get to that interpretation.

Yeah, I asked the same question in my random questions thread. The way it's written doesn't literally say that it needs to be discarded, but the first sentence or something seemed to indicate to me that it's supposed to be a new one every round. (I think, I don't have the book atm, but thats how I remember it). Seems pretty boring if it doesn't. Anyway, we played it that I, as overlord, just discarded the top token at the end of my turn, but still showed it to the heroes. That gave them enough information to figure out which ones were left, but kept things interesting. And they only spawned 2-3 spiders or so (which didn't really impact the game, they never assisted Ariad and were killed pretty quickly).

Maybe that also should be submitted to FFG?

can someone please submit the question regarding discard of the objective tokens (every round a new one?) ? i don't have the original wording of the quest book

I will do that this evening (was planning to anyway at the end of our LoR campaign)