1. Line of sight is ACTUAL line of site. Players cannot see monsters that have been spawned till their CHARACTERS could physically see said monsters. Once a monster has been seen or hit by an AOE attack the monsters is permanently revealed till said monster dies.

• Monsters can move while out of sight of players (I use graph paper to keep track of this, or my memory if it is only a couple i am moving). However as soon as they move into sight of any players or boggs, it appears.
• Heroes still see the entire layout of the room including glyphs, obstacles, treasures, etc. The only thing they cannot see is monsters (unless of course any monster moves into LOS)
• The monsters DO know where the heroes are at all times.

I have actually tried this with three different player groups and they have loved the extra suspense and asked me to continue using it.

2. Conquest tokens are used to purchase extra lives, they are not removed when a hero dies.

• A hero who is "dead" cannot receive any potions, money, gold, treasure, etc. until of course they are resurrected.
• Players MUST resurrect dead heroes if they are able to do so, they cannot choose to let one of the players remain dead.
• Because a hero is "Dead" the threat tokens you get at the beginning of your turn are reduced by 1 for every dead hero.

I usually only implement this rule if I stomp the players early, though recently I have been using it every game.

3. If the players are allowed to shoot through each other, monsters are allowed the same thing.

I give the players the choice of implementing this BEFORE they pick their heroes. The players usually pick no though, because it tends to give the OL a larger advantage.

As for the rule I need clarification on, it is regarding radius abilities such as command & aura.

Do any radius abilities go through walls? Example:

1OO2
OXXO
MXX3

1-3= monsters
M= monster /w command}
x= wall (or "unspace")
O=open terrain

Would command hit 1-3, or would it hit 1 ONLY?

Dustin1280 said:

If your players are okay with it, then godspeed. Sounds like a pain in the neck to me.

Dustin1280 said:

When is a player required to resurrect himself?

Per written rules, a hero is resurrected as soon as he is killed. If you play the same way, then I don't see how this house rule changes anything. The CT are "spent" instead of "lost" as soon as the hero dies, and no hero will ever be dead at the start of the OL turn, so the number of threat gained is constant.

Dustin1280 said:

I would agree. The OL has more figures than the heroes do, even if all four heroes are ranged/magic. He clearly gains a significant advantage here. In practice, it isn't hard for the heroes to stay out of each other's way as long as they plan ahead when taking their turns. As a hero I would never vote for this house rule, and even as OL I'd likely point out how it helps me way more than it does them.

Dustin1280 said:

As for the rule I need clarification on, it is regarding radius abilities such as command & aura.

Do any radius abilities go through walls? Example:

1OO2
OXXO
MXX3

1-3= monsters
M= monster /w command}
x= wall (or "unspace")
O=open terrain

Would command hit 1-3, or would it hit 1 ONLY?

No abilities can go through a wall, however, they can go AROUND walls. Per the current template rules (as I understand them) all three monsters are under the template and can be reached by a hypothetical single-space flying creature (the Razorwing of Fate, if you will) without it needing to leave the template area. Therefore all three monsters gain the benefit of Command.

Also note that non-attacks such as Command and Kirga's ability can go through doors (I believe) but attacks like Sweep or a hell hound's breath cannot. I think aura counts as an attack. At least I would count it as an attack, personally.

Edit: post exploded at the end there.

Steve-O said:

The hero resurrects at the beginning of the next turn after his death. If the heroes used their last 3 conquest tokens to resurrect a dead hero, then they CONTINUE playing untill they all die and cannot resurrect due to conquest tokens.

We've tried the same variant a couple of times. Basically, instead of being a 'Sudden Death' when the heroes to 0 conquest, they have to play with a man down... and then two men down... until they can get enough conquest to bring them back.

It often heralds the complete endgame just a few turns later but allows for the chance of a comeback and prevents an unlucky loss in the first few turns from two kills against Laurel. I also seem to recall that it made for a much more satisfying finish as Nanok struggled heroically on his own down the corridor for that next glyph until being finally overwhelmed, instead of the usual "oops... Runewitch died again. Game Over". Or you might just equally hate prolonging the agony of defeat.

+1 to SteveO on really not caring about Fog of War in a game like Descent. But if your players enjoy it, good luck.