We had a short break from our campaign since our OL was unavailable and played some quests but here we are with more questions creeping up.

1) A pure RTL question. WTF is wrong with the runelock doors. First of all as the basic rules suggest monsters cannot open or close runelocked doors even after the heroes have opened or closed them with the runekey. If that is not the case then the whole question is void but since an errata has been made for named monsters opening them i would suspect that is the case. This question got risen in our campaign during the trial by fire dungeon or the two by two dungeon level where you have runelocked doors but NOT different areas. So what is the deal? IMHO since they specifically mention that named monsters can open runelocked doors that means that normal cannot do since if they did there would be no reason for that errata.

a) Runelocked doors cannot be opened or closed by anyone except for the player with the right key (or being unlocked after an event) or named monsters. The named monster can open it at any time since the errata suggests (the other area is not a an unrevealed area so nothing stops him rule wise) but once he opens it is unlocked so the players don't need the specific event to unlock it.

b) Same thing as above with the exception that once it is open anyone can open close it (even normal monsters)

c) No one can open the door unless the event that triggers the unlock action can be done. Once it is unlocked only heroes or named monsters may open and close it.

d) Same as above with the exception that anyone can open or close it once it is unlocked.

2) Is fog an obstacle? I cannot find anywhere a mention of fog being an obstacle and what constitutes an obstacle? That question came up since i ruled that you can spawn into a fog square since no where in basic rules or errata does it mention you can't. And since you can spawn on treasure chests, money markers even glyphs not activated i fail to see why you should not spawn inside a fog space. It is clear that you spawn on the other side of the fog our outside of it if the players are inside or on the other side since they haven't LOS to that space but i am not quite sure if you can spawn inside of it.

IMHO in terms of flavor it is perfectly clear something to appear inside a fog and attack you

3) How exactly mirror shield works. I mean i know you can't place effect tokens but can you equip it AFTER you have received the token and remove the tokens? Or must it be equipped the time you RECEIVE the token?

Thanks for any answers and may you always draw preventing evil as a feat and your OL never draw CB on you

1) Any named monster can open and close rune doors leading to a revealed area. Any hero can open and close any rune door after the party has acquired the corresponding key. No one else can ever open or close rune doors, whether they have been opened before or not (unless dungeon specific rules allow for that).

2) Fog is an obstacle as per the AoD rules, pg. 7. What exactly is defined as an obstacle is a bit fuzzy, bit you always can stick to the rulebooks and their listings there (this fails for SoB and RtL, in which FFG lumped together obstacles and props with no distinction).

3) The Mirror Shield must be equipped by the time the hero receives the effect token, otherwise it has no effect.

So concerning the two by two level then. Say the naga goes on and opens the runelock door and then closes it again. Can the heroes open it? Or do they still have to go to the four encounter markers to unlock it? Is it considered unlocked as soon as the naga opens it or not?

Drglord said:

IIRC the level card says the door is 'opened' by the four encounter markers, not 'unlocked'.

If the heroes are too slow then the naga will be a considerable problem for them.

Okay then the trial by fire that way becomes impossible.

Situation i kill the hell hound on the 1st area and the door opens as the dungeon level says. Then the OL plays a charge on the dragon and closes it. Game over you can't advance because you don't have the runekey and can't open it again as. (Don't have the exact card level on hand so maybe the door is removed on that level or something?)

How hell does that work?

And as i understand then when you stand on the 4 encounter markers the door opens but not unlocks??? Okay that is insane even for descent.

So if the naga closes it you must stand again on the markers? that is quite impossible i would say since it means a SINGLE player must pass through the door kill and kill the naga before it closes the door. Anyway as i said weird. Is that way it was intended?

Drglord said:

I'm not sure on the exact wording for Trial by Fire. Does the Dragon even start with Charge range of closing the door?
At worst, it simply forces the heroes to flee the level, which in many cases they should have anyway. It is the toughest level of the base 40, near impossible in copper level unless the Ol has upgraded humanoids.

Drglord said:

Why? It is actually a common dungeon theme. A door that has neither handle nor lock and can only be opened and closed by levers positioned elsewhere.

Drglord said:

Lastly, sometimes the heroes have to think their way through a situation, and sometimes they might get into trouble anyway. It isn't supposed to be a walk in the park you know...

However you might ask for an extension to FAQ thread 34. Mayeb all doors that can only be opened by X method can also only be closed by X method? Or maybe not...

Drglord said:

Well, there is a rule of thumb that says the OL can't do anything to make it impossible for the heroes to proceed (note; very very difficult to proceed is not necessarily impossible.) How that rule applies to the AC game is somewhat up for grabs, but I think most of the serious forumites agree that preventing the heroes from advancing any further in a single dungeon level is perfectly legit. The heroes can flee and go adventure elsewhere, so the AC as a whole hasn't been brought to a halt. This is the Advanced Campaign, after all. No more kiddie gloves.

In this case, I'd say the dragon thing you suggest is legit, if the OL has the cards to make it happen. Also, remember that the Hell Hound won't necessarily die to the final action of all four heroes. If the first hero to act kills it, the door will open with three heroes yet to act before the OL has a chance to make the dragon close it. Unless the quest also states that the hero turn ends when the Hell Hound dies (and I don't think it does.) All things considered, I'd say it actually takes a fair bit of serendipity for the OL to pull this tactic off, and even if he does it's just one dungeon in a larger camapign adventure. No harm, no foul.

Corbon has already dismantled the naga problem for you.

If your hero players are experiencing this dungeon level for the first time and maybe don't know what's coming in order to prepare properly, then you might want to be a bit more lenient with your interpretation of that rule. In general, however, Descent is not so much a game of exploration as it is a tactical free for all. I think it's fair to make rulings on the assumption that the heroes have seen this level in previous games. 99.9 times out of 100 the lack of foreknowledge doesn't hurt the heroes' chances anyway.