hello

i downloaded the "IAM'S fantasy card editor".

there is an official rules called "build your own hero". it is very usefull to make new characters balanced.

is there an official guide how to make new monsters that will be balanced?

The "build your own hero" is nowhere near balanced. As for building balanced critters: there are none

No, really. The game treats beastmen, skeletons and spiders as equal, tier 1. Any Descent player can tell you, their usefulness differs wildly. Basically, a balanced monster is one that poses a challenge yet does not totally overpower the heroes. It all boils down to quest design: a monster may be strong yet placed late in the quest; if it is placed earlier, it is in fact far more powerful. Likewise, the numbers are important. If you place a dozen of the critters there, they will be far more dangerous.

The only true balance issue comes with spawn cards: the game treats monsters as if they belonged in 4 'Tiers' - levels of power. Tier 1 spawns give you 1 Master and 2 normal critters, Tier 2 spawns give 2 normals, tier 3 is obtainable through treachery.

Ask rather whether a monster is cool - whether it offers a challenge not posed by another. For example, with the Troll, Ogre and Giant all being big melee hitters; another will have to work hard to stand out.

Let us make a critter. We want it to be Tier 2, thus, middling armor and health, a spawn gives two normal ones, a treachery spawn gives 2 masters. We call it the Siren. The Siren from the Odyssey tempts men with its song, guiding them towards their doom. It is not strong physically, nor are its spells particularly damaging.

A base siren might have 5 health, 2 armor, and Speed 5. It attacks using a spell, let's give it WYY, Sorcery 1 and Daze. The Siren is a tricky bastard, let's call her Elusive. This means that Dodge cards played on her by the OL are not spent; he keeps them in his hand.

The Master Siren has 6 health, 3 armor, and Speed 6. Her spell is stronger, using WYYB, Sorcery 2, Daze, and Stun. She is also Elusive.

Thus, the Siren becomes a valuable long-range support unit that reduces the effectivity of the heroes; it can easily be spawned in a remote location, use its speed to dash out, and pile on Daze tokens on the heroes. Its damage potential exceeds that of the skeleton ever so slightly, it is lower than that of the Sorcerer, another Tier 2 critter. The excellent range and Daze ability will make it a valuable support unit the heroes will dread. Also, this role is not covered by any other unit yet.

Xandria said:

Why is it not balanced? It has been milled over a hundred times, but let me repeat:

a) you cannot recreate many of the original characters with it, try Landrec

b) but you can create things that are horribly wrong, like a character who can attack like 7 times per turn, or a dwarf with 3 armor, 12 health and Defender to boot.