Ace design on Legolas and Gimli. Don't know what spheres they fit in best, but ace design.

Beorn is really cool, but I'd drop the cost reduction from the human-form (and some threat), and I would remove the "ready and draw 1 card" if the enemy is destroyed. A built-in swift strike is good enough, freeing you from dealing with that attack if the enemy is destroyed. Being able to do that while exhausted is almost overpowered. Readying and drawing 1 card is waaaay over the top. That's a built in double action advantage (quest, attack while exhausted, then ready to attack again or defend), in some cases.

I understand Beorn is "busy" but honestly I'd like to see a more complex hero. The neutral human side of Beorn is good on his own, but is 3 points low considering his stats vs starting threat. That is part of the balancing reason I wanted the bear side to be so strong. Also, since you can't flip him until you hit 40 or higher threat, I wanted him to be useful on his own. Thematically, I felt he was best as a neutral hero and so in order to get any use out of his resources I included the ability to pay for Mount and Creature cards. This plays into his ability to speak with animals and hanging out with more intelligent creatures. I toyed on and off with the cost reduction. I can see giving it up. After you reach the 40 threat range, you can exhaust Beorn to turn into a bear and flip the card. I wanted there to be a cost to switching - since you have to exhaust him you don't get to use human Beorn for defending, etc. - into the more tactical and offensive bear. (attachments also fall off of the bear form) But I also wanted to have something that targets his most hated enemies of Goblins and Orcs. I can see giving up the stand or draw, but unless you are playing some of the early quests just having 5 attack isn't going to be killing much any more. Most enemies are not that squishy so I felt it was still justifiable. New player cards always make the old quests easier. That can't be helped since the new quest cards continue to get harder, more shields, more health, toughness, etc.

I also liked the concept of the bear side having more health, but regular healing not working on him. So he could take too much damage as the bear and then not be able to revert back without sacrificing some creatures or mounts.

Honestly the more I think about it, he could be a threat of 13 or 14. even with the removal of the cost reduction and the standing effect.

To make it less of a quick strike I could change it to a response after resolving a Goblin or Orc enemy attack against you, he can swing for free, even if exhausted?

Sorry! I totally missed the fact that he's a neutral hero, which makes the cost reduction a little more sensible, as he's "costing" you one resource per turn which you can't use on colored cards. I'm still not sure about it, but it's less serious now, I think. And I think he makes perfect sense as a neutral hero.

And how about losing at least the "draw one card" stuff? The thematic representation of card draw is usually knowledge, and I don't see how this fits Beorn. Maybe have him spread damage with his big paws, so after he deals any amount of damage to an enemy engaged with you, deal one damage to another enemy (or two? seems strong) engaged with you? I'd prefer damaging more enemies to readying and card draw. Maybe place one damage on one more enemy engaged with you, and if you're engaged with four or more enemies, place another one damage on another enemy engaged with you. I'm seeing him flailing around the battlefield, taking down several orcs with one fell swoop. The more he's surrounded, the angrier and stronger he becomes.

Well, this is my first try at making a custom card, so go easy on me.

I guess it probably has been done at least a few times already, but I felt like giving Magali's second beautiful treatment of Arwen a hero version.

First, I think that she's a viable hero by the virtue of her stat line alone; She has the lowest starting threat of any hero with 3 willpower short of Sglorfindel, even lower than Sam's. This because she has almost no "wasted" points. As we know from heroes like Beregond, Eowyn and Galadriel, single purpose heroes with dedicated stat lines are a rare and precious thing. Also, Spirit only has three heroes with 3 or more willpower - Sglorfindel, Eowyn and Galadriel (and beardy, soon, of course). So she's a nice alternative to Eowyn if you don't want to run her, or specifically want to run a Noldor, or maybe you are playing multiplayer and Eowyn is taken and you need a cheap spirit quester (Galadriel doesn't quest from turn one, so it's not exactly the same part).

Second, I wanted to give her a cool and thought-provoking ability that is not straight out strong, and reflects her role in the books. Obviously, it couldn't be something confrontational, but rather something that represent the way she provided support and willpower to others; her general role in motivating Aragorn for sure, but also specific acts like making the Livery of Elendil herself, which her brothers then take to Aragorn before he enters the Paths of the Dead, and her noticing and taking care of Frodo's illness after the War of the Ring by giving him her "spot" on a ship to the undying lands and a white gem she wore on a chain. Also, since we know Celebrian gave here the Elfstone/Elessar, but also that Galadriel gave it to Aragorn when the Fellowship visits Lorien, I think it is safe to say that she asked Galadriel to give it to Aragorn as a gift and a boon.

I hope this manages to stay close to her ally ability, but still giving it an interesting twist. She is a classic quester in that you know that you almost always want to quest with her, as her ability doesn't clash with it. However, rather than a static boost, it gives you the ability to return a questing character to defend from some unexpected enemy that will engage you, in case you miscalculated. Of course, you can also use this just to get +1 defense on a character meant to defend from an enemy already engaged with you, but you then run the risk of not having that character ready to defend if no enemy shows up, which means you have to think a little (which I like about abilities), and that the ability is stronger when combined with the right elements/mechanics (which I also like), in this case scrying.

Second, I knew I wanted to give her a version of the Elfstone:

I would have preferred calling it Stone of Eärendil, but this had to be the same name as the core set one as this is the same item.

I'm not 100% sure about the sphere; I think giving willpower makes sense, atleast considering the hope it was meant to give to Aragorn, and the version of the story where Celebrimor makes a second Elessar, after the first was lost, to bring joy and hope to Galadriel. However, it was also specifically said that "the hands of one who held it brought to all that they touched healing from hurt", so I wanted it to have some healing effect, hence my uncertainty between Lore and Spirit. Giving Arwen a lore icon when she wears it emphasizes more the healing powers of the stone, and Arwen's special ownership and connection to the stone (she did receive it from her mother and carried it for who knows how many years). Finally, in the 17 years in which the game takes place, it might as well be in the possession of Arwen, as she might have given it to Galadriel just a short while before the fellowship forms.

So, what do you think?

It's high time we get an Arwen hero! I'd be really happy to see an ability like this--thematic, useful, and combos well with Aragorn, so I'm a fan.

It's high time we get an Arwen hero! I'd be really happy to see an ability like this--thematic, useful, and combos well with Aragorn, so I'm a fan.

Thanks, man!

May it be too powerfull?

I like Narubian's Arwen and I think the new version of Celebrian's Stone is a great idea.

Delian is a good hero. Nicely balanced.

Add in a restriction that you need to have at least X cards, like say 3, in hand, otherwise it would be really strong. Or is it meant to be mulligan your hand: discard all your X cards to draw X cards?

I don't actually find an ability that lets you re-draw your entire hand on a regular basis balanced.

I took it as what gandalfDK said. I don't think it's that bad, but then I don't see the game breaking angles that some do.

I don't know if it is too strong. But yes, you can do it always you want, with the cards you have, without limits (only the limit 1 per round). If you have 10 cards in hand, you reshuffle the hand into your deck and draw 10 cards. If you have only 2 cards, same with those ones.

More fanmade cards! This time turn of....

What Horn of Gondor should have been, in my opinion:

What Horn of Gondor should have been, in my opinion:

I think that a zero-cost +1 willpower attachment for tactics, even unique, is too sphere-breaking. If tactics get some +willpower ability, it should be related to combat somehow (which is kind of hard to do, since questing is done before combat).

How about this:

I think this is more in line with the concept of Rohan getting willpower when allies leave play, but this also enables tactics heroes in general to benefit from this ability, although this obviously has a lot of synergy with Rohan decks.

P.S.

This probably should say "attach to a hero", although I don't mind attachments that attach to allies.

Yeah, seems more balanced

Original card was: Favour Lady + Horn of Gondor for 0 resources. Ejem, ejem... no comments

Nope, it's not. And Tactics could enjoy something like this. Regardless, a single card will not change the matters, especially by giving +1 willpower to a single hero.

Do you realize that Horn of Gondor comes from the core set, and the way you made it - it would be literally unplayable in the core set? And your version completely kills the identity of the card itself.

Mndela, Favor of the Lady is a pointless, overpriced card which is never used because of these obvious reasons. And no, it was not Horn of Gondor. Horn of Gondor does not exhusts to give resources, allowing you to load attached hero with resources in the multiplayer, while my version does not allows more than 1 resource per turn, hence the cost of 0 and small benefit on top of it, which I added because I felt that card that capitalizes on your losses should provide some bonus meanwhile, and a little bit of willpower seems nice.

I don't think the Horn should be exhausted to gain the resource and I agree that the static willpower boost doesn't belong in Tactics. It seems better as a spirit card to me.

I think NarubianHorror made something that works well as a Horn of Rohan, though it isn't very related to Constantine's version.

I'm not sure why you didn't just make it exhaust to give 1 willpower as a response rather than going through all that weirdness of not reading and then reading as a response.

I don't think the Horn should be exhausted to gain the resource and I agree that the static willpower boost doesn't belong in Tactics. It seems better as a spirit card to me.

Elaborate, please. Have you played a 3-4 player game with the Horn of Gondor? Have you seen the piles of resources it generates? And about static Willpower boost not belonging to Tactics - Theoden

I renamed it from the Horn of Gondor into the Horn of Rohan because of one simple reason - leaving play is Rohan specialty. I didn't wanted to change the core item mechanic.

I guess if you look at Horn of Gondor from a 3+ player perspective, it is very powerful. I almost never exceed 2 players, so I didn't think it was too bad. Still, I think you drastically reduce its power by limiting it to once per round, which I guess is fair, since Tactics shouldn't have stronger resource generation than Leadership.

Theoden is also a bit of an exception, so saying that you can have static willpower boosts in Tactics, citing him as an example, isn't a strong argument. Generally, if you are doing things that are the specialty of another sphere, you give it some kind of flavor that makes it fit into the new sphere. Secret Vigil is an excellent example. NarubianHorror's card is another decent example. I will not generally approve of giving Tactics willpower without it being triggered by some sort of Tactics-based trigger.

I agree that Horn of Gondor fits better with the synergy of Rohan and so should be named Horn of Rohan. I also believe that your card is a good card and is quite thematic. I just think it fits better in Spirit. I also think it should probably cost 1 instead of 0.

The more I think about NarubianHorror's card though, the more I feel that it's just an even weaker version of Favor of the Lady on the Tactics sphere. Doesn't seem like it would ever get played even though it brings willpower to Tactics because 1 willpower isn't gonna make much difference. I DID figure out why he made the odd mess with not readying and such though, which makes it slightly better, but still weak.

I think one resource per round is maybe too much of a nerf, but I have no problem with +1 willpower in tactics, especially for a unique attachment. I'm not even sure it would make most decks.

This brings up something else in my mind, which is a lack of dedicated questing heroes, particularly in tactics. Other than Thalin there really isn't one, and I think such heroes can be quite interesting. What if the Horn said something like this:

"Attach to a (tactics) hero. Attached hero get +1 (willpower). As long as the attached hero is committed to the quest it gains "Response: After an ally you control leaves play add 1 resource to attached hero's resource pool. (Limit 3 times per round)"

Then the resource ability has a more interesting restriction.

Saying that Tactics can't have willpower isn't argument at all, it's just an opinion, which is already thwarted by the game designers themselves. And, again, 1 willpower on 1 unique Tactics item in the game will change nothing, I added it only because the power of the item went down significantly with the introduction of exhaustion. I could easily add some Tactics-based trigger to it, but: 1) it's 1 willpower, 2) it would make a core set card too busy with text.

I reduced cost from 1 to 0 because of the exhaustion again. Steward of Gondor, for example, pays for itselfs immediately upon entering play, while Horn may not, and it also gives resources when people leave play, which is usually a bad thing, so, from my point of view, giving it the cost of 1 in the current state might put it too far behind.

DukeWellington, this restriction could be interesting, but the main "leaving play" action usually happens during the combat phase, and I think restricting it to the quest phase (and only working while hero is questing) would limit it even more than just once per turn.

Nope, it's not. And Tactics could enjoy something like this. Regardless, a single card will not change the matters, especially by giving +1 willpower to a single hero.

Do you realize that Horn of Gondor comes from the core set, and the way you made it - it would be literally unplayable in the core set? And your version completely kills the identity of the card itself.

Well, that's your opinion. Obviously, I didn't meant my opinion is the god-given truth, only that that is how I feel about the card. I personally think that willpower boosts in tactics should be dependent on combat-related triggers. I think tactics Theoden should be considered the exception, because I believe that if it is taken as the rule, and we have even just one or two more static, unconditioned willpower boosts in tactics - like your card - mono-tactic decks will be able to quest quite successfully (and it might be not too hard to achieve), which I think shouldn't be the case.

As to the core set thing - I didn't realize you we're aiming to design a card that will go into the core set. I wasn't, in any case; I was rather aiming to design a card that would play nicely with the current card pool and meta, and will sit along side Horn of Gondor rather than replacing it. Furthermore, if core set is what you're aiming for, I think your card will be even more of a sphere-breaker in the core set, because the willpower boost for tactics precedent was not set then (not suprising, given there are exactly two tactics cards in the entire game that even have the willpoer symbol printed in the card text - Theoden and Halfling Determination), and it would have made the borders between the different spheres less clear and sharp, which I think is important in the core set, as it sets the tone and player expectations for the rest of the game.

Regarding the identity of the card, I think my version really kind of captures it, as it uses one of the thematic ways in which the spirit and will of Rohan characters are represented in the game, where much of their power and motivation comes from characters dying (being discarded). I even think that getting willpower from characters dying is more of a Rohan thing (think Ride to Ruin, although that's progress and not willpower), where imagine them getting all pumped and excited with some speeches about their fallen comrades, while getting resource out of discarded characters feels more Gondor like, and even specifically Horn of Gondor-like, as a dying character (Boromir) blows the horn in his last moments to summon more allies (resources to pay for them), or perhaps Gondor sends more forces to where a military defeat has occurred. That's the way I imagine it, anyway.

Finally, from your tone I get the feeling you were offended by my reply, and even that you are generally offended by my version of the card. I don't think it's that bad! Anyway, my point is that I think this thread - and this forum generally - are for us to share our opinions and discuss this game that we love so much. Specifically, I think you can expect to always gets some comments and discussion on your creations that you post here - and that is a good thing. In my reply, I meant only to convey my opinion about the card, and to develop a discussion regarding this idea that intrigued me; I don't think that your card is wrong, or that you're stupid and that you don't "get the game!" or don't "get the meta!". I simply have a different idea on how to translate a concept from the books to card form, and how it combines in the current card pool.

I'm generally a guy who prefers subtler cards with subtle effects, that combine in some small ways with cards released all throughout the game, and that require building around them, and matching them to the correct deck type and mechanics to get them to work - and even then they should only be pretty good, only one part of a well-oiled machine. In MtG terms , I'm a Johnny. I don't think that I would ever design a card that is outright strong and that is almost an auto-include in any deck, like your card (zero cost for +1 willpower, for me at least, means auto-include in any tactics deck). And that's OK. It's OK we have different opinions about things, and I think we should keep discussing them without using offending language ("kills the identity" was kind of strong, I think. It's not nice to read that about something you did ).

I'm not sure why you didn't just make it exhaust to give 1 willpower as a response rather than going through all that weirdness of not reading and then reading as a response.

Because usually allies leave play during the combat phase, so that would mean only getting the boost when you trigger some effect with an ally that can choose to leave play, or when a treachery kills an enemy. Which is even less-powerful and more subtle. I like it! (if you read the previous part of this reply, you know that that's my thing). I think that a one-cost attachment that says "While committed to a quest, attached hero gains "Response: after an ally leaves play, ready attached hero. It gets +1 willpower until the end of the phase. (Limit 3 times per phase.)"" will be pretty cool!

I would like to try and make it work in a deck that fits this mechanically (Rohan + Silvan? Or a two handed Rohan deck + Silvan deck?). It wouldn't be very strong; which is good.

The more I think about NarubianHorror's card though, the more I feel that it's just an even weaker version of Favor of the Lady on the Tactics sphere. Doesn't seem like it would ever get played even though it brings willpower to Tactics because 1 willpower isn't gonna make much difference. I DID figure out why he made the odd mess with not readying and such though, which makes it slightly better, but still weak.

Yeah, now you see why it's needed. I don't think that it will never get played - I think that's a harsh thing to say about any card, especially given the diverse player pool we have, and given how much this game enables you to try weird and experimental deck designs (given that it's solo/cooperative rather than competitive). I like that it's subtle and will be outright weak when played in an unsuitable deck.

I think one resource per round is maybe too much of a nerf, but I have no problem with +1 willpower in tactics, especially for a unique attachment. I'm not even sure it would make most decks.

I think some limitation should be in place. Maybe twice per round? I think you wouldn't want to see Tactics exploding with resource.

I reduced cost from 1 to 0 because of the exhaustion again. Steward of Gondor, for example, pays for itselfs immediately upon entering play, while Horn may not, and it also gives resources when people leave play, which is usually a bad thing, so, from my point of view, giving it the cost of 1 in the current state might put it too far behind.

I think it's ok that a resource generation option for tactics won't pay itself in the round it enters play. It's a sphere that should struggle a bit with resources, so this is a short term investment - in an appropriate deck, it will pay itself back in a round or two.

I believe I've clearly stated in the post with the card that this is how I think that card should have been made in the first place. And this card is from the core set, so yes - it should be playable in the core set at the very least. And nope, it won't be a sphere-breaker even in the core set, because core set features a lot of willpower boosts across all the spheres, single unique Tactics card will not make a difference, nor will it cross those borders you're talking about.

You missed my point about the indentity. The identity of the original is giving resources for characters leaving play. Your version destroyed that, so it erased the card identity. You've just made another card with the same name. And Gondor theme gameplay-wise is not related to leaving play, that's why I renamed it into the Horn of Rohan in the first play - because Rohan theme is related.

Man, no offense intended or taken, it's just the way I speak. Maybe it's cultural or something, I don't know.

The problem is - it's so conditional, in certain situations it might not pay for itself throughout the couple of rounds, or get discarded by a treachery or shadow before it manages to pay for itself at the very least. The LotR is pretty hard game already.

If you want to discuss this further - write me a private message, I dont wan't to derail this thread more.

Ey! Interesting.... isnt?

The problem is - it's so conditional, in certain situations it might not pay for itself throughout the couple of rounds, or get discarded by a treachery or shadow before it manages to pay for itself at the very least. The LotR is pretty hard game already.

If you want to discuss this further - write me a private message, I dont wan't to derail this thread more.

Yeah. I like the conditional-ity of it. Anyway, I guess I read you wrong and so I ended up designing something else that a replacement for Horn of Gondor.

Anyway, we're good. We'll just keep discussing cards here.

Ey! Interesting.... isnt?

It is! Very neat idea! It's only half a hero - only resources, not the hero type - so it's not a sword thain, and can only replace a dead hero. I like it a lot! I don't know if it's too strong with 1 cost (given that hero resurrection cost 5, and that sword thain is 4), but I think with either 1 or 2 it's an incredibly solid design. Good job!