Runebound meets Midnight Volume 2: Towns and Strongholds

by Rob Vaughn

Towns in Runebound
The welcoming gates of Tamalir. The learned halls of Greyhaven. The sturdy walls of Forge. The bustling markets of Riverwatch. The towns of Runebound are normally safe havens in the battle to stop evil from rising. They are sanctuaries of healing and rest as well as places to recruit Allies to your cause or to restock your armory. It’s easy to move into a town, as you can use any terrain symbol (see the last article) on the movement dice to do so. Each town has a market stack that is added to each time a hero enters the town. Once you’re there, all you need to do is spend gold to pay for healing, pay an Ally’s hiring cost to take his card from the market stack, or pay an Item’s cost to take its card from the market stack. In Runebound: Midnight, it’s not so easy.

Towns and Strongholds in Runebound: Midnight


In Midnight, there is no battle to stop evil from rising. That battle was fought, and lost, 100 years ago. Evil, personified by the dark god Izrador and led by his four Night Kings, won. The land of men, Erenland, is completely conquered, and those of the dwarves and fey are besieged. There are still underground markets in each town, places to rest or heal, recruit or restock; but they are by necessity hidden and dangerous. Also scattered throughout the land are strongholds, enemy fortresses in which artifacts of great danger and power are kept. They are the most dangerous places in Erenland, but they must be entered if the Night Kings and their minions are to be stopped.

Before entering any town or stronghold, heroes must attempt to infiltrate it. There are several ways to do so . . . the forces of evil cannot watch everywhere at once, and even the highest walls can be scaled. The guards can even be bribed or tricked. A successful infiltration is accomplished by making a Sneak, Climb, or Diplomacy test against a difficulty of 10 + the cost of the hero’s highest-cost Item. Success means that the hero gets in. If he infiltrates a town, he may perform his Market step as normal; if he infiltrates a stronghold, he may attempt to destroy it from within. If he fails to infiltrate either, his turn ends and the Night Kings have a chance to increase their power, affecting all of the other players.

Why does the Cost of the Item Matter?


Only the chosen of the dark god, his soldiers and his priests, may carry weapons or armor in Midnight. Enchanted items are outlawed as well, and the minions of evil have many ways of sniffing out magic. Even in supposedly safe havens, spies are everywhere, eager to earn a reward by reporting on their fellow sufferers. This is simulated in Runebound: Midnight by adding the cost of a hero’s highest-cost Item to his infiltration checks. Whether it’s a bulky sword hidden beneath his cloak, the glint of armor showing under his rags, or an artifact giving off the scent of the arcane to the magic-hunting legates, the more powerful a hero’s items, the more likely he is to be caught. In Midnight, subtlety and skill are the best defenses.

Villains of Midnight
d20 version and Runebound version

This canny legate and its magic-hunting astirax companion use subterfuge to strike at the heart of the resistance.

Legate Deceiver Male Erenlander legate 5 (Voice of Shadow); CR 5; Medium humanoid (5 ft. 8 in. tall); HD 5d8; hp 32; Init +4; Spd 30 ft.; AC 14, touch 10, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +3; Grp +3; Atk +3 melee (1d4, poisoned dagger) or +3 ranged (1d4, poisoned dagger); SA Rebuke undead, spells; SQ Astirax companion, Erenlander traits, spells; AL CE; SV Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +7; Str 10, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 15, Wis 17, Cha 16.

  Skills and Feats: Bluff +11, Disguise +11, Forgery +2, Gather Information +11, Sense Motive +9; Deceitful, Improved Initiative, Still Spell.

  Spells Prepared: (5/4+1/3+1/2+1; save DC 13 + spell level): 0—create water, cure minor wounds, guidance (x2), resistance; 1st—bane, command, deathwatch, disguise self*, sanctuary; 2nd—cure moderate wounds, death knell*, delay poison, undetectable alignment; 3rd—meld into stone, nondetection*, obscure object.

* Domain spell. Domains: Death (Death touch 5d6 1/day), Trickery.

  Languages: Black Tongue, Erenlander, High Elven, Trader’s Tongue.

  Possessions: Chain shirt, 3 daggers coated with poison (blue winnis), potion of alter self, traveling clothes, hooded cloak, iron unholy symbol, leather pouch containing 35 gp.

Astirax Harrier Eagle Form: CR 4; Small animal (possessed); HD 1d8+1; hp 5; Init +2; Spd 10 ft., fly 80 ft. (average); AC 14, touch 13, flat-footed 12; Base Atk +0; Grp –4; Atk +3 melee (1d4, talons); Full Atk +3/+3 melee (1d4, 2 talons) and –2 melee (1d4, bite); SA Drain spell energy; SQ sense magic, silver vulnerability; AL NE; SV Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +6; Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 15.

  Skills and Feats: Hide +8, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (local) +7, Knowledge (Shadow) +9, Listen +7, Move Silently +8, Search +9, Sense Motive +7, Spellcraft +7, Spot +15, Survival +7; Iron Will, Track, Weapon Finesse.

Spirit Form: CR 4; Small outsider (spirit); HD 3d8+6; hp 19; Init +2; Spd fly 60 ft. (perfect); AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12; Base Atk +3; Grp ––; Atk ––; SA Horrid visage, possession; SQ Magic subtype, bodiless, worldsense (magic), superior invisibility, sense magic, silver vulnerability; AL NE; SV Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +6; Str ––, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 15.

  Skills and Feats: Hide +8 (+28 w. superior invisibility), Intimidate +8, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (local) +7, Knowledge (Shadow) +9, Listen –23 (+7 against magic effects or items), Move Silently n/a (automatically silent), Search +9, Sense Motive +7, Spellcraft +7, Spot –23 (+7 against magic effects or items), Survival +7; Iron Will, Track.