DEVELOPING CHARACTERS

by Richard Hamblen

The players may wish to keep their characters from game to game and have them gain in strength depending on their success. These rules allow a player to keep a character from game to game and develop his strength.
1. The Development section on the back of each character card is used. The first time a character is used he starts at his first stage of development, with the appropriate combat counters, Spells and equipment.
2. During each game, each character must record and acquire a number of victory points equal to the next stage in his development. Thus, if a character was at his first stage of development he must record and acquire two victory points; a fourth-stage character would have to acquire five victory points. (Players who prefer longer games can agree to double or triple these numbers if they wish.)
3. When a character fulfills his victory conditions, he wins and the game is over.
3.1 Each character who has survived without being killed gains one combat counter. He gains one of the counters listed in the next stage after his current stage, and can use it in the next game.
3.11 A character who is at first stage and who has two extra counters is still at first stage.
3.12 When a character gets all three of the counters of a stage, the next game he starts at that new stage with the appropriate Spells and equipment.
3.2 The character who won the game jumps a full stage in the next game. If he were first stage with one extra counter, the next game he would be second stage with one extra counter.
3.3 A character who is killed drops a full stage for the next game.
3.31 If the revival rule is being used and a character is killed, he loses the stage before he is revived - and if he is killed again he loses another stage.
3.32 A character can never be lower than first stage.

4. When a character reaches fourth stage he should continue to keep track of the stages and counters he has earned even though he cannot get additional counters.
4.1 Instead of extra counters, a character gains certain advantages for each full stage he has earned above the fourth (he gains nothing for counters that do not complete a stage). He takes these items when he places his first hex tile.
4.11 Fifth stage and above: 15 extra GOLD.
4.12 Sixth stage and above: Take one random treasure card from any native group.
4.13 Seventh stage and above: 10 NOTORIETY and 5 FAME.
4.14 Eighth Stage and above: Take one horse from any native group.
4.15 Ninth stage and above: Gets bonus phase every day.
4.16 Tenth stage: Take one weapon or armor counter from any native group; or record one extra Spell of any type.
4.17 Eleventh stage: The character should be declared an 'immortal' and retired, and his owner should start over with a new (and preferably different) character. Over the really long haul the players can compete to see who can reach 'immortal' status with the most characters.
4.2 A character must record and acquire extra victory points for his excess stages of development, so a seventh-stage character needs eight points to win.

5. The players will find that games can end quickly when some of the players are at low stages; when a game ends too quickly the characters can leave the board setup, move to the start of the next lunar month and start the next game from there.


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