HeroQuest: Unique Artifact Replacements for SQT

One of the most disappointing aspects (and there are several, IMO) about the Spirit Queen’s Torment expansion pack is the fact that it simply re-uses several artifacts from the core game, rather than include new ones. This is especially glaring during the segment of the quest when the heroes are charged to find four elemental artifacts… and all four are just barely-relevant previous artifacts the heroes have likely already encountered and probably already own. At one point, an orc spirit even grants the heroes a special sword to use… Orc’s Bane, which was previously found in the core set and is a sword crafted to kill orcs. Given to them BY a “good” orc to fight spirits with. Um, what?

Rant over.

Anyway, I wanted to make replacement artifacts that could be used in this quest, ones that weren’t more powerful than the ones (re-)used already but distinct and exciting in their own rights.

Artifact Cards

Using these Artifacts in Spirit Queen’s Torment

To use these new Artifacts in the Spirit Queen’s Torment expansion pack, replace the Artifacts listed below with the as follows:

• Talisman of Lore –> Sage’s Coronet (Quest 3).
• Rabbit Boots –> Swimmer’s Boots (Quest 4).
• Orc’s Bane –> Soulreaper (Quest 7); remember to change the spectral orc’s dialog in Quest 9, too!
• Wizard’s Staff –> Storm Ring (Quest 8).
• Borin’s Armor –> Stone Armor (Quest 10); this is the “Artifact of Earth”.
• Elixir of Life –> Cloak of Mist (Quest 11); this is the “Artifact of Water”.
• Wizard’s Cloak –> Storm Talisman (Quest 12); this is the “Artifact of Air”.
• Spell Ring –> Staff of Flame (Quest 13); this is the “Artifact of Fire”.

This also means that the Stone Armor, Cloak of Mist, Storm Talisman and Staff of Flame are the four special Artifacts that grant extra “intangibility” powers in the final Quest 14.

Alternate Card Versions

The following are alternate versions of the above Artifact cards.

The first is a version of Swimmer’s Boots that increases movement rather than Attack and Defend; this was my original idea, except that SQT already says that any underwater quest automatically gives heroes one extra movement die, and four die for most felt excessive to me. However, if you think that the +1 movement die bonus for all underwater quests should be ignored, this version of the card makes more sense than than Attack/Defend bonus one, IMO.

Next is a version of Soulreaper that can be used by the Wizard. Since this sword was a replacement for SQT’s re-use of Orc’s Bane, and that sword can’t be used by the Wizard, it made sense to me to restrict the new one similarly. However, I noticed that the text in SQT when the sword is given to the heroes claims that *anyone* can use this sword. Presumably, that means the Wizard too… so I made a version of the sword “anyone” can indeed use. Pick which version you use based on how you interpret the SQT text.

Finally, a version of Stone Armor that can also be used by the Wizard. This Artifact is a replacement for SQT’s re-use of Borin’s Armor, which historically among long-time players has a bit of a history since early versions of that card did not say it couldn’t be used by the Wizard… so while some players presumed it couldn’t (like other Plate Mail couldn’t), others saw this as an indication it *could* be worn by a Wizard. For those who want a powerful set of armor that can be worn by *anyone* (and which kind of makes sense thematically given it is magical), I made a version of Stone Armor that doesn’t have the “no Wizard” restriction on it. While I personally consider this unbalanced, I wanted to provide an option for players who miss putting Borin’s Armor on their Wizard!

Addendum (17/03/24)

I edited the Soulreaper cards slightly so that they made clear that the sword was a shortsword, since Orc’s Bane was one too (and there are cases where this matters, such as the Rogue’s Ambidextrous skill). Apologies! Please re-download and reprint if you have the earlier versions.