Preview the New Monsters of the Overlord in Manor of Ravens

Deep in the foothills of Greyhaven sits an abandoned manor house. The house was once the abode of the high mage, Ithyndrus, but his death left it to the ravens and other scavengers. Bandits camp in the forests around the mansion, venturing inside to loot while the light lasts. At nightfall, the manor belongs to the wraiths that rise from the crypts, bringing a horrible death to anyone unwise enough to remain within the manor walls.

In the Manor of Ravens expansion for Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition, a few heroes have dared to cross the mansion’s threshold in an attempt to root out its evil. Within the manor, the heroes will face terrible monsters, and today’s preview, takes a closer look at the two new monster groups the overlord unleashes on the heroes in Manor of Ravens.

Desperate Men and Criminals

The only predators that survive in every climate and culture, bandits take what they want, thrive on others’ failures, and only regret the effort their ill deeds require. The plague of highwaymen has never been eradicated, and it falls to the heroes of Terrinoth to hold these scoundrels in check or fall prey to their quick blades and underhanded tricks.

The greatest strength of the bandits in Manor of Ravens is their versatility in fighting at range or in melee combat. Bandits possess the Ranged icon as an option for staying out of the heroes’ reach, but they also feature the combat dice necessary to deal solid damage at close range. All bandits have access to the Pillage ability as well. Pillage allows a bandit to perform an attack against an adjacent hero; if that hero is knocked out by the attack, you may choose one of his Search cards and shuffle it back into the deck! Not only will this deprive the hero of some powerful benefits, it also reduces the amount of gold he receives at the end of the quest.

Bandits can also spend surges to cause extra damage or poison a hero, while master bandits take their skulduggery to a more deadly level with Black Venom. When you trigger the Black Venom ability, the hero you attacked becomes both Poisoned and Doomed. Doomed – a new condition introduced in Manor of Ravens – can quickly maximize a hero’s damage. While a hero is Doomed, any damage that he suffers causes him to take an additional damage, until he spends a surge in combat to remove the condition. A bandit can poison or doom heroes with his tricks and abilities, and they aren’t the only monsters you control in the haunted manor.

A Haunting Specter

At the sight of a wraith emerging from its crypt, even the bravest turn and flee. If it’s not the spirit’s looks that cause such dread, it’s fear of their call. To hear the summon of the wraith is to invite death and submit your fate to its malevolent will. The aura of doom that permeates a house that hosts a family of wraiths is more than sufficient to deter all but the most foolish of adventurers.

When you employ the aid of wraiths to destroy the heroes, you can be sure to strike terror into the hearts of any that oppose you. A wraith can attack a hero in close combat with rending, spectral claws, but wraiths can also harry the heroes from afar, using their dark calls to strike out of reach of the heroes. In combat, any wraith can spend surges to deal additional damage or to give a hero the Doomed condition, sentencing the hero to take even more damage later, unless he can dispel the condition by spending a surge in combat.

As an added bonus, every wraith possesses the Death Cry ability. By using this as an action, you may choose a hero near the wraith to test Willpower. If that hero fails, you choose whether he becomes Doomed or suffers a damage, giving you more ways to drain the heroes’ willpower and deal more damage. Finally, master wraiths have the powerful Reaper ability. Whenever a hero within five spaces of a master wraith is knocked out, the master wraith may immediately move up to its speed and make an attack. As your master wraith gains energy from the fading will of the heroes, his power can maximize the amount of damage you’ll deal in a round.

Enter the Manor

In Manor of Ravens, the haunted mansion’s doors have opened, daring those who call themselves heroes to enter. Bandits and wraiths rise to serve the overlord, but new heroes also make their debut. Join us in our next preview as we examine the two new heroes and hero classes.

Preorder the Manor of Ravens expansion at your local retailer today!

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