NocturnalA preview of two characters from The Blood Moon expansion for Talisman
Some frightened villagers said they’d seen the dead walking under the blood moon. On dark nights, when clouds choked the pale moon’s light, they crawled out of their graves and roamed across the realm. That’s what they said. But the blood moon had risen, fat clouds blotted the sky, and the dead rotted in their final resting places. The Grave Robber didn’t see any of them moving, but more than a couple had been buried with more rings and jewelry than they’d ever need beyond the grave…
Gothic horror comes to the realm with The Blood Moon expansion for Talisman. Nightfall heralds the arrival of nocturnal predators and gives strength to dark spells. The Blood Moon adds more than one-hundred Adventure Cards, new spells, and alternative endings to raise the level of suspense during your quest for the Crown of Command.
Still, even as townsfolk lock their doors and shutter their windows, some brave characters prepare themselves to set forth at dusk. These nocturnal souls are drawn to the darkness. Their work is most easily done at night…
Time to get to work
Two of the new characters in The Blood Moon expansion view dusk as the beginning of their working hours. The first of them, the Grave Robber, has a knack for plundering the fallen for personal gain. He works at night in order to avoid the judgment and interference of those who might abhor his methods.
The Grave Robber’s first special ability allows him to ransack the Adventure discard pile for encounters your opponents have tossed as refuse. Perhaps the Prophetess uses her ability to discard an Adventure card harmful to Good characters but beneficial to a character with as few qualms about Evil as the Grave Robber. Perhaps The Dragon expansion’s Dragon Priestess sacrifices one of her Followers to perform a ritual. Even when an opponent discards trophies, you may wish to scavenge in the Adventure discard pile to combat a known Enemy, rather than face unknown terrors under the dark of Night.
Meanwhile, whenever he visits the Graveyard, the Grave Robber can take advantage of his second special ability. Each time he wanders the Graveyard’s tombs, he can dig through the top eight cards of the Adventure deck in search of an Object, taking his choice of anything he finds.
The Grave Robber may not be likely to seize the Crown of Command for the good of the realm, but while he’s equipped with treasure stripped from the bodies of fallen heroes, he cannot be dismissed.
A dark duty
While the Grave Robber works at night in order to gain concealment from watchful eyes, the Vampire Hunter works at night because that’s the time she can best stalk her prey.
Garbed in crosses and loaded with multiple stakes and vials of holy water, the Vampire Hunter is ready for business, and her business is to hunt the spawn of Evil that prowl the realm by night. Because vampires and spirits are as likely to engage in deadly psychic combats as they are in battles, the Vampire Hunter balances her training between both of them, starting with both three Strength and three Craft. Moreover, she gains a bonus of one to each of her attack rolls against Enemies, making her one of the most balanced and lethal among the game’s hunters.
However, the Vampire Hunter truly shines when you consider her dedication to her cause. Not to be bothered by troublesome Events or trifling Objects, the Vampire Hunter can investigate after drawing cards from the Adventure deck. She can discard any card on the space that is not an Enemy in order to draw another card, which she must encounter. In this way, she can hunt down the Enemies that might otherwise hide in the Adventure deck, trying to escape her fury.
Things that go bump in the night
Add the Grave Robber, the Vampire Hunter, and a full night’s worth of gothic terror and suspenseful action to your games of Talisman with the upcoming release of The Blood Moon expansion!
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Nocturnal
