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Hero and Villain

A Preview of Two Descent Lieutenant Packs

Not all of the overlord’s lieutenants are naturally devoted to evil. Some, despite good intentions, were seduced by the power of the overlord. In the Labyrinth of Ruin expansion for Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition, players encounter Serena and Raythen, two characters who could become either allies or nemeses, based on your choices. Now, these conflicted characters return in Descent Lieutenant Packs.

Each Lieutenant Pack offers a detailed plastic figure to replace a lieutenant token, as well as a ten-card, personalized Plot deck that offers the overlord new opportunities for attacking the heroes. (For the full Descent Lieutenant Pack rules, visit the support page.)

Serena and Raythen’s Lieutenant Packs, however, go one step farther by including two sculpted figures – one representing the character as a lieutenant, and the other portraying that character as a hero. Both Lieutenant Packs also include a hero sheet, enabling you to take control of Serena or Raythen as a new hero in any quest outside the Labyrinth of Ruin campaign!

Raythen’s Guile

Raythen is a roguish, fast-talking dwarf, and although his kleptomaniac habits might infuriate other heroes, his specialized skills can be handy to have on your side in a tight pinch.  Raythen’s hero ability allows him to suffer a fatigue to allow one hero on the same map tile, including himself, to reroll an attribute test. As an added bonus, if you choose to let another hero reroll an attribute test, that hero has the option to use Raythen’s attributes for the test!

Raythen’s heroic feat also provides a boon for the heroes. On his turn, Raythen can use his heroic feat to search a search token adjacent to another hero in addition to his normal two actions. Ordinarily, a hero would have to spend an action to search, but with Raythen on your team, a hero need only to end his movement next to a search token. No matter where Raythen is on the map, he can search the search token, before taking a full turn himself. With this kind of speed and efficiency, you can get to your objectives quickly and still have time to grab some loot along the way.

A Thief in the Night

Although Raythen can be a worthy hero, in the hands of the overlord he is a deadly lieutenant, preying on the weak and manipulating search tokens to keep the best treasure out of the heroes’ hands. Raythen’s Opportunist ability gives him extra surges for attacking when Immobilized or Stunned heroes are adjacent. Alternatives, Raythen may Pilfer a search token as an action, allowing the overlord to look at the top card of the Search deck, before choosing to put the card on the top or bottom of the deck, keeping the best items out of the heroes’ grasp.

Raythen and the overlord’s monsters become even more dangerous when used in conjunction with Raythen’s Skulduggery Plot deck. Petty Theft allows your monsters to steal search tokens from under the heroes’ noses, carrying the search tokens with them around the map. Whether the heroes pursue the stolen treasure or resign themselves to its loss, you can give monsters carrying search tokens added bonuses with cards like Slippery and Distraction. You may reveal that the heroes have been recovering Cursed Treasure, allowing you to gain threat tokens when heroes search. Alternatively, you may surprise the heroes with an old-fashioned Bait and Switch, enabling a monster to switch spaces with a search token and perform an attack. Despite the heroes’ best efforts, Raythen underworld tactics may quickly decide the heroes’ fate.

A Song of Strength and Beauty

As a beautiful priestess of the Sudanyan tradition, Serena is a skilled Healer, and her talents may prove vital to any team of heroes. Serena’s high stamina lets her move quickly when necessity demands it. Alternatively, Serena’s stamina can be used to pay the costs on a wide variety of Healer Class cards, keeping you and your friends ready for inevitable combat. Serena is fragile in a direct fight, but her hero ability can help keep her safe. Whenever Serena is targeted by an attack, an adjacent hero can suffer a fatigue to declare himself as the target of the attack instead. Even if the hero takes damage, Serena certainly possesses the skills to quickly heal her wounded ally.

Serena’s heroic feat gives her even more tools to keep your heroes ready for action. As an action, Serena can test her willpower and knowledge. For each test she passes, every hero within three spaces heals damage and fatigue. Serena’s magical aura both heals and protects your heroes, making her a hero well worth having and protecting.

Guardian of Darkness

As a lieutenant of the overlord, Serena’s healing skills and peacefulness can easily be used for evil. When she’s summoned as an agent, Serena’s deadly Miasma ability can chip away at the heroes’ strength and stamina, potentially inflicting poison and disease. Serena’s abilities are only enhanced with the help of her Silent Protector Plot deck.

Serena’s Plot deck gives a distinct boost to monsters with the Civilized trait, often spreading Serena’s healing aura to the other minions of the overlord. Curative Spirit allows your Civilized monsters to heal nearby monsters after causing damage in an attack. With cards like Traveler’s Rest and Pacify from Serena’s Plot deck, the overlord can incapacitate the heroes, leaving them weakened and unable to fulfill their objectives. The overlord can even transform one of his monsters into a able healer with the card Oath of Silence. Although the chosen monster loses the ability to attack, nearby monsters regain health at the end of every turn during an encounter. No matter how you elect to use Serena or her Plot deck, her powers are certain to invigorate your monsters and punish the heroes.

Friend or Foe?

Will Raythen use his cunning tricks to help the heroes, or will he undermine their efforts? Will Serena dedicate her healing powers to the noble heroes or the minions of the overlord? Only you can decide where Serena and Raythen pledge their allegiance. Preorder your Descent Lieutenant Packs today!

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Source: Hero and Villain (http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=4491)