Earth-Shattering PowerA Preview of Lair of the Wyrm, the Upcoming Descent Expansion
“I feed off the wisdom of others, even when it’s less filling than my own.”
–High Mage Quellen
Lair of the Wyrm, the first expansion for Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition, is coming soon, and with it comes new heroes, classes, monsters, quests, and more! Previously, we’ve looked at the Rumor card system, the valorous new Champion class, and the temptation of Secret Rooms.
Today, we’ll continue our look at Lair of the Wyrm’s two new classes with an overview of the powerful Geomancer, a mage with the ability to move mountains in the pursuit of his goals. First, however, we’ll meet High Mage Quellen, an elf with the unique ability to siphon the energy of those around him.
A Protector of Terrinoth
As Quellen’s dubious title implies, he is an elf that no longer resides within the Aymhelin. The Latari don’t have such ranks within their own arcane institutions, and certainly an elf as young as Quellen would not have risen so high before even reaching his one hundredth year of service to Lord Aenoeth. Quellen’s mysterious link to the natural world drove him to explore the outside world, far away from what he would soon learn is referred to as the “Green Gate.”
Unlike many Latari, Quellen got on well with the other races inhabiting Terrinoth. He enjoyed the naïvety of humans, the craftsmanship of dwarves, the traditions of the orcs, and even the eccentricities of the gnomes. For that reason, Quellen devotes his unique powers to protecting those that gave him his title.
High Mage Quellen is a master of mystical energies that flow through himself and those around him, and he’s able to feed off of the stress and fatigue of nearby allies to bolster his own resolve. Since his Hero Ability lets him choose a nearby hero and essentially benefit from his suffering, it pays to have Quellen stay near an ally who will rack up fatigue tokens for one reason or another. What’s more, his Heroic Feat gives him a once-per-encounter burst of Stamina, useful for a sudden sprint across the map along with some high-cost skills!
Leave Your Enemies Quaking
Speaking of skills, if Quellen walks the path of the mighty Geomancer, his foes will fear the very ground beneath their feet. A Geomancer is a type of mage dedicated to the elemental power of earth. Stones, dirt, even the magma flowing deep underground...these are but playthings to a master Geomancer. Such a potent mage can blast his enemies with lava or call upon gravity to draw them in for a closer kill.
The centerpieces of the Geomancer’s arsenal are his Stasis Rune and his Terracall ability. Terracall creates a rock-hard sentry, the Summoned Stone, to aid its master in battle. This rune-inscribed monolith can be a vessel through which the Geomancer directs his attacks (perhaps from the Stasis Rune), or a deadly land mine waiting to reduce nearby monsters to pulpy mounds of charred flesh.
For example, a Geomancer focused on total destruction might learn skills like Quaking Word, Molten Fury, and Cataclysm. Quaking Word causes the ground near the Summoned Stone to shake violently, throwing nearby monsters off balance momentarily. Once stunned, these unfortunate foes are easy pickings for Molten Fury, which showers the area in flame, or Cataclysm, which lets multiple Summoned Stones attack in concert!
But how would a Geomancer control more than one of these fearsome familiars? Abilities like Stone Tongue and Ley Line bolster the number and potency of the Summoned Stones a Geomancer may bring to the fray. With Stone Tongue, the golems will become both faster and more resilient, while Ley Line lets a Geomancer draw on their power to increase his own combat abilities. Meanwhile, Ways of Stone not only increases the defense of each Summoned Stone in play, but turns them into mobile waypoints to which the Geomancer can teleport.
How will the elemental master of the earth fare against the flying terror that is Valyndra, the Dragon Queen? Keep checking back for more on Lair of the Wyrm, and look for it on store shelves soon!
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Earth-Shattering Power
