Characters of Dragons of the Forsaken Desert

One of my favourite games is Dungeoneer by Thomas Denmark and published by Atlas Games, partly because of its carefully crafted ruleset, and partly because of its mysterious lore. Dungeoneer is sold as card decks, but it's really a board game, with some cards serving as board tiles. I own all Dungeoneer decks, so I'm reviewing each of them. In this post, I look at the setting of the Dragons of the Forsaken Desert set.

For background about the world of Dragons of the Forsaken Desert, read my setting of Dragons of the Forsaken Desert post.

Non-player characters

I usually only list named characters as non-player characters in my deconstruction of Dungeoneer. However, Dragons of the Forsaken Desert has a few significant non-player characters who seem to just go by a title, so I'm including them.

Anrak

Anrak may be a person, a dragon or some other creature, or a place. The Uncover the Jewel of Anrak quest card reveals little:

The Jewel of Anrak has long been lost under the sands of the forsaken desert.

Assassin Princess

Someone known only as the Assassin Princess is being held captive in the Necrotower, and the quest card Rescue the Assassin Princess requires a hero to escort her to Brigand's Lair.

Presumably her home is Brigand's Lair (unless a brigand has hired the hero to kidnap her from her captor, but that doesn't suggest a "rescue.") It's impossible to know whether she is a literal princess with recognised royal blood or whether her title is merely a sobriquet.

Royalty or not, she is "as dangerous as she is beautiful," as the card's flavour text says. There's every indication that she's an actual assassin, and she grants +1 Melee to the hero rescuing her. This is unusual for an escort mission. For example, Rescue Olaf Flanda from Realm of the Ice Witch imposes a +1 Melee against the hero.

Desert Oracle

The Consult the Desert Oracle quest card refers to the Desert Oracle, suggesting that the honorific refers to one specific individual. The flavour text says "The desert oracle can reveal the mysteries of fortune and fate." This suggests that the Desert Oracle is a conduit to, or messenger for, Nepiron or a similar celestial power.

Desert Witch

On the quest card Resist the Desert Witch, we learn that there's a desert witch in Brigand's Lair:

Heroes must pay a high price to resist the Desert Witch.

It's impossible to know whether this is a rite of passage or combat with an active force of evil. Brigand's Lair doesn't have a particularly good reputation, so it's unlikely that going to see the Desert Witch is just a test of mettle for hard-earned desert wisdom. However, the word "resist" is notably less severe than "Slay" or "Kill", common in other quest cards such as (Slay the Naga Queen in Call of the Lich Lord.) It seems likely that this quest refers to braving hostile territory in exchange for the usual level-up and an unusual boost in Peril.

If the Desert Witch is not the ruler of Brigand's Lair, then she's obviously a considerable power within it. Resisting her costs 1 Health and 4 Glory, and the player gains 5 Peril as a "reward."

Dragon Overlord

The location card Citadel of the Overlord reveals the existence of an "overlord," and the back of the box mentions a "Dragon Overlord." The artwork on Citadel of the Overlord displays draconic sculptures on a great fortress. Given that a physical fortress exists, it can be safely assumed that the Dragon Overlord is a sentient being with physical form, but it's unknown whether it's a dragon, a humanoid with influence over or among dragons, an Eldritch Lord, or something else entirely.

Dragon terror

The quest card Face the Dragon Terror could be mistaken as a reference to a dragon called "Terror," but the flavour text's capitalisation suggests that "dragon terror" is a condition rather than a character.

Only the bravest heroes have the courage to face the dragon terror.

It's likely that dragon terror just refers to the overwhelming fear that would dominate a normal person upon seeing a dragon up close (like dragon fear in Dragonlance.) It's possibly the escalated version of Dragon Fear:

The dragons of Forlornia cast a shadow of fear across the desert.

Gwildor

A paladin who long ago banished most demons from Tarnys. He possibly ascended to godhood, or was already a demigod or celestial.

Fieronus

The dragon Fieronus guards the Citadel of the Overlord. The Slay Fieronus quest card notes that "The overlord's citadel is guarded by a fiery dragon," which suggests that not all dragons in the Dungeoneer universe are necessarily fiery.

The Great Wyrm

Probably an honorific that passes to whatever dragon can earn or defend the title (possibly by age or by conquest or by wealth, or all of the above), the "Great Wyrm" appears to refer to a specific dragon of the forsaken desert. The quest card Call the Great Wyrm says:

The Great Wyrm comes to those who call it with a great sacrifice.

Necrodragon

It's unclear whether "Necrodragon" is a category of dragon or a title or even a name. It seems reasonable to assume that undead dragons aren't particularly common even in the wasteland of the forsaken desert, so the term is possibly a descriptive title that refers to a single exceptional entity. Specifically, it refers to "The most ancient of dragons," as revealed by the Necrodragon card.

Slitherus

The dragon Slitherus is known to lurk by an oasis in the desert and then pounce on wayward wanderers. The Slay Slitherus quest card warns:

Watch your back when taking a draught from the waters of the oasis. A dragon lurks…waiting.

Vexar'Kivius

A dragon that fell to a spear called Spear of Dragonslaying. The spear is now a coveted weapon in the fight against dragons.

Player characters

There are 6 heroes included with the Dragons of the Forsaken Desert set, and none of their cards have flavour text.

Delf Loedhi, Gnome Mystic

As a Gnome, Delf has good movement (4 Movement by Level 3), and as a Mystic Delf can manipulate card hands. Delf's Foresee ability allows you to spend 1 Movement and up to 3 Glory to see an equal number of cards from another player's hand. You can then pay Glory points to move one of the cards you see to your hand.

Mal Fisent, Drakan Defiler

A powerful magic user (5 Magic at level 4), Mal is dismal at Melee (0 until he gains 1 for level 3 and 4.) His Defile Land ability lets you add the Desert trait to your current location. You also gain 2 Peril, but unsurprisingly several monsters in this set benefit from the Desert trait.

Groluk, Ogre Barbarian

Groluk is the only playable ogre of any Dungeoneer set, and he's either from the forsaken desert or he's been there long enough to know it well. His special ability is Desert Knowledge, which permits you to draw and keep 1 additional card when Groluk ends on a location with the Desert trait.

Groluk has the highest potential stat out of any character in the set. At level 4, he reaches 6 Melee. Interestingly, he starts out weak (1 Melee) but increments quickly to 3, 5, and finally 6.

Artwork for both Dragon Foe and Dragon Cleaver feature Groluk, suggesting that his primary probable strategy is, unsurprisingly, to find a good weapon and then attack dragons with brute force.

Sharna, Human Dragon Slayer

Sharna is a dragon slayer and presumably has the credentials to go along with the title. She has +1 to all attacks against Dragons, but Melee is her strongest attribute (1 to 3 to 4, and finally 5 at level 4). She possesses some magic, but not until level 3.

Faerona, Elf Priestess of Nakari

A priestess of the infamous Queen of Darkness and titular character of Wrath of the Serpent Goddess set, Faerona is a worshipper of Nakari. Unsurprisingly, her strongest attribute is Magic, which increases to 2 at level 2 but jumps to 4 at level 3 and then 5 at level 4. Her special ability is Nakari's Dark Prayer, which lets you pay 1 Glory to impose -1 Magic to all monsters in your current location.

I've always associated dragons with snakes, so the biggest surprise about Faerona for me is that Nakari is working against the dragons of Forlornia. Even if the bonds of lineage don't forge an alliance, I would have thought that the mutual goal of destruction would have done. Nakari works in mysterious ways, apparently, and dragons (or at least the goals of the Overlord) don't fit into her plans.

Redark Noman, Human Arcanist

A magic user, Redark has the ability to use Glory to increase the Peril cost of Dragons. The mechanical efficacy of this obviously depends on how much Glory and Peril are available, but in terms of narrative it reveals much about his character. While he may be opposed to dragons, he obviously holds some power over them. Presumably that power is magical, given his stats, but possibly he also has a certain affinity for his enemy.

Dragons and monsters

Most or all Dungeoneer sets have at least one dragon or wyrm in its cards. As you might hope, there are many dragons in the Dragons of the Forsaken Desert set. Of course, there are several other creature types, too.

• Ant Lion, Giant: A giant ant, a little larger than a standard human. Giant Ant Lions burrow beneath the sand, and then emerge when it senses a creature over its skyward-facing pincers. The Giant Ant Lion card warns, "Watch for the shifting sands where giant ant lions lurk," and the Giant Ant Lion Pit says "Beware of the sinking sands that are armed with fangs."
• Demon, Rock: "When Gwildor banished all the demons, a few escaped."
• Reptile Man: A humanoid lizard that runs rampant in the desert.
• Throg: An ogre-like humanoid monster possibly native to Forlornia. The flavour text of the card suggests low intelligence: "Throg smash!"
• Throg Mage: A primitive (but effective) magic user. The art on the card shows a lizard-like creature, remarkably different from the human-like creature on the Throg card. This suggests that "Throg" is not the name of the species, but of a culture (or maybe a god, because the Throg card bears the quote "Throg smash!" and it's uncommon to refer to just your species as the initiator of a combat action.)
• Throg Mutant: Further confusing what exactly a throg is, the art on this card shows a creature possibly somewhere between a lizard and a human. This suggests that possibly throgs are the product of a magical combination of a human and a reptile man, with some mutating into especially unintelligent mutants that are "highly susceptible to arcane manipulation."
• Dragon, Dust Storm: This is probably not a species of dragons, but a descriptor of one causing environmental mayhem: "The mightiest dust storms are stirred by dragon's wings."
• Dragon, Rock: "Rock dragons are deadlier when challenged."
• Dragon, Sand: A magical dragon made of sand and magical essence. It has either no wings or very small wings.
• Dragon, Vortex: A flying dragon known for its powerful wings and fangs.

Dragons and deserts

The setting itself tells the story of a magical wasteland, but there are some cards specific to dragon lore that reveal what dragons are in the Dungeoneer universe.

The cards Dragon Hide Cloak, Dragon Helm, and Recover the Dragon Bones suggest that the body of a dragon is infused with magical power. Its bones are coveted by Drakan mages, a dragon skull used as a helm grants a bonus to Melee, and a dragon's hide nullifies incoming draconic attacks. The Potion of Dragon Bane reveals that "Dragon liver can be distilled into the powerful potion called Dragon Bane," which boosts your Magic stat against dragons.

Even a dragon's breath contains powerful magic. The Potion of Dragon Fumes card says that "Dragon breath can be distilled into the powerful potion called Dragon Fumes," and confers a Melee bonus against dragons. This seems to confirm that not all dragons breathe fire in the Dungeoneer universe, because obtaining dragon fire for distillation seems like a trial not even a Dungeoneer hero would survive.

We don't know whether dragons are inherently evil, or whether they're controlled by the Overlord during the events of this set, or whether some have allied with the Overlord while others have not. Dragons in other Dungeoneer sets cost Peril, so many if not most are clearly enemies of the heroes. In most Dungeoneer sets, the heroes are pursuing an objectively good cause (destroying demons and fiends, putting a stop to an evil wizard, and so on,) but there's no evidence that the dragons that oppose them are aware of that. Dragons could just be territorial, which is more or less an inherent trait of most living creatures, at least to some degree.

Speaking of territorial species, there are 2 items in Dragons of the Forsaken Desert that were specifically made to help humanoids slay dragons:

• Dragon Cleaver: Forged by Kith-Kanon to slay dragons.
• Spear of Dragonslaying: "The spear that slew Vexar'Kivius is the bane of all dragons."

However, the Spirit of the Dragon card has evidence of draconic benevolence:

The spirit of the dragon is bestowed on the blessed few.

If the old adage "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" holds true, then Nakari's opposition to dragons suggests that the dragons of Tarnys could be a relatively neutral force. There's a contingency serving the Overlord, but there are at least some (or one?) that can be swayed to boost a hero's Melee and Magic.

If you like post-apocalyptic wastelands, Dragons of the Forsaken Desert is a fascinating combination of dragon-based fantasy and environmental dystopia.