Characters of Haunted Woods of Malthorin

One of my favourite games is Dungeoneer by Thomas Denmark and published by Atlas Games. Dungeoneer is sold as card decks, but it's really a board game. Some cards are board tiles, and others are monsters, items, and power-ups. I own 5 Dungeoneer decks, and I'm reviewing them each. In this post, I'm looking at the characters of the Haunted Woods of Malthorin set.

For background about the world of Haunted Woods of Malthorin, read my post about its setting.

Non-player characters

Haunted Woods of Malthorin is one of the smallest Dungeoneer sets, but it sneaks in a fair few non-player characters.

Malthorin

The titular elven prince, Malthorin is a villain born of tragedy and despair. After his betrothed is killed on their wedding day, he descends into darkness and corrupts the forest that was his home. There's evidence that he enlisted the help of Ramalith from Vault of the Fiends as well as the god of thorns, Umbar.

It's possible too, that his corrupting influence made a bad situation turn worse for his wedding entourage. His forest is home to one of the bride's maids, now trapped as a banshee determined to avenge the dead bride.

Malthorin is a powerful psychic, or at least has enchantment magic. The flavour text of Malthorin's Geas says:

"Their minds are like putty in my hands," whispered Malthorin.

According to the card Forest Shift, "Malthorin swore that his forest nightmare would take over the world."

Gwildor

The Holy Breastplace card says:

This holy breastplate was fashioned after the golden armour of Gwildor.

Gwildor is probably a respected knight or a god, or maybe a knight that's ascended to godhood. In the [Haunted Woods of Malthorin]()https://mixedsignals.ml/games/blog/blog_dungeoneer-setting-haunted-woods-of-malthorin] set, the Potion of Invigoration flavour text says:

The high priests of Omnisus call this potion the tears of Yondara, the holy mother of Gwildor.

Omnisus is an important god of Tarnys, so if his high priests consider Yondara holy then she must an significant figure, and so too would be her progeny.

Player characters

There are just 3 player characters provided in Haunted Woods of Malthorin. None have flavour text.

Elendus Sulari, Elf Archer

An elf, possibly from Dunwin originally or possibly from some other region. She's not a Dark Elf, so probably not from Balikor.

Elendus has a steady progression of martial skill (1 at Levels 2 and 3, but 3 and 4 at Levels 3 and 4), and 2 Magic starting at Level 2. She is depicted on Elven Cloak with the flavour text "Elves are masters of creating magical objects that blend with nature," which suggests that Elendus uses everyday magic items to give her the advantage in battle.

Karn Darkhoof, Centaur Ranger

A mighty centaur with excellent martial skill, with a ramp up to 4 and then 5 Melee by Levels 3 and 4, and a +1 Melee against one creature type (chosen at the start of the game.) We don't know how common centaurs are in the world of Dungeoneer, but given that Karn is the only centaur in all the sets we can assume they're relatively rare.

Whether it's because he's a centaur or a ranger, or both, Karn has a great love for the outdoors. The card Forest Affinity shows Karn galloping through the woods, with the flavour text "As silent and swift as a shadow, through the forest I go."

Tolin Briarwood, Human Druid

A mage who draws his power from the land, Tolin has ramps up to 4 Magic by Level 3 and also gains +1 Magic within one terrain type chosen at the start of the game. Tolin appears on the Essence of the Forest card, with the flavour text reading "The essence of magic runs deep within the woods."

Gods

The panthen of Dungeoneer is ever growing. The first 2 are gods revealed in this set, and the rest are listed for context and completeness.

• Umbar: Thorn god who, according to Defy the Thorn Spirit, has provided deadly plants to serve Malthorin.
• Nepiron: God of fortune. The Shield of Luck says "May the fortunes of Nepiron shield you from harm," and the Roll the Bones quest in Call of the Lich Lord spells it out: "Fortune depends on the whims of Nepiron, the god of luck."
• Omnisus: An important god of Tarnys, known for healing.
• Oriella: Queen of Dimensions and ruler of the Ethereal Void.
• Gwildor: A paladin possibly ascended to godhood, known for slaying more demons than any other paladin in the history of Tarnys, and for his elaborate golden armour.
• Yondara: Mother of Gwildor and revered by even the high priests of Omnisus.
• Hala: Possibly a messenger diety, famous for boots of speed.

Creatures, plants, and monsters

There's a good variety of creatures in the Haunted Woods of Malthorin set.

• Banshee: Formerly a bride's maid for Malthorin's betrothed, now a monstrous aberration of vengeance.
• Faeries: Tiny, elusive people who dwell within and around the forests. Their allegiance is unclear, but they are probably at least neutral, but possibly an ally in the fight against Malthorin.
• Gray Spider: Giant spiders from Balikor.
• Dark Elves: Infantry patrol serving Malthorin, who may be a Dark Elf himself.
• Dark Heart of the Woods: A carnivorous tree or plant located near the Tower of Malthorin.
• Thorn Spirit: A living plant with a mouth full of thorny teeth, and a twisted body armoured with thorns. It is an agent, and even possibly an avatar, of the god Umbar.
• Misten Witch: A powerful witch dwelling within the forest. She keeps wolves as pets, and lures travelers into her domain with the offer of food, drink, and rest.
• Mutated Vines: Probable creations of Ramalith, out on loan to Malthorin.
• Viridian Dragon: Probably forest dragons, but immune to Malthorin's control ("Dragons serve no master.")
• Will of the Wisp: Entrancing lights that lure adventurers deep into the haunted woods.
• Willow: A sentient willow tree in Dunwin poses a riddle to heroes. If the hero can solve the riddle, then the willow grants the hero Eldritch power.

In my next post in this series, I explore the setting of the advanced Dungeoneer (or "Legendary") Call of the Lich Lord set.