Battle Chess

Battle Chess is a magical chess set in which the pieces are represented by living combatants rather than ordinary game pieces. When a match begins, the pieces on the board take the form of creatures appropriate to the particular set being used, and the players direct them in combat according to the moves of the game.

The exact rules of Battle Chess are not recorded in the surviving campaign material, but the game follows the basic structure of chess closely enough that the pieces retain familiar roles such as king, queen, and pawn. Capturing another piece results in the corresponding combat between the two pieces.

Different Battle Chess sets can have very different themes and creatures. The party has encountered at least several distinct sets, including elemental and celestial sets.

The Chosen's Battle Chess Board

The party acquired its first Battle Chess board after a confrontation with Brance at the Tower of Plinth.

Brance had been openly antagonistic toward the party, culminating in an incident where he dumped a bowl of yogurt over Smah's head. Before the dispute escalated into a physical fight, another Chosen suggested that they settle their differences through a game of Battle Chess.

The party wagered one magic item apiece against Brance's Battle Chess board. Brance played aggressively, using his spells as the king to try to win additional fights, but the party ultimately won the match. Brance grudgingly developed a greater respect for them, and the party became more accepted among the Chosen.

The board became the party's first Battle Chess set.

Battle Chess with the Sages

Later, Demetrius challenged Tim to a game of Battle Chess after the sages requested either greater access to their research or increased pay.

The wager was that, if the sages won, they would receive either full access to the information they were researching or double their pay. If Tim's side won, the sages would work for half price.

The sages' side used an elemental set. Their pawns were mephits, while the back row consisted of elementals.

The match initially went badly for the party, but they eventually made an aggressive play that depended upon Noel surviving after taking a piece. Noel survived and was then able to attack the opposing king, winning the match.

Demetrius was impressed by the party's aggressive and risky tactics. He subsequently offered to teach Tim how to improve their Battle Chess board.

Improving a Battle Chess Board

Demetrius explained that a Battle Chess board could be enhanced through magical crafting.

The campaign records specifically establish the following improvements:

• For 500 XP and 13 days of crafting, the taking piece can be given Bull's Strength.

• For the same 500 XP and 13 days of crafting, the taking piece can be given Enlarge Person.

• For the same 500 XP and 13 days of crafting, the losing piece can be given Reduce Person.

• The entire set of pieces can be upgraded by one level for 1,000 XP.

Demetrius indicated that other enchantments were possible, but that they required both XP and monetary expenditure. The surviving records do not specify those additional enchantments.

The records also establish that the upgrades could be performed by someone possessing the Craft Wondrous Item feat, or with Demetrius's assistance if the character did not possess it.

Battle Chess at the End of the World

The party later encountered the dwarf they would eventually learn was Thorn Runehammer. Thorn refused to answer their questions until they offered to settle the matter with Battle Chess.

Thorn could not play personally because he had become completely cut off from magic after escaping the separation of Demmazon's realm. Instead, he chose Bo Duke as his champion.

To make the match fair, members of the party joined Bo Duke's side. The final teams were:

• Bo Duke's side: Bo Duke, Kamal, and Smah Tepants
• Opposing side: Tim, Tashiro Sunshine Eastforest, Malachi, and Clowe

Kamal, who had never played Battle Chess before, immediately adopted an extremely aggressive strategy. He put his queen in position to be taken by a pawn, intending to survive the attack and then strike at the opposing king. The gamble succeeded, and the game ended after only a handful of moves.

Thorn declared it the fastest game of Battle Chess he had ever witnessed. He also jokingly pointed out that he had never actually said which side he was betting on.

The match established an important limitation of Thorn's condition: although he could participate in the surrounding discussion, he could not directly operate a magical Battle Chess piece himself.

The Celestial Match

The party later used Battle Chess when attempting to persuade Lunara, an Astral Diva protecting a temple of Demmazon, to allow them inside.

Lunara agreed to a wager: if the party won, they would be permitted to enter the temple; if she won, the party would surrender their Battle Chess board.

Lunara's board was a celestial set, with pieces represented by various archons, eladrins, guardinals, and angels. Her queen was a Trumpet Archon.

The match became a difficult combat. The party eventually attempted to defeat Lunara's king through a coordinated attack involving John Finlay and Tim. When the situation turned against them, Tim transformed himself into a dire bear, grappled Lunara, and jumped from the side of the board while still grappling her.

Both kings were killed, resulting in a stalemate.

Because neither side had won, the wager was nullified. Lunara regarded the maneuver as clever and subsequently agreed to trust the party enough to involve them in dealing with the Korvaks inside the temple.

Nature of the Magic

The surviving campaign records clearly establish Battle Chess as a magical form of chess in which the pieces can actually fight. They do not establish the original creator of the game, how the magic animates the pieces, or whether all Battle Chess sets were created by the same maker.

The different sets encountered by the party demonstrate that the appearance and abilities of the combatants can vary substantially from one board to another.

No complete rules for Battle Chess have survived in the campaign records, so specific rules governing movement, combat, piece abilities, victory conditions, or the creation of new sets should not be inferred beyond what is documented above.