Quests & Thestrals

Quests & Thestrals is a wizarding table top adventuring role playing game. The game integrates the unpredictable chance-based game play style of Dungeons and Dragons with the magical elements of wizard's chess. The enchanted figurines and their matching dice are the invention of Sasha Schlagenweit and he currently holds a patent at the Ministry of Magic.

Game Components

Player's Set

Basic Complete Player's Set Consists of:

• Adventure Character Figurine
• Character Stat Sheet
• Play Dice

Adventure Character Figurine & Stat Sheet

A magically-enhanced figurine that both serves as the visual representation of the player's character and navigates the fictional game world and battles enemies. Each figurine is individually crafted, taking into account both the race and class of the character. Imbued with variations of charms used to create wizard's chess sets, Quests & Thestrals figurines are animated and possess a degree of autonomy.

When a player first buys a Player's Set, the figurine is a very basic, generic representation of the character's class. As soon as the player starts filling out the stat sheet, the figurine magically morphs to match. For example, a player may choose to play a Fighter and would purchase the Fighter Player Set. All Fighter Player sets contain the same generic, genderless fighter figurine. As the player designates the characters gender, race, physical and personality attributes on the stat sheet, the figurine morphs to match.

As soon as the figurine is selected and paired with a player, the character figurine starts to develop an individual personality based on the player's preferences. The character's abilities, skills and quest-based identity resets and grows with each campaign but the base personality has the ability to develop over multiple campaign story arcs.

Set of Play Dice

Each figurine is crafted with a full set of gaming dice that is magically connected to its figurine. The standard 7-dice set includes a single 4-sided, 6-sided, 10-sided, 12-sided and 20-sided dice but each type of dice can replicate itself, as needed, when multiples of a single type are needed. Figurine and dice are magically coordinated so that figurines can react and respond to the results of a role, whether it's the figuring responding to an attack role during a battle or establishing a character's initial abilities during game set up.

Play Mat

(Sold separately)

A play mat is used to outline and define the environment the players' characters find themselves in and interact with. A play mat isn't strictly necessary for play and almost any surface can be used to outline dungeon maps, town streets or obstacles strewn across a battle field. However, the mats designed to be used with the figurines and dice have also been magically enhanced to fold, morph and distort itself into a more realistic three-dimensional representation of the environment.

Basic Overview of Gameplay

Similar to the mundane counterpart, play in a Quests & Thestrals game starts with participants developing a .

Styles of Play

Group Play With A DM

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Group Play Without A DM

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Individual Gaming

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Example of Gameplay

With an exam coming up at the end of the week, everyone had taken a vow of studiousness. They would put one more solid hour into their essays before getting back to their current campaign. With focused determination, they did their best to ignore the hovering sealed 'Pandora's Box' that could just be seen over the Arfan Mountains at the far end of the Quests & Thestrals playing map. Over the course of the last four months, the playing mat had grown, contorted and gradually solidified into the current concise miniature medieval world as they progressed to their current position.

They had been making beautiful progress until, during their last session, Oliver's Ranger had had the misfortune to fall down a mineshaft three times in a row. After all three of their Q&T figurines had flashed their player’s vulgar hand gestures, they’d set off down the road in pursuit of ale, bringing that play session to an abrupt end. Everyone was eager to get back into the game and try to rectify the situation, but – alas – the real world had to be conquered, first.

Sylvester had come up with the idea of using a pub as a temporary corral for adventurers while they finished their assignment. With a flick of his wand and a few brief descriptions, the playing board had once more expanded, folded and reconfigured itself into a miniature, dusty, old road-side tavern. The new addition to the playing board would remain until the campaign was finished, just like all the other additions that had come before. As they wrote, their Dwarven Druid, Elven Ranger and Human Paladin had been parked in the pub so they could be kept (hopefully) entertained – and out of trouble.

How enchanted figurines could get drunk off of an ale that didn't actually exist was beyond Sasha’s understanding but, in true Tolkienite fashion, the Dwarf and Elf had started to argue and Sasha’s Paladin was trying, and failing, to keep the peace. "We dry the bat blood before adding it to the potion both to absorb the liquid already there and to concentrate the proteins, right? I’m not imagining that he said it didn’t alter the clotting effects?" Sasha asked, glancing up from his essay and spotting the arguing figurines.

Sasha stuck a finger in between the quarreling elf and dwarf in an attempt to physically separate them, only to get a very tiny arrow in the finger for his efforts. While he was rubbing the splinter, his Paladin threw up his hands in annoyance and marched out of the pub, climbed on his horse, leaped down off the table and started across the courtyard.

With a sigh, Sasha got up to retrieve him. With his attention fixed on the two-inch high horse and knight, Sasha didn't notice the other student until he almost ran into him. Last minute, he managed to side step the his classmate. "Excuse me," he offered, as he continued after the miniature mounted knight heading for nowhere. Of course, the other student hadn’t noticed the Paladin-On-A-Mission and she started asking a question about their last exam, even as the knight seemed determined to ride off into the sunset. “Well, no – that wasn’t the right answer. The professor kind of tricked us with that bit about the sleeping habits of hippogriffs. It-“ He glanced past her.

At least something had distracted the mini-Paladin in his departure, though Sasha couldn't see what, exactly, had caught the knight’s attention. Something, undoubtedly, that needed rescuing since the holy knight had dismounted and knelt in prayer. “I’m sorry, excuse me a moment,” he offered his classmate as he caught up with the figurine just in time to see it prepare for battle.

Apparently, a caterpillar was waging holy war on a … well, Sasha couldn’t see. But, unfortunately for all involved, the question about exams caused too much of a delay. Sasha wasn't sure who the paladin thought he was saving, but it was now dangling from the end of the lance and the world had been saved from its wiggling cuteness. Wrinkling his nose, Sascha reached down to pick up the knight and tried to flick the caterpillar off without touching it.

By the time he returned to the table, it was clear all pretense of essay writing had been abandoned. Elf and dwarf had left the pub and both Sylvester and Oliver were rolling dice to see how drunk their respective figurines had gotten. As Sasha set the holy knight and warhorse down on the dirt road outside the pub, Oliver rolled a 12 and Sylvester rolled a 6. The elven rogue adopted a smug smirk as she watched the druid stumble, slightly with a slight slur to his speech.

“I think our chances of actually making it through those mines this time just took a nose dive,” Sasha offered, with a chuckle, as he sat back down. The paladin was busy helping the dwarf onto his horse while the elf skipped merrily down the road towards looming mountains and the mine entrance at the base.

”We might not make it that far,” Sylvester offered with a half-sigh, half-laugh. The pub had just fallen out of sight from the figurines when five bandits brandishing short swords stepped out from the forest and blocked the way. As the one in the middle demanded gold in exchange for safe passage, the rogue notched an arrow into her crossbow and the dwarf hopped off the horse.

“I’m going to try to see if we can talk them down,” Sasha offered and his paladin took a step towards the bandits with a placating hand raised. Unsurprisingly, Oliver tossed his dice and raised a fist in victory as the rogue lifted her crossbow and sent a bolt through the chest of the nearest bandit. “Oliver?! Really? We don’t … fine.” Sasha’s Paladin drew his greatsword and readied himself for battle as the remaining four bandits regrouped.

Current Players & Their Characters

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At Absit Omen

Pending... Cite any mentionItalic texts of the place, link to Character Names, or link to threads [thread link]