Frosthaven Monsters Analysis & Strategies – Lurkers

Frosthaven is first and foremost a fantastic campaign, full of interesting scenarios, twists and turns. Thus main type of materials which I am sharing with Dear Readers are session reports. Still, with the vacation lull, there is a chance now to focus on some aspects of that great game which I planned to do for pretty long time but there was always something more urgent. One of such ideas I had is an analysis of opponents one can encounter in a variety of the adventures in that world.

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GLOOMHAVEN:

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FROSTHAVEN:

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The knowledge of what you can expect from particular monsters is key in preparation of the strategy for the scenario – both which cards to use and which items to choose. Good plan and knowledge of your enemy is often key to success with it – and this is even more visible in Frosthaven than it was in Gloomhaven.

Frosthaven brings a lot of new types and groups of enemies. Most prominent are of course Lurkers, Unfettered and Algoxes. There are also old, well-known opponents – like Daemons, Night Creatures or Vermlings – with slightly changed and adjusted capabilities. That makes for a great and varied experience; at the same time, games seems to be more challenging and require good planning and preparation.

I will start my series with intelligent Lurkers – they oftentimes gave us so much troubles that I deemed them as a good starting point. Among that class we have:

• Lurker Clawcrusher
• Lurker Mindsnipper
• Lurker Wavethrower
• Lurker Soldier

You will have all the stats and ability cards presented, with plenty of numbers, evaluations and some information how to tackle them. Disclaimer! The tactics how to deal with those dreadful monster are based on our group ~50 Frosthaven scenarios played and are not the only plausible ones. I am sure there will be more ideas form Dear Readers, which I would welcome in the comments section!

Lurker Clawcrusher

Characteristic	Value
Initiative
=> minimum	11
=> maximum	60
=> average	~37 (average)
=> variation	From 11 to 60 = 49 (average)
Damage (lvl1-lvl7)	Regular: 2-5 Elite: 3-7
Hit points (lvl1-lvl7)	Regular: 7-23 Elite: 10-29
Weapon type	Melee
Specials	Multiple Targets, Armor Smashing, No Stun

Evaluation:

We are starting our analysis from the biggest, most sturdy and pretty powerful Lurker – Clawcrusher (I simply adore that very thematic name). His Hit Points grow quickly and he reaches the highest number of all enemies of this type. He has a decent hit on multiple targets. And he will crush your armor to pieces – especially if enhanced by infusion. But with his average initiative and average movement range, you might be able to avoid some of his most potent attacks – some of which might poison you and make an easier target for consecutive enemy assaults.

How to deal with them:

• Attack from range and keep distance. You do not want to be crushed by those potent claws.
• As it can attack multiple targets, do not stand too close to your allies to minimize damage.
• Poison – as you would need many attacks to get rid of him, that condition will benefit all of them.
• Disarm / stun so you can attack him with impunity – he will have nothing to react.
• Do not allow him to infuse Earth – he gets so much more powerful then.

Lurker Mindsnipper

Characteristic	Value
Initiative
=> minimum	6
=> maximum	51
=> average	~28 (fast)
=> variation	From 6 to 51= 45 (average)
Damage (lvl1-lvl7)	Regular: 2-4 Elite: 3-6
Hit points (lvl1-lvl7)	Regular: 5-20 Elite: 7-27
Weapon type	Ranged
Specials	Pierce, Multiple Targets, Mind Control

Evaluation:

That one – as the name provides – is one of the more interesting Lurkers. Slightly similarly to Mindthief in Gloomhaven, he can manipulate the enemies (i.e. you!). He can disarm you or stun you. And with incredibly fast initiative, he can do it before you will even have a chance to react. He has decent hit points which grow quickly. His attack is above average and can target multiple enemies. A very strong pierce will render any of your armors useless.

All of this makes him probably the most dangerous Lurker. The good thing he usually is the only of the type in the group – otherwise it might be a nightmare to stop him.

How to deal with them:

• Prioritize this monster. You do not want to be hit by your colleague with strength 3, using his super optimized Attack Deck. Nor do you want to lose turn being stunned or immobilized.
• If you plan to target that enemy, be fast. And I mean it.
• As it can attack multiple targets, do not stand too close to your allies to minimize damage.
• On the other hand, as this is mainly ranged enemy, you can draw it attention and inflict disadvantage by being adjacent to him. But only one of you, as otherwise he will use the full scale of attack!

Lurker Wavethrower

Characteristic	Value
Initiative
=> minimum	29
=> maximum	98
=> average	~57 (very slow)
=> variation	From 29 to 98 = 69 (very large)
Damage (lvl1-lvl7)	Regular: 1-3 Elite: 2-4
Hit Points (lvl1-lvl7)	Regular: 4-20 Elite: 6-26
Weapon type	Melee
Specials	Immobilize, Summoning Eels

Evaluation:

After many plays, probably this is the easiest Lurker to deal with (yes, even easier than Soldier which you might underestimate!). First of all, he is not hitting too hard – at the lowest levels you will get only 1 damage from the Normal Enemy. Secondly, he is enormously slow – both in terms of initiative and range of movement – so almost always you should have time to prepare and react to his actions. Last but not least, he has the lowest hit point ratio.

So where is the trick? He summons Eels which – if uncontrolled – can become a nuisance. Also, his Area of Effect (AoE) attacks would require you to react and spread (while you would rather stay close to him and prevent water creation and subsequent summon).

How to deal with them:

• Hit him hard – he will take all the damage having no shield and he is not particularly strong; preferably in melee to eliminate free space for water creation.
• Unlike other Lurkers, here stay close to him, in group, preventing him from creating water hex and spawning Eels (25% chance).
• Of course, you might need to quickly disperse if he is using one of hi AoE attacks! Be flexible with that.
• The trick to avoid summoning is also creating hazardous terrain (Snowdancer) or Ice (Frozen Fist) to deny him any empty space for water.

Lurker Soldier

Characteristic	Value
Initiative
=> minimum	11
=> maximum	64
=> average	~38 (average)
=> variation	From 11 to 64 = 53 (large)
Damage (lvl1-lvl7)	Regular: 2-5 Elite: 3-7
Hit Points (lvl1-lvl7)	Regular: 5-20 Elite: 7-27
Weapon type	Melee
Specials	Multiple Targets, Pierce, Shield

Evaluation:

When I started to evaluate Lurker Soldier I was pretty surprised to note how dangerous he is. I thought that trio of Clawcrusher / Mindsnipper / Wavethrower will be much more powerful but no, he is definitely comparable to them.

What differentiates him from the rest is fact that he is pretty… straightforward! No Eels summoning, no mind control. no Armor Smashing. Instead of this high Hit Points, high Attack Value, decent initiative, Pierce and of course Shield. Everything you would expect from sturdy, armored, unyielding enemy. Probably “Nothing Special” comes to mind. Mind though that does not mean easy, weak or not dangerous.

How to deal with them:

• Do not underestimate him – well, it might seem trivial but we made mistake of paying less attention to Soldiers as we thought they are weaker and other targets are priority. Do not do this.
• Immobilize / stun / disarm – use any of those and than attack with impunity. Especially Immobilize (“poor man’s stun”) will work nicely as that monster does not have ranged attacks!
• Due to the shield (not big but still) enhance your chances by wounding it and bleeding it out.
• As it can attack multiple targets, do not stand too close to minimize damage.

Are above suggestions standard and typical? Yes, they are – but this is the Soldier, heavily armored and equipped, straightforward, standard & typical enemy!

Summary

Lurkers can be a very nasty, sturdy and stubborn creatures – even pure soldier will give you a lot of problems. Almost all of them can pierce / smash your armor, attack multiple targets or have a decent shield themselves.

But they can also… become your friend or even companion. These are not mindless creatures from Gloomhaven but much more sophisticated, intelligent beings of Frosthaven. They have their form of communication, master all water-related skills and can become a valuable allay. But those creatures might as well form a very formidable enemies – be it in its basic Soldier form, Clawcrusher / Mindsnipper / Wavethrower incarnation or even… boss like – just see Scenario #53 Underwater Throne. They really enrich the game nicely!

More analysis soon!