Biomes
Each raid descends into one country of the Deep. A biome sets the look, the element and the boss's signature move, and the Deep never repeats the last two it showed.
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Plains
Green and quiet, until the grass grabs.
The first country the Deep ever showed: wide open plains under a sky that cannot possibly be underground. The wind is gentle and the grass is tall, and every so often the earth itself reaches up and pins a hero in place. The boss here wins by holding you still, so watch your footing.
Boss move: Root. Every 4th attack, roots the heroes in the duel for 2 turns (no active skills).
Cave
A dark that listens, and takes a little something back.
Past the plains the ground folds into caves where torchlight shrinks and the shadows stand a bit too close. The creature at the end of the tunnel feeds on the hits it lands, and the longer a fight drags on, the better fed it gets. Bring a short plan and friends who follow it.
Boss move: Drain. Every 3rd attack, hits 1.2x as hard and heals the boss for 25% of the damage dealt.
Deep Cave
Old lanterns hum here, and so does your tiredness.
Deeper still, the caves open into halls carved long before the guild, lit by arcane lamps nobody has fueled in centuries. They shine anyway. Their glow seeps into tired arms, and the boss makes it worse by weakening whoever it strikes, so every swing comes out a little lighter than it should.
Boss move: Weaken. Every 4th attack, weakens the heroes in the duel (-25% damage) for 2 turns.
Lava
Rivers of molten stone, and a boss who plays with matches.
Here the Deep opens onto lava rivers and black glass bridges, a country the Ashmane would call a pleasant afternoon. The air shimmers, the ground ticks as it cools, and the boss likes to set its targets alight. Bring someone who knows how to put people out.
Boss move: Burn. Every 4th attack, burns the heroes in the duel (3% max HP per turn) for 2 turns.
Citadel
A fortress frozen mid-siege, and a boss who freezes you mid-swing.
A citadel of blue-white stone, sealed by frost so old it has its own weather. The boss starts out calm, but once it is hurt badly enough it freezes one hero solid for a moment. The rest of the party has to hold the line until their friend thaws.
Boss move: Freeze. Once, after dropping below 50% health, freezes the heroes in the duel (they lose 1 action).
Coming later
These biomes are not in the rotation yet. Their boss moves may still change before they arrive.
Swamp
Green water, slow air, and a sting from the very first turn.
The Swamp's boss does not waste time on introductions: it poisons its target on the first turn, and the venom keeps ticking for a while afterward. Healers who can clear poison are worth their weight in lily pads. Everyone else should keep moving and keep their boots dry.
Boss move: Poison. On its first attack, poisons the heroes in the duel (3% max HP per turn) for 3 turns.
Reef
A drowned shelf where the tide takes the boss's side.
Old guild maps mark a reef beneath the Deep: a ring of coral and sunken arches where the sea breathes in and out. When the boss is hurt badly enough, the tide rolls in and mends part of its wounds. The trick, as with all tides, is to be ready before it turns.
Boss move: Tide. Once, after dropping below 50% health, heals the boss for 12% of its max HP.
Storm
Clouds below your feet, and thunder that picks no sides.
A high country of black cloud and iron spires, where the boss calls down thunder in great sweeping strikes that hit everything standing nearby, minions and their masters included. Anyone who travels with a crowd of skeletons will want to take this one personally.
Boss move: Thunder. Every 4th attack, hits 1.15x as hard on every hero in the duel and every minion (minions cannot absorb it).
Desert
Red dunes, long shadows, and a boss with a pocketful of sand.
A sea of dunes with half-buried arches poking through like the ribs of something old. The boss kicks sand into its target's eyes every few attacks, and a blinded hero misses a lot of swings. Clerics can clear it; everyone else squints and hopes.
Boss move: Sand in the eyes. Every 3rd attack, blinds the heroes in the duel (30% miss chance) for 2 turns.
Forest
Old bark, older grudges.
A forest older than the Greenwatch, where the boss, once wounded, grows a thick coat of bark that soaks up damage like a shield. Hit it hard enough to strip the bark, and the boss goes back to being a very large, very cross tree.
Boss move: Bark. Once, after dropping below 50% health, gains a shield worth 12% of its max HP.