The Expedition Team

Daniela swore as the smooth handle of the machete slipped in her sweat-covered hand and the blade got tangled in the vines. “You didn’t tell me the jungle would fight back so much, Ursula.”
Ursula just laughed, her pretty smile making Daniela flush as she clumsily pulled the machete free. Ursula pointed to her hand. “If you keep gripping it that tightly, you’ll get blisters. Grip it with your thumb and forefinger and let gravity do most of the swing work for you. Come here, I’ll show–”
“Lesson’s over,” Leo called from where he was helping the old man, Norman, navigate a tangle of kapok roots. “We have five miles to go before nightfall. We can’t afford to keep dilly-dallying.”

The jungle makes its way to Arkham in Path of the Serpent, the latest expansion for Mansions of Madness! In three new scenarios that bring you to a cursed South American expedition, a lavish garden party for Arkham’s social elite, and a forgotten temple chosen as the set for a terrible rite, you must work alongside your team of investigators to battle monsters and solve eldritch mysteries before it is too late. If you wish to survive your journeys, you will need to team up with the most skilled professionals in their fields and prepare for any challenge that you may face.

Today, we would like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the four investigators who will be joining your expedition team in the Path of the Serpent expansion for Mansions of Madness—now available for pre-order at your local retailer or online through our website with free shipping within the continental United States!

The Expedition Leader

Leo Anderson has spent his life traveling to the deadliest and most obscure corners of the globe. It is always a chance for adventure, and the pay is good, but there is a cost. Along the way, he’s lost good people. Some succumbed to illness, others to the inhospitable climate, and some to unnatural things that will haunt Leo for the rest of his days. His most recent expedition for a mysterious benefactor ended in complete disaster. His closest friend, Mitch Brown, was the only one of his people to survive… or at least, remain human. Leo is sick of burying his people. But now that he knows what lurks in the forgotten reaches beyond civilization, he can’t forget, and he can’t quit until the job is done.

Leo is a hardened explorer who has seen much more of the world’s darkness than he would care to. This helps place most of his skills at a level of four, though he places much more value in what he has seen with his own eyes than in the words of other. Thus, his influence is three and his lore is only two. But, for better or worse, he is still the expedition leader and he will do everything in his power to get his team home alive. Once per round, when Leo moves, he can also help another investigator move one space, ensuring that—no matter what—no one on Leo’s team is left behind.

The Explorer

When she was young, Ursula Downs was constantly scrambling up trees, scaling rock walls, and using her art supplies to map caves. Any hopes that some may have she might settle down and begin exhibiting more “lady-like” behavior as she grew older were dashed when she procured a degree in archaeology from Miskatonic University and began traveling the world. Soon, she was leaving her mark on the academic community and adding an incredible list of achievements to her name. Not many people can say that they’ve climbed a mountain on every continent. Fewer still can say they’ve stolen a golden idol from a cannibalistic cult, but for Ursula, this is just the beginning.

When traveling across the globe, you must be ready for anything. As such, Ursula is an incredibly balanced investigator, with seven health and sanity, and all of her skills valued at either three or four. The explorer also has the remarkable ability to move one space either before or after performing an explore action or interacting with a sight token. While she can only execute this additional move once per round, this still gives Ursula more freedom to traverse the board than perhaps any other investigator in Mansions of Madness. And with expansive jungle trails and temples to explore, this is sure to prove invaluable.

The Mechanic

Daniela Reyes always thought she had a good life. She had a loving, boisterous family. She had a steady job that used her brains and her hands. She had money to spend on fast cars, pretty girls, and her prized possession: her motorcycle, Gabriel. Overall, her life seemed normal until one day when her brother, Ramon, got caught up in some trouble. Soon, her mother began warning Daniela to be careful, that a darkness lay ahead of her, and in a town as strange as Arkham, this warning holds a particular weight.

She only set the glass of water behind the door to appease her fretful mother. It was meant to catch evil spirits. But when she awoke the next morning to find it shattered, she was determined to figure out what happened and fix it. Just like she always did.

Daniela’s analytical mind makes her one of the most skilled problem-solvers in Arkham. Every time a puzzle is solved during a game, whether it be by her or another investigator, Daniela may either gain two clues or discard one horror. This may come in handy as she also has the lowest sanity of the investigators in this expansion. However, Daniela is also the strongest investigator of Path of the Serpent with eight health and five strength. She can both cut through the jungle underbrush and solve the secrets of the ancients, making her the perfect addition to any expedition team.

The Astronomer

Norman Withers is a scientist. He is a rational man devoted to the reasoned exploration of the universe. So, when six stars simply vanished from the sky, he double- and triple-checked his results, then calmly examined the situation from every logical angle. His conclusions were simple. Yes, the stars were truly missing. Yes, something impossible was moving in the void. Unfortunately, when he presented these findings to his colleagues, they did not accept them as the work of a rational man. The entire scientific community dismissed his research as the ramblings of a crackpot. But still, Norman continues his studies. Though his research now touches on ancient lore and magic, he is still a rational man, and when he has gathered enough proof of what is lurking beyond the stars, he will prove it to everyone.

Norman is a man of science—he had thought his days of adventuring would be far behind him. With a health of six and strength and agility values of three, the astronomer must rely on his wit if he is to survive in the jungle. His knowledge of the stars and the movement of the cosmos is his greatest asset, and as long as he can see them, he may either gain two clues or discard one Horror. While he can only activate this ability once per round, this continuous access to clues will help him solve any puzzle or pick any lock with ease. When you are preparing to dive into an ancient Temple of a lost civilization, a scholar may mean the difference between making the discovery of a lifetime and becoming lost in the jungle forever.

Heart of the Jungle

The path before you is filled with countless dangers that will push you to the limits of your sanity and bring you within an inch of death. Only Arkham’s bravest investigators will stand a chance against the terrors ahead. Join the expedition and discover the secrets of the Path of the Serpent!