Arena: The Contest – The Elder Dragon

Arena: The Contest – The Elder Dragon Rulebook

Table of Contents

Elder Dragon's Turn

Transcribed from the Special Quest sheet.

Phase 1: Refresh

End all Temporary Effects the Elder Dragon applied. Put the attack card that tracked them on the Elder Dragon's Attack Card deck.

Remove all effects the heroes applied on the Elder Dragon. It takes 5 damage for each Permanent Effect removed this way.

Phase 2: Ancient Totem

Activate an Ancient Totem randomly, using the Fate Cards (I–III). You cannot draw the same card in consecutive turns.

Phase 3: Mystic Aura

Apply Elder Dragon's Bosspad-described aura on heroes within reach.

Phase 4: Boss Spell

Draw a Boss Spell Card and immediately apply what the Power field describes (no roll required). If you drew the last card of the deck, shuffle all the other cards and assemble a new deck.

The Command field determines the Elder Dragon's behavior during the next phase.

Phase 5: Action

In this phase, the Elder Dragon can take a Move Action and/or a Prime Action, like any other foe.

Randomly draw one of the Elder Dragon's attack cards. The Elder Dragon makes this attack, targeting heroes according to the Boss Spell's Command. The attack card drawn this round does not participate in the next round's selection.

Unique Features

Smash: The Elder Dragon is Hastened and ignores the Slowed Condition (this is not an Effect). When moving, it may pass through all squares, including those occupied by heroes, chests, and walls. The Elder Dragon cannot finish its movement on squares occupied by Barriers or Obstacles. When its movement ends, if heroes occupy any of its landing squares, they take 6 damage each, and get moved to a square adjacent to the Elder Dragon.
Fire Blast: Whenever the Elder Dragon is hit, after the attack resolves, the attacking hero and the Elder Dragon both take damage equal to the number of Life Tokens on the HP Track (up to once per turn). This is not an effect.

Special Features

Size: The Elder Dragon occupies twenty-five (5x5) squares. It can be adjacent to 24 squares at once.
Multiple targets: Due to its increased size, when an attack has more than one target (or when it applies effects to another enemy), the Elder Dragon counts as two adjacent targets. Roll strikes separately, applying damage twice if they both hit.
Reaction Attacks' long reach: The Elder Dragon's Reaction Attacks have a Range of 2 squares. Therefore, you can incite its Reaction Attack if you are two squares away (or directly adjacent to it). The Elder Dragon can make only one Reaction Attack per turn.
HP: 350 HP. Learn how to track it in the Quest Guide, page 3. (The Quest Guide is not in the scans; its text is not transcribed here.)
Home-field advantage: The Elder Dragon ignores the effects of Terrain Tiles (e.g., lava, altar, portal, ruins).
Overlord Perks: See page 3 of the Quest Guide. (Not in the scans; not transcribed here.)

Riddles

Printed on the Special Quest sheet, with the answers printed at the bottom of the sheet.

I. If you have me, you want to share me, but if you share me, you haven't got me. Who am I?
II. I have rivers but no water, forests but no trees, deserts but no sand, and mountains but no rocks. Who am I?
III. Two brothers we are, great burdens we bear; all day we are bitterly pressed; yet, this we will say, we are full during the day, and empty when we go to rest. Who are we?

(Answers: I – a secret; II – a map; III – a pair of shoes.)

List of Components

1 Elder Dragon kit
3 Prisoners
3 Chests
4 Walls 3x1
2 Lava 4x2
2 Lava 3x3
3 Altars
4 Portals
2 Ruins 4x2
1 Ruins 2x2
2 Stairs

The sheet prints this list in four columns. The first scan cuts off the fourth column; the list above includes it as shown in the second scan (1 Ruins 2x2 and 2 Stairs).

Map

The Special Quest sheet prints a map of the Elder Dragon's arena, with a legend. The map is a graphic, and only its legend is transcribed here.

Map Labels: Initial setup (shown with a line symbol on the map).

The Elder Dragon (Boss Card)

Transcribed from the boss card. The card is the Elder Dragon's own rules reference.

Hit Points: 350
Basic Attack: 9 (with a small attack-type icon printed beside it)
Defense: 6
Movement: 9

Turn Sequence

As printed on the card.

Phase 1: Refresh

End all temporary effects applied by the Elder Dragon.
Remove all effects on the Elder Dragon.

Phase 2: Ancient Totem

Activate randomly an Ancient Totem.

Phase 3: Mystic Aura

Move each hero within 3 squares of the Elder Dragon, up to 2 squares towards their nearest Lava Tile each.
Two heroes, anywhere on the grid, take 6 damage each (player's choice).

Phase 4: Boss Spell

Draw a Boss Spell card and apply its Power (no roll required).
Obey the Command in the next phase, when targeting.

Phase 5: Action (Move + Prime)

Draw an attack card at random, except the card you drew last turn.
The Elder Dragon makes such attack, targeting it as Commanded.

Devourer

Devourer: Your strikes are critical hit on rolls of 17 or more. It is not an effect.

Primary Attacks

The card prints five attacks, in two rows (two above, three below). Each attack shows its range (squares), its target count, its damage, and its effect text. Effect numbers are shown as printed (❶, ❷); icons the source does not name are written in brackets.

Power Ritual

Range: 2 squares (spear icon)
Targets: 1 enemy
Damage: 18 damage + effect
Effect: ❶ Activate one Ancient Totem randomly.

Dimensional Door

Range: 8 squares (bow icon)
Targets: 1 enemy
Damage: 20 damage + effect
Effect: ❶ The target swaps places with the farthest hero within range. If the target is the farthest hero, it swaps places with the nearest hero.

Forbidden Magic

Range: 8 squares (bow icon)
Targets: 1 enemy
Damage: 18 damage + effect
Effect: ❶ [hourglass icon] The target is Slowed, Vulnerable, Weakened, Exposed and Cursed (each Condition, except Slowed, once per turn).

Mystic Breath

Range: 8 squares (bow icon)
Targets: 1 enemy
Benefit: Gain a +2 bonus to your roll.
Damage: 15 damage + effects
Effects:
- ❶ All other heroes within 4 squares of the target take 15 damage each.
- ❷ Remove all Permanent effects from the hero within range with the highest number of them.

Armageddon

Range: 8 squares (bow icon)
Targets: 1 enemy
Damage: 20 damage + effect
Effect: ❶ All other heroes within 3 squares of you take 20 damage each and move 1 square towards their nearest Lava Tile.