Atlantis Rising: Monstrosities
Atlantis Rising: Monstrosities Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
The Atlantis Rising: Monstrosities expansion introduces several new components that alter the base game experience: including changes to the base game's rules, new rules for Allies and Magic Items, new rules for Locations, and three scenarios that pit players against various classic monsters.
Medusa Unleashed Scenario
- 1 Medusa Ally
- 1 Medusa Monster
- 1 Scenario Reference Board
- 1 Medusa Ally Board
- 1 Mirror Shield Magic Item Card and 1 Token
- 20 Petrification Tokens
The Harpies' Lair Scenario
- 3 Harpies
- 1 Scenario Reference Board
- 1 Harpies' Lair Location Tile
- 7 Treasure Tokens
Between Scylla & Charybdis Scenario
- 1 Scylla
- 1 Charybdis
- 1 Mermaid
- 1 Scenario Reference Board
- 1 Mermaid Ally Board
- 9 Red Skies Misfortune Cards
Allies
- 10 Allies (Centaur, Cyclops, Dryad, Faun, Giant, Golden Ram, Gryphon, Phoenix, Sphinx, Unicorn)
- 1 Gryphon Aerie Location Tile
- 5 Wonder Library Cards
- 5 Omen Misfortune Cards
Solo Components
- 10 Ally Reference Boards
- 2 Bots
- 1 Player Marker
- 1 Mechanical Atlanteans Board
Magic Items
- 4 Magic Item Cards and Tokens
Additional Components
- 12 Followers (3 each in Green, Orange, Purple, and Navy)
- 5 Councilor Boards
- 6 Spirit Cards
- 4 Potion Cards
- 4 Location Tiles (Hidden Cache, Alchemist's Lab, Astrologer's Observatory, Artificer's Workshop)
- 24 Additional Misfortune Cards (including 12 Special Misfortunes, 3 Calm Seas, 3 Receding Waters, 3 Controlled Floods, 3 Catastrophic Floods)
- 15 Hologram Cards
- 12 Additional Library Cards
- 9 Double-Sided Multiplier Tokens (If you run out of resources or mystic energy, place one of the missing items on a token to represent 3 or 5 of those items.)
- 14 Cosmic Gate Component Tiles (2 A, 2 B, 2 C, 2 D, and 6 E)
New Rules
Before Playing
Add the new Artifact cards to the original Artifact cards from the base game (do not add Mystic Lantern if playing with more than 2 players. See page 11 for more information). Add the new library cards Legend of the Buried Treasure of Cleito and Inspired Designs to the Library deck.
Replace the original Cipher of Expertise card with the revised version included in this expansion. The original card will never be used again and can be safely thrown away.
Changes to Setup When Playing with Monstrosities
During Setup:
- Place all of the Allies in the supply next to the board.
- Place the Ally reference boards in a stack near the Allies.
- Shuffle the wonder cards and randomly choose three. Shuffle them into the library deck. Return the remaining wonder cards to the box without looking at them.
- Shuffle the omen cards and randomly choose three. Shuffle them into the misfortune deck. Return the remaining omen cards to the box without looking at them.
- Place the magic item cards and their corresponding tokens near the playing area. Note: The Mirror Shield card is only used during the Medusa Unleashed scenario.
- Place any locations not yet in play near the playing area to form a reserve.
- To setup the misfortune deck:
- Remove all special misfortunes from the deck except for Spur the Cycle.
- Add the appropriate number of Calm Seas, Controlled Floods, and Catastrophic Floods to the deck, based on your chosen difficulty level (see page 15). Return any unused to the box.
- Shuffle all remaining special misfortunes together, including those from this expansion.
- Randomly select 12 special misfortunes and add them to the misfortune deck.
Monster scenario setup may be different than the above. Reference those sections when a Monster is in use.
Clarifications
Removed Atlanteans
An Atlantean that is removed from the game is no longer in play and cannot be recruited in the Cities or by other normal means. Return all removed Atlanteans to the game box.
Inactive Atlanteans
An inactive Atlantean does not take actions and is not returned to its pool at the end of the Take Actions phase.
Removed Leaders
Leaders are made of hardier stuff than mere followers. They are not easily defeated.
If a Leader is removed from the game, return it to the Atlantean supply instead.
When you gain a new follower, you may gain your Leader from the supply, if available.
If your Leader (such as the Stormcaller) is in the supply when you are ready to build the Power Core, you must first gain your Leader from the supply and then use it to contribute to the Power Core on a subsequent turn.
Mystic Energy
The power of mystic energy grows in direct proportion to the threats facing Atlantis.
Mystic energy can be used to increase any die roll, not just rolls when taking actions on the island. Each mystic energy spent adds 1 to the result.
New Concepts
Allies
The gods are cruel but bound by the ancient cosmic laws of balance. For each new threat they send to destroy Atlantis, a new hope also emerges.
To recruit an Ally, players must fulfill the specific requirements of a Wonder or Omen card. Allies are considered to be the same color as the player who recruited them. If players work together to recruit, they must decide which of them receives the Ally.
Each Ally has a special ability, which is detailed on its Ally board. Allies count as both Atlanteans and followers for effects that reference either term.
Sometimes, alternate ways to recruit Allies may be available, such as through the Abetting Pharos gate component. When you recruit an Ally, take the corresponding token and Ally board.
Ally Abilities
Each Ally's special ability is printed on its Ally board. The Ally boards overlap in the printed components, so the ability text below was read from the PDF's embedded text layer, with the Gryphon board also checked against the rendered page.
- Centaur: After taking the action of an island tile for the first time in a round, the Centaur may be placed on another empty placement spot on the island and take its action again.
- Cyclops: The Cyclops may build magic items. When the Cyclops builds a magic item, it pays one fewer resource or mystic energy.
- Dryad: Atlanteans placed on a Forests tile with the Dryad roll twice and take the better result.
- Faun: During Suffer Misfortunes, Atlanteans placed in the same peninsula as the Faun can, when possible, be moved to the Faun's tile instead of being returned to their pools.
- Giant: Place the Giant on two spaces in a wild peninsula. When taking actions, roll and total two dice, then divide by the tile's target number, rounding down.
- Golden Ram: Atlanteans placed on a tile with the Golden Ram may, when they succeed in the Hills, spend one mystic energy to collect one additional gold.
- Gryphon: Atlanteans placed on a tile with a Gryphon may collect gold rather than ore when they succeed in the Mountains.
- Medusa: When Medusa succeeds in the Cities, instead of gaining one follower, choose to gain either two followers or four volunteers.
- Mermaid: You must place the Mermaid on a flooded tile. Any Atlantean on a peninsula tile adjacent to the Mermaid collects one mystic energy before taking its action. If a tile in the Mermaid's peninsula floods, return her to the supply.
- Phoenix: Atlanteans placed on a tile with the Phoenix gain one additional Atlantium when they exchange ore in the Forges.
Receding Waters & Red Skies
Receding Waters and Red Skies are new types of Calm Seas cards. Receding Waters allows players to unflood a tile. Red Skies grants a player mystic energy and allows them to discard mystic energy to recruit the Mermaid.
Any time you are instructed to add Calm Seas cards to the misfortune deck (for example, during setup or with the Storm Gyre component), you may instead add Receding Waters or Red Skies in their place. To do so, add one Receding Waters and/or one Red Skies for every two required Calm Seas. Once added to the misfortune deck, both new cards are treated as Calm Seas in the deck and discard pile.
Locations
Even as the island shrinks, the Atlanteans' world is growing.
Locations have additional spaces where players may place Atlanteans. Outside of the island, each tile or board where one or more Atlanteans can be placed is considered a location.
Locations are not island tiles and, therefore, can never be flooded. This expansion includes three new locations: The Harpies' Lair, the Griffon Aerie, and the Hidden Cache. The Cosmic Gate and completed component tiles are also locations. Completed components are considered separate locations from the Cosmic Gate board. The phrase "on the Cosmic Gate board" refers to the board's special build spaces and any built component tiles.
There are also locations connected to councilors:
- Alchemist's Laboratory: During setup, place the two remaining potion cards not chosen by your Alchemist onto the Laboratory tile. When activating the Laboratory, take any potion card into your hand. This location must be activated by the Alchemist's Leader.
- Artificer's Workshop: Place the Artificer's unbuilt component in the Workshop. This location is not considered a part of the Cosmic Gate board.
- Astrologer's Watchtower: When using the Astrologer's power, place the Leader and other Atlanteans on these spaces.
Magic Items
The builders of the Gate engineer their vast machines, meant to save all the people. But others think small, and dream of equipping one Atlantean to save the day. Look closely and you can see the blue glow of mystic energy woven into their crafts.
The ability to build magic items is a special power, granted by the Cyclops ally, the Lustral Forge gate component, the Inspired Designs library card, or by the Artisan councilor ability.
Magic items are built by placing Atlanteans on Cosmic Gate board spaces and spending resources, in the same manner that gate components are built. Multiple Atlanteans may be placed and contribute to the construction of a single magic item, as long as the figure with the ability to build magic items is present. Once built, any one of the contributing players may take the completed item as well as the matching reference card and token, placing them in their councilor pool.
Because magic items are built like gate components, cards and other effects that affect how you build components also affect how you build magic items. Some magic items are affected by cards from the base game like Malfunction, Lost Schema, and Mystic Adze. Though this effect does not work in the reverse; abilities that affect how you build magic items do not affect how you build gate components. The Artisan cannot, for example, pay for Cosmic Gate components with Inspiration.
During the Place Atlanteans phase, any player with a magic item token may choose to place it along with one of their Atlanteans to signify that Atlantean is using the magic item this round. If the Atlantean is returned to their pool, return the magic item token to the player. That magic item cannot be used this round, but it may be used again in subsequent rounds. If the Atlantean becomes inactive, the magic item stays with that Atlantean as long as it remains on the board. If the Atlantean is removed from the game or returned to the supply, any magic item it is using is considered destroyed and is also returned to the supply. Players may rebuild destroyed magic items.
Each magic item has an ongoing ability that applies to the Atlantean using it as well as all Atlanteans who share a tile with that Atlantean.
Additionally, magic items have a powerful, single-use ability that requires returning the item and its corresponding token to the supply. A magic item lost in this way can be rebuilt in a later round.
Monsters
It is said that monsters appear in the world as a warning of the gods' displeasure. Atlanteans dreamed of scales, slimy claws, feathers caked with blood, great toothless maws gaping just below the water's surface... and these dreams have come to pass. Monsters out of ancient nightmare roam the crumbling landscape. Some of the populace see their predations as a sign that all of creation collaborates to bring about the downfall of Atlantis, but others believe a monster is just another enemy, which can be fought.
This expansion includes a new type of threat facing Atlantis: monsters. Medusa, the Harpies, and Scylla & Charybdis are here to invade Atlantis.
The monsters module adds a new subphase to the Suffer Misfortunes phase of the game. After all misfortunes have been drawn and resolved, any Monster present on the board will take actions. This is the Monsters Act subphase.
The Suffer Misfortunes phase now looks like this:
2. SUFFER MISFORTUNES
A. Draw Misfortunes
B. Monsters Act
When more than one monster would act during the Monsters Act subphase, the players choose the order in which the monsters act. The starting player for the round is responsible for carrying out the monsters' actions. Each monster acts differently, which is covered in each monster's relevant scenario rules section.
Note: Cards with effects that read, "At the end of the Suffer Misfortunes phase" now occur after the new Monsters Act subphase.
Monster Scenarios
This expansion includes three Monster scenarios. Each game, you may choose to play with one or more of these scenarios, each of which make the game more challenging. But it is possible for players to defeat monsters and, when they do, earn a reward unique to each scenario.
- Medusa Unleashed
- The Harpies' Lair
- Between Scylla and Charybdis
Medusa Unleashed
Empress Medusa was a staunch mainland ally of the Atlanteans for many years. She challenged the gods by daring to think that her civilization was a match for the might of the tornado, the volcano, and the flood. And the gods, in their anger, placed a curse on the empress, depriving her of all human connection. She was made monstrous both in mind and body—scales grew over her skin and her hair thickened into masses of coiling snakes. Anyone who meets her gaze turns instantly to stone. Now, Medusa wanders Atlantis alone, petrifying all who cross her path. Does anyone dare come close enough to break Medusa's curse?
Required Components: 1 Medusa Ally, 1 Medusa Monster, 20 Petrification Tokens, 1 Scenario Reference Board, 1 Medusa Ally Board, 1 Mirror Shield Magic Item Card and 1 Token.
Setup:
- Set the petrification tokens, along with the Mirror Shield card and its corresponding token, near the board.
- Randomly determine a peninsula and place Medusa on the artwork of the outermost tile (and not on a space).
- Place a volunteer on the space of the tile where Medusa is located and add a petrification token underneath that volunteer. Note: If Medusa is placed on the Cities, place two petrified volunteers instead, one for each space.
Monsters Act
During each Monsters Act phase, the starting player moves Medusa to a random, unflooded tile, normally determined by a die roll (see Medusa's Movement). After moving Medusa, determine if she will petrify any Atlanteans:
- If there are one or more active (non-petrified) Atlanteans, petrify all of them and then end the phase. Ignore empty spaces and petrified Atlanteans already present.
- If there are no active Atlanteans on the tile, fill empty spaces with petrified volunteers and then end the phase. Ignore petrified Atlanteans already present.
- If there are no active Atlanteans and no empty spaces, nothing happens and the phase ends.
Spaces with petrified Atlanteans are now locked and inaccessible. Note: Petrification tokens are not limited. If you run out, find a suitable alternative.
Petrified Atlanteans are considered inactive. Inactive Atlanteans do not take actions, do not return to their pools at the end of the round, and block the space they are on as long as they are present.
Petrified Atlanteans on a tile that floods are removed from the game. Because volunteers are not limited, you may simply return them to the supply, along with any petrification tokens present.
Medusa petrifies any Atlantean that is placed on or moved to her tile.
Medusa's Movement
Unless a player chooses to Draw Medusa's Gaze (see below), each round, Medusa will randomly move to a tile on one of the six peninsulas of Atlantis.
To determine where she moves, first assign each peninsula a number, one through six, and roll a die; the result indicates the peninsula she moves to. Then, assign each tile in that peninsula a number and then roll another die to determine where to place Medusa. If, at any time, a flooded peninsula or tile is selected, simply reroll.
Important: Medusa does not occupy a placement space. This means she can move to a tile with some or all of its placement spaces occupied, as outlined previously.
If a tile Medusa occupies becomes flooded, she immediately moves to the next innermost, unflooded tile in that peninsula. If no tiles remain in that peninsula, move Medusa to the Mystic Power Source. After moving, Medusa will petrify Atlanteans, if possible. Refer to the previous checks to determine who she will petrify.
Note: Since there are no spaces on the Mystic Power Source, Medusa will not add any petrified volunteers if she moves there.
Drawing Medusa's Gaze
After misfortune cards have been drawn and resolved, but before Medusa moves, any player may choose any of their active Atlanteans (including a volunteer, excluding the Hologram or Automaton) on the island and have it draw Medusa's gaze. When this happens, instead of moving to a random tile, Medusa moves to the tile occupied by that Atlantean, petrifying any Atlanteans on that tile as normal.
Take Actions
An Atlantean on a tile with one or more petrified Atlanteans may spend mystic energy to free them. During Take Actions, you may, as a free action, spend one mystic energy to remove the petrification token from beneath one Atlantean on the same tile, returning the token to the supply. A player may spend any number of mystic energy in this way, up to the total number of petrified Atlanteans on the tile.
Not all petrified Atlanteans need to be freed at the same time. Atlanteans rescued this way immediately take their actions, with volunteers taking actions for the player who released them. After taking their actions, Atlanteans are returned to their pool at the end of the phase, as usual.
But What If It's Full?
It is possible that Medusa petrifies enough Atlanteans to completely block all of the spaces on a tile, making it sometimes impossible to free those Atlanteans. Remember that you can avoid this by choosing to draw Medusa to a specific tile. When a tile is full of petrified Atlanteans (for example, volunteers), you still have several tools at your disposal: the Astral Watchtower component, Emissary councilor, and Libram of Unity library card all allow for additional Atlanteans to occupy a tile.
But plan carefully—without those tools, Medusa's gaze can block access to island tiles indefinitely!
Breaking the Curse
A desperate project, a magical mirror. Through the bravery of one soul, Medusa is forced to gaze upon her own reflection in the mirror shield, allowing her to see her true self. Though the mirror shatters, the beast-like hold on Medusa's mind is broken, and she finally sheds her scales, snakes, and insanity. Now freed, the empress vows to repay the gods who hexed her. Medusa begins a new quest: to enlist others in her fight.
Medusa's curse can be broken, terminating the ongoing monster effect, and allowing players to recruit a powerful new ally to their side.
Step 1: Forge the Mirror Shield
To break Medusa's curse, the players must first build the Mirror Shield (see Magic Items on page 6). The Mirror Shield has a special cost of seven Atlantium. However, you receive a discount in Atlantium equal to the current value of the Wrath of the Gods track. Unlike other magic items, which require a special power before they can be built, the Mirror Shield can always be built.
Mirror Shield card text: "You are immune to Medusa's gaze. Destroy to break Medusa's curse." Cost: "Atlantium cost is discounted by the current value of the Wrath of the Gods track."
Example: It is round 4, and the Wrath of the Gods track shows 2. As a result, the Mirror Shield costs five Atlantium to build this round.
Step 2: Confront the Monster
In order to free Medusa from her curse, the Atlantean with the Mirror Shield must draw Medusa's gaze. When this happens, Medusa is immediately freed. The player with the Mirror Shield gains Medusa as an ally, taking her reference board and wooden figure. Remove the Medusa monster figure, its reference board, the Mirror Shield card and token from the game. See the rules on Allies, page 5.
Important: Petrified Atlanteans are NOT automatically released when Medusa's curse is broken.
The Harpies' Lair
Strange stormwinds lash Atlantis in the days prior to the flood; everyone senses their uncanniness, while those of keen eyesight see huge winged creatures riding the gusts like mariners in their boats. These are the monstrous harpies, directed by the gods to harry the Atlanteans and hinder their efforts. Darting down from the storm in whirls of feathers and talons, they shriek with laughter. The harpies snatch whatever they can from the citizenry's arms, even carrying people away if they are able, winging all they steal back to their ghastly lair. Perhaps some bold Atlanteans will bring the battle to the lair itself and recover more treasures than they lost to the harpies' greedy talons.
Required Components: 3 Harpies, 7 Treasure Tokens, 1 Harpies' Lair Location Tile, 1 Scenario Reference Board.
Setup
- Place the three Harpies and the Harpies' Lair near the gameboard.
- Draw a treasure tile at random and place it face down on the Harpies' Lair. Return the rest of the treasure tiles to the box.
Place Atlanteans
The Harpies' Lair is now available as a location where players may place Atlanteans.
Monsters Act
During the Monsters Act phase, the harpies steal from Atlanteans.
To move the harpies, assign each peninsula a number, one through six, and then roll a die for each harpy in play; the result for each indicates which peninsula is selected.
For a selected peninsula, place one harpy on the outermost tile containing at least one Atlantean. The harpy targets the Atlantean present on the tile. If more than one Atlantean is present, the players choose which Atlantean the harpy targets. If a harpy's selected peninsula contains no Atlanteans from which to steal, immediately return that harpy to the Harpies' Lair.
Multiple harpies can occupy the same tile. If multiple harpies and multiple Atlanteans occupy the same tile, the players choose whether the harpies target the same or different Atlanteans.
Next, each harpy steals an item from the player who controls the targeted Atlantean. The harpy takes an item based on the following order:
- Resource
- Library card
- Mystic energy
- The targeted Atlantean
If a player has multiple items of the same type, the player chooses which item the harpy takes. Alternatively, you may choose to allow your targeted Atlantean to be stolen first, rather than losing any items.
After stealing, return each harpy to the Harpies' Lair and place any stolen items and Atlanteans with them. Stolen Atlanteans are inactive.
After a harpy steals, if there is another harpy on the tile but no more Atlanteans, move the harpy inward until they encounter another Atlantean. If there are no more Atlanteans on that peninsula, as before, return the harpy to the Harpies' Lair.
Example: Two harpies are on the Forest peninsula, where both Red and Blue have Atlanteans. Red chooses to give up their first Atlantean to the first harpy in order to forgo losing any items. The second harpy moves inland one tile to steal from the nearest Atlantean.
The players decide to make Blue the target. Blue has no resources or mystic energy, but they do have two Library cards: Foresight and an artifact, Numinous Amplifier. Blue chooses to have the harpy steal the Numinous Amplifier.
The third harpy is on the Cities peninsula, but there are no Atlanteans present on any tile, so the harpy does nothing.
Take Actions
Atlanteans placed on the Harpies' Lair can collectively choose one of two actions:
- Steal from the Harpies
- Fight the Harpies
The players must declare which action they are taking before progressing.
1. Steal from the Harpies
To steal from the harpies, first roll two dice and add the results together. (If the Atlanteans belong to two different players, each player should roll one die.) Then, add 2 to the roll for each stolen Atlantean currently at the lair and for each previously defeated harpy. Remember, any player that rolled can add one to the result per mystic energy spent, and other abilities can also increase the result. Then, retrieve a number of stolen items or Atlanteans of your choice based on the final result:
- 2: Nothing
- 3–5: 1 item or Atlantean
- 6–8: 2 items or Atlanteans
- 9–12: 3 items or Atlanteans
- 13+: 4 items or Atlanteans
Atlanteans on the Harpies' Lair may freely divide any retrieved items. Retrieved Atlanteans are returned to their respective pools.
2. Fight the Harpies
To fight the harpies, first roll two dice and add the results together. (If the Atlanteans belong to two different players, each player should roll one die.) Then, add 2 to the roll for each stolen Atlantean currently at the lair and for each previously defeated harpy. The player(s) that rolled may also spend mystic energy to increase the value of the result. On a total result of 12 or higher, you defeat one harpy, removing it from play.
When the final harpy is defeated, the Atlanteans on the lair immediately claim the harpies' treasure by flipping over the treasure token and taking any depicted items. Both the treasure and all remaining stolen items (or Atlantean volunteers) are divided between the Atlanteans present, and any remaining Atlanteans are returned to their respective pools. Remove the Harpies' Lair and scenario reference board from the game.
Between Scylla and Charybdis
The surface of the sea surrounding Atlantis wrinkles and disperses, revealing the movements of vast creatures from the depths. Ravenous Scylla demands an audience of Atlanteans on whom her many heads will feast. Mysterious Charybdis, whose form remains hidden beneath the whirlpool that drains into the funnel of her mouth, seeks to hasten the flooding of Atlantis. Together, Scylla and Charybdis seem impossible to resist, yet some scholars believe their alien desires may be understood and thus satisfied, convincing these abyssal nightmares to leave the shores of Atlantis.
Required Components: 1 Scylla, 1 Charybdis, 1 Mermaid, 9 Red Skies Misfortune Cards, 1 Scenario Reference Board, 1 Mermaid Ally Board.
Start of the Round
At the start of each round, randomly determine if the players will be attacked by Scylla or Charybdis. When Scylla is selected, place the Scylla figure between the two peninsulas with the most combined Atlanteans present. When Charybdis is selected, place the Charybdis figure between the two peninsulas with the most combined unflooded tiles. In either case, players may choose if there is more than one placement option. Set the unused figure aside for the round.
Note (transcription): The source's "Start of the Round" text above says the attacker is determined randomly, while the scenario's "Monsters Act" text below says to choose between Scylla and Charybdis at the start of the round. Both are transcribed as printed.
Adjacent to Scylla
Only Atlanteans on the two peninsulas that border Scylla can be adjacent to Scylla. Atlanteans on the following placement spaces are considered adjacent to Scylla:
- All spaces on the current outermost, unflooded tiles.
- When there are two or three separate spaces, only the space closest in proximity to Scylla is adjacent.
- Both Atlanteans placed on a Cities tile are adjacent.
- Spaces on the innermost ring of tiles are never adjacent unless that tile is the outermost unflooded tile in that peninsula.
Atlanteans placed on a flooded tile are always adjacent to Scylla.
Note: Atlanteans located on the mystic power source are never considered adjacent and are safe from Scylla.
The printed example shows an island map with placement spaces marked: an X denotes a space not adjacent to Scylla and an O denotes a space adjacent to Scylla.
Monsters Act
Scylla
In the Monsters Act subphase, Scylla attempts to eat up to six adjacent Atlanteans (see Adjacent to Scylla). If more than six Atlanteans are adjacent to Scylla, the players decide which Atlanteans she attempts to eat. Each of these Atlanteans may spend one mystic energy to avoid being eaten. If they do, they remain in their space. Otherwise, the Atlantean is eaten by Scylla and removed from the game.
Charybdis
In the Monsters Act subphase, Charybdis attempts to flood tiles of the two bordering peninsulas. First, identify the unflooded tile furthest from the Mystic Power Source in either peninsula. If one is further, Charybdis will only attempt to flood that one tile. However, if two unflooded tiles are equidistant—one in each peninsula—Charybdis attempts to flood both tiles (mystic barriers prevent these floods).
The players may collectively spend three mystic energy per tile to prevent a flood. Otherwise, flip over the targeted tile to flood it, as normal.
Escaping the Sea Monsters
To escape Scylla and Charybdis, the players must satisfy both monsters. Once both monsters have been satisfied and removed from the game, remove the scenario reference board from the game and shuffle the nine Red Skies cards into the misfortune deck.
Red Skies is a new type of Calm Seas card that will allow players to recruit the Mermaid ally by spending mystic energy. See the rules for new types of Calm Seas cards, page 5.
Scylla
To satisfy Scylla, it must be placed so that it is adjacent to at least six Atlanteans in a single round. Scylla does not need to eat all six, just have the opportunity to do so. Mystic energy may be spent to prevent Scylla from eating Atlanteans, as normal. Remove Scylla from the game at the end of the Monsters Act subphase of the round it is satisfied.
Charybdis
To satisfy Charybdis, it must attempt to flood two equidistant tiles in a single round. Charybdis does not need to flood both tiles at once, just have the opportunity to do so. Mystic barriers or other effects (such as spending three mystic energy per tile) can still be used to prevent these tiles from being flooded. Remove Charybdis from the game at the end of the Monsters Act subphase of the round it is satisfied.
Additional Contents
This expansion also includes new councilors and Cosmic Gate components, all of which can be used with the base game.
Councilors
The new councilor boards should be added to the pool of existing councilors. All are compatible with the base game.
Potion & Spirit Cards
Potion cards and spirit cards are used when specific councilors are in play. The Alchemists uses the four potion cards, and the Channeler uses the six spirit cards. Neither counts against your hand limit. Played potion cards are returned to the Laboratory. Played spirit cards are kept in your player area.
Cosmic Gate Components
The new components of the Cosmic Gate should be added to the pool of existing components and can be chosen during setup like normal.
Note: Components marked for lower player counts should only be used in games with the appropriate number of players.
The Possibility Multiplier can be used in games with 1–4 players.
Playing at Various Player Counts
5–7 Players
No changes.
4 Players
Before selecting the Cosmic Gate components during setup, include the Possibility Multiplier.
3 Players
Follow the four-player instructions. Then, shuffle the Power of the Masses card into the library deck during setup. Also, instead of being limited to the red, blue, and yellow player colors, you may now play any color!
2 Players
Follow all instructions for three and four players, plus add the Quantum Relay, Echo Actualizer, and Spectral Replicator components before choosing components during setup. Also shuffle the Mystic Lantern artifact in with the other artifacts before choosing four artifacts to add to the library deck during setup.
1 Player
As above, plus shuffle the Rise of the Robots library card into the deck during setup.
The Hologram
You can use the Hologram Deck in lieu of the councilor boards when determining the Hologram's power for the round.
During setup, first remove the Hologram cards corresponding to any councilors chosen by the players. Then shuffle the remaining Hologram cards to form the Hologram Deck.
To determine the Hologram's power for the round, the starting player reveals the top two cards of the Hologram Deck, chooses one to use, and discards the other, creating a discard pile. At the end of the round, place the chosen Hologram card into the discard pile. If the Hologram Deck ever runs out, reshuffle the discard pile to form a new deck.
New Solo Variant
As efforts to construct the Cosmic Gate falter, the great minds of Atlantis devise a solution to the problem of an exhausted, dwindling workforce. Artificial laborers—metal statues animated by crackling pulses of mystic energy—scour the splintering landscape for resources, unafraid to work beneath the very shadow of the tidal wave.
These solo rules provide an entirely new way to play a one-player game, regardless of whether or not you're using any other materials from this expansion.
The player controls two teams of Atlanteans. Each team collects and stores its own resources, mystic energy, and library cards.
Change the setup and gameplay as follows:
During setup, select any colored set of Atlanteans. Take the Leader, four of the followers, and player token and place them on your chosen councilor board. Then place the remaining three followers into the Atlantean supply.
Next, form a second team by taking the silver player marker, the Hologram, the Automaton, and one Bot, and place them on the Mechanical Atlanteans board. Add the second Bot into the Atlantean supply.
During the Suffer Misfortunes phase of each round, draw and resolve four misfortunes, one at a time.
Note: Unlike the solo rules found in the base game rulebook, when playing with this ruleset, players do NOT gain one mystic energy each round.
During the game, each team collects and manages its own resources, mystic energy, and library cards. Store items on or near each team's respective board.
Both teams count as your Atlanteans, and library cards or other effects used by either team affect all Atlanteans equally. However, you may not transfer items between teams, and resources and mystic energy must be used by teams as if they belong to separate players.
Mechanical Atlanteans
Automaton
The Automaton is still a special worker that counts as one of your Atlanteans, but it does not count as a follower. Unlike the Automaton in the base game, it may now take its own actions, and gives +2 to the die rolls of other Atlanteans on its tile.
Bots
Bots are additional workers that take actions like normal Atlanteans when placed by themselves on a space. However, they may share the exact same space as another Atlantean for one of two effects:
- A. The Bot grants +1 to die rolls to all other Atlanteans on that tile, or
- B. The Bot unlocks the 5+ space for use by the other Atlantean present.
In either case, the Bot does not take an action. Note that for double placement spaces (such as those on the D components), two Bots must be placed (one each of the 5+ spaces) to allow the other two Atlanteans placed there to use the 5+ double placement spot.
Extended Difficulty Levels
This expansion includes materials for playing at higher difficulty levels than the base game allows (three Catastrophic Floods, three additional Controlled Floods, and six E components). Use the table below to set up for a game at difficulty level 6, 7, or 8.
This expansion also includes three additional Calm Seas cards. You can use these cards to offset the increased difficulty of playing a monster scenario. During setup, if playing a monster scenario, add three Calm Seas cards to the misfortune deck and remove three Controlled Floods.
| Level 6 | Level 7 | Level 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gate Component Type | A B C D E | A B C D E | A B C D E |
| Gate Component Quantity | 0 3 3 0 3 | 0 3 0 3 3 | 0 0 3 3 3 |
| Calm Seas | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Controlled Floods | 12 | 9 | 12 |
| Catastrophic Floods | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Starting Mystic Energy | None | None | None |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can the Priestess and Mystic be used on locations?
A: Yes, as the Priestess and Mystic do not specify a specific type of tile (like "island tile" or "tile in a wild peninsula"), their powers may be used on locations.
Q: Does Earthquake affect locations?
A: Yes, Earthquake affects all target numbers everywhere.
Q: Can a Bot be placed on the same space as an Automaton?
A: Yes. There are two possible instances of this. Firstly, a Bot placed on a normal action space with the Automaton does not take its own action, but gives other Atlanteans present a +1 to their die rolls. Note that this stacks with the +2 that the Automaton gives to other Atlanteans that are taking actions on that tile. In the second instance, a Bot may be placed with an Automaton in order to allow the Automaton to use a 5+ action space.
Q: How does Laic Receiver work with Mystic Conversion or Numinous Amplifier?
A: If Laic Receiver is built before either are used, it effectively doubles the output. So Laic Receiver and Mystic Conversion allows a player to convert one or two mystic energy into two or four resources of your choice. And each mystic energy token used by the councilor (player) with Numinous Amplifier gives them a +4.
Q: Can the effects of Laic Receiver be rounded? For instance, can we unflood two tiles by spending five mystic energy tokens?
A: No. Each use of a mystic energy power is its own action. So it would take three mystic energy tokens to unflood a tile with Laic Receiver.
Q: Do Atlanteans using the Helm of Invisibility or Tincture of Shadow count towards Scylla's requirement?
A: Yes, they count as affected by the monster effect, but they do not suffer any negative consequences.
Q: Which Atlanteans are considered "in play" for the purposes of effects like The Hundred Hands or the Adept's Leader ability?
A: All Atlanteans are considered "in play" unless they are inactive (including being petrified), removed from the game, or in the Atlantean supply.
Q: How does Quantum Relay work with multiple activations or with Mystic Lantern?
A: For each activation of Quantum Relay, draw an additional two Hologram cards. When determining the Hologram's power for the round, select one additional card/power for each activation, to a maximum of four (if the 5+ action space has been unlocked). If you are using the Mystic Lantern you may substitute Ally boards for Holograms cards for any or all activations.