Batman: The Animated Series Adventures – Shadow of the Bat Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Components
• Components Overview
• Miniature Tray Reference
• Card Anatomy
  • Character Card
  • Hero Special Move Cards
  • Competitive Mode Villain Sheet
  • Villain Ability Cards
  • Cooperative Mode Villain Sheet
  • Initiative Cards
  • Ally Card
• Competitive Mode Setup
• Competitive Mode Round Sequence
  • Setup Phase
    • Rolling Action Dice
    • Sharing Action Dice
  • Battle Phase
    • Hero Turns
    • Skills
    • Villain Turns
    • Active Villain Ability Cards
  • Clean-up Phase
• Player-Controlled Actions and Icons
  • Move Icon
  • Melee Icon
  • Ranged Icon
  • Defend Icon
  • Mixed Icon
  • Bat Icon
  • Wild Icon
  • Combining and Dividing Up Action Icons
• Movement
  • Interrupted Movement
  • Breaking Away From Enemies
  • Effects of Terrain on Movement
• Melee Strikes
  • Defense Roll
  • Spending Focus on a Strike or Defense Roll
• Ranged Strikes
• Going on the Defensive
• Using Skill Cards and Gadgets
  • Attack/Hit +X
  • Hero and Villain Character Abilities
  • Constant Skills
  • Gadgets
• Playing Villain Ability Cards
  • Special Abilities
  • Defend Icons
  • Desperation Activation
  • Additional Figure Activations
• Cooperative Mode Setup
• Cooperative Mode Round Sequence
  • Setup Phase
    • Action Dice
    • Initiative Deck
  • Battle Phase
    • Draw an Initiative Card
    • Hero Turns
    • Villain Turns
    • Initiative Deck
    • Leaders and Minions
    • Special Abilities and Attributes
  • Clean-up Phase
• Cooperative Mode Actions and Icons
  • Targeting Priority
  • Attack Range Attribute and Attack Type
  • Strike Range
  • Activation/Action Order
  • Attacking
  • Movement
  • Climbing
  • Defending
• The Dark Knight Mode
  • Competitive Mode
  • Cooperative Mode
• Terrain, Line of Sight, and Straight Lines
  • Terrain Types
  • Terrain Types—Lines
• Terrain Moves
• Line of Sight
• Character Attributes
• Status Effects
  • Status: SmileX
  • Status: Cold
  • Status: Fear Toxin
  • Status: Entangle
  • Status: Stun
  • Status: Unaware
  • Status: Under Fire
  • Status: Falling
• Wounds
  • Healing Wounds
  • Knocked Down Figures, Awakening, and KO Tokens
  • Awakening Heroes
  • Awakening Player-Controlled Villain Leaders
  • Awakening AI-Controlled Villain Leaders
  • Total Party Kill
• Focus
• Winning the Game
• Saving Your Place
• Allies
• Tracking Rounds
• Special Actions
  • Focus and Skill Checks
  • Defuse
  • Inoculate
  • Interrogate
  • Investigate
  • Rescue Bystander
  • Take Hostage
  • Explosive
• Additional Rules
  • Skylights
  • Time Bombs
  • Carrying Items
  • Handing Off Carried Items
  • Throwing Carried Items
  • Intercepting Thrown Items
  • Dropping Carried Items
  • AI Villain Figures and Carried Items
• FAQ
  • Can I play Cooperative Mode with a player controlling the villain?
  • Can I create my own episodes?
  • Competitive Cooperative
  • But what about other Adventures System games? Is Batman: The Animated Series Adventures also compatible with those?

Overview

Each round, the heroes roll their Action dice to determine which actions they may perform. After spending Focus to reroll any unhelpful dice results, heroes decide which of their Action dice they wish to share with the heroes on either side of them. Then, in whichever order they choose, the heroes take turns spending their Action dice.

In Competitive Mode, after each hero's turn, the villain takes a turn, playing villain ability cards to activate their figures on the map. After the villain's final turn of the round, new villain figures spawn on the map, and a new round begins. This continues until one side achieves their win condition for the selected battle.

In Cooperative Mode, players create an initiative deck by combining the initiative cards for each hero and villain type in the selected battle. As cards are drawn from the initiative deck, the figures on those cards activate, taking turns and spending actions. When a villain card is drawn, all of the figures of that type activate. Villain leaders receive 3 actions per activation, while villain minions receive 2. Once the initiative deck runs out of cards, end of round effects trigger. This continues until the heroes either achieve their win condition for the selected battle or they fail.

Riddle me this! You see without seeing. To you, darkness is as clear as daylight. What are you? Blind as a bat, of course.

If you had trouble with that simple riddle, you will undoubtedly require assistance as you read through this rulebook. I have littered question boxes throughout to add further information and examples when required.

Components

40 Plastic Miniatures, 15 Hero-specific Dice, 8 Battle Dice, 118 Ability Cards, 5 Ally Cards, 20 Initiative Cards, 45 Gadget Cards, 34 Character Sheets, 4 Reference Sheets, 8 Double-sided Map Tiles, 1 Round Tracker Bookmark, 1 Rulebook, 1 Scenario Book, 402 Tokens:

• 64 Life
• 30 Focus
• 24 KO / Stun
• 1 Round Tracker
• 1 Two-Face Coin
• 8 Cover / Crouch
• 16 Entangle
• 8 Cold / Falling
• 8 Hostage
• 8 Unaware / Fear Toxin
• 48 Dice Placeholder Tokens
• 14 Firing / Under Fire
• 2 Bomb Tiles
• 12 Tick / Bomb
• 2 Wire / Success
• 10 Wire / Fail
• 6 Crate / Neutral Terrain
• 2 Crate / Blocking Terrain
• 4 Filing Cabinet / Garbage
• 4 Container / Open Dumpster
• 2 Container / Closed Dupster
• 4 Car / Car
• 1 Closed / Open Vault Door
• 4 Small / Large Dynamite
• 1 Fire Extinguisher / Utility Belt
• 1 Diamond / Barrel
• 1 VR World / Vault Tile
• 1 Raven Airship
• 16 Caltrops / Icy Circle
• 1 Open / Closed Safe
• 2 Smoke / Small Fire Circle
• 8 Open / Closed Door
• 1 Large Staircase
• 1 Small Staircase
• 8 Small Broken Wall
• 8 Large Broken Wall
• 8 Medium Fire / Icy
• 1 Cake / Barrels
• 1 Table and Chairs
• 4 Bench / Fire Escape
• 1 Desk / Gangplank
• 8 Small Fire / Icy Squares
• 2 Large Fire / Icy Squares
• 1 Open / Closed Riddle Box
• 1 Batmobile / Semi Truck
• 4 Up / Down Skylight
• 15 Objectives (3 blue, 3 red, 3 yellow, 6 purple)
• 8 SMILEX
• 3 Fire / Icy Wall

Miniatures: Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Catwoman, Isis, Jim Gordon, Officer Montoya, Detective Bullock, The Joker, Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze, Riddler, Scarecrow, Penguin, Two-Face, Beat Cop x2, Man-Bat, Enforcer x6, Hired Gun x6, Crusher x4, Bystander A x3, Bystander B x3.

Components Overview

Episode Guide: The episode guide is a book that comprises all the different battles that may be fought throughout the game.

Plastic Figures: Each plastic figure represents a hero, villain, or bystander character on the map.

Snap-On Bases: Each hero figure has a snap-on base to help identify them on the map during play.

Map Tiles: The map tiles set the scene for each episode. Each tile is unique and has its own terrain rules.

Hero Sheets: Each hero has their own unique hero sheet, featuring attributes and a special ability unique to that hero.

Hero Skill Cards: Each hero has their own set of skill cards. The hero player will select a certain number of these powerful abilities to bring with them at the start of each battle.

Gadget Cards: Gadget cards are special instant abilities that heroes with the Utility Belt ability may take with them into a battle.

Action Dice: Each hero has their own set of custom Action dice. These dice dictate which actions are available to a hero on their turn.

Dice Placeholder Tokens: Dice placeholder tokens represent the dice a hero is sharing with the heroes on either side of them.

Villain Player Board: The villain player board helps the villain player organize their play area or assists the heroes in managing the villains in cooperative mode.

Villain Sheets: Each villain, competitive or cooperative, has their own unique villain sheet, featuring attributes and a special ability unique to that villain.

Villain Ability Cards: Villain ability cards determine how the villain player takes their turn. Each card contains action symbols and special rules that allow the villain player to activate different figures.

Battle Dice: These dice are used by players to resolve strikes, defense, and special actions.

Life Tokens: Life tokens track each hero or villain leader's Life. The yellow 3 side counts as 3 Life, while the side reverse counts as 1 life.

Focus Tokens: Focus tokens represent how much Focus a player has at any time. Focus may be spent to reroll dice or activate skills and abilities.

Ally Cards: Certain battles allow the heroes to use ally cards. Ally cards provide unique buffs for the hero and villain players, depending on which card(s) they select.

Initiative Cards: In Cooperative Mode, initiative cards dictate the flow of battle, determining the turn order for heroes and AI-controlled villains.

Victory Bookmark: This bookmark is used to keep track of rounds and the players' progress in the episode guide.

Round Marker: This marker is used on the victory bookmark to mark each round.

Reference Sheet: The reference sheet is a handy quick guide to all of the key rules, saving players time digging through the rulebook.

Status Tokens: There are many status changing elements that can affect heroes, villains, and bystanders. See Status Effects, pg 37, and Terrain Moves, pg 33, for rules.

Time Bomb / Tick Tick Tick: These tokens represent a time bomb and the rounds it takes for it to tick down.

Bomb Tile: This tile represents the workings of a time bomb that is ticking down.

Wire Tokens: These tokens represent wires that need to be cut to disarm a time bomb.

Objective Tokens: Objective tokens represent special goals for the hero or villain in some battles.

Two-Face Coin: This silver coin is required for decision-making when using Two-Face. Its two sides are scarred and unscarred.

Prop/Terrain Tokens: These tokens represent physical objects present on the map tiles by either adding to or replacing the tile's existing elements. See Terrain Types, pg 30, for rules.

Miniature Tray Reference

Note: This section of the rulebook will eventually display a graphic that shows the miniatures tray / insert that will be included in the box, which lets players know which miniatures go where during clean up. The trays have not been created yet, as they're reliant on final miniature sizes and shapes, which are currently still in the final polishing stages.

Card Anatomy

Character Card

1. Character Name
2. Faction Name
3. Faction Logo
4. Ability Name
5. Character Ability
6. Move Attribute
7. Attack Attribute
8. Defend Attribute
9. Skill Attribute
10. Focus Attribute
11. Life Attribute
12. Awakening Attribute
13. Character Unique Action Dice Icons
14. Card Reference

Hero Special Move Cards

1. Special Move Name
2. Special Move Effect
3. Character Name
4. Special Move Cost To Play
5. Card Reference

Competitive Mode Villain Sheet

1. Character Name
2. Character Attributes
3. Faction Logo
4. Character Version/Ability Name
5. Character Ability
6. Move Attribute
7. Attack Attribute
8. Defend Attribute
9. Life Attribute
10. Awakening Attribute (Villain Leaders Only)
11. Card Reference

Villain Ability Cards

1. Ability Card Name
2. Ability Card Effect
3. Main Character Type
4. Number of Figures Activated (Minions only)
5. Action Icons
6. Additional Figure Activation Type
7. Additional Figure Activation Action Icons
8. Ability Color Group (red, blue, or green)
9. Card Reference

Cooperative Mode Villain Sheet

1. Character Name
2. Character Attributes
3. Faction Logo
4. Character Version/Ability Name
5. Character Ability
6. Move Attribute
7. Hit Attribute
8. Block Attribute
9. Life Attribute
10. Targeting Priority
11. Attack Type
12. Card Reference

Initiative Cards

1. Character Name
2. Character Version/Ability Name
3. Card Reference

Ally Card

1. Character Name
2. Ally Type
3. Ally Ability
4. Card Reference

Competitive Mode Setup

1. Players select a battle from the episode guide. For your first battle, we recommend that you play episode 1 or 2.

2. Select 1 player to be the villain. The other player(s)—up to 4—will control the heroes. A total of 4 heroes are used no matter how many hero players there are. (Split the heroes up among the hero players as you see fit).

For each hero a player controls, they receive:

• The hero's hero sheet
• The hero's Action dice
• The hero's figure
• A snap on base for the hero
• Life tokens equal to the hero's starting Life
• Focus tokens equal to the hero's starting Focus
• All of the hero's skill cards

The villain player receives:

• The villain figures listed in the battle description
• The villain deck (see sidebar for assembly instructions)
• The villain sheets for each villain type listed in the battle description
• Life tokens equal to each villain leader's starting Life
• Focus tokens equal to the amount listed in the battle description
• The villain player board

3. The villain player assembles the map as indicated in the battle description, placing the map tiles next to each other along with any tokens indicated.

4. The villain player places villain figures on the map in the indicated spaces.

5. Players should review the map and any special rules for the battle to make sure everyone understands their win condition(s).

6. Place the reference sheet next to the map so that all players can see it.

7. For each hero, the controlling player must choose a number of skill cards equal to their Skill attribute. These skill cards will be available to use during this battle. Set any unchosen skill cards aside. They cannot be used during this battle.

Heroes with the Utility Belt ability may also substitute 1 skill card for 4 gadget cards of their choice.

8. The hero players place their figures in the hero start area as indicated in the battle description, 1 figure per space, arranged however they like.

9. The villain player shuffles the villain deck and draws 5 cards (taking into account any modifiers outlined in the battle description).

10. Put the Battle dice, KO tokens, dice placeholder tokens, and extra Life and Focus tokens near the play area.

You're ready to begin!

Building the Villain Deck

To build the villain deck, refer to the villain section on the map page of the battle that has been selected to play. If the mission is playable in Competitive Mode you will see colored letters next to each villain type being added to the battle. These colored letters represent the cards you will be adding to the villain deck with each colored letter indicating a group of 3 cards. For instance, if Joker is pictured and has a (red R letter) and a (blue B letter) listed, you will add his set of red and blue cards to the villain deck. Continue until you have added all the indicated cards to the deck plus the 10 generic green cards. The villain deck may consist of different sized decks.

Competitive Mode Round Sequence

Every round consists of three phases: the Setup Phase, the Battle Phase, and the Clean-up Phase. In the Setup Phase, heroes roll their Action dice. In the Battle Phase, each hero takes a turn. After every hero turn, the villain takes a turn. In the Clean-up Phase (once each hero has taken a turn, and the villain has taken 4 turns), any end of round effects trigger, the round marker moves, and the round ends.

Setup Phase

Rolling Action Dice

At the start of each round, players roll Action dice for each hero they control. If a player doesn't like their roll for a hero, they may spend 1 of that hero's Focus tokens to reroll some or all of that hero's Action dice. Dice rolls cannot be rerolled more than once, and all Action dice rerolls must be made before the first hero takes their turn. After rolling, players arrange their Action dice in a row in front of them, in any order they choose.

Sharing Action Dice

Heroes are trained to fight as a team. In addition to using their own Action dice, heroes may use the rightmost die of the hero to their left and the leftmost die of the hero to their right. This typically gives each hero a total of 5 actions to spend on their turn. Once all Action dice have been arranged, each hero takes 2 dice placeholder tokens with action icons matching their leftmost and rightmost dice, to represent the dice being shared with the heroes on either side of them. The rolled bat action icon is always rotated before sharing dice.

Important: Do not pick up or reroll Action dice once the first hero has started their turn for the round. Unless a card or ability says otherwise, the order of Action dice cannot be changed for the duration of the round.

Example: The hero will always share the die closest to the hero on each side. So Batman shares his Move with Robin, and his double range with Batgirl.

Battle Phase

Hero Turns

After Action dice have been rolled and arranged, the hero players choose a hero to go first. Players do not have to determine the order for the rest of the heroes' turns at this time—they may decide as they go, choosing a new hero at the start of each hero turn.

On a hero's turn, they may spend their Action dice in any order, resolving each action as they go. The effects of each action are described under "Player-Controlled Actions and Icons" (pg 16). To mark Action dice as spent, slide them forward, separating the spent/exhausted dice from the yet-to-be spent/unexhausted dice.

Once a hero finishes spending Action dice (either because they've run out or because they do not wish to perform any further actions), their turn is over, and play passes to the villain.

Skills

During a hero's turn, they may also use 1 (and only 1) of their skill cards they chose at the start of the battle. Using a skill may require a hero to spend Focus, Life, and/or some of their Action dice for the turn. See "Skills" (pg 16) for more information.

Example skill cards:

• Commissioner's Daughter (Batgirl): Use only when there are no enemies adjacent to Batgirl. Batgirl may investigate 1 clue or attempt to defuse a bomb adjacent to her for free. If Batgirl fails to defuse the bomb, there is no penalty.
• Shielding Cape (Batman): While this card is active, Batman receives Defend +3. However, if he leaves his current space, this effect immediately ends.
• Go Get Them! (Jim Gordon): Gordon chooses one of his followers and rolls 1 die. That follower regains Life equal to the hits rolled. In addition, one of Gordon's followers receives 1 extra action icon of his choice this turn.
• Sling (Robin): Robin's ranged strikes do not weaken for the first 4 spaces. Also, when Robin places tokens on the map with a gadget, he may place them up to 1 extra space away.

Villain Turns

After each hero's turn, the villain player takes a turn. This means that the villain player takes a total of 4 turns every round. During the villain's turn, the villain player plays 1 villain ability card from their hand (see "Playing Villain Ability Cards," pg 21). After the card has been resolved, the villain player refills their hand from the villain deck, and play continues with the next hero chosen by the hero players. There is no hand limit for the villain player; however, they may only refill their hand up to 5 cards unless the battle description, a card, or an ability increases this number.

Active Villain Ability Cards

Villain ability cards are played in front of the villain player on the villain player board. The villain may only ever have a maximum of 4 cards active at a time. Each time a new card is played, it is played into slot 1, all cards currently in play move 1 space to the right, making room for the new card. If there are already 4 cards in play, the card that moves from slot 4 is removed, placed in the discard pile, and ceases to be active.

Clean-up Phase

This sequence continues—with the heroes and villain alternating turns—until all 4 heroes have each taken 1 turn, and the villain player has taken 4 turns. At this point, any end-of-round effects trigger: this can include the ticking down of a bomb, spawning minions, or even the spreading of a fire. The round tracker is moved, and a new round begins.

Remember, a hero's skill card remains active until the start of the hero's next turn (unless the hero is knocked down, then the card is returned to the player's hand). This means that you do not return active skill cards to your hand during the Clean-up phase.

Player-Controlled Actions and Icons

Hero players perform actions by spending the icons on their Action dice, while the villain player performs actions by spending the icons on their played villain ability cards. In either case, the dice or cards provide the player with 1 or more action icons. When these action icons are spent, they allow the player to perform actions.

Move Icon

For each move icon spent, a character receives move points equal to the Move attribute listed on their hero or villain sheet. If a character's Move is 3, and they spend 1 move icon, they receive 3 move points. If they spend 2 move icons, they receive 6 move points. Move points are used to move around the map. If a character performs a different action of any sort before using all of the move points received from spending move icons, the remaining move points are lost. See "Movement" (pg 17) for more information.

Melee Icon

For each melee icon spent, a character may choose an enemy figure adjacent to them (diagonal enemies count as adjacent) and make a melee strike against that figure. See "Melee Strikes" (pg 18) for more information.

Ranged Icon

For each ranged icon spent, a character may choose a non-adjacent enemy figure to make a ranged strike against. The enemy figure must be within line of sight of the attacking figure. See "Ranged Strikes" (pg 19) for more information.

Defend Icon

This is not an action per se, and it is never spent. Instead, the character receives a +1 bonus to their Defend attribute as long as the Defend icon remains in play (i.e., until the Action die is rerolled or the villain ability card is discarded from play).

Mixed Icon

This is a combination of a melee, ranged, or move icon and a Defend icon. It provides a +1 bonus to the character's Defend attribute just like the Defend icon, but it also allows the character to perform the appropriate action (and may be combined with normal move/melee/ranged icons when doing so, as described below). The +1 bonus to Defend does not go away when the other icon is spent.

Bat Icon

Rolling a bat icon on an Action die is special and represents a hero marshaling their inner strength. When a hero rolls a bat icon (after any Action dice rerolls have been made), that hero immediately regains 1 Focus (not to exceed their starting Focus for the battle) and rolls 1 Battle die to heal, if wounded (see "Healing Wounds," pg 35). Then, they turn the Action die to any other side of their choice.

Wild Icon

A wild icon may be used as a single move, melee, or ranged icon. Wild icons can never be used as Defend icons.

Combining and Dividing Up Action Icons

A character may spend multiple icons of the same type on a single action in order to boost that action's effects. A character may spend only part of an Action die's action icons on an action. If a character has a double melee icon available on a die or card, they may choose to spend only 1 of those melee icons on an action. If they do this, the icon that is not used is lost. In other words, multiple icons may be combined, but characters cannot "make change" from a single icon, whether it comes from a die or a card.

Example 1: Batman spends a double melee icon from 1 Action die and a single melee icon from another Action die to perform a melee strike. He has spent a total of 3 melee icons on the melee strike and marks both dice as spent.

Example 2: Batman only has 1 Action die left for the turn, a double melee. He wants to split it up to make 2 separate melee strikes with 1 melee icon each. However, this is not allowed, and he is forced to make a single melee strike using the double melee icon on his Action die.

Movement

When a character performs a move action by spending 1 or more move icons, they receive move points equal to their Move attribute for each move icon spent. Thus, a character with a Move attribute of 3 that spends 2 move icons receives 6 move points. These points are then used to move around the map. Normally, it costs 1 move point to move 1 space on the map, and diagonal movement is allowed, even if squeezing diagonally between two obstacles. Characters cannot enter a space containing another figure. They may move through knocked down figures, but not end their turn on the same space as a knocked down figure.

Example 1: Batman has 6 move points after spending 2 move icons. He spends 5 to move adjacent to an enemy figure (paying 1 additional move point for each space of slow terrain entered), then makes a melee strike. As soon as Batman makes the melee strike, his remaining move point is lost.

Interrupted Movement

If a character performs any other action (such as making a melee strike), then any remaining move points are lost. This means that a character cannot move, attack, and then move again, unless they spend another move icon after making the attack.

Example 2: After making an unsuccessful strike against the enemy figure, Batman decides to spend another move icon to move to safety. Batman receives 3 more move points and may use these to move again but must pay 1 additional move point to break away from the adjacent enemy figure, on top of the additional to move into slow terrain. All 3 move points are spent moving the 1 space.

Breaking Away From Enemies

If a hero or villain is adjacent to any enemy figures (even diagonally) when attempting to move to another space, they must spend 1 extra move point for each adjacent enemy to break away. Thus, if Batman is next to 2 Enforcers, it costs him 3 move points to move 1 space (1 point for the actual move, plus 1 extra move point per adjacent enemy). Characters do not have to break away from knocked down enemy figures.

Effects of Terrain on Movement

Blocking terrain cannot be moved into at all. In addition, other types of terrain may:

• Increase the move point cost to enter a space (slow terrain)
• Prevent a character from ending their move in a space (unstable terrain)
• Deal wounds to a character that enters a space (harmful terrain)

For the full effects of terrain, see "Terrain, Line of Sight, and Straight Lines" (pg 30).

Melee Strikes

When a character makes a melee strike by spending 1 or more melee icons, the controlling player chooses an enemy figure adjacent to the character as the target (enemies that are diagonal to the character count as adjacent, but enemies on a different elevation do not). Knocked down characters cannot be targeted by melee strikes. The player then rolls Battle dice equal to the character's Attack attribute plus the number of melee icons spent on the strike.

Example: If Batman spends 3 melee icons to make a melee strike, he will roll 5 Battle dice (since his Attack attribute is 2). The hits from the strike are added up as indicated in the box below.

Roll	Attack	Defend
(fire icon)	+1 HIT	+0 BLOCKS
(double fire icon)	+2 HIT	+0 BLOCKS
(bat icon)	+0 HIT	+1 BLOCKS

Defense Roll

The targeted figure then makes a defense roll to try to reduce the number of wounds they will suffer. The defending player rolls Battle dice equal to the target's Defend attribute plus the number of Defend icons they currently have in play, whether from Action dice or villain ability cards. For instance, an Enforcer has a Defend attribute of 2, and there are 2 Defend icons for Enforcers on villain ability cards in play, so the villain player rolls 4 Battle dice. The hits from the strike are reduced by 1 for each rolled block icon on the Battle dice (down to a minimum of 0). However many hits are left are then applied to the target (see "Wounds," pg 35).

Example 1: Batman rolls a total of 5 hits on his melee strike, and the Enforcer rolls 2 blocks on his defense roll, so the Enforcer suffers 3 wounds.

Example 2: Batman rolls a total of 2 hits on his melee strike, and the Enforcer rolls 3 blocks on his defense roll, so the Enforcer suffers no wounds.

Spending Focus on a Strike or Defense Roll

As with rolling Action dice at the start of the round, players may spend 1 of their character's Focus tokens to reroll some or all of that character's Battle dice when making a strike or defense roll. Dice rolls cannot be rerolled more than once. In addition, the attacker must decide whether or not to reroll the strike before the defender makes their defense roll. Once the defense roll is made, the strike cannot be rerolled. The defender must give the attacker a chance to make this decision before rolling. If a skill or ability allows a hero or villain to reroll their battle dice for free, this is counted as their focus reroll (unless stated otherwise).

Ranged Strikes

When a character makes a ranged strike by spending 1 or more ranged icons, the controlling player chooses an enemy figure that isn't adjacent to their character (not even diagonally) and is within line of sight (see "Terrain, Line of Sight, and Straight Lines," pg 28) as the target. Knocked down characters cannot be targeted by ranged strikes. A ranged strike is exactly the same as a melee strike, including the defense roll and the ability to spend Focus, except that the strike must be made in a straight line (pg 28), and it gets weaker the farther away the target is from the attacker. If the target is more than 2 spaces away from the attacker (calculated by the shortest route possible), then the strike's hits are reduced by 1 for every space beyond the second space. It's very difficult to hit enemies that are too far away.

Example 1: Batman potentially has 2 different targets for a ranged strike. Target A is an Enforcer that is 4 spaces away. If Batman makes a ranged strike against this Enforcer, the strike's hits will be reduced by 2 (i.e., the total range minus 2). Batman would still roll the same number of Battle dice when making the strike, but he would subtract 2 from the hits before the enemy figure had a chance to defend.

Batman's second option, target B, is another Enforcer 1 space away in low terrain. Because Batman is in elevated terrain, he is considered to be non-adjacent to the Enforcer; therefore, he may make a ranged strike following standard range strike rules. No additional penalties apply.

Example 2: Batman targets an Enforcer 2 spaces away in elevated terrain. Because Batman is attacking from low terrain into elevated terrain the targeted Enforcer is considered to be an additional 2 spaces away. As a result, 2 hit icons from Batman's roll are subtracted before the defense roll is made.

Going on the Defensive

Each time a hero suffers 1 or more wounds from an attack, they may choose to go on the defensive by turning 1 or more of their Action dice to a side showing a Defend icon and nothing else. If the hero's Action dice do not have such a side, use dice placeholder tokens to indicate it. A hero may only change their personal Action dice, not dice that other heroes have shared with them. However, if a hero chooses to rotate dice that are shared with other heroes, those heroes must change their received dice as well.

Using Skill Cards and Gadgets

Each hero has several skill cards that their player chooses for them at the start of the battle. Unless otherwise specified, each turn a hero may use 1 (and only 1) of their skill cards. To do so, the hero must spend the action icons, Focus, and/or Life indicated on the top of the skill card. (As usual, characters cannot "make change" when spending action icons on a single Action die). The hero then performs the skill as described on the card. The skill card remains faceup in front of the hero's player sheet until the start of their next turn. While the card is faceup, it is still active (which matters for a number of special moves) and also serves as a reminder that the hero has already used a skill this turn (i.e., they have reached their active skill limit).

Important: If a hero is ever knocked down, if that hero has a skill card currently active, that card is immediately returned to the player's hand (unless stated otherwise).

Remember, a hero may only use the skill cards that their player chose at the start of the battle. Unchosen skill cards cannot be used unless a game effect says otherwise. Additionally, skills may only be activated once per turn regardless of the hero's ability to pay the cost again (unless stated otherwise).

Attack/Hit +X

Some skills and abilities allow a character to make an Attack/Hit +X strike. This means that, depending on the conditions, the character may make a melee or ranged strike, adding X Battle dice to their roll (or X to their Hit value, in the case of AI-controlled villains). If the skill or ability requires the character to spend action icons in order to receive this bonus (usually indicated in parentheses), they must do so when paying the cost of the skill or ability. Any additional icons on the dice spent to activate the skill or ability are not lost but added to the bonus if that icon matches the requirement of the bonus.

Hero and Villain Character Abilities

Each hero and villain has an ability on their character sheet. These abilities are available for the hero or villain to use at different times during the battle depending on the ability. If a hero or villain leader is knocked down or there are no figures of their type on the board, the ability is no longer active and may not be activated until the figure stands back up or a figure is placed on the board (unless stated otherwise).

Constant Skills

Some skills cards have a constant icon (∞).

These skills are always active (even if knocked down) and never count as your 1 skill per turn.

Gadgets

Heroes that have the Utility Belt attribute may bring gadget cards into battle. For a hero to bring gadgets, the player must bring 1 less skill card into battle than usual, effectively swapping the skill card for 4 gadgets. A limit of 1 skill card may be swapped for 4 gadget cards.

Example gadget card — Grappling Gun: Ignore any figures and non-blocking terrain for your next move action this turn (though you cannot end the action in the space with another figure). If you move through any friendly figures, you may place one of them adjacent to you after your move action ends.

Example: Batman has a skill of 4 on his character sheet, and the current battle has a skill modifier of -1. Therefore Batman can bring in 3 skill cards; or 2 skill cards and 4 gadget cards.

A hero may play any number of gadgets in addition to their 1 skill card per turn. Once a gadget is played, it is discarded and removed from the battle.

Playing Villain Ability Cards

Each villain ability card indicates which type of villain figure it activates, this includes how many figures it activates, which action icons each of the activated figures receives, and if any additional figures can be activated with bonus actions.

So, if a card says that 3 Enforcer figures activate with 1 move icon and 1 melee icon, then the villain player can choose up to 3 Enforcer figures in play and have them each perform a move action and a melee strike, just like the heroes' move actions and melee strikes. If a villain ability card activates multiple figures, the villain player must complete each figure's entire turn before moving on to the next figure.

Important: The villain player may only activate a given figure once per turn. So, if Joker was activated with the "That's Not Funny" card, he may not be activated again with the additional any figure activations.

Special Abilities

Villain ability cards may also have one or more special abilities listed on them. Each special ability indicates when it triggers, such as "when played," "when discarded," "this turn," or "while active."

• When Played: This ability occurs immediately when the card is played, before any of the action icons on it may be spent.
• When Discarded: This ability occurs immediately when the card is discarded.
• This Turn: This ability is active from the moment the card is played until the villain's turn ends.
• While Active: This ability is active from the moment the card is played until it is discarded.
• Play from Hand: This is an instant ability that is played from the villain players hand (when specified).

Important: Any special abilities on the card activate as described, even if the activated figure is currently knocked down (unless otherwise stated).

Defend Icons

Some villain ability cards have Defend icons on them. These cards add a bonus to the Defend attribute of that villain type, equal to the number of Defend icons on the card (while the card is active). This affects all figures of that villain type, not just those activated by the card.

Desperation Activation

If the villain player desperately needs to activate a certain villain figure or doesn't have the cards in their hand to make an effective play, they may choose to play a villain ability card facedown in desperation.

This enables the villain player to activate any 1 figure they control with 2 wild icons and discard as many cards as they wish from their hand.

The villain player may use desperation to attempt to awaken a knocked down villain leader.

Example ability card — Be Careful! (Hired Gun): While Active: After any figure completes an action, you may discard this card from the queue to immediately have a Hired Gun perform an Attack +3 ranged strike. (2x Hired Gun; Any 1)

Example: If a Hired Gun card activates 2 Hired Guns and has 1 Defend icon on it, all Hired Guns in play receive a +1 bonus to the Defend attribute while the card is active, not just the 2 Hired Guns activated by the card.

Additional Figure Activations

Some villain ability cards also have the option to activate additional villain figures. This is shown as a wild icon (?). When activating additional figures, they may be minions or leaders and must still follow the rule that a given figure may only be activated once per turn.

Cooperative Mode Setup

1. Players select a battle from the episode guide. For your first battle, we recommend that you play episode 1 or 2.

2. Players select the heroes they wish to play. The total number of heroes is specified in the episode guide. If there are more Hero characters than hero players, then split the heroes up among the hero players as you see fit.

For each hero a player controls, they receive:

• The hero's hero sheet
• The hero's Action dice
• The hero's figure
• A snap on base for the hero
• The hero's initiative card
• Life tokens equal to the hero's starting Life
• Focus tokens equal to the hero's starting Focus
• All of the hero's skill cards

3. Players assemble the components for the AI as listed in the selected battle description:

• AI villain sheets
• AI villain initiative cards
• Villain figures

4. Players assemble the map as indicated in the battle description, placing the map tiles next to each other along with any tokens indicated.

5. Players place villain figures on the map in the indicated spaces. Place the AI villain sheets so everyone can see them.

6. Players should review the map and any special rules for the battle to make sure everyone understands their win condition(s).

7. Place the reference sheet next to the map so that all players can see it.

8. Collect the initiative cards for all heroes and villains in the selected battle. Shuffle them together to form the initiative deck, which will determine turn order. Place the initiative deck beside the map.

9. For each hero, the controlling player must choose a number of skill cards equal to their Skill attribute. These skill cards will be available to use during this battle. Set any unchosen skill cards aside. They cannot be used during this battle.

Heroes with the Utility Belt ability may also substitute 1 skill card for 4 gadget cards of their choice.

10. The heroes place their figures in the hero start area as indicated in the battle description, 1 per space, arranged however they like.

11. Put the Battle dice, KO tokens, dice placeholder tokens, and extra Life and Focus tokens near the play area.

You're ready to begin!

Cooperative Mode Round Sequence

Every round consists of three phases: the Setup Phase, the Battle Phase, and the Clean-up Phase. In the Setup Phase, heroes roll their Action dice and the initiative deck is reshuffled. In the Battle Phase, initiative cards are drawn and figures are activated. In the Clean-Up Phase, any end-of-round effects trigger, the round marker moves, and the round ends.

Setup Phase

Action Dice

Heroes roll and arrange their Action dice. (See "Setup Phase" under "Competitive Mode Round Sequence," pg 14, for a full description.)

Initiative Deck

Shuffle all discarded initiative cards and any initiative cards still in play back into the initiative deck.

Battle Phase

Draw an Initiative Card

Flip the top card of the initiative deck faceup. If it is a hero card, that hero takes their turn, spending Action dice. If it is a villain card, all figures of that villain type activate (following the activation rules described in "Villain Turns"). After the hero or villain's turn is complete, a new card is drawn.

Hero Turns

When a hero initiative card is drawn, that hero spends their Action dice the same way they would in a Competitive Mode battle. On a hero's turn, they may spend their Action dice in any order, resolving each action as they go. The effects of each action are described under "Player-Controlled Actions and Icons" (pg 16). To mark an Action as spent, slide the die or die placeholder token forward, being sure to keep your dice in the same order as they may still affect other heroes' turns.

Once a hero finishes spending Action dice (either because they've run out or because they do not wish to perform any further actions), their turn is over, and a new initiative card is flipped.

Villain Turns

When a villain initiative card is drawn, ALL figures of that villain type activate. The only exception is for figures without a hero in their shared line of sight (see "Terrain, Line of Sight, and Straight Lines," pg 28). If there is no hero within a villain figure's shared line of sight, it does not activate (unless otherwise stated in the battle description).

Initiative Deck

Leader and minion figure attributes play a major role in cooperative mode.

Leader figures receive 3 actions per initiative card drawn (activation) and are KO'ed if their life reaches 0.

Minion figures receive 2 actions per initiative card drawn (activation) and are KO'ed if their life reaches 0.

Leaders and Minions

Leader and minion figure attributes play a major role in cooperative mode.

Leader figures receive 3 actions per initiative card drawn (activation) and are KO'ed if their life reaches 0.

Minion figures receive 2 actions per initiative card drawn (activation) and are KO'ed if their life reaches 0.

Special Abilities and Attributes

Similar to player-controlled heroes and villains, Cooperative Mode villains each have at least 1 special ability on their villain sheet. Special abilities can come into effect at any time, so make sure all players are familiar with how these abilities are activated.

Clean-up Phase

Once the initiative deck has been exhausted and all figures have been activated if able, the round is over. At this point, any end of round effects trigger: this can include the ticking down of a bomb, spawning minions, or even the spreading of a fire. The round tracker is moved, and a new round begins.

Cooperative Mode Actions and Icons

Targeting Priority

Each AI villain has its own targeting priority which determines what the preferred target is for that figure. It must always be determined before each action is made (since it may change after a successful strike or Focus being spent).

A target may not be a knocked down figure and must be within shared line of sight.

When comparing hero attributes/tokens for targeting priority, always use the current attribute/tokens, including any modifiers (rather than the base attribute). If there is a tie, the players choose which hero will be targeted.

The types of targeting priority are:

• Highest/Lowest Life
• Highest/Lowest Focus
• Highest/Lowest Skill

Attack Range Attribute and Attack Type

Each AI villain has an attack range attribute, either melee or ranged. This attribute determines the distance strikes can be made from:

AI villains with a melee attack attribute may only target enemy figures adjacent to them (1 space away).

AI villains with a number as their attack range attribute may target enemy figures up to that many spaces away (before suffering penalty) that they have line of sight to.

Strike Range

Strike Range: A ranged figure is within strike range if they have line of sight to their target and are able to make an attack action that suffers a penalty to hits for being too far away.

Optimal Strike Range: A ranged figure is within optimal strike range if they have line of sight to their target and are able to make an attack action that does not suffer a penalty.

Melee figures within line of sight and adjacent to their target are considered to be within optimal strike range.

Activation/Action Order

When activating AI villains, each figure must complete its entire activation/turn (i.e., all of its actions) before the next figure has their activation/turn unless otherwise stated on the character sheet for that figure.

1. AI villain figures within optimal strike range always activate first, starting with figures that are adjacent to their target (if there is more than 1 adjacent AI villain, the players choose the order they are activated).

   When determining a target, each AI villain checks if they have a hero within optimal strike range that matches their targeting priority. If they do, the AI villain will attack. If they don't, the AI villain checks if there are any other figures within optimal strike range and then attacks them instead.

2. Once all figures within optimal strike range have completed their actions, all other figures activate starting with those closest to their targets.

   AI villains that don't have a hero in optimal strike range make a move action.

   When determining a target for movement, each AI villain checks if by the end of their move action can they reach optimal strike range of a figure that matches their targeting priority.

   If they do, the AI villain will moves to into optimal strike range of the hero. If they don't, the AI villain checks if there are any other figures that they can reach optimal strike range to and moves towards them instead.

Attacking

When an AI villain figure is within optimal strike range of a hero they make an attack action dealing a melee or ranged strikes. AI strikes are the same as player controlled strikes, except that no Battle dice are rolled. Instead, the AI villain figure deals hits equal to the Hit attribute on their character sheet (minus any hits due to a ranged strike suffering a penalty for distance). The targeted hero rolls to defend, as usual, and may spend Focus to reroll some or all of their Battle dice.

After making a strike action, if an AI figure has any actions left, it will either attack again (if it is still within optimal strike range of a hero) or it will move towards its next target (if it hasn't already moved this activation/turn). Keep in mind that a figure's target may change as the result of a strike (e.g., if the figure is adjacent to 2 heroes and its targeting priority is Highest Life).

If an AI figure has already moved and is not within strike range of any heroes, it forfeits all remaining actions.

Movement

Each AI villain figure may only make 1 move action per activation/turn (each receiving Move points equal to their Move attribute) following targeting priority.

AI figures spend all their move points whenever possible. A figure that moves into optimal strike range will typically end its move action, unless doing so will prevent other activated figures from entering (optimal) strike range.

In this case, the figure will continue moving (while remaining in optimal strike range) to allow other activated figures to enter strike range.

AI villains with a ranged attack attribute not within optimal strike range will always move toward the closest space that puts them into optimal strike range of their target.

If an AI villain's line of sight to a hero is broken during a move action, they are still considered to "remember" where the hero was until the end of that figure's turn.

Example 1: A Hired Gun is adjacent to Batman and has both Robin and Batgirl 1 space away. The Hired Gun will stay where he is, spending his actions to attack Robin following targeting priority (in this instance Robin has more life) as he is in optimal strike range.

Example 2: A Hired Gun has Batgirl and Gordon within optimal strike range. Because the Hired Gun's attack range is up to his attack range attribute, he spends his first action attacking Batgirl. After the first attack, Gordon's life is now more than Batgirl's, so the Hired Gun now changes his target to Gordon for the second attack action.

Example 3: At the start of his activation, the Hired Gun is not within optimal strike range of any hero. He first checks if he can reach optimal strike range of a figure that he targets, which he does (in this case it's Batgirl). The Hired Gun then makes a move action spending 2 move points, placing himself in optimal strike range and then spends his second action attacking Batgirl.

Climbing

AI villain figures may spend 1 action to use the climb terrain move. Climb is not considered to be a move action and is only used if the targeted hero is in line of sight (but not within strike range) and on a different terrain level (elevated/low) from the AI villain figure. Climb is the only terrain move that AI-controlled figures may make.

Defending

AI villain figures do not roll Battle dice when defending against attacks. Instead, the figure blocks hits equal to the Block attribute on their character sheet.

Any unblocked hits will cause the figure to suffer wounds (see "Wounds," pg 35).

The Dark Knight Mode

In BTAS Adventures, players also have the opportunity to play a solo adventure as Batman against a cooperative villain or to go head-to-head as Batman versus a villain player.

To do this, the hero player must select Batman: The Dark Knight as their hero. This version of Batman plays differently from other heroes.

• Instead of 3 Action dice, Batman receives only 2. In addition, he receives 1 of each of the icons on his character sheet. This includes the bat icon.
• At the start of each round, Batman rolls his 2 Action dice and may freely choose the side of his bat icon.
• Batman regains focus and rolls to heal for any bat icons rolled including his standard bat icon.
• Batman may perform special actions on himself.
• Batman may not go on the defensive.

Competitive Mode

When playing The Dark Knight in Competitive Mode, use the round sequence detailed below:

• Hero - Player may spend all of their action icons.
• Villain - Player plays 1 card.
• Villain - Player plays 1 card.
• Hero - Player unexhausts all action icons and takes another turn.
• Villain - Player plays 1 card.
• Villain - Player plays 1 card.
• End of round.

Cooperative Mode

On Batman's first initiative he may spend all of his action icons.

On Batman's second initiative he un-exhausts all his action icons and takes another turn.

Terrain, Line of Sight, and Straight Lines

Terrain Types

The different terrain types can be found on map tiles and prop/terrain tokens, and can affect figures' movement, line of sight, and character attributes. The table below details all terrain types and their effects.

Slow Terrain Effect: It costs 1 additional move point to enter each space of slow terrain. LOS: Unaffected.

Rough Terrain Effect: A figure that enters a space of rough terrain immediately ends its current move action and loses any remaining move points. This does not prevent the figure from starting a new move action. It merely ends the current move action. LOS: Unaffected.

Covered Terrain Effect: Figures on a space of covered terrain receive Defend +1 and are considered to be 1 additional space away when targeted by ranged strikes. LOS: Unaffected.

Elevated Terrain Effect: Elevated terrain is not considered adjacent to low (non-elevated) terrain, except when figures use the climb terrain move.

Figures on spaces of elevated terrain are considered to be 2 additional spaces away when targeted by ranged strikes from figures in spaces of low terrain.

Figures making a ranged strike from elevated terrain to low terrain suffer no additional penalty (standard ranged strike rules apply).

Falling: A figure that moves from elevated terrain to low terrain receives hits from 4 Battle dice (roll 4 Battle dice and add up all the hits rolled), which may be defended as normal. Figures do not receive hits from falling when moving into a space that contains a trash heap, a dumpster, or a fire escape. Leaping figures only check to see if they receive hits from falling at the end of their leap (figures do not receive hits from falling when leaping from one space of elevated terrain to another, even if there is low terrain in between).

LOS: When a figure draws line of sight into or across elevated terrain, consult the following list to see if line of sight is affected:

• Elevated Terrain to Elevated Terrain: Unaffected.
• Low terrain to low terrain through elevated terrain: No line of sight
• Elevated Terrain to Low Terrain: Figures in elevated terrain may draw line of sight into low terrain, but not through a space of elevated terrain into a space of low terrain.
• Low Terrain to Elevated Terrain: Figures in low terrain may draw line of sight into elevated terrain, but not through a space of elevated terrain into another space of elevated terrain.

Unstable Terrain Effect: Figures may move through a space of unstable terrain, but they cannot end a move action on one. If a figure would be forced to end its move on unstable terrain, that figure stops in a space just before the unstable terrain. LOS: Unaffected.

Obscuring Terrain Effect: Figures on a space of obscuring terrain do not need to be broken away from and do not affect adjacent figures that are awakening.

Any strike made into or out of obscuring terrain costs twice as many action icons. Note: This does not stack (i.e., if a figure makes a strike out of obscuring terrain AND into obscuring terrain, it still costs only twice as many action icons, NOT four times as many).

LOS: Figures may draw line of sight into, but not through, obscuring terrain.

Terrain with two colors in its border counts as both of the terrain type referenced.

Harmful Terrain Effect: Each time a figure enters a space of harmful terrain, it suffers 1 unblockable hit. If a figure starts its turn on a space of harmful terrain and does not move to a space of non-harmful terrain by the end of its turn, it suffers 1 unblockable hit. LOS: Unaffected.

Blocking Terrain Effect: Figures may not enter blocking terrain. LOS: Figures may not draw line of sight into or through blocking terrain.

Fire Escapes/Staircases Effect: Fire escapes and staircases are slow terrain and are considered to be adjacent to both low and elevated terrain. LOS: Unaffected.

Doors Effect: While closed, a door counts as blocking terrain. While open, a door counts as an empty space of neutral terrain.

Characters adjacent to a closed door may open it by performing a Focus check against the difficulty indicated in the battle description (see "Focus Checks," pg 37).

Characters may also make melee and ranged strikes against a door. Rolling hits equal to the door's Focus check difficulty +3 (in a single roll) will open it.

To indicate that a door is open, flip the door token to its open side. A door cannot be closed again once opened.

LOS: While closed, a door counts as blocking terrain. While open, a door counts as an empty space of neutral terrain.

Terrain Types—Lines

Blocking Lines Effect: Figures may not cross blocking lines. LOS: Figures may not draw line of sight through blocking lines.

Obscuring Lines Effect: Obscuring lines do not affect movement. LOS: Figures may not draw line of sight through obscuring lines.

Harmful Lines Effect: Each time a figure passes through a harmful line, it suffers 1 unblockable hit. LOS: Unaffected.

Slow Lines Effect: Figures must pay 1 additional move point to cross a slow line. LOS: Unaffected.

Climbable Lines Effect: Figures may only cross a climbable line if they perform the climb terrain move. LOS: Unaffected.

Terrain Moves

Terrain moves are moves found on the terrain sheet (and in this rulebook), such as climb or leap. Any player-controlled hero or villain may use any terrain move by spending the appropriate action icons, Focus, and/or Life indicated on the terrain sheet. Terrain moves work just like special moves, except they do not count against a hero's active skill limit and do not remain active after use.

Take Cover Cost: 2 Move Icons Effect: While on or adjacent to a space of covered terrain, a figure may use this action to take cover. Place a take cover token next to the figure to indicate this. Until the figure leaves the space in which it has taken cover, it receives Defend +2. This stacks with the normal Defend +1 bonus that figures receive when on a space of covered terrain.

Climb Cost: 2 Move Icons Effect: A figure may use this action to move from a space of low terrain to an adjacent, empty space of elevated terrain (or vice versa). When climbing from elevated terrain to low terrain, figures do not receive hits from falling.

Crouch Cost: 2 Move Icons Effect: While adjacent to a car, dumpster, or road block, a figure may use this action to crouch behind the object(s). Place a crouch token next to the figure to indicate this. Until the figure begins a new action, line of sight may not be drawn to this figure through the object it's crouching behind.

Leap Cost: 3 Move Icons Effect: Leap up to 3 spaces in a straight line. Leaping figures don't have to break away, aren't affected by slow or rough terrain, and may pass through, but not land on, other figures. Line of sight is broken while leaping.

Example 1: Batman pays 3 move icons to perform the leap terrain move. He may now move safely (ignoring breakaway) in a straight line to any of the green marked spaces. Batman may also move to any of the yellow marked spaces, but this will result in him suffering fall damage from 4 Battle dice.

Line of Sight

A figure has direct line of sight to its target if a straight line from the figure's space to the target space can be drawn without crossing any terrain that blocks line of sight. Figures do not block line of sight unless they are giant, in which case the space they occupy counts as blocking terrain (for purposes of determining line of sight only). A figure has shared line of sight as long as a friendly figure has direct line of sight to the target. Shared line of sight is only used for Cooperative Mode villain figure activation.

Straight Lines - Line of Sight / Ranged Strikes: When measuring a ranged strike, a straight line is a line from the center of 1 space to the center of another space. The distance is always determined by the shortest possible route between the 2 spaces.

Straight Lines - Movement: When a straight line is required for movement it is considered to be orthogonal or diagonal movement only (like a queen in chess).

Example 1:

• Line of sight may be drawn through friendly figures.
• Line of sight may be drawn through enemy figures.
• While target is crouching, line of sight may not be drawn through the object they are crouching behind.

Example 2:

• Line of sight may not be drawn through blocking terrain.
• Line of sight may be drawn into a space of obscuring terrain, but not through a space of obscuring terrain.

Example 3:

• Line of sight may be drawn from elevated terrain to elevated terrain, unless line of sight is broken by other means (blocking terrain, elevated terrain, giant figure, obscuring terrain).
• Line of sight may be drawn from low terrain to low terrain, unless line of sight is broken by other means (blocking terrain, elevated terrain, giant figure, obscuring terrain).
• Line of sight may be drawn from elevated terrain to low terrain, unless line of sight passes through a space of elevated terrain first or it is broken by other means (blocking terrain, giant figure, obscuring terrain).
• Line of sight may be drawn from low terrain into elevated terrain, but not through a space of elevated terrain, unless line of sight is broken by other means (blocking terrain, giant figure, obscuring terrain).

Character Attributes

All characters have supplemental attributes in addition to their basic ones.

Leader: Leader figures are unique, meaning in most cases only one of this character will be involved in each battle. During competitive play, leaders can be knocked down and may attempt to awaken, while in cooperative play, leaders are KO'ed from the battle and do not respawn, and they are granted 3 actions per activation.

Minions: Minions are not unique and may respawn in both competitive and cooperative play (depending on the selected battle). Minions are granted 2 actions per activation in cooperative play.

Tiny figures cannot perform terrain moves.

Immune: Immune figures are not affected by poisons and gases.

Flying: Flying figures do not need to break away from enemy figures, may move through (but not end a move action on) figures, and ignore non-blocking terrain effects.

Henchman: Henchman figures are subordinates that may receive bonuses from certain leader figures.

Creature: Creature figures may not perform special actions and do not share line of sight.

Utility Belt: Figures with the Utility Belt attribute before the start of the battle may trade 1 skill card (and only 1) for 4 gadget cards.

Small: Small figures may share a space with another figure.

Faction: Beyond being a hero or villain, each character belongs to a faction. Some figures have abilities that only affect a particular faction, and some battles give bonuses to particular factions.

Machine: Machine figures are not affected by obscuring terrain.

Giant: Giant figures take up more than 1 space on the map and block line of sight. When a giant figure is knocked down, it is considered to be slow and unstable terrain. Giant figures count as 2 figures when breaking away and follow standard awakening and desperation activation rules. Giant figures cannot perform terrain moves and are not affected by slow terrain.

Status Effects

Both heroes and villains will be stricken with status effects. These effects range in nature and severity, some with game-ending consequences.

If a hero or villain leader ever receives a status effect, place the corresponding token on their hero sheet. If a minion or bystander is ever on the receiving end of a status effect, place the corresponding token next to their figure on the map.

Bystanders with a status effect may not be rescued or taken hostage.

Status: SmileX

Description: A figure may become infected with SmileX with a number of abilities. When this happens, the affected figure receives a SmileX token, early side up. The figure type determines the effect of SmileX, and it always triggers at the end of a round.

At the end of the round, if the SmileX token started the round in play, flip it over to its late side.

AI-Controlled Figure Effect: N/A

Player-Controlled Figure Effect:

• When the SmileX token flips to the late side, the figure receives 1 unblockable wound.
• If the SmileX token is already on its late side at the end of the round, the figure's Life is reduced to 0.
• Does not affect figures that have the Immune attribute.
• Can be removed with Inoculate.

Bystander Effect:

• If the SmileX token is already on its late side at the end of the round, the bystander succumbs to the SmileX toxin, and the heroes immediately lose the current battle.
• Can be removed with Inoculate.

Status: Cold

Description: When a figure receives a cold token, their Move attribute is reduced to 1.

Remove the cold token at the end of the affected figure's next turn.

AI-Controlled Figure Effect: N/A

Player-Controlled Figure Effect:

• Move attribute reduced to 1.
• End of turn, remove cold token.

Bystander Effect: N/A

Status: Fear Toxin

Description: A figure may become infected with fear toxin by a number of Scarecrow's abilities. When this happens, the affected figure receives a fear toxin token. Fear Toxin cripples heroes and makes affected bystanders fear the heroes.

AI-Controlled Figure Effect: N/A

Player-Controlled Figure Effect:

• Suffer -1 Move, Attack, and Defend.
• Can be removed with Inoculate.

Bystander Effect:

• Bystanders receive Attack +1.
• Coop: Bystanders receive attack type melee, 2 actions, and activate whenever a Henchman initiative card is drawn.
• Comp: Villain player may control affected bystanders.
• Can be removed with Inoculate.
• Heroes may not attack bystanders affected by fear toxin.

Status: Entangle

Description: When a figure becomes entangled, gather entangled tokens making up the value specified on the ability that entangled the figure. While a figure is entangled, it may not perform any actions except trying to break free; it may not be moved with gadgets or abilities; and it no longer affects other figures' awakening or break away.

A figure may try to weaken and/or remove an entanglement on themselves or a friendly entangled figure by performing an attack action against it. Entangled figures may spend any combination of melee or ranged strikes to attack the entanglement; each hit reduces or weakens the entanglement until it is broken.

AI-Controlled Figure Effect:

• May not activate normally while entangled.
• Spend attack actions to weaken or break entanglement.
• Each hit reduces the entanglement by 1.

Player-Controlled Figure Effect:

• May not perform normal actions while entangled.
• May not move or be moved until the entanglement has been broken. This includes gadgets and other player effects.
• Must spend attack actions to weaken or break entanglement (either ranged or melee icons can be used in any combination).
• Each hit reduces the entanglement by 1.
• Once entanglement is removed, continue turn as normal.
• Friendly figures may also target friendly entangled figures to break entanglements.

Bystander Effect:

• May not be rescued or taken hostage.
• May not move or be moved until the entanglement has been broken. This includes gadgets and other player effects.

Status: Stun

Description: A figure may have more than 1 stun token at a time and may not activate or perform actions until all stun tokens are removed. To remove a stun token, the figure must spend 1 non-defend icon per stun token.

AI-Controlled Figure Effect:

• May not activate while stunned.
• To remove, must spend 1 action per stun token.
• Stackable, can have multiple tokens.

Player-Controlled Figure Effect:

• May not perform actions while stunned.
• To remove, must spend 1 non-defend icon per stun token.
• Stackable, can have multiple tokens

Bystander Effect: N/A

Status: Unaware

Description: Some battles feature unaware figures. These figures cannot be activated until they become aware. Figures become aware through means indicated in the battle description.

AI-Controlled Figure Effect:

• May not activate until specific mission conditions are met.

Player-Controlled Figure Effect:

• May not activate until specific mission conditions are met.

Bystander Effect: N/A

Status: Under Fire

Description: When a figure comes under fire thanks to an ability, place an under fire token next to the defending figure and a firing token next to the attacking figure. This represents that the figure under fire has a hail of gunfire hitting the ground all around them.

A figure under fire cannot move any closer to the figure firing at them, and if they end their next turn still under fire, their life is instantly reduced to 0.

If the firing figure loses line of sight to the under fire figure at the end of an action, or if the under fire figure moves out of attack range, remove both under fire and firing tokens.

AI-Controlled Figure Effect:

• Place firing token on the attacking figure.
• Place the matching firing token on the defending figure.
• Defending figure may not move toward attacker.
• If defending figure ends their turn under fire, their life is instantly reduced to 0.

Player-Controlled Figure Effect:

• Place firing token on the attacking figure.
• Place the matching firing token on the defending figure.
• Defending figure may not move toward attacker
• If defending figure ends their turn under fire, their life is instantly reduced to 0.

Bystander Effect: N/A

Status: Falling

Description: A figure that enters bottomless terrain receives a falling token. A falling figure may not move or even leap, and if they are still falling at the end of their next turn, the figure's life is reduced to 0 and the heroes instantly lose the battle. Figures in bottomless terrain may be rescued by a number of abilities and gadgets, also figures with the flying attribute are not affected by bottomless terrain.

AI-Controlled Figure Effect:

• May not move into bottomless terrain by choice.
• If a figure ends their turn in bottomless terrain, the figure's life is reduced to 0 and the heroes instantly lose the battle.

Player-Controlled Figure Effect:

• May not move or leap while in bottomless terrain.
• Villains may not move into bottomless terrain by choice.
• If a figure ends their turn in bottomless terrain, the figure's life is reduced to 0 and the heroes instantly lose the battle.

Bystander Effect:

• If a figure ends their turn in bottomless terrain, the figure's life is reduced to 0 and the heroes instantly lose the battle.

Wounds

When unblocked hits are dealt to a character, they suffer wounds equal to the number of hits received. For minions, place life tokens next to them on the map to indicate the wounds they've suffered. For heroes and villain leaders, remove life tokens from their character sheets.

Once a character has suffered wounds equal to or greater than their Life attribute, that character is knocked down (see "Knocked Down Figures, Awakening, and KO Tokens," pg 36).

Healing Wounds

Characters may be healed in a number of ways, such as villain ability cards, skill cards, or bat icons. Typically, this means rolling Battle dice (according to the card or ability) and then regaining Life equal to the number of hits rolled (results may be rerolled once at the cost of a Focus). For example, each bat icon rolled on Action dice allows a hero to roll 1 Battle die to heal. A character cannot be healed past their Life attribute. Any excess healing is wasted.

Knocked Down Figures, Awakening, and KO Tokens

When a hero or player-controlled villain leader's life is reduced to 0, they are knocked down; lay the figure on its side in the space it occupies and return any active skill cards to the player's hand (unless specified on the card). When a villain minion is knocked down, it is KO'ed; remove it from the map and return it to the figure pool. When an AI-controlled villain figure or player-controlled minion figure is knocked down, it is KO'ed; remove it from the map permanently (unless otherwise stated in the battle description).

A figure that is knocked down cannot be attacked, nor can it be the target of any skills (unless otherwise stated). In addition, a figure that is knocked down doesn't force enemies to break away, can't perform any actions or special moves, and may not use their character ability (unless otherwise stated). Characters may move through, but may not end their move on, spaces occupied by knocked down figures.

If there are no villain minions on the board, their ability can no longer be activated.

Awakening Heroes

If a hero is knocked down, on their next turn they roll Battle dice equal to their Defend attribute, modified by:

+1 die per defend icon on their Action dice

+2 dice per adjacent non-knocked down hero

-3 dice per adjacent non-knocked down villain leader

-1 die per adjacent villain minion

Important: Focus may not be spent to reroll this roll.

The hero regains Life equal to the hits rolled on the Battle dice and stands up if they have accumulated at least as much Life as their Awaken attribute (the number below their Life attribute—e.g., 8 Life for Batman). The awakened figure may now continue their turn as normal without penalty. However, if they have not regained enough Life to stand up yet, place a KO token on their hero sheet. The hero forfeits their turn and will have to attempt to awaken again on their next turn. Heroes continue receiving KO tokens every turn until they awaken (any KO tokens received remain on their hero sheet even after awakening). In some battles, if a hero remains knocked down and keeps receiving KO tokens for multiple turns in a row, the villain wins!

Awakening Player-Controlled Villain Leaders

If a player-controlled villain leader is knocked down, the next time that villain is activated (including desperation), they roll Battle dice equal to their Defend attribute, modified by:

+1 die per defend icon on active villain ability cards

-2 dice per adjacent non-knocked down hero

+3 dice per adjacent non-knocked down villain leader

+1 die per adjacent villain minion

Important: Focus may not be spent to reroll this roll.

The leader regains Life equal to the hits rolled on the Battle dice and stands up if they have accumulated at least as much Life as their Awaken attribute (the number below their Life attribute—e.g., 7 Life for Harley Quinn). The awakened figure may now continue their turn as normal without penalty. However, if they have not regained enough Life to stand up yet, place a KO token on their villain sheet. The leader forfeits their activation and will have to attempt to awaken again on their next activation. Villains continue receiving KO tokens every turn they attempt to awaken (any KO tokens received remain on their villain sheet even after awakening). However, if a knocked down villain leader does not activate for a full round, they automatically receive a KO token. In some battles, if a leader remains knocked down and keeps receiving KO tokens for multiple turns in a row, the heroes win!

Awakening AI-Controlled Villain Leaders

Normally, in Cooperative Mode, AI-controlled villain leaders do not awaken. They are KO'ed and removed from the map permanently (they are considered to have received a KO token, unless otherwise stated in the battle description).

However, if players want an added challenge, they may choose to play with awakening rules for AI-controlled villain leaders. When a villain leader is knocked down, place it on its side as you would with heroes. Each time the villain leader's initiative card is drawn, it regains Life equal to its Block attribute. Once its Life equals half of its Life attribute (rounded up), it stands up and takes its turn without penalty. (Each time its initiative card is drawn and it does NOT regain enough Life to stand up yet, place a KO token on its villain sheet. Any KO tokens received remain on its villain sheet even after awakening).

Total Party Kill

In every battle, regardless of other win conditions, if all heroes are knocked down at the same time, the villain wins immediately.

Focus

Focus is available to both the heroes and the villain. Focus may be spent after any die roll (unless stated otherwise) to reroll some or all of the dice rolled. However, no dice roll may be rerolled more than once.

The villain player starts each battle with the amount of Focus indicated in the battle description and regains 1 Focus at the end of each round when spawning new minions. The villain player may never exceed their starting Focus.

Heroes start each battle with the amount of Focus indicated on their hero sheet. However, they only regain Focus when they roll a bat icon on their Action dice (1 Focus per bat icon rolled) or when a skill or ability allows them to regain Focus. A hero may never exceed their starting Focus.

In Cooperative Mode, the villain never has Focus.

Winning the Game

The game continues until one of the two sides completes their win condition(s) for the current battle, at which point that side wins. Win conditions can be anything, ranging from crossing to the other side of the map, to staying alive a certain number of rounds, to hacking into a computer and escaping. However, regardless of other win conditions, the villain player always wins if all heroes are knocked down at the same time.

Saving Your Place

After completing a battle, you may wish to continue playing through the episode guide. If you don't wish to do so immediately, use the victory bookmark to save your place. Simply place the bookmark in the guide at the start of the next battle with the winner of the previous battle (either the villains or the heroes) facing toward the front of the guide. The next time you play, make sure the side that won the previous battle receives any benefits listed in the battle description.

This is the only thing that changes during setup. The heroes are all fully healed at the start of each new battle and may choose completely different skill cards.

Players do not have to keep the same heroes throughout an episode.

Allies

Sometimes, as a reward for winning the previous battle (or because of a special rule in a particular battle), one side will be given the opportunity to call upon an ally. When this happens, the heroes (or villain) look at all available allies and choose one of them, then receive the benefits listed on that ally card. Villain ally cards may also be used as difficulty modifiers in Cooperative Mode battles.

Tracking Rounds

The victory bookmark can also be used to track rounds. Place a round tracking token on the first space of the bookmark at the start of the battle. During the Clean-up phase, move the token to the next space.

Special Actions

Certain actions are not shown on the dice—these are often situational and, in some cases, restricted to either heroes or villains.

To perform a special action, the hero or villain must spend 1 action with at least 1 non-defend icon on it while adjacent to their target but not adjacent to any enemy figures.

Focus and Skill Checks

Focus checks and Skill checks are used for opening doors, pulling bystanders to safety, and performing other battle specific tasks.

When making a Focus or Skill check, the hero must roll battle dice equal to their Focus or Skill attribute. If the number of hits meets or exceeds the difficulty set in the battle description, the hero succeeds. If the total number of hits is fewer than the difficulty of the Focus or Skill check, the hero fails but may try again by spending another Action die.

Defuse

Some battles will require heroes to defuse time bombs. When attempting to defuse a time bomb, the hero will have the opportunity to cut one wire on the time bomb tile. If the hero chooses correctly, the bomb is defused. If the hero chooses incorrectly, remove one tick token from the time bomb countdown.

Inoculate

During the battle, some heroes or bystanders may become infected with poisons, gases, and toxins. A hero may never inoculate themselves; they must have another hero inoculate them. When inoculating, roll 1 battle die. If the result is a hit, the inoculation is successful. If the result is a block, the hero fails, but may try again by spending another action dice.

Interrogate

Some enemy figures have important information that requires some convincing for them to relinquish. To interrogate an enemy figure, a hero must perform a Focus check while adjacent to the enemy figure. The difficulty of the Focus check is the remaining Life of the enemy figure + a difficulty set in the battle description.

Investigate

To collect the clues and evidence found in some missions, the hero must perform a special action.

Rescue Bystander

Innocent bystanders frequently find themselves in peril.

If a bystander is not affected by a status condition, they can be rescued from the battle by performing a special action.

Take Hostage

Bystanders are also the perfect meat-shields and temporary henchmen for the villains. The villain player can take a hostage by performing a special action while adjacent to a non-infected bystander. In doing so, the villain figure that takes the hostage receives a bystander hostage token and the following attribute changes: Move -1 and Defend +2. At any time thereafter, the villain figure may release their hostage to cancel all damage being dealt to them by a single attack. At that point, the bystander flees the map to safety.

Explosive

Villain figures may place explosives on doors, walls, and safes to open them.

While adjacent to the target space, the villain player may spend a special action to place an explosive token on the target space (long fuse side up).

At the end of the round, all explosive tokens flip from their long fuse side to their short fuse side. If the explosive is already on the short fuse side, it detonates. Depending on where the explosive was set, detonation opens the door, destroys the wall, or opens the safe.

The hero may attempt to defuse the explosive by performing a Focus check with a difficulty of 4. If the hero fails, the explosive detonates and the hero suffers 2 unblockable wounds.

Additional Rules

Skylights

Some battles feature skylights. These are tokens that a figure may use to move from one tile to another.

To move down a skylight, a figure must either perform the climb action for 2 move icons, end a move action on the skylight suffering 4 dice of fall damage, or play a grappling gun gadget card. The player may choose which space the figure moves down to out of the spaces adjacent to the skylight token. If there is no free space directly adjacent to the skylight token, the figure may not move through the skylight.

The only way to move up a skylight is by playing a grappling gun gadget card or similar ability. The player may choose which space the figure moves up to out of the spaces adjacent to the skylight token. The figure then immediately moves 1 space for free to move out of unstable terrain.

Time Bombs

Some battles feature time bombs as an objective. All time bombs have a difficulty level of 5. This refers to the number of wires that can be cut and therefore reflects the chances of cutting the wrong one. Time bombs also come with tick tokens that are placed in any corner of the Bomb tile. At the end of each round, 1 tick is removed. Once all ticks are removed, the bomb explodes and the heroes lose the mission. While attempting to defuse a bomb, if a hero cuts an incorrect wire, 1 tick is removed, speeding up the detonation time.

Carrying Items

Some battles feature items that can be carried. During their turn, figures in the same space as (or an adjacent space to) an item may pick that item up. There is no cost to pick up an item. Picking up an item ends a figure's current move action.

Handing Off Carried Items

Figures may hand off a carried item to an adjacent friendly figure by making a melee strike (special moves may not be used for this). A figure handing off an item must roll 1 hit, plus 1 additional hit for each adjacent enemy figure. For example, if a figure is adjacent to 2 enemy figures, they would need to roll 3 hits in order to successfully hand off a carried item.

Throwing Carried Items

Figures may also throw a carried item to a non-adjacent friendly figure by making a ranged strike (special moves may not be used for this). The throwing figure must have line of sight to the catching figure. A figure throwing an item to another figure must roll hits equal to the distance the catching figure is from the throwing figure, plus 1 additional hit for each enemy figure adjacent to the catching figure. For example, if the catching figure is 4 spaces away and adjacent to 2 enemy figures, the throwing figure would need to roll 6 hits in order to successfully throw a carried item.

Intercepting Thrown Items

If a thrown item passes through a space containing an enemy figure, that figure may attempt to intercept the item for free. Roll Battle dice equal to the intercepting figure's Move attribute. If any double hits are rolled, the figure intercepts the item and is now carrying it.

Dropping Carried Items

A figure may drop a carried item in the space it occupies, or an adjacent space, at any time. Dropping an item ends a figure's current move action. If an attempt to hand off or throw a carried item fails, place the item in the empty space nearest the intended target. If there is more than one such space, any opposing players choose among the options. If a figure carrying an item is KO'ed, place the item in the space that figure occupied.

AI Villain Figures and Carried Items

AI villain figures ignore break away while carrying items, but they may not hand off or throw items. If an item is thrown through a space containing an AI villain figure, that figure will attempt to intercept the item. The hero players will roll Battle dice for the AI figure to determine if the interception is successful.

FAQ

Can I play Cooperative Mode with a player controlling the villain?

If you are looking for a different or faster way to play the game, try playing Cooperative Mode with a player controlling the villain. Assemble the initiative deck as you would for a normal Cooperative Mode battle. The villain player will control the actions of all villain figures.

Can I create my own episodes?

Players are encouraged to modify or create their own episodes after first playing through the missions in the episode guide. When creating your own battle, here are some considerations:

Hero Count - When building a battle, the number of heroes is key. This is the baseline for the difficulty level.

Leaders and Minions - A good foundation to start with is 1 villain leader and 1 minion type for every 2 heroes.

Objectives - Objectives are used to change the pressure level of an episode. Each episode needs at least 1 objective for the hero. Time bombs are a fantastic pressure generator. For your first episode, a time bomb with a difficulty of 5 and 5 ticks is a great starting point. Also try adding bystanders and poisons and gases to amp up the difficulty.

The most important thing is to play the episode—if it's too easy, add or increase the objectives. If the battle is too difficult, reduce the figure count or the difficulty of the objectives.

Competitive Cooperative

If players want to keep score to see who the best hero is for each of your cooperative battles follow this formula:

KO Villain Leader = 5 points

KO Minion = 1 point

Player/Hero Knocked Down = -5 points

But what about other Adventures System games? Is Batman: The Animated Series Adventures also compatible with those?

Yes, all the dice-sharing characters (usually the heroes) from each Adventures System game are cross compatible with every Adventures System game. The laws of physics, space, and time can be bent to your will by creating amazing crossovers and stories you only ever dreamed possible.