Beast: Shattered Isles
Beast: Shattered Isles Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 3 Beasts & 3 Hunters: Player Boards
- 3 Double-Sided Contracts
- 4 Action Cards
- 3 Armor Tokens
- 3 Beasts & 3 Hunters: Character Standees
- 14 Abyssal Swamps
- 9 Hunter Ability Cards
- 3 Sabertooth
- 6 Summon Standees & 1 Hunter Companion
- 12 Habitat Tokens
- 12 Beast Ability Cards
- 3 Ruin Tokens
- 1 Double-Sided Map
- 24 Trail Tokens
- 13 Hunter Item Cards
- 1 Minimap, Screen & Pen
- 12 Beastly Talent Cards
- 4 Wound Tokens (Value 1)
General Info
Before You Start
If you are new to BEAST, make sure you understand the core mechanics of the base game before diving into Shattered Isles. Spend some time playing it to get comfortable with its rules and strategies, or watch some gameplay tips at studiomidhall.com.
Take a look at page 16-17 for general tips and complexity ratings for new characters and Contracts.
How to Use this Rulebook
The Shattered Isles expansion introduces new mechanics and rules. While the rulebook explains the baseline function of these mechanics: cards, upgrades, and contract rules supersede the baseline rulings.
New Animal: Sabertooth
In Shattered Isles, the Sabertooth replaces the Bear from the base game. They have 2 Wounds and are worth 3 Grudges.
We Encourage you to Experiment
Shattered Isles amplifies the sandbox element of BEAST in many new ways. We encourage you to experiment and have fun with the new content in a playful manner. Explore new strategies and don't be too downtrodden if your old tried and tested tactics work no longer.
Shattered Isles is a tightly balanced experience, but many times the winner is the one who comes up with the most unexpected and creative game plan.
The Expansion Symbol
This symbol distinguishes Shattered Isles content from the base game. Remember, it's your game: you can mix content from this expansion with other expansions and the core game as you wish.
Keywords
Shattered Isles introduces and streamlines some keywords in the game. Several cards, Contracts and character effects will use the following keywords:
Instead
If an Upgrade or Overloaded Card (see Overload, below) uses the word Instead, this means it's a replacement effect that overrides the original effect.
Relocate
When movement contains the keyword Relocate, the player selects a location within range and places their standee immediately on that location. The character is considered not to have moved onto any other location along the way.
Beings
All Settlers, Hunters, Hunter Companions, Animals, Summons, and revealed Beasts are considered beings.
Hunter Companion
Fylgja is Eivind's Companion and has its own standee. Hunter Companions move around the map and reveal trails on their location. Just like Hunters, their preferred habitat is [habitat icon].
Hunter Companions are not affected by any effect or ability that specifically targets Hunters. If the Beast kills a Hunter Companion, it does not gain any Grudges for the kill.
Game Mechanics
Shattered Isles Drafting
Shattered Isles adds 4 new Action Cards: Dark Offerings, Displace, Glimpse, and Stride.
These four cards are Overload cards (see Overload below). The top half is the red action and the bottom half is the blue action.
- Dark Offerings: Red: Suffer 1 Wound, then relocate to a location up to 3 steps away. Blue: Attack, then place a Summon on any nearby location if you killed your victim.
- Displace: Red: Transform a location up to 2 steps away, then each Hunter nearby that location may move 1 step. Blue: In any order, transform up to 2 nearby locations; move 1 step.
- Glimpse: Red: Gain a Hunter Item, then you may play a Hunter Item from your hand ignoring all costs. The Hunter Item does not count as your red or blue action. Blue: Copy the effect of a face-up Beastly Talent for 1 less, then discard that Beastly Talent.
- Stride: Red: Gain a Hunter Item, then you and another Hunter up to 2 steps away may move 1 step each. Blue: Gain a Beastly Talent, then a Summon may move 2 steps.
Whenever these cards are added to the deck, whether playing a Core Game Contract or a Shattered Isles Contract, follow these new drafting rules:
2-Player Draft
In a 2-player draft, 1 player controls 2 Hunters at once, with 2 separate hands. Play the Hunters as if played by 2 different players.
Deal 6 Action Cards to each player. During the draft, the Hunter player selects 2 Action Cards instead of 1. After the draft, the Hunter player assigns all the Action Cards evenly between both their Hunter characters.
Finally, discard 3 cards from the Unused Action Cards.
3-Player Draft
Deal 5 Action Cards to each player. After the draft, each player discards 1 Action Card from their hand.
4-Player Draft
Before the draft, the Beast player randomly draws 1 Action Card, looks at it, and sets it aside. Then, deal 4 Action Cards to each player and proceed as usual.
After the draft, the Beast adds the Action Card that was set aside to their hand, then each player discards 1 card from their hand.
5-Player Draft
Deal 4 cards to each player. After the draft, each player returns 1 Action Card face down from their hand to the Unused Action Cards.
Golden Rules
Remember: BEAST relies on 3 golden rules. First, all discarded cards are considered open information, meaning that players can look at discarded cards, no matter the type, at any time. Second, if you want to win as a Hunter, you need to cooperate. You are allowed to talk to and show your cards to your fellow Hunters at any point in the game. Finally, game effects written on components always take precedence over the rules written in this book.
Overload
Some cards such as Storm or Flame Rapier will show both the red and blue action symbol and are known as Overload cards. The basic effect of the card is found in the top half, and can be played as usual. In addition, to also get the bottom half of the card, the player can overload the card.
Overloading means that you play a card as both a red action and a blue action, gaining both effects but spending your full turn. The player must declare whether a card is overloaded at the time of playing it.
Note that the bottom half of an overload card can't be played on its own.
Example: Storm
When you play Storm, you can either play it only as a red action and Attack, or you can Overload it and play it as both a red and a blue action, dealing additional damage and transforming all nearby locations.
The Storm card: top half (red action) reads "Attack." Bottom half (blue action) reads "Storm deals 1 additional damage. Transform each nearby location."
Split Actions
Cards with the Split Action symbol can be played as either a red action or a blue action. When playing a Split Action, you must immediately state if you will be playing it as a red or a blue action.
Playing a Split Action counts as the stated symbol for any upgrades, cards, or contract effects that would trigger from a certain action type.
Habitat Lock
Cards with Habitat Locks can only be played when the Beast is currently standing in their preferred habitat.
Hidden Paths
Hidden Paths are habitat-locked shortcuts that enable characters to travel large distances. A Hidden Path is considered open if the nearest entrance matches your preferred habitat, in which case the location on the other side of the path is considered nearby. Each entrance to a Hidden Path can have different habitats — so a Hidden Path may be open in one direction but closed in the other.
Settlers can move through a Hidden Path if the entrance is in the Settlers' preferred habitat. Since Animals have no preferred habitats, they cannot use Hidden Paths. Active Watchtowers reveal trails through Hidden Paths that are in the Hunters' preferred habitats.
Summons
The Beast can place Summons on the other side of an open Hidden Path. It must still follow the standard range and habitat restrictions for summoning.
Transform
Entrances of Hidden Paths can be changed by transforming cards, such as Displace.
Momentum
On cards such as Rampageous or Flame Rapier — where you move multiple steps in a same direction, keep the same trajectory after traveling through a Hidden Path. The direction you move in is determined by the direction of the entrance of the path.
Ruins
Ruins are landmarks strung across the map. Hunters and Beasts are rewarded when controlling them.
If a Beast, Summon, Hunter or Hunter Companion starts its turn on an empty Ruin or a Ruin not controlled by its team, it may claim it by placing a Ruin marker on that location or by flipping the current marker. Hunters place it on the blue side, while Beasts place it on the red side.
Ruins can be claimed multiple times, but players may only flip markers belonging to the opposing team.
Each Ruin is named, and their corresponding reward is listed at the bottom of the Shattered Isles contracts. Upon taking control of a Ruin, the player who flipped it receives the indicated reward immediately.
Example Ruins as printed on the Ruin tiles:
- Yagi Cliffs: Top: Up to 2 Hunters may move 1 step. Bottom: Gain a Beastly Talent.
- Disfigured Swamp: Top: Gain an Item. You may immediately put it into play and ignore all costs. Bottom: You may buy an upgrade for 1 less.
- Admirer's Glade: Top: Gain [Grudges], then move up to 1 step. Bottom: see the printed reward icon.
Insights
While it gives some idea of its location, claiming a Ruin doesn't reveal the Beast.
Assistance
Hunter Companions or Summons can claim Ruins, with the reward going to the controlling player.
Armor
Armor Tokens prevent 1 Wound from an attack and are discarded afterwards. They are not replenished during the Night Phase.
If an armored being is attacked, the Armor always takes the damage first before any Wound is placed.
False Movement
False Movements are unique to the Beast: they will always be played facedown and side-by-side with a regular Movement Card — in a way that the false movement is easily identifiable. Both movements should originate from the Beast's actual location. False Movement have all the same interactions as a regular Movement Card, such as generating trails.
If multiple False Movements are placed as part of the same effect, each False Movement originates from your current location — not as a continuation from your previous False Movement.
If Hunters play a card such as Unearth or Seer, which reveals the last played Movement Card and that card also has a paired False Movement, both cards are revealed.
Example: Mirror Step
The Mirror Step card reads: Move 1 step, then place a False Movement Card next to your real Movement Card.
In this situation, the Beast plays Mirror Step, allowing for a Real and a False Movement. The Beast plays West as its False Movement and North as the real. Since there's a Settler on the western location, a trail is revealed.
Charged Abilities
Some characters such as Vacker and Valdi can accumulate unique resources which can be used to Charge their Ability Cards. At the bottom of these cards, a secondary effect can be found along with the associated cost.
Blood Tracker
Valdi is the only Hunter in the game that can attack animals. When Valdi kills an animal, no Grudges are rewarded. Instead, advance his Blood Tracker an equal amount of steps as the Grudges given by the animal.
When Valdi pays blood to charge a card, he does so when the then or if effect triggers. That means you can play Blood Hunt, search a location, and then decide if you want to pay the blood for the charged effect.
Blood Hunt: Search a nearby location, then you may spend 2 Blood to move 1 step and attack.
Blood Hunt & Blood Track: These cards count as playing a regular Track or Hunt for any upgrade triggers.
Vacker's Soul Mask
While Vacker's trails work the same as for other Beasts, they can also spend them as a resource to Soul Charge their abilities.
Unlike the other Beasts, Vacker has a limited number of 8 souls stored on the Active Souls at the bottom of the Player Board — placed there at the start of the game. Whenever they Soul Charge their abilities, they move the indicated number of trails from the Active Souls to the Drained Souls. The same happens when a soul should be placed on the map: simply remove it from Active Souls and place it on the location it was revealed. The souls on the map or in Drained Souls are no longer available for Soul Charging. When Vacker is revealed, return all souls from the map to the Active Souls.
When Vacker gains Grudges, move the same number of souls from the Drained Souls to the Active Souls.
Additionally, when Vacker's Admirers kill a target, return 2 souls to the Active Souls. If the Active Souls are empty, Vacker is immediately revealed and cannot hide again until the Active Souls has at least 1 soul.
Soul Charging Abilities: The moment you play an ability with Vacker, you need to state if you want to Soul Charge — if you do, move the indicated amount of trails from Active Souls to the Drained Souls.
Moving while Active Souls is empty: If Active Souls has no trails when you move, you don't need to place any Movement Cards since Vacker is revealed. Instead, just move your standee one step at a time.
Summon Admirer (Vacker ability card): [icon], then move 1 step. Then move an Admirer up to 1 step.
Admirer (Vacker character card): Attack, then if Admirer kills its victim, return a soul from Drained Souls to Active Souls. Soul Charge: You can spend Souls to perform additional effects on her abilities.
Abyssal Swamps
In Shattered Isles, there is a new habitat called Abyssal Swamps. For all habitat requirements, it counts as a habitat (shown by its icon in the printed rulebook). They are only placed on the board through Akkeron's Ability Cards, Upgrades or the Breaching the Abyssal Spire Contract.
When Akkeron plays a card with the keyword transform, it places an Abyssal Swamp token [icon as printed], not the other icon shown on the page.
Abyssal Swamps create a network of passages through which all beings, except Settlers and Animals, can move. Traveling through Abyssal Swamps always counts as a single movement.
When a Beast travels through an Abyssal Swamp, it immediately places any Movement Card sideways on the movement track and places a trail on the Abyssal Swamp it traveled to. When a Hunter or Hunter Companion moves through an Abyssal Swamp, they suffer 1 Wound.
Abyssal Swamps are not considered nearby, unless connected by a path on the map.
They can only be used for movement: summoning, searching, attacking, or transforming through them isn't allowed.
Insights: While the Beast does place a trail when going through an Abyssal Swamp, they don't get revealed.
Five Player Mode
Seating and Turn Order
Shattered Isles can be played with up to 5 players. In this mode, 2 Beasts work together as a team. They share the Minimap which will help them track their partner, and have a separate Active Movement Section on the map. An additional dry-erase pen is included to help the second Beast keep track of its movement on the Minimap.
The two Beasts should be seated on the same side of the table next to each other, with Hunters on the other side(s) of the table. It's important that each team can easily look at each other's hands and cards during the draft. The right-most Beast always begins the game, followed by the other Beast and then the Hunters in clockwise order.
Shared Health, Grudges & Summons
Both Beasts share a common health pool consisting of their combined health minus 2. For example, if you were to play as Bolgin with his health and Vacker with hers, your shared health would be the sum of the two minus 2 (the printed example reads (5+4-2)). Beast players may also cooperate in all the same ways the Hunters can. You may talk, show your hand, reveal your current location, and even show your Active Movement Cards to your fellow Beast at any time during the game.
Grudges are not shared between the Beasts. They each must spend their own Grudges on their Upgrades and Beastly Talent cards. When receiving Grudges, Beastly Talents, movement, and Ancient Powers through Contract rewards, each Beast receives the reward.
Summons: When Beasts are on the same team, card effects that state Summons in a general sense — such as Incite and Adapt — affect the Summons of both Beasts. However, the Summon Symbol only allows the player to place or take an action with their own Summons.
On this example, Vacker can only move or summon an Admirer, but can move 2 steps in total. (Example shows the Adapt card: In any order, relocate to any habitat, and gain a Hunter Item; then move 1 step for each Summon on the map.)
Advice & FAQ
Explore the Game
BEAST is relatively easy to play, but hard to master. Knowing when and what to do with your actions and cards is a big part of the puzzle. We encourage you to explore the game on your own terms, but here are some tips to ease you into SHATTERED ISLES:
Transform the Map
You can change Hidden Paths to work only for your team, transform Ruins to reach them easier, or place Summons right on their location, claiming them on your next turn.
Off-Turn Movement
For Hunters, cards that let you move other Hunters are among the strongest in the game. Help your teammates reach the Beast's location, or set them up to begin their next turn by claiming a Ruin.
Powerful Ruins
The three different Ruins on each map can provide huge benefits for your team for little cost. However, as a Beast, they give the Hunters a good idea of where you are, so try to plan your movement in advance or claim the Ruins with your Summons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it possible to overkill Fara if she has the Rebirth by Fire upgrade? Yes. After taking the damage, Rebirth restores 1 health. If the total number of wounds is still greater than Fara's health pool, Fara still dies.
Does Thalduk's Outburst cause him to be revealed? No, as it is not considered an attack. Even if Thalduk has the Behorned upgrade which allows Outburst to deal damage, it is still not considered an attack and does not cause Thalduk to get revealed.
If the Beast damages and kills a target through an ability but without attacking, does it get any Grudges? No. The Beast only gains Grudges from kills made through attacks or if an ability explicitly states otherwise.
Do Valdi's kills count towards Beast's Contract Rewards? No. This also applies for cards such as Mara's Flicker.
Can Chain Grapnel target a being through an Abyssal Swamp? No, Abyssal Swamps can not be used to extend the range of an effect such as Watchtowers or Chain Grapnel.
Character Guide
Playstyle and Complexity
Here is a handy introduction to each Beast and Hunter in Shattered Isles, as well as their complexity rating. Hunters also have a preferred seating in the turn order, so keep that in mind when you are building your team!
Beasts
- Thalduk — Complexity: Low. Thalduk stands proud as the Lord of the High Peaks, ready to take on the hunters with his aggressive playstyle. His Yagis are capable of herding hunters into desirable locations, where Thalduk himself can call down devastating storms. When needed, Thalduk can react to the hunter's actions with an ear piercing bleat, calling forth his summons. His upgrades provide some flexibility, allowing him to be both agile and offensive.
- Vacker — Complexity: Medium. Vacker is a fickle and vain beast. She will bask in her Admirers praise only to run off when the hunters get too close. She misleads her pursuers with the help of false trails. Her beautiful feathers can mesmerize humans and animals alike, moving them into an ambush of her making. Her Admirers steal souls which she consumes to charge up her abilities, allowing bursts of power but at the cost of making her easier to track. Her upgrades are greatly focused on mobility, letting her, her summons and even her targets move further in a single turn.
- Akkeron — Complexity: Very High. Akkeron crawls up from the depths with a desire to corrupt the land, turning it into a black void. By transforming swamps into Abyssal swamps, they are able to set up a network that allows them to travel great distances and pull unlucky beings close for easy attacks. Their upgrades accelerate the spread of the Abyssal swamps and enhance their effects. Their Abominations are vile creatures that seek to draw everything into the Abyss, making it easier for Akkeron to consume their victims.
Hunters
- Eivind — Turn Order: Early-Mid. Role: Sky Hunter. Eivind is the leader of the Shattered Isles expedition, bringing great mobility and ever watchful eyes. His bird companion, Fylgja, is able to scour the region for signs of the Beast, allowing the hunters to act on what she finds. Eivind is also equipped with a grappling hook that allows versatility in how he moves across the board.
- Fara — Turn Order: Mid-Late. Role: Flameblade Huntress. Fara's skills as a hunter allow her to cause damage to the Beast from great distances, but require her teammates to assist in her positioning and set up. While still learning to control the fire that guides her, she is restricted to linear movement with her Flame Rapier. If utilized correctly, she is able to become a devastating force that grows stronger the more she suffers in battle.
- Valdi — Turn Order: Mid-Late. Role: Blood Hunter. Valdi harnesses power from the blood of animals, siphoning their essence to fuel his own strength and ascend to greater heights. His alchemical toolkit enables him to adapt to various roles during the hunt, whether by bestowing untold riches upon his team or amplifying his abilities beyond the limits of human potential.
Creators Guild
Looking for More Content?
We believe a game lives and dies with its community, and that is why we created the tools for you to create your own content for Beast. Visit studiomidhall.com/creatorsguild to find or create your own contracts, Beasts, Hunters, and more!
Create Your Own Beasts and Hunters
Create and share your own Beasts and Hunters! Add custom upgrades, art, abilities, lore, and more!
Create Your Own Contracts
Expand the game with custom created contracts! Explore new game modes, with legendary rules, new ways of winning the game, or even play the game solo!
Share Your Creations
Share your creations with the world, rate, comment, and more!
Living Game
Beast is a living game that evolves with its community. For the latest version of the rules, visit the website!