Creatures and Caverns
Creatures and Caverns Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The aim of the game
Journey through 3 levels of pathways and caverns, overcome creatures and other obstacles, gain treasure and useful items... and make it out alive!
Components
16 Cavern cards. One side of a card shows caverns (small and large) connected by pathways. The dice will be used for resolving encounters. The other side shows encounters, as well as treasure (on the short edges) and items (on the long edges).
1 Character card with two adventurers on either side. Each has different values for health (heart symbol) and skills (magical, weaponry and stealth/agility), as shown on trackers on the card.
- Health is shown by the heart symbol.
- Magical skill is shown by the magical symbol (a spiral).
- Weaponry skill is shown by the crossed-swords symbol.
- Stealth/agility skill is shown by the eye symbol.
1 Level/Exit card.
Set up
The game is played completely in-hand. Shuffle the 16 Cavern cards (caverns side facing up) rotating some 180˚ as you do so.
- Place the Level card, with 'End of Level 1' facing up, at the bottom of the Cavern deck.
- Place the Character card behind the Level card and slide it upwards so that the half of the card with your chosen character is visible above the deck (the character's baseline should be level with the top of the deck).
- Finally, move the top 3 Cavern cards to the bottom of the deck (behind the Character card) with their caverns side facing up.
You are now ready to enter the Caverns of Handerley.
Terminology
During the game you'll be recycling, discarding, packing and equipping cards:
Recycle: place the card, caverns side up, at the bottom of the deck.
Discard: place the card, encounter side up, fully into the deck, directly in front of the Character card.
Equip: when you gain an item, it is 'held' by your character.
Slot the card into the left hand side of the deck (or right hand side if it's easier), directly behind the Character card, so that just the long edge of the card with the item is visible.
If you gain a second item, then slot it behind the first item so that both are visible. You may only hold a maximum of 2 items at any one time. If you gain a third item then one of the items must be used immediately or discarded.
Some items are magical (indicated by stars surrounding it). These have a single use and, once used, they must be discarded. Non-magical items may be used indefinitely.
Pack: any treasure you gain is put into your 'backpack'. Place the card, with the treasure at the top, fully into the deck, behind the Character card (and any held item cards) and in front of any recycled cards.
Character health and skills
Your health value is the highest number visible on the Character card tracker (see example on the next page). You keep track of your health by sliding the card up or down accordingly.
When you lose health, slide the card down into the deck by the amount of health lost. As you slide the card down, your skill(s) value may also be reduced.
If you gain health then slide the card up by the amount of health gained so that your new, higher, health value becomes visible. As you slide the card up, your skill(s) value may also be increased.
Starting the game
You start your adventure (and each new level) at the crossroads in the centre of the top card. Both caverns on this card are considered empty.
On each turn
Decide on the direction you want to explore (N, W, E or S).
Slide the top card in the opposite direction to reveal almost all of the card below and show where the pathway leads to.
A pathway can lead to either:
- A cavern: either small (A) or large (B). Large caverns generally have trickier encounters but greater rewards. Flip the card you slid to discover what you encounter when you enter that particular cavern.
- A crossroads. You can choose which cavern to enter (A or B). After choosing, flip the card you slid to find out what you encounter inside.
- A dead end. You cannot travel through a dead end. Recycle the card you slid (don't look at the encounter side). The turn ends. On your next turn you must travel away from the dead end you revealed.
If you entered a cavern you must then resolve the encounter. The other cavern on that card is considered to be empty.
Example of exploring
You are at the crossroads. Both caverns are empty. You can travel north, east or west. You cannot travel south as there is a dead end. You decide to travel north. Slide the cavern card down.
The path north leads to a large cavern (B) on the card below it. Flip the card that you slid to discover what you encounter inside the cavern.
Another example of exploring
You are at the crossroads. Both caverns are empty. You can travel north, east or west. You cannot travel south as there is a dead end. You decide to travel west. Slide the cavern card to the right.
The path west leads to a dead end on the card below. Recycle the card that you slid. On the next turn you must travel east (back the way you came, away from the dead-end).
Resolving encounters
An encounter can be with a creature, a peaceful dweller or an obstacle.
Each encounter has a difficulty rating, for each level of the game.
The dice in the corners of the cavern cards are used to resolve encounters.
To resolve an encounter, choose either 'left' or 'right'. Slowly slide the top cavern card upwards, just enough to reveal the dice at the bottom of the card below it. The die value revealed in your chosen bottom corner (left or right) is your encounter score. Slide the top card back down.
To succeed in an encounter your score must equal or exceed the encounter difficulty of the current level of the game.
Using a skill: If you have one of the applicable skills shown for the encounter then add its current value (shown on our Character card) to your score. Only one skill type may be added.
Using an item: Before an encounter die is revealed, you may use an item you hold to increase your score, as detailed in the item's description.
Adding effort: Before an encounter die is revealed, you may also add 'effort' to improve your chance of success. Adding effort will decrease your health.
Add the amount of effort you wish to exert to your encounter score and then decrease your health by the same amount.
Note that the amount of effort you add cannot make the required encounter score less than 2.
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Success: If your final encounter score is equal or greater than the encounter difficulty, then you succeed (you defeat the creature, charm a dweller or get past an obstacle).
The treasure or item you gain depends on the cavern size (A or B) and the level you are on (1, 2 or 3) as shown on the encounter card.
You may choose to take a lower level treasure or item, as long as it is for the same size of cavern.
Pack the treasure or equip the item gained.
Food gained instead of treasure (shown on the short edges of the cards) must be used immediately. Discard the card.
Food gained as an item (shown on long edges of the cards) may be held, to be used on a later turn, as long as your 2 item limit is not exceeded (you may use and/or discard an item held to make room for the food). Otherwise it must be used immediately.
You cannot exceed the maximum health shown for your character, so any additional health gained is lost.
You are then free to either pass through the cavern or go back the way you came to start your next turn.
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Failure: If your score is less than the encounter difficulty then you fail.
Reduce your health by the difference between the encounter difficulty and your score.
Then recycle the encounter card.
You cannot pass through the cavern and must go back the way you came to start your next turn.
Avoiding encounters
You may also choose to avoid an encounter by retreating. Reduce your health by 1 (you were dealt a glancing blow) and recycle the encounter card.
You must go back the way you came to start your next turn.
Optional encounters
Encounters marked with the optional symbol in the corner are optional.
These cards are always recycled, whether or not you decide to accept the encounter (unless a treasure or item on the card is gained, in which case the card is then either packed or equipped).
After the encounter you may pass through the cavern, even if you failed.
Note that, whether the encounter resulted in success, failure, retreat, acceptance or not, the other cavern on the card is considered to be empty.
End of level
Once you reveal the Level card then you have reached the end of the level.
Recycle the final cavern card that you slid.
Follow the instructions on the Level card to set up the deck for next level.
End of game
If your health ever falls below 1 then, unfortunately, you perish in the caverns and lose the game.
If you reveal the Exit card at the end of level 3 then you have managed to make it out of the caverns.
Add up the value of all the treasure in your backpack. Check the scoring table on the Exit card to see how well you did.
Note that, if there is ever a contradiction between the rule on a card and these rules, then the rule on the card should be followed.
Example of an encounter card
Treasure is shown at the top of the card, with the cavern size (A or B) and level number. Stars indicate that an item is magical. The cavern size and applicable skill(s) are shown on the left, with the encounter difficulty for levels 1, 2 and 3. The item, creature encountered and food (which may be found instead of treasure) are shown on the card. The treasure value is shown in the star.
Example of treasure gained
If you succeed in a large cavern encounter (B) on level 3, you would gain the 'B3' treasure or item shown on the encounter card. On the example below, this would be a Skills Potion.
Example of tracking health
On the example below, if you lose 4 health then slide the card down 4 spaces on the health tracker. It will then show a value of 2. Your weaponry will be reduced to 1 and you would have no stealth.
Example of a failed encounter
You have travelled north and revealed the pathway to large cavern (B). Your health is 6, as shown on the tracker. On entering the cavern you have flipped the card that you slid to reveal the 'B' encounter: a Giant Spider!
You are on Level 3 so the Encounter Difficulty, as shown on the card, is 7.
You can apply your weaponry skill of 3 and you also decide to use the Magic Wand that you hold to add 1 to your score. So you will require a die value of at least 3 to succeed in the encounter (3 + 1 + 3 = 7).
As you charge the spider you shout "left!" and slowly slide the top cavern card up, stopping as soon as the dice are revealed at the bottom of the card below. The bottom left die is a 2, so, unfortunately, you fail by 1 and must therefore reduce your health by 1. You slide the cavern card back down.
To reduce your health you slide the Character card down into the deck by 1 space on the health tracker, so that your health now shows as 5 (doing this will also reduce your weaponry to 2 and your stealth to nothing).
You recycle the encounter card and discard the magic wand.
On the next turn you must travel south.
Tips
If you see a treasure or item that you really desire, but it is for a higher level than the one you are on, you can retreat and recycle that card with the possibility that you'll encounter it again later in the game.
If you have difficulty keeping the Character card in the correct position to show your health, try using a paper clip to keep track of your health level. Slide it up or down on the card's health tracker as necessary.