Daemon Dice
Daemon Dice Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Winning the Game
It's Hell, no one wins. So, a daemon can only win by not losing.
Losing the Game
A daemon loses a battle when its player cannot roll at least one body part or it suffers damage to its last body part during its turn. Defeat doesn't necessarily mean death. There are several different ways of preventing a foe from rolling body part dice. Grabbing a foe's Arm with your Tentacle is every bit as effective as snipping off that Arm with a Pincer.
Learning the Game
The best way to learn the game is to:
- Get out some dice.
- Setup the game.
- Read over the "Seven Symbols" section.
- Read over the "Initiative" and "Sequence of Play" sections.
- Start playing.
- Reference the "Body Parts" section as needed during play.
Setup
Each player constructs a daemon of thirteen dice. After assembling their daemons, players describe the creatures to each other: "My daemon has three Eyes, a Brain, two Tentacles, two sets of Lungs, an Arm, a Stinger, and three Shells!"
Dice are always rolled in full view of all players, and each player may freely examine their foe's dice at any time during play.
The Seven Symbols
The images rolled tell what a daemon can do during a turn. Each has a different effect during play. Learn these seven mystic images and you have much of the game mastered.
Block is used to defend an attack other than ray or sweep. To intercept an attack, the block must have at least the same number of boosts as the attack. Fortunately, you can add any number of blocks and pluses into one defense. For example, an attack with two boosts could be intercepted by three blocks, or two blocks and a plus, or one block and two pluses. Note: You cannot combine block with dodge or deflect.
Deflect is used to defend any type of attack. To avoid an attack, the deflect must have at least the same number of boosts as the attack. Fortunately, you can add any number of deflects and pluses into one defense. For example, an attack with two boosts could be avoided by three deflects, or two deflects and a plus, or one deflect and two pluses. Note: You cannot combine deflect with dodge or block. You can also generate a deflect with a Shell or Arm.
Dodge counts as one point for initiative at the beginning of the game. After that, a dodge can only be used to defend a ray or sweep attack. To evade an attack, the dodge must have at least the same number of boosts as the attack. Fortunately, you can add any number of dodge and pluses into one defense. For example, an attack with two boosts could be evaded by three dodges, or two dodges and a plus, or one dodge and two pluses. Note: You cannot combine dodge with block or deflect.
Minus counts as one point for initiative at the beginning of the game. After that, it prevents the foe from rolling one die on their next turn. Unless otherwise noted, the foe decides what die is affected. Think of minuses as gaining an advantageous position.
Plus counts as one point for initiative at the beginning of the game. After that, a plus can boost an attack, making it harder to defend. A boosted attack doesn't do more damage. A plus can also be used to boost a defense to match the pluses used to boost an attack. A plus used to defend must be added to a block, deflect, or dodge. Alternately, it can be used to bring one stunned body part back into play. Pluses cannot bring back a wounded die.
Stun is used to make an attack that does one stun damage. Pluses can boost an attack making it harder to defend. Note: You cannot stun an already stunned or wounded die.
Wound is used to make an attack that does one wound damage. Pluses can boost an attack making it harder to defend. A wounded body part cannot be recovered by a plus. Note: You cannot wound an already stunned or wounded die.
Initiative
To begin the game, players each roll all of their dice to determine initiative. Every dodge, plus, minus, and symbols that generates initiative counts as one point of initiative; all other results have no effect. The high total wins initiative and takes the first turn. If you have a tie, then both players re-roll all dice ignoring the previous roll. In the extremely rare case that you tie three times, flip a coin. The minuses rolled by the loser (including any symbols that generate minuses) count against the winner's first turn.
Sequence of Play
After rolling initiative, players take their turns one at a time. Each player follows the steps below. When a player completes all of these steps, the foe's turn begins. Note that you only roll your dice once per turn. Your one roll is to do three main things: recover dice (if needed), defend against your foe's attacks (if any), and to setup your attacks (if you can!).
1. Roll
a. Activate Dice: Each die can be used for one game effect per turn. Activate your dice that aren't stunned, wounded, or grabbed. If you choose to activate a grabbing die, then it releases its target.
b. Apply Foe's Minuses: Place to your left a number of active dice equal to your foe's current minuses. These minus-ed dice cannot be rolled, but can be taken for stuns or wounds.
c. Roll Dice: Roll all your remaining active dice; the rolled symbols are the effects your daemon can take this turn. If you can't roll at least one body part, your daemon loses the battle immediately. Note: You can choose to ignore any rolled symbols, such as choosing not to defend an attack.
2. Recover
a. Recover Stuns: You can use pluses now to recover stunned body parts. Put all used pluses and recovered body parts to your left, with your other spent dice. These dice are out of play for the rest of your turn.
3. Defend
a. Apply Defenses: Match your defenses (and any boosting pluses) against any attacks arrayed against you. You and your foe now each set aside these spent defenses and defended attacks to the left.
b. Suffer Stuns & Wounds: Damage from any of your foe's attacks that you didn't defend are applied to body parts. If an attack stuns a die, put that stunned die to your right. If an attack wounds a die, put that wounded die to your right separate from your stunned dice. If all your body parts are stunned, wounded or grabbed, your daemon loses the battle immediately. Note: You can choose any body part which is not already stunned or wounded, including grabbed, minus-ed, or spent body parts to suffer damage.
4. Attack
a. Apply Grabs: Apply any of your grabbing effects.
b. Set Aside Minuses: Group all minuses (including any faces that generate minuses) you rolled which are still active and set in front of you; they will count against your foe's next turn.
c. Array Attacks: Set any of your attacks which are still active where your foe can see them, along with any pluses you assign to boost each. Now it's your foe's turn.
If two effects occur at the same instant (example: a Mouth and Stinger), then apply them in player turn and "Sequence of Play" order (example: "Recover Stuns" then "Suffer Stuns & Wounds").
That's it! You've learned the game.
Body Part Symbols
These symbols identify the type of body part a die represents. You don't have to learn all these symbols right now. Check their definitions as they are rolled during play. The effects of these symbols build upon definitions of the "Seven Symbols" above.
Arm: The Arm can be used as either a block to defend an attack or to make an attack that does one stun damage.
Brain: A Brain allows an attack to be targeted. Place the Brain behind the attacking die; if the attack is not defended, the attacker decides which dice suffer the damage prior to untargeted damage being suffered. The attack cannot be supplemented to cause additional damage (example: Spike).
Eye: A daemon's Eye is a ray attack that causes one stun damage and any pluses added to it count as two boosts! The ray cannot be blocked, but enough dodges, deflects, or pluses can defend it.
Leg: This is an attack that does two stun damage.
Lungs: A daemon's Lungs exhale a cloud of blinding and choking gas. It is equivalent to two minuses against your foe.
Mouth: A daemon's biting Mouth makes an attack that does one stun damage and also sucks blood! If the attack is not defended, the attacker recovers one of its stunned body parts immediately after all the victims defenses are applied.
Pincer: This is an attack that does one wound damage.
Shell: A daemon's Shell is a deflect. This can be boosted with pluses or deflects, including Shells.
Spike: The jagged points on a daemon's body can add a wound damage to an attack by another body part (except an Eye, of course). Place the Spike with the attack it accompanies. If that attack is not countered, the Spike adds a wound damage to it. Multiple Spikes can be added to a single attack. Spikes cannot be combined with a Brain. Note: that adding a Spike does not make the attack harder to defend, it only adds extra damage.
Stinger: The Stinger initially counts as an attack that does one stun damage. When attacks are arrayed (step 4c), the attacker can choose if it will inject poison if that attack is not defended. If so, and the attack is not defended, then poison is injected; the Stinger is immediately stunned and the defender suffers a wound damage from poison in addition to the stun damage.
Tail: A daemon's Tail does a sweeping attack that causes two stun damage! The sweep cannot be blocked, but enough dodges, deflects, or pluses can defend it.
Tentacle: The Tentacle grabs your choice of the foe's dice. During "Apply Grabs", place the Tentacle and the grabbed die together between the two daemons. You can choose to end this effect at any time, but as long as you leave the Tentacle there, the grabbed die cannot be rolled, grabbed, or minus-ed. The victim can apply stun or wound damage on a grabbed body part, which ends the effect and also frees the Tentacle. Note: A targeted minus, attack, or grabbing a Tentacle also releases whatever it was grabbing. When a daemon loses, it releases anything that it had grabbed.
Wings: Through power of flight, you gain a targeted minus. During your foe's next turn, you get to apply this minus to your choice of the foe's dice prior to the non-targeted minuses! This also counts as one point for initiative at the beginning of the game.
Half-Breed Immunity
Half-breeds are immune to the effects of rays, gas, and poison from dice that share either their primary flesh or blood color. Example: A half-breed with seven red-plastic/black-ink body part dice is immune to the effects of rays, gas, and poison of all red plastic dice and all black ink dice.
Purebred Powers
Purebreds have immunity to the effects of rays, gas, and poison of their specific breed only. In addition, each breed gains a special power.
Frost daemon (blue plastic/yellow ink): Dwelling so deep and far from any heat source, the buildup of frost provides extra protection and weakens attacks! Each turn, during Suffer Stuns & Wounds, one wound damage a frost daemon would suffer becomes a stun instead.
Rot daemon (black plastic/red ink): No one is as skilled in the art of decay as the rot daemons who have turned it into a science! At the end of each of its turns, the rot daemon may select one body part in the defending daemon's stun pool and make it rot, turning it into a wounded die!
The Advanced Game
The advanced game adds new elements: Multiplayer Battles, Breed Abilities, and Daemons of Unusual Size.
Multiplayer Battles
Three or more players can do battle using these advanced rules. To begin a multiplayer battle, all players roll for initiative simultaneously. The daemon with the highest total goes first. Handle any ties as in the two-player game. Of the other daemons, the one with the most minuses applies them to the starting daemon's first turn. If multiple players have the most minuses then decide among yourselves which player's minuses are applied.
The first player proceeds through the normal sequence of play, rolling their dice and choosing a daemon as the target of all of their minuses, attacks, tentacles, etc. The targeted daemon then takes their turn as normal, applying its defenses to those attacks, and then choosing a daemon as the target of its minuses, attacks, and such.
When a daemon is defeated (i.e. no body parts to roll), they are out and can no longer be attacked. The defeated daemon chooses another daemon who will take the next turn (with no minuses or attacks arrayed against them). Play continues in this way; each daemon defending from the previous daemon, and choosing a daemon to attack, until only one remains, victor over all others!
Breed Abilities
Daemons come in different breeds, indicated by the color of the dice plastic (flesh) and ink (blood). Those composed of body part dice from only a single plastic/ink mix are purebreds. Those with at least half (but not all) of their body part dice of a single plastic/ink mix are half-breeds. Those with no two body part dice exactly alike are mongrels (unless their dice and ink colors qualify them as a half-breed or pure-breed). Each type of daemon receives special powers in play.
Mongrel Stamina: Mongrels are especially tough. During "Recover Stuns", they automatically recover one stunned body part per turn, without spending pluses for it.
Daemons of Unusual Size
If you want a quicker battle, try mini-daemons built with only 5 dice. If you want a massive battle, try mega-daemons built with 26 dice. Daemons can be built with any number of dice, but all should have the same number. If your daemon is exactly half one breed and half another, declare which it will be prior to each game. For each multiple (or fraction) of 13 dice, a purebred daemon's special power effect is increased by one, i.e. 1 to 13 dice affects 1, 14 to 26 dice affects 2, etc.