Dark Rituals: Malleus Maleficarum – Solo Mode Expansion

Expansion for Dark Rituals: Malleus Maleficarum

Dark Rituals: Malleus Maleficarum – Solo Mode Expansion Rulebook

Table of Contents

An Introduction

Welcome to the solo rules for Dark Rituals: Malleus Maleficarum. Our goal is to create a challenging solo game using components from the Core Game and its Stretch Goals. You will also be able to substitute all Characters from any Expansion to increase the variety in your games.

In Solo Mode, you will be the Witch Master, controlling the Dark Legion as normal. Most of the rules for the Witch Master are unchanged, so even players more interested in the normal multi-player game may find Solo Mode a useful learning experience. We expect you to be familiar with the core rules before reading on.

Game play for the Heroes is very different. Although it is similar to the core in many ways, it is substantially simplified to allow you to focus on your role as the Witch Master.

Solo Mode has two new decks of cards:

6 Hero Action Cards.
18 Hero AI Cards.

Of course, most of the components from the core game will be used.

Setup

Follow the normal setup instructions in the core game, ignoring the steps for the Heroes. Reserve a space on the table for the Hero components.

Separate the Solo Mode cards into 6 Hero Action Cards and 18 Hero AI Cards. Hero AI Cards have a large number on their back.

Put out the 6 Hero Action Cards, in numerical order, with the card for Hero 1 nearest you.

Place a Hero's Dashboard and Weapon Card beside each Hero Action Card. You may select any Heroes in your collection, but we recommend using Heroes that match the Hero Class Icon shown on the Hero Action Card.

Place the Hero Miniatures on the board.

Shuffle the 18 Hero AI cards. Place the deck face down within easy reach.

Place 1 Hero Attribute Board in the Heroes' play area. Put 4 marker cubes nearby, but not on the Attribute Board.

Optional: Remove the special Botanical Cards that are not simple Alchemical Ingredients from the deck. For faster setup, leave these cards in the deck; discard them and redraw if they ever come into play.

Optional: Remove the Blood Magic Spells from the Loot Deck. For faster setup, leave these cards in the deck; discard them and redraw if they ever come into play.

Optional: Select Creatures that have powers suited to the Solo Game. For example, powers that do not manipulate the Heroes' Stamina.

See the following pages for an example setup.

Hero Action Cards

Transcribed from the card art printed in the PDF. Each card is headed by its Hero number and lists its entries in order. Entries marked with the Alchemy symbol are Alchemy Spells (see Hero AI below). A horizontal line on a card separates its Actions above from its Reactions below; on Hero Action Cards 1 to 3, the entry below the line is the Alchemy Spell at the bottom of the card. The icons on these cards are images in the PDF, and where a symbol is not named in the printed text it is given here in brackets.

Hero 1 – Curthouse

Move 2 To Chest, Search Chest.
Move Towards Witch, Enemy.
Attack Enemy.

Alchemy L2: When any Hero Attacks a Witch, gain +1 [starburst icon].

Hero 2 – Battista

Attack Enemy.
Move 2 To Botanicals, Pick Up Botanicals.
Move Towards Enemy.

Alchemy LX: When any Hero is Attacked, gain X Resistance.

Hero 3 – Wolgar

Alchemy L2: Heal 1 [droplet icon], any Hero.
Move Towards Enemy.
Attack Enemy.

Alchemy L2: When a Serf makes an Armor Save, gain +2 Resistance.

Hero 4 – Corday

Alchemy L2: Evade 2 To Witch, Attack Witch & Gain +1 [starburst icon].
Alchemy L3: Teleport To nearest Objective.
Move 2 Towards Enemy.

Hero 5 – Teuta

Search Chest.
Attack Enemy.
Move Towards Enemy.

Hero 6 – Magenta

Move To Witch, Attack Witch.
Search Chest or Pick Up Botanicals.
Move 2 Towards Enemy.

Solo Rules

Witch Master

The Witch Master plays by the normal rules of the game with some minor exceptions. As you will see in the Hero AI Section, Heroes no longer use Stamina. All changes are related to Stamina.

Passing: In the multi-player game, deciding when to Pass is an important part of Stamina management. In the Solo game, only the Witch Master uses Stamina and if they Passed freely, they could Recover Stamina at will.

The Witch Master may take one or two Actions as normal. However, when the Witch Master Passes, they take no Actions and the Heroes immediately Activate for two Actions. Then Recover the Witch Master's Exhausted Stamina, and start the next round, with the Heroes going first. This means that the Heroes will take many consecutive Actions when the Witch Master Passes. You must still manage your Stamina and time Passing carefully!

Plagues: Plagues are an important weapon for the Witch Master in the multi-player game, Locking the Heroes' Stamina to reduce the Actions they can perform each Round.

Plagues are still deadly. They are spread normally, but have a different effect. Ignore the source type, but take a note of the amount of Stamina the Heroes would lose, let's call this X. In Solo Mode, the Witch Master:

Permanently gains X Stamina from the box, added to their ready pile.
Causes X wounds to the Heroes, distributed in any combination.
Moves the marker cubes on the Attribute Board back X spaces, again in any combination.

Since Plague Cards are fully resolved when they are played, they can be discarded. There are no "Active Plagues" and the Heroes do not try to cure Plagues.

Spell and Ability Effects: Many other spells and abilities cause the Heroes to Exhaust Stamina. In the multi-player game this disrupts the Heroes' ability to take Actions and Reactions, but in Solo Mode this would clearly have no effect on the Heroes.

If the Witch Master causes a Hero to Exhaust Stamina, the Hero discards one Botanical Card instead. One Botanical Card is lost for each Hero affected, regardless of the amount of Stamina Exhausted.

There are a few other effects that have no effect, for example, the Witchcraft Spell "Misstep". If these effects come into play, they simply do nothing. Think of them as misfires, magic is not perfect. Don't forget that the Witch Master can discard and redraw Witchcraft Cards at the beginning of each Round.

Demon Deck

The Demon Deck controls how the Demon acts, mostly aligned with the Witches, but sometimes working to their own agenda. In the multi-player game, the Hero Players will sometimes choose the Demon's Actions to create this random behavior.

For the Solo Mode, we recommend that you remove the cards that give the choice to the Hero Players, and substitute cards that have a forced Action that can go against the Witch Master. For example, take the eight cards for the Haborym Deck, and then swap Sulker for Chassen.

Hero AI

When the Heroes Activate, a randomly selected Hero is controlled by two cards, their Hero Action Card and a randomly drawn Hero AI Card. Both cards list a series of Actions, and Reactions, and the Hero will work through the list twice, until they have performed two entries on the list. Usually this will be two Actions, but sometimes the Heroes will cast Alchemy Spells behind the scenes to allow them to perform more than two Actions in one Turn.

Stamina: Solo Heroes do not use Stamina at all, so Actions and Reactions can be performed without considering the Heroes' Stamina.

Aid: When a Hero is in the same Area as one or more other Heroes, they gain a +1 boost to all of their Attributes when they are performing Actions.

Defense: To minimize dice rolling, Heroes do not Defend and will only use Armor Saves. Note their Resistance Skill often advances quickly and there are Alchemy Reactions to buff Resistance, so this can be quite effective.

Items: Items work in a simplified way. Heroes may only equip one card of each type: Attack Upgrade, Defense Upgrade and an Artifact. Ignore any restrictions on the card (weight, attribute level, etc), other than this one-of-a-kind limit. When you Search a Chest, draw two Item Cards, and equip both Items if possible. If there are Items that cannot be equipped, discard them.

Once equipped, ignore the effect described on the card. Instead, all Attack Upgrades give +1 to Strength, all Defense Upgrades give +1 to Resistance and all Artifacts give +1 to Agility.

Note the Loot Deck should only contain Items. If you did not remove Blood Magic Spells and draw one, discard it and redraw.

Objectives: The Heroes will also be given Objectives in the Encounter Description, for example "Defeat three Possessed Serfs". "Activate Objective" means perform the Action related to the Objective described in the Encounter. For this Objective "Activate Objective", means the Hero will Attack a Possessed Serf. Similarly, "Move to Objective" means "Move to the Area where you can Attack a Serf". These Actions are Encounter Specific.

Quite often, the Objective Action will not be possible at all. For example, if the Objective is "Defeat three Possessed Serfs", there might not be any Possessed Serfs on the board. If there is no current Objective at all, then there is always a Default Objective, "Attack Witch". This may come into play several times, for example at the start of the Encounter and then again after all the Possessed Serfs have been Defeated. Note that being out of range of an Objective does not enable the Default Objective; it is only used when the Encounter Objective is completely impossible. An Encounter may define an alternate Default Objective.

Defeating a Hero: When a Hero is Defeated, immediately remove the miniature from the board and place it in the Hero pool. If it was the Active Hero, their Turn ends. Remove the Hero ID Card and Weapon Card from the play area and discard all Weapon Upgrades. Leave the Hero Action Card in place, marking an empty slot in the Heroes' lineup.

Spawning a Hero: In this onslaught, there are plenty of Heroes willing to enter the battle. If you need to Activate a Hero but that slot is empty, it is time to Spawn a Hero. Select a Hero from the pool, preferably matching the Class Icon for that slot and place the new Hero's ID and Weapon Cards beside the Hero Action Card. Place the Miniature in the Area marked as the Hero Spawn Area in the Scenario. Spawning is the Hero's first Action, so they will only take one more Action this Turn.

If you have no more new Heroes to Spawn, use one that has been Defeated already. Let's say it's the original Hero's brother or sister, out for revenge!

Attributes and Attribute Advancement: All Heroes share one Attribute Board, think of it more like group morale: when the battle is going their way, they all fight harder. A Hero's Attribute is always the value printed on its ID Card plus the value from the Attribute Track, plus other bonuses.

The Attribute Track starts at zero in Solo Mode, but rapidly advances using the following rules:

Defeating any Enemy Character advances Strength, Resistance or Agility.
Casting an Alchemical Spell as an Action advances Alchemy.

Note that casting Alchemical Spells as Reactions and the minor Alchemies hidden inside other Actions does not Advance the Alchemy Skill.

When Strength, Resistance or Agility advance, always advance the Skill with the lowest value first. If multiple Skills have the same value, work from the top to the bottom on the Attribute Board.

Serfs: Often, only one Serf ID Card is used. Treat all Serfs as that one type, regardless of the miniature being used. The Encounter will state which Serf ID Card(s) to use. Serfs do not gain bonuses from the Attribute Board and do not advance markers on the Attribute Board. Heroes will Aid Serfs, but Serfs do not Aid Heroes.

Select a Hero: At the start of the Heroes' Turn, you need to select the Hero that will Activate. Flip the top Hero AI Card and place it face up in the discard pile. Activate the Hero whose Hero Number is shown on the back of the top card in the Hero AI Deck, the card back that you just revealed. The number on the card will be 1 to 6 and corresponds to the Hero Number on one of the 6 Hero Action Cards.

If that Hero has been Defeated, the Hero Number may identify an Empty Hero slot. If so, Spawn a Hero this Turn, see above.

Activate the Hero: The Hero AI Card and Hero Action Card both contain several bulleted points. Most are one Action, but sometimes they are multiple Actions together. To select an entry, start at the top of the randomly drawn Hero AI Card and pick the first valid Action that the Hero can perform. If none are currently valid, repeat this process for this Hero's Action Card. After finding an entry that can be performed, go back to the very start and search both cards again to find another entry to resolve. It's possible that the same entry will be used twice.

Rarely, the Hero will not find a valid entry to perform. In this case, the Witch Master gets lucky and the Hero has a shortened Turn.

There are many different kinds of entries on the cards and some terms are specific to the Solo game. These are explained as follows:

Single Actions: Many of the entries are simply a single Action. In this case, the Hero performs that Action as expected.

Multiple Actions: Some entries contain multiple Actions. The Hero will do all the Actions that they can from entries like this, in the order shown on the Card. Think of the Hero performing some minor Alchemy behind the scenes to allow extra Actions. The Hero does not have to perform all the Actions in the entry, nor do they have to perform the first Action in the entry. So long as they can perform any of the Actions, they will select this entry and do their best.

Alchemy: Alchemy is performed without each Hero having a large book of Spells. Instead, you will see some Alchemy spells on both types of Solo Cards. Further, you will not need to worry about the exact Alchemical Ingredients, just the number of Ingredients that Heroes have in their shared pool. For example, discard any two Botanicals to Attack the Screaming Skulls.

There are three Alchemy Spells at the bottom of Hero Action Cards 1-3. In addition, some Hero AI Cards may have Alchemy Spells on them, so the active Hero AI Card may add to the available Spells. Alchemies that are Actions are all available to the Active Hero, regardless of which card they are on, and it is a good idea to review the available spells before taking Actions with a Hero to ensure the Hero casts the spell if appropriate. This is especially true for Reaction Alchemy Spells: any Hero may use the Reaction when triggered, if the conditions described below are met.

All Alchemy Spells have a Level 1 to 4, such as L2. To cast an Alchemy Spell (Action or Reaction):

The Hero must have an Alchemy Skill equal to or greater than the level of the Spell.
There must be enough Alchemy Ingredients in the shared pool to discard the same number of Alchemy Ingredients as the Level of the Spell. The actual Ingredients are not important, just the number of cards.
The Spell Effect must affect the situation.

A Hero with the Skill and Ingredients to cast an Alchemy Spell will always cast it, even if the effect is small and not particularly helpful. Do not try to "save spells for later". However, if the Hero meets the casting requirements but the spell will have no effect at all, the Hero will not cast it. For example, while performing an Armor Save, a Hero will not perform a Reaction to buff their Resistance from 2 to 4 if the Attacker generated an Attack Value of 5. Heroes will not waste Ingredients on Spells that have no effect. This applies to all Alchemy Spells, both Actions and Reactions.

Some Alchemy Spells have a variable level, LX. Decide a value from 1-4 for X. The value of X will be used elsewhere in the Spell, for example "Alchemy LX When any Hero is Attacked, gain X Resistance." So you could cast a Level 1 Alchemy to gain 1 Resistance or a Level 3 Alchemy to gain 3 Resistance.

Hero Reactions: Many of the Alchemy Spell shown on the visible cards will be Reactions. As in the normal game, these do not require the Hero to be Active. Any Hero will perform a Reaction when it is triggered, so long as they can pay any costs, have the required Skill and the Reaction will have an effect.

Most of the Actions listed on the AI Cards are closely related to an Action in the multi-player game. Here are some clarifications of terms on the cards, beginning with movement. There are three different Actions related to movement:

Move: The Hero Moves but cannot Evade automatically. If the Hero needs to Evade and cannot pass the Skill check, they cannot take this Action, so look for another entry on the Cards.

Evade: The Hero automatically passes their Evade check and can Move normally.

Teleport: Move ignoring all hindrances, including other Characters and Walls.

These three movement options may include more information:

Move (etc) #: The Hero can Move, etc, up to the number of Areas specified. If no number is specified, Move one Area as normal. If this is literally a "Move #", Heroes only need to make the Evade check to Move out of the first Area. Once they start moving, they do not need to continue making Evade checks, they can use their momentum to push forwards.

Move (etc) To: The Hero must end in an Area where they can interact with the Target. Most often, this means end in the same Area as the Target. However, if the Hero is going to Attack the Target and the Hero has a Ranged Weapon, then the Hero may move into a position to make a ranged Attack. For example, "Move To Witch" means Move 1 Area ending in a location where you can Attack a Witch. Curthouse only has a Melee Weapon, so he would need to Move to the same Area as a Witch. Corday has a Ranged Weapon, so she may use the same Action to Move to an Area that is Adjacent to a Witch.

Move (etc) Toward: The Hero moves towards the Target, but does not have to end in a position to interact with the Target. Choose the closest Target. A Hero will often use Actions like this twice, and get much closer.

These terms can be combined. For example, "Evade 2 to Minion" means Move up to 2 Areas, automatically passing Evade Checks, if you can get to an Area where you can Attack a Minion.

Note that the Hero will skip over unnecessary Move Actions. If Curthouse is in an Area with Hagatha, he will not use the Move Towards Witch Action to move towards Pekka. Instead, he will skip over that Move Action and find some more dynamic Action in the list, perhaps Attacking Hagatha.

Pick up Botanicals: If there is a Botanical Token in the same Area as the Hero, flip the token to see the number of ingredients, and draw that number of cards. Instead of giving the cards to the Active Hero, place them in a single shared pool for all Heroes to use. Discard the Token.

Search Chest: If there is a Chest in the same Area as the Hero, draw two Item Cards and equip both Items on the Hero's Weapon, if possible. Discard the Items that cannot be equipped. Discard the Chest Token.

Many cards will associate an Action with a Target, for example "Move To Witch". Most of these Targets will be obvious:

Witch, Creature, Minion, Disciple, Hero, Serf: normal meaning.
Enemy: Any member of the Dark Legion.
Objective: Identified in the Scenario.

List of Targets: Sometimes multiple targets will be given, for example, "Witch, Disciple". Select any of the objects in the list, starting with the first entry, ending with last. So "Move To Witch, Enemy" means "Move 1 Area, taking an Evade Check if required, ending where you can Attack a Witch. If that is not possible, Move 1 Area, taking an Evade Check if required, ending where you can Attack any Enemy".

If there are many valid Targets, pick the closest. If there are still multiple options, pick the one that you want the Heroes to Attack the least. They are supposed to be hurting you, after all!

Simplified Rules: You may wish to ignore Ranged weapons during movement for your first game. When a Hero is instructed to "Move To Target", they must move to the same Area as the target.

Advanced Action Selection: Once you are completely familiar with the game you may wish to add a little human intelligence to the way the Heroes play. For example, if a Hero can legally Move to the same Area as a Target or an Area Adjacent to the Target, compare their melee and ranged weapon and move to the Area that gives them the best Attack. If they can legally move into Attack Range on several Enemies, rather than picking the closest, select the target they are most likely to Defeat, or the one you want them to Attack the least! Follow the rules, but resolve equivalent options in a way that will cause you the most trouble.

Default Win Conditions

Encounter specific win conditions are given in all Encounters. In addition, these two win conditions are always active:

Witch Master: The Witch Master wins immediately if they Defeat a total of six Heroes. The Heroes do not need to be Defeated at the same time.

Heroes: The Heroes win immediately if all the Witches are Defeated at the same time.

Hero AI Card FAQ

The PDF shows this sample Hero AI Card:

Search Chest or Pick Up Botanicals.
Attack Enemy.
Move 2 Towards Enemy.

Alchemy L1: When you Search a Chest, draw 2 Loot Cards.

If you cast the Alchemy on this card, draw 2 cards in addition to the 2 cards that are normally drawn from the Chest.

Worked Examples

Teuta Works Some Magic

The PDF shows a Hero AI Card with the back number 5, the Hero 5 Action Card, and Teuta's ID card. The Hero AI Card entries are:

Activate Objective.
Alchemy L2: Attack 2 Enemies in Range. (Highlighted in red in the PDF.)
Attack Enemy.
Evade To Objective.

The Hero 5 Action Card entries are:

Search Chest.
Attack Enemy.
Move Towards Enemy. (Highlighted in yellow in the PDF.)

A Hero AI Card is flipped, revealing that Hero 5, Teuta should Activate. The following image shows she is in the top left corner of B3, away from the main action and her Objective, but is adjacent to some minions.

Working through the seven card entries, we see can execute the last entry, highlighted in yellow. She cannot Activate or Evade to her Objective, it's too far away. She cannot Attack because she does not have a ranged weapon. There is no chest to Search. But she can Move Towards an Enemy, making a Move to the Area with two Condemned.

For her second Action, let's assume she still cannot Activate her Objective. The second entry, highlighted in red lets her do something exciting. If she has an Alchemy of 2, and at least 2 Botanical Cards, this entry will fire. First she discards two Botanical Cards and increases the marker on the Alchemy Track one notch. Then she makes two separate Attacks on the Condemned. She rolls the dice for her Attack and adds the number of hits for her Strength + Strength on the Attribute Board and any other bonuses, such as an Attack Upgrade from an Item. The Minions roll for Defense normally. There is a good chance she will kill one or both of the Condemned, increasing Skills on the Attribute Board if she does.

What happens if she cannot cast that Alchemy?

The next entry is Attack Enemy, so she simply Attacks one of the Condemned.

Battista Moves Up

The PDF shows a Hero AI Card with the back number 2, the Hero 2 Action Card, and Battista's ID card. The Hero AI Card entries are:

Attack 2+ Minions in Range. (Highlighted in yellow in the PDF.)
Move 2 Towards Objective. (Highlighted in red in the PDF.)
Activate Objective.

Alchemy L1: When you Attack, Melee weapons gain Range 1. (Highlighted in yellow in the PDF.)

Another card is flipped, revealing Hero 2, Battista. He is already in the thick of it, positioned at the top right of tile B2. He is with a Ravenous, Adjacent to a Condemned and his Object is to free the spirit of the Possessed Serf.

The first entry on the card looks like it cannot be used. Battista does not have a Ranged Weapon and can only Attack 1 Minion, the Ravenous. However, it is always good to scan the cards for Reactions. If Battista has 1 Botanical, he can cast the Alchemy that gives him a ranged Attack! Let's assume he has an Ingredient to discard and he attacks two Minions. Since the Alchemy is a Reaction, it does not advance the Alchemy Track, but there is a good chance he will Defeat two Minions and advance the Heroes' Skills by 2 anyway.

Assuming both Minions are defeated, what is next? Starting from the top, he cannot Attack 2 or more Minions again so we need to look further. But the second entry works well: Move 2 Towards the Objective. He is only 2 Areas way from the Objective, the Possessed Serf, so he can move right up to it.

Encounter 1: Gather Their Souls

"These 'Heroes' are scurrying everywhere. They are more like cockroaches than Heroes! There must be a way to get rid of them. We'll be overrun!" moans Hagatha.

"We can scare them off. Misery and fear will drive them away," says Pekka.

"That's it! Bind some souls of these dead peasants to this land, and the Aura of Evil will do all the work we need," cackles Hagatha.

Witch Master's Stamina: The Witch Master starts with 25 Stamina.
Witch Master's Misery Board: Place three Plague Reward Tokens at 2, 4 & 6 Souls.
Serfs: All Serfs are Farmers.
Red AoI: Spawn Heroes in the Area marked with the red Area of Interest icon.

Special Rules

Trapped Souls: When the Dark Legion Defeats a Serf, its Soul is trapped in the mortal realm. Replace the Serf Miniature with a Soul Token.

Hero Objectives

No Trapped Souls: When there are no Trapped Souls on the board, the Heroes' Default Objective is "Attack Witch". The "Move To Objective" Action means move to an Area where the Hero can Attack a Witch.

Souls are Trapped: When a Hero is in the same Area as a Trapped Soul, the "Activate Objective" Action will free the Trapped Soul. Remove the Soul Token from the board and place it in the Heroes' play area. The "Move To Objective" Action means move to the same Area as the Trapped Soul Token.

Win Conditions

Heroes: The Heroes win immediately if they Free three Trapped Souls.

"It was a good plan, but we need to work harder," says Pekka staring at Hagatha. "Why are you looking at me? I only fed once."

Witch Master: The Witch Master wins immediately if there are four Trapped Souls on the board at the same time.

"Perfect! All is as I said it would be." croaks Hagatha. "You are happy now, but I think they will return."

Encounter 2: Kill the Heroes

"It's getting worse," cries Ikrek. "They are back again!" "How about the Darkness Ritual? If we turn day to night, they will run in fear!" "No, the Pestilence Ritual is better. Rot their crops and they will go looking for food." "Foul Water would work! They all need to drink." "Let's try something simple. Why don't we just kill them?" whispers Hagatha. "That solves the problem and gives us a snack."

Witch Master's Stamina: The Witch Master starts with 25 Stamina.
Witch Master's Misery Board: Place three Plague Reward Tokens at 2, 4 & 6 Souls.
Serfs: All Serfs are Farmers.
Red AoI: Spawn Heroes in the Area marked with the red Area of Interest icon.

Special Rules

None.

Hero Objectives

All Game: The Heroes' Objective is "Attack Witch". The "Move To Objective" Action means move to an Area where the Hero can Attack a Witch.

Win Conditions

Heroes: Defeat three Witches in total. The Witches do not need to be Defeated at the same time.

"They are stronger than we thought. The three of us alone are not as strong as all the Heroes in this entire land," says Pekka shifting uncomfortably from one scaled foot to another.

Witch Master: Defeat four Heroes in total. The Heroes do not need to be Defeated at the same time.

"A simple plan and simple win. But these Heroes are endless and they are fighting for their land. I fear this is not a victory but a brief respite," says Hagatha, more desolate than her sisters.

Encounter 3: A Risky Solution

"There are too many of them. They will force us back to Neemoss!" Hagatha seems disturbed at this thought. "I cannot bear the idea, Demons pushing us around all the time. Life here was so easy." "Perhaps one Demon would not ruin things," muses Pekka. "Yes, having a little more strength on our side can only help. If we give the beast some blood that will keep it off our backs." Hagatha is easily persuaded. "For a little while, at least. I've seen Neemossian Rubies spread around. If we can collect enough, they would attract something's attention. But I don't think we should touch them, we don't want the Demon near us." Pekka describes her plan to the other Witches.

Witch Master's Stamina: The Witch Master starts with 25 Stamina.
Witch Master's Misery Board: Place four Plague Reward Tokens at 2, 4, 6 & 8 Souls.
Serfs: All Serfs are Farmers.
Red AoI: Spawn Heroes in the Area marked with the red Area of Interest icon.
Yellow AoI: The Yellow Area of Interest icon marks The Pit (see below).
Demon Deck: Prepare and shuffle an 8 card Demon Deck as described in the main rules above, but do not draw cards until the start of the Witch Master's activation, after the Demon is Summoned.

Special Rules

Pickup Neemossian Ruby, 2: Any Possessed Serf in an Area with a Neemossian Ruby may Pick It Up, as an Action. If a Possessed Serf is destroyed while holding a Neemossian Ruby, they drop it in their Area. A Possessed Serf may only carry one Neemossian Ruby at a time.

Throw Neemossian Ruby, 2: Any Possessed Serf in an Area Adjacent to The Pit can throw the Ruby into The Pit. The Demon is immediately Summoned to The Pit. Remove all other Red Crystal tokens from the game.

Single-Minded Possessed Surfs: If a Possessed Serf is carrying a Neemossian Ruby, they are determined to throw it into The Pit. If you Activate a Possessed Serf that is carrying a Red Crystal, it can only perform two Actions: Move or Throw the Ruby. Also, a Possessed Serf is allowed to Evade automatically if it only takes one Action (to Move) when it Activates. It can still Defend, as that is a Reaction.

The Pit: No Characters may Move into The Pit. When the Demon is Summoned, place it in The Pit. The Demon may Move out of the Pit normally, but once out, the Demon also cannot Move back into the Pit. Heroes Adjacent to the Pit can Attack the Demon with Ranged Weapons while it is in there.

Hero Objectives

If the Demon has entered the game, "Activate Objective" means Attack the Demon.

If a Possessed Serf is holding a Neemossian Ruby, "Activate Objective" means Attack the Possessed Serf.

If neither condition is true, "Activate Objective" means Attack a Witch.

Win Conditions

Heroes: The Heroes win immediately if:

All the Serfs have been Possessed and Defeated before the Demon is Summoned, or
They Defeat the Demon.

"They defeat us again!" Hagatha squeals. "Don't worry, sister. There will be another battle."

Witch Master: The Witch Master wins immediately if the Demon strikes the killing blows that Defeat two Heroes. The Heroes do not need to be Defeated at the same time, and the Demon does not have to cause all the Wounds to the Hero, just the last Wound.

"I have never been so glad to have a Demon around!" declares Hagatha. "We should give it some food, that always makes them happy. The last thing we need here is an angry Demon." "What Demon? Seems like it has returned to Neemoss already. I guess it wants us to fight our own battles."

Encounter 4: Get me Some Souls!

"The lazy Demon has gone back to Neemoss! I'll teach it a lesson. Get me enough souls and I'll drag it back here soon enough!" Pekka is in a rage. "Are you sure that's wise?" say Hagatha and Ikrek at the same time. "I don't care! I'm not going back to Neemoss and we need that Demon to kill these Heroes!"

Witch Master's Stamina: The Witch Master starts with 25 Stamina.
Witch Master's Misery Board: Place four Plague Reward Tokens at 2, 4, 6 & 8 Souls.
Serfs: Use both types of Serf, as marked on the map.
Red AoI: Spawn Heroes in the Area marked with the red Area of Interest icon.
Yellow AoI: Spawn the Demon in the Area marked with the yellow Area of Interest icon.

Special Rules

Feisty Militia: At the start of the Heroes' activation, each Militia will Attack every Member of the Dark Legion that is in its Area. This happens before the Hero Activates and is in addition to the Hero's Activation. When a Militia Defeats a Character, they do not advance skills on the Attribute Board.

Cave System: The Cave System is the three connected Areas of Tile A1, starting with Pekka's Area. The Cave Entrance is the remaining Area on tile A1, which contains two Condemned and a Ravenous at the start of the game.

Pekka's Guard: Pekka has already cast a spell to prevent Heroes entering the Cave System. Heroes may enter the Cave Entrance outside the Cave System but cannot go into the Cave System if there is a member of the Dark Legion in the Entrance Area. Heroes that have entered the Cave System can move freely, unless they leave the Caves.

Pekka's Ritual: Pekka is summoning the Demon. She cannot perform any Actions including leaving the Area she is in. However, she can make Reactions, including Defend. When any five Serfs have been Defeated, Pekka summons the Demon to join her in the Cave. At that point the Ritual is over and Pekka can take Actions normally.

Hero Objectives

If the Demon has entered the game, "Activate Objective" means Attack the Demon.

If the Active Hero has entered the Cave System or there are no Guards and Heroes can enter the Cave System, "Activate Objective" means Attack Pekka.

If neither condition is true, "Activate Objective" means Attack any members of the Dark Legion who are Guarding the Entrance to the Cave.

Win Conditions

Heroes: The Heroes win immediately if:

They Defeat Pekka before the Demon has been Summoned, or
They can Defeat the Demon.

"You let me down again! Do I have to do everything?" Pekka is in a screaming rage. "Do everything? It seems you did nothing!"

"This is a winning formula! Even if we have to summon the Demon every time, we can win these battles with ease," proclaims Hagatha. "With ease? That ritual took a lot from me. We must make sure that Demon does not abandon us again. I am sure there will be another battle before this world is ours."

Encounter 5: The Blood Sacrifice

"Pekka your magic is too weak! You cannot bind it to this realm!" Hagatha is getting more irritable; she must be hungry. "Well, you do something! You think you can perform a better ritual?" Pekka is in no mood for criticism. "It will take more than a few dead humans to bend a Demon to our will. I will make a Blood Sacrifice!" "No, Hagatha, you are too frail for such dark magic. I will make the Blood Sacrifice and end this once and for all. And we must make sure the Demon is welcomed when it arrives." Ikrek surprises both the other Witches with her determination.

Witch Master's Stamina: The Witch Master starts with 25 Stamina.
Witch Master's Misery Board: Place four Plague Reward Tokens at 2, 4, 6 & 8 Souls.
Serfs: Use both types of Serfs, as marked on the map.
Red AoI: Spawn Heroes in the Area marked with the red Area of Interest icon.
Yellow AoI: The Yellow Area of Interest icon marks The Pit (see below).
Green AoI: A Witch in the Area with the Green Area of Interest icon can Greet the Demon when it is Summoned.
Demon Deck: Prepare and shuffle an 8 card Demon Deck as described in the main rules above.

Special Rules

Committed: These three Witches are committed to this final battle. They will not summon other Witches to the fight and they are removed from the game when they are Defeated.

The Blood Sacrifice: When the Dark Legion Defeats a Hero, perform the following:

Place a Soul Token in the Pit.
Place a Wound Token on Ikrek. If this Defeats Ikrek, Summon the Demon (see below).

Once the Demon is summoned, the Blood Sacrifice is over. (You may continue to add more Tokens to The Pit as you Defeat Heroes, to track progress towards the Witch Master's Objective.)

Summon the Demon: The Demon is Summoned when either one of these conditions is true:

There are four Soul Tokens in the Pit.
Ikrek has been Defeated, by any means.

Immediately place the Demon in the Pit.

Greet the Demon: The Blood Sacrifice is a powerful ritual that will anger the Demon if the Witches are not careful. If there are no Witches in the Area marked with a green Region of Interest marker to oversee the Demon's entry to our realm, all Witches take 1 Wound Token each.

Hero Objectives

All Game: The Heroes' Objective is "Attack a Witch or the Demon". These Targets have equal priority, choose the closest Target, and resolve ties by attacking the Target the Heroes are most likely to Defeat.

Win Conditions

Heroes: The Heroes win immediately if:

They Defeat all three Witches, or
They Defeat the Demon.

"Enough! This was a sweet land for a while, but all these endless battles have soured my love for this place," moans Ikrek. "Agreed. Easier to take the occasion beating from a Demon on Neemoss than to fight for our lives all the time," says Hagatha, rummaging through her pockets for a morsel. "So, back home we go. I have enough energy to ride the Conduit, if that is the decision." Pekka looks exhausted, even if she says she is not. "Let's go and take our magic with us!"

Witch Master: The Witch Master wins immediately if six Heroes are Defeated in total. The Heroes do not need to be Defeated at the same time.

"It's done! They will not be back for a while!" says Ikrek, ignoring the blood oozing from her wounds. "Yes, I feel we will get some peace again. Time for a feast," says Hagatha as she surveys the carnage of the battlefield. "A win yes, but perhaps not a total victory. Given time these humans will regroup and the fighting will start again. Best we lay low and avoid all this strife. A life here in the shadows is still an easy life." The other witches look a Pekka with irritation, but they know she is right.

Note: if you substitute other Witches into this Encounter, make the Witch with the most Health the target of the Blood Sacrifice. If this Witch is Defeated, the Demon is Summoned.

Changing the Difficulty

These Encounters get harder to win as they progress. The following changes will make the game easier for the Witch Master:

Move one, some or all of the Plague Reward Tokens to a lower number on the Soul Track.
Start with more Stamina, for example 3, 6, or 9 extra Stamina Tokens.
Move the Minions further from the Heroes (or closer to the Farmers). Generally Heroes kill Minions easily, so this will advance the marker on their Attribute Board.
Place a Creature on the board, away from the Heroes.
If you draw a Plague Card that locks 1 Stamina, count it as locking 2 Stamina.

Find a change that suits your style of play. Note that it may be useful to make the games easier while you are learning to play.

The following changes will make the game harder for the Witch Master:

Remove the last Plague Reward Token. This will have an effect towards the end of the game.
Start with less Stamina, for example 2 or 4 fewer Stamina Tokens.
Place one or two extra Minions on the board, close to the Heroes. Generally Heroes kill Minions easily, so this will advance the marker on their Attribute Board.
Count all Plague Card as locking 2 Stamina. This will also make the card play less swingy.

Transcription Notes

These notes record where this transcription departs from the PDF's layout, or where the PDF is ambiguous. The printed wording is kept in each case, typos included.

The six Hero Action Cards are transcribed from the card art on page 4 of the PDF. The Hero names beside each card are taken from that page.
The PDF shows the Hero Action Card icons as artwork. Where the printed text does not name a symbol, it is given in brackets. The shield symbol is rendered as Resistance, matching the printed rule "Alchemy LX When any Hero is Attacked, gain X Resistance". The starburst symbol is left in brackets because the PDF does not name it.
The eighteen Hero AI Cards are physical components that the PDF does not print. Only the sample cards that appear in the Hero AI Card FAQ and the two Worked Examples are reproduced.
The line between entries on the Hero Action Cards and the Hero AI sample cards (shown as "---" above) is the horizontal rule on the card art. The PDF's rules text calls the entries below that rule Alchemy Reactions.
"Single-Minded Possessed Surfs" (Encounter 3) is printed with "Surfs" rather than "Serfs".
Encounter 3 refers to a "Red Crystal" in the Single-Minded and Throw rules, where the Special Rules name the item a "Neemossian Ruby".
The number after "Pickup Neemossian Ruby" and "Throw Neemossian Ruby" is printed without a named symbol and is kept as printed.
The page 5 reference sheet lists Witch special-effect names with icons. The solo rules text does not refer to it, so it is not transcribed.
The map, tile and character artwork in the PDF is not reproduced.