Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) – Guardians of Deephall
Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) – Guardians of Deephall Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Using This Expansion
Add the new Monster cards, Hero sheets and Monster and Hero figures to their matching storage. Then, if you are using the Conversion Kit, remove the Heroes and Monsters with the same names as those in this expansion from the base game and return them to the game box.
When you play a campaign that includes Rumor cards, add this expansion's Rumor card and Bonus Quest card to the matching decks.
The Overlord card included in this expansion, "Power in Numbers", can be obtained only as a reward for winning the quest "Guardians of Deephall".
Guardians of Deephall
Rumor, Act 1 · Encounter 1
Buried deep in the mountains and cut off from the world, the fortress of Deephall is under constant siege. The people of Deephall are very superstitious. They believe in the importance of separating the righteous from the wicked, even when it concerns their own death. Long ago a tradition of separate burial was established, based on the decision of whether a person was worthy of a decent life.
Once the dead began to come back to life, at first slowly and in small numbers, and only from the crypts where evil lay buried. The city was well defended, and the local clergy presented the event as proof of the justification for their superstitions. Now the dead come in multitudes, from both cemeteries, and the guards have begun to lose hope. You have come here to investigate this.
"They are here again! And this time they are led by these cursed priests!"
The shout of Captain Harod echoes through the guards' barracks, where you have joined them. He turns to you.
"You are here to help, right? Good, this is your chance. Help us barricade the gates. I very much hope my people blocked the tunnels well enough after last time." There is despair in his voice.
You run to the gates and see the advancing horde. The undead are already crossing the moat, and the Dark Priests seem to have made their armour heavier. Your intuition tells you that this time, to protect Deephall, simple barricades will not be enough. You prepare yourself for battle and take a step toward the invasion.
Monsters
Dark Priests. Flesh Creators. Zombies.
Setup
- Place the Zombies in the Moat. The Flesh Creators occupy the Crypt. Place the Dark Priests on any empty spaces on the board.
- Take the 3 red and 4 blue quest tokens and shuffle them. Place 2 of these tokens face down as shown in the diagram. Then the heroes place the remaining quest tokens face down on unique spaces marked "X", trying to place them as evenly as possible between the Cave and the Staircase Landing. Once these tokens are placed, the heroes may look at their colour at any time. The Overlord must not know which token is which colour.
- Place search tokens equal to the number of heroes.
Special Rules
- Quest tokens lying face up are piles of rubble. The red quest token is a Tunnel.
- Piles of rubble and Tunnels block movement.
- Each Dark Priest adds 1 grey die to its defence pool.
- Each time a Zombie or Flesh Creator is defeated within 5 spaces of a Dark Priest, set that figure aside in the Overlord's play area.
Tunnels. A Zombie or Flesh Creator standing next to a pile of rubble may clear it by taking an action. If it does so, flip the quest token face up. If the token is blue, discard it.
Instead of gaining movement points, a Zombie or Flesh Creator adjacent to a Tunnel may fill it with a move action. If it does so, place the figure on the Tunnel. The Tunnel is now considered filled.
Each monster on a Tunnel space adds 1 grey die to its defence pool. If a monster leaves the Tunnel space, that Tunnel is no longer filled. If the monster on a Tunnel is defeated, flip that Tunnel face down.
Reinforcements
At the start of its turn, the Overlord places the Flesh Creators from its play area in the Crypt and the Zombies from its play area in the Cemetery.
Victory
If the Overlord has 2 or fewer Flesh Creators and Zombies left in its play area and on the map, read the following aloud:
"The bodies of the fallen dead and their unholy masters are scattered around you. The guards cheer, and you and Harod sigh with relief. Deephall is safe now."
Heroes win!
If all 3 Tunnels are filled, read the following aloud:
"The fortress has fallen! You try to ignore the cries coming from the collapsed tunnels and drive back the remaining zombies. Now you can only hope that the guards inside the citadel can destroy the dead, whose number has only grown thanks to the multitude of innocents slain today."
The Overlord wins!
Rewards
If the Overlord wins, it receives the Overlord card "Power in Numbers" and takes 1 Rumor card.
Whoever wins, place the Bonus Quest card "The Curse of Iona" in the play area.
The Curse of Iona
Rumor, Act 2 · Encounter 1
You were told not to enter the icy lair of the Wendigo. You were prophesied doom, like anyone who has disturbed the grave of Iona, the sorceress-dragon. You were warned that there are many dead there, and that you will surely meet your end.
But you were also told of an ancient artefact lying in this cave, beneath the burial of the unholy. You were told the artefact may serve as the key to the mystery of the resurrection of Deephall's dead. And you know that if you fail to find the artefact, it will fall to the Dark Priests. And with horror you picture the terror that will come to Deephall if the priests gain the power of the artefact's curse.
Monsters
Crypt Dragons. Dark Priests. Wendigo. Zombies.
Setup
- Place the Wendigo in the Ice Cave. The Crypt Dragons occupy the Dragon Lair. Dark Priests and Zombies are not placed during setup (see "Reinforcements").
- The Overlord chooses one Crypt Dragon. The chosen dragon is Iona.
- Place 1 green quest token face up as shown on the diagram. This is the Amulet.
- Place 4 quest tokens face down as shown on the diagram. These are the Magic Barriers.
- Place search tokens equal to the number of heroes.
Special Rules
- The Wendigo and the Crypt Dragons cannot open or close doors.
- Magic Barriers block movement and line of sight.
- At the start of each Overlord turn, while the Amulet has not been picked up, place 1 fatigue token in the Overlord's play area. The number of fatigue tokens in the Overlord's play area is the Amulet's damage.
Breaking Barriers. Locked doors and Magic Barriers are sealed by Iona's spell. A hero adjacent to a locked door or a Magic Barrier may take an action to make a test (the burst icon). On a success, remove the locked door or Magic Barrier.
If Iona is defeated, or the Amulet is picked up, Iona's spell ends. Remove all locked doors and Magic Barriers from the board and set them aside.
The Curse of the Amulet. A hero adjacent to the Amulet may take an action to pick it up. If a hero picks up the Amulet, the Overlord may place 1 Zombie in the Cave, respecting the group limit. Then read the following aloud:
"The energy of the Amulet pulses. It gently wraps itself around your neck, as if of its own will. It seems almost alive. Close by you hear the throaty roar and groans of monsters, striving to tear the prize from beneath your protection."
The hero who picked up the Amulet is now a Guardian. A Guardian cannot drop the Amulet or exchange it with another hero. Each time the Guardian receives more hearts (damage) than the Amulet's damage, the Guardian instead receives hearts equal to the Amulet's damage.
A Guardian in the Chapel may take an action to make a test (the book icon). On a success, the Guardian cleanses the Amulet.
Reinforcements
At the start of each of its turns, the Overlord places 1 Zombie in the Cave. At the end of each of its turns, the Overlord places 1 Dark Priest in the Crypt. In both cases, the group limit applies.
Victory
If the Guardian cleanses the Amulet, read the following aloud:
"Gathering all your courage and ignoring the terrifying sounds of monsters all around, you perform the sacred ritual of cleansing Kellos. The holy power bursting from the Amulet incinerates the zombies and makes the Dark Priests flee in agony and fear. Then the clasp at your neck unfastens, and the Amulet falls to the ground with a dull thud. The curse is ended forever."
Heroes win!
If the Guardian is defeated, or the Amulet's damage reaches 6, read the following aloud:
"A Dark Priest has snatched up the Amulet and put it on. The cursed artefact fits comfortably around its neck. New and more numerous hordes of the dead begin to burst out of the ground around you. You flee the cave, barely escaping the gathering army. You hurry to warn the people of Deephall before it is too late."
The Overlord wins!
Rewards
If the heroes win, they receive the reward listed on the back of the Bonus Quest card "The Curse of Iona".
If the Overlord wins, it receives the Overlord reward listed on the back of the Bonus Quest card "The Curse of Iona".
Rumor Cards
Guardians of Deephall (Act I)
Play this card at the start of the campaign phase during Act I. You may not play this card if the Interlude is the next available quest. While this card is in play, it counts as an available quest.
For some time now, bands of Dark Priests have increasingly troubled the valley. It seems they are gathering their forces near Deephall, the nearby mountain fortress whose inhabitants are already besieged by their own reanimated dead.
If this card is in play when you proceed to Act II, the Overlord receives the Overlord card "Power in Numbers". Then place the Bonus Quest card "The Curse of Iona" into play.
The Curse of Iona (Act II)
While this card is in play, it counts as an available quest. If this quest is available after the Finale is set up, the Overlord may take 1 Overlord card.
You have received a message from the elder keeper of Deephall's wisdom. It says her research has uncovered the source of all the fortress's ills: an artefact. She believes that long ago the priests of Deephall cursed a sacred amulet and hid it beneath the crypt of the sinners, and that because of this the dead began to rise from their graves, confirming all the ancient superstitions about this place.
Expansion Cards
Monster Cards
Each monster has two cards, marked I and II. The upper and lower panels of each card list its abilities. The abilities are transcribed below with the card they appear on. Card statistics (movement, health, defence dice, and group limits) are not reproduced here.
| Card | Upper panel | Lower panel |
|---|---|---|
| Dark Priest I | Dark Prayer; surge +1 heart | Dark Prayer; Healing; surge +1 heart |
| Dark Priest II | Dark Prayer; surge +2 heart | Terrifying; Dark Prayer; Healing; surge +2 heart |
| Crypt Dragon I | Blast; surge +2 heart | Intimidate; Blast; surge +2 heart |
| Crypt Dragon II | Terrifying; Blast; surge +2 heart | Terrifying; Intimidate; Blast; surge +2 heart |
| Wendigo I | Frenzy; Stealth; surge +1 heart | Freeze; Stealth; Frenzy; surge +1 heart |
| Wendigo II | Frenzy; Stealth; surge +2 heart | Freeze; Stealth; Frenzy; surge +2 heart |
Icon note: the printed symbols on these cards (arrow, lightning, burst, book, the fatigue and defence-die icons) are not named in the source text. Where this rulebook refers to the burst icon, it is kept as the burst icon rather than given a name the source does not print.
Monster Ability Text
Dark Priest (I and II)
- Terrifying (Dark Priest II only): Each hero adjacent to one or more monsters with Terrifying gets -1 to its burst icon (minimum of 1).
- Dark Prayer: Choose 1 hero within 5 spaces of this monster. That hero tests the burst icon. On a failure, it suffers 2 fatigue.
- Healing: Choose a monster within 3 spaces of this monster and roll 1 red power die. The chosen monster recovers hearts equal to the number of hearts rolled.
Crypt Dragon (I and II)
- Terrifying (Crypt Dragon II only): Each hero adjacent to one or more monsters with Terrifying gets -1 to its burst icon (minimum of 1).
- Intimidate: Choose a hero adjacent to this monster. That hero must test the burst icon. On a failure, it moves 2 spaces away from this monster and is Immobilized.
- Blast: This attack affects all figures adjacent to the space targeted by the attack.
Wendigo (I and II)
- Freeze: Each time a hero moves onto a space adjacent to this monster, that hero suffers 1 fatigue.
- Frenzy: Both of this monster's actions each turn may be attack actions.
- Stealth: Each attack targeting this monster must receive an additional +3 range, otherwise it misses.
Overlord Cards
Power in Numbers (Event, Overlord reward)
Play this card during your turn and choose a space on the board. If there are more monsters in that space than heroes, each hero in that space suffers 1 heart and 2 fatigue, and each monster in that space recovers 2 hearts.
Amulet's Protection (Overlord reward, from "The Curse of Iona")
After setup of each encounter, choose a group of monsters and place this card next to that group's monster cards. Turn this card over when a monster from the chosen group is attacked, before the defence roll, to add 8 defence dice to the defence roll.
This card does not refresh normally. Refresh the card at the start of each quest.
Hero Reward
Curse Destroyer (Hero reward, from "The Curse of Iona")
After setup of each encounter, place this card in the play area of 1 hero.
Each time this hero defeats a monster with the Cursed trait, this hero recovers 1 fatigue.
Expansion Icon and Components
All cards and sheets in this expansion are marked with the Guardians of Deephall expansion icon, so that these components can be told apart from base game components and other expansions.