Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) – Queen Ariad Lieutenant Pack

Expansion for Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition)

Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) – Queen Ariad Lieutenant Pack Rulebook

Table of Contents

Lieutenant Pack Rules

Introduction

Lieutenant packs expand Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition by providing unique plastic figures that can be used to replace lieutenant tokens in quests. In addition, these packs introduce a new layer of strategy and progression for overlord players with the introduction of Plot and Agent cards.

Plot Cards

After hero players choose their classes at the start of a campaign, the overlord may choose one Plot deck. He will use his chosen deck for the duration of the campaign. After the overlord chooses his Plot deck, he takes the basic card (the Plot card with no purchase cost) and places it faceup in his play area. Then, he takes all remaining Plot cards that have the same deck name and places them facedown in his play area. He may look at his facedown Plot cards at any time.

Plot cards are upgrades the overlord player may purchase throughout the course of a campaign. They provide the overlord with special abilities that are available to him when the card is faceup in his play area. Plot cards are different from Overlord cards; the overlord does not add them to his Overlord deck, and he purchases them in a different way.

Important: The overlord player can only use Plot and Agent cards when playing a campaign.

Gaining Threat Tokens

Each time a hero is defeated during an encounter, instead of drawing one Overlord card, the overlord may choose to gain one threat token. The overlord can only gain threat tokens in this way once per hero per quest. If he chooses to gain a threat token, the overlord takes one hero token belonging to the hero and places it near his Plot deck as a reminder that he has gained a threat token for defeating that hero. In addition, there are a number of other ways in which the overlord may gain threat tokens:

At the end of each quest, the overlord receives one threat token. If the overlord wins the quest, he receives one additional threat token.
During the Spend Experience Points step of any Campaign phase, the overlord may spend any number of his experience points to gain three threat tokens for each experience point he spends.
Each time the overlord plays a Rumor card featuring a quest, he gains one threat token. Rumor cards and applicable rules are included in some Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition expansions.

Each time the overlord gains one threat token, he takes one token from the threat and fortune supply and places it in his play area with the threat side faceup. Each threat token the overlord gains during a campaign remains in his play area until he spends it. Between quests, the overlord player records the amount of unspent threat tokens in the Campaign log. He may spend this threat at a future point during the campaign.

Purchasing and Triggering Plot Cards

Each Plot card has a purchase cost that indicates the number of threat tokens the overlord must spend to purchase the card. During the Spend Experience Points step of each Campaign phase, the overlord player may purchase any of his facedown Plot cards by spending threat tokens equal to the Plot card's purchase cost (see "Plot Card Anatomy"). He places purchased Plot cards faceup in his play area and can use them in all future quests during the campaign.

The overlord can trigger abilities on a faceup Plot card as specified on the card. Each time he triggers a Plot card ability that requires him to "exhaust this card" or "use this card", he must spend a number of threat tokens equal to the Plot card's trigger cost (see "Plot Card Anatomy").

Plot Card Anatomy

Name: This area displays the name of the Plot card.
Purchase Cost: This area displays the number of threat tokens it costs to purchase the card. The overlord begins play with his basic Plot card. These basic cards have no purchase cost.
Ability: This area describes all rules for the Plot card, including when the card can be triggered.
Deck Name: This area displays the Plot deck to which the card belongs.
Trigger Cost: This area displays the number of threat tokens it costs to trigger this card's effect.

Threat and Fortune

Threat and fortune are represented by different sides of the same token. The red side of the token represents threat, and the white side represents fortune. During setup, place these tokens in a supply within easy reach of all players.

The overlord player may spend threat tokens he has gained (see "Gaining Threat Tokens") to purchase or trigger abilities described on Plot cards. A hero may spend fortune tokens to receive certain benefits (see "Spending Fortune Tokens").

Spending Threat Tokens

When the overlord spends threat tokens, they are either returned to the supply or placed on Hero sheets as follows:

Purchasing Plot cards: During the Spend Experience Points step of the Campaign phase, each threat token spent to purchase Plot cards is returned to the supply.
Triggering Plot cards: Each time the overlord spends a threat token to trigger a Plot card, he must flip the token to its fortune side and place it on the Hero sheet which currently possesses the lowest number of fortune tokens.

If there is a tie, the heroes choose which hero among the tied heroes gains the token. If the overlord spends more than one threat token, he follows this process once for each token spent.

Spending Fortune Tokens

Heroes may spend fortune tokens to trigger any of the following abilities:

1 fortune token: During his turn, a hero may recover 1 [black drop icon].
1 fortune token: After dice are rolled, a hero may reroll 1 of his dice.
2 fortune tokens: After performing his two normal actions, a hero may immediately perform one additional action. Limit once per round per hero.
2 fortune tokens: During the Shopping step of the Campaign phase, heroes may collectively spend their fortune tokens to draw 1 additional Shop Item card.

When a hero spends a fortune token, he returns it to the threat and fortune supply. Heroes cannot trade their fortune tokens to other heroes. After the Shopping step of each Campaign phase, heroes return all fortune tokens on their Hero sheets to the threat and fortune supply.

Transcription note: The leaflet's text layer contains a glyph that does not extract as text. Rendered from the printed page, it is a single solid black drop icon with no name printed beside it, so it is shown above as "[black drop icon]". Check the printed leaflet if the exact icon name is needed.

Agents

Some Plot cards allow the overlord to use a lieutenant figure as an agent in an open monster group. The Agent card corresponding to the current act lists the agent's characteristics, abilities, and attack dice. An agent is treated as a master monster within its open monster group with the following exceptions:

Regardless of quest rules, an agent cannot be placed as a reinforcement.
When an agent is defeated, the overlord must return the Plot card that summoned the agent back to his Plot deck. The card may be purchased again.
As described on the Plot card, the overlord cannot use an agent in any quest that features the lieutenant version of that agent. Additionally, the overlord cannot use some agents in specific campaigns. For example, the overlord cannot use Baron Zachareth as an agent while playing "The Shadow Rune" campaign because it features Baron Zachareth as an important lieutenant in that campaign.

Plot cards that allow the overlord to summon an agent often require him to replace master and minion monsters of an open group after setup of an encounter. If the overlord cannot meet the replacement requirements, he replaces the entire open group.

When an agent is placed in a monster group, that agent and the monsters in that group are treated as if they are part of the same monster group. While the agent is on the map, the overlord cannot use the monster figures it replaced as reinforcements, regardless of quest rules.

The overlord cannot summon an agent during an Interlude or a Finale. Unlike lieutenants, an agent cannot wield a relic.

Agent Card Anatomy

Agent card front and back.

Name: This area displays the name of the agent.
Abilities: This area lists all the abilities for the agent.
Characteristics: This area lists the characteristics (Speed, Health, and Defense) of the agent. The agent's characteristics differ depending on the number of heroes playing (represented by the gray silhouettes).
Attack Type Icon: This icon shows the type of attack (Melee or Ranged) the agent has.
Dice: This area lists the dice used by the agent when performing an attack.
Ability Rules: This area explains the full details of the agent's abilities.
Deck Name: This area displays the Plot deck to which the Agent card belongs.

Monster Sizes and Traits

Many Plot cards have effects that interact with monsters that have specific monster traits or sizes. Monster size is defined by the number of spaces the monster's base occupies:

Small monsters occupy one space (e.g., goblin archers and zombies).
Medium monsters occupy two spaces (e.g., barghests).
Huge monsters occupy four spaces (e.g., ettins and merriods).
Massive monsters occupy six spaces (e.g., shadow dragons).

Note: medium, huge, and massive monsters are still large monsters for the purposes of movement and quest rules.

Queen Ariad Lieutenant Pack Cards

Each Plot card shows its purchase cost as the small red number at the top right of the card face, and its trigger cost as the large red number at the bottom right. The Tangled Web deck name and card number (for example "1/12") are printed in the footer. Agent cards carry no purchase or trigger cost.

Queen Ariad Plot Cards

The Tangled Web deck has ten Plot cards, numbered 1/12 to 10/12. Cards 1/12, 5/12, 6/12, 8/12 and 9/12 are transcribed from card scans. Cards 2/12, 3/12, 4/12, 7/12 and 10/12 are not in the scan set; they are taken from the Descent Community Wiki, which has the card text and costs but no card images, and are marked as unverified in their headings.

Icons on the card faces are rendered as words: the heart icon as damage and the shield icon as shield. These are transcriber's renderings of the icons, not printed names.

Natural Camouflage

Tangled Web 1/12 · Purchase cost: not legible on scan · Trigger cost: 1

At the start of an encounter, exhaust this card. While this card is exhausted, each time a monster with the Wilderness monster trait rolls at least 1 blank when rolling defense dice, add 1 shield to the results for each blank rolled.

This card does not refresh as normal. Refresh this card at the end of each encounter.

Feral Instincts (unverified: fan wiki text)

Tangled Web 2/12 · Purchase cost: 1 (fan wiki) · Trigger cost: 1 (fan wiki)

Unverified: this card is not in the scan set. The text and costs above are from the Descent Community Wiki page "Feral Instincts (Queen Ariad)", which has no card image. They have not been checked against the printed card.

Use this card after setup of an encounter to choose one of your monster groups. During this encounter, that group gains the Wilderness monster trait.

Place a threat token from the supply on that group's Monster card as a reminder.

Web of Deception (unverified: fan wiki text)

Tangled Web 3/12 · Purchase cost: 1 (fan wiki) · Trigger cost: 2 (fan wiki)

Unverified: this card is not in the scan set. The text and costs above are from the Descent Community Wiki page "Web of Deception", which has no card image. They have not been checked against the printed card.

Exhaust this card when a hero gains a Condition card. Replace that card with a different Condition card of your choice.

Entangling Weave (unverified: fan wiki text)

Tangled Web 4/12 · Purchase cost: 1 (fan wiki) · Trigger cost: 2 (fan wiki)

Unverified: this card is not in the scan set. The text and costs above are from the Descent Community Wiki page "Entangling Weave", which has no card image. They have not been checked against the printed card.

Exhaust this card at the end of your turn to choose a monster group and place this card near that group's Monster card. While this card is exhausted, each hero must spend 1 additional movement point to enter a space adjacent to at least 1 monster in that group.

Unsafe Passage

Tangled Web 5/12 · Purchase cost: 2 · Trigger cost: 2

Exhaust this card after resolving a Trap card to return that card to your hand.

This card does not refresh as normal. Refresh this card at the end of each encounter.

Hidden Predator

Tangled Web 6/12 · Purchase cost: 2 · Trigger cost: 1

Exhaust this card after setup of an encounter. While this card is exhausted, each monster with the Wilderness monster trait gains:

Ambush: Each time this monster performs an attack that targets a hero that did not have line of sight to this monster at the start of its activation, that attack gains Pierce 2.

This card does not refresh as normal. Refresh this card at the end of each encounter.

Embrace Darkness (unverified: fan wiki text)

Tangled Web 7/12 · Purchase cost: 1 (fan wiki) · Trigger cost: 2 (fan wiki)

Unverified: this card is not in the scan set. The text and costs above are from the Descent Community Wiki page "Embrace Darkness", which has no card image. They have not been checked against the printed card.

Exhaust this card during your turn. Gain 1 threat token for each knocked-out hero.

This card does not refresh as normal. Refresh this card at the end of each encounter.

Solitary Prey

Tangled Web 8/12 · Purchase cost: 3 · Trigger cost: 1

Exhaust this card when a monster performs an attack that targets a hero who is not adjacent to any other hero, before dice are rolled. This attack gains +2 damage.

Additionally, if the monster has the Wilderness monster trait, this attack gains Pierce 1.

Savage Exploitation

Tangled Web 9/12 · Purchase cost: 4 · Trigger cost: 2

Exhaust this card when you resolve a Trap card played on a hero during his turn. Choose 1 monster with the Wilderness monster trait. That monster may immediately perform an attack targeting that hero. After this attack is resolved, the active player resumes his turn.

Summon - Queen Ariad (unverified: fan wiki text)

Tangled Web 10/12 · Purchase cost: 2 (fan wiki) · Trigger cost: 3 (fan wiki)

Unverified: this card is not in the scan set. The text and costs above are from the Descent Community Wiki page "Summon - Queen Ariad", which has no card image. They have not been checked against the printed card.

Exhaust this card after setup of an encounter to choose an open monster group. Replace that group with the Queen Ariad agent.

If the Queen Ariad agent is defeated, return this card to the Plot deck.

You cannot use this card in the "Labyrinth of Ruin" campaign.

Queen Ariad Agent Cards

The Queen Ariad agent has two Agent cards, one for each act. Only the Act II card is in the scan set. Its front shows the act numeral "II" in the bottom-right corner and carries no card number. Its back is footed "Tangled Web" and "12/12" with no act numeral visible; it is taken here to be the reverse of the same Act II card. The Act I Agent card is not in the scan set, so its characteristics and ability rules are not transcribed here.

Queen Ariad Agent, Act II

Abilities: "Trap Springer" and "Pincer Attack", with "Pierce 3" and "+2 damage" printed on the front attack bar beneath them. Pierce X is also listed on the back.
Dice: blue, red and yellow.
Attack type: melee (axe icon).

Heroes	Speed	Health	Defense
2	3	20	one dark grey and one white defense hex
3	3	24	one dark grey, one white and one brown defense hex
4	3	28	one dark grey, one white and one brown defense hex

Transcription note: The Agent card rows are read by hero count from the silhouettes printed beside each row (two, three and four silhouettes). Defense faces are read from the coloured hexagons on the card face, and are given by colour as printed because the card does not name the die type. The heart icon is rendered as damage and the shield icon as shield.

Ability rules (from the card back):

Trap Springer: Each time you play a Trap Overlord card, Queen Ariad may immediately move 1 space.
Pincer Attack: Perform an attack targeting up to 2 heroes adjacent to Queen Ariad. One attack roll is made but each hero rolls defense dice separately. Each target that suffers at least 1 damage from this attack (after the defense roll) is Immobilized.
Pierce X: This attack ignores X shield rolled on the defense dice.