Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) – Stewards of the Secret
Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) – Stewards of the Secret Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
About This Expansion
Stewards of the Secret is a Hero and Monster Collection expansion. It contains its own hero sheets, monster cards and quest cards, which are used together with the base game of Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition).
The content in this transcription is grouped as follows:
- Heroes: four hero sheets (Okaluk and Rakash, Seer Kel, Tatianna and Nanok of the Blade). Each hero's front side lists its stats, Ability and Feat.
- Monsters: three monster groups (Blood Ape, Ferrox and Naga), each with an Act I and an Act II version. Each group has a Minion and a Master entry, plus a back face that gives the group's traits, actions, abilities and group-size table.
- Overlord card: Splice, a Magic card that the Overlord can gain when the Stewards of the Secret Rumor card leads to Act II.
- Rumor card: Stewards of the Secret (Act I quest).
- Advanced Quest card: Bloodspire of Devis (Act II quest), with a front (the quest) and a back (the overlord reward and the hero reward).
Icon key used in this transcription: Symbols that appear in the card text are written as words. Attack dice colours are written as words (for example, "Blue Red" is a blue and a red attack die). Defense dice colours are written as printed (for example, "Gray" or "Gray Brown"). Hearts, Fatigue, Shields, Range and Movement are written as words.
Heroes
Each hero has a front side with its stats, Ability and Feat. The stat line is written as printed: Speed, Health, Stamina, Defense die, Willpower, Might, Knowledge and Awareness.
Okaluk and Rakash (Healer)
- Stats: Speed 2, Health 8, Stamina 3, Defense Gray, Willpower 3, Might 3, Knowledge 2, Awareness 3.
- Ability: At the start of your turn, you gain 4 movement points.
- Feat: Use during your turn, even if you are knocked out. Roll 2 red power dice. You and each knocked-out hero within 3 spaces of you recover Hearts equal to the Hearts rolled.
Seer Kel (Mage)
- Stats: Speed 4, Health 10, Stamina 4, Defense Gray, Willpower 2, Might 1, Knowledge 4, Awareness 4.
- Ability: Figures and obstacles do not block your line of sight. Doors still block your line of sight as normal.
- Feat: Use during your turn to look at the top 5 cards of the Overlord deck. Place 1 of the cards on the bottom of the deck and shuffle and place the remaining cards back on the top of the deck.
Tatianna (Scout)
- Stats: Speed 5, Health 12, Stamina 4, Defense Gray, Willpower 2, Might 2, Knowledge 2, Awareness 5.
- Ability: Each of your attacks gains +1 Range. Each Ranged attack that targets you requires an additional 1 Range.
- Feat: Use when you perform an attack, after dice are rolled. Choose 1 of your target's defense dice and change the result of that die to another result of your choice.
Nanok of the Blade (Warrior)
- Stats: Speed 4, Health 12, Stamina 4, Defense Black, Willpower 2, Might 4, Knowledge 2, Awareness 3.
- Ability: You cannot equip Light Armor or Heavy Armor. Once during your turn, you may choose 1 non-large monster adjacent to you. Suffer 1 Heart and move that monster 1 space.
- Feat: Use after another hero performs an attack. Immediately perform an attack with a Melee weapon that targets 1 of the same monsters. Then, that hero may perform an attack that targets the same monster.
Monsters
This expansion adds three monster groups. Each group has an Act I and an Act II version. Each Act has a Minion entry and a Master entry, shown on the front face. The back face gives the group's traits, any actions and abilities, and the group-size table.
The group-size table gives, for each number of heroes, the number of Minions and Masters to place as written on the back face (for example, "Group size 2 Heroes: 0,1" means 0 Minions and 1 Master, in that order).
Transcriber's note: the community data gives the two group-size numbers without labels. They are read here as Minions first, then Masters, because the second number is 1 in every row, which fits one Master per group. Check this against a printed copy if one is available.
Blood Ape – Act I
Attack type: Melee.
- Minion: Speed 4, Health 5, Defense Gray, Attack blue and red, Abilities: Ravage, Surge: +1 Heart.
- Master: Speed 4, Health 7, Defense Gray, Attack blue and red, Abilities: Ravage, Action: Leap Attack, Surge: +2 Hearts.
Traits: Cave, Hot.
- Ravage: Both of this monster's actions on a turn may be attack actions.
- Leap Attack: This monster moves up to its Speed. During this movement, it may move through spaces containing enemy figures. Then, perform an attack that affects each figure this monster moved through during this action.
Group size:
- 2 Heroes: 0 Minions, 1 Master.
- 3 Heroes: 1 Minion, 1 Master.
- 4 Heroes: 2 Minions, 1 Master.
Ferrox – Act I
Attack type: Melee.
- Minion: Speed 4, Health 4, Defense Gray, Attack blue and red, Abilities: Surge: Disease, Surge: Pierce 2.
- Master: Speed 4, Health 5, Defense Gray, Attack blue and red, Abilities: Action: Extract, Surge: Disease, Surge: Pierce 2.
Traits: Cave, Water.
- Extract: Choose a hero adjacent to this monster. That hero tests Might. If he fails, that hero suffers 2 Fatigue, and this monster recovers 2 Hearts.
- Disease: If this attack deals at least 1 Heart (after the defense roll), the target is Diseased.
- Pierce X: This attack ignores X Shields rolled on the defense dice.
Group size:
- 2 Heroes: 1 Minion, 1 Master.
- 3 Heroes: 2 Minions, 1 Master.
- 4 Heroes: 3 Minions, 1 Master.
Naga – Act I
Attack type: Range.
- Minion: Speed 4, Health 5, Defense Black, Attack blue and red, Abilities: Sorcery 1, Surge: Poison.
- Master: Speed 4, Health 6, Defense Black, Attack blue and red, Abilities: Sorcery 2, Action: Constrict, Surge: Poison.
Traits: Water, Cave.
- Sorcery X: After making an attack roll, this monster may convert up to X range to Hearts, or up to X Hearts to range.
- Constrict: Choose 1 hero adjacent to this monster. That hero tests Might. If he fails, he is Immobilized, this monster may move 1 space, and then you may place the hero in an empty space adjacent to this monster.
- Poison: If this attack deals at least 1 Heart (after the defense roll), the target is Poisoned.
Group size:
- 2 Heroes: 0 Minions, 1 Master.
- 3 Heroes: 1 Minion, 1 Master.
- 4 Heroes: 2 Minions, 1 Master.
Blood Ape – Act II
Attack type: Melee.
- Minion: Speed 4, Health 7, Defense Gray, Attack blue, red and yellow, Abilities: Ravage, Surge: +2 Hearts.
- Master: Speed 4, Health 9, Defense Gray, Attack blue, red and red, Abilities: Ravage, Action: Leap Attack, Surge: +2 Hearts.
Traits: Cave, Hot.
- Ravage: Both of this monster's actions on a turn may be attack actions.
- Leap Attack: This monster moves up to its Speed. During this movement, it may move through spaces containing enemy figures. Then, perform an attack that affects each figure this monster moved through during this action.
Group size:
- 2 Heroes: 0 Minions, 1 Master.
- 3 Heroes: 1 Minion, 1 Master.
- 4 Heroes: 2 Minions, 1 Master.
Ferrox – Act II
Attack type: Melee.
- Minion: Speed 4, Health 5, Defense Gray Brown, Attack blue, red and yellow, Abilities: Surge: Disease, Surge: Pierce 3.
- Master: Speed 4, Health 8, Defense Gray Brown, Attack blue, red and yellow, Abilities: Action: Extract, Surge: Disease, Surge: Pierce 3.
Traits: Cave, Water.
- Extract: Choose a hero adjacent to this monster. That hero tests Might. If he fails, that hero suffers 2 Fatigue, and this monster recovers 2 Hearts.
- Disease: If this attack deals at least 1 Heart (after the defense roll), the target is Diseased.
- Pierce X: This attack ignores X Shields rolled on the defense dice.
Group size:
- 2 Heroes: 1 Minion, 1 Master.
- 3 Heroes: 2 Minions, 1 Master.
- 4 Heroes: 3 Minions, 1 Master.
Naga – Act II
Attack type: Range.
- Minion: Speed 4, Health 6, Defense Black, Attack blue and red, Abilities: Sorcery 3, Surge: Poison.
- Master: Speed 4, Health 8, Defense Black, Attack blue, red and yellow, Abilities: Sorcery 3, Action: Constrict, Surge: Poison.
Traits: Water, Cave.
- Sorcery X: After making an attack roll, this monster may convert up to X range to Hearts, or up to X Hearts to range.
- Constrict: Choose 1 hero adjacent to this monster. That hero tests Might. If he fails, he is Immobilized, this monster may move 1 space, and then you may place the hero in an empty space adjacent to this monster.
- Poison: If this attack deals at least 1 Heart (after the defense roll), the target is Poisoned.
Group size:
- 2 Heroes: 0 Minions, 1 Master.
- 3 Heroes: 1 Minion, 1 Master.
- 4 Heroes: 2 Minions, 1 Master.
Overlord Card: Splice
Splice (Magic, Overlord Reward).
Play this card on 1 monster group during your turn and keep it in your play area. Each time a monster in this group performs an attack, that attack gains: Surge: +2 Hearts and a monster within 3 spaces of this monster suffers 2 Hearts.
Rumor: Stewards of the Secret
Act I quest. Travel: Forest, Water, Mountain.
Timing: Play this card at the start of a Campaign Phase during Act I. You cannot play this card if the Interlude is an available quest. While in play, this card is treated as an available quest.
Ability: If this card is in play when you transition to Act II, the overlord gains the "Splice" Overlord card. Then, place the "Bloodspire of Devis" Advanced Quest card in play.
Advanced Quest: Bloodspire of Devis
Act II quest. Travel: Road, Water, Mountain.
Rule: While in play, this card is treated as an available quest. If this quest is available after setup of the Finale, the overlord may draw 1 Overlord card.
Back face – Overlord reward: While this card is refreshed, each monster with the Cave monster trait gains: Surge: Poison. Exhaust this card during your turn. While this card is exhausted, each monster with the Cave monster trait applies -2 to its Health and gains: Surge: Immobilize.
Back face – Hero reward: Keep this card in a hero's play area. At the end of each overlord turn, if the overlord has more than 6 Overlord cards in his hand, he must discard down to 6 cards.
Not Included in This Transcription
The following are not in this transcription, because no source for them was reachable:
- The quest set-up and quest-specific rules for the Stewards of the Secret Rumor and the Bloodspire of Devis Advanced Quest, beyond what is printed on the cards above.
- Any official FAQ, errata or rules clarifications for this product.
- Flavour text and hero quotations printed on the card backs.