Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) – Treaty of Champions Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Using This Expansion
• Monsters
  • Lord Demon
  • Witch-Raven
  • Skeleton Archer
• Heroes
  • Zaila
  • Krotsbek
  • Jonas the Good
  • Grey Ker
• Vlastelin, Hero and Adventure Cards
  • Witch's Hunger (Vlastelin reward card, Event)
  • Sindai's Secret (Rumor card, Act I)
  • Treaty of Champions (Bonus Adventure card)
  • Rewards on the back of the Treaty of Champions card
• Adventure: Sindai's Secret (Act I Rumor)
• Adventure: Treaty of Champions (Act II Rumor)

Using This Expansion

Add the new Monster cards, Hero sheets and monster and hero miniatures to their respective storage. Then, if you use the Conversion Kit, remove the heroes and monsters with the same names as those in this expansion and return them to the game box.

When you play a campaign that includes Rumor cards, add this expansion's Rumor card and Bonus Adventure card to the corresponding deck.

The Vlastelin card included in this expansion can be obtained only as a reward for winning the adventure "Sindai's Secret."

All cards and sheets in this expansion are marked with the Treaty of Champions icon, so they can be told apart from components of the base game and other expansions.

Icon key used in this transcription: ♥ is damage. ♠ is fatigue (the Stamina icon). ■ on a defense roll is a shield. Jonas the Good's Feat uses a curved-arrow symbol and a gear-shaped check symbol; they are transcribed as written in the Feat text.

Monsters

This expansion adds three monsters: the Lord Demon, the Witch-Raven and the Skeleton Archer. Each has a front face (attack and defense values and ability headings) and a back face with the ability text below. The ability text is the same on both printed copies of each monster; the copies differ in their tier numeral (I or II) and in their stat strip.

Lord Demon

Front-face ability headings as printed: Aura 1, Sorcery 2, Sorcery 3, Wither.

• Aura X: Each time a hero moves onto a space next to this monster, that hero gains X ♥ (X damage).
• Sorcery X: After an attack roll, this monster may convert up to X range into ♥, or up to X ♥ into range.
• Wither: The target gains 1 ♠ (1 fatigue).

Witch-Raven

Front-face ability headings as printed: Thirst for Life 1 and 2, Death Mark.

• Thirst for Life X: Each time a hero within 5 spaces of this monster recovers 1 or more ♥, that hero recovers X less ♥ (to a minimum of 0).
• Death Mark: Choose 1 hero in this monster's line of sight. That hero may gain 2 ♥. If the hero does not, the hero gains 1 condition of your choice (the Vlastelin's choice).

Skeleton Archer

Front-face ability headings as printed: Pierce 1 and 2 (with +1 and +2 range), Reanimate.

• Pierce X: This attack ignores X shield results rolled on defense dice.
• Reanimate: Each time this monster gains ♥ and is not defeated, it recovers ♥ equal to whichever is less: the amount of ♥ it gained, or the number of monsters from its group within 3 spaces of it.

Heroes

Each hero has an Ability and a Feat (printed as "Подвиг"). The Feat is used as printed on the hero's card. Stat values and the flavour quotations on the hero cards are omitted.

Zaila

• Ability: You may enter blocking spaces and ignore landscape effects while moving. You cannot end your movement on a blocked space.
• Feat: Use when a monster activates. Remove your hero figure from the board and place your hero token in your space. At the start of your next turn, replace this token with your hero figure.

Krotsbek

• Ability: While you, or a hero next to you, has 6 or more damage tokens on the hero sheet, each of your attacks gets +2 ♥.
• Feat: Use when you have made an attack, after the dice are rolled. Gain 3 ♥. Then roll 3 red power dice and replace the attack roll result with the result rolled on the red power dice.

Jonas the Good

• Ability: Each hero within 3 spaces of you that did not make an attack on their turn adds 1 shield to each of their defense rolls.
• Feat: Use the curved-arrow action icon, then make a check (gear icon) for each minion monster within 3 spaces of you. For each successful check, the monster attacks itself.

Grey Ker

• Ability: After you have taken your first action in each round, you may pause your turn. If you do, resume your turn after any hero has finished their turn in this round.
• Feat: Use at the start of your turn to gain 1 additional action this turn.

Vlastelin, Hero and Adventure Cards

Witch's Hunger (Vlastelin reward card, Event)

The card is headed "Vlastelin Reward" on one half, which carries no text, and "Witch's Hunger" on the other half, which carries the Event below.

• Event: Play this card when a hero is defeated. Each hero within 3 spaces of that hero gains 2 ♥.

Sindai's Secret (Rumor card, Act I)

• Play this card at the start of the campaign phase during Act I. You cannot play this card if Interlude is the next available adventure.
• While this card is in play, it counts as an available adventure.
• If this card is in play when you advance to Act II, the Vlastelin receives the Vlastelin card "Witch's Hunger." Then place the bonus adventure card "Treaty of Champions" into play.

Treaty of Champions (Bonus Adventure card)

• While this card is in play, it counts as an available adventure.
• If this adventure becomes available after the setup of the Finale, the Vlastelin may take 1 Vlastelin card.

Rewards on the back of the Treaty of Champions card

• Hero Reward – "Friend in Need": A hero may return this card to the box during their turn. If they do, they immediately revive a hero within 5 spaces of them. The active player recovers ♥ and ♠ equal in amount to the ♥ and ♠ of the revived hero.
• Vlastelin Reward – "Demon's Protégé": Turn this card over when a monster with the "Зной" trait (trait name as printed in the Russian translation) is defeated. While this card is turned over, each monster with that trait gains:
  • Aura 2: Each time a hero moves onto a space next to this monster, that hero gains 2 ♥.

Adventure: Sindai's Secret (Act I Rumor)

Encounter 1. The opening flavour text of this adventure is omitted. Read-aloud text is kept.

Monsters: Witch-Ravens. Zombies. 1 open group.

Map: Tiles 1B (Chapel), Entrance, 12A (Pond), 14A (Graveyard), 8A, 4A (Ruins). Tile 8A's printed name is not transcribed.

Setup

• Place the zombie in the Chapel. Place the open group in the Ruins. Place 2 Witch-Ravens in the Graveyard, ignoring the group limit. The Witch-Raven leader is not placed during setup. This is Sindai.
• Place 1 white, 1 blue, 1 red and 1 green quest token as indicated. These are the places of suffering.
• Place search tokens equal to the number of heroes. The unique search token is Sindai's Comb.

Special Rules

At the end of their turn, a hero standing on a place of suffering may gain the condition matching that place of suffering. If they do, place this hero's token on that place of suffering. Each place of suffering can hold only 1 token from each hero. The number of a hero's tokens on the places of suffering is that hero's pain track.

The conditions shown by the four quest tokens are Immobilize, Disease, Poison and Stun.

Sindai

• If Sindai's Comb is disturbed, or a hero is defeated by a Witch-Raven, Sindai is summoned.

• If the unique search token is revealed, Sindai's Comb is disturbed. Remove the unique search token and read aloud:

  Thick wisps of fog drift up from the graveyard, and a whole choir of throaty croaking rises from all sides around you. You have prepared for Sindai's ambush.

• If a Witch-Raven defeats a hero, read aloud:

  A piercing wail tears at your ears, and a flock of ravens circles around. Their black feathers blot out your companions, and their sharp beaks tear at your body.

• When Sindai is summoned, close all doors. The doors are now locked and cannot be opened.

  • If the heroes revealed the unique search token, each hero places their figure on an empty space in the Chapel.
  • If the heroes did not reveal the unique search token, the Vlastelin places each hero on an empty space in the Chapel.
  • Each knocked-down hero recovers ♥ equal to their Health and ♠ equal to their Stamina.
  • Then place Sindai in the Chapel.

• While Sindai is on the board, knocked-down heroes cannot recover ♥ in any way.

• If a hero enters any space other than the Chapel or the Entrance, that hero is immediately defeated.

• Sindai adds +2 to her Health for each hero. She can gain ♥ only from heroes' attacks. Each time a hero attacks and Sindai would gain ♥ exceeding that hero's pain track, she gains ♥ equal to that hero's pain track instead.

Reinforcements

• At the end of each of the Vlastelin's turns, the Vlastelin may place 1 zombie on the Entrance, respecting the group limit.
• At the end of each of the Vlastelin's turns, if there are fewer than 2 Witch-Raven minions on the board, the Vlastelin may place 1 Witch-Raven minion on the Entrance, ignoring the group limit.

Victory

• If Sindai is defeated, read aloud:

  Sindai falls to the ground. You snatch up your weapon, but she manages to open her mouth. "Wait," she whispers. "Wait. Spare me, and I'll give you what you want." Before you can react, she sighs: "And I'll even leave this place." She lets you think about it for a moment, and then, before you can strike, she pulls a quill from her dress. "There. This is the quill the Champions used," she says, stressing the last word as if mocking the dead. "Rewrite the contract for them. This contract will hold for as long as you live."

• Heroes win!

• If all heroes are knocked down, read aloud:

  Sindai leans over you, her jaw twisting in its joints. As you fall into darkness, the crowing of a lone raven sounds, and the witch turns toward the noise. You come to with a strange feeling, as if something bright and strong had been torn out of you. Beside you a quill is stuck in the ground, holding a scrap of paper with the words: "Thank you for the snack. Rewrite your contract with this quill and it will take effect. Return when you finish, and I will continue my feast. – S."

• Vlastelin wins!

Rewards

• If the Vlastelin wins, the Vlastelin receives the Vlastelin card "Witch's Hunger" and takes 1 Rumor card.
• Whichever side wins, place the Bonus Adventure card "Treaty of Champions" into the play area.

Adventure: Treaty of Champions (Act II Rumor)

Encounter 1. The opening flavour text of this adventure is omitted. Read-aloud text is kept.

Monsters: Lord Demons. Skeleton Archers. Cave Spiders. 2 open groups.

Map: Tiles 15B (Spider's Nest), Entrance, 9B (Cave), 16B (Bone Pit), 8B (Ritual Hall), 5B (Lair), 14B (Study). Other tiles are numbered only.

Setup

• Place the Skeleton Archers in the Bone Pit. Place the Cave Spiders in the Spider's Nest. 1 open group occupies the Lair. The Lord Demons and the other open group are not placed during setup.
• Place 4 red quest tokens as indicated. These are the pages of the Champions' treaty.
• Take 4 blue quest tokens and set them aside. These are the pages of the new treaty.
• Place search tokens equal to the number of heroes.

Special Rules

• By taking an action, a hero or a Skeleton Archer next to a page of the Champions' treaty may destroy that page and turn its token face down.

Rend the Chains

• When all 4 pages of the Champions' treaty are destroyed, read aloud:

  The air grows hot and begins to reek of sulphur. A slow, throaty laughter echoes through the halls, in time with your footsteps. "Get out, get out, wherever you are..."

• Then place the Lord Demons in the Ritual Hall, respecting the group limit.

• Each time a Lord Demon makes an attack that knocks a hero down, place 1 fatigue token on that Lord Demon's base. The number of fatigue tokens on a Lord Demon's base is that Lord Demon's dishonor.

• At the end of each of the Vlastelin's turns, place a number of fatigue tokens in the Vlastelin's play area equal to the number of dishonored Lord Demons in the Ritual Hall.

• If every hero is in the Study, divide the pages of the new treaty among the heroes as evenly as possible. Each hero places these quest tokens on their hero sheet. These pages cannot be lost or exchanged.

• By taking an action, a hero carrying pages of the new treaty may, when next to a quest token placed face down, replace that token with 1 quest token from their hero sheet.

Reinforcements

• At the start of each of the Vlastelin's turns, the Vlastelin may place up to 2 Skeleton Archers in the Bone Pit, respecting the group limit.
• After all 4 pages of the Champions' treaty have been destroyed, at the start of each of the Vlastelin's turns, place Lord Demons in the Ritual Hall up to the group limit.
• A Lord Demon in the Cave may take an action to summon its minions. If it does, at the end of this Vlastelin turn, place the remaining open group in the Cave, respecting the group limit. This can be done only once in this encounter.

Victory

• If all 4 pages of the new treaty are on the board, read aloud:

  You protect the last page, and everything around you slows and stops. A breath of fresh air rushes through the corridors, sweeping the enemies before you aside. The Lord Demon screams in pain, trying to escape the cleansing wind. But when it reaches the demon, he looks only at you, and his malice pierces straight into your mind. When this terrible moment passes, he dies.

• Heroes win!

• If the Vlastelin has 4 fatigue tokens in the play area, read aloud:

  The Demon Lord laughs again, a low and repulsive laugh. "I have seen through this old trick," he says. "And when I am done with you, I will have something else to do."

  Though you fought long and hard, the Demon Lord's rebirth continues, and you cannot restore the binding papers. Battered and wounded, you retreat to save your lives.

• Vlastelin wins!

Rewards

• If the heroes win, they receive the Hero Reward printed on the back of the Bonus Adventure card "Treaty of Champions."
• If the Vlastelin wins, the Vlastelin receives the Vlastelin Reward printed on the back of that card.