Dungeon Degenerates: Hand of Doom
Dungeon Degenerates: Hand of Doom Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
In a game of Dungeon Degenerates - Hand of Doom, you & up to three companions play the role of escaped criminals from the rotting realm of the Würstreich, on the run from the law & desperate to survive in a hostile & hazardous landscape. You must cooperate to complete your mission before the last remnants of humanity are doomed to certain death by the machinations of an evil wizard of unimaginable power known as the Necromancer!
This game can be played by up to four players at once. No 'gamemaster' player is needed - each player controls an adventurer. The adventurers together form a party that may travel together or split up as you attempt to complete your mission. The game's difficulty scales dynamically along with the number of adventurers, but be warned - travelling alone is dangerous!
The Mission Book included in this game allows you to connect multiple game sessions together to create an extended story, build your adventurer's abilities & equipment & ultimately decide the fate of the Würstreich ... if you live!
This book will walk you through setting up the game & choosing an adventurer. Gameplay is broken up into a series of game turns, each consisting of three phases: Map Action Phase, Danger Phase & Encounter Phase.
During the Map Action Phase, you & your fellow adventurers will either choose a mode of travel, or choose to stay put & resolve a series of 'Rest Actions' (recovery, trading, etc.).
During the Danger Phase, you will draw a Danger card to determine where the monstrous denizens of the world are active. Every turn, some part of the world will become more dangerous & there is a chance you will be attacked.
During the Encounter Phase, depending on your Danger card draw, you may resolve Encounters (people & situations of interest that you come across in your travels) as well as combat, if you've been attacked.
When a fight breaks out, it is resolved as a series of Combat Rounds in which each adventurer has an opportunity to choose an action while attempting to defend themselves from monsters targeting them.
If you are new to board games, we recommend finding someone with gaming experience to play with you, at least on your first playthrough. With persistence & practice you will learn the secrets of survival in the Würstreich!
Components
- Game Board, the Missions book & the Rules book
- 6 Dice & 2 Reference Sheets
- 8 Character Sheets
- 8 Adventurer Standees & 4 clips
- 14 Law Monster & 16 Epic Monster Cards
- 72 Loot & 12 Epic Loot Cards
- 8 Sign of Power Cards
- 36 Danger & 24 Doom Cards
- 64 Encounter Cards
- 120 Monster Cards
- 36 Skill, 14 Triumph & 24 Weakness Cards
- 16 Epic Monster Counters
- 8 Voidgate & 6 Clue Counters
- 8 Stance Counters
- 3 Bounty, 79 Danger & 29 Town Level Counters
- 35 Status Condition Counters
- 20 Doom Track Counters
- 15 Monster Condition Counters
- Map Trait Counters: 8 Destroyed/Law, 22 Explored/Perilous, 16 Fungus/Metaphysical
- 11 Gold Piece (GP), 4 Hit Point (HP), 4 Luck, 1 Base counter
- 39 Wound & 4 Experience (XP) Counters
- 3 Map Overlays
Map Overview
Locations & Spaces
The game board consists of various Locations, typically surrounded & connected to each other by Paths & Roads.
The term 'space' refers to any Location, Path, or Road. Each separate Path & Road is a 'space', likewise each separate Location is also a 'space'. Your adventurer's standee will move from space to space during the course of play, representing your current position on the board.
For example, Pigskin Port is a Location that is connected to the Bandit Camp & Watchtower Locations by a Path & a Road (respectively), which are part of the Foothills Territory.
The Catacombs Location is adjacent to both the Graveyard & Ghostgate Locations, with no Road or Path between them.
Likewise, there is no Road or Path between the Tunnel of Terror & the Temple of Madness - these Locations are directly adjacent to each other.
The map overlays (Crystal Chamber, Flooded Caves, Hidden Halls, Undercity Dungeon) represent special Locations that are only used in specific missions.
Paths & Roads
Paths & Roads on the map represent travel routes across the landscape. Roads allow for faster travel & are colored in the standard color of their Region with a violet border (Highlands Road, Badlands Road, Lowlands Road).
Paths are unknown routes through the wilderness that take longer to traverse. Paths are colored in brown, with a border color indicating the Territory they are a part of (see below). All Paths are considered to be 'Secret Paths' until they have been Explored. An Explored Path can be crossed quickly like a Road (see Map Actions, pg.12).
In the example above, two Paths leading to the Goblin Fortress have been Explored - one from Gutfish Ford & one from the Crystal Crater. The Paths leading to Last Chance & Skull Bridge are still Secret Paths.
Territories
A Territory is a collection of Locations, Paths & Roads. All Paths & Roads are considered to be part of a Territory & use the 'Danger Level' of that Territory (see Danger Level & Town Level, pg.4). Locations that do not have their own Danger Level are always part of a Territory & use the Danger Level of their Territory.
You can determine what Territory a Road or Path falls within by examining the color surrounding the Road or Path itself - a guide is provided below (note that the Fields & Tomb Lake have no Paths within them).
- Badlands Territories: The Blasted Heath (dark red), Burning Lakes (purple), The Wasteland (red)
- Highlands Territories: The Foothills (orange), Slaver's Pass (pink)
- Lowlands Territories: The Fields, The Witchwood (dark blue)
- Wetlands Territories: The Rotting Swamp (green), Tomb Lake
For example, the Path between the Crystal Crater & the Goblin Fortress is part of the Burning Lakes (note the purple border).
Regions
The area featured on the game board is known as 'the Borderlands', as it encompasses the crumbling Eastern border of the Würstreich. The Borderlands are divided up into 4 distinct Regions; the Badlands (red), Highlands (yellow), Lowlands (blue) & Wetlands (green). Each Territory & Location falls within one of these Regions. Each Region offers its own set of unique challenges & dangers.
'The Maze' space is the exception. It exists within a fifth Region, known as The Void (black) & it cannot be reached by standard means of travel.
The Badlands, in red, were once covered in vast tracts of farmland that fed the teeming masses of the Würstreich. Long ago, the area was destroyed by a magical cataclysm of massive proportions. Earthquakes tore the land asunder, cutting a treacherous chasm through the heart of the region. All around, the landscape is withered & dead. What few people remain are mutated by their poisoned surroundings & live a bleak existence in a hostile environment, under constant threat from the warlike Goblin hordes & their Daemonic masters who inhabit ruins long abandoned throughout the wastes.
The Highlands, in yellow, are dominated by rolling foothills in the shadow of the towering Mountains of the Mouth, from which flows the great Stinkendblut River. Desperate to consolidate a sprawling domain they could no longer control, Imperial forces withdrew from this region ages ago & left the land to lawlessness. Bandit gangs & merchant guilds rule here, often distinguished from each other only by the ownership of a license to trade with the Lowlands. In this chaotic realm where gangs of lowlifes & psychos competing for cash spill each other's blood, waves of insanity emanate from the mysterious & mythical Temple of Madness, hidden somewhere in the mountains. Obscene monstrous hallucinations spill forth from this impossible edifice to prey on the unprotected & make a mockery of the laws of reality.
The Lowlands, in blue, are the last foothold of the Empire on the Borderlands. The rotting & dangerous fortress city of Brüttelburg dominates the surrounding fields & enforces its tyrannical law over the downtrodden masses of the Würstreich. To the South, the priests of the Holy Order oversee a sprawling necropolis, waging a brutal & bloody war for control over the minds of the living & the bodies of the dead against legions of cultists, heretics & their monstrous allies. To the East, the gloom-shrouded Witchwood's haunted depths offer only danger & terror to travellers desperate enough to brave its paths.
The Wetlands, in green, are a harsh wilderness where savages & slimy subhuman beasts creep amongst the ruins of ancient forgotten civilizations. Massive tectonic disturbances in the North caused rampant flooding, forming Tomb Lake over much of what was once part of the great necropolis. Its banks littered with the bones of the dead, who knows what horrors lurk within its dark depths?
Danger Level & Town Level
Many Locations have their own Danger Level or Town Level, indicated on the map by an orange number from 1-6 (Danger Level), or by a green number from 1-6 (Town Level).
If no Danger or Town Level is provided for a space, it shares the Danger Level of the surrounding Territory.
If instructed to adjust the Danger Level in your space while you are in a Location without its own Danger Level, adjust the Danger Level of the entire Territory. Likewise, if instructed to adjust the Danger Level of your space while you are on a Path or Road, adjust the Danger Level of the entire Territory.
The following is a list of Locations that use the Danger Level of their Territory:
| Location | Territory |
|---|---|
| Crystal Crater | Burning Lakes |
| Dusk Falls | Tomb Lake |
| Ghostgate | Tomb Lake |
| Hag's Fork | The Witchwood |
| East Bridge | The Witchwood |
| Last Chance | The Wasteland |
| North Bridge | The Foothills |
| The Windmill | The Foothills |
Danger Levels & Town Levels will fluctuate throughout the course of the game. Numbered counters have been provided to track these changes.
When you adjust the Danger Level or Town Level in a space, place the appropriate counter covering the number printed on the board.
A space with a Town Level does not have a Danger Level & vice versa - these levels are opposite. Only a Settlement can have a Town Level.
If you are instructed to increase the Danger Level in a Town (a space with a Town Level), reduce its Town Level instead. Similarly, if you are instructed to increase the Town Level in a Settlement with a Danger Level, reduce the Danger Level instead.
When a Town with a Town Level of 1 has its Town Level reduced, remove its Town Level counter & replace it with a Danger Level of 1. That space is no longer considered a Town, but is still a Settlement.
When a Settlement with a Danger Level of 1 has its Danger Level reduced, remove its Danger Level counter & replace it with a Town Level of 1.
Danger Level & Town Level cannot be increased above 6. If the Danger Level would be increased when it is already at 6, it remains 6, but if this happens during the Danger Phase as a result of a Danger card draw, you must 'advance the Doom track' (see Doom, pg.28).
Bounty Level
Many spaces in the Lowlands are patrolled by the Law & are just as dangerous for escaped fugitives as the monster-infested wilderness. These are called Law spaces - they are marked with the Law icon (see Map Space Traits). Bounty Level represents the degree to which the Law is actively searching for the party & other miscreants in these spaces. There is only one Bounty Level, measuring the efforts of the Würstreich's law enforcement as a whole.
Your mission will determine the starting Bounty Level (if you are playing a standalone mission or starting a campaign). Place the corresponding blue numbered counter on the Bounty Level track found next to Brüttelburg.
The Bounty Level can never be reduced to less than 1 or increased above 6.
The Stinkendblut River
The Stinkendblut River snakes through the borderlands, providing a fast means of transportation & defining the Eastern & Northern borders of the Würstreich.
Springing from the Mountains of the Mouth in the North, it flows South to Pigskin Port, where it splits West toward the heart of the Würstreich & East towards the Burning Lakes & the unknown lands beyond.
For a small price (2 gold pieces), you can travel downriver, away from the Tunnel of Terror (see River Port Travel). You can also Port Travel from East Bridge to either Dusk Falls or the Fishmonger Camp (both are Lake Ports).
The following Locations are River Ports: Crystal Crater, East Bridge, Gutfish Ford, North Bridge, Pigskin Port, the Tunnel of Terror & the Watchtower.
Tomb Lake
In the South, the Stinkendblut River disgorges into Tomb Lake; named for its lakebed covered in the flooded tombs of the old necropolis.
Adventurers can use Port Travel between Lake Port Locations at no cost (see Lake Port Travel).
The following Locations are Lake Ports: Dusk Falls, Fishmonger Camp, Ghostgate & Tower Island.
Map Space Traits
Each Location has its own unique 'traits', represented by icons on the board. Territories also have traits & all Paths & Roads share the traits of their Territory.
For example, Last Chance (a Location in the Wasteland) is an Inside space. However, the Paths & Road adjacent to it are all Outside spaces, because they share the traits of the Wasteland.
Traits can be added to a space during the course of the game as a result of various card & mission effects. Counters have been provided to track these changes. When a space on the board gains a new trait, place the corresponding trait counter on that space. A space cannot have more than one of the same trait (a space cannot be 'double-Perilous', for example).
Some traits have special rules associated with them, while others only effect how certain skills & abilities are used.
For example, the Fieldcraft Skill helps you to recover quickly while you are Outside, but wouldn't help you in an Inside space like Last Chance.
Base — The adventurers have established themselves as allies or benefactors. Locals here are often friendly & appreciative towards the party. Investing at a Base costs only 16 gold pieces (see Rest Actions, pg.14).
Destroyed — Some great force of nature or wizardry has rendered this space utterly impassible. You cannot Rest in, move into, or move through a Destroyed space, unless you are Detained there.
Explored — You have spent time to gain some familiarity with the layout of this area. You may draw an extra Loot card when you Trade in an Explored Town & you may Force March on an Explored Path (see The Map Action Phase, pg.12).
Fungus — This area is ravaged by the blight. Overgrown mold patches coat the area & spores choke the air.
Inside — This space is inside a building or series of buildings, or it represents a cave & tunnel network underground.
Lake Port — Tomb Lake, in the South, provides a quick mode of travel between the Lowlands & Wetlands. This space is accessible by Lake Port Travel. You can Lake Port Travel here for free from any other Lake Port space (see Lake Port Travel, pg.13).
Law — This space is patrolled by agents of the Würstreich. You can be attacked by Law monsters here (see Compare Danger Value, pg.16-17).
Metaphysical — This space exists beyond the bounds of familiar reality & you must enter a trance-like state (voluntarily or otherwise) to find it. You must have either a Disease or any Status Condition (see Status Conditions, pg.10) to move into a Metaphysical space, unless you are Void Travelling from the Maze. When you Recover in a Metaphysical space, do not remove status conditions other than Detained. When you Explore in a Metaphysical space, do not place an Explored counter; a Metaphysical space can never have an Explored counter. If an Explored space becomes Metaphysical, remove its Explored counter.
Outside — This space represents a primarily outdoors & aboveground area.
Perilous — The environment here is particularly hazardous & toxic. When you Rest in a Perilous space, you cannot recover Wounds with the Recovery action. You must still make a Recovery Test if there is a consequence for failed Recovery in your space imposed by a card or effect. If you are Defeated in a Perilous space, unless you remove at least 1 Wound somehow by the end of the Map Action Phase, you die!
River Port — An accessible Port on the Stinkendblut River. While Bold, you can River Port Travel to & from here for 2 gold pieces per adventurer (see River Port Travel, pg.13).
Settlement — Humans or human-like beings have settled here in number & created a city, village, or encampment. This space can have a Town Level (see Danger Level & Town Level). If it does, you may use Town actions when you Rest here.
Town — A Settlement that boasts at least some meagre level of safety & stability, where the party is not necessarily attacked on sight. A Settlement with a Town Level of 1 or more is considered a Town. This icon does not appear on a counter or on the map, but appears on Items & Skills, etc. that can be used in a space with a Town Level.
Void — This space exists on the cosmic threshold between worlds.
Woodland — This space is densely wooded & blanketed in gloom.
Setting Up the Game
Playing Area
- First unfold the game board & place it in the middle of your table or playing area.
- Next, take each of the following decks & place them near the game board: all Monster decks (including Law & Epic Monsters), all Encounter decks, Loot, Epic Loot & the Danger deck.
If you are short on table space, you may leave the other decks in the box until they are needed. When you are instructed to draw a card from one of these decks for the first time, shuffle that deck & place it on the table near the board. Skills & Triumphs do not need to be shuffled. Likewise, the map overlay counters can be kept in the box until they are needed.
- Search each Monster deck & remove the monsters with XP VAL 3. Create a discard pile for each of these decks consisting of the XP VAL 3 monsters from that deck. XP VAL (Experience Value) is indicated on the upper left of each monster card.
Note that the 'VAL' block is printed in yellow on these monsters to make them easier to find. The Epic Monster deck does not contain any XP VAL 3 monsters.
- If you are beginning a Campaign game (a series of connected missions), remove the following cards from their respective decks. These are only used when a mission calls for them to be added to the Mission deck.
- Crown of Cruelty (Epic Loot)
- Doombringer Horn (Epic Loot)
- The Dread Saint (Epic Monster)
- Leaving the discard piles in place, shuffle the following: Danger deck, Epic Loot deck, each Encounter deck & each Monster deck (including Epic Monsters).
- Organize the counters into piles & place them near the board so they are within reach of the players. The dice & reference sheets should also be placed on the playing surface within reach of the players.
Setting Up Your Adventurer
- Each player should choose an adventurer & claim that adventurer's character sheet & standee.
- Take the small square Luck, Wound, gold piece (GP), Hit Point (HP) & Experience (XP) counters (one of each) & place them on your character sheet in the matching highlighted squares on the number track.
- Take one Map Stance (Bold/Cautious) counter & one Combat Stance (Assault/Guard) counter & place them on your character sheet.
- Take the Skill & Loot cards indicated on your character sheet & place them near your character sheet. Starting Loot cards use yellow text areas to make them easier to find in the deck.
Once all players have claimed their starting cards, shuffle the remaining Loot deck & place it near the game board (include the starting Items of adventurers that aren't being used).
- You may choose to draw a Weakness card. If you do, you may immediately gain the bonus XP indicated & you may draw a second Weakness, repeating the process described above (once only).
If you do not meet the requirements, discard it & you may draw again until you draw a card that you qualify for. Many Weaknesses provide bonus XP (Experience Points), representing the wisdom earned from dealing with hardship & the memories of past adventures & trials.
Choosing a Mission
If this is your first time playing, play the introductory mission On The Run, found in the Mission Book. Otherwise, if you are playing a standalone game (not part of a continuous campaign), choose one of the missions from the Mission Book.
If you are playing a mission as part of a continuous campaign, begin with On the Run. The outcome of this mission will determine your mission path (see Playing a Campaign, pg.33).
Having chosen a mission, read over the unique rules associated with that mission in the Mission Book. Each mission includes a Setup section that describes any additional steps required. Typically this will involve placing Clue counters on the board & setting aside certain cards to create a Mission deck (see Using the Missions, the Missions Book pg.3).
If you are playing a standalone mission, your mission will indicate the starting Bounty Level & starting Location for the party of adventurers. Place the corresponding numbered blue counter for Bounty Level on the board in the area provided near Brüttelburg & place the adventurers' standees on the starting space indicated.
If you are playing a mission as part of a campaign, the Bounty Level & location of adventurers is determined by the outcome of the previous mission. You start in the same space where you ended the previous mission & the Bounty Level remains the same, unless the Mission Book specifies otherwise (for example, in the Escape From Brüttelburg mission, your starting Location is determined by a dice roll).
Core Mechanics
Dice Terms & Halving
Dungeon Degenerates uses standard 6-sided dice. Three colors are provided - these are used during combat for specific purposes; orange Attack dice, green Defence dice & pink Power dice (see Resolving a Fight, pg.24). When you are instructed to roll dice outside of a fight, it is typically not important which color dice you use.
This game uses standard abbreviations for dice rolls:
- D6: roll one dice.
- D3: roll one dice & halve the value (round up), resulting in a number from 1 to 3.
- D6+1: roll one dice & add one to the value, resulting in a number from 2 to 7.
- 2D6: roll two dice & add the values together, resulting in a number from 2 to 12.
When instructed to halve a number (usually an adventurer or monster's attribute), always round up. Apply other modifiers after halving or doubling a number, unless instructed to the contrary. The main exception is that when an adventurer's attribute is halved or doubled, status conditions & other effects that modify that attribute are applied before halving (for example, when you determine your HP, you double your CON after applying any modifiers to your CON, such as the -1 CON penalty if you are Poisoned - see Status Conditions).
For example, a Megarat's ATT value is 5. If it becomes Dazed, its ATT is halved, to 3. If the Megarat is joined by the Queen of the Rats, who has the Command ability, the Megarat gets +1 ATT, so its ATT becomes 4.
As another example, when you are Defeated, your XP is halved. So, if you have 7 XP when you are Defeated, you would end up with 4 XP.
Attributes
Attributes represent your mental & physical condition, as well as your personal aptitudes & shortcomings. Each adventurer has attributes & each of these is given a value from 2 to 11. 7 is average, while 9 or 10 is excellent.
Attributes can often be temporarily or indefinitely changed by Skills, Weaknesses, Items, conditions, etc. An attribute cannot be increased above 11 or reduced to below 2 by any effect.
Agility (AGI) — Agility represents how quick you are on your feet, your reflexes & your ability to defend yourself in & out of battle.
Constitution (CON) — Constitution measures your physical endurance & stamina - your ability to survive pain, disease & poison. CON also determines your Hit Points (HP) - the maximum number of Wounds you can withstand before you are Defeated (see Hit Points (HP) & Wounds, pg.9).
Magic (MAG) — Magic indicates your aptitude in the occult arts of wizardry & science - your ability to ward yourself against curses & to understand the hidden mystical significance of the unseen world around you. MAG also determines the maximum Luck you can accumulate (see Luck, pg.9).
Morale (MRL) — Morale measures your bravery & perseverance in the face of hardship or mental anguish. Those with low MRL tend towards superstition & fear, while those with high MRL are fortified by an unswerving belief in an unseen higher power protecting them from harm. The latter tend to speak with confidence & garner some level of respect not afforded to the pragmatic & desperate underclasses of the Würstreich. MRL also determines how quickly you recover from Wounds.
Perception (PER) — Perception governs your ability to notice threats & anything else of interest through sight, scent & sound. PER determines the order in which you act in a fight & your accuracy with many ranged weapons.
Strength (STR) — Strength measures your muscle power & body mass. A high STR value allows you to strike effectively in combat with large weapons & perform other feats of physical prowess.
Tests
When instructed to make an attribute Test (a 'PER Test', for example), roll 2D6 & compare the dice total to the indicated attribute (don't forget to take into account any changes to your attribute value due to status conditions or card effects).
If your roll is equal to or less than your attribute, you pass the Test! If your roll is higher than your attribute, you fail.
For example, when you attempt to Explore a space, you must pass a PER Test. If you are playing as the Hinterlander, your PER is 9, so you would need to roll 9 or less on 2D6 to Explore your space. While Blinded (-1 PER), you need an 8 or less, but while you are Focused (+1 PER), you need a 10 or less (see Status Conditions, pg.10).
Because an attribute cannot be reduced below 2 or increased to above 11, a roll of double 1 always passes a Test, while a roll of double 6 always fails, unless specifically contradicted by an ability or effect (the Evade ability, for example, causes melee attacks to always miss on doubles - so a double 1 would miss).
Some cards may change the way you make attribute Tests. For example, the Fieldcraft Skill allows you to use CON in place of MRL when you Recover Outside. When using this Skill during Recovery, you can make a CON Test & if you pass you recover Wounds equal to your CON (or half your CON if you fail, see Recovery, pg.14).
As another example, the Track Skill allows you to roll 3 dice & use any 2 when you make a PER Test to Hunt or Explore Outside. This means if a Hinterlander using Track rolled 6, 4, 5 on his Explore Test, he would still pass by removing a 6 & therefore scoring a 9 (4 + 5), which equals his PER of 9.
Often you will need to make an attribute Test to establish a number value or quantity. This is indicated in {brackets} - as in {PER Test} or {MAG Test}.
For example, the Scroll of Ancient Gibberish allows you to gain {MAG Test} XP.
When instructed to make a Test in {brackets}, make a standard attribute Test. If you fail this Test, your resulting value is 0. If you pass, use your highest single dice as your value, giving you a result from 1 to 6.
For example, a Void Witch reading her Scroll of Ancient Gibberish must roll equal to or less than her MAG of 9. If she rolls a 4 and 5, she will gain 5 XP (the highest dice is 5), but if she rolls a 3 and 6, she will instead gain 6 XP (the highest dice is 6). If she rolls double 6, she gains nothing as she has failed the Test & must resolve the consequences described on the card.
Luck
Each adventurer begins the game with a quantity of Luck & a unique method for accumulating more (indicated on the character sheet).
When you gain Luck, move your Luck counter up along the number track on your character sheet. When you lose Luck, move it back towards 0. You can never have Luck higher than your current MAG. If your MAG drops & becomes lower than your Luck, reduce your Luck so that it equals your MAG.
Luck can be spent during the game in two ways:
Heroic Effort — When you roll an attribute Test, you may spend 1 Luck to re-roll any one dice (including Power dice while you are in a fight, see Combat Dice, pg. 25). You may do this as many times as you wish - but each time you re-roll a dice, you must spend 1 Luck. After re-rolling, you may choose to spend Luck to re-roll the same dice again, or to re-roll a different dice.
For example, if you need an 8 to pass a crucial Test, but you roll 5 and 5, you could first use 1 Luck to re-roll one 5, hoping for a 3 or less. If your re-roll resulted in 6, this would still fail (5 and 6), but you could spend a further 1 Luck to re-roll the other 5 this time, hoping for a 4 or less.
Prolong the Inevitable — If you are playing a campaign, you can use Luck in cooperation with other adventurers to stave off the Hand of Doom. You cannot do this while playing a standalone mission.
If the Doom Track would be advanced, adventurers in the Borderlands (any space other than the Maze) may collectively spend Luck equal to the total number of living adventurers to prevent this. Adventurers do not have to pay the cost in equal portions (an adventurer may contribute any amount of Luck).
Gold Pieces (GP) & Experience (XP)
Gold Pieces (GP) represent currency, trade goods & any commodity that is easy to carry & sell. You can use gold pieces to purchase Items when you Trade in a Town or with travelling merchants. You can also use it to Invest in a Settlement, increasing its Town Level (see Rest Actions, pg.14).
You begin the game with a certain quantity of gold pieces, as indicated on your character sheet. You may exchange gold pieces with your party at any time during the Map Action Phase or Encounter Phase, as long as you are not in a fight.
Experience Points (XP) represent wisdom & proficiency earned through conflict & triumph over danger. XP is used to acquire new Skills & improve Skills into Masteries (see Rest Actions, pg.14).
When you gain gold pieces or XP, move the corresponding counter up along the number track on your character sheet. You can never have more than 21 gold pieces or XP.
Hit Points (HP) & Wounds
Wounds represent injury inflicted by combat & hazards.
You start the game with 0 Wounds, as indicated on your character sheet. When you receive Wounds, move your Wounds counter up along the number track on your character sheet. When you recover Wounds, move the counter back towards 0.
HP (Hit Points) determine how many Wounds you can accumulate before you are Defeated. A Defeated adventurer is incapacitated & close to death (see Defeat)!
Your HP is equal to double your CON. If your CON is changed (due to Disease or Poison, for example), your HP changes as well (take into account any modifiers to your CON before doubling it). Move your HP counter to reflect your new HP value when your CON changes.
You cannot accumulate more Wounds while you are Defeated, & your Wounds can never be higher than your HP. When your HP is reduced to below your current Wounds, you are immediately Defeated & your current Wounds is reduced to equal your current HP.
Monsters & some Encounters also have HP & Wounds. When a Monster or Encounter accumulates Wounds, place an equivalent number of Wound counters on it. If it accumulates Wounds equal to its HP, it is destroyed (see Inflicting Wounds, pg.26).
Armor (ARM)
ARM (Armor) measures the effectiveness of your gear at protecting you from physical harm. Normally, adventurers have 0 ARM, but this can be improved by acquiring certain Items.
When you take damage, it is reduced by your ARM, unless that damage is 'Piercing damage' (Piercing damage ignores ARM).
Status Conditions
During the course of the game, you will frequently experience various temporary physical & mental states as you face dangers & explore the landscape. These are called 'Status Conditions' - they are represented by counters placed along the lower edge of your character sheet.
When you gain a status condition, take the appropriate counter & place it on your character sheet in the slot corresponding to that condition's duration.
If the duration of your condition is not specified, the duration is until you Rest (Recovery). For example, 'you become Poisoned' means you have the Poisoned status condition until the next time you use a Recovery action while Resting.
If you gain a status condition for one fight round or until the end of your next turn, place the appropriate counter in the first status area on your character sheet, labelled Fight Round. This will be removed either before or after your turn during a fight (see The Fight Sequence, pg.24).
If you gain a status condition until the end of a fight, place the appropriate counter on the middle status area on your character sheet, labelled End of Fight. This will last through the remainder of the current fight, after which it is discarded (see The Fight Sequence, pg.24).
If you gain a status condition until you Rest, place the counter on the rightmost status section of your character sheet, labelled Recovery. This will be removed when you Rest & Recover (see Rest Actions, pg.14).
If you accumulate 3 or more counters in a single duration section, simply stack the counters. You can have any number of status conditions at a time, but you cannot gain a condition you already have (you cannot be 'double-Slimed', for example).
If you would gain a condition you already have for a longer duration, move the counter to indicate the longer duration. For example, if you are Stunned for a round & then become Stunned until the end of the fight, move the counter to the End of Fight section.
Status conditions that increase a specific attribute are opposite of those that reduce that attribute; these use the flip side of the same counter. If you gain a condition that is opposite of one you already have (regardless of the duration), simply remove the counter - the two conditions cancel each other out. For example, you cannot be Blessed (+1 MRL) & Demoralized (-1 MRL) at the same time. If you would become Demoralized while you are already Blessed, instead remove the Blessed counter from your character sheet.
If a condition lowers one of your attributes, you may lose the use of an Item or Skill based on that card's requirements. Similarly, some conditions may allow you to temporarily use certain Items & Skills (see Card & Action Requirements, pg.11).
The following is a list of all status conditions & their effects. Status conditions that affect monsters are described later (see Monsters, pg.20).
Adventurer Status Conditions
Slimed (AGI) — While Slimed, you have -1 AGI.
Poisoned (CON) — While Poisoned, you have -1 CON & therefore also have -2 HP (HP is equal to double your CON). When you become Poisoned, if your Wounds equals or exceeds your lowered HP value, you are also Defeated (see HP & Wounds, pg.9).
Exalted / Suppressed (MAG) — While Exalted, you have +1 MAG. While Suppressed, you have -1 MAG.
Blessed / Demoralized (MRL) — While Blessed, you have +1 MRL. While Demoralized, you have -1 MRL.
Focused / Blinded (PER) — While Focused, you have +1 PER. While Blinded, you have -1 PER.
Invigorated / Weakened (STR) — While Invigorated, you have +1 STR. While Weakened, you have -1 STR.
Fatigued / Detained — While you are Fatigued, you cannot Force March (see Map Actions). While you are Detained, you must Rest during the next Map Action Phase - you cannot travel in any way (see Map Actions, pg.12). If you become Detained while you are Fatigued, flip the counter to the 'Detained' side. If you become Fatigued while you are Detained, you may ignore that effect (Detained is a more severe form of Fatigued).
Infected — When you Recover while Infected, do not remove any Wounds. If you are Defeated while Infected, unless you remove at least 1 Wound by the end of the Map Action Phase (by using an Item or Skill such as the Elixir of Life or Mend Wounds), you die!
Stunned — While you are Stunned, do not roll any Power dice.
The Party
All adventurers in the same space are collectively called a 'party'. Adventurers in a party fight alongside each other if attacked & can share the benefits of certain Skills (Sixth Sense, for example, helps your entire party avoid an ambush). Adventurers in a party also share a single Map Stance (see The Map Action Phase, pg.13).
You can leave a party during the Map Action Phase by choosing your own Map Action & travelling to a different space (or staying behind while the others leave).
Card Classes
Adventurers, Encounters, Loot, Monsters & Weaknesses all have various Classes listed on them. These describe the type of the card & its relation to other cards & effects.
For example, the Vermus Guard has the Filth & Vermin Classes. His Horde (Vermin) ability gives him +1 ATT if another Vermin is alive in his space (see Monster Abilities, pg.21).
The Exterminator Skill allows an adventurer to inflict bonus damage against him (because he is a Vermin) & the Gourmet Skill allows an adventurer to eat him when he is slain.
An adventurer's Classes often determine what Items & Skills they can use & may grant new ways to interact with Encounters.
When instructed to draw a card of a specific Class ('draw an Item from the Loot deck', for example) draw cards until you find a card with the indicated Class, then discard the rest.
While most Classes have no special rules beyond how they relate to other cards & effects, Items in particular have Classes that limit how many can be equipped at one time, or where they can be found (see Loot & Items, pg.31).
Reshuffling & Searching Decks
When you exhaust a deck completely (all cards from that deck are in play or discarded), reshuffle the discards together to replace the deck. Note that when you exhaust a Monster deck, the XP VAL 3 monsters you separated during setup will be shuffled into the deck along with the rest.
If you are instructed to search a deck for a specific card, shuffle that deck (without including discards) after you have found the indicated card.
Some missions may instruct you to remove a particular card from the game, or 'return it to the game box'. Such cards are not shuffled back into their decks, they are not used again during the remainder of the game (or campaign, if you are playing a mission as part of a campaign).
Card & Action Requirements
Many Items, Skills & Weaknesses have 'requirements' listed at the bottom of the card.
You cannot learn a Skill or Mastery if you do not meet the requirements listed. You can learn a Skill or Mastery that you temporarily meet the requirements for, due to status conditions or other changes to your attributes. You can use that card as long as you meet its requirements. If you cease to meet the requirements for a card, you do not lose the card, but you cannot use it; ignore its effects until you meet the listed requirements.
If you cease to meet the requirements for an Item, you cannot use that Item & you must unequip it. You immediately lose any benefits & effects of such an Item unless you are wearing it. If the Item has the Body or Head traits, you must continue to use it while you are still in a fight. As soon as you are not in a fight, it is unequipped immediately (if you still don't meet the requirements). For example, if you are wearing a Studded Vest when your STR is reduced below 6, you still gain the ARM benefit of the Studded Vest until the end of the fight, at which point you will have to remove it.
You can still carry an Item you don't meet the requirements for, but you cannot use it; ignore its effects.
If you no longer meet the requirements for a Weakness you already have, ignore the effects of that Weakness until you meet the requirements again (do not discard the Weakness). For example, if a Corpse Burner has the Clumsy Weakness (requires AGI less than 8) & Combat Reflexes Skill (which increases AGI while in Assault stance), he will no longer meet the requirements for Clumsy while on Assault & will therefore only be Clumsy while on Guard.
Some Skills & Items have properties or actions that can only be used under particular circumstances. These are indicated on the card in a shaded box; with an icon indicating the required action or trait needed to use that effect.
- A blue box indicates an effect or action that can be used when you Rest.
- If multiple icons are shown in separate shaded boxes, the action can be used as long as any one of these applies. (For example, an action shown with both the Town & Camp icons can be used when you Rest in a Town - a space with a Town Level - or Camp - a space with a Danger Level.)
- If multiple icons are combined within a shaded box, all conditions shown must be met to use the action. (For example, an action shown with the Town icon combined with the Bold icon requires you to be Resting in a Town & in Bold Stance.)
- A pink box indicates an effect or action that can only be used in a space with the Trait indicated. (For example, an action shown with the Outside icon requires you to be in an Outside space.)
- An orange box indicates an effect or action that can only be used while you are in Assault stance.
- A green box indicates an effect or action that can only be used while you are in Guard stance.
The Game Turn
Sequence of Play
Dungeon Degenerates is played as a series of Game Turns, each divided into a sequence of 3 Phases:
Map Action Phase — Choose a Map Stance & Map Action: Travel to another space or conduct any number of Rest Actions without moving.
Danger Phase — Draw a Danger card for each party, in MRL order. The Danger Level is increased in a Location or Territory specified by the first party's Danger card.
Encounter Phase — Each party must resolve Encounters & combat against Monsters if indicated by their Danger card.
The Map Action Phase
During the Map Action Phase, each party of adventurers take turns choosing & resolving a Map Stance & a Map Action.
The player in a party with the highest MRL is considered to be the 'party leader'. Each party acts in MRL order during the Map Action Phase, comparing the MRL of each party leader. The party whose leader has the highest MRL may act first.
If players or parties are tied for high MRL, the players may come to mutual agreement about who is the leader of each party & in what order parties will act. If an agreement cannot be reached, roll a die to decide.
First, each party chooses a Map Stance; Bold or Cautious. Each adventurer in the party must flip their Map Stance counter to indicate the chosen stance.
Bold stance represents the party risking danger or looking for trouble - hunting down enemies or searching for something of interest in the area. Many actions require Bold stance, including any quick mode of travel (Force March, Port Travel, Void Travel).
Cautious stance represents the party keeping a low profile, hiding from enemies while moving slowly & keeping under cover.
Adventurers in the same party share the same Map Stance. However, if you declare you are leaving the party, you may choose a different Map Stance.
When an adventurer joins a party, or vice versa (by ending a Map Action Phase in the same space), the entire party's stance becomes Bold if any adventurer in the party was in Bold stance.
For example, the Hinterlander & Void Witch are Resting in Cautious Stance at the Crossroads when they are joined by the Bloodsport Brawler using Force March in Bold Stance to travel from the Graveyard. The Bloodsport Brawler becomes the new party leader (due to her superior MRL) & the party's Map Stance is changed to Bold.
If the Hinterlander & Void Witch in the above example decided to leave the Crossroads, the Bloodsport Brawler would not be able to follow them in the same turn she travelled from the Graveyard. The Hinterlander & Void Witch could travel in Cautious Stance, as they would be leaving the Brawler's party.
Next, each party must choose from the list of possible Map Actions.
Any adventurer may declare they will choose a different Map Action, thereby leaving the party. Each adventurer may use only one Map Action per turn.
The party should collectively agree on a course of action. Although the party leader makes the ultimate decision, each adventurer is free to leave the party & choose a different action.
Map Actions
| Map Action | Stance | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Foot Travel | — | Travel to an adjacent space |
| Force March | Bold | Travel quickly across a Road or Explored Path & pass a CON Test or become Fatigued |
| Lake Port Travel | Bold | Travel from a Lake Port to another Lake Port |
| River Port Travel | Bold | Travel from a River Port to an adjacent Port downriver for 2 gold pieces per adventurer |
| Void Travel | Bold | Travel from a Voidgate to the Maze (or vice versa) |
| Rest | — | Make Camp or stay in Town & perform any number of Rest Actions |
Foot Travel
Move the party to an adjacent space. You may move from a Path or Road to an adjacent Location, or from a Location to an adjacent space (Location, Path, or Road).
For example, the Mercenary Alchemist can Foot Travel from the Windmill to an adjacent Path or Road. If he moves as indicated, he can Foot Travel to Pigskin Port on the following turn.
Force March
The party must be in Bold stance to Force March. If you are in a Location, you may move through a Road or Explored Path to another Location on the other side of that Path or Road.
For example, you can Force March from the Stone Circle to the Black Tree, but only if the intervening Path has an Explored counter.
After moving, you must make a CON Test. If you fail, you become Fatigued (you cannot Force March while you are Fatigued).
For example, if the Mercenary Alchemist is in Bold stance, he can Force March across the Road directly to Pigskin Port in one turn. He must then make a CON Test to avoid becoming Fatigued, which would prevent him from Force Marching again until after he Rests.
Lake Port Travel
The party must be in Bold stance to use Lake Port Travel. If you are in a Lake Port Location, you may travel to any other Lake Port Location (free of charge).
For example, if the Mercenary Alchemist is in Bold stance, he can Lake Port Travel from the Fishmonger Camp to any other Lake Port space.
River Port Travel
The party must be in Bold stance to use River Port Travel. If you are in a River Port Location, you may pay 2 gold pieces per adventurer to move to the next Port Location downriver from your space (downriver meaning away from the Tunnel of Terror). See the list below to determine what River Port Travel destinations are valid from your space.
For example, if the Mercenary Alchemist is in Bold stance, he can pay 2 gold pieces to River Port Travel from Gutfish Ford to Crystal Crater. He cannot River Port Travel back upriver to the Watchtower.
| Location | River Port Destinations |
|---|---|
| Tunnel of Terror | Pigskin Port |
| Pigskin Port | East Bridge, North Bridge, or The Watchtower |
| North Bridge | the West branch of the river leads to the corrupt heart of the Würstreich |
| East Bridge | Dusk Falls or Fishmonger Camp |
| The Watchtower | Gutfish Ford |
| Gutfish Ford | Crystal Crater |
| Crystal Crater | the East branch of the river leads to the uncharted lands beyond; a mysterious realm of sorcerer-giants & reptilian beings |
Void Travel
The party must be in Bold stance to use Void Travel. If you are in a space with a Voidgate, you may move to the Maze. Alternately, if you are in the Maze, you may attempt to move back to the Borderlands, to a random Voidgate.
When you Void Travel from the Maze, draw a Danger card to determine your destination. Do not resolve the card; refer to the Location indicated on the card & its corresponding Region.
If there is already a Voidgate in the indicated Location, simply move the party there.
If there is already a Voidgate in the same Region, one adventurer in the party may attempt a MAG Test. If you pass, you may move the party to the existing Voidgate.
If you fail, or if there is no Voidgate in the indicated Region, place a Voidgate & raise the Danger Level at the Location indicated on the card, then move the party there.
If the Danger card has no space or Region ('reshuffle danger deck', 'your current space', etc.), you cannot Void Travel from the Maze & you must Rest there instead (see Void Shock, pg.30).
You cannot Void Travel to a Destroyed space (if you draw a Destroyed Location, you must stay in the Maze & Rest).
For example, if you draw the Goblin Fortress card, place a Voidgate there & move to that space after raising its Danger Level. Alternately, if there is already a Voidgate in the Badlands, you may attempt to move to that Voidgate by passing a MAG Test.
If you draw the Fields card, place a Voidgate at the Crossroads & move there after raising the Danger Level in the Fields. Alternately, if there is already a Voidgate in the Lowlands, you may attempt to move there by passing a MAG Test.
Rest
If you are in a space with a Danger Level, each adventurer in the party, in MRL order, may take turns using Camp actions. If you are in a Town (a Location with a Town Level), each adventurer in the party, in MRL order, may take turns using Town actions.
Camp & Town actions are collectively known as Rest actions. You can perform any number of Rest actions in a turn, but you cannot perform any action more than once during a turn.
When you Rest, your first Rest action must be Recover. You do not have to roll the dice if you have no Wounds, unless a consequence for failure has been imposed (typically by a Doom card or Weakness).
Afterwards, you may perform other actions from the list below, or any additional actions granted by Items, Skills, etc. You can perform any number of Rest actions on your turn (both from the list below & from cards you have acquired), but you can only perform any specific action once per turn (you cannot Improve twice in one turn, for example).
Rest Actions
| Action | Requirement | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Recover | (Required) | Make a MRL Test to remove Wounds & then remove Status Conditions |
| Explore | Bold | Pass a PER Test to place an Explored counter in your space |
| Improve | — | Spend XP to learn a Skill or Mastery |
| Invest | Bold & Settlement | Pay 20 gold pieces to increase the Town Level (also reduce the Bounty Level if you Invest in a Lowlands Settlement) |
| Trade | Bold & Town | Buy & sell Items (draw cards from the Loot deck equal to the Town Level in your space) |
Recover (required) (Camp or Town) — Make a MRL Test. If you pass, remove Wounds equal to your current MRL. If you fail, recover Wounds equal to half your current MRL (after any modifiers). You cannot recover Wounds this way while Infected or in a Perilous space.
Whether you pass or fail your Recovery Test, remove all status conditions from your character sheet after resolving your roll.
If you are in a Metaphysical space, you do not remove status conditions other than Detained.
Improve (Camp or Town) — Choose one (& only one) of the following:
- Take a Skill from the Skill deck (as long as you meet its requirements) & pay its listed XP cost.
- Improve any Skill you already have into a Mastery & pay its listed XP cost. Flip that card to its Mastery side.
Explore (Bold & Camp, or Bold & Town) — If you are in a space with a Clue counter or without an Explored counter, one adventurer (per space per turn) may attempt to Explore by making a PER Test. If you pass, place an Explored counter in your space (consult the Mission Book when you Explore a Clue counter; the function of these counters will change from mission to mission).
Invest (Bold & Settlement) — The party may collectively spend 20 gold pieces to increase the Town Level in your space. If you are in a Law space, also reduce the Bounty Level (to a minimum of 1). Investing at your Base costs only 16 gold pieces.
Trade (Bold & Town) — Reveal cards from the Loot deck equal to the Town Level in your space; discard & re-draw each Loot Only card revealed. You may reveal an additional card if there is an Explored counter in your space.
You must fight each Monster, then resolve each Event revealed. If you defeated the monsters (if any) in your space, you may then purchase Ally, Item, or Service cards revealed at their listed price. You may also sell (discard) any of your Allies or Items for half their listed price.
Other adventurers after the first Trading in the same Town do not re-draw Loot cards; they must pick from the remaining available cards revealed. At the end of the Map Action phase, discard all remaining revealed cards that were not purchased.
The Danger Phase
During the Danger Phase, you will determine the actions of the various insidious forces that inhabit the Borderlands by drawing & resolving a Danger card for each party, in MRL order (highest to lowest).
The first party to draw a Danger card during each Danger Phase must resolve the entire card. Each party after the first uses only the Danger card value & the icon key below it.
A Danger card shows, from top to bottom: the Location or Territory whose Danger Level is increased (first party only); the Location where the Hand of Doom is moved to, if it is moved; the Danger Value of the card, to be compared to the Danger Level of your space; and the Icon Key, telling you which Encounter & Monster cards to draw based on the icon key & party size.
Increase Danger Level
If you are not the first party, skip this step (this step is performed only once per Danger Phase).
Increase the Danger Level in the Location or Territory indicated on your Danger card. For example, the Foothills card causes the Danger Level in the Foothills Territory to increase.
If the Danger Level in the indicated space is already 6, you must 'advance the Doom track' (see Doom, pg.28).
If the indicated space is a Territory, a Location is provided below it; this is where the Hand of Doom is placed if the Doom track has been advanced. For example, if the Danger Level in the Foothills was already at 6, you would advance the Doom track, placing the Hand of Doom at the Windmill & drawing a Highlands/Windmill card from the Doom Deck.
Some Danger cards do not have a specific Location or Territory, these are described below.
Each space with a Voidgate: Increase the Danger Level in each space on the board with a Voidgate counter. Do not advance the Doom track even if one or more of these spaces already has a Danger Level of 6.
Reshuffle Danger deck: This card does not increase the Danger Level. After resolving & discarding it at the end of the Encounter Phase, shuffle the Danger deck & discards together.
Your current space: Increase the Danger Level in the first party's current Location or Territory. If you are in the Maze, there is no effect (the Maze has no Danger Level).
Compare Danger Value
Next, compare the 'Danger value' of your card to the Danger Level in your current space.
Some Danger Cards have multiple values - the value of these depends on the traits of your current space. For example, the Foothills Danger card has a value of 6 if you are Outside, or a value of 5 if you are Inside.
In addition, you may attempt to change the value of your Danger card based on your Map Stance. While you are Bold, you may attempt to Hunt for monsters that would otherwise avoid you. While you are Cautious, you may use Stealth to evade monsters.
Hunt (Bold) — Each adventurer in the party may attempt a PER Test. Each adventurer in the party must declare whether they will attempt this Test before anyone rolls. If more adventurers pass than fail, you may reduce the effective value of your Danger Card by 1 (to a minimum of 1) during this step.
Stealth (Cautious) — Each adventurer in the party may attempt a PER Test. If every member of the party passes, increase the effective value of your Danger Card by 1 during this step.
If the value of your Danger card is equal to or less than the Danger Level in your current space, you must draw & resolve cards as indicated by the icon key on your Danger card during the Encounter Phase (see The Encounter Phase, pg.18).
For example, the Mercenary Alchemist & Vermin Hunter draw the Holy Order card while they are at the Windmill. After reducing the Town Level at the Holy Order, they compare the value of their Danger card to the Danger Level in the Foothills, which is 2 (the Windmill shares a Danger Level with the Foothills). Since the Windmill is an Inside space, their card's value is 2, and thus matches the Danger Level. The party must draw an Encounter & 3 Monsters unless they can use Stealth to avoid them.
If the Danger card's value is higher than the Danger Level in your space, you are 'safe'; you have evaded trouble or found nothing of interest & you ignore the icon key on your card (no random Encounters or Monsters are drawn). Skip your turn in the Encounter Phase unless there is a large counter in your space (see sidebar). If you are in a Town, you are automatically safe, because a Town does not have a Danger Level. However, you can still be attacked by the Law in a Law Town (see below), or by monsters lurking in the Loot deck (if you draw them while Trading).
For example, the Bloodsport Brawler & Void Witch draw this 'Reshuffle Danger deck' card while they are in the Blasted Heath, which has a Danger Level of 4. Since the Blasted Heath is also Perilous, the card's value is 5. If the party is in Bold stance, they can attempt to Hunt down an Epic Monster & 2 of its minions!
If you are in a Law space & draw a Danger card with the Law icon, first compare the card value to the Bounty Level.
If the card's value is equal to or less than the Bounty Level, draw monsters from the Law deck (even if you are in a Town). If not, treat the Danger card as normal (you can still be attacked by monsters).
If a random Epic Monster icon is indicated, draw an Epic monster with the Law Lair.
For example, the Hinterlander draws the Tower Island Danger card while he is in Brüttelburg. Because he drew a Law card in a Law space, he compares the Danger card value to the Bounty Level, which is 3. He must fight a monster from the Law deck this turn.
Large Counters
The following large-sized counters have special effects during the Danger & Encounter Phases. If one of these counters is in your space, refer to these instructions.
Clue counter — If you are in a space with a Clue counter, consult the instructions described in your mission (see The Missions Book). If you resolve a specific Encounter from the Mission deck or an Encounter deck as a result of a Clue or special mission rule, do not draw a random Encounter this turn regardless of your Danger card draw (each party can find a maximum of one Encounter per space per turn).
Destroyed counter — Do not draw a random Encounter this turn.
Epic Monster Counter — You must fight each Epic Monster in your space, regardless of your Danger card draw. If your Danger card indicates that you are attacked by random Monsters, treat your Party size as one less when determining the number of Monster cards to draw (if you are alone, do not draw random monsters). Ignore Epic Monster & Law icons on your danger card.
Law Epic Monster counter — Treat your Danger card as having the Law icon. Do not draw random monsters this turn unless they are Law (if your Danger card's value is greater than the Bounty Level, you do not draw any random monsters this turn). Treat your Party size as one less when determining the number of Law Monster cards to draw (if you are alone, do not draw random monsters). You must fight the Epic Monster in your space, regardless of your Danger card value. Ignore Encounter & Epic Monster icons on your danger card.
Hand of Doom counter — If you are in the Hand of Doom's space, draw & resolve a Sign of Power card at the end of your party's turn in the Danger Phase (after increasing the Danger Level in the space indicated by your Danger card, even if the Hand of Doom was placed in your space this turn as a result of your Danger card draw). If the Hand of Doom left your space as a result of your Danger card draw, you do not have to draw a Sign of Power card. Do not draw a random Encounter, instead you may attempt to Dispel the Hand (see The Hand of Doom, pg.29).
The Maze — If you are in the Maze during the Danger Phase, ignore the icon key (do not draw Encounters or Monsters). Instead, you suffer from Void Shock (see Void Shock, pg.30).
Voidgate counter — Do not draw a random Encounter. Instead you may attempt to Dispel the Voidgate (see The Hand of Doom, pg.29).
The Encounter Phase
The Danger Icon Key
During the Encounter Phase, each party will draw & resolve Encounters & fight Monsters as determined by the icon key on their Danger card. If you are 'safe' (the Danger card value is higher than your space's Danger Level), you skip this step (you find nothing & nothing attacks you).
In MRL order (highest to lowest, based on the MRL of the party leader), each party must draw & resolve Encounters & Monsters before proceeding to the next party.
If you see the Encounter icon on your Danger card's icon key, draw an Encounter card from the deck corresponding to your current Region (unless there is a large counter in your space; see Large Counters, pg.17).
If your Encounter card reads Resolve Immediately, resolve that card at the start of the Encounter Phase, before drawing Monster cards for your party. Otherwise, resolve the Encounter at the end of the Encounter Phase & only if you have first defeated the monsters in your space.
Make sure to draw & check your Encounter card before drawing Monster cards (as described below). Some Encounters may change how you draw Monster cards this turn.
For example, if you draw the Foothills card while you are at an Inside space with Danger Level 5 or more, you would draw a random Encounter card from your Region's Encounter deck.
If you are in a Law space & your Danger card value is equal to or less than the Bounty Level, draw random Monsters from the Law deck this turn & if you draw a random Epic Monster, it must have the Law Lair.
Danger Card Icons
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Encounter | Draw & resolve a card from your Region's Encounter deck |
| Law | If you are in a Law space & your Danger card value is equal to or less than the Bounty Level, fight monsters from the Law deck this turn. If not, compare your card to the Danger Level in your space & draw Monsters normally |
| Monster (with a number n) | Draw n cards from your Region's Monster deck |
| Epic Monster | Draw an Epic Monster with a Lair matching your current space (see Epic Monsters & Lairs, pg.23) |
Reading Encounters
Some Encounter cards are split in half & describe two different scenarios. If you draw one of these, only resolve the half of the card corresponding to your current space, based on the trait icons next to the card's titles.
For example, if you draw the Lost in the Fog / Hideous Idol card while you are in an Outside space, resolve only the top half of the card; 'Lost in the Fog'. If you are Inside, resolve only the bottom half of the card; 'Hideous Idol'.
If your card reads 'Resolve Immediately' (as in the example above), resolve its effects before drawing Monster cards.
If your card does not read 'Resolve Immediately', set it next to your Danger card. Resolve this Encounter only once you have defeated the monsters in your space, otherwise you must discard it.
Interacting With Encounters
Some Encounters offer you a choice of how to interact with them. These choices are indicated in Bold type in the Encounter card's text & each card specifies whether the choice is made by the party as a whole, or by each adventurer separately.
Each option has a different outcome. Consult the appropriate shaded box to resolve your chosen form of interaction.
If you choose to Ignore an Encounter, there may be consequences. If none are listed, simply discard the card without effect.
For example, when you meet the Organ Grinder, the party (as a group) may choose to either Approach him, Ignore him, or Fight him.
If you choose to Fight, the Encounter card is treated as a monster & added to the monster cards you must fight this turn. If you have already fought, you must resolve an additional fight sequence against the Encounter.
There may be additional special rules that apply during a fight in the card text. Regardless, the card's attributes & abilities are provided at the bottom in a black box. You cannot fight an Encounter if attributes are not provided.
Once you have resolved an Encounter, place it in its discard pile. Therefore, the effects of Encounters such as 'Hideous Idol' only last for the duration of the Encounter Phase in which they are drawn (unless specifically stated otherwise).
Drawing Monster Cards
Next, you will draw Monster cards as indicated on your Danger card & you must face them in combat (see Resolving a Fight).
First, determine how many monsters have attacked by consulting the icon key on your Danger card, using the column matching your Party size. Draw the indicated number of Monster cards from the Monster deck corresponding to your current Region (or the Law deck, see pg.17).
If an Epic Monster icon is indicated, also draw an Epic Monster with a Lair matching your current Region from the Epic Monster deck (see Epic Monsters & Lairs, pg.23).
For example, if a party of 3 adventurers draws the Foothills card while at an Outside space with Danger Level 6, they must draw 6 monsters from the Monster deck corresponding to their Region. A party of 4 adventurers, however, would face 1 Epic Monster & 2 Monsters from the deck corresponding to their Region.
Bribery & Surrender
When you are attacked by monsters from the Law deck, you may Bribe them to avoid fighting them.
To do so, one adventurer must make a MRL Test (typically the party leader). If you fail, increase the Bounty Level & you must fight!
If you pass, the party (as a group) must pay gold pieces equal to the Bounty Level + the total VAL of all monsters in this space. If you do, you may discard each Law card in your space (do not gain an XP or gold piece reward).
For example, if you run into the well-armed Imperial Huntsman & his trusty Smelling Dwarf while the Bounty Level is 4, you can bribe them for an exorbitant fee of 7 gold pieces (2 + 1 + 4), provided you can pass the MRL Test.
When you are attacked by the Law during a campaign mission, you may choose to surrender. If you do, your mission ends (see 'Capture' in The Missions Book, pg.3).
After-Battle Encounters
If you defeated the monsters in your space, you must resolve any remaining Encounter (an Encounter that was not resolved at the start of the phase). This can potentially lead to an additional fight.
If the entire party Escaped or was Defeated, discard the Encounter without resolving it (if the Encounter was from the Mission deck, place it back in the Mission deck).
Completing Your Mission
At the end of the Encounter Phase, if any adventurer or party accomplished the Objective listed in your mission during this turn, you have completed the mission & may claim your Reward as indicated in the Mission Book.
If you are playing a standalone game, you are victorious! If you are playing as part of a campaign, see the Mission Path section of your mission in the Mission Book to determine your next steps.
Ending the Game Turn
Once each party has completed its Encounter Phase, discard your Danger & Encounter cards (unless you have been instructed to keep an Encounter). The game turn now ends & a new one begins, starting with the next Map Action Phase.
Monsters
Monster cards represent the various adversaries you will face in your journeys through the Borderlands. These can be found in the Monster decks, Epic Monster deck, & Law deck, as well as the Loot deck.
When you draw one or more monster cards, you must fight them. Monsters from the Law deck can be bribed to avoid a fight (see Bribery & Surrender, pg.19).
A monster card shows its Class, VAL (Value), Target, ARM (Armor), ATT (Attack), HP (Hit Points) & Abilities. The various monster attributes are explained below.
Armor (ARM) — When a monster takes damage, that damage is reduced by the monster's ARM. For example, when you hit a Vermus Guard with an Attack, the damage inflicted is reduced by 1.
Attack (ATT) — ATT indicates how much damage the monster inflicts on its target during its target's turn (see Suffering Wounds, pg.26). For example, a Vermus Guard inflicts 4 damage on its target every turn, although this is increased to 5 if another Vermin is nearby due to Horde.
If a Range icon is indicated, the monster is considered to have a 'Range' attack. Otherwise, the monster's attack is a 'Melee' attack. This may effect the way Items & Skills can be used against this monster.
Hit Points (HP) — Similar to adventurers, monsters also accumulate Wounds during combat. When a monster has accumulated Wounds equal to its HP, it is destroyed (see Inflicting Wounds). For example, a Vermus Guard is destroyed once it has 4 Wounds.
When you destroy a monster, with an Attack or by some other means, you may take it as a trophy (see Looting, pg.28).
A monster's 'remaining HP' is the number of Wounds it can take before being destroyed.
Target — A monster's Target determines which adventurer it will attack during a fight (see Establish Targets, pg.24). For example, the Vermus Guard attacks the adventurer with the highest CON.
Value (VAL) — VAL indicates the rewards reaped for destroying this monster in combat. For example, the Vermus Guard provides 1 XP & 1 gold piece to its destroyer if the party is victorious.
Monster Status Conditions
Similar to adventurers, monsters can also accumulate status conditions, represented by counters placed on their card. Monster status conditions last until the end of the current fight unless indicated otherwise.
A monster cannot receive a status condition it already has.
Corroded — While Corroded, a monster's ARM (Armor) is reduced to 0.
Dazed — While Dazed, a monster's ATT is reduced to half (rounding up), before applying any modifiers for abilities, etc.
Hexed — While Hexed, a monster loses all of its abilities, including those provided by Doom cards & Encounters.
Monster Abilities
Most monsters have one or more abilities listed at the lower edge of their card. 'Arrival' abilities are listed in the black-shaded area above any 'Standard' abilities.
If a monster's ability is followed by a map trait icon, that ability can only be used in a space with the matching trait. Similarly, if a monster's ability is followed by a stance, that ability can only be used against an adventurer in that stance. For example, Ambush (Outside) can only be used in an Outside space. Pursue (Bold) can only be used against an adventurer in Bold stance.
Monsters can gain additional abilities (& lose them) during the course of play based on Doom, Encounters, Items, Skills & other effects. A monster can never gain an ability it already has (a monster cannot have 'double-Berzerk', for example).
Arrival Abilities
Arrival abilities take effect once, at the start of the monster's first round in a fight. This means arrival abilities take effect at the start of the fight unless the monster has been summoned by another monster after the fight has begun.
Arrival abilities can be resolved in any order, as chosen by the players.
Following are the complete rules for each arrival ability; they are summarized on the back cover of this book.
Ambush — Each adventurer in the monster's space must make a PER Test. If you fail, you become Stunned until the end of your first turn. You only need to make this Test once per fight, regardless of the number of monsters with Ambush present & regardless of the result of the Test. Ambush has no effect after the first round of a fight - a monster with Ambush that is summoned to the fight late does not force a Test.
Curse — This monster's target must make a MAG Test. If you fail this Test, lose 1 Luck & you become Demoralized. You must make this Test once for each monster with Curse that is targeting you.
Fear — Each adventurer in the monster's space must make a MRL Test. If you fail this Test, you become Stunned until the end of your turn. You only have to make this Test once per fight, regardless of the number of monsters with Fear present & regardless of the result of the Test.
Gas — Each adventurer in the monster's space must make a CON Test. If you fail this Test, you become Poisoned. You only have to make this Test once per fight, regardless of the number of monsters with Gas present & regardless of the result of the Test.
Petrify — Each adventurer in the monster's space must make an AGI Test. If you fail this Test, you become Stunned until the end of the fight. You must make this Test once for each monster with Petrify in your space (if you fail you do not have to Test again during this fight). If you have a Shield, invert its AGI penalty for this Test (-1 AGI becomes +1 AGI).
Rally x — If no icons are listed, draw a card from the monster's deck & add it to the fight. Establish this new monster's target & resolve each of its arrival abilities other than Rally. If icons are listed, draw a card or cards from the indicated deck(s). Pink indicates the Law deck (for example, Rally Wetlands/Badlands adds one Wetlands & one Badlands monster to the fight). Encounters with Rally add monsters from the deck corresponding to the Encounter's Region (for example, the Swamp Hag adds a card from the Wetlands Monster deck). A monster that entered the fight due to the Rally or Summon abilities cannot use the Rally ability.
Standard Abilities
Following is a list of standard monster abilities; they are summarized on the back cover of this book.
Acidic — When you receive 1 or more Wounds from this monster, you must discard either a Shield or a random Item; shuffle all of your Items together, excluding those from the Mission deck & draw one at random to discard.
Annoy — If you are being targeted by this monster, you must use Guard Stance (you cannot use Assault Stance).
Berzerk — This monster gains +2 ATT on its first round in a fight, unless it is Dazed. Its ATT returns to normal after its first round.
Command x — All other monsters in the same space with lower XP VAL & at least one Class matching with this monster have +1 ATT. For example, the Chicken Witch (who is both a Goblin & a Witch) has Command & XP VAL 2. Therefore, other Goblins & Witches in her space with XP VAL 1 or less have +1 ATT. If a specific Class is indicated, the bonus is only applied to monsters of the indicated Class. For example, Command (Militant) provides +1 ATT to Militants in the same space with a lesser VAL. This bonus does not 'stack' if multiple monsters with Command are in the same space; a monster cannot gain more than +1 ATT from Command.
Dimwit — On the first round after this monster enters a fight, its ATT value is D6. If you are targeted by this monster, roll to determine its ATT at the start of your turn in the Combat Round. After its first round, the monster's ATT returns to normal (use the monster's ATT as printed on the card).
Drain n — At the end of each combat round, this monster recovers 1 Wound if it inflicted at least 1 Wound on its target during that round. If a number (n) is indicated, the monster recovers n Wounds instead (Drain 2 means it recovers 2 Wounds at the end of the round if it inflicted Wounds).
Endless — This monster cannot be reduced below 1 remaining HP while there is a Witch (monster or encounter) in the same space. The monster can still be 'removed from the fight' by other means (Puzzle Prison, Intimidate, etc.). Witches can never gain Endless.
Evade — When you attack this monster with a Melee Attack, if the attack roll results in doubles, you miss regardless of the dice total.
Explode n — When this monster is destroyed, it inflicts 1 Piercing damage (Piercing damage ignores ARM) on each adventurer & monster in its space. If a number (n) is indicated, it inflicts n Wounds instead. Monsters destroyed by this ability are taken as trophies by the adventurer who destroyed the exploding monster.
Fury n — While this monster has any Wound counters on it, it gains +1 ATT. If a number (n) is indicated, the monster gains +n ATT instead.
Ghostly — Your STR, AGI, & PER are halved when rolling to hit this monster with an Attack. For example, a Corpse Burner using a Grave Shovel to attack a monster with Ghostly would need to roll a 4 or less to hit (STR 8, halved to 4).
Horde x — This monster has +1 ATT while there are 1 or more monsters with the indicated Class in its space. For example, Horde (Fishoid) gives the monster +1 ATT while there is at least one other Fishoid in the same space.
Infect — When you receive 1 or more Wounds from this monster, you become Infected.
Necro n — Each time you receive 1 or more Wounds from this monster, you lose 1 XP. If a number (n) is indicated, lose n XP instead.
Nullify — When you receive 1 or more Wounds from this monster, you become Suppressed.
Onslaught n — This monster gains +1 ATT while targeting an adventurer who is in Guard stance. If a number (n) is indicated, the monster gains +n ATT against Guard stance instead.
Pain — When you receive 1 or more Wounds from this monster, you must make a CON Test. If you fail, you become Stunned until the end of your next turn. If you become Poisoned due to Wounds taken from a monster with Venom during the same turn, this is applied before rolling against Pain.
Pierce n — This monster's attacks deal Piercing damage. If a number is indicated (n), the monster's attacks ignore n ARM instead.
Pursue — You cannot Escape from a fight while targeted by this monster, unless the monster is Dazed.
Regenerate n — This monster recovers 1 Wound at the end of each combat round. If a number (n) is indicated, the monster recovers n Wounds instead.
Retaliate n — If this monster receives 1 or more Wounds from a Melee attack & is not destroyed, it inflicts 1 Piercing damage on its attacker. If a number (n) is indicated, it inflicts n Piercing damage instead.
Skirmish — If this monster is still alive at the end of a combat round & the Danger Level in its space is less than 6, increase the Danger Level (Increase the Bounty Level instead if the monster is from the Law deck), then remove all counters from this monster & shuffle it back into its deck. Do not increase the Bounty Level or Danger Level more than once per fight, regardless of the number of monsters with Skirmish that escape. If the monster is an Encounter, discard it instead of shuffling it back into its deck. If the monster is from the Loot deck, shuffle it in with the top 12 cards of the Loot deck if it escapes.
Slime — When you receive 1 or more Wounds from this monster, you become Slimed until the end of the fight.
Summon x — If this monster is still alive at the end of its first combat round, draw a monster from its deck & add that monster to the fight. If icons are listed, draw a card or cards from the indicated deck(s). Pink indicates the Law deck (Summon Wetlands/Badlands adds one Wetlands & one Badlands monster to the fight, for example). Encounters with Summon add monsters from the deck corresponding to the Encounter's Region, unless specified otherwise (for example, the Swamp Hag summons a card from the Wetlands Monster deck). A monster that entered the fight this way cannot use Ambush or Rally, but resolve its other arrival abilities at the start of the forthcoming combat round.
Taunt — If you are targeted by this monster, you cannot target a different monster, unless that monster is also using Taunt against you. You can still use Attacks & Actions that target each monster in your space while Taunted. If you can target multiple monsters, this monster must be one of them (if possible).
Thief — Each time you would receive Wounds from this monster, instead lose gold pieces equal to the amount of damage dealt (ignoring ARM) & place an equivalent number of gold piece counters on its card. If you have 0 gold pieces when you are attacked by this monster, it inflicts Wounds like a standard monster. When this monster is destroyed, its gold piece VAL is increased by the number of gold piece counters on it. If this monster is still alive at the end of a combat round & has gold piece counters on it, remove all counters from this monster & shuffle it back into its deck (if it is an Encounter, discard it instead).
Venom — When you receive 1 or more Wounds from this monster, you become Poisoned.
Epic Monsters & Lairs
Epic monsters represent legendary adversaries of terrible power. Some are lieutenants of the Necromancer, while others have their own nefarious schemes & legions of monstrous followers at their command.
There is only one deck of Epic Monsters. When you draw an Epic Monster, check the card to determine if its Lair corresponds to your current Region. If it does not, discard that monster & draw again until you find a match.
An Epic Monster's Lair can be found below its VAL; a box showing 1 or more color icons, each corresponding to a map Region:
- Highlands
- Badlands
- Lowlands
- Wetlands
- Law
- Highlands (only Metaphysical)
- Highlands (except Metaphysical)
If a map space trait icon is shown, the Epic Monster will only appear in that Region in a space with the matching trait.
If the trait is crossed out, the Epic Monster will only appear in that Region in a space without the matching trait.
For example, the Queen of the Rats' Lair indicates that she can be found in the Highlands, Lowlands, or Wetlands. She can only be found in the Highlands in a space that is not Metaphysical.
Lord Scrott's Lair indicates that he can be found only in the Highlands.
When you destroy an Epic Monster, your entire party gains XP based on its XP VAL & you may draw Loot from the Epic Loot deck (see Looting, pg.28).
Epic Monster Counters
If you lose a fight against an Epic Monster (by Defeat or Escape), it will remain on the board - place the corresponding Epic Monster counter in your space. Set that Epic Monster's card aside (retrieve it when you fight the monster).
At the end of a fight, Epic Monsters that weren't destroyed recover any Wounds inflicted on them during that fight & remove all Status Conditions they received.
You can travel into or out of a space with an Epic Monster counter, but you cannot 'pass through' a Path or Road containing an Epic Monster counter while using a Force March action.
If there are one or more Epic Monster counters in your space during the Danger Phase, you must fight each of them, in addition to any monsters added by your Danger card draw (see Large Counters, pg.17).
If you destroy or discard an Epic Monster counter, remove it from the board. If instructed to place an Epic Monster counter that is already on the board, move it to the indicated space.
Moving Epic Monster Counters
Normally, Epic Monster counters do not move. However, in some missions you will be instructed to place an Epic Monster counter & move it towards a specific destination; a Location, a specific adventurer, or the closest party.
At the start of each Danger Phase, before drawing cards, move each Epic Monster counter one space towards its destination (unless it is already at its destination, in which case it will remain in place). Do not move an Epic Monster if there are any adventurers in its space. Players may choose the order in which Epic Monsters move.
If the counter is following the 'closest party' & there are multiple equidistant parties, use that Epic Monster's target to determine which party it will follow. If there is a further tie, the players may decide which party the counter will follow.
For example, if Lord Scrott is following the closest party & two parties are equally close to him, he will follow the party containing the adventurer with the lowest MAG. In this example, the Bloodsport Brawler's MAG is lower than both the Bog Conjurer & Mercenary Alchemist, so Lord Scrott will move towards her.
- Unlike adventurers, an Epic Monster can move into a Destroyed space.
- Epic Monsters cannot Void Travel to or from the Maze.
- Epic Monsters can move from Lake Port to Lake Port, but cannot move along the River unless Human or Fishoid.
- When an Epic Monster moves into a Town, reduce the Town Level there, unless that Epic Monster is Law.
- When a Law Epic Monster moves into a space with an Epic Monster (that is not Law), remove all Epic Monster counters from that space (they destroy each other) & reduce the Danger Level there.
Resolving a Fight
Fights normally break out during the Encounter Phase, but it is also possible to find trouble while Trading in a Town during the Map Action Phase. A party can have any number of fights per game turn, but cannot participate in the fights of other parties in other spaces.
When you draw one or more monster cards, or when you fight an Encounter, you must resolve the ensuing combat using the Fight Sequence described below before continuing the Game Turn.
The Fight Sequence
The Fight Sequence consists of a number of Combat Rounds, concluding when all monsters are destroyed, all players are Defeated, or all surviving adventurers or monsters in the space have Escaped.
If the party is victorious, the Fight Sequence ends with an opportunity to Loot their adversaries.
The Combat Round
- Establish Targets — Assign each monster to an adventurer.
- Arrival Abilities — Resolve the arrival abilities of monsters that entered the fight this round.
- Adventurers take turns in PER order (highest to lowest):
- a. Combat Stance — Choose a Combat Stance (Assault or Guard).
- b. Declare Action — Choose a Combat Action or Attack & target.
- c. Resolve Action — Roll the dice & calculate the result.
- You may declare & resolve one Quick Action during your turn before or after declaring & resolving your Combat Action or Attack.
- End Step — Resolve abilities & effects that occur at the end of the Round.
Establishing Targets
At the start of each Combat Round, you must determine each monster's target. Each monster attacks a specific adventurer based on its Target attribute, as indicated on its monster card.
For example, lowest MAG indicates that the monster attacks the adventurer who currently has the lowest MAG in the party.
If multiple adventurers are tied for highest or lowest in the indicated attribute, the monster targets one of them chosen by mutual agreement of the players.
Some Weaknesses & other effects dictate that an adventurer will always be attacked by monsters of a particular Class, or always prioritized if they are tied for highest/lowest. These effects can change the monster's standard target.
It is possible for monsters to change their target from round to round, based on status conditions the party accumulates. If your attributes change during the course of a Combat Round, monsters will not change their targets until the following Establish Targets step. For example, if Lord Scrott's target becomes Exalted (+1 MAG) during a Combat Round, Lord Scrott may switch targets during the next Establish Targets step if that adventurer no longer has the lowest MAG.
Some monsters have special methods of targeting, as described below.
Some monsters do not have a Target or ATT value. They do not attack any adventurer. For example, the Goblin Egg simply sits there harmlessly until you decide to crack it open...
If all remaining monsters in your space have no target or ATT, you may choose to Escape without making an AGI Test (see Escape, pg.25).
Some monsters target 'ALL' adventurers. This means the monster will attack during each adventurer's turn. For example, the Fighting Fortress has enough cannons to attack every adventurer in its space.
Resolve Arrival Abilities
If it is the first round of the fight, resolve the arrival abilities of each monster in any order.
On subsequent rounds, resolve the arrival abilities of any monsters that entered the fight due to the Summon ability at the end of the previous turn (see Monster Abilities, pg.21).
Adventurers Take Turns
After resolving the arrival abilities of monsters that entered the fight since the start of the previous round, adventurers take turns choosing & resolving actions.
Each adventurer gets a turn, even if they are Defeated or have Escaped. Defeated & Escaped adventurers cannot be targeted & cannot use any attacks or actions on their turn, but conditions & effects may still end on their turn.
If you are not being targeted by monsters on your turn, you still get an action. In fact, this is an excellent opportunity to attack monsters that are targeting other members of your party.
Combat Stance
At the start of your turn, your first choice is to pick a Combat Stance; either Assault or Guard. Flip your Combat Stance counter so that your chosen stance is face up.
Fighting in Assault Stance means that you are exposing yourself to danger by fighting aggressively & taking the fight to the enemy; prioritizing maximum carnage over personal safety.
Fighting in Guard Stance means keeping yourself protected & striking carefully without leaving yourself open to attack.
Your Combat Stance determines how you use Items & Skills, as well as your Power dice (see Combat Dice, below). For example, the Combat Reflexes Skill increases your AGI, but only while you are in Assault stance & therefore it only has an effect during a fight & only once you have declared Assault stance.
Actions in Combat
After selecting a Combat Stance, you may choose to use either an Attack or a Combat Action.
Attacks & Combat Actions are mostly provided by Items & Skills. You can use an Attack or Combat Action from an Item or a Skill, as long as you meet the requirements for that card (see Card & Action Requirements, pg.11). You only get 1 Attack or Combat Action per turn, regardless of the number of actions available to you (you do not get an extra attack for having 2 weapons equipped).
Additionally, you may declare & resolve one Quick Action during your turn. You may do this before or after using your Attack or Combat Action. Any adventurer may use the Equip or Exchange Quick Actions (see Loot & Items, pg.31). A complete list of actions available to all adventurers has also been provided on the reference sheets included with this game.
If you chose to use an Attack, you must also choose a target. Likewise, some Combat Actions & Quick Actions require that you choose a 'target monster'. If you are being attacked by any monsters, your target must be one of these. If you are not being attacked, you may target any monster in your space.
Any adventurer may use the following Attack (Unarmed Strike) or Combat Action (Escape) during their turn in a fight, regardless of the Items & Skills they have.
UNARMED STRIKE — Attack: AGI (Melee) or STR (Melee). If you hit with this attack, inflict damage on your target equal to your lowest single Attack die. While using this attack, your Power dice are halved (D3). If you are in Assault Stance, you may use a (halved) Power die for damage, if it is higher than your lowest Attack die.
ESCAPE — Combat Action (Guard): Make an AGI Test. If you pass, you succeed in fleeing the fight. If you fail, you remain in the fight but may attempt to Escape again on your following turn.
If you are not being targeted, or if all monsters targeting you are Dazed or have an ATT of 0 or less, you may Escape without making an AGI Test.
If you are being targeted by a monster with Pursue, you cannot attempt to Escape (unless that monster is Dazed or Hexed).
If you successfully Escape, you are removed from the fight at the end of your turn (after rolling Defence dice & calculating damage from monsters targeting you; it is possible to become Defeated as you Escape) & can no longer take actions or be targeted for the remainder of the Fight (unless you return, see below).
You may choose to return to the fight at the start of any subsequent turn after Escaping. If you do, you may use Skills that have an effect when you 'enter a fight' (Sneak Attack, for example).
Combat Dice
Once you have chosen a Combat Stance & an Attack or Combat Action (along with a target, if required), you are ready to roll the dice to discover the results of your attempt. At the same time, you will determine if you were able to evade or deflect the attacks of any monsters targeting you this turn.
You will roll one or more Tests during this step, depending on the situation. Dice of multiple colors have been provided to allow you to make two Tests at once, as you will often roll for both Attack & Defence at the same time.
If you are being attacked by one or more monsters, roll an AGI Test to defend yourself with 2 green Defence dice.
If you are using an Attack, you will also roll 2 orange Attack dice. The attribute you must Test against is determined by the specific Attack you are using. If an Attack allows you to choose an attribute, you must declare this before rolling. For example, when using the Unarmed Strike Attack, you may roll either an AGI Test or a STR Test, but you must declare which before rolling the dice.
Alternately, if you are not attacking, but using a Combat Action that requires you to make a Test, you may use the orange dice for this & roll them together with your Defence dice, if needed.
In addition to your Attack & Defence dice, you will also roll a purple Power dice; a special die that can be used to inflict or prevent damage, depending on which Combat Stance you chose. Some Items & Skills allow you to roll additional Power dice in certain circumstances, but if you are Stunned, you roll none (see Status Conditions, pg.10).
Having gathered the dice needed, roll them all together! Remember that you can use Luck to re-roll any of these dice (see Luck, pg.9). The following sections describe how to calculate the effects of your dice roll.
Suffering Wounds
Each monster targeting you inflicts damage on you equal to its ATT value (which may be modified by abilities, status conditions, etc.). This is reduced by your ARM value.
Having rolled your Combat dice, first compare your Defence dice score to your AGI to determine how well you were able to avoid the attacks of your adversaries.
If the total of your green Defence dice is equal to or less than your AGI, reduce the damage from each monster targeting you by your highest single Defence dice value.
If you are in Guard stance, you may instead reduce the damage from each monster by your highest single Power dice.
For example, if you pass your Defence Test by rolling 4 and 1 with a Power die of 5, reduce the damage from each monster attacking you by 4. In Guard stance, you would instead reduce the damage from each monster by 5 (using your Power dice).
If your Defence dice total is greater than your AGI, you take full damage from monsters this round (each monster's ATT is reduced only by your ARM). However, if you are in Guard stance, you may use each of your Power dice to reduce damage from one monster. If you have multiple Power dice, after rolling them, you may assign each to an enemy targeting you. These reduce damage from that monster only. You cannot assign multiple power dice to the same monster.
For example, if you are in Guard stance & fail a Defence Test with a Power die of 5, reduce the damage from one monster by 5. If you fail the Test with Power dice of 2 and 5, avoid 2 damage from one monster & 5 from another.
Total the damage inflicted on you & add that many Wounds on the track on your character sheet. If your Wounds equals your HP (double your CON), then you have been Defeated & are removed from the fight (see Defeat & Death, pg.27).
Whether you have been Defeated or not, you may now calculate the results of your Attack or Combat Action - the effects are simultaneous with the attacks made against you. The effects of any Status Conditions applied as the result of an attack (either by you or against you) do not come into play until after your Attack or Combat Action has been resolved. For example, if you become Slimed by a monster's attack, your AGI Test to use a Hunting Bow against it is not penalized this turn as your attack is simultaneous.
Inflicting Wounds
To calculate the results of your dice roll, first compare your Attack dice score to the attribute specified by your Attack. If the total of your Attack dice is equal to or less than your attribute score, you have hit. If your Attack dice total is greater than your attribute score, you miss.
For example, when attacking with a Light Pistol, your Attack roll must be equal to or less than your PER to hit your target.
When you hit with an Attack, you deal damage to your target equal to your highest single Attack die. If you are in Assault stance, you may instead inflict damage equal to your highest single Power die (Note that many Attacks have specific rules that may modify how that Attack inflicts damage, such as Unarmed Strike).
For example, if you hit your target by rolling 5 and 3 with a Power die of 6, you inflict 5 damage on your target. If you are in Assault stance, you inflict 6 damage instead.
When you deal damage to a target, reduce the damage by the target's ARM value (if any) & place Wound counters on the target equivalent to the remaining damage.
If an Attack inflicts Piercing Damage, it ignores ARM entirely; simply place Wound counters on the target equal to the amount of Piercing Damage dealt.
If the number of Wounds on the target is equal to its HP, it is destroyed & you may take it as a trophy. Set the card aside until the end of the fight.
Once you have resolved your attack & completed your Quick Action (if any), your turn is over. Pass the dice to the adventurer with the next highest PER.
Melee, Reach & Range
Each Attack has an attack type shown in parenthesis; Melee, Range, or Reach. Attack Types have no specific rules associated with them, but other abilities & effects may use them as a reference point. For example, the Evade ability makes a monster harder to hit with Melee attacks, but doesn't help against Reach or Range attacks.
End Step
When each adventurer in the fight has taken their turn, the Combat Round ends.
End of Round Effects — Some monster abilities, Skills & Items have an effect at the end of the Combat Round. If multiple effects are happening at the end of the same round, resolve them in the following order:
- Resolve the effects of Items, Skills, etc. used by the adventurers (Gas Bomb, for example)
- Summon (Summoners call in reinforcements)
- Skirmish & Thief (Skirmishers run away, then Thieves run away)
- Drain & Regenerate (monsters recover)
If there is at least one adventurer & monster still in the fight, start a new Combat Round. If one side has been destroyed or has escaped the fight, see below.
Ending the Fight
The fight ends when all adventurers or monsters are removed from the fight. Adventurers are removed from a fight by Defeat or Escape, while monsters are removed from a fight when destroyed, when they escape (using the Skirmish or Thief abilities), or when discarded or removed through some other means (Intimidate, Puzzle Prison, etc.).
If all monsters have been removed, the party is victorious. If all adventurers have been removed, the monsters are victorious. If both sides are removed simultaneously, there is no victor.
Party Victorious — Reduce the Danger Level in your space. Do this only once per Game Turn per space - even if you win multiple victories in a turn.
If you destroyed an Epic Monster, lower the Danger Level to 1 instead. If the Danger Level was already 1 & you are in a Settlement, remove the Danger Level counter & replace it with a Town Level 1 counter.
Do not change the Danger Level at all if you fought monsters from the Law deck or the Loot deck.
Adventurers that weren't Defeated & didn't Escape may collect rewards & potentially loot from monsters they destroyed (see Looting, pg.28).
Monsters Victorious — Each adventurer that was Defeated is killed & removed from the game. If you are killed, discard your Skills & Items. If there are no surviving adventurers on the board, the game is lost! Otherwise, increase the Danger Level in the Defeated party's space.
If any adventurers Escaped the fight, they must discard their trophies without reward. Shuffle any surviving monsters back into their decks.
If an Epic Monster remains, set its card aside & place the corresponding Epic Monster counter where the fight was.
If there is an unresolved 'after-battle' Encounter, discard it without resolving it.
Law Victorious — When you are defeated by the Law, follow the steps above; 'monsters victorious', but do not increase the Danger Level.
When you are defeated by the Law during a campaign mission, you are captured (see Capture, The Missions Book pg.3).
No Victor — Reduce the Danger Level in your space. If you destroyed an Epic Monster, lower the Danger Level to 1. If the Danger Level was already 1 & you are in a Settlement, remove its Danger Level counter & replace it with a Town Level 1 counter. Do not change the Danger Level if you fought the Law.
Each adventurer must discard their trophies without reward.
Defeat & Death
When you accumulate Wounds equal to your HP, you are Defeated. When you are Defeated, knock your standee over to indicate that you have been incapacitated & critically wounded. You lose half of your XP & you must discard your trophies. You cannot participate in a fight, use actions, or be targeted by monsters.
If you are Defeated, you must Rest during the Map Action Phase; you cannot choose any other Action. If you do not recover any Wounds by the end of the Map Action Phase (after using Recovery & other Rest Actions), you will die. This can happen if you are Infected or in a Perilous space - these prevent you from recovering Wounds with the Recovery action, but you can still be saved by other means (Elixir of Life, Mend Wounds, etc.).
If you die by losing a fight while Defeated, you must discard all of your cards. If you die outside of combat (from being Infected or in a Perilous space), members of your party may take any Items you had, but discard your other cards. Discard your Items if there is nothing left of your party. In any case, remove your standee from the board.
When you die, if there are 2 or less counters on the Doom Track, you may create a new adventurer (see Setting Up the Game, pg.6) & place your standee at the Settlement that is closest to an adventurer (if there is a tie, you may choose).
If you choose a new adventurer whose starting Items or Skills have already been claimed, you must do without them, but you gain gold pieces or XP equal to the cost of that Item or Skill, respectively. If a starting Item is in the discard pile, you may take that card from the discard pile. For example, if you choose the Vermin Hunter when someone already has the Ratspike, you must start the game without a weapon, but with an extra 4 gold pieces.
Looting
If you win a fight, you may collect rewards in the form of XP, gold pieces & possibly Loot. If you Escaped the fight or were Defeated, you do not get any rewards & must discard the trophies you collected.
If you Escaped & later returned, you may participate in looting as long as you were in the fight & not Defeated or Escaped when the fight ended. You may still collect rewards from trophies you acquired before Escaping.
You gain XP & gold pieces from each monster in your pile of trophies, based on that monster's VAL. For example, if you destroyed the Bandit Berzerk & the Ogre Moron, you would gain 3 XP & 2 gold pieces.
In addition, you gain XP for any Epic Monster destroyed by your party, regardless of who inflicted the killing blow. For example, if you destroy a Megaverm, your entire party gains 5 XP each & you gain 2 gold pieces as well.
After collecting XP, make a 'Loot roll'. Roll a D6; if you roll equal to or less than the total XP you earned from your trophies this fight (do not include Epic Monsters destroyed by other adventurers), you may draw a Loot card. If you collected trophies worth 6 or more XP, you don't need to roll - you automatically pass your Loot roll.
If you draw a Town Only card, discard it & draw again until you draw a valid card.
Note that drawing Loot cards may lead to another fight (if you draw a monster). Resolve each adventurer's Loot roll before resolving an additional fight against each Monster card drawn.
If you have an Epic Monster trophy & you pass your Loot roll, you may draw from the Epic Loot deck instead of the standard Loot deck. For example, if you destroy a Megaverm, you may take an Epic Loot card unless your Loot roll is 6. If you also destroyed a Bandit Berzerker or Ogre Moron, you would get an Epic Loot automatically.
Once you have finished drawing Loot cards, discard your trophies & remove any 'Fight Round' & 'End of Fight' duration status conditions you acquired. The fight sequence ends & you may continue the Game Turn.
Doom
A mysterious dread wizard of vast power known as the Necromancer haunts the Borderlands with a spectral messenger - the Hand of Doom. Tales about the Necromancer are numerous & often contradict one another. Some say the Necromancer's Hand was taken by the Inquisition on Witch Hill & the Necromancer was banished to wander the wilds as a warning to other warlocks & heretics. Insane with fury, the Necromancer plunged into the wilderness, surviving through mastery of the dark arts & a maniacal hunger for revenge.
Within a hidden lair somewhere deep in the wilderness, the Necromancer focused an evil hateful will & terrifying mystic power to manifest a new Hand formed of sorcerous malice & sent it forth to sew the seeds of ruin across the Würstreich!
Others say the Necromancer was executed & only a ghostly hand remains; a final dying curse upon the Borderlands. Still others claim the Necromancer was in fact an immense daemonic entity of unknowable power that reached into the Borderlands through a portal from the Void & left its Hand behind.
Whatever the truth may be, the Hand of Doom stalks the land, mustering forces & asserting domination over the monsters infesting the wilderness as well as the fanatical cults of human devotees who gather in secret sacred sites scattered throughout the countryside.
Whether acting of its own accord, or as a slave to the will of some unseen dark force, its insidious goals spell certain Doom for the rotting realm of the Würstreich!
The Doom Track
Printed at the top of the board is the Doom Track. This track represents the growing strength & influence of the Hand of Doom. As the Hand of Doom appears & plunges the Borderlands into chaos, the Doom Track advances & the world becomes more dangerous.
- When the first party draws a Danger card during the Danger Phase, if the Danger Level would be increased in a Location or Territory that is already at Danger Level 6, advance the Doom Track.
- The Doom Track can be advanced by an effect that specifically states 'advance the Doom Track' (the Doombringer Horn, for example).
Note that the Doom Track is not advanced when the Danger Level is increased for another reason. Various Encounters, Items, etc. can increase the Danger Level in a particular space, but only Danger cards or the Doombringer Horn will summon the Hand of Doom. For example, the Doom Track isn't advanced when you lose a fight or a Voidgate opens in a Location with Danger Level 6.
If you are playing a campaign mission, you may prevent the Doom Track from advancing by collectively spending Luck equal to the number of living adventurers (see Luck, pg.9).
Advancing the Doom Track
- Place a Doom counter on the Doom track
- Move the Hand of Doom
- Draw & resolve a card from the Doom deck
When you advance the Doom Track, place a Doom counter matching the color of the triggering space on the Doom Track. For example, if the Danger Level is 6 at the Hell Pit when you draw the Hell Pit Danger card, the Doom Track is advanced, the Hell Pit being the 'triggering space'. Therefore, you would place a red Doom counter on the track, because the Hell Pit is in the Badlands (red).
The first time you place a Doom counter of a given color, shuffle the corresponding Region's Monster deck in with its discard pile. For example, the first time you place a red (Badlands) Doom counter, you reshuffle the Badlands Monster deck with its discards.
The first time a blue (Lowlands) Doom counter is placed, also shuffle the Law deck in with its discards (in addition to shuffling the Lowlands Monster deck with its own discards).
Filling the Doom Track
When the Doom Track is advanced, if there are already 5 Doom counters on the track, the game ends! The Hand of Doom has achieved its diabolical goals & the total collapse of the Würstreich is assured as the Borderlands crumble under the terrible power of the Necromancer's relentless onslaught!
You may draw a final Doom card to discover the nature of the final threat that tipped the balance.
The Hand of Doom
Place the Hand of Doom counter in the triggering space. This is the space indicated on the Danger card. If the Danger card corresponds to a Territory, a specific Location is listed below that Territory. For example, when the Foothills card causes the advance of the Doom Track, place the Hand of Doom at the Windmill.
While the Hand of Doom is in a space, that space is Perilous (you cannot recover Wounds using the Recovery Action there).
After resolving your Danger card, if the Hand of Doom is in your space, draw a Sign of Power card & resolve its effects. Ignore any random Encounter result on your Danger Card (do not draw a random Encounter). Instead, you may attempt to drive off the Hand. During the Encounter Phase, after defeating any monsters in your space, each adventurer may use the Dispel action described below. You cannot Dispel if you are Defeated, or if you lost a fight this turn.
DISPEL (Bold) — Place {MAG Test} Wounds on the Hand of Doom counter or a Voidgate in your space. If the Hand or a Voidgate has 6 or more Wounds on it, remove it & its Wounds from the board. Whether or not you passed your MAG Test, you take Piercing damage equal to your lowest single dice score.
Remove all Wounds from the Hand if it is moved to a different space (or removed from the board). If you drove off the Hand, also remove a Doom counter from the track matching your current Region's color (for example, if you Dispel the Hand of Doom & drive it away from the Crossroads, remove a blue Doom counter from the track).
If you removed a Voidgate, reduce the Danger Level in your space.
Doom Cards
After moving the Hand of Doom, draw & resolve a Doom card. When you draw a Doom card, first check that the Hand's current space matches with one of the spaces listed on the card. If it does not, set the card aside & draw again - repeat this until you draw a valid card, unless there are no valid cards remaining. For example, if you draw the Bubbling Death card, discard it & draw again unless the Hand is at Crystal Crater or the Goblin Fortress.
Next, resolve the effects of the card. If the card has a pink 'Remains in play' section, place it on or next to the board in the effected Region. This is called a 'persistent' Doom card. The effects within the pink text box apply for the remainder of the game & campaign. For example, the Bubbling Death card makes River Port Travel to Crystal Crater or Gutfish Ford impossible for the rest of the campaign!
After you resolve a Doom card, shuffle the Doom deck together with any Doom cards you set aside while looking for a card matching your space.
Voidgates & the Maze
Though it is considered a heresy to even know of them, esoteric lore teaches of mystical pathways leading to other worlds & dimensions beyond. These portals between layers of the universe appear suddenly & vanish again according to some unfathomably complicated system studied only by wizards insane enough to defy the mandates of the Holy Order & the very laws of physical reality!
The nature of the dangerous & mystical spirit realm through which these pathways lead remains undiscovered & endlessly debated amongst the arcane & illicit secret societies of the Würstreich, but only a very few dare to claim they have travelled through the Void & lived...
Voidgates
Voidgates can be placed on the board by Doom cards, Encounter cards, & other effects.
If a card calls for a Voidgate to be placed on a Territory (without indicating a specific space), the active party's leader places the counter on a Road, Path, or Location of their choice within that Territory.
If a Voidgate would be placed in a Region that already has 2 Voidgates in it, do not place a third. Instead, increase the Danger Level in each space with a Voidgate in that Region.
For example, if there are Voidgates at the Goblin Fortress & Last Chance, when another Voidgate would open elsewhere in the Badlands, instead increase the Danger Level at the Goblin Fortress & the Wasteland. In the example above, the Danger Level goes up to 5 in the Wasteland - the Goblin Fortress is unaffected because its Danger Level is already at 6.
If a Voidgate would be placed in a space that already has a Voidgate in it, do not place a second Voidgate there (there can only be one Voidgate per space). You must increase the Danger Level in that space if instructed by the card or effect, even if you didn't place a Voidgate.
If you are in a space with a Voidgate at the start of the Map Action Phase, you may use your Map Action to Void Travel to the Maze, unless you are Detained (see Void Travel, pg.13).
While you are in a space with a Voidgate, ignore any Random Encounter icon on your Danger Card (do not draw a random Encounter). Instead, adventurers may attempt to close the Voidgate, using the Dispel action (see The Hand of Doom, pg.29).
The Maze
The few mad wizards who claim to have visited the Maze describe a seemingly endless labyrinth of ruined stone walls, covered in mysterious carvings by beings who once dwelled there unknown aeons ago. Wrought in shapes unlike anything imagined by the minds of men, these structures are utterly alien & yet somehow strangely familiar, as if remembered from a dream.
It is said that within its eerily abandoned corridors & haunted halls are numerous portals leading through the Void to hidden mystical sites scattered throughout the Borderlands.
Void wizards & witches across the Borderlands strive to unravel the mysteries of the Maze & map the hidden pathways through the Void, but none can truly fathom its ancient origin & purpose.
If you are in the Maze & in Bold stance during the Map Action Phase, you may attempt to Void Travel back to the Borderlands (see Void Travel, pg.13).
When you Explore in the Maze, do not place an Explored counter - the Maze can never have an Explored counter.
If you are in the Maze during the Danger Phase, ignore the icon key (do not draw Encounters or Monsters). Instead, you suffer from 'Void Shock' - the consequences of visiting places your body & mind were never made to survive in!
Void Shock
When you suffer from 'Void Shock', you take Piercing damage equal to the value of your Danger card.
If you suffer from Void Shock outside of the Danger Phase (from the Sign of Voor, for example), draw a Danger card to determine how much Piercing damage you take (then discard that Danger card without resolving it).
If your Danger card has multiple values, use the highest value shown if your MAG is 7 or less. Use the lower value shown if your MAG is 8 or more.
For example, if you draw the Fields card while you are in the Maze, each member of the party with MAG 7 or less takes 2 Wounds, while those with MAG 8 or higher take only 1 Wound.
Loot & Items
Loot Card Types
There are various types of Loot cards & these are resolved in different ways.
If you are instructed to draw a Loot card of a specific type, draw until you have found a card of that type, discarding any invalid cards.
While you are looting (after a fight or when you find an Item because of an Encounter), if you draw a Town Only card, discard it & draw again until you draw a valid card.
While you are Trading (in a Town or with an Encounter card), if you draw a Loot Only card, discard it & draw again until you draw a valid card.
When you draw multiple Loot cards at once, resolve them in the following order: Monsters, Diseases, then Events. After these cards have been resolved, adventurers may purchase or acquire Allies, Items & Services.
Allies — Allies are minor companions who have pledged to assist you in your journeys for one reason or another. If you find an Ally while looting, you may take it & place it near your character sheet. If you find one while Trading, you may purchase it (or 'hire' it) for the listed price. Allies can be exchanged & discarded just like Items.
Diseases — Various ailments can be contracted easily from coming into contact with the filthy monstrous beasts of the Borderlands or the unwashed masses of the Würstreich. If you draw a Disease card, it applies to you immediately, place it near your character sheet. Normally, Diseases can only be contracted while looting.
Monsters — Some fiendish terrors lurk well-hidden amongst merchant's wares & the ordinary citizens of the towns of the Würstreich, waiting for an opportunity to prey upon the unsuspecting! When you draw one or more monsters from the Loot deck, you must fight them before resolving other Loot cards. If you find a monster card while looting after a fight, resolve each adventurer's Loot roll before resolving an additional fight against each Monster card drawn by an adventurer in your space - the party fights all Loot monsters at once. When you win a fight against monsters from the Loot deck (including any monsters from other decks that the Loot monsters may have summoned), do not reduce the Danger Level in your space.
Services — A service is a one-time purchase that can provide you with a temporary or permanent benefit. Services are typically 'Town Only' cards & therefore can only be purchased while Trading. If the Service provides a permanent benefit, keep it near your character sheet as a reminder, otherwise discard the Service after resolving its effects.
Items
Over the course of the game, you will likely accumulate numerous Items of various types.
If you don't meet an Item's requirements, you can still carry that Item, but you cannot Equip or use that Item.
When you Loot an Item, you may take it & place it near your character sheet. If you draw an Item while Trading, you may purchase it for its listed cost.
When you acquire an Item, you may Equip it immediately & you may unequip, Exchange, or discard other Items to make room for it. If you do not equip the Item, you may instead give it to another adventurer in your space.
Items provide additional actions that can be performed & constant effects that apply while the Item is Equipped.
Equipped Items
Items with one of the following Classes must first be Equipped to make use of them. These are indicated in orange text on the Item card. If they are not Equipped (& therefore 'unequipped'), turn the card sideways to indicate that it is only being carried & cannot be used - ignore the effects of these cards (although they still count against your carrying limit if they are Heavy, see Heavy Items, pg.32).
Outside of combat, you can discard, Equip or Unequip Items freely throughout the Map Action Phase.
During combat, you must use the following Quick Action to Equip or Unequip an Item.
Equip — Quick Action: You may choose one of the following:
- Unequip a Gauntlet, Head, or Jewelry Item &/or Equip a different Gauntlet, Head, or Jewelry Item.
- Unequip a 1H, LH, or 2H Item &/or Equip a different 1H, LH, or 2H Item.
- Load or Unload an Ammo Item into another Item that uses that type of Ammo (see Ammunition, pg.32).
At any one time you may have equipped: up to one Head Item, any number of Jewelry Items, up to one Body Item, up to one Gauntlet Item, up to one LH Item & up to one 1H Item.
Body — This Item is armor or clothing that covers your upper body. You can only have one Body Item equipped at a time & you cannot equip or unequip them during a fight.
Gauntlet — This Item covers your hands but leaves your fingers free to grip weapons & other tools. You can only have 1 Gauntlet equipped at a time (the card represents a pair of gauntlets).
Head — A hat, mask, or helmet worn on the head that may or may not cover your face. You can only have one Head Item equipped at a time.
Jewelry — An ornament of some sort - a ring, necklace, amulet, pendant, or similar worn anywhere on the body. You can equip any number of Jewelry Items.
Hands (1H, 2H, or LH) — '1H' indicates that the Item is a weapon or tool wielded in either hand. 'LH' indicates it is used in the left hand & '2H' indicates that it requires both hands. You can equip two 1H Items, or one 2H Item, or a 1H & a LH Item. You can equip & unequip Items that use hands at the start of your turn each Combat Round without using a Quick Action.
Heavy Items
You may carry any number of Items, but you may only carry up to two Heavy Items at a time.
When you acquire a new Heavy Item while you are already carrying your limit, you must discard a Heavy Item or you may give one to another adventurer in your party.
Ammunition
Some Items can use a specific type of ammunition ('Ammo'). This is indicated in the weapon's Class as 'Uses Shot' or 'Uses Arrows' (for example).
Items that use Ammo do not require a separate Ammo card to be used. However, you may load an Ammo Item of the appropriate type into them, in which case that weapon gains the special properties of the Ammo card. This can be done any time during the Map Action Phase or by using the Equip action in combat (see Equipped Items, pg.31).
Only one Ammo card can be loaded into an Item at a time.
An Ammo card that is not loaded into an Item is treated as an Unequipped Item - turn it sideways to indicate it is packed away & not in use.
For example, if you have the Light Pistol (Uses Shot) & Iron Shot (Ammo / Shot) items, you may load the Iron Shot into the pistol to give your pistol attacks the special properties of Iron Shot. Your pistol now inflicts +1 damage against Daemons & ignores the Ghostly ability, until you run out of Iron Shot.
An Ammo Item cannot be used without an appropriate Item that uses that type of Ammo.
Exchanging Items
Adventurers in the same party may exchange Items & gold pieces with each other freely during the Map Action Phase.
A Rest Action provided by an Item can only be used once per turn, therefore two adventurers cannot use the same Item Action in the same turn.
During combat, you must use the following Quick Action to exchange Items.
Exchange — Quick Action: You may give an unequipped Item to another adventurer, as long as you haven't used that Item this turn.
Playing a Campaign
To experience the full challenge & glory of DUNGEON DEGENERATES, you'll need to play a series of connected games, called a 'campaign'; your path through the story determined by the choices you make as you play.
Using the Mission Book
To begin a campaign, start by reading the Introduction of the Mission Book, then continue to the first mission; 'On the Run'.
When you have completed your first mission by fulfilling its objective(s), you will collect a 'reward' as indicated in your mission.
After collecting your reward, consult the 'Mission Paths' section of your mission to determine which mission to attempt next. Often this will involve a choice of 'factions' or employers to work for.
Setting Up
When you play a campaign, it is ideal to be able to leave the game board setup between missions, or to play multiple missions in one session. If you are able to leave the board setup in place, use the following steps to setup the next game.
- Shuffle cards from the Mission deck back into their various decks & create the Mission deck for your next mission, as described in the Mission Book.
- Remove any remaining Clue counters from the board & place them based on your next mission's instructions.
- Shuffle the Danger deck & discard pile together (this does not trigger effects that happen when you reshuffle the Danger deck during the game).
- You may choose to reshuffle any Encounter decks & the Loot deck in with their respective discard piles.
Otherwise, you may leave the various game components in place when you begin your next mission.
Packing Up the Game
If you cannot leave the game setup in place between sessions, record sheets have been provided on the following pages to help you track the details of your game from session to session. These allow you to take notes on the status of the game board as well as the various adventurers in play. You may photocopy these or print them (downloads available at DUNGEONDEGENERATES.COM).
To 'save' the status of your game, use the Campaign Record Sheet to note the following:
- The number of Doom counters of each color on the track.
- The name of your next mission, along with who you have chosen to work for (faction).
- The name of each persistent Doom card in play.
- The name & location of each Epic Monster counter & each Voidgate in play. If one of these is on a Path or Road, indicate which Locations they are between.
- The Town Level & Danger Level of each Location & Territory.
- The current Bounty Level.
- If any Locations or Territories have map trait counters placed on them, put an 'x' in the circle next to the appropriate trait icon. Do not record trait counters placed on Paths & Roads - these are lost.
- If the Hand of Doom is on the board, circle its Location or Territory.
To 'save' the status of your adventurer, use the Adventurer Record Sheet to record the following:
- Your adventurer's name & character type, along with their current space.
- Your current HP, gold pieces, XP & Luck.
- The name of each of your Skills, Masteries, Weaknesses & Triumphs.
- Loot & Epic Loot cards you've acquired.
When you set up for your next session, refer to these sheets & reconfigure the game board & adventurers based on your notes.
Appendix
Joining a Game in Progress
When a player shows up late, or if an adventurer dies early in the game, you may decide to create a new adventurer & introduce them into the game at the start of any turn. Set up their standee in any space with an Adventurer, or in any Town.
If you choose a new adventurer whose starting Items or Skills have already been claimed, you must do without them, but you gain gold pieces or XP equal to the cost of that Item or Skill, respectively. If a starting Item is in the discard pile, you may take that card from the discard pile. For example, if you choose the Vermin Hunter when someone already has the Ratspike, you must start the game without a weapon, but with an extra 4 gold pieces.
Suggested Skills & Weaknesses
Some adventurers begin the game with enough XP to learn a new Skill or Mastery on the first game turn. To help new players who are unfamiliar with the assortment of Skills available, suggested Skills are listed on the back of each character sheet. A suggested Weakness to fit the character's theme is also provided - you may take this Weakness rather than drawing one randomly.
Expanding the Game
Additional content for this game is available from GOBLINKO; check DUNGEONDEGENERATES.COM for the latest catalog. If you have additional cards for this game, you can simply shuffle those cards in with their respective deck(s) from the base set. This includes the starting Items for additional adventurers; their Items are shuffled into the Loot deck if those adventurers are not being used. You may include multiple copies of Monsters, Loot, Skills, etc., but do not include more than one copy of any card marked with the Unique icon. If you combine multiple copies of this box together, do not include multiple copies of any Danger, Doom, or Encounter cards.
Adjusting Difficulty
If you'd like more or less of a challenge, consider the following options to adjust the difficulty of the game.
To make the game easier, start the game by drawing 3 Danger cards. Reduce the Danger Level at the space indicated on each of these cards. Then, each adventurer may choose one of the following:
- Take the first Item card from the Loot deck
- Gain D6+2 gold pieces
- Gain D3+1 XP
- Gain 1 Luck
To make the game more dangerous, start by drawing 3 Danger cards before the game begins. Increase the Danger Level at each space indicated on each of these cards. Shuffle the XP VAL 3 monsters in with their decks & each adventurer starts with 0 gold pieces.
Tactical Tips
The hidden wilderness paths of the Borderlands are strewn with the corpses of brave adventurers who left their homelands in search of fortune but found only death. Compiled below are a series of tactical tips that will help you survive the grim & deadly challenges ahead.
- Don't forget; you can usually run away.
- Find somewhere safe to Rest. Don't rush into a dangerous & remote area with a lot of Wounds on your sheet.
- Concentrate your attacks & kill skirmishers & summoners first.
- Use Guard stance frequently & save your Luck for those life-or-death situations.
- Investing in Skills like Martial Discipline & Provoke will give you tactical control over combat.
- Recovery Skills will help you travel faster with fewer Rests - Mend Wounds, Fieldcraft, etc.
- When you're in Town, try to buy some gear - you never know when you'll need it. Carry a backup weapon if you can.
- The order in which you perform Rest Actions can be quite important.
- Trade Items with your party.
- Pay attention to your unique Luck generating ability & generate as much Luck as possible... you will need it.
- Stick together & protect your companions!
Credits
Art Direction & Illustration by SEAN ÄABERG
Game Design & Graphic Design by ERIC RADEY
Produced by KATIE ÄABERG
Playtested by Friedrich Gerring, Noah Grobart, Lauren Le Franc, Chris Montanaro, Dillon Morton, Kevin Ross, Jeff Smith, Isaac Soto, Matt Stikker & Stephen Wagstaff
Miniatures sculpted by Jason Fairclough & Josh Little
Thank you to April Dimmick, Weezy Slimes, Greg Stafford & Chaosium Games, Skinner, Digestor & GHOUL, Jack Radey, Rick Priestly, John Blanche, Todd Janeczek & Imperial Tattoo, Otto, Henry & James, Joe Kelly, Eli Enault, Amanda Graziano, #monsterdrawingclub & our Kickstarter Backers!
Errata
The following corrections were published by Goblinko on March 26, 2018.
- The Rules, pg. 14 'Improve' — Add the following text: 'You cannot learn a Skill if you already have that card (as a Skill or Mastery).'
- The Missions, pg. 9 'Escape From Brüttelburg' — The first line of the 'Setup' section should read: 'If you are playing this mission as a standalone game, the Bounty Level is 3. If you are playing this mission as part of a campaign, each Defeated adventurer (captured by the Law) may immediately recover Wounds equal to their MRL.'
- The Missions, pg. 19 'Spread the Blight' — The last line of the 'The Plaguefinder General' section should read: 'If the Plaguefinder General is destroyed, increase the Bounty Level & if you pass your Loot roll, draw a card from the Loot deck instead of the Epic Loot deck.'
- The Missions, pg. 18 'Hunt the Witch Cult' — Append the following text to the end of the 'They Gather in Secret' section: 'When you successfully Explore a space with a facedown Clue counter, you may choose to fight monsters (& draw a random Encounter, if applicable) this turn regardless of the value of your Danger card. When you destroy a heretic or witch in a space with a Clue counter, remove that counter from the board.'
- Find Weakness (Skill) — The Requirements for this Skill & Mastery should read as follows: 'Fighter, Hunter, Scholar, or Wild'.
- Mystery Meat (Loot) — The Rest Action text should read as follows: 'Make a CON Test. If you pass, recover Wounds equal to your lowest single die. If you fail, you become Poisoned. Discard this card whether you passed or failed.'
FAQ & Clarification
Against the Hand of Doom (The Missions, pg. 20) — If you already have one or more of the Epic Loot cards listed in Setup, add a random Epic Loot card to the Mission deck to replace each Item already claimed by the party.
Brüttelburg's Most Wanted (Weakness) — If you take the Brüttelburg's Most Wanted Weakness at the start of a game, increase the starting Bounty Level by 1. If you take it while joining a game in progress, increase the Bounty Level immediately. This can trigger 'the Manhunt' effect if you are playing the Loot & Pillage mission.
Claws (Skill) — Using Claws does not count as an 'Unarmed Strike', nor does it prevent you from using an Unarmed Strike, if you wish.
Curse (Monster Ability & Weakness Class) — The monster ability called 'Curse' is not the same as a 'Curse Weakness' card. Some Weakness cards have the Class 'Curse' beneath their title & other cards can become a 'Curse Weakness' through the course of play (Wailing Ghost Child, for example). This does not mean that the Weakness (or Encounter) card has the 'Curse' monster ability. If a card 'becomes a Curse Weakness', it is treated as a Weakness card with the 'Curse' Class (see 'Card Classes', The Rules, pg.11) & it can therefore be removed by things that allow you to discard a Curse (The Curse Eater, for example). If a card 'gains Curse', this means it now has the monster ability called 'Curse' (see 'Arrival Abilities', The Rules, pg.21).
Drain n (Monster Ability) — For example, a monster with Drain 2 recovers 2 Wounds at the end of each Combat Round if it inflicted any number of Wounds during that round.
Explore (The Rules, pg. 14) — While the benefits of Exploring a Road or non-Settlement Location may not be immediately obvious, Exploring a space can help you avoid fights & improve the outcome of Encounters.
Flashbacks (Weakness) — The Flashbacks Weakness effect is only triggered when your party draws a 'Your Current Space' Danger card during the Danger Phase. It is not triggered if you are drawing Danger cards for another reason (when using the Mysterious Map or Fortune Cards, for example).
Goblin Jar (Loot) — If you draw the Goblin Jar while Trading & choose not to buy it, you must increase the Danger Level in your space when you discard it.
Infected (Counter) — There are only 3 Infected counters provided in the DUNGEON DEGENERATES Hand of Doom box. In the unlikely event that 4 adventurers are Infected simultaneously, one player can use a Perilous counter in place of the missing Infected counter to indicate their status.
Invest (The Rules, pg. 14) — Multiple adventurers can Invest in the same space during the same turn, provided they have the required gold pieces to spend.
Loot & Pillage (The Missions, pg.3) — When you fight the Jailor, you may keep your Allies (only Items are prohibited). When you destroy the Jailor, you may keep the gold pieces earned from looting him.
Lucky Tattoo (Loot) — 'Roll a different result' here means 'roll a different die score or total'. For example, if you use Luck to re-roll a result, you may keep rolling that die until you do not roll that result.
Metaphysical (Map Space Trait) — If you have no Diseases or Status Conditions, you cannot declare a Force March to a Metaphysical space hoping to become Fatigued; you must already have a Status Condition to declare a move to the Metaphysical space.
Scratcher (Weakness) — At the end of the Map Action Phase, if you haven't used Scratch, you become Demoralized. If you are already Demoralized at this point (at the end of your Map Action Phase; typically because you were Demoralized by something that happened during that phase), you become Poisoned as well.
Stage Coach Ticket (Loot) — Using this Item ends the Map Action Phase for the party using it, but other parties may still complete their Map Action Phase.
Start a War (The Missions, pg.14) — During the Start a War mission, you are tasked with destroying the Game of Cards. Since this card has no attributes, you automatically destroy the Game of Cards when you encounter it during this mission.
Trade (The Rules, pg. 14) — If you draw one or more monsters while Trading, the entire party must fight those monsters (excluding Defeated adventurers).
Triumph Cards — These are given out as rewards for completing specific missions in specific ways. The missions themselves describe when & how they are obtained.