Dungeon Doors Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Quickstart Guide
  • Step 1: The Premise
  • Step 2: Door Master and Setup
  • Step 3: Obstacles and Heroic Traits
  • Step 4: Death and Heroic Points
  • Step 5: Creatures and Combat
  • Step 6: Exits
  • Step 7: Game Time!!
• Full Instruction Manual
  • What's in the Box
  • Game Setup
  • Companion and Summons Cards
  • Gameplay
  • Being the Door Master (DM)
  • The DM Cards
  • Armor, Weapon, and Item Cards
  • Fighting!
  • Winning
  • Lingo and Symbols

Quickstart Guide

Step 1: The Premise

This game is played 1 vs. 2-5: a party of heroes working together to navigate a door-filled dungeon in their efforts to defeat the Door Master.

Before we start, grab some scratch paper, or go to dungeonsheet.com to keep track of your health (number by the heart icon at the top of the card) and Heroic Abilities uses (these are explained later). You can also conveniently use this site to roll dice if you don't like that hands-on garbage.

In the regular game, the Door Master creates the floor from the cards in their hand however they see fit, and the heroes choose which doors to open. However, for teaching purposes, this quickstart has you to lay them out and open them in a particular order.

Note: You don't have to do this quickstart first. Go ahead, be a rebel, jump right to the full instruction manual. But don't blame us if you get confused.

Step 2: Door Master and Setup

Choose a Door Master. Just pick someone. Maybe whoever has the longest hair or who won't stop farting. The Door Master has several immediate tasks:

• Pull out the Dungeon Doors 101 cards.
• Pass out a Dungeon Doors 101 Hero card to everyone else. The Heroes will be working together against the Door Master, so they are free to look at each other's cards.
• Lay the Dungeon Doors 101 cards labeled 1, 2, and 3 facedown in a row. This is considered a 'floor' of the dungeon (if you're playing the Imagination Edition, they aren't numbered, so lay them facedown in this order: "Duck!", Lost Boar, and Gatekeeper).

Step 3: Obstacles and Heroic Traits

All heroes have Heroic Traits, which are passive attributes that always apply. You will also use a d20 (20-sided dice) when facing most obstacles.

• The party opens door #1, which is an obstacle called "Duck!"
• All heroes look at the Heroic Trait on your card. These heroes get to add 1 to all obstacle rolls. When you roll to pass the obstacle, be sure to add 1 to the roll.
• The DM reads the card out loud, and all heroes follow the instructions.

Step 4: Death and Heroic Points

At this point, somebody is dead. All heroes have Heroic Abilities, which are special skills or powers. You have a specific number of Heroic Points, as indicated by the star icon on your stat line. Spend a Heroic Point to use a Heroic Ability.

• All heroes look at the Heroic Ability on your card.
• Right now, anyone may spend a Heroic Point to use their Heroic Ability and revive the poor hero-friend who is dead (unless that person wasn't a friend. Then let 'em rot).
• If someone does revive the hero, don't forget to track that 1 of your Heroic Points is gone.

Step 5: Creatures and Combat

The creatures you'll encounter include a variety of dragons, beasts and undead. When you find a creature behind a door, combat begins. All the numbers from your stat line come into play when you battle a creature.

• The Party flips over door #2 and the DM reads it out.
• All players (including the Door Master, who plays as the boar) roll a d20 to see who goes first. This is called Initiative. The highest roll goes first and play continues clockwise.
• On a turn, the hero or DM declares who or what they are attacking, then rolls a (d20). Add or subtract your attack modifier (the number under the target icon in the stat line) to this roll. After adding or subtracting the modifier, If the roll matches or exceeds the armor (number under the shield icon) of the boar, it's a hit.
• On a hit, roll a 6-sided dice (d6) to see how much damage is inflicted. Add or subtract the damage modifier (number under the fireball icon) to this roll.
• As combat proceeds, each hero keeps track of their own health, and the Door Master keeps track of the damage the party does to the boar.
• Combat ends when the boar is either dead or runs away.

Step 6: Exits

An exit is how the party successfully escapes the dungeon. Exits present unique, often deadly challenges that must be overcome in order to win. In a regular game, the DM attempts to be sneaky and strategic in their decision of when and where to lay down an exit.

• The Party flips over door #3 and the DM reads it out.
• Heroes must successfully follow instructions on the card to exit the dungeon.
• Door Master: DON'T READ THIS OUT LOUD!! It's the answer to the riddle. Ready for it? Drumroll … Barnaby. Yep, the answer is Barnaby. Repeat: Barnaby.
• Note: The Door Master is the ultimate judge. If any disputes break out, you have the final say. Feel free to yell, "I AM THE LAW".

Step 7: Game Time!!

Time for the real deal. You are ready to move on to the actual game. Head over to the main instruction manual and start the mayhem.

Full Instruction Manual

What's in the Box

• 1 Instruction booklet
• 14 Hero Cards
• 10 Monster Cards
• 10 Exit Cards
• 10 Treasure Cards
• 10 Obstacle Cards
• 10 Armor Cards
• 10 Weapon Cards
• 10 Item Cards
• 3 Companion Cards
• 3 Summons Cards
• 5 Afterlife Cards
• 13 Quickstart Cards
• 1 20-sided die
• 1 6-sided die
• A fantastic time

Game Setup

• Decide who will be the DM. If you don't know what this is, play the quickstart, or keep reading. We explain later. Patience.
• Everyone else draw a Hero Card (not the quickstart Hero Cards. The real ones.).
• Players collect any Treasure Cards their hero starts with from the Treasure Deck. This will be stated on your card under the Hero Trait (not all heroes start with a Treasure). Some Hero Traits and Abilities give them access to special cards. Please read your cards carefully.
• Someone shuffle the Treasure Deck and set it aside.
• The DM shuffles the DM deck (Monster, Obstacle, Treasure and Exit Cards) and draws 5 cards from the DM Deck. He (or she. No sexism here in the death-filled dungeons) may choose to reshuffle any number of these cards back into the deck and draw back up to 5 cards 1 time at the start of the game before play begins.
• The DM is now ready to work very hard to screw everyone over.
• They place 3 cards face down in a row on the table. This is considered the first floor. He then draws 3 more cards so as to always have 5 cards in his hand.

Companion and Summons Cards

Companions: Companion cards are much like hero cards. Each companion has stats and abilities that assist the hero in the ways specified on each card.

Companions:

• must make all obstacle rolls and are subject to everything a Hero is
• use their masters' initiation roll during combat and go after their master
• continue to fight even if its master has died.
• can only be called for once and will not return to a dungeon after health reaches 0.

Summons: A helper with special abilities. Once it completes its task it disappears, waiting to be summoned again.

Gameplay

• All heroes roll a 20-sided dice (d20) to decide who will be the first Party Leader. The highest role is the Party Leader. In the event of a tie, race to the nearest door and back. The winner is the Party Leader (or those two could just roll again).
• Party Leader chooses a door to open.
• The door is flipped over and, and with an open door the heroes begin their adventure. The party deals with whatever the door reveals. Once a room has been completed, the turn is over. The Party Leader role shifts clockwise. The new Party Leader can choose to:
  • Open another door on the current floor (unless otherwise stated on the card).
  • Have the DM lay down a new floor (3 more cards placed just above the previous 3). If a new floor is requested, then the Leader must choose one of the new cards.
• Play continues in this manner, with a new Party Leader each turn, until either the party discovers and successfully makes it through an Exit, or they all die.

Before a door is chosen, any of the following actions can be taken.

• Anyone can use a Heroic Ability
• Anyone can use an Item
• Anyone can trade a Treasure with another Hero

Note: Doors may only be opened when moving forward or deeper into the dungeon. To go back and open skipped doors, you must backtrack through doors you've already opened until you reach the desired floor where the door you want to open resides. You can't open new doors from behind. When you've reached the desired floor, you may halt your backtracking and move forward again, or open any unopened door. This may include going through rooms that are hazardous and repeating the challenges of the room.

Being the Door Master (DM)

As the DM, you:

• Represent all Creatures. In battles, the DM rolls for Creature attacks and damage, just like the party members roll for their Heroes.
• Direct gameplay. When doors are open, whether it's a battle, Obstacles, Treasure, or Exit, they make sure the card mechanics are followed. They also direct/narrate the story of the adventure, particularly during battles.
• Is the ultimate judge. If any disputes break out, the DM is the law and whatever he says goes. Feel free to yell, "I AM THE LAW".

Note: Get into it. Tell the story and be descriptive when the party moves through the dungeon. Instead of just saying "an attack hits," say "your sword chops off 6 toes and the monster slipped on the blood and fell and knocked his skull on the rock wall." We are all about the role-playing, so get creative ...or don't, see if we care. (Spoilers: we care).

The DM Cards

General rule: the text on a card overrules anything we say in this rulebook.

Exit Rooms: The title says it all: clear this card and and the party wins the game. Only 1 Hero has to make it out for the party to win.

Obstacle & Treasure Rooms: Unless otherwise stated, all Obstacle and Treasure Rooms contain a challenge/task requiring the use of a d20.

Creature Rooms: Creature Cards have the same stat line as the Heroes, with the exception of Heroic Points. Monsters do not have Heroic Abilities. They do, however, have Creature Traits, which is the same concept as Heroic Traits, except they destroy heroes.

Room Condition: After the party engages the contents of a room, that room gets one of 3 labels:

• Dangerless: The party may move freely without hindrance through this room between floors as much as they want.
• Treacherous: Every time this room is entered the obstacle must be completed again.
• Impassable: This room is permanently sealed and may not be passed through again for the rest of the game.

Note: For impassable cards, we suggest turning the card sideways to indicate passage is no longer possible. Or do it your own way, what do we know?

Armor, Weapon, and Item Cards

There are several things to consider when drawing or 'equipping' a Treasure Card:

• Your hero immediately gains the regular effect stated on the card.
• You may only have one of each card type at the same time (so you can't have 2 weapons or 2 items at the same time).
• You'll find your hero's Proficiencies at the bottom of your Hero Card. Having proficiency means you are particularly good with that type of Treasure card. Every Treasure Card has a regular effect and a proficiency effect. If you are proficient, you get both the regular effect of the card AND the proficiency effect.

Note: Since trading cards is allowed, considering swapping cards around based on who is proficient with what. You may also consider trading cards around if you draw a type of card you already possess.

Fighting!

When a Creature Card is revealed in the game, you are immediately engaged in battle.

• Grab some scratch paper, or go to dungeonsheet.com to keep track of your health (number under the heart icon in the stat line) and Heroic Points used. You can also conveniently use this site to roll dice.
• All players (including the DM) roll a d20 to see who goes first. This is called Initiative. The highest roll goes first and play continues clockwise. Initiative is rolled at every Creature encounter.
• On a turn, the hero or DM declares who or what they are attacking, then rolls a (d20). Add or subtract your attack modifier (the number under the target icon in the stat line) to this roll. After adding or subtracting the modifier, if the roll matches or exceeds the armor (number under the shield icon) of what you're attacking, it's a hit.
• On a hit, roll a 6-sided dice (d6) to see how much damage is inflicted. Add or subtract the damage modifier (number under the fireball icon) to this roll. Either the DM or the player will adjust their health accordingly.
• On a turn, instead of an attack, players may also choose to use an Item or Heroic Ability if it can be used in combat.
• Continue until the Creature is defeated, or until all the heroes are dead.
• In gameplay, a Creature or player is dead when their health reaches 0. If a Hero dies, whether in combat or via some other terrible accident, and no other hero has the ability to bring them back to life, they drift into the afterlife. When the party moves out of this room, draw one of the 5 Afterlife Cards and play that role until the game ends or a situation arises that allows you to come back to life.

Note: At this point some might be asking "Wait, what exactly am I attacking with!! Since all the damage is 1d6, you can get as creative as you want. When you attack, say you're wielding a sword, or a rock, or kicking with spiked boots, or spitting in the eye, or biting a nose, or lightly caressing a cheek, or whatever you feel like at the time. If you're really creative, maybe the DM will grant you extra damage or abilities. Or maybe the opposite.

Winning

• Heroes: Win by finding an exit and successfully completing its challenge.
• Door Master: Win by killing all the other Heroes.

Note: Only one member of the party has to make it out for the group to win and the DM lose.

Lingo and Symbols

• d20: a 20-sided dice. Used when attacking and facing obstacles, and for initiative.
• d6: a 6-sided dice. Used to determine damage dealt. Damage is always 1d6 unless otherwise stated.
• Party Leader: The player who gets to choose which door to open. Party leader shifts one player to the left after each door is completed.
• DM (Door Master): The guy (or girl) laying down doors, playing as monsters, and trying to kill everyone.
• Initiative: The turn order when a battle has begun. Everyone rolls a d20. The highest roll goes first and play continues clockwise.
• Hero Trait: It makes you unique, always applies, and is the first description on your card.
• Heroic Ability: Special ability/attack requiring the use of a Heroic Point.
• Heroic Proficiencies: You are particularly good with these weapons, armor, or items. You get the proficiency benefit as stated on the weapon, armor, or item cards.
• Attack Modifier: add or subtract this number from your d20 attack roll.
• Damage Modifier: add or subtract this number to the d6 damage roll.
• Health: add or subtract from this number as you are either attacked or healed.
• Armor Class: this determines whether an attack hits or misses. When being attacked, a roll equalling or exceeding this number hits you. When you're attacking something else, a roll equal to or exceeding their AC hits.