Dungeon Saga: The Infernal Crypts
Dungeon Saga: The Infernal Crypts Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Adventures
IF YOU ARE GOING TO PLAY THIS AS A MIGHTY HERO, STOP READING NOW!
Only the Overlord player should read further. He will set up each adventure to preserve the element of surprise and tension. Obviously this only really works the first time a Hero player undertakes a particular adventure, but that extra tension and the element of the unknown is well worth the effort. It's far more exciting to explore a dungeon when you really don't know what lurks around the next corner!
Each adventure in this book is described in a standard format - putting all of the information needed to prepare the dungeon, the Heroes and the Overlord within easy reach.
Be sure to familiarise yourself with the victory conditions and special rules for each adventure before starting, and make sure these are also clear to the Hero players.
When you are ready to start, set the scene by reading the story text aloud, and let the adventure begin!
IMPORTANT: While playing, only reveal information to the Heroes where noted on the adventure page. Otherwise, any special rules should be kept secret.
Zones
When setting up an adventure, do not lay out the entire map at once!
Some maps are divided into one or more zones by the doors. When the Overlord lays out the tiles to start with, they will only lay out the tiles with the Heroes on, and from there up to and including the first door(s). This is the first zone. Each subsequent area that is separated off by one or more doors is a new zone.
When a door is opened the Overlord lays down the tiles for the adjacent zone, but no further. Depending on the adventure, this may be the remainder of the map, or there may be still more for the Heroes to discover. Only models that are on zones that have been laid down take any part in the adventure.
Overlord
When the Overlord places any part of the board, all doors and chests must have a counter placed next to them to show what type of lock they have, and the Overlord must make the Heroes aware if one particular door is the exit for the adventure.
Overlord Command Cards
This lists the number of cards available to the Overlord player in the game, as detailed in the Rulebook.
Note that this expansion uses a different deck composition to the main game. You will need to remove the Necromancer cards from your Overlord Command deck, and replace them with the Lord of the Abyss cards from this expansion. This is then shuffled to create your draw pile for each game.
Time Limits
In some adventures (noted in the Victory section), the Overlord wins if he can hold off the Heroes for long enough. At the end of a Round when the Overlord draws the last Command card from his draw pile, the Heroes have one turn remaining to complete their objectives. When the Overlord goes to take a new card from his deck and there are none remaining, the game ends with an Overlord victory. He has held off the Heroes' assault for long enough - reinforcements will arrive any second and the Heroes must abandon the attempt.
Upgrading Your Heroes
As heroes adventure through the dungeon they will gain experience and equipment. These bonuses are shown on cards, whether they are new abilities, spells or items. Each scenario tells you which heroes have gained experience by that point in the story, and what that experience gives them. Simply place the relevant card beside the hero card as a reminder.
Legendary Heroes
There will come a time in your adventure when your heroes have accomplished great feats and learned new skills that will aid them in the battle against Drech'nok. This will be noted in the adventures. When your heroes become legendary, you may turn over their hero card and use their new, enhanced versions instead!
Furial
Furial has no offensive magical capabilities. He can cast a glamour which makes him invisible to anyone, though for it to remain effective he must remain completely still – the slightest movement will betray him. Whenever the heroes encounter enemies, Furial will find a convenient corner and cast this spell, remaining hidden until it is safe to emerge once again.
Because of this, Furial is not represented in the adventures, even though he is always lurking nearby.
Lava
The tiles with lava on look particularly dramatic and are hard to mistake for anything else.
Areas of lava are marked in a grid like every other part of the dungeon. It should be clear from the artwork which squares are lava and which are not, but to make sure, all lava areas are edged in red on the adventure maps.
Movement over lava is counted as normal, except that the model suffers a separate 3 dice attack for each square of lava it moves onto in its Turn. Roll each attack immediately as the model moves into a new lava square.
Models that have the Fire ability may move over lava without damage as long as they don't stop on it at the end of their Turn.
Any model that ends its Turn on a lava square suffers a 6 dice attack as they start to sink in. This will be in addition to any it has suffered during its movement.
All lava attacks are unmodified.
A New Ally
The Overlord player will find that the dungeon itself, in the form of the lava, is an important part of his arsenal against the Heroes. He should think of the Overlord lava cards as part of his army, using them to control the Heroes' movement and to damage them wherever possible. Pooling lava in front of doors the Heroes need to use is an obvious tactic, though not always the most powerful. Mainly this is because it is so obvious and the Heroes can plan for it. More subtle use requires deeper thinking and an ever-watchful eye for the ideal moment – lava is often most potent against the Heroes when it's a surprise.
The Abyss
An environment where molten rock can flow in rivers is a bit different to the dank caverns that the Heroes normally find themselves exploring. For the most part the heat is something that makes them uncomfortable, but which has no impact on the game. However, because lava is so dangerous to most Heroes we need some new rules for how badly they might be damaged and how they can avoid it.
Stepping Stones
Sometimes lava flows or lakes contain large rocks that are not yet molten. These can be used like stepping stones to get across the lava safely. If they are adjacent to each other then they can be moved across as normal. However, sometimes they are separated by gaps and the Heroes have to jump.
A model can jump over a single square without touching it. This can only be done in a straight line, not diagonally.
Count the squares as normal, even though some are jumped over rather than moved across.
Fire Lotus
Fire lotus locations are marked on the adventure maps. Here they are rare and not every adventure includes them. For movement purposes, treat a fire lotus square as a lava square.
A fire lotus can be collected by any Hero that moves adjacent to one and spends his action picking it carefully. Remove the counter from the board and place it by the appropriate Hero card.
Map Key
Starting Positions: Hero Starting Position; Minion Starting Position; Boss Starting Position. Note: Arrows Denote Facing.
Heroes: Venetia, Human Cleric; Semential, Human Wizard; Arianya, Naiad Demon Hunter; Ragran, Human Barbarian.
Bosses: Drech'nok, 'The Destroyer', Abyssal Champion.
Minions: Efreet; Tortured Soul; Hellhound; Abyssal Guard; Succubus; Lower Abyssal Flamebearer; Lower Abyssal Warriors; Moloch.
Counters: Fire Lotus; Lava.
Furniture: Barrel.
Doors: Single Door, Mundane Lock; Single Door, Magical Ward; Double Door, Mundane Lock; Double Door, Magical Ward. Note: Place a ward/lock counter with the corresponding numbers from the map next to each door.
Chests: Mundane Lock; Magical Ward. Note: Place a ward/lock counter with the corresponding numbers from the map next to each chest.
Adventurer's Companion
For those of you that play Dungeon Saga with the Adventurer's Companion rules, this pack includes a number of exciting new additions. Firstly, there is the campaign itself. This can be played with your own Heroes by using the levels given in the table below, and the rules from the Adventurer's Companion.
| Adventure | Level Totals |
|---|---|
| 1 | 20 |
| 2 | 22 |
| 3 | 24 |
| 4 | 26 |
| 5 | 28 |
| 6 | 30 |
Secondly, there are a number of new cards in this set. These add to the existing spells, location cards and so on and can be shuffled into your decks when you play this or any other adventures.
Finally there are the new tiles. You will find that the art style of these mixes in with many of the tiles in the core set and can be used to build new layouts and different designs for your own adventures. We have also included tiles that merge from one set's art style to another so that you can build really big dungeons. Uncharted Dungeon cards using these new tiles have been included so that they can be used as new zones when building your own dungeon.
You can even expand your Adventurer's Companion games by using the rules for lava on page 7. When coupled with the Lord of the Abyss Command Cards this will present a deadly new challenge for your Heroes!
As always, if you do design any exciting new adventures then why not share them with the online Dungeon Saga community at www.manticgames.com? We'd love to hear your tales of adventure!
Adventure 1: Welcome to the Pit
Heroes
In addition to your Hero Cards, take the following:
- Venetia, Human Cleric: Available spells: Healing, Transfusion, Steady Recovery.
- Semential, Human Wizard: 1 Power 1 Energy Crystal. Available spells: Crystallise, Break Ward, Push, Cancel Magic, Tornado.
Overlord
- Overlord Command Cards: 8
- Actions per Turn: 1
Victory
- Heroes: Open the final door marked X.
- Overlord: Cripple one of the Heroes or stop the Heroes from winning before the time runs out.
Special Rule - Chests
Each chest contains 1 Healing Potion.
Tactical Thoughts
Paddling in the lava may not be good for your health, but the Heroes will probably find that it's necessary at some point. This is especially true if the lava starts to spread, which is almost inevitable. This first room is an opportunity to get used to the lava rules. It's worth both sides re-reading them so that everyone is clear how it works when it turns up in the middle of a big battle – which it will.
Adventure 2: Lake of Fire
Heroes
In addition to your Hero Cards, take the following:
- Ragran, Human Barbarian: Stalwart (1), 1 Haste Potion.
- Arianya, Naiad Demon Hunter: Nimble.
- Venetia, Human Cleric: 1 Battle Potion. Available spells: Healing, Transfusion, Steady Recovery.
- Semential, Human Wizard: Available spells: Crystallise, Break Ward, Shield, Push, Cancel Magic, Tornado.
Overlord
- Overlord Command Cards: 9
- Actions per Turn: 2
Victory
- Heroes: Open either one of the final doors marked X.
- Overlord: Cripple one of the Heroes or stop the Heroes from winning before the time runs out.
Special Rule - Chests
Each chest contains 3 Firewalking Potions.
Tactical Thoughts
It's impossible to avoid the lava here, and someone is going to have to get their toes singed eventually. The Heroes and the Overlord are essentially locked in a struggle to control the easy routes across the lava. As the lava will spread over time, the Heroes must make it across as quickly as they can, though the Overlord's minions are obviously there to stop this. The Firewalking potions in the chests are an important consideration. However, the Heroes can still complete the adventure without them, and can even use the chests to decoy the Overlord away from their real route across.
Adventure 3: Take Me to the River
Heroes
In addition to your Hero Cards, take the following:
- Ragran, Human Barbarian: Stalwart (1), Relentless.
- Arianya, Naiad Demon Hunter: Nimble, 1 Healing Potion.
- Venetia, Human Cleric: Stalwart (1), 1 Firewalking Potion. Available spells: Healing, Transfusion, Steady Recovery.
- Semential, Human Wizard: 1 Power 2 Energy Crystal, 1 Firewalking Potion. Available spells: Crystallise, Break Ward, Shield, Push, Cancel Magic, Tornado.
Overlord
- Overlord Command Cards: 12
- Actions per Turn: 3
Victory
- Heroes: Open the door marked X.
- Overlord: Cripple one of the Heroes or stop the Heroes from winning before the time runs out.
Special Rule - Chest
The chest contains one Healing Potion and one Battle Potion.
Tactical Thoughts
The Heroes will probably find that getting over the river of lava and past the Moloch aren't their only problems. A clever Overlord is likely to spread lava in front of the exit door by the time they reach it. To avoid this, the Heroes may want to rush someone ahead (because you can't drop lava on a square with someone already in it), though this has other risks. Whatever the plan, any Firewalking Potions should be saved for emergencies and not frittered away at the first opportunity. They are an immensely valuable commodity here.
Adventure 4: Grasping the Nettle
Heroes
In addition to your Hero Cards, take the following:
- Ragran, Human Barbarian: Stalwart (1), Relentless, 1 Battle Potion, 1 Firewalking Potion.
- Arianya, Naiad Demon Hunter: Nimble, Tough, 1 Battle Potion.
- Venetia, Human Cleric: Stalwart (1). Available spells: Healing, Transfusion, Steady Recovery, Quick Recovery.
- Semential, Human Wizard: Magister. Available spells: Crystallise, Break Ward, Shield, Push, Cancel Magic, Tornado.
Overlord
- Overlord Command Cards: 10
- Actions per Turn: 2
Victory
- Heroes: Open both chests and collect the Fire Lotus.
- Overlord: Cripple one of the Heroes or stop the Heroes from winning before the time runs out.
Special Rule - Chests
Each chest contains one Firewalking Potion.
Tactical Thoughts
The Heroes need to decide whether they will fight to meet up before they attempt to complete their tasks here, or whether they are strong enough to move about as two pairs. Which option you choose defines the remainder of your problems on this adventure. Staying in pairs makes it easier to explore widely and get to all three places that the Heroes need to reach. On the other hand it's obviously a lot less power in one place, so each task takes longer and is somewhat riskier. Still, the Overlord does not have particularly powerful minions to hand, so either approach is possible.
Adventure 5: Here Be Monsters
Use the Legendary side of the Hero Cards.
Heroes
In addition to your Hero Cards, take the following:
- Ragran, Human Barbarian: 1 Firewalking Potion.
- Arianya, Naiad Demon Hunter: 1 Battle Potion, 2 Firewalking Potions.
- Venetia, Human Cleric: Available spells: Healing, Transfusion, Steady Recovery, Quick Recovery.
- Semential, Human Wizard: Available spells: Crystallise, Break Ward, Shield, Push, Cancel Magic, Tornado.
Overlord
- Overlord Command Cards: 10
- Actions per Turn: 2
Victory
- Heroes: Open the final door marked X.
- Overlord: Cripple one of the Heroes or stop the Heroes from winning before the time runs out.
Tactical Thoughts
This adventure is in two sections, and the first is much easier for the Heroes than the second. The reason for this is simply the layout, which is open in the first part and cramped in the second. This cramped series of rooms is already partly filled with lava, and will rapidly get much more so. The Heroes should reserve as many feats, potions and other one-off resources as they can, in order to get through this second section as quickly as possible, before they drown in lava.
Adventure 6: Death or Glory
Use the Legendary side of the Hero Cards.
Heroes
In addition to your Hero Cards, take the following:
- Ragran, Human Barbarian: 2 Battle Potions, 1 Firewalking Potion.
- Arianya, Naiad Demon Hunter: 1 Firewalking Potion.
- Venetia, Human Cleric: 1 Firewalking Potion. Available spells: Healing, Transfusion, Steady Recovery, Quick Recovery.
- Semential, Human Wizard: 1 Firewalking Potion. Available spells: Crystallise, Break Ward, Shield, Push, Cancel Magic, Tornado, Confusion.
Overlord
- Overlord Command Cards: 14
- Actions per Turn: 3
Victory
- Heroes: Collect all 4 Fire Lotus.
- Overlord: Cripple all of the Heroes or stop the Heroes from winning before the time runs out.
Tactical Thoughts
The Heroes must remember their objective. It's easy to get distracted by fighting the Abyssals, but this isn't the purpose of the adventure. Also, time is fairly tight, and if the timer runs out then waves of reinforcements will force the Heroes to retreat empty handed. Furial won't be happy. The chamber where the flowers are isn't well defended – just its approaches. Clever teamwork can sneak one or two Heroes past the guards so that they can collect the fire lotus while their comrades do the fighting. Also, the Heroes should think about their route around the lotus. Which do they collect first? This is important because the Overlord is bound to move to defend the last of them with everything he has left. Where do you want to fight the final battle?
Experience
The Heroes are ever refining their skills, and as they destroy more enemies they will pick up new fighting techniques that will make their onward journey ever easier.
To represent this in the game, every time a Hero destroys an enemy place an experience counter on their Hero card. Once a Hero has reached 5 points of experience, remove the experience counters and replace them with a single dice. This bonus dice can be used once only, and can be added to any roll (Fight, Shoot, Spell, or Defence) made by the Hero.
Optional Rules
Some people may have a particular dungeon crawling itch they'd like to scratch, or you may decide you want to tweak some of the adventures to suit your particular group. Below you will find a few alternate ways to play - feel free to pick and choose from these, use all of them, or even come up with your own!
We'd recommend having a couple of tries through each adventure before you make any changes, as the best tactics aren't always obvious the first time out.
Campaigns
Dungeon Saga is more about having fun and telling a good story with your friends than it is about winning at all costs. However, it's always good to know if you've saved/conquered the world or not, and so if you want to play through all of the adventures one after the other you can use the following system to determine whether the Heroes arrive in time to stop Drech'nok.
Allow the Heroes 10 "hours" to stop Drech'nok. Each time you play an adventure costs them 1 "hour" of this time, so the Heroes can lose a few adventures and reset to try again, but they can't do this forever. If they are not on the final adventure when it comes to the 10th hour then they won't get there in time and Drech'nok automatically wins the campaign. If the Heroes complete the final adventure on or before the 10th hour then they win.
Individual adventures can be played as many times as you like within this time constraint, though each adventure must be won by the Heroes before they can play the next.
Campaign Goals
To give the Heroes a little more to think about when playing a campaign, each adventure has some additional optional objectives. You still win or lose an adventure as normal. However, the Heroes may be able to gain a further bonus if they win.
Listed below you will find two campaign goals for each adventure except the last, one timed, one task:
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Timed Goals: These list a number of cards. If the Heroes win the adventure, count the cards remaining in the Overlord's draw pile. If there are at least as many cards remaining as listed in the timed task then the Heroes have been successful. If the Heroes achieve a Timed task then do not count that adventure towards their 10 hour campaign total. Drech'nok hasn't slowed them down at all.
-
Task Goals: Tasks come in several formats, and each adventure explains what you need to do in order to achieve it, and what you get if you do. In order to get a reward you must complete the task before you win the adventure. You do not get the reward if you do not win. Rewards will generally be in the form of extra items to take in the following adventure. These will be in addition to whatever is listed for that adventure, and can be divided between any Hero(es) of your choice. You must use them in the following adventure or they will be lost. The Task goals will generally take you more time to complete, so the Heroes will usually have a choice to make...
Adventure 1 Campaign Goals
Timed: 2 cards.
Task: The first Hero to be brave enough to walk across the lava is given a Firewalking potion by Furial (after the adventure). This potion can be used in adventure 2.
Adventure 2 Campaign Goals
Timed: 2 cards.
Task: If a Hero is standing on stepping stone A, and is not in the front arc of any enemy models, then he may spend his action searching it. He will find a small, peculiar object that Furial identifies as a fire lotus seed. The ancient wizard is overjoyed. To celebrate, Furial gives each of the Heroes one extra Firewalking potion to use in any one adventure of their choice. Simply keep it until you want to use it. Note that stone A can be searched even if it has been covered in lava.
Adventure 3 Campaign Goals
Timed: 2 cards.
Task: Destroy both Efreets. After the adventure, Furial makes a foul-tasting draught from their remains and gives it to one of the Heroes. This is an Essence of Fire potion. The Hero can use the potion in any one adventure of their choice. Simply keep it until you want to use it.
Adventure 4 Campaign Goals
Timed: 2 cards.
Task: Destroy at least 10 of the Overlord's Minions before collecting the Fire Lotus. If the Heroes fail to do this, in Adventure 5 the Overlord may use a Command to place a Lower Abyssal on any lava square to represent the demons chasing them into the Abyss. This can be done up to 2 times in the game. The Lower Abyssals cannot Move or Act in the same round that they are placed.
Adventure 5 Campaign Goals
Timed: 2 cards.
Task: Destroy both Efreets. Furial finds more ingredients in a pocket he'd forgotten about, and can make another Essence of Fire potion after the adventure, for use in adventure 6.
Adventure 6
Adventure 6 is the last adventure of the campaign and has no campaign goals.