Elder Sign: Omens of the Deep

Elder Sign: Omens of the Deep Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components

60 Pacific Adventure Cards
4 Special Adventure Cards
3 Ancient One Cards
8 Investigator Cards
40 Staged Mythos Cards
12 Skill Cards
3 Common Item Cards
3 Unique Item Cards
3 Ally Cards
3 Spell Cards
1 "The Ultima Thule" Entrance Card
3 Broken Amulet Tokens
1 Omen Token
5 Mission Markers
15 Monster Markers
8 Investigator Markers
1 Scenario Card

Omens of the Deep Expansion Icon

Most components in this expansion are marked with the Omens of the Deep expansion icon to distinguish them from the base game components.

Using This Expansion

Omens of the Deep provides a new way in which to enjoy Elder Sign—the R'lyeh Rising game mode. The R'lyeh Rising game mode takes investigators away from Arkham and sends them to the murky depths of the Pacific Ocean. It uses new Adventure cards and a Staged Mythos deck, as well as new mechanics exclusive to the open ocean.

R'lyeh Rising Setup

When playing the R'lyeh Rising game mode, perform the setup for a normal game, modified in the following manner:

Entrance Sheet: Replace the entrance sheet with "The Ultima Thule" entrance card. Place it with "The Ultima Thule" side faceup.
Scenario Card: Place the omen token on the starting space of the Dark Waters track.
Choose Ancient One: Choose an Ancient One to challenge.
New Common Components: Combine the following new Omens of the Deep components with their respective components from Elder Sign and any other expansions in play: Investigator cards, Common Item, Unique Item, Spell, and Ally cards. Shuffle the Skill cards (including any from other expansions) and place them near the other cards. Add the mission markers to the monster cup.
Deep One Legion: Set aside the 15 Deep One Legion monster markers to create the Deep One Legion stockpile. Keep these separate from the monster cup.
New Adventure Cards: Replace the Adventure deck with a new deck made up of only the new Pacific Adventure cards provided in this expansion. Set the four Special Adventure cards aside. Then separate the Pacific Adventure cards by stage and shuffle both stages separately to form a Stage I deck and a Stage II deck.
Modify Setup: Replace Step 4 of the core game setup with the following:
1. Prepare Adventures: Set the Stage II deck aside and shuffle the Stage I deck under the table. Then deal three cards faceup below the entrance card in a single row and three cards facedown below the faceup cards so that you have two rows of three cards. Place the "Calling" Special Adventure card faceup below the bottom row of facedown cards.

R'lyeh Rising Rules

This section describes new rules for playing the R'lyeh Rising game mode.

The Ultima Thule

"The Ultima Thule" entrance card replaces all other entrance cards. An investigator who starts his Clock phase on "The Ultima Thule" entrance card may spend trophies for various effects.

During an investigator's Movement phase, he may remain on his current card, move to another Pacific Adventure or Other World card in the play area, or move to "The Ultima Thule" entrance card. When an Adventure card or Other World card is successfully resolved or otherwise discarded, all investigators on that card return to "The Ultima Thule" entrance card.

If an investigator is on "The Ultima Thule" entrance card at the end of his Movement phase, he skips his Resolution phase and moves directly to his Clock phase.

If a game effect refers to "the entrance," it refers to "The Ultima Thule" entrance card instead. For example, if an investigator must move to "the entrance," he moves to "The Ultima Thule" entrance card.

During the game, if there are four or more Deep One Legion monsters in play, the Deep One Legion sinks the ship. Immediately flip "The Ultima Thule" entrance card to reveal "Wreckage of the Ultima Thule." For the remainder of the game, "Wreckage of the Ultima Thule" replaces "The Ultima Thule" entrance card. Any game effects that refer to "the entrance" now refer to "Wreckage of the Ultima Thule."

The Deep One Legion

The Deep One Legion stockpile is created during setup. When a Deep One Legion is defeated, the text on the back of the marker will indicate a cost the investigator must pay to prevent the Deep One Legion from reappearing on another adventure.

A Deep One Legion whose cost is not paid upon its defeat reappears on any adventure other than the one on which it was defeated, following normal monster placement rules. Several game effects may cause a Deep One Legion to appear.

Discarded Deep One Legion markers are returned to the stockpile. If a Deep One Legion monster would be drawn from the stockpile, but there are no remaining markers in the Deep One Legion stockpile, do nothing instead.

Note: Both sides of a Deep One Legion monster marker are always open information.

Scenario Card

There are two different sides of the scenario card: the Dark Waters track and the Amulet of R'lyeh track.

The Dark Waters Track

The Dark Waters track represents mounting Deep One activity in the Pacific Ocean. Game effects will advance or retreat the omen token. Each time the omen token advances, move the omen token one space to the right. Each time the omen token retreats, move the omen token one space to the left.

If the omen token would advance, but the token is already on the rightmost space of the track, resolve the corresponding effect for that space.

If the omen token would retreat, but the token is already on the leftmost space of the track, resolve the corresponding effect for that space.

The Amulet of R'lyeh Track

When the R'lyeh Rising game mode advances to Stage II, flip the scenario card to reveal the Amulet of R'lyeh track. The investigators place all broken amulet tokens in their possession onto the corresponding spaces of the track. For each space on the Amulet of R'lyeh track that is unoccupied, lock the corresponding die by placing it on the Amulet of R'lyeh track.

When the investigators gain a broken amulet token, they may place the broken amulet token on its corresponding space and free the locked die. If the Ancient One awakens, locked dice on the Amulet of R'lyeh track are removed from the game.

If the omen token would advance or retreat when investigators are in Stage II, resolve the corresponding effect as listed on the Amulet of R'lyeh track.

Pacific Adventures

The Adventure cards provided in this expansion are referred to as "Pacific Adventure" cards. Game effects that refer to "Adventure cards" can affect Pacific Adventure cards, but game effects that refer to "Pacific Adventures" only affect Pacific Adventure cards. When a player is instructed to place a Pacific Adventure card during the game, he places it facedown. (Other World cards are still placed faceup.)

Note: The back side of the top card of the Pacific Adventure deck is always open information.

At the top of each Pacific Adventure card back is a colored field with a skull and crossbones. The color denotes the card's estimated difficulty: green for an easy adventure, yellow for a normal adventure, and red for a hard adventure.

When an investigator moves to a facedown Pacific Adventure card, he immediately resolves the effect printed on the back of the card. Then he flips the card faceup, resolves all "Entry" effects on the card, and ends his Movement phase. "At Midnight" effects on the back of Pacific Adventures are not triggered at this time but are instead triggered if the card is facedown when midnight strikes.

When a monster appears, it may be placed on any faceup or facedown Adventure card, following normal rules. When a facedown Adventure card with a monster is flipped faceup, that monster is placed on any monster task at that adventure. If that adventure has no monster tasks or there are more monsters than monster tasks available, the monsters that cannot be placed on a monster task are placed below the card's bottom task as normal.

Special Adventure Cards

Special Adventure cards are not shuffled into the Adventure deck but are set aside until players are instructed to put them into play.

A Special Adventure card cannot be discarded or otherwise removed from play unless successfully completed. Markers or tokens, such as Deep One Legion monsters, cannot be placed on a Special Adventure card.

In Omens of the Deep, Special Adventure cards are used by investigators to move the expedition further into the open sea toward the mysterious calling.

Stages of the R'lyeh Rising Mode

The Pacific Adventures are separated into two stages. Stage I provides useful items for the investigators and lets them advance the omen token to avoid the Deep Ones. However, lingering too long at Stage I can be equally dangerous, as it gives the Deep Ones time to build a force large enough to attack your ship. Stage II is more treacherous but contains the Elder Sign and Other World rewards needed to seal away the Ancient Evil that calls you to R'lyeh.

Investigators begin in Stage I and draw from the Stage I deck when replacing completed or discarded adventures. Investigators can progress to Stage II by successfully completing the "Echoes of the Dream" Special Adventure.

When investigators progress to Stage II, immediately discard the Stage I Adventure deck and replace it with the Stage II Adventure deck. Adventures that are currently in play or held as trophies by investigators are not discarded.

Next, flip the scenario card to reveal the Amulet of R'lyeh track and place any broken amulet tokens the investigators have gained on their corresponding spaces. Lock each die that corresponds to each remaining space on the Amulet of R'lyeh track. Return the Stage I Ocean Mythos cards to the box and replace the Mythos deck with the Stage II R'lyeh Mythos cards. Any Special Adventure cards currently in play are not discarded.

Finally, add the "R'lyeh Risen" Special Adventure card faceup to the play area and resume play. Investigators now draw from the Stage II Adventure deck when replacing completed or discarded adventures.

Missions

Missions are a new kind of monster marker that represent the investigators attempting a dangerous mission. During setup, the new mission markers are added to the monster cup. Missions behave identically to monsters in the way they appear and are completed, with one exception: missions are not affected by items or spells that defeat or discard monsters.

When you successfully complete a mission task, place the mission facedown in front of you so that the effect text on the back is showing. A completed mission is not a trophy. The number on the back of a mission is not a trophy value; it is the value of trophies that must be spent in order to fulfill the mission.

Missions can be fulfilled at the start of the investigator's Movement phase or at the start of the investigator's Clock phase. To fulfill a mission, spend the required value of trophies and return the mission marker to the box to gain the mission's reward.

New Doom Icon

A new doom icon appears on each of the three Ancient Ones included in Omens of the Deep. When a doom token is placed on one of these icons, a Deep One Legion monster appears from the Deep One Legion stockpile.

Staged Mythos Cards

Omens of the Deep contains two Staged Mythos decks which follow their own sets of rules and force investigators to make hard choices in the face of growing threats.

When players draw and resolve a new Staged Mythos card, they are presented with a dilemma and must choose as a group between one of the two options listed on the card. Players may choose either option. If players cannot decide as a group, the investigator who took the last turn chooses an option.

Entry Effects

Some Adventure cards in Omens of the Deep feature Entry effects. Immediately after an investigator moves to a card with an "Entry" effect, he must resolve the "Entry" effect if able. In addition, if an investigator flips over an Adventure or Other World card while at that adventure, he immediately resolves its "Entry" effect.

If an investigator fails an adventure with an "Entry" effect and stays there on his next turn, he does not resolve the "Entry" effect again. However, if a different investigator moves to the adventure, resolve the "Entry" effect for that investigator.

Split Rewards and Penalties

Some rewards and penalties in Omens of the Deep are split into two groups by a diagonal line. When receiving rewards or suffering penalties that are split, an investigator must choose which group of rewards or penalties to receive or suffer.

An investigator cannot choose to suffer a penalty that he cannot fulfill. For example, an investigator cannot choose a penalty that causes him to lose a common item if he has zero common items.

Some split rewards and penalties include a blessing or a curse, which were introduced in the Unseen Forces expansion. If not playing with that expansion, investigators must choose the reward or penalty which does not include a blessing or a curse.

New Rewards & Penalties

There are 17 potential new icons appearing on adventures. When receiving rewards or suffering penalties, the current player resolves the following effects (if able) for each icon that appears on the card:

Healing: Any one investigator regains 1 stamina.
Respite: Any one investigator regains 1 sanity.
Clock: Advance the clock once.
Expeditious: Do not advance the clock during the Clock phase this turn.
Reprieve: Remove 1 doom token from the Ancient One's doom track.
Remove Monster: Return 1 monster on an adventure to the monster cup.
Lost Common Item: Discard 1 common item.
Lost Unique Item: Discard 1 unique item.
Lost Spell: Discard 1 spell.
Lost Ally: Discard 1 ally.
Gain Skill: Draw 1 skill.
Lost Skill: Discard 1 skill.
Lost Elder Sign: Remove 1 Elder Sign from the Ancient One card. If there are no Elder Signs on the Ancient One card, add 1 doom token to the doom track instead.
Gain Amulet: Draw and reveal a broken amulet token and place it near the scenario card.

Midnight Effect Timing

When resolving multiple effects that occur at midnight, use the following order:

Resolve all "At Midnight" effects on cards currently in play, in the following order: a. "At Midnight" effects on the Ancient One b. "At Midnight" effects on monsters, in order of the investigators' choosing c. "At Midnight" effects on Adventure and Other World cards, in order of the investigators' choosing d. "At Midnight" effects on other cards, in order of the investigators' choosing
Draw and resolve a new Mythos card.
Refresh any "Once per day" abilities.

New Ancient Ones

Hydra (Difficulty: Average)

None amongst the living remember whether Mother Hydra is simply an ancient Deep One or something far more terrifying.

Dagon (Difficulty: Hard)

Father Dagon of the Deep Ones glides silently through the deep sea, unleashing his legion of Deep Ones on those who would oppose him.

Cthulhu (Difficulty: Insane)

Cthulhu, the High Priest of the Great Old Ones, slumbers far beneath the waves in the corpse-city of R'lyeh, dreaming of the day his lost city will rise to the surface once more.

Playing Other Game Modes

The Pacific Adventure cards, Staged Mythos cards, Scenario card, and entrance card found in the Omens of the Deep expansion are only used when playing the R'lyeh Rising game mode. All other content found in this expansion can be played with the base game or any other game mode.