Glorantha: The Gods War – Cosmic Monsters
Glorantha: The Gods War – Cosmic Monsters Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
II. Components
Cosmic Monster Components
Additional Monsters components: 3 Cosmic Monster Rewards and 3 Cosmic Monster Loyalty Cards (Leviathan, Juggernaut, Androgeus).
The Androgeus (Cosmic Monster) card (recommended no more than 1 cosmic monster per game; Combat 6) reads: Placement: Do not place Androgeus at the start of the game. When the Great Compromise is triggered, place Androgeus in Altinela. Council Phase: All empires with units in Androgeus' area earn 1 VP. Special Ability — Lust (Ongoing): When you summon a unit into Androgeus' area, or an adjacent one, choose an enemy empire to immediately summon a unit (for free) into that area, of the lowest cost available in their pool. If the area was adjacent, Androgeus also moves into the area. Superhero (Battle): You may roll a maximum of 4 combat dice vs. Androgeus. (If Storm uses Single Combat, his Champion's combat dice counts against the 4 total.) Killing Androgeus: You must have a hero or greater god in the battle and score at least 1 kill against Androgeus. Androgeus must also roll at least 1 kill in return. You must select which of your heroes or greater gods involved in the battle is killed, after which Androgeus dies. Any other battle result has no effect on Androgeus.
Arachne Solara Components
Arachne Solara — a Cosmic Monster and alternate double-sided First-Player figure; 12 Web Tokens; a Loyalty Card. Also included: 16 Battle Dice.
The Arachne Solara (Cosmic Monster) Loyalty Card (recommended no more than 1 cosmic monster per game; Combat 10) reads: Placement: At the start of the game, place Arachne Solara in Inner Hell. Special Abilities — Tangled in the Web (Post-Battle): For each kill you score against Arachne Solara, gain 1 VP. Arachne Solara does not destroy buildings, even if she has killed and/or routed all of your units. Spinning the Web (Action; Cost 1): If Arachne Solara is in Hell or the Heavens, relocate her to any area on the surface world which does NOT yet have a web token, then place a web token in that area. If she is on the surface world, relocate her to Heaven or Hell (do not place a web token). All players may take this action. Empowering the Web (Council Phase): In player order, any player with a building in an area containing Arachne Solara and/or web token may choose to gain 1 power for every such building. That player then places a web token from the pool onto his empire sheet, to indicate he or she cannot do this again (each player can use this ability only once per game). Completing the Web (End of Game): The game immediately ends when all 12 web tokens have been taken from the pool. The game ends even if no one has reached 35 VP. Runes may be played at the end of the game, as usual. Killing Arachne Solara: You cannot kill Arachne Solara; she cannot be routed, killed or eliminated in battle, nor can she be moved by any means (other than Spinning the Web). If she is on the Spike when it explodes, place her in Inner Hell.
XIII. Monsters
Monsters is an expansion for Glorantha: The Gods War; it contains 9 Monsters that can be added to your game. There are three types of monsters: Dragons, Chaos Monsters, and Cosmic Monsters. We recommend that you restrict yourself to no more than one Monster of each type, and note that you may play with fewer than one Monster of each type. Experienced players may choose to add as many Monsters as they feel comfortable using.
Cosmic Monsters
Cosmic Monsters appear when the Great Compromise is first triggered. They create a sort of suppressive "aura" in their area and those adjacent. They tend to affect the game in major ways and create new levels of strategic choices. For any relevant game purposes, Cosmic Monsters are classified as greater gods.
Placement Rules
If players cannot agree on which Monster(s) to place we recommend that the game's owner make the final decision, after wisely weighing his friends' words.
- Cosmic Monsters are placed when the Great Compromise is first triggered.
Monster Card
From top to bottom, Great Monsters have a number of special features:
Placement: This explains where and when the Great Monster is placed on the map.
Movement: All monsters have specific triggers for their movement and abilities. In general, players cannot move monsters through the use of gifts or special abilities. For example, Storm cannot use Teleport to carry a monster along with Storm King.
Special Power: Each Monster has its own special power, which describes how and when it inflicts itself upon the world:
- Trigger (Cosmic Monsters only): Cosmic Monsters do nothing until a player activates the Monster's trigger, usually by having units present in the Monster's area or an adjacent area. The Monster's ability occurs after the resolution of the trigger action.
Combat: As with all units, Monsters have a Combat rating. Dragons instigate battle when they activate, but most Monsters only fight if they are attacked. Though Monsters are affected by gifts, runes, and special abilities, they cannot be destroyed by them – see below, "How to Kill," for details. Example: Sunspear cannot be used to kill Monsters – it always fails against them.
Battle Ability: Most Monsters have battle abilities (usually occurring during Post-Battle) which generally do something undesirable to their enemies.
Killing a Monster: Though Monsters may be affected by gifts, runes, and abilities, they cannot be killed by them. Each Monster can only be destroyed in one specific way, as described on their cards. Monsters are difficult to kill – in every case, some special result or procedure is required in order to destroy them. Once destroyed, a Monster is removed from the game. It will not return.
Reward: A player that kills a Monster is rewarded for his efforts. These rewards are described on the Monsters' cards.
Being Routed by a Monster
If a player controls a Monster when it attacks, that player chooses the area to which routed units are sent. If a player attacks a Monster directly, that player decides where to send any of his units that were routed by the Monster.
XIV. FAQ
Monsters (Cosmic Monsters)
Q. How does Juggernaut interact with Sea's Siren Song? A. Juggernaut overrides Siren Song and no one pays any penalties, since it is Juggernaut and not they who are moving the units.
Q. How does Juggernaut's Community ability interact with other movement-type abilities? What about those of elder races, or other monsters? A. ANY movement-type ability will trigger Juggernaut's Community ability.
Q. How does Juggernaut interact with Hell permissions? A. Juggernaut's Community supersedes Hell permissions. When Juggernaut moves, everyone moves.
Q. Can Androgeus' Lust target an enemy with no units in their pool? A. No. You must select an enemy with units available to be summoned.
Q. What happens to Mother of Monsters if Juggernaut tries to move her into an area containing Spawn? A. She gets moved into the area. Her restriction is that routs and her Birth action can't move her to a Spawn. Juggernaut's move doesn't count as either of those.
Q. Without any heroes or greater gods, how can Invisible God kill Androgeus? A. He can't, unless he allies with an Elder Race that is classified as a hero.