God Dice Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Object
• Dice Legend
• Getting Started
• Character Card Selection
• Game Play
  • 1. Declare Attack Phase
  • 2. God Dice Phase
  • 3. Attack Phase
    • Sample Attack Phase
  • When Characters Die
• Characters Advantages and Disadvantages
• Abilities Defined and Examples of Damage
• Optional Rules

Contents

• 2 God dice
• 9 attack dice
• 12 character cards (2 of each type)
• 12 life remaining counters
• 5 dice roll counters
• 1 rulebook

Object

The object of the game is to defeat all of your opponents' characters and be the last player with a character still breathing!

Dice Legend

The God Dice:

• H=the Gods favor the Hero
• C=the Gods favor the Cleric
• M=the Gods favor the Monk
• B=the Gods favor the Bowman
• S=the Gods favor the Sage
• A=the Gods favor the Assassin

The Attack Dice:

• BLUE=Battle; this represents the forces of battle
• RED=Magic; this represents the forces of magic
• YELLOW=Power; this represents the forces of power
• O=Potential; it takes five O's to trigger a WILD attack
• 5=Damage

Getting Started

Each player takes a turn rolling all nine attack dice. The player with the most power yellow dice (in case of a tie, re-roll) chooses to either attack first OR select a character card first. If he chooses to attack first he will be the last player to select a character card. If he chooses to select the first character card he will be the first player to defend (the player to his right begins the game with the first attack).

Character Card Selection

Character card selection is made in a CLOCKWISE manner beginning with the player who chose to select the first character card or beginning with the player to his left if he chose to attack first. Each player now takes a turn selecting ONE character card of his choice. This is repeated until each player has four character cards. In a four player game each player will have only three characters. It is legal to have duplicate character cards such as two Heroes or two Clerics etc. Once players have all of their characters, each player places a Life Remaining counter on the BEGIN square of each character card.

Game Play

Turns are taken in a CLOCKWISE manner beginning with the last player to have selected a character card. A player's turn is broken up into three separate phases which take place in the following order: 1. Declare Attack Phase, 2. God Dice Phase, and 3. Attack Phase. Attacks are made CLOCKWISE. Players MUST attack the player to their left (unless attack direction is changed by the God dice).

1. Declare Attack Phase

The active player selects one of his character cards and declares them the attacker. The player to his left declares one of their character cards to be the defender.

2. God Dice Phase

The attacking player now rolls the two God dice.

Rules for rolling doubles with the God Dice: If both God dice match the attacking character, the defending character is automatically killed in battle (called a "God kill") and the turn ends. If both God dice match the defending character, the attacking player has automatically missed the defender (called "divine intervention") and the turn ends. If both the attacker and the defender are the same type of character, for example both are Heroes, then double Hero God dice means the attacking Hero automatically kills the defending Hero ("God kill") and the turn ends.

When doubles change attack direction: If both God Dice match each other but do not relate to either the attacking character or the defending character, attack direction is immediately REVERSED.

Example: Let's say the attacking player chooses his Hero to attack the player to his LEFT. The defending player selects his Bowman to defend. The God Dice are rolled by the attacking player and both God Dice result in Cleric symbols. The Hero is now no longer attacking the player with the Bowman but instead MUST attack the player to his RIGHT. This is called a "God reversal" (this has no effect in a two player game). The attacking player MUST continue attacking with the same character (the Hero). The new defending player to the RIGHT selects a defending character and play continues with the Attack Phase.

NOTE: God dice are never rolled twice in any player's turn! Play continues COUNTER CLOCKWISE for all players until the God dice switch play back CLOCKWISE.

Rules for rolling singles with the God Dice: If only one God die matches the attacking character he is considered to be "in favor" with the Gods. If only one God die matches the defending character he is considered to be "in favor" with the Gods. If one God die matches the attacking character and one God die matches the defending character then neither is "in favor" with the Gods. This is considered a "push". If both the attacking character and the defending character are the same type of character (such as both are Heroes), it is not possible for either character to be "in favor." If neither God die matches either character, then no one is "in favor" (the God Dice have no effect).

In Favor: If the attacking character is "in favor," that player may choose to keep or re-roll one time his opening attack roll of the attack phase. If the defending character is "in favor," he may make the attacking player keep or re- roll one time his opening attack roll of the attack phase.

3. Attack Phase

Rules for rolling the attack dice: In the attack phase the maximum number of dice rolls a player may make is six (seven if the "in favor" player dictates an extra opening roll). The six different types of dice rolls are as follows: the opening roll, a battle blue roll, a magic red roll, a power yellow roll, a 0 roll, and a 5 roll. The opening roll is always the first roll and is made by rolling all nine attack dice together. The remaining five dice types may be rolled in any order or not rolled at all. In the attack phase, a player may make each type of roll only ONCE.

Example: If a player rolls the magic red dice he may not roll the magic red dice again for the remainder of his turn. Any time a dice type is rolled, the player is REQUIRERD to roll ALL of that type together.

Example: If a player's opening roll results are… B B R R R 0 0 5 5 and he chooses to roll the magic red dice for his second roll, he MUST roll all three magic red dice together. Also, a player is not allowed to roll more than one dice type per roll. In other words, if the above three magic red dice are being rolled he may not roll the battle blue, 0 or 5 dice with them.

Sample Attack Phase

Let's say a player is attacking the player to his left. The attacker declared his Hero and the defender declared his Monk. The God Dice have been rolled and they have no effect on this battle. The Hero rolls his nine attack dice. His opening roll consists of the following:

B B B R 0 0 5 5 5 — ROLL # 1

Since the Hero (see the Hero character card) only needs one battle blue die to qualify for a basic attack, he currently qualifies for a "Basic" attack worth 15 points of damage (one battle blue die + three 5 dice = 15 damage). But this attack leaves a lot of wasted dice so the Hero chooses to continue rolling. He opts to roll the two 0 dice next to see if a stronger attack may start to develop. He pushes the 0 dice counter into the center to mark that his 0's are being rolled and may not be rolled again this turn. The two 0's are rolled and the result is one power yellow die and one 0 die. This is what the dice look like after roll # 2:

B B B R Y 0 5 5 5 — ROLL # 2

He sets the one 0 die aside as he will not be able to roll 0's again for the rest of his attack phase. He chooses his three battle blue dice for his third roll as he needs only one battle blue die for a basic attack and having three seems a bit wasteful. Now that he has chosen to roll his battle blue dice he must roll ALL three battle blue dice together. He pushes the battle blue dice counter into the center. The roll's results are one magic red die, one 0 die and one 5 die. Now he does not have a legal attack at all! Fortunately, there are still three more legal rolls left to come up with an attack. Here is the dice makeup after roll # 3:

R R Y 0 0 5 5 5 5 — ROLL # 3

The attacking Hero now chooses to roll the two magic red dice. He pushes the magic red dice counter into the center. The result is one battle blue die and one 0 die. The Hero now has a legal basic attack for 20 points of damage. Here are the dice after roll # 4:

B Y 0 0 0 5 5 5 5 — ROLL # 4

Now the attacker decides to roll the one power yellow die hoping to get another 5. He pushes the power yellow dice counter into the center. The result is one more 0. Here are the dice after roll # 5:

B 0 0 0 0 5 5 5 5 — ROLL # 5

The only legal roll left is the 5 type of dice since all other dice types have been rolled this attack phase. The Hero currently qualifies for a basic attack worth 20 points of damage (one battle blue die + four 5s = 20 damage). He could stop rolling and do 20 points of damage to the Monk or he could roll the 5 type dice and try to get one more 0 qualifying him for a Wild attack. With a Wild attack he could choose between the Cleave, Lacerate, or Lunge attack. He does however risk losing some or all of the damage from the current basic attack. He decides to be risky and go for it! He pushes the 5 dice counter into the center signifying there are no legal rolls left as all dice counters are now in the center. He rolls the four 5 dice to the outcome of one red die, one 0 die, and two 5 dice. Here is the final dice makeup:

B R 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 — ROLL # 6

The Hero has finished with five 0s qualifying him for a Wild attack. Since the Lacerate at + 15 damage is the most damaging attack of the three choices, the player chooses Lacerate and totals up his damage dice. There are two 5 dice totaling 10 points of damage plus 15 more points of damage are added for the Lacerate bonus for a total of 25 points of damage to the Monk (two 5 dice + 15 Lacerate points = 25 damage). The Monk (see the Monk character card) moves his Life Remaining counter five squares to the right (25 damage). The Life Remaining counter is now covering the 35 square and the arrow points to the 30 life points that remain. This ends the Attack Phase and the Hero's turn. The next player (the player with the Monk) begins his turn with the Declare Attack Phase and attacks the player to his left.

NOTE: If a player does not have a legal attack after rolling all of the dice types then this is considered a missed attack and the player's turn is over.

When Characters Die

When a character is killed, remove the Life Remaining counter and turn the card over so the art side is up. This will let all players know who is deceased (and available for resurrection if this optional rule has been agreed to by all players previous to character card selection).

Characters Advantages and Disadvantages

HERO: The Hero is the foundation of any strong party. His Advantages are the highest life points equaling 75 and a basic attack that requires only one battle blue die so he almost never misses his opponent. His Disadvantages are a weak special attack (Critical x 2) and an inability to damage any character other than the one in front of him.

CLERIC: The Cleric is everyone's best friend in battle. His Advantages are strong life points equaling 65 and a basic attack requiring only one battle blue die and one magic red die. His best advantage is his ability to heal wounded characters. His Disadvantages are identical with the Hero's, a low damaging special attack (Devotion x 2) and an inability to damage any character other than the one in front of him. The Cleric's special attack however does have the added Heal Any 15 bonus making his Devotion x 2 far more beneficial than the Hero's Critical x 2.

MONK: The Monk strikes a nice balance between good life points and strong damage potential. His Advantages are 55 life points and a good special attack (Whirlwind x 3) capable of inflicting a maximum 60 damage to his opponent while simultaneously providing Heal Self + 10 life points. He also has one attack in his arsenal, which carries the "Attack Any" ability allowing him to side step the defending character and wound any one character of the defending player instead. His Disadvantages include a more costly basic attack requiring two battle blue dice and one magic red die, and an inability to heal anyone else but himself.

BOWMAN: The Bowman is best when picking off weak and wounded characters or softening up the sturdy. Her Advantages are an unmatched ability to "Attack Any". She has a whopping four attacks that carry this ability. She also has one of the best special attacks (Attack Any 3) which is capable of sending damage to three separate targets in one attack. Her Disadvantages include relatively low life points at 45 and a somewhat difficult basic attack to achieve requiring three battle blue dice.

SAGE: The Sage is a powerhouse of damage abilities. Her Advantage is the ability to make attacks of all types. These include a Touch of Death x 3, a Lightning Bolt x 2 carrying the "Attack Any" ability, and a unique special attack (Chain Lightning, Damage to All) which in one attack damages ALL of her opponent's characters. Her Disadvantages are low life points equaling 35 and a difficult basic attack to achieve requiring four magic red dice.

ASSASSIN: The Assassin is a devastating attack force and the only character capable of killing any character with one blow. His advantage is an unstoppable special attack (Backstab x 4, Attack Any) capable of bringing up to 80 points of damage to any target. His Disadvantages are the lowest life points equaling 25 and a difficult basic attack to achieve requiring four battle blue dice.

Abilities Defined and Examples of Damage

• Normal: Normal damage is equal to the total of 5 dice only. Two 5 dice =10 damage
• X2: This multiplies the damage dice by two. Two 5 dice = 10 damage x2=20 damage
• X3: This multiplies the damage dice by three. Two 5 dice = 10 damage x3=30 damage
• X4: This multiplies the damage dice by four. Two 5 dice = 10 damage x4=40 damage
• +5: This adds 5 damage to the total damage. Two 5 dice = 10 damage +5=15 damage
• +10: This adds 10 damage to the total damage. Two 5 dice = 10 damage +10=20 damage
• +15: This adds 15 damage to the total damage. Two 5 dice = 10 damage +15=25 damage

Attack Any: With this ability the attacking character is not required to assign damage to the defending character. He may choose to assign his damage to any ONE of the defending player's characters.

Example: A Bowman is attacking and a Hero is defending. The Bowman qualifies for an acid arrow (+ 10 Attack Any). Normally damage could only be applied to the Hero but with the "Attack Any" ability he may send the acid arrow to the defending player's Assassin instead. Let's say after all of the attack rolling, the Bowman finished with four 5 dice. This is equal to 20 damage + 10 for the acid arrow = 30 damage to the Assassin, killing him. The extra 5 damage is wasted and is never allowed to be carried over to another character.

Attack Any 2: This ability is attached solely to the Bowman's Double Shot attack. It is in essence two separate arrows each carrying its own damage.

Example: The Bowman qualifies for the Double Shot and has a total of three 5 dice equaling 15 points of damage. He may choose to send one arrow to the defending Hero for 15 damage and send the other arrow to the defending player's Monk for 15 damage, or he may choose to send both arrows to the defending player's Sage instead, inflicting 30 points of damage. If a character needs only 10 damage to be killed, the extra 5 damage does not carry over to the other arrow.

Attack Any 3: The same as above only this is a three arrow attack (Triple Shot).

Damage to All: This ability is attached solely to the Sage's Chain Lightning attack.

Example: If the Sage qualifies for this attack and she has two 5 dice as well, the damage would equal 10 points. Each individual character of the defending player takes 10 points of damage. In other words, if the defender has one Hero, one Bowman, and two Assassins, each character takes 10 points of damage for a total of 40 damage to that player's group.

Heal Any 5: This allows the attacking player to return 5 life points to ONE wounded character of his choice (you may not heal another player's character).

NOTE: Healing may never increase a character's life points above the total.

Example: A Hero may never have more than 75 life points.

Heal Any 10: Same as above except 10 points of healing are returned to any ONE wounded character.

NOTE: If a character needs only 5 points of healing, then the extra 5 points are wasted and are never allowed to be applied to another character.

Heal Any 15: Same as above except 15 points of healing are returned to any ONE wounded character.

NOTE: If a character needs only 5 points of healing, then the extra 10 points of healing are wasted and are never allowed to be applied to another character.

Heal Self 10: This ability is attached solely to the Monk. The Monk may return 10 life points to himself exclusively. His life total may never exceed 55 points. If he needs only 5 points of healing, then the other 5 points are wasted. If you have two Monks, the attacking Monk may not apply healing to the other Monk (heal self only).

Optional Rules

Campaign: In a campaign, all players keep the same character cards for all games. The first player to win two games wins the campaign. When a player wins a game, the player to his RIGHT begins the next game and attacks the winner to his LEFT. Turns are taken CLOCKWISE regardless of which way attack direction was going at the end of the last game.

Resurrection: All players must agree to this rule prior to Character Card Selection. This rule applies during the God Dice Phase and can occur only when doubles are thrown.

Example: Let's say the attacking player is attacking LEFT. The attacking character is a Bowman and the defending character is an Assassin. The attacking player rolls the God dice and double Heroes are thrown. Normally this would immediately change the direction of play to the RIGHT in a multiplayer game or have no effect in a two-player game. With the resurrection rule in effect, if the attacking player has a deceased Hero, he may choose to have his Hero resurrected immediately at full life points. This would end the attacking player's turn (he forfeits his attack) and the player to his LEFT would begin his turn with the Declare Attack Phase (direction of play DOES NOT switch). If the attacking player chooses not to resurrect his Hero, the Bowman would continue with his Attack Phase to the RIGHT. The player to the RIGHT would choose his defender as usual (direction of play DOES switch). Only one character may be resurrected per turn.

Example: If a player has two dead Heroes, he can resurrect only one of them per matching double God Dice roll.

Free for All: All players must agree to this type of play prior to Character Card Selection. This type of play is for three or four player games only. In free for all play, players are allowed to attack any player they wish. Turns are not taken in an orderly clockwise fashion. When a player attacks someone of their choice, whoever is defending will get to attack next. If unrelated double God dice are rolled, the attacker MUST attack a different player of their choosing if possible. If the Resurrection rule is in play as well, and a player legally chooses to resurrect one of his characters, the next attack is given to the player to his left. Also, if a player is eliminated the next attack is given to the player left of the current attacker.