Hecatomb
Hecatomb Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
Gain 20 souls or more to destroy the world and win the game.
Play of the Game
Two or more players play using their own decks and a number of soul counters. From turn to turn, you build abominations, which steal your enemies' souls. You can also use fates, relics, and unholy gods to defeat your enemies. Players gain a soul on each of their turns, so the end of the world is inevitable. The only question is which player will end it.
Parts of a Card
A minion card shows, on its front, its name, type, and subtype; its strength; its cost and doom; its text box; triggers in two corners; a conditional ability; its collector number and rarity symbol; and its expansion symbol.
A fate, relic, or god card shows its name; type (and subtype, for fates); cost and doom; text box; collector number and rarity symbol; and expansion symbol.
strength: Minions have strength. An abomination's strength is its minions' strength total.
text box: Fate, relic, and god cards each have one text box. A minion card has two: the main text box above its name and a conditional-ability text box below the art. An ability in a minion's main text box usually applies to the abomination the minion is in. Sometimes the text box contains flavor text. Text in parentheses and italics is reminder text, which doesn't change how the card works. It just reminds you of how effects work.
name: Names don't affect game play.
type and subtype: The four card types are minion, fate, relic, and god. Minion and fate cards also have subtypes. Some effects apply only to cards that have certain subtypes. Combat minions and combat fates are cards you can play during combat.
cost: Each card has a cost—the number of mana cards you need to tap to play it. At least one of the mana cards you tap must match the doom of the card you're playing.
doom: Each card belongs to one of four dooms: corruption (gray), deceit (blue), destruction (red), or greed (green).
triggers: Triggers are triangular, colored areas in four of the corners around the name and art of a minion card. Triggers activate conditional abilities.
conditional ability: When you play one minion (from your hand) on another, the top one's conditional ability happens if the color of its conditional-ability text box matches the trigger color of the minion under it.
expansion symbol: The expansion symbol is a way to identify which set or expansion a card is from. The expansion symbol for the base set is I.
collector number: The collector number indicates a card's number out of the total number of cards in the set.
rarity symbol: There are three rarities: common, uncommon, and rare.
The Four Dooms
The dooms are the fundamental forces of evil. Every sort of evil in the world is some expression or combination of these dooms. Each doom has its own style and minions.
Corruption: Corruption is the power of madness, deformity, and knowledge not meant for mortals to know. Corruption minions include mutants and ancient, evil Mesoamerican entities called aztecals. Greed is corruption's primary enemy.
Deceit: Deceit is the power of lies, trickery, and shadow. Its minions include shapeshifters, mutants, and haunted objects called animates. The primary enemy of deceit is destruction.
Destruction: Destruction is physical power that sunders and crushes. Among destruction minions are beasts and aztecals. Destruction's primary enemy is deceit.
Greed: Greed is the power of wealth, temporal power, and unholy desire. Greed minions include undead and animates. Greed's primary enemy is corruption.
Card Types, Mana Cards, and Abominations
There are four card types: minion, fate, relic, and god. A mana card is a card of any type in the mana zone. An abomination is a minion or stack of minions in play.
Minions
You play a minion either as a new abomination or on an existing abomination. Minions stay in play until destroyed. Combat minions are minions you can play during combat, though you can play them outside of combat as normal minions, too.
Fates
Fates include invocations, curses, tactics, and mishaps—either something an endbringer does or something that just happens. When you play a fate, its effect happens, and then it goes to your graveyard. Combat fates are the only fates you can play during combat, though you can play them outside of combat, too.
Relics
Relics are magical or technological devices that can help you or hurt your enemies. When you play one, it stays in play and affects the game until destroyed.
Gods
Gods are baleful deities endbringers summon to help them destroy the world. When you play a god, it usually has a one-time effect (within these marks: « ») and a continual effect. It stays in play until destroyed. If you play another god, sacrifice the old one.
Mana Cards
You can play any card into your mana zone, where it becomes a mana card. You can then tap it to pay for other cards. It stays in the mana zone (which isn't in play) until destroyed.
Abominations
An abomination is a single unit composed of minions that can attack your enemies to reap souls. It can also block attackers.
Zones
There are 6 zones: deck, hand, mana zone, play zone, graveyard, and the "removed from game" zone.
Deck
Each player has a deck of at least forty cards. You can have no more than three copies of a card in your deck. Shuffle your deck and put it face down at the start of the game. If you run out of cards, keep playing. You can't draw any more cards, but otherwise you play normally.
Hand
Each player starts with a four-card hand. You draw two at start of your turn, except the first player draws one on their first turn. There's no hand-size limit.
Mana Zone
Each turn, you may put one card from your hand into your mana zone, where it becomes a mana card. It isn't in play. You tap mana cards to pay costs.
Play Zone
You may play cards from your hand into the play zone by tapping mana cards to pay for them. Cards count as minions, relics, and gods only while in the play zone. In other zones, they're minion cards, relic cards, and god cards.
Graveyard
Your graveyard is a face-up pile near your deck. Cards go there when destroyed or discarded. You can look at the cards in any player's graveyard anytime.
"Removed from Game" Zone
Some effects remove cards from the game, either permanently or temporarily. Set such cards aside or put them where directed. They don't go to your graveyard.
Deck Rules and Strategy
Your deck must have at least forty cards, with no more than three copies of any card. A deck usually includes cards of two dooms, with minions whose conditional abilities match those dooms. With three or four dooms in a deck, you can pick the best cards of each doom, but it's harder to make conditional abilities work. With only one doom in a deck, you always have mana cards of the doom you need, but you have few conditional abilities and fewer cards in general to choose from.
Setup and Start
Players shuffle their decks and put them face down.
Put the soul counters where everyone can get to them. Each player takes 5 souls.
Decide who takes the first turn.
Each player draws four cards.
Turn Sequence
Ready Phase (in order)
- Gain 1 soul.
- Untap.
- Draw two.
Main Phase (any order)
- Add one mana card (once per turn).
- Play cards (repeat as you like).
- Attack (repeat as you like).
End of Turn
Ready Phase
Follow these steps in order at the start of your turn.
Gain 1 Soul
Add 1 soul to your pile. If you have 20 souls, you win.
Untap
Untap your tapped cards. An untapped abomination has its top minion's main text box at the top. An untapped mana card is face up but inverted, so the name of the card is at the bottom.
Draw Two
Draw two cards. If you're the first player taking your first turn, draw one instead. If you run out of cards, keep playing.
Main Phase
Do these steps in any order.
Add One Mana Card
You may put a card from your hand into your mana zone, where it counts as a mana card. Place it face up and inverted. You tap mana cards to pay costs.
Early in the game, you'll usually want to put your highest-cost cards in the mana zone because you wouldn't be able to use them right away. Later in the game, use low-cost cards for mana cards.
Play Cards
You may play one or more cards from your hand if you can tap enough of the right kind of mana cards.
Tapping mana cards: To play a card, first tap a number of untapped mana cards equal to the card's cost. At least one of those mana cards must be the same doom as the card played. For example, to play a corruption card that costs 3, tap one corruption card and two cards of any doom. Play mana cards inverted; when you use a mana card to pay for a card, turn it sideways (tap it).
Playing minions: Put a minion into the play zone either on its own as a new abomination or on top of an existing abomination. A one-minion abomination can't attack or block. When you play a minion on an abomination, the strength and main text box of each bottom minion must show through one of the four clear sides of the top one. (You can't play a sixth minion on a size 5 abomination.) An abomination that gets a new minion can't attack that turn, but it can block during enemies' turns. Often it's best to attack with an abomination first, if you can, and then play a minion on it. A minion might have a conditional ability, which works when you play it on a minion of the correct doom. Combat minions are minions you can play during combat. You can still play them whenever you can play normal minions.
Playing fates: When you play a fate, its effect happens, and then it goes to your graveyard. If a fate's ability has the word "target," you must choose a target to play that fate. Fate effects are one-time effects, which either end at end of turn or last indefinitely. If a fate changes a card's numbers or abilities, or if it overrides normal rules, then its effect ends at end of turn. If a fate changes the position of any cards, affects soul counters, or otherwise changes the state of game components, then its effect lasts indefinitely. For example, a fate that gives an abomination Rager +2 lasts until end of turn, but one that puts a minion into its owner's hand lasts indefinitely. The minion doesn't come back out of the hand at end of turn, but the player can still play it as they would any other card. A good guideline is that any effect you would have to remember goes away at end of turn, while any effect you don't have to remember lasts indefinitely. Combat fates are the only fates you can play during combat. You can still play them whenever you can play normal fates.
Playing relics: Put relics into the play zone by themselves (not on anything). They stay in play indefinitely. Relics usually have continual effects.
Playing gods: Put gods into the play zone by themselves (not on anything). If you already have a god in play, sacrifice it when you play the new one. A god usually has a one-time effect when you play it, plus a continual effect.
Attack
You can send one or more abominations to attack an enemy and try to reap souls. You can attack as many times as you like (until all your abominations are tapped). You attack one enemy each time you attack (and can attack the same enemy more than once).
The only cards you can play during an attack are combat fates and combat minions. You can't add mana cards during attacks.
Declare attackers: When you attack, choose one or more of your untapped abominations and an enemy for them to attack. Tap those abominations. Abominations you played or added to this turn can't attack. When you attack with multiple abominations, sometimes it's best to send them all at once. That way each blocker can block only one attacker. Other times it's best to send attackers one at a time. That can limit the defender's blocking options.
Play combat fates and combat minions: The aggressor may now play combat fates and combat minions (but no other fates or minions). Once the aggressor has played as many combat fates and minions as desired, the defender may play combat fates and minions. Other players can't play combat fates and minions.
Assign blockers: Each untapped abomination the enemy controls can block one attacker, preventing that attacker from reaping souls. Only one abomination can block each attacker. When an abomination blocks, the blocker and attacker fight. Other enemies' abominations can't block for the defender. If you attack the same enemy more than once in a turn, a blocker that survives one attack can block again (unless it's been reduced to one minion). Once an attacker becomes blocked, it's blocked until end of combat even if its blocker is removed from combat.
Play more combat fates and combat minions: The aggressor and then the defender may again play combat fates and combat minions, as before.
Reap souls: Each attacker that wasn't blocked reaps a number of souls equal to its size (not its strength) from the enemy. For example, a three-minion abomination reaps 3 souls. The aggressor gets those souls. If the enemy has fewer souls than the abomination's size, the abomination reaps only what the enemy has.
Why We Reap: Each soul counter represents a number of mortals known as "true believers," as well as their soul energy. True believers have strong enough faith that endbringers can use it to bring about apocalypse. When an abomination kills another endbringer's true believers, it channels the soul energy to its master. When an endbringer has enough of this power, they destroy the world.
Have abominations fight: Each blocked attacker deals damage to its blocker, and each blocker deals damage to its attacker. Neither reaps souls. An abomination deals damage equal to its strength (the total of its minions' strengths). If an abomination takes damage at least as great as its total strength, it's destroyed. All its minions go to the graveyard. If an abomination takes less damage than its strength, some or all of its minions survive. Apply the damage to the top minion first. If the damage is less than the top minion's strength, nothing happens. If the damage equals the top minion's strength, the top minion is destroyed but the rest survive. If the damage is greater than the top minion's strength, the leftover damage spills to the next minion down, possibly destroying it as well. Damage continues down through the abomination this way until what's left can't destroy the minion it's reached.
End of Turn
Once you have no more cards you want to play and no more attacks you want to make, your turn ends. The player on your left now takes a turn.
Enemies' Turns
On enemies' turns, the only thing you can do is respond when attacked. You can have your untapped abominations block (unless they're one-minion abominations), and you can play combat fates and combat minions.
Abilities
This section covers general ability concepts. Refer to the glossary for rules on how specific abilities work and what specific terms mean.
General Rules
When an ability conflicts with the rules or when two abilities conflict with each other, follow these general rules: (1) Cards trump rules. If a card directly contradicts the rules of the game, the card takes precedence. (2) "Can't" trumps "can." If one card or effect says something can happen and another says it can't, the "can't" wins. (3) Do as much as you can. If an ability has you do something you can only partly complete, do what you can. For example, if an ability has you discard two and you have only one card in your hand, discard just that card.
Simultaneous Abilities
Sometimes two abilities happen at the same time, such as when two abilities happen at end of turn. If playing a card triggers an ability, complete the card's abilities (if any) before the triggered ability happens. In other such cases, abilities controlled by the player whose turn it is happen first, followed by abilities controlled by the player to the left, and so on around the play area. If one player controls two or more simultaneous abilities, that player decides their order.
Main Abilities of Minions and Abominations
The ability in a minion's main text box usually applies to the abomination it's in. For example, if a minion has Ripper, its abomination has Ripper. Some abilities apply only to individual minions. For example, if a minion has Regenerator, it can regenerate only itself. The glossary specifies which abilities apply only to individual minions.
Effects and Abominations
Whatever affects an abomination affects the top minion unless otherwise specified. For example, if an abomination gets –1 strength, the top minion is the one that suffers the loss.
Dooms, Subtypes, and Abominations
Some abilities refer to an abomination's doom or subtype. An abomination's dooms are the dooms of all its minions. Its subtype is that of its top minion.
Damage to Abominations
Damage dealt to abominations starts at the top and goes down one minion at a time.
- An abomination with strength 5 (minions of strength 3 and 2) that takes 5 damage is destroyed.
- An abomination with strength 6 (minions of strength 1, 3, and 2, top to bottom) that takes 5 damage has its top two minions destroyed, but the bottom minion survives.
- An abomination with strength 12, whose top minion has strength 6 (followed by minions of strength 1, 3, and 2), that takes 5 damage has no minions destroyed.
Abilities that deal damage target abominations, not individual minions. (Individual minions are susceptible only to abilities that destroy, exile, or sever them.) If an ability deals damage to an abomination, treat the damage like combat damage. Apply it to the top minion first, and spill extra damage over to lower minions. If damage dealt to a minion isn't enough to destroy the minion, ignore the damage. You can't deal some damage to a minion from one source and then finish that minion off with damage from another source.
0-Strength Minions
Some abilities reduce strength. That might cause a minion to wind up with 0 or less strength. If a minion has strength below 0, it's no different than 0.
A 0-strength minion is destroyed if it takes 0 damage. For example, if the minion above a 0-strength minion is destroyed with 0 damage left over, the 0-strength minion takes 0 damage and is destroyed. An abomination that has Ripper can assign 0 damage to destroy any 0-strength minions.
Abilities and Destroyed Minions
Sometimes losing minions to damage can change the way the abomination interacts with other cards. For example, if you have an abomination that gives a bonus to Undead abominations, then an abomination that has an Undead minion only on top loses that bonus when that minion is destroyed. On the other hand, if only the second minion from the top is Undead, then the abomination gets the bonus when the top minion is destroyed. Such changes apply only after all destroyed minions are removed. For example, the Survivor ability lets the top minion of an abomination shrug off some damage. Once the top minion is destroyed, Survivor doesn't apply to the next minion right away. That ability won't matter again until the next time the abomination takes damage.
One-Minion Abominations in Combat
If an ability reduces an abomination in combat to one minion, immediately remove that abomination from combat. For example, if a combat fate damages an attacker, reducing the attacker to one minion, the attacker neither reaps souls nor exchanges damage.
Glossary
+: A sign that comes before or after a number. When it comes before a number, it indicates that the number adds to some other value and that similar bonuses add together. For example, an abomination that has Reaper +1 and Reaper +2 reaps 3 extra souls whenever it attacks and isn't blocked. When a + comes after a number, it indicates that the number can be higher. For example, "Exile target strength 4+ minion" means "Exile target minion of strength 4 or greater."
–: A sign that comes before or after a number. When it comes before a number, it indicates that the number subtracts from some other value and that similar penalties add together. When a – comes after a number, it indicates that the number can be lower. For example, "Destroy target strength 2– minion" means "Destroy target minion of strength 2 or less."
« »: Symbols that bracket the text of a one-time effect, as in "«Draw 1.»"
tap symbol: The symbol for tap abilities. You may tap the abomination to use its tap ability if the following conditions are met: (1) the abomination's size is at least the given tap number, (2) the abomination is untapped, and (3) it's a time when you could play combat fates (such as when you're attacked).
abomination: A minion or stack of minions in play. A one-minion abomination can't attack or block.
aggressor: A player whose abominations are attacking.
attack: Tap one or more of your untapped abominations to attempt to reap an enemy's souls on your turn. One-minion abominations and abominations to which minions have been added this turn can't attack.
block: Use one of your untapped abominations to stop an enemy's abomination from reaping your souls. Your blocker and the attacker fight. One-minion abominations can't block.
combat damage: Damage that attackers and blockers deal to each other as a normal part of combat.
combat fate: A fate you can play during combat. You can play most combat fates either when you're attacking or when you're being attacked. You can play them outside of combat as well.
combat minion: A minion you can play during combat. You can play combat minions outside of combat as well, as normal minions.
conditional ability: An ability on some minions that takes effect when you play such a minion (from your hand) onto another minion of the correct doom. If the conditional-ability text box of the minion you're playing matches the trigger color of the minion under it, the ability happens. Most conditional abilities are one-time effects (enclosed in these symbols: « »), which are optional and happen only if the minion is played from your hand. If a conditional ability has a continual effect, though, it happens regardless of where the minion came from.
continual effect: An effect that lasts as long as the card causing it is in play. For example, if a relic gives your abominations Rager +2, they have Rager +2 until that relic is destroyed. The opposite of a continual effect is a one-time effect.
cost: The number of mana cards you tap to play a card. At least one of those mana cards must match the card's doom. If a card's cost is 0 or less, tap no mana cards to play it.
damage: A force that destroys minions. Damage equal to a minion's strength destroys it. Excess damage might destroy the minions below it. When the top minion is destroyed, apply the remaining damage to the next minion down.
deck: At least forty cards. You can have no more than three copies of any card in your deck.
destroy: Put into the graveyard.
discard: Put a card from your hand into your graveyard. You choose which cards to discard unless the effect says otherwise.
doom: One of four fundamental forces of evil—corruption, deceit, destruction, and greed. Each card belongs to a doom. Some cards work best in decks that combine certain dooms, such as a corruption minion whose conditional ability works only if it's played on a destruction minion. Each effect has the doom of the card that generated it. A conditional effect has the doom of the trigger that created it.
enemy: Opponent. Also, a descriptor of something belonging to an opponent, as in "enemy abomination."
Evader: An abomination with the Evader ability. It can't be blocked by abominations of the given doom. For example, a Greed Evader can't be blocked by abominations that have greed minions.
exhume: Take one or more cards from a graveyard and put them into their owner's hand.
exile: Return one or more cards to their owners' hands.
Fanatic: An abomination with the Fanatic ability. It can attack even if you've played a minion on it this turn. (It still can't attack if tapped.)
fate: A type of card that has a one-time effect and goes into your graveyard when you play it.
Follower: A minion with the Follower ability. After "Follower" is an ability that's active only while you control a god.
Guardian: An abomination with the Guardian ability. It can't attack.
god: A type of card, put into the play zone, that usually has both a one-time effect and a continual effect. It stays in play indefinitely. If you play another god, sacrifice the old one.
graveyard: A face-up discard pile near your deck. You can look at the cards in any player's graveyard anytime.
hand: The cards you hold before you play them. There's no hand-size limit.
Host: A minion with the Host ability. You can play it only as a new abomination. (You can't play it on an existing abomination.)
Hunter: An abomination with the Hunter ability. When a Hunter attacks, you may choose an enemy abomination, untap that abomination (if tapped), and force it to block the Hunter if able.
main ability: The ability in a minion's main text box. It usually applies to the abomination the minion is in. Main abilities are usually continual effects, but sometimes they're one-time effects that take place under specific circumstances.
mana: Doom energy that's generated when you tap mana cards to pay costs. You generate one mana for each tapped card. If you gain mana from other effects, you can spend it as if you had tapped mana cards to generate it. You lose the mana in your pool if an attack starts or a turn ends.
mana card: A card in the mana zone. You can add up to one card to your mana zone during each of your turns. You tap mana cards to pay costs.
mana zone: Where you put cards you want to generate mana. Cards in the mana zone are mana cards. Put them there untapped.
Martyr: A minion with the Martyr ability. When destroyed, it becomes a mana card instead of going to the graveyard.
minion: The type of card abominations are composed of. If an abomination has only one minion, it can't attack or block. A minion is only a minion when it's in the play zone; in other zones, it's a minion card.
Nemesis: An abomination with the Nemesis ability. It and its minions can't be targeted by abilities of the given doom. For example, a Corruption Nemesis can't be targeted by abilities on corruption cards. Abilities that aren't targeted affect the abomination normally.
one-minion abomination: An abomination consisting of only one minion. It can't attack or block.
one-time effect: An effect that either ends at end of turn or lasts indefinitely. If the effect changes card stats or overrides game rules, it lasts only until end of turn. If the effect moves cards or soul counters, as does exiling a minion, the move lasts indefinitely. The opposite of a one-time effect is a continual effect.
Parasite: An abomination with the Parasite ability. You can't play other minions on top of it.
play zone: The area where you play minions, relics, and gods. Cards count as minions, relics, and gods only while in the play zone. In other zones, they're minion cards, relic cards, and god cards.
pool: The imaginary place that holds mana after you generate it but before you spend it.
put into play: Put a minion into the play zone on an abomination or alone. When an effect tells you to do this, you have the same choices as when you play a minion from your hand normally, but summon effects don't happen.
Rager (+X): An abomination with the Rager ability. It gets +X strength while attacking.
reap: Take souls from an enemy. When one of your abominations attacks an enemy and isn't blocked, it reaps a number of souls equal to its size (the number of minions in it). You get those souls.
Reaper (+X): An abomination with the Reaper ability. It reaps +X extra souls when it reaps.
Regenerator: A minion with the Regenerator ability. It goes to its owner's hand when it would be destroyed.
relic: A type of card, put into the play zone, that usually has a continual effect. It stays in play indefinitely.
retrieve: Search your deck for a card, show that card to all players, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your deck.
Ripper: An abomination with the Ripper ability. When it deals damage, you may distribute that damage however you like among the blocker's minions (not necessarily from the top down).
sacrifice: Destroy one of your cards. You can't prevent this destruction, such as with a Regenerator.
sever: Remove a minion from an abomination and put it in the play zone as a new, untapped abomination.
size: The number of minions in an abomination. If an attacking abomination isn't blocked, it reaps a number of souls equal to its size.
Soulbound: A minion with the Soulbound ability. When it would be destroyed by combat damage, you may instead stitch it onto another of your abominations that has a top minion of the given doom.
souls: Points that players fight over. When you have 20 souls or more, you win.
stitch: Move minions, by either putting them on an existing abomination or bringing them together to create a new one. Your minions can't be stitched onto enemy abominations. If minions are stitched "together," they start a new, untapped abomination. Stitching minions onto an abomination prevents that abomination from attacking that turn. Stitching doesn't activate conditional abilities. If a stitched abomination ends up with more than 5 minions, sever the extra top minions.
strength: For a minion, the strength number on the card; for an abomination, the total of its minions' strengths. When an abomination blocks or is blocked, it deals damage equal to its strength to the other abomination. If a minion takes damage at least as great as its strength, it's destroyed.
strength +/–X: An effect that gives a strength bonus or penalty to an abomination or minion. Changes to an abomination's strength affect the top minion. If a different minion becomes the top minion, the bonus or penalty applies to the new top minion. If a minion has strength below 0, it's no different than 0.
subtype: A designator under a minion's main text box (such as Beast or Undead) or under a fate's name (such as Curse or Mishap). An abomination's subtype is its top minion's subtype.
summon effect: A conditional ability that's a one-time effect. (Most are.)
Survivor (+X): An abomination with the Survivor ability. When it blocks or is blocked, it ignores the first X damage dealt to its top minion.
tap: Turn sideways. You tap mana cards and abominations to show you've used them. You untap your tapped cards during the ready phase. Playing a minion on an abomination doesn't affect whether or not the abomination is tapped.
target: Something you choose to take an effect. For example, "destroy target minion" means "destroy a minion of your choice." If you can't choose a target as specified, the effect doesn't happen. You must have a legal target to play a fate that has a targeted effect. You can, however, play a minion on an abomination even if the minion's conditional ability doesn't have a legal target.
trigger: A triangular, colored area in one of four corners around the name and art of a minion card. Triggers activate conditional abilities.
turn: A sequence of phases from the ready phase to end of turn. Players take turns clockwise around the play area.
type: One of 4 card types: minion (including combat minions), fate (including combat fates), relic, and god.
unblocked: The status of an attacker the defender has decided not to block.
untap: Turn back to the normal orientation. You untap your tapped cards during the ready phase.
up to: From 0 to the given number, including 0 and the number.
X: Variable amount. When you see X in a cost, either you get to choose the number or it's determined by its card's ability. For example, the card Melt has a cost of X+2 and deals X damage to an abomination. If you pay 5 for Melt, it deals 3 damage.
zone: One of six locations: deck, hand, mana zone, play zone, graveyard, and the "removed from game" zone.
World Concepts
These are words from the worlds of the Hecatomb trading card game. These definitions don't apply to game play.
abomination: Two or more minions fused into one. Abominations are linked spiritually to the endbringers that forge them. Abominations kill other endbringers' true believers and channel that soul energy to their masters.
animates: Haunted objects that move with evil determination. They might be walking marionettes or rampaging bulldozers. Animates align themselves with deceit and greed.
apocalypse: The end of the world, and the goal of the endbringers.
aztecals: A race of minions native to Mesoamerica. Aztecals align themselves with corruption and destruction.
beasts: Unusual animals and bestial monsters, mostly aligned with destruction and greed.
corruption: The doom of decay, mutation, and perversion. Corrupt minions include mutants and aztecals.
cultists: Mortals in the service of endbringers.
deceit: The doom of lies, madness, and illusion. Deceitful minions include shapeshifters, animates, and mutants.
demons: Evil creatures from the plane of existence commonly known as Hell. They align themselves with all four dooms.
destruction: The doom of hatred, violence, and ruin. Destructive minions include beasts and aztecals.
doom: One of four fundamental forces of evil: corruption, deceit, destruction, and greed. Every sort of evil known to humanity is some combination or concentration of these four forces. For example, slavery is an expression of greed because it is an evil form of ownership.
endbringer: A mastermind of apocalypse, destroying worlds to amass legendary power. Endbringers struggle against each other, fighting over the energy released by the destruction of true believers and worlds.
fate: Mortals trust fate; endbringers warp it. Endbringers throw spells, wield weird-science weapons, and instigate mishaps in order to give themselves and their abominations an edge.
god: One of several supreme supernatural entities. The gods worshiped, manipulated, and summoned by endbringers are all evil. A god usually aligns itself with a single doom.
greed: The doom of needing, grasping, and hoarding. Greedy creatures include animates, beasts, and the undead.
mana: An insubstantial, supernatural energy. Mana is aligned with the four dooms. Endbringers use their occult knowledge to channel mana and use the mana to control minions, attune relics, and alter fate itself.
minion: A natural or supernatural creature. Since the endbringers did not create these creatures, they cannot establish spiritual links to them. So endbringers merge minions into new creatures, called abominations, and create the spiritual link to them required for reaping.
mutant: A creature that has been turned from one thing into another, especially from a good thing into an evil thing. Mutants most commonly align themselves with corruption and deceit.
outsider: A creature from beyond the boundaries of reality. Some endbringers think outsiders are here to destroy this universe just as the endbringers seek to destroy the latest world.
reap: Channel soul energy. When an abomination kills true believers devoted to a rival endbringer, the abomination reaps the true believers' soul energy for its master.
relic: A powerful item, usually with strange powers. Some items are mythic, such as the Signet of Loki. Others are the products of disordered science, such as the Skykiller.
shapeshifter: A creature that can change form, such as a werewolf or kitsune.
true believer: A mortal whose faith is so strong that an endbringer can use that faith to bring about apocalypse. Endbringers race to amass the most true believers, and those who get impatient send their abominations to reap other endbringers' true believers.
undead: Remnants of dead mortals given the semblance of life. Undead mostly align themselves with greed.
victory: Destruction of the world. When an endbringer finally has enough soul power, they use it to destroy the current world. In so doing, the endbringer absorbs great power. Then the endbringer transfers to another world and begins recruiting true believers anew.
world: One of uncounted parallel earths. Endbringers have various theories about how many worlds there are, how many have been destroyed, and how many are left.