Masters of Mutanite

Masters of Mutanite Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components

48 starter cards
41 power cards
28 poison cards
27 frost cards
24 trait cards
8 character standees
8 character sheets
8 zone boards
16 object standees
12 fire standees
12 water standees
11 life cubes
8 mutanite cubes
6 lock tokens (villain mode)
3 power tokens (villain mode)
1 target token (villain mode)

Normal Setup (2-6 players)

Retrieve the following zone boards: Hospital, Downtown, University, Seaport, Park, Train Station. In 3 player, add the Power Plant. In 4-6 player, add the Power Plant and City Hall. Randomly place the zones to form the city:
- 2 player: 2x3 grid.
- 3 player: 2x4 grid.
- 4-6 player: 3x3 grid with one corner missing.
Attach a large stand to each object. To widen the mouth of a stand, press your pointer finger against the bottom. Stands never need to be removed. Populate each zone with its objects, indicated in the bottom left of each zone.
Retrieve all poison cards and starter cards. Set them aside for now.
Shuffle all remaining cards with the "Masters of Mutanite" card back to form the power deck.
Deal 1 card from the power deck faceup to each zone. Place each card in the rectangular slot on the right side of each zone, so that it covers the mutanite symbol.
Each player chooses a character and matching character sheet. Attach a large stand to your character. Use the player side of your character sheet, indicated by the city background. On your character sheet, place a mutanite cube to set your mutanite to 0, and place a life cube to set your life to 50.
Retrieve each player's 3 starting trait cards, indicated on their character sheet. Players secretly choose one trait each. Simultaneously, all players place their trait faceup in front of them.
Take all traits that players did not choose and combine them with the rest (all 8 characters' traits). Shuffle them to form the trait deck.
Attach a small stand to each water and fire counter. Place all water counters, fire counters, frost cards and poison cards by the city.
Each player receives an 8-card starting deck: 3 Pick Up, 2 Punch, 2 Fling, 1 Cleanse.
Put any remaining starter cards back in the box, along with any remaining characters, zone boards, objects, mutanite cubes and life cubes. Also put back in the box the 6 power tokens, 3 lock tokens and the target token (they are for villain mode, pages 10-12).

Any player that has exactly 3 or 0 "Pick Up" cards in their starting hand may reveal their hand, shuffle it into their deck, and draw a new starting hand of 4 cards. They may repeat this until they have 1 to 2 "Pick Up" cards in hand. 13. Randomly choose a starting player. In 2-3 player, set the second player's mutanite to 1. In 3 player, set the third player's mutanite to 2. 14. Beginning with the starting player and going clockwise, each player places their character in any zone. Multiple characters may start in the same zone. 15. The starting player takes the first turn of the game, and turns proceed clockwise.

Know Your Opponents

When playing competitively, your opponents are the players immediately to the left or right of you in turn order (in a 2 or 3 player game, all other players are your opponents).

Throughout the game, your powers and traits only affect your opponents, not the rest of the players. If one of your opponents is eliminated from the game, the player sitting on the other side of them will become your new opponent.

On Your Turn

Do each of the following phases in order:

I. Play Phase

Play any number of cards from your hand. For each card you play, choose to use it as a Power or a Dash, then discard it.

Power: Trigger the card's abilities. If the power has a boost ability, you may spend the indicated mutanite cost to trigger it (see Boosting Powers section).

Dash: Do not trigger the card's abilities. Instead, move to an adjacent zone of your choice. Adjacent always means one zone away horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

II. Mutanite Phase

Gain 1 mutanite for each mutanite symbol revealed by power cards you picked up this turn. Then, if all card slots in the city are empty, gain 1 mutanite. Track mutanite on your character sheet. Each player can hold up to 5 mutanite.

If you have 3 or more mutanite in this phase, you may spend 3 mutanite to mutate, gaining a new trait (see Traits section).

Mia gained 2 powers from the board in her play phase. By taking the cards off the board, she revealed 2 mutanite symbols. She gains 2 mutanite in her mutanite phase.

III. End Phase

Discard any number of cards from your hand. Draw cards from your deck until you have 4. If you can't, shuffle your discard pile to form your new deck, and draw from that.

Deal a card from the power deck faceup to each empty card slot in the city. If the power deck runs out, card slots are no longer refilled.

Going clockwise, the next player takes their turn.

Powers

Cards in your deck are called powers. Powers often deal damage or elemental effects to an opponent (the target player).

Each power has a type:

Melee attacks target an opponent in your zone.
Ranged attacks target an opponent in an adjacent zone of your choice.
Personal powers target you unless they say otherwise.

Mia is at the Hospital. She can hit targets at the Hospital with melee attacks, but not ranged attacks. In addition, she can hit targets in the 3 adjacent zones with ranged attacks, but not melee attacks.

For melee and ranged powers, you must declare your target at the moment you play them. Your target must be a player that is immediately to your left or right in turn order.

Each power has one or more abilities. You must perform all abilities in order. If an ability has no valid targets, it has no effect.

Damage reduces a player's life total.

Dash moves you to an adjacent zone of your choice.

Elemental effects deal damage and other negative effects to a target (see Elemental Effects, page 6).

Throw is a special kind of ranged attack. Choose an object in your zone and move it to your target's zone, then perform all abilities on the object.

Because throws are ranged attacks, they can only target opponents in adjacent zones and cannot target opponents in your zone.
Objects are never destroyed.
Players and elemental effects do not count as objects and cannot be thrown.

Mia plays Fling. She throws a tree from her zone at Andy, who is in an adjacent zone. Andy takes 2 damage!

Gaining Powers

A starting card, Pick Up, allows you to gain the card in your zone if there are no opponents there. Remember that only players to the left or right of you in turn order are your opponents. Place gained cards in your discard pile.

Boosting Powers

Some powers give you the option to spend mutanite for an additional effect, shown on the bottom of the card. This is called boosting a power. You decide to boost a power after triggering all of the power's preceding abilities. A power may be boosted once per card use.

Mia attacks Andy with Earthquake, which would deal him 5 damage. She spends 2 mutanite to boost it, dealing Andy an additional 2 damage per object in her zone, for another 4 damage, taking 9 damage total from the attack.

Private and Public Information

Cards in hand are private, but you may reveal them to other players as you wish. Cards in decks may not be viewed by any player. Everything else is public, including cards in discard piles and how many cards are in hands and decks.

Reactions

Powers with a yellow burst are reactions.

You may play reactions on your turn as you would play normal powers, or on any player's turn to respond to an opponent's attack that targets you.

If an opponent targets you with an attack, you may play a reaction that corresponds to that attack type.

A melee attack that reacts to other melee attacks.
A ranged attack that reacts to other ranged attacks.

When you play a power as a reaction, you cancel your opponent's attack and instead resolve your card. If a power is canceled, it is discarded.

Reactions may react to other reactions. The final reaction played is the only one that resolves.

It's Mia's turn. She plays Fireball, targeting Andy. Since Fireball is a ranged attack, Andy plays Teleport as a reaction. Mia's Fireball is canceled. Andy resolves his Teleport, dashing to Mia's zone. Mia resumes playing powers.

Elemental Effects

Some powers and objects create elemental effects:

Fire

Place a fire counter in your target's zone, even if that zone contains water counters.
Your target takes 1 damage for each fire counter in their zone.

Water

Place a water counter in your target's zone.
If there are any fire counters in your target's zone, you may remove one.

Poison

Your target gains a poison card, placing it in their discard pile.
Your target takes 1 damage.
When your target draws the poison card on a future turn, they take 1 damage, discard the poison card (to their discard pile) and draw a new card.

Frost

Your target gains a frost card, placing it in front of them (it does not go into their deck).
Your target takes 1 damage for each frost in front of them.
As long as a player has 1 or more frost, they can't dash diagonally.

Electricity

Your target takes 2 damage, plus 1 for each water counter in their zone.

You don't take any penalties from entering, exiting, or starting/ending your turn in a zone with elemental effects.

Elemental effects last indefinitely. To remove them, play the starter card Cleanse.

A zone may have any number of counters, players and objects.

If there are no fire/water counters when you would place one, move one from elsewhere on the board.

If you would inflict an elemental effect but there is no more of that component available (if poison or frost has run out, or all fire or water counters are in the same zone), apply that element's immediate effect only. In other words, poison deals 1 damage, fire and frost deal variable damage, and water has the option to remove a fire.

There's 1 fire counter in Donna and John's zone. Donna attacks John with Flame Kick. She deals him 4 damage and places a fire counter in their zone, dealing an additional 1 damage for each fire there (2 damage total from fire). Donna decides not to boost the power with her 2 mutanite.

Mia throws a water tower at Chris. He takes 2 damage, and she places a water counter in his zone. She chooses not to remove a fire counter from his zone.

Andy attacks Judy with Venom Fangs. He deals her 1 damage. Judy receives 2 poison cards, taking 2 more damage. Andy spends 1 mutanite to boost the power, shuffling Judy's discard pile into her deck. Judy takes her turn. At the end of her turn, she ends up drawing a poison card. She takes 1 damage, discards it, and draws a card from her deck.

Alyssa has 1 frost. Greg attacks her with Frost Bolt. He deals her 1 damage and gives her another frost, dealing her another 2 damage. He spends 1 mutanite to boost the power, giving her another frost, dealing another 3 damage.

Barb attacks Andy with Electrify, which hits him with electricity twice. For each one, he takes 2 damage plus 1 damage per water counter in their zone (3 water = 3 bonus damage). She decides not to boost the power with her 1 mutanite. Andy takes a total of 10 damage from Electrify.

Mia plays Cleanse. She decides to remove 1 fire from her zone, 1 poison from her discard pile, and 2 frost in front of her.

Traits

Traits are permanent, reusable abilities that are always active. Traits stay in play and do not get shuffled into players' decks.

If you have 3 or more mutanite in the Mutanite Phase of your turn, you may spend 3 mutanite to mutate, gaining a new trait:

Draw the top 3 cards of the trait deck. If fewer than 3 remain, draw however many remain.
Choose 1 trait and place it in front of you faceup.
Return the other drawn traits to the bottom of the trait deck in any order.

A player may have any number of traits. If a trait indicates "once on your turn", you may use it once in the play phase you take. Otherwise, traits may be used any number of times per turn, and on any player's turn. Like powers, traits used against opponents (such as Spike Skin) may only be used to interact with players that are immediately to your left or right in turn order.

Andy has the Stunt Rider trait. He plays a card to dash into Mia's zone, using Stunt Rider to bring a car from his zone with him.

As Andy enters Mia's zone, her Spike Skin activates, dealing him 1 damage. Andy then resolves the melee attack from bringing a car into Mia's zone. He deals her 1 damage, then places a fire in their zone, dealing her another 1 damage.

Life and Knockout

When you reach 0 life, you are knocked out of the game. Remove your character from the board and return your poison and frost cards. Your personal deck and traits are considered out of the game, and they are not returned to the power deck or trait deck.

In 4-6 player, after you are knocked out, the players that were sitting immediately to the left and right of you are now able to target each other with attacks.

Each player's starting life total is their maximum life total. For example, a player that starts at 50 life can never have more than 50 life.

Game End

When all your opponents are knocked out, you win!

For a longer game, start each player at 75 life! For life totals over 50, place an extra life cube on "+50" or "+100".

Power Clarifications

Absorption / Super Speed Draw the top card of your deck.

Bubble Shield "Move" does not count as a dash. Thus, it is not affected by frost.

Elasticity "Move another player" doesn't count as that player dashing. If you use Elasticity to dash to any zone, it is not affected by frost.

Freezing Rain Damage is calculated for each frost your target receives. This can be vicious.

Teleport You may dash to any zone, even if you have frost. You must dash to a new zone, you can't stay where you are.

Trait Clarifications

Camouflage For example, if Jack is in a zone with 1 tree and Jill is throwing a barrel at Jack as her first ranged attack, Jack receives a poison card due to the barrel, but reduces its damage from 1 to 0 because of Camouflage.

Dragon Eyes The fire can't be added to an attack that throws a car. For example, if you use Poison Pitch to throw a car, the car's [0 damage + fire] effects get plugged into Poison Pitch's throw icon, so the car's fire prevents Dragon Eyes from being able to add fire to that.

Healing Factor This will not activate if you discard your Cleanse. You have to play Cleanse to activate Healing Factor (even if Cleanse removes nothing).

High Voltage The extra damage counts for each electrical attack you do, so if you zap your target 3 times, you'll do an extra 6 damage.

Stone Skin For example, Jill has Stunt Rider. Jack has Stone Skin. Jill dashes into Jack's zone with an ice cream truck, hitting him with a melee attack of frost. Jack would receive 1 damage from the frost (he didn't have any frost previously), but his Stone Skin reduces it to 0 damage. Jack still keeps the frost card in front of him, because Stone Skin does not prevent that.

Stunt Rider You can bring a car or ice cream truck with you even if it wouldn't hit anyone in that zone. Stunt Rider tries to resolve the melee attack only when you arrive in the new zone. If no opponent is in the new zone when you arrive, the attack fails, but the vehicle stays in the new zone.

Super Swimming You may dash from anywhere to a zone that has water, even if you have frost.

Telekinesis Telekinesis does not give you extra throws. It augments one of your throws on your turn. This enables you to choose an object from anywhere as if you were in that zone throwing it at a target in an adjacent zone. If you have Super Strength and Telekinesis, the throw is further augmented, allowing you to throw an object from any zone at a target in any zone (it still must move to a new zone).

Frequently Asked Questions

Are trait effects optional? Yes. For example, if you have Super Swimming but you don't want to put water in your zone and you don't want to dash, you don't have to use it.

Can I react to my opponent's power card after they've decided to boost it? No. You must react right when that attack first starts targeting you. Your opponent can always wait to see if you react before deciding to boost.

Can damage from Frostbite, Spike Skin, or Kraken Call be prevented or reacted to? No. They don't count as attacks.

How does the "repeat this card" boost work on Death Ray and 4 Arm Fury? By paying the mutanite cost to boost the card, you are repeating the effects of the card again to the same target. You may keep repeating it as long as you have the right amount of mutanite to spend. The target is not allowed to react to a repeated effect: you haven't played a new card, you're simply repeating the same card's effect.

What if I react to an attack, but I have Camouflage or Stone Skin that says the "first attack targeting you"; does the next attack count as the first? Yes. Because you reacted to the first attack and canceled its effect, the first one that actually hits you will be counted for Camouflage or Stone Skin.

What happens if I intend to use a "once on your turn" trait effect on my attack (such as Hot Hands), but the attack is canceled by a reaction? Is the trait used up? No, it is not used up—your attack never successfully resolved. If you play another attack this turn, you may apply the trait effect to that attack.

What happens if I play a reaction to an attack, but I can't actually reach your target (due to Pyrokinesis or Telekinesis)? The attack is canceled, but the reaction likely has no effect because it's trying to reach an illegal target. For example, say you play Freezing Rain to react to a throw that is extended by Telekinesis, but your opponent is several zones away (or in your zone). Your reaction will cancel their attack, but your attack won't hit them because you're not exactly one zone away from your opponent. However, if you were one zone away from your opponent in that same scenario, your attack would hit them.

Team Variant (4 or 6 players)

Setup

Use normal setup. During setup, form two even teams.

Alternate the sitting positions of the players so that each player's left and right neighbors are players of the opposing team.

When picking traits during setup and gameplay, you may consult with your teammates.

After choosing a starting player, all players that are not on the starting player's team set their mutanite to 1.

Life and Knockout

When you reach 0 life, you are knocked out temporarily. If it's your turn, proceed to the End Phase.

While knocked out in a team game, you may not be targeted, but you keep all your cards as they are (your hand, deck, traits and elemental effects). Knocked out players do not block using Pick Up in that zone.

At the start of your turn, if you are currently knocked out, you may split your team's life total as evenly as possible amongst yourself and your non-knocked out teammates. After you do, start taking your turn as normal.

Examples of starting your turn knocked out:

4-player: Your teammate Greg has 21 life, and you have 0 life. You return to 10 life, and Greg now has 11 life.
6-player: Your teammate Greg has 6 life, and your teammate Chris has 31 life. You return to 12 life, Greg returns to 12 life, and Chris now has 13 life.
6-player: Your teammate Greg has 0 life, and your teammate Chris has 31 life. You return to 15 life, Chris now has 16 life, and Greg still has 0 life. Greg will split the team's life again on his turn, assuming the game doesn't end before then.

Game End

When all players on the opposing team have 0 life, your team wins!

Villain Mode Setup (1-6 p.)

Play solo or team up with friends to take down the villains!

Follow setup from pages 2-3, with these changes:
- Step 1: 1 player: use the 2 player city layout. 2 players: use the 3 player city layout. 3-6 players: use the 4-6 player city layout.
- Step 11-15: skip these steps. In 6-player, set players to 40 life each.
Using the remaining character sheets, shuffle them and draw a number of them to be your opponents:
- 1 player: 1 villain, 65 life
- 2 players: 2 villains, 70 life each
- 3 players: 3 villains, 75 life each
- 4 players: 3 villains, 60 life each, 2x villain rounds
- 5 players: 3 villains, 80 life each, 2x villain rounds
- 6 players: 2 villains, 150 life each, 3x villain rounds
Place each character sheet villain-side up, indicated by the outer space background. Arrange them in a row or column so there is a clear villain order.
Place a mutanite cube and life cube on each villain sheet, setting their mutanite to 1 (not 0!) and their life as indicated in step 2. For life totals over 50, use an extra life cube on "+50" or "+100" as needed.
For each villain, place a lock token on each of their 2 traits, and place a power token on the leftmost power in their power track.
Each player places their character into any zone. Players collaborate with each other to determine who should start where. Players may occupy the same starting zone.
Place each villain into an unoccupied zone, so all villains start in different zones. Players collaborate to choose where villains should start.
Randomly choose a starting player and give them the target token. The player round begins.

Player Round

In villain mode, the game alternates between player rounds and villain rounds. In a player round, all players take their turns. In a villain round, all villains take their turns.

The player with the target token takes the first turn. Turns continue clockwise until all players have taken a turn this round. Then, the villain round begins. Continue alternating rounds of all players and all villains.

Players may target any villain. For cards like Pick Up and Elasticity, villains count as opponents and players. For Mind Melt, instead choose a new position for their power token.

Villain Reactions

If a villain's power token is currently on a reaction, attacking the villain with the corresponding attack type will cause them to react. The attacking player cancels their own attack, gets hit by the villain's attack, and moves the villain's power token to the right by one power. During the villain's turn, villains cannot react to player reactions.

Villain Round

Do each of the following phases in order:

I. Power Phase

In the order of the villain sheets, each villain uses a number of powers on their power track equal to their current mutanite level (see Villain Round Power Phase). For example, if there are 3 villains that each have 2 mutanite, Villain A uses 2 powers, then Villain B uses 2 powers, then Villain C uses 2 powers.

II. Mutate Phase

Increase each villain's mutanite by 1. Each villain can hold up to 5 mutanite. For each villain that has 3 or more mutanite and any locked traits, reduce their mutanite by 2 (not 3!) and remove the lock token from their leftmost locked trait. That trait is now active.

Multiple Rounds (4-6 p.)

In 4-5 player games, there are two villain rounds every time there would be one. In 6-player games, there are three villain rounds every time there would be one.

Villain Round Power Phase

In the order of the villain sheets, each villain uses a number of powers on their power track equal to their mutanite level. For each power:

1. The Villain Dashes into Range

The player with the target token is the villain's target. The villain dashes any number of times until they are able to target that player.

Dashing is free for villains.

When a villain dashes, they take the most efficient path. If there is more than one efficient path, the villain prioritizes clockwise movement (starting with 12 o'clock). If they can't reach their target (for example, due to a boosted Ice Punch), the power is canceled.

For personal powers, the villain targets themselves instead.

2. The Villain Attempts the Power

The villain uses the power on their target. If they're attacking a player, the player may react with a corresponding reaction card to cancel the attack. For unspecified abilities like Ground Pound and Healing Wind, villains prefer to launch/dash clockwise.

If the villain's attack is not reacted to, and the villain has all their traits unlocked and enough mutanite to boost the attack, the villain spends mutanite to boost it. Even though boosting reduces their mutanite, it does not reduce the number of powers the villain uses this turn. For powers that allow boosting more than once (such as Death Ray), they repeat it as many times as their mutanite allows.

Move the villain's power token to the right by one power, even if it was canceled. If they just used their rightmost power, instead move the power token to the leftmost power so their power track loops.

If the villain is supposed to use any more powers this turn, repeat at Step 1 (The Villain Dashes into Range). Otherwise, if the villain has completed using their powers this turn, pass the target token clockwise to the next non-knocked out player. Then, if any villains have not used their powers this round, proceed to the next villain. When all villains are finished, proceed to the Mutate Phase.

(1) The Claw has 2 mutanite, and she is in the Train Station. Katalyst has the target token, so the Claw chooses Katalyst as her target.

(2) The Claw's power token is on Freezing Rain, which is a ranged attack. The Claw has to dash out of Katalyst's zone to be able to target her. She dashes to the Hospital because it's the closest zone clockwise.

(3) The Claw attacks Katalyst from the Hospital with Freezing Rain. The Claw's power token moves to the next power in her power track, Healing Wind (a personal power).

(4) The Claw uses Healing Wind to dash to the Seaport. The players pass the target token, and the next villain goes.

Villain Traits

Each villain starts with 2 locked traits. As they gain mutanite and spend it on traits in the Mutate Phase, their traits unlock.

Unlocked villain traits activate automatically while the villain is taking their turn. Try to have the villain use their traits as effectively as they can. If there's ever a question about how a villain should use a trait, try to synergize it with the next power in their power track.

For "once on your turn" traits, the villain should try to use that effect as soon as possible on their turn. This may mean the trait activates even before using any powers on their turn. It is okay if a villain's traits go unused on a turn, as long as you think the villain has tried their best to make use of them.

Villains prefer to use traits on their chosen target for that turn, but their traits may affect other players (for example, Kraken Call, Voodoo, Spike Skin, etc.).

Life and Elemental Effects

Villains

Each villain's starting life total is their maximum life total. For example, a villain that starts at 60 life can never have more than 60 life.

When a villain reaches 0 life, they are knocked out of the game. If it's their turn, they do not finish it.

In villain mode, fire and water are limited to 3 per zone (3 fire + 3 water). If you would create fire or water in a zone that has hit the limit, do not add a new token, but still perform all effects of that element. For example, attempting to create fire in a zone that has 3 fire already deals 3 damage to your target. Powers that move fire or water may not move tokens into zones that have hit the limit. When a villain creates water, they never remove fire.

When a villain is poisoned, they take 1 damage (as normal). Place the poison card by their sheet. When their power token moves from the rightmost to the leftmost power in their power track, they take 1 damage for each poison they have. Poison is never removed from villains.

When a villain gains frost, they take 1 damage for each frost they have (as normal), and cannot dash diagonally. (This dash constraint does not hurt villains much, but it does change their behavior.) Frost is never removed from villains.

Players

In 1 player, when you reach 0 life, you are knocked out of the game and the game ends.

In 2-6 player, when you reach 0 life, you are knocked out of the game. If the villain that knocked you out has any attacks remaining, pass the target token clockwise to the next non-knocked out player. Don't worry, players usually only get knocked out when the game is almost over!

Game End

When all villains have 0 life, the players win!

When all players have 0 life, the villains win!

If villain mode is not the right difficulty for you, adjust the villains' starting life totals the next time you play!