Middara: Unintentional Malum – Act 1
Middara: Unintentional Malum – Act 1 Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Summary of Components
- Choosing A Game Mode
- Crawl Mode
- Adventure Mode
- Playing Encounters
- Setting Up
- Reading Encounters
- Encounter Setup
- End Conditions and Rewards
- Special Encounter Rules
- Location Types
- Encounter Breakdown
- Encounter Breakdown Continued
- Totems
- Objectives
- Loot
- Loot Level
- Achievements
- Restoring Adventurers
- Urgency Tokens
- Hidden Text
- Hidden Card Decks
- Diagrams
- Removing Components During The Game
- Exit Tokens
- Spawning
- Spawning Story Combatants
- Combatant Loot Deck Setup
- Tiles and Terrain
- Adventurers and Items
- Item Tiers and Types
- Item Upgrades
- Icons, Conditions, Tags and Symbols
- Discipline Trees
- Conviction and Casting Upgrades
- An Adventurer's Turn
- The Attack Action
- Encounter Actions
- The Re-Equip Action
- Using Abilities
- Counter
- Flanking and Backstab
- Dodge
- Empower
- The Spell Action
- Combatants
- Command Combatants
- Intelligent Combatants
- Discipline Ability Tree
- Intelligent Combatant Turn Walkthrough
- Other Important Rules
- Skill Checks
- Adventurer Skill Checks
- Combatant Skill Checks
- Jumping
- Being Defeated
- Opponents and Allies
- Special Effects
- Multiple Initiative Cards
- Combatant Tokens
- Gaining Items During an Encounter
- Simultaneous Abilities
- Effects, Special Effects, & Ability Limitations
- Redirect
- Component Limits
- Large Base Figures
- Reducing Numbers
- Rounding Numbers
- Companions
- Re-Rolling Dice
- Forced Movement
- Scaling Icons
- Command Combatant Breakdown (Example 2)
- Scaling Icon Example
- Special Assemblage Disciplines
- Special Martial Disciplines
- Alternate, Variations, and Loot LVL
- The Basics
- Loot Level & How Combatants Scale
- Base Combatants
- Alternate Combatants
- The Variation Tag
- The Alternate Tag
- Prerequisite Types
- Possible Spawns
- How To Spawn Alternate & Variation Cards
- Multiple Groups, Variation, & Alternate
- Having Both the Alternate & Variation Tag
- Type Tag
- Important Possible Spawn Rules
- Spawning Combatants Example
- Abraxis Battle Dice
- Variants
- Icons
- Condition Tags
- Combatant Tags
- Tags
- Table 3: Effect Tokens
- Table 4: Ability Tokens
- Table 5: Combatant Loot Deck, Selling Items & Upgrades
- Table 6: Standard Actions & Abilities
- Table 7: Terrain Types
- Table 8: Restoring and Beginning Encounters Reference
- Table 9: Combatant Tokens
- Table 10: Current Effects
- Table 11: Steps for making an Attack
- Table 12: Phases of an Adventurer's Turn
- Table 13: Steps for Casting a Spell
- Dice Breakdown
Summary of Components
Rulebook — This book contains all the rules to play Middara.
Adventure Book — This book contains the Adventure of Nightingale and her friends.
Diagram Book — This is a supplemental book that contains all the Diagrams for the Adventure Book, Crawl Book, and Bounty Book. See Diagrams Pg. 19.
Crawl Book — This book contains 5 different Scenarios that can be played in any order.
Bounty Book — This book contains a Bounty that can be played with any Adventure you own.
Plastic Figures — Middara contains 44 plastic figures used to represent the Characters and Combatants.
Custom Dice — There are 17 custom dice included in the game. These dice are used when taking Actions and making Skill Checks. They are separated by color to denote what dice a player uses when making a roll.
Adventurer Cards — When playing Middara, players will take on the role of Adventurers. When playing the Adventure Mode, players will be instructed to use specific Adventurers. When playing the Crawl Mode, players may choose from any Adventurers they own to create a party. See Adventurers Pg. 25.
Combatant Cards — These cards have the rules for all the figures other than Adventurers. Each Combatant Card is double-sided. The front side of a Combatant Card describes all the rules associated with that figure while the back of the card presents some lore and context. See Combatants Pg. 56.
Discipline Cards — These cards represent various Abilities Adventurers can learn. There are 5 different Discipline Trees: Assemblage, Cruor, Martial, Sanctus and Subterfuge. See Discipline Trees Pg. 32.
Familiar Cards — Familiar Cards are a special type of Discipline Card. Adventurers acquire a Familiar Card when they learn the Familiar Discipline from the Assemblage Discipline Tree. See Summoning Pg. 75.
Item Cards — Item Cards represent all the gear Adventurers can earn or buy. These cards are separated by Tier: Mundane, Common, Uncommon, and Rare. Item Cards also come in 6 different types: Weapon, Armor, Core, Relic, Accessory, and Consumable. See Items Tiers and Types Pg. 27.
Combatant Loot Cards — Combatant Loot Cards represent the Items and Gold that Combatants drop when they are Defeated. Adventurers will draw these cards when they Defeat Combatants. See Combatant Loot Pg. 57.
Monster Loot Cards — These cards represent items that can drop from specific Combatants. When a Loot Card instructs Adventurers to draw Monster Loot, they take a corresponding Monster Loot Card for the Combatant they Defeated.
Initiative Cards — Every figure has one or more corresponding Initiative Card. At the start of every Encounter, players deal out the Initiative Cards associated with each Adventurer and Combatant in the Encounter. Starting from the first card of the Initiative Track, figures take their turns. See An Adventurer's Turn Pg. 36.
Story Cards — These are Items and Discipline Cards that are only available in the Adventure Mode. These cards cannot be acquired normally. Instead, they must be earned during the Adventure and are hidden inside Hidden Card decks. When playing the Crawl Mode, these cards are not used and can be kept in the game box. See Story Disciplines and Items Pg. 13.
Exalted Esper Cards — These cards are used by the Exalted Esper Discipline in the Assemblage Discipline tree. See Exalted Summoning Pg. 76.
Abraxis Cards — Abraxis is a mini-game played using the custom dice that come with the game. These cards are only used when playing the Adventure Mode. When playing the Crawl Mode, these cards are not used and can be kept in the game box. See Abraxis Battle Dice Pg. 85.
Quick Reference Cards — These cards are used to remind players about commonly used Actions and Abilities in the game. They also include a breakdown of an Adventurer's turn.
Tiles — Tiles are used to build the game board for Encounters. The Tiles are double-sided and contain artwork that represent different areas in the world. Each Tile has letters and numbers associated with it to easily identify the Tiles required during the Encounter Setup. See Tiles and Terrain Pg. 21.
Terrain Tokens — The game includes a myriad of double-sided Terrain tokens that are used to add variety and unpredictability to Encounters. Each Encounter will dictate which Terrain tokens are needed. Otherwise, these tokens can be kept in the game box. These tokens come in a variety of sizes such as 1x1 inch and 2x1 inch. See Tiles and Terrain Pg. 21.
Combatant Tokens — Some Adventurers or Combatants use specific tokens that represent special Abilities they may have. These tokens are only used if a Combatant Card or Encounter setup instructs you to use them. See Combatant Tokens, Pg. 97.
Effect Tokens — Some Abilities, Items, and Combatants can Inflict Effects. Effect tokens are used to keep track of which Combatants and Adventurers have been inflicted with Effects. These tokens are always square. Effect Tokens may only include an abbreviated reminder of their full rule. Make sure to check the back of the Rulebook for an Effect Token's full rule. See Effect Tokens Pg. 95.
Special Effect Tokens — Some Abilities inflict rare Effects called Special Effects. These tokens are used to keep track of these rare Effects. See Special Effects Pg. 69.
Ability Tokens — Some Abilities and Items grant Ability tokens. Ability tokens are discarded when a figure is Defeated, the Ability token is used or when instructed to Restore Adventurers. These tokens are always round. See Ability Tokens Pg. 95.
Damage Tokens — Figures use these tokens to keep track of how much Damage they have been dealt. A figure who has been dealt Damage equal to their Maximum HP is Defeated. See Damage and Healing Pg. 44.
Stamina Point (SP) Tokens — During the Refresh Phase of a player's turn, players receive Stamina Point (SP) tokens. These tokens can be spent to take Actions and use Abilities. Stamina Points are abbreviated on many cards as SP.
Encounter Tokens — Encounters have special tokens placed on the board during Setup and game play. These tokens are all considered Encounter tokens. The rules for each token are specified in each Encounter's Special Rules. See Playing Encounters Pg. 14.
Urgency Tokens — These tokens are added to the back of the Initiative Track under various circumstances. If the Adventurers ever add a 4th Urgency token to the board, they Lose the Encounter. See Urgency Tokens Pg. 18.
Tracker Tokens — Middara has many special rules. Some Encounters and Abilities will require the players to keep track of various things such as Abilities that have been used, figures that have been marked, or what round it is in the Encounter. These tokens are used to help the players keep track of these various special rules as they occur.
Cardboard Figure Standups — Some Combatant Cards in the game are either represented by Cardboard Figure Standups, or use Cardboard Figure Standups as part of their Combatant Card. These Standups have their stats and Abilities detailed on their corresponding Encounter or Combatant Card. These Cardboard Standups follow all the rules associated with their plastic figure counterparts.
Adventurer Tuck Bags — These bags are used during both Adventure Mode and Crawl Mode to help keep track of what Items an Adventurer currently has equipped or Stored in their Pack as well as any Disciplines the Adventurer may have learned.
Hidden Card Decks — These Hidden Card decks are used to keep information hidden from the players. They may contain new, more powerful enemies to fight or friends that will help you on your journey. They could also contain special Items and Disciplines earned while adventuring. Regardless of what's inside, the Adventure Book or Crawl Book will instruct players when to Reveal the Hidden Cards and what to do with contents inside.
Red Reveal Decoder — In addition to Hidden Cards, Middara also hides text using red reveal messages to keep information hidden from players. When players are instructed to "read the hidden text", this Red Reveal Decoder is used to display the text. See Hidden Text, Pg. 18.
Component List
- 1 Rulebook
- 1 Adventure Book
- 1 Crawl Book
- 1 Diagram Book
- 1 Bounty Book
- 17 Dice
- 44 Miniatures
- 27 Colored Base Clips
- 40 Standups
- 36 Double-Sided Tiles
- 380 Tokens
- 1 Red Reveal Decoder
- 10 Adventurer Tuck Bags
- 101 Large Cards (5x6 Unique Sized): 4 Adventurers, 7 Conduit Cards, 6 Esper Summons, 38 Intelligent Combatants, 46 Hidden Cards
- 370 Mini Cards (Mini American): 4 Familiars, 145 Disciplines, 45 Combatant Loot Cards, 33 Initiative Cards, 90 Upgrades, 53 Hidden Cards
- 12 Tarot Cards: 4 Quick Reference Cards, 4 Exalted Espers, 4 Abraxis Cards
- 390 Item Cards (Standard Euro): 309 Store Items, 28 Unique Items, 25 Monster Loot Cards, 28 Hidden Cards
- 1 Large Hidden Card Deck
- 1 Medium Hidden Card Deck
- 1 Small Hidden Card Deck
Hidden Decks are included in the itemized lists.
Choosing A Game Mode
The way Middara is set up and played changes depending on the Game Mode the players decide to play. Regardless of what Game Mode is chosen, Middara is, at its core, about completing Encounters. An Encounter can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours to play. Use the following to determine which Game Mode is best for your gaming group.
Crawl Mode
In the Crawl Mode, players play through a chosen Scenario. The end goal is determined by the Scenario the players choose. This Game Mode is more akin to other dungeon crawl board games. There is no emphasis on a narrative or serious choices to be made. The Crawl Mode is shorter, and can be completed in sessions as short as a couple of hours. If your gaming group is looking to test the waters of Middara before investing the time into the Adventure Mode, we recommend starting with the Crawl Mode. For more detailed information on how to set up and play the Crawl Mode, continue to Crawl Mode Pg. 9.
Adventure Mode
In Adventure Mode, each player takes on the role of an Adventurer in an elaborate, story-driven game. Players progress through the story using the Adventure Book associated with that particular Adventure. In Adventure Mode, Encounters separate segments of narrative. Winning or Losing these Encounters can change the outcome of the Adventure, as well as the direction the players might go. In addition, players will be called upon to make Decisions that change how the Adventure unfolds. This Game Mode takes a significant amount of time to play, but can be broken into 1-4 hour play sessions. This Game Mode, much like your favorite tabletop role playing game, is designed to be played once a week with your gaming group. For detailed information on how to set up and play the Adventure Mode, continue to Adventure Mode Pg. 10.
Crawl Mode
The Crawl Mode is for those who want to play a game that focuses on killing monsters and gaining loot, without worrying about a continuing story. When playing the Crawl Mode, players start by choosing a Scenario. There are 5 different Scenarios in Unintentional Malum: Act 1, each with a Rank associated with it. The Rank of the Scenario determines the amount of Gold and XP the Adventurers start the Scenario with. Higher Rank Scenarios will give the Adventurers an increased amount of Gold and XP to compensate for the difficulty of the enemies they will be facing. If this is your first time playing, we recommend starting with the Rank 1 Scenario, Cavern Fumigation.
Create Adventurers
First, players must build 4 Adventurers using the chosen Scenario's listed XP and Gold. Adventurers may spend as much of this XP and Gold as they would like on Disciplines and Items. Unless otherwise noted, players may choose from all Disciplines in the game, but are only allowed to buy Items listed in the Shop and Train section of the Setup. See Buying Items and Learning Disciplines Pg. 24.
Setup Encounter
Each Scenario will have different Encounters that are played through in order to complete it. The Scenario will direct players to an Encounter Setup Diagram with directions on how to begin. See Playing Encounters Pg. 14.
Start Playing
Begin playing the first Encounter in the Scenario. As you progress through each Encounter you will Gain Gold, Items, and XP through Defeating opponents, looting treasure, completing Achievements, and through other Special Encounter Rules.
Encounter Rewards
Once you complete an Encounter you will be given a variety of additional rewards. These rewards will change based on where the Encounter takes place within the Scenario, but will generally consist of any number of the following rewards:
- RESTORE ADVENTURERS: Each Adventurer Restores. See Restoring Adventurers Pg. 18.
- GAIN XP: Each Adventurer Gains the XP listed in the reward section.
- SHOP AND TRAIN: Adventurers may spend as much Gold on Items and XP on Disciplines as they would like. The Items that make up the Store will be listed in the Scenario Setup of the Scenario being played. See the Shop and Train section of Story Rounds Pg. 13.
- CONTINUE: Players continue to the next Encounter or Scene in the Scenario as listed.
Winning and Losing
The players win a Scenario when they reach the end Scene of the Scenario, typically by successfully completing a number of Encounters. If the players ever Lose an Encounter, they Lose the Scenario and all Gold, Items, Disciplines, and XP Gained during the Scenario are lost.
Epic Dungeon Crawl
If players would like to make the Crawl Mode provide a more in-depth experience, you can try playing the Epic Crawl Mode. In this mode, players will start a Rank 1 Scenario as a novice, and eventually end at the highest Rank Scenario you own in your Middara collection.
To play the Epic Crawl Mode, start a Rank 1 Scenario of your choice. After completing it, keep all your Gold, Items, and XP. Then, perform a Buy Round where you purchase new items at the next Loot Level (Common for Rank 2) and spend XP to purchase new Disciplines. After spending XP and Gold, choose a Scenario from the next Rank up. Meaning, players may never play a Scenario of the same or lower Rank twice.
Players will never Gain XP or Gold listed in the corresponding Crawl Scenarios after the first Rank. If you'd like to pause your Epic Crawl run, you can do so between Ranks. Use the normal rules from the Adventure Mode by storing your characters, Items, and Disciplines in a Tuck Bag. You can also use an Adventure Sheet to keep track of the current party's Gold and XP.
If players are ever Defeated, they lose the Epic Crawl. If they win a Rank 4 Scenario (or a Rank 7 if you have expansions) you've won this Epic Crawl run!
Adventure Mode
To begin playing the Adventure Mode, players choose an Adventure to play. This game contains only one Adventure, Unintentional Malum: Act 1. Adventure packs and future content will contain a wider variety of Adventures of various lengths.
How to Start
Players start on Pg. 1 of the Adventure Book. It's important that players do not read ahead unless specifically instructed to. The Adventure Book will guide players as they progress through the Adventure.
Scenes
Every new Adventure starts with a Scene. These Scenes give context to the characters and the world the players are experiencing, as well as detailing the story of the Adventurers. Scenes are sections of narrative that are read by the players between Encounters. These sections should be read aloud to the table so that all players will be able to experience what is happening in the Adventure. Alternatively, players may choose to read scenes individually. For those interested in listening as a group, you can find our Adventures in an audio format on the Forteller Games App, or as a set of MP3 files from www.Middara.com.
Adventure Mechanics
Occasionally, while reading through a Scene, players will be asked to perform various tasks. These are called Adventure Mechanics. These can be Skill Checks, Gaining new party members, adding Story Flags to the Adventure sheet, or instructing players to continue to the next Scene or Encounter. In short, Adventure Mechanics are special rules that players must perform when instructed to. Adventure Mechanics are always listed in a box so that players can easily identify them. Players must finish performing a listed Adventure Mechanic before proceeding.
Winning and Losing
The players win an Encounter when they reach a Win Condition. Players lose an Encounter if they reach a Lose Condition first. All Win and Lose Conditions will be listed in the Encounter Setup of each Encounter. If the players ever win or lose an Encounter, they read the Hidden Text under the corresponding Condition of the Encounter Setup. This Hidden Text will instruct the players how to proceed. If players reach a Lose Condition first, they still keep all the rewards they have Gained during the Encounter such as Gold and Items. See End Conditions and Rewards Pg. 14.
Continuing an Adventure
The Adventure Mode is not intended to be played in a single session. Instead, it is intended to be played in 1-4 hour sessions over a long period of time. When stopping between Encounters, players must keep track of many variables. Players will be required to use the Adventure Sheet to keep track of these variables. A Pack of Adventure Sheets are included in the game. Players can also download a printable copy of the Adventure Sheet for free at www.Middara.com.
The Adventure Sheet is intended to keep track of all information between play sessions. There is a spot for the name of the Scenario or Adventure being played, the amount of Gold and XP the party currently has, the Flags and Achievements the party has Gained, as well as slots for information on each Adventurer.
The Adventure Sheet is used to record information for players to continue the Adventure at a later date. Updating the Adventure Sheet at the end of every gaming session is recommended.
In addition to the Adventure Sheet, separate Adventurer Tuck Bags are also included in the game. Players will be able to store the Adventurer Card, Items, and Disciplines their Adventurer currently has in one easy-to-use baggy. These Tuck Bags will be used to supplement the Adventure Sheet as there is not a space to record this information. There is also a general Party Tuck Bag (referred to in the game as the "party stash") for Items that are not equipped by any Adventurer in the party.
The Party
In Adventure Mode, players have access to an entire party, not just an individual Adventurer. At the beginning of most Adventures, players will have just enough Adventurers in their party to play with the minimum amount of supported players (usually 4). However, as the Adventure progresses, new Adventurers may join the party, while others may end up leaving.
The Active Group
Whenever players are instructed to, they must choose 4 Adventurers from their party that form the Active Group.
The Active Group is the set of Adventurers the players are actively using during Encounters. The Active Group can only be changed when instructed to via Adventure Mechanics or Special Encounter Rules, most often in the Story Round. See Story Rounds Pg. 13.
While not playing an Encounter, players may only exchange Items between Adventurers during Story Rounds or when specifically instructed to do so. When exchanging Items in this way, players may also exchange Items in the Party Tuck Bag.
Otherwise, Adventurers may only trade Items by making a Re-Equip Action during an Encounter. See The Re-Equip Action Pg. 46.
Leaving the Party
An Adventurer may leave the party under a variety of circumstances, including death! When an Adventurer leaves the party under any circumstance the Adventure Book will specify what to do with the Items and Disciplines they have.
Unselectable
Occasionally, a party member will become Unselectable via Adventure Mechanics or Special Encounter Rules. This status will usually signify a party member that is no longer narratively present with the Active Group, but has not permanently left the party.
When a party member is Unselectable they cannot be chosen as part of the Active Group and may never trade Items with other party members. However, when receiving rewards, the Unselectable Adventurer still counts as a party member and will receive all rewards that each party member Gains. To remember an Adventurer is Unselectable, mark the "Unselectable" check box on the Adventure Sheet. If an Adventurer ever becomes Selectable again, be sure to erase the mark on the Adventure Sheet.
Injuries
Injuries are an Adventure Mechanic that can occur when an Encounter is lost, or when an Adventurer fails a Skill Check or makes a poor Decision. To remember an Adventurer is Injured, mark the "Injured" check box on the Adventurer Sheet.
While Injured, an Adventurer may not be chosen as part of the Active Group, but may exchange Items when all party members can exchange Items. An Adventurer remains Injured until an Adventure Mechanic dictates otherwise. Usually this will happen when the Adventurers get to rest in the narrative.
Scene Breakdown
- A — SCENE NAME: Unique name of the Scene in the Adventure Book.
- B — SCENE NARRATIVE: This section is meant to be read out loud. All Scenes have a narrative section.
- C — ADVENTURE MECHANICS: When an Adventure Mechanic appears, stop and follow its instructions. Adventure Mechanics come in different varieties. See Adventure Mechanics Pg. 10.
Flags
As the Adventure progresses, Adventure Mechanics will occasionally ask players to mark Flags on their Adventure Sheet. The Adventure Sheet contains a section dedicated to marking these Flags.
Flags are meaningful events that happen during an Adventure that can change the course of the game. They vary in how they are added to the Adventure Sheet, but typically they will occur based on how the players performed during an Encounter or after a Decision has been made by the players.
When an Adventure Mechanic instructs the players to add a Flag to their Adventure Sheet, the players mark it down under the Flags section of the Adventure Sheet.
Story Rounds
A Story Round is a special Adventure Mechanic that typically occurs when Adventurers narratively have a bit of free time on their hands. During a Story Round players will be able to buy new Items, Item Upgrades, learn new Disciplines for their Adventurers and embark on Side Quests.
Once players have decided to, they may continue to the next part of their Adventure. Each time players reach or return to a Story Round, they will proceed through 3 Phases in the following order:
- SHOP AND TRAIN: During this Phase, players will create a Store and spend their acquired Gold to buy Items and Item Upgrades. In addition, Adventurers may spend XP to learn new Disciplines. Players may also sell Items (other than Story Items) for Gold. Once Adventurers have spent all the Gold and XP they wish to spend, they proceed to the next Phase. See Building a Store Pg. 13.
- EXPLORE (SIDE QUESTS): During this Phase, players may select from a list of optional Side Quests. Each Side Quest can only be attempted once. When completed, most Side Quests will return players back to the Story Round and allow them to go through all the Phases once again. Once players have attempted all the Side Quests, or if they choose not to attempt a Side Quest, they proceed to the next Phase. Note: A Bounty is a special type of Side Quest that may be attempted once in each named Story Round they appear in. See Bounties Pg. 13.
- VENTURE FORTH: During this Phase, the players continue the Adventure. Once players Venture Forth, they will no longer be able to return to the current Story Round.
Story Disciplines and Items
Some Adventure Mechanics give the players rewards such as Gold, XP, or new Items and Abilities. Story Disciplines and Story Items are cards that players can only acquire through Adventure Mechanics or Special Encounter Rules of the Adventure they are part of. All of these cards are found in Hidden Card decks at the beginning of an Adventure. These cards should not be Revealed until specifically instructed to do so.
Story Disciplines are identified by the word "Story" in the place of where their Level (LVL) and Tier would normally be. Story Items can never be sold during the Shop and Train Phase and Story Disciplines may never be purchased with XP.
Endings
Each Adventure in Middara will contain multiple Endings. An Ending is a special Scene that ends the current Adventure. Most Ending Scenes will result in a Game Over. When this occurs, players may simply try again, or, if they'd rather, they may start the Adventure over from the beginning.
Building A Store
The Store is the group of Item Cards that Adventurers are able to purchase during the Shop and Train Phase of a Story Round or when directed to Shop and Train.
For example: The Store contains the following Items for sale:
- ALL MUNDANE AND COMMON ITEMS
- ALL UPGRADES PLAYERS HAVE UNLOCKED
- 1 RANDOM COMMON UNIQUE ITEM (LIMIT 1)
Most Stores will contain 1 random Unique Item. In this case, for the random Unique Item, shuffle all Common Unique Items and draw from the bottom.
Unique Items are not redrawn and will remain in the Store throughout the entirety of any given Story Round. No other Unique Items will be available for purchase until the next named Story Round, even if the party decides to purchase this Item. This Item will also not be available during an Encounter when drawing a random Unique Item of the same Tier.
IMPORTANT: Unique Items can only be acquired when you are specifically instructed to do so. Anytime an Adventure Mechanic instructs the players to Gain, draw, or purchase an Item of a specific Tier or type you will have access to every non-unique card of these Tiers or types.
Bounties
Many Story Rounds include the opportunity to tackle a special Bounty Side Quest. A Bounty is a set of encounters that can be attempted once during the Explore Phase of a named Story Round. Only one Bounty may be attempted each named Story Round. If you own more than one Bounty, you may only choose ONE to attempt during a single named Story Round.
Story Rounds will specify the Bounties that can be attempted based on the difficulty rating listed as a skull symbol. Players may not attempt a Bounty with a higher difficulty rating (e.g. more skulls) than the Story Round allows.
Once a Bounty has been completed, Adventurers may never attempt it during that Adventure again. If a Bounty is lost, players may try to complete it again during the next named Story Round where that difficulty, (or one of a lower difficulty) is allowed. In these cases they will start the Bounty over from the beginning.
IMPORTANT: Any rewards earned during a Bounty are kept by Adventurers even if they fail a Bounty. Meaning, any rewards earned up to that point are retained.
Playing Encounters
Setting Up
Whether playing the Crawl Mode or Adventure Mode, players will be instructed to set up Encounters. When setting up an Encounter, read the Special Rules of the Encounter and then go through the 4 Phases of setup as follows:
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PREPARE PHASE: Each Adventurer removes their Used tokens from their Per Encounter Abilities and Un-Exhausts all cards. All Defeated Adventurers or Adventurers with more Damage tokens than half of their max HP remove Damage tokens until they have Damage tokens equal to half of their max HP. All Effect tokens are removed, and each Adventurer sets their Stamina Points (SP) to their Stamina Point Recovery Value (usually 3).
IMPORTANT: Adventurers do not Gain SP during the Refresh Phase of their 1st turn of an Encounter. See Phases of an Adventurer's Turn Pg. 37.
For example, if Rook decides to spend 1 SP to DODGE an Attack before his 1st Refresh Phase, he will not recover that SP on his 1st turn.
IMPORTANT: Ability tokens are not removed during this Phase.
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PLACEMENT PHASE: Set up the Tiles according to the Encounter Setup Diagram. Then, place all Encounter tokens, Terrain tokens, and figures as shown in the Encounter Setup Diagram. Adventurers may choose to place their figures in any of the spaces marked as the Starting Zone on the Encounter Setup Diagram.
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DISTRIBUTION PHASE: Distribute the Combatant Cards for the Combatants listed in the Encounter Setup. This may be done in any order; however, evenly distributing the Combatant Cards so that each player has a responsibility when it's not their turn is recommended.
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INITIATIVE PHASE: Players take the corresponding Initiative Card(s) for each Adventurer and Combatant in the Encounter and shuffle them. The players then deal the Initiative Cards out to make the Initiative Track. See The Initiative Track Pg. 36.
Now you're ready to play!
Read the Encounter Intro aloud.
After reading, starting with the first Initiative Card, figures take their turns. At the end of each round shuffle the Initiative Track before going onto the next round. Continue through rounds until an End Condition is reached.
Reading Encounters
In Middara, Encounters can be wildly different. Each Encounter contains a unique Setup and Diagram, as well as a short Encounter Intro. Below is a detailed guide on how to use and navigate an Encounter.
Encounter Setup
Each Encounter uses its own unique combination of Terrain tokens, Encounter tokens, and figures. The Setup box itemizes every component required to set up the Encounter. See section F in the Encounter Example Diagram on Pg. 15.
End Conditions and Rewards
Every Encounter has one or more End Conditions. As soon as one of these End Conditions is reached, the Encounter immediately ends and the players read the listed Reward beneath the End Condition that was met.
End Conditions are not optional and happen as soon as their stipulations have been met. This means that in section B, under Encounter Breakdown Continued on Pg. 16, an Adventurer may not end their turn on the Blue Exit without immediately ending the Encounter.
Some Encounters have multiple Win and Lose Conditions. These Alternate End Conditions have their own separate Rewards listed.
Only one End Condition may be met in an Encounter.
Rewards from End Conditions are Gained immediately upon meeting the End Conditions. After Gaining their rewards, players continue the Adventure.
IMPORTANT: Make sure you read the Rewards before cleaning up the Encounter. Some Rewards might reveal new surprises that continue the current Encounter and even add new End Conditions.
Special Encounter Rules
Many Encounters have Special Encounter Rules. Special Encounter Rules must be read before setting up the Encounter. These rules change how an Encounter plays.
Location Types
Each Encounter has a Location type Symbol associated with it listed in the top right corner of an Encounter page. Currently these symbols have no mechanical use. The location types are Underground, Wilderness, and Dungeon.
Encounter Breakdown
- A — ENCOUNTER NAME AND TYPE: The name of the Encounter and its location type symbol.
- B — ENCOUNTER INTRO: A short narrative about the Encounter.
- C — NORTH ARROW: The North Arrow shows the board's orientation.
- D — THE STARTING ZONE: These are the spaces that Adventurers may place their figures in during the Placement Phase of Setup.
- E — ENCOUNTER SETUP DIAGRAM: Visual layout of the Tiles, tokens, Starting Zone and Combatants in the Encounter.
- F — SETUP: List of components required to set up this Encounter. The Setup box itemizes Tiles, Terrain, Totems, Objectives, Loot, Exits, and Figures.
- G — CONTINUE SYMBOL: Some Scenes and Encounters will use this to let players know that the Scene or Encounter spans more than 1 page.
Encounter Breakdown Continued
- A — ENCOUNTER NAME: This is the name of the Encounter.
- B — END CONDITIONS: When any of these End Conditions are met, the Encounter immediately ends. The players read the hidden text to determine their Reward before continuing to the listed page.
- C — SPECIAL ENCOUNTER RULES: These are rules specific to this Encounter.
- D — TOTEMS: When Adventurers draw Line of Sight to a Totem, immediately read the hidden text that corresponds to the color of the Totem.
- E — LOOT AND LOOT LVL: When Adventurers activate a Loot token, read the hidden text that corresponds to the color of the Loot token. For information on Loot LVL, see Pg. 17.
- F — TIPS: Useful tips are listed throughout the Adventure Book. Make sure to read them!
- G — OBJECTIVES: When Adventurers activate an Objective token, read the hidden text that corresponds to the color of the Objective token. Objective tokens are only activated when the Encounter instructs you to.
TIP: Multiple Exits. Some Encounters have more than 1 Exit token. Different Exit tokens lead to different Encounters. Use the narrative to get an idea of what Exit tokens might lead where. Be careful though, as some directions may make things more difficult!
Totems
Totems represent the unknown. Each Totem in an Encounter will immediately activate when Line of Sight is drawn to it by any Adventurer or any of their allies, including Command Combatants or Loyal Espers. Line of Sight has no Range limit and can be drawn across the entire board. When a Totem activates, players read the corresponding text listed for that Totem. The hidden text they read depends on the color of the Totem they activated. After resolving this hidden text, the Totem is discarded. The player then continues their turn unless the hidden text instructs otherwise.
During Setup, specific Totems are placed face up. Sometimes, the Encounter setup will instruct players to use random Totems. In these cases, the tokens are placed face down and chosen at random so that the players won't know which color they are until they are activated. Random Totems are labeled as white.
Totems come in Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, and White.
Objectives
Objective tokens represent a variety of different things found in Encounters. These tokens can be very different from each other, both mechanically and thematically.
Sometimes these tokens represent when and where events trigger. Other times, they may be important objects that the players will need in order to Win the Encounter. In either case, Objective tokens specifically say when and how they activate in the instructions of the Encounter Diagram. Players must activate Objective tokens when their conditions occur.
The ways these tokens activate vary. Sometimes it might be when an Adventurer is adjacent to the token, other times it might be when an Adventurer enters a certain Tile or Defeats a certain Combatant.
Whenever a player activates an Objective token, they read the corresponding text listed under OBJECTIVES. The hidden text they read depends on the color of the Objective token they activated. After resolving this hidden text, the player continues their turn unless the hidden text instructs otherwise.
IMPORTANT: Before taking the 1st turn of an Encounter, all the players should understand when and how each Objective token in the Encounter activates. If an Objective does not state when it activates, then it may be referenced in the Hidden Text of another token.
Loot
When a player activates a Loot token, they read the corresponding text listed for that Loot token under LOOT in the Encounter Diagram. The hidden text they read depends on the color of the Loot token they activated. After resolving this hidden text, the Loot token is discarded and the player continues their turn unless the hidden text instructs otherwise.
During Setup, specific Loot tokens are placed face up. Sometimes, the Encounter will instruct players to use random Loot tokens. In these cases, the tokens are placed face down and chosen at random so that the players won't know the color of the Loot token until it is activated.
IMPORTANT: Adventurers can activate Loot tokens by making an Encounter Action while adjacent to, or occupying the same space as, the Loot token.
See Encounter Actions on Pg. 46.
Loot Level
The Loot Level, (sometimes abbreviated as Loot LVL) has a number of functions within Encounters.
Most importantly, it determines how the Combatant Loot Deck will be set up during an Encounter. As players progress through the game, the Combatant Loot Deck will be modified based on the Loot LVL indicated in the Encounter Setup. This modification allows the party to Gain Gold from Combatants proportionally to their progress in Middara. To see how the Combatant Loot Deck should be set up based on Loot LVL, see Pg. 20.
When Gaining an Item as a reward during an Encounter, the Loot LVL determines the Tier of the Item Gained. See Gaining Items During An Encounter Pg. 70.
When Gaining "random Consumables" as a reward during an Encounter, the Loot LVL refers to the Tier of the Consumable Gained and all Tiers below the current Loot LVL. So for example, if an Adventurer gains 2 random consumables and the current Loot LVL is Uncommon, they'd shuffle the Uncommon, Common, and Mundane Consumables before drawing 2.
The Loot LVL also reflects the Tier of Item Gained from the Unique Loot card and Item Loot Card found in the Combatant Loot Deck. See Combatant Loot Cards Pg. 57.
Lastly, the Loot LVL also determines what Combatant Cards you should be using. Many Combatants have 'better versions' that get harder as the game progresses. A Combatant Card will always use the Loot LVL that corresponds with the current Encounter's listed Loot LVL. See Spawning Pg. 19.
IMPORTANT: Unique Items are only ever Gained when an Adventure Mechanic specifically instructs a player to Gain a "Unique" Item of a specific Tier.
Achievements
Some Encounters have Achievements. These are special rewards players can Gain by doing something extraordinary. If an Achievement's Condition is fulfilled, read the hidden text next to the Achievement. An Achievement may only be completed once. Unless otherwise specified, only the Adventurer who completed the Achievement Gains the reward. Many Achievements are difficult to accomplish and may require players to have certain combinations of Abilities or Items to complete.
Included in the back of the Rulebook is the Adventure Sheet with an Achievement checklist for players to strive to complete!
Restoring Adventurers
As an End Condition reward, or more rarely as an Adventure Mechanic, players may be instructed to Restore Adventurers.
Restoring Adventurers narratively represents down time where the Adventurers can rest.
To Restore Adventurers, each Adventurer goes through the following Phases.
- Remove all Damage tokens.
- Un-Exhaust and Un-Flip all cards in play and in the Party Stash.
- Remove all Effect and Ability tokens.
- All Adventurers may trade Items as if they were adjacent and used a Re-Equip Action. See Actions Pg. 38.
After each Adventurer has Restored, players must shuffle all Combatant Loot Cards that have been drawn back into the Combatant Loot Deck. See Combatant Loot Cards Pg. 57.
IMPORTANT: Usually, Restoring is the only way during an Adventure that players will Un-Flip cards, and HEAL naturally. If players are not told to Restore Adventurers, they do not remove all Damage tokens or Un-Flip cards. For this reason, we encourage players to be extra vigilant when looking for opportunities to Restore.
Urgency Tokens
Urgency tokens represent the Adventurers' race against time. They are used to keep the game moving and to prevent players from abusing certain Abilities.
At the end of a round in which no opponent had an AI Step with a true condition, no opponents were Defeated, and no opponents were Spawned, an Urgency token is added to the back of the Initiative Track. Passive Abilities used by opponents do not count as a true condition when determining Urgency. This means that even if there are opponents on the board, as long as they do nothing, an Urgency token will still be added.
Combatants that are inflicted by an Adventurer's Effect that would prevent them from having a turn, or taking Actions (such as Paralyze) are counted as Combatants that have taken a turn when determining Urgency.
If the party ever Gains a 4th Urgency token, all Adventurers are Defeated. Urgency tokens are removed at the end of each Encounter. To learn more about AI Steps see AI Steps Pg. 60.
Hidden Text
Text is often hidden during Encounters to keep information from players that needs to be revealed at a specific time. This is done using Red Reveal, which is a process where green text is hidden behind a red screen. To enable players to read the hidden text, included in the components is a Red Reveal Decoder. When instructed to, simply hold the decoder over the hidden text and read.
IMPORTANT: Players should never read hidden text unless they are instructed to.
Hidden Card Decks
Sometimes a Special Encounter Rule or Adventure Mechanic will instruct players to Reveal Hidden Cards. These Hidden Cards come in three sizes, Small, Medium and Large, and may contain a number of things, but the point is, they are secret!
When instructed to do so, players will locate the listed Hidden Card by searching through the top left corner of the corresponding Hidden Card deck to locate the appropriate card.
For example, an Adventure Mechanic may say "Reveal Medium Hidden Card UM3". In this case, the players would search the top left corner of the Medium Hidden Card deck and locate the card labeled UM3. The Special Encounter Rule or Adventure Mechanic will then instruct players what to do with that card.
Hidden Cards found within Adventure Packs and Bounty Packs are meant to be hidden until revealed during a Story or Bounty. This means that if you start a new Adventure, even if you revealed Cards in a previous Adventure, you would re-hide all the cards marked 'UMX'. The same goes for any cards revealed in previously played Adventures.
Items marked as "Story Items" are never used in an Adventure until they are revealed using the rules in that particular Adventure.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT reveal any of the Hidden Cards until instructed to do so.
Diagrams
Sometimes Encounters will instruct players to reference a Diagram to reveal special hidden information or determine how things Spawn. When this occurs, players will consult the Diagram Book, regardless of what Game Mode is being played.
Diagrams referenced by Encounters in a Base Game (such as Unintentional Malum: Act 1), Adventure Packs, or Bounty Packs will reference Diagrams from their corresponding Diagram Books.
An Adventure from either a Base Game or Adventure Pack will either have a dedicated Diagram Book named after them, or will have their Diagrams printed in the back pages.
Bounty Packs will always have their Diagrams printed in the back pages of their Bounty Book.
Removing Components During The Game
Sometimes Encounters will instruct players to remove something from the game. When this happens, put the removed token, figure, or card in the game box. It will no longer be used in this Encounter. This only applies to the current Encounter being played.
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Encounter Tokens: Anytime an Encounter token is removed from the Game Board for any reason, put the removed token in the game box. It will no longer be used in the current Encounter.
For example, if a Loot token is activated and an Adventurer is instructed to remove it from the game, that Loot token will not be available to Spawn if the Encounter reveals another random Loot token at a later point. In this case, the random Loot token needed would be drawn from the remaining Loot tokens instead.
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Item Cards: All Item Cards not currently in an Adventurer's possession or in the Party Stash are always available to be drawn when you are instructed to draw a card from their corresponding stack.
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Permanent Removal: If a component is permanently removed from the game, it will no longer be used and should be left in the game box for the remainder of the Adventure.
Exit Tokens
These tokens (Exit Blue, Exit Red, Exit Green, Exit Yellow) represent a way out of the Encounter. While not all Encounters use them, many do. When an Adventurer ends their turn on an Exit token, most Encounters will end. This will be listed as an End Condition.
Spawning
Encounters often instruct players to Spawn figures or other game components. When players are instructed to Spawn one or more components, they place up to (as many as they can) that many components on the spaces indicated by the text. Figures and Components spawned by instructions must be placed in the order in which they are listed by the instruction in question.
Example: If you are instructed to "Spawn a Cave Sickle and a Water Loa," you would Spawn the Cave Sickle first.
When a Combatant Spawns, players place the Combatant's figure on the table as indicated by the text or Diagram.
If a player Spawns a Combatant via a Totem or otherwise, and if the Combatant's Initiative Card is not in the Initiative Track already, place the Combatant's Initiative Card directly after the Initiative Card of the figure who's currently taking their turn. If the current turn is ambiguous, place the Initiative Card at the back of the Initiative Track instead. The figure will take its turn the next time its Initiative Card would normally dictate that its turn begins.
Some Combatants have multiple Initiative Cards. A Combatant with multiple Initiative Cards of the same Group Number and/or name will add all Initiative Cards of that Name and/or number to the Track in the same way as above. A Combatant's corresponding Initiative Cards will always match its name and Group Number(s). See Activation Numbers And Groups Pg. 56.
Unless explicitly stated otherwise, Combatants Spawned are always treated as opponents.
IMPORTANT: If a player cannot Spawn a figure because the space is occupied by another figure, it will Spawn on the nearest unoccupied non-Dangerous space(s) instead. See Large Based Figures for exceptions, Pg. 71.
IMPORTANT: When Spawning figures that are part of the same Group, players always start with the lowest number figure in that Group that is available. For example, if Cave Sickle 2 & 3 are already on the table and you are instructed to Spawn two additional Cave Sickles, you'd Spawn Cave Sickle 1 and 4.
IMPORTANT: Combatants have a Loot LVL printed on the front and back of them. When instructed to Spawn Combatants during an Encounter, players always Spawn Combatants with the Loot Level listed on their cards that corresponds with the Loot Level of the current Encounter. See Alternate, Variations, and Loot LVL Pg. 79.
Spawning Story Combatants
Middara contains many Combatants that represent characters in our narrative. These are usually Hidden Cards and depict boss monsters, Espers, or characters that are friendly or opposing the players. In any case, these Combatant Cards always have unique names and at least one matching Initiative Card. These Combatant Cards are represented by unique miniatures or unique standees. Meaning, unless they require it, players will never need to keep track of their components using Colored Base Snaps or Activation Numbers.
These Story Combatants do not function any differently than any other Combatant being Spawned. When instructed to Spawn one of these Combatants, use all the rules listed above.
Combatant Loot Deck Setup
The Combatant Loot Deck is built according to the Encounter's Loot LVL. Each row below lists the Gold-value Loot Cards used and how many copies of each, plus 1 Item Loot card, 1 Monster Loot card and 1 Unique Loot card.
| Loot LVL | Gold cards (quantity) | Item | Monster | Unique |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUNDANE | 4 (x3), 5 (x4), 6 (x5), 7 (x5), 8 (x5), 9 (x5) | x1 | x1 | x1 |
| COMMON | 5 (x3), 6 (x4), 7 (x5), 8 (x5), 9 (x5), 10 (x5) | x1 | x1 | x1 |
| UNCOMMON | 6 (x3), 7 (x4), 8 (x5), 9 (x5), 10 (x5), 12 (x5) | x1 | x1 | x1 |
| RARE | 7 (x3), 8 (x4), 9 (x5), 10 (x5), 12 (x5), 14 (x5) | x1 | x1 | x1 |
Item Loot — Roll 2 WHITE dice:
- 4-5: Accessory
- 6-7: Armor
- 8-10: Relic
- 11-12: Core
- 13-14: Weapon
Tiles and Terrain
Movement and Tokens
All tokens other than Obstructing Terrain tokens can be moved onto. Circular tokens, such as Exit tokens, Totems, Loot tokens, and Objective Tokens do not block Line of Sight and can all occupy the same space as figures, other circular tokens, or Terrain tokens unless otherwise specified in an Encounter.
Terrain Tokens
Terrain tokens are used to place different Terrain types on Tiles. These tokens can be moved on to and interacted with by Adventurers and Combatants as if they were printed on the Tile.
Terrain Types
Terrain is an effect on a Tile. Terrain may change things like movement and Line of Sight. However, its effects vary widely. The Terrain types are Normal, Hindering, Water, Muck, Obstructing, Dangerous, and Special.
NORMAL: No special effects. Normal Terrain can be placed on and be replaced by all types of Terrain.
HINDERING: Attacks made through or into Hindering Terrain get -1 TO THE ATK ROLL. This effect cannot be applied more than once but does stack with the -1 TO THE ATK ROLL from spaces containing Allies. It costs 2 MOVEMENT to leave a Hindering space. Abilities that place Hindering Terrain can only replace Normal Terrain spaces.
WATER: Figures in Water may not DODGE. It costs 2 MOVEMENT to leave a Water space. Abilities that place Water Terrain can replace Normal, Hindering and Muck Terrain. Water tokens placed due to an Ability do not have a Current.
MUCK: Figures in Muck must spend an additional Stamina Point (SP) on all Actions and Abilities that cost 1 or more SP to use. Abilities that place Muck Terrain can only replace Normal and Hindering Terrain.
OBSTRUCTING: Figures may not move through or into spaces that are made up of Obstructing Terrain. A figure may not draw Line of Sight through any part of Obstructing Terrain (e.g. a red line). Obstructing Terrain spaces can only be interacted with or circumvented by Abilities that specifically say so (e.g. UNSTOPPABLE. See Tags Pg. 92). Abilities that place Obstructing Terrain can replace all Terrain except for Dangerous Terrain. If a special rule or Ability places Obstructing Terrain on a figure, unless otherwise noted by the special rules or Ability that placed the Terrain, that figure must make a Jump check to the nearest non-Dangerous empty space or be Defeated.
DANGEROUS: Figures that end a turn in, end their movement in, or leave a Dangerous space are Defeated. Tokens moved into a Dangerous Terrain space are discarded. Abilities that place Dangerous Terrain can replace all Terrain except for Obstructing Terrain.
SPECIAL: The effects of this Terrain change depending on the Encounter. The rules governing these spaces are specified in the Special Encounter Rules of each Encounter.
Elevation
Elevation is a change in height on the game board. When there is an Elevation change, it is denoted with a dashed purple line and Elevation box. The following rules apply:
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A figure who is at a higher Elevation than a target they are Attacking Gains +1 to all Attack rolls made against that target.
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Line of Sight can only be drawn between two figures on different Elevations so long as Line of Sight is drawn through spaces with lower Elevation than the highest of the two Elevations occupied. Meaning, the figure occupying the space on the higher Elevation must be on the edge of that Elevation. When drawing Line of Sight between two figures that occupy different Elevations, ignore all other figures who occupy Elevations that are lower than the highest Elevation occupied by either figure.
Example 1: Nightingale wants to Attack the Cave Sickle that is at Elevation 1. Since she's on the edge of the higher Elevation (3), she has Line of Sight and can make the Attack. The Animate is also on Elevation 1, but Nightingale's Line of Sight is blocked since another space of the same Elevation is in the way.
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Figures may draw Line of Sight to a target that occupies the same Elevation. When doing so, they may draw this Line of Sight through lower Elevation but not higher Elevation.
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There are 4 levels of Elevation. 4 is the highest and 1 is the lowest. Figures may move between an Elevation change of 1 without penalty. For an Elevation change of 2, figures may move to the lower Elevation normally, but may not move back up to the higher Elevation. An Elevation change of 3 prevents a figure from moving to the higher Elevation, and a figure moving to the lower Elevation is Defeated.
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Figures on spaces next to each other that have an Elevation change of 1 or less are considered 'Adjacent', meaning, they can be Attacked by Melee Attacks.
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Figures with REACH may target figures on different Elevations. When drawing Line of Sight to a target that occupies a different Elevation, for each elevation change beyond 1, reduce the distance you can attack with REACH by 1. Meaning, figures with REACH may target other figures at an Elevation change of up to X or less, where X is equal to their Reach.
Example: A figure with REACH 2 could target another figure at two spaces away so long as the Elevation difference between them was only 1.
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Ranged Attacks may be made at any Elevation change as long as the requirements of Line of Sight are met.
Currents
Sometimes, certain Terrain will have a Current. The direction of the Current will be shown in the Encounter Setup Diagram.
Any figure that ends their turn in Terrain with a Current will move the amount of spaces specified in the Special Encounter Rules in the direction of the Current. Figures will not move around other figures or Obstructing Terrain.
If the figure cannot move for any reason, then the figure is dealt IRREDUCIBLE DMG equal to the spaces it was not able to move. If a Current Pushes figures to the Encounter's edge, the figure cannot move and instead is dealt IRREDUCIBLE DMG.
Figures that Passively are not affected by a specific type of Terrain also ignore Currents within that type of Terrain.
Some Tokens are affected by Currents while others are not. See Table 10: Current Effects Pg. 100 for a quick way of determining if the token in question is moved by Currents. Since tokens don't have turns, they are always moved at the end of every round.
Example 2: Zeke ended his turn adjacent to the Animate in the river. After ending his turn, Zeke is moved down the river an amount of spaces equal to what is listed in the Encounter Special Rules. In this Example, it's only 1 space. If it was any more, the Current would send him over the edge of the waterfall, Defeating him. Since this movement moves him out of a space adjacent to an Animate, the Animate gets to make a Break Attack against Zeke.
If Remi ended her turn here, the Current could not move her since she is blocked by the Animate. Instead, she would bounce off the Animate and be dealt 1 IRREDUCIBLE DMG for the space she was unable to move. Additionally, since Remi did not move, she would not provoke a Break Attack from the Animate.
Tile Breakdown
- A — TILE: A Tile is a single large board piece that is combined with other Tiles to create the game board for an Encounter.
- B — SPACES: Each square on the Tile makes up a space. Spaces are used for movement, Range and determining area effects.
- C — EDGE: Unless connected to another Tile, the edge of each Tile blocks Line of Sight and is impassable.
- D — TERRAIN: Some spaces have special area effects called Terrain (see Terrain types Pg. 21). Spaces that contain Terrain have a colored hatched border surrounding the square as well as a small symbol on the space representing the type of Terrain.
- E — TILE NUMBER: Each Tile is identified by two letters followed by a number to indicate which game or expansion it is from, as well as to assist in setting up Encounters. For example, Tile UM1, for Unintentional Malum, Tile 1.
Adventurers and Items
Setting Up
When starting a new Adventure or playing a new Crawl Mode Scenario, players will be instructed to select and setup Adventurers.
In Adventure Mode, the Adventure Book will dictate which Adventurers players have in their party and when more Adventurers will join the party. In Crawl Mode, players get to pick from any available Adventurer.
Regardless of the Game Mode, the respective Adventure Book or Crawl Book will detail how to set up Adventurers for the first time.
Playing Adventurers
When playing Middara, players get to control Adventurers. Depending on the Game Mode being played, the Adventurers available to choose from will change.
Regardless of the Game Mode, while playing through Middara, Adventurers will grow in both the amount of Disciplines, and in the quality of Items they have equipped.
Selecting Adventurers
When playing the Adventure Mode, the story will dictate the available Adventurers and when to build them.
The Crawl Mode allows players to play with any figure with an Adventurer Card. This includes Adventurers from any Middara product.
Equipping and Storing Items
Adventurers have limitations on how many Items they may carry and equip. When equipping Items an Adventurer may not exceed the limits below.
ITEM LIMITS:
- 2 HANDS OF WEAPONS + 1 Weapon Upgrade per Hand
- 1 ARMOR + 1 Armor Upgrade
- 1 CORE + 1 Core Upgrade
- 1 ACCESSORY
- 3 RELICS
- 3 CONSUMABLES
- 1 FAMILIAR
- 1 COMPANION
In addition, each Adventurer has a Pack where they may keep 3 extra Items. These Items are considered Stored and are not usable until they are equipped. Items in an Adventurer's Pack do not affect other Item limitations.
IMPORTANT: Any Flipped, or Exhausted Items moved to your Pack remain Flipped, or Exhausted. These Items Un-Flip, and Un-Exhaust like any other card. Any Used tokens stay on the card and are only removed when the Adventurers are instructed to Restore.
IMPORTANT: An Adventurer is limited to 1 copy of any given Relic either equipped or in their Pack at any given time. Meaning, they may not have more than 1 Relic of the same name equipped or in their Pack at the same time. However, Adventurers may store as many Relics as they'd like in their Party Stash.
The Party Stash
The Party Stash represents all the Items that the party owns but doesn't currently want to equip. The Party Stash never runs out of room and players may keep as many Items in the Party Stash as they would like. Players may put items into the Party Stash at any time, however, they may only take Items out of the Party Stash during Story Rounds.
IMPORTANT: During a Story Round, all Consumable Items that are not sold or equipped are discarded. See Selling Items Pg. 27.
Gaining XP and Gold
In Middara, Adventurers will Gain Gold and XP in a variety of ways such as by Defeating opponents, collecting Loot, and completing Encounters. Gold and XP earned while playing will carry over from session to session. Players will track this on the Adventure Sheet included with the game.
When XP is Gained, each Adventurer in the party Gains the listed XP. XP is tracked individually and is not shared as a group. However, Gold is shared as a party. Make sure you get along with your fellow players when purchasing Items!
For example, a reward for completing an Encounter may say the following: "Each party member Gains 1 XP."
When an Adventurer finds Gold, the instructions will read something like this: "The party Gains 20 Gold."
A reward for activating a Loot token may say: "Gain 10 Gold and 2 Mundane Consumables."
In this case, the party would Gain 10 Gold and the specific Adventurer that activated the Loot token would Gain the 2 Consumables.
Buying Items and Learning Disciplines
During the game, Adventurers will be able to spend the Gold and XP they earned to buy Items and learn Disciplines. Adventurers may only buy Items and learn Disciplines when specifically instructed to. The most common way Adventurers are able to do so is when they are given the option to Shop and Train.
In Adventure Mode, this will typically occur during the Shop and Train Phase of a Story Round. See Story Rounds Pg. 13.
In Crawl Mode, Shop and Train is often listed as a reward when completing an Encounter or Scenario. See Encounter Rewards Pg. 9.
Regardless of which Game Mode you are playing, when learning Disciplines, you may spend XP to learn from any of the available Discipline Trees. In order to learn a Discipline of a higher Level (LVL) in a Tree, you must already have learned a Discipline of the previous LVL in the same Tree.
Example: To learn a LVL 2 Martial Discipline, you must have already learned a LVL 1 Martial Discipline. You may always learn LVL 1 Disciplines from any Tree and there is no limit to the amount of Disciplines you may learn.
IMPORTANT: An Adventurer may not learn the same Discipline twice.
Adventurer Card Breakdown
- A — STAMINA RECOVERY BAR: The red dots indicate how many Stamina Points (SP) an Adventurer Gains each turn, and the total amount of dots denote the maximum number of SP that an Adventurer may have at any time.
- B — CHARACTER ABILITY: The Special Ability this Adventurer has access to.
- C — BASE DICE: The Adventurer's base dice are used for Conviction Checks and casting a SPELL. Over the course of the game, Adventurers will Gain Items and Abilities that will upgrade these base dice.
- D-H — SKILLS: These 5 Skills are used to make Skill Checks when instructed by Adventure Mechanics or Special Encounter Rules, such as dodging traps or convincing a guard to let you pass by. D: Presence; E: Lore; F: Agility; G: Perception; H: Strength.
- I — HEALTH (HP): This is the Adventurer's base Maximum HP. Damage tokens are added to the Adventurer's card and if an Adventurer's Damage equals their Maximum HP, they are Defeated.
- J — DEFENSE: This is the Adventurer's base Defense Value and determines how difficult the Adventurer is to hit.
- K — MOVEMENT: This is the Adventurer's base Movement Value and determines how many spaces the Adventurer may move when making a Move Action.
Item Card Types
The six Item card types are Weapon, Armor, Core, Accessory, Relic, and Consumable.
Item Card Breakdown
- A — ITEM NAME: Name of Item.
- B — COST: The Gold cost to purchase the Item.
- C — ITEM ICONS: Most Items contain Icons. The Icons displayed vary depending on the Item type and its unique properties. See Icons, Conditions, Tags and Symbols Pg. 30.
- D — ITEM TAGS: The Tags listed here are used to describe the Weapon type. The Tags are Passive and are always in effect while using these Items.
- E — ITEM TEXT: This section of the card contains Abilities that may be used while the Item is equipped.
- F — SYMBOL ABILITIES: Some Abilities printed on Items require Symbols to use. Unless otherwise specified, Symbols that add TO THE ATK ROLL may only be spent during the Spend Symbols and use Abilities to add to the Attack Roll step of an Attack. Likewise, Symbols that add to Damage can only be spent during the Spend Symbols and use Abilities that add Damage step of an Attack. See section 6 of The Attack Action Pg. 41.
- G — ITEM TIER AND TYPE: An Item's Tier and type are listed here.
Item Tiers and Types
Tiers
There are 4 different Tiers of Items in Act 1 of Middara.
MUNDANE: These Items are available all over the world of Middara.
COMMON: These Items are magical in nature. They are common enough that plenty of people can get their hands on them.
UNCOMMON: These Items are much rarer, and only Adventurers who frequent dungeons and lost tombs are likely to find them.
RARE: These Items are special, with a history of their own. It's typical that in time, successful Adventurers will get their hands on Rare Items.
UNIQUE: All of the above Tiers have a Unique version of the cards available. Unique Items represent an Item with a unique history behind its existence. See Unique Loot Pg. 57.
Types
Weapons: These cards augment an Adventurer's Combat Dice Pool and are used to make Attacks.
Armor: These cards grant Armor to Adventurers and can keep them alive during Encounters.
Cores: These magical devices augment an Adventurer's Ability to avoid damage. Cores typically increase an Adventurer's Defense Value.
Consumables: These Items can be used once before they are discarded.
Relics: Relics provide many various benefits while equipped.
Accessories: These cards further augment an Adventurer's Ability to avoid damage but also have unique properties beyond just that.
Double Tag Items
Many Items in Middara have two different sides. Some of these Items have the DOUBLE Tag and have different functions and Abilities depending on which side of the Item is face up when equipped.
When using an Item with the DOUBLE Tag, Adventurers may choose which side they would like to equip following the rules and limitations of any other Weapon. When performing a Re-Equip Action, players may Re-Equip Items with the DOUBLE Tag as if it were two different cards. This means that they can switch their double-sided Item to the opposite side. Some double-sided Items have different Item types depending on the side that is equipped. Some of these Items may be Weapons on both sides where others may have a Weapon on one side and a Relic on the other.
IMPORTANT: Many Items in Middara are double-sided but do not contain the DOUBLE Tag! Only Items with the DOUBLE Tag may be treated as if they are two different Items. Players should be careful not to confuse DOUBLE Tag Items with Items that have the FLIP Tag.
Examples: The Long Sword has the DOUBLE Tag, and can be equipped using either its front or back side. The back side is 2-Handed while the front side is 1-Handed. This provides the player using a Long Sword with a lot of different options depending on their play style. The Wand of Missiles also has the DOUBLE Tag, however, unlike the Long Sword it can be equipped as either a Weapon or as a Relic. The Deflection Core does not have the DOUBLE Tag. This means that it can only be equipped using its front side, (unless it was Flipped earlier.) The front side represents the Core's Ability to pass a Conviction Check as being unused. Once an Adventurer decides to use the Ability, the Item will Flip.
Selling Items
As the game progresses, Adventurers may find some of the Items they own are no longer useful. Adventurers may sell their old Items whenever they are able to Shop and Train. See Story Rounds Pg. 13.
Use the chart below to determine how much Gold is Gained from each Item sold.
| Tier | Gold | Unique version | Gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| MUNDANE | 5 Gold | UNIQUE MUNDANE | 10 Gold |
| COMMON | 10 Gold | UNIQUE COMMON | 20 Gold |
| UNCOMMON | 15 Gold | UNIQUE UNCOMMON | 30 Gold |
| RARE | 20 Gold | UNIQUE RARE | 40 Gold |
- Item Upgrades grant 5 extra Gold per Item Upgrade equipped. Item Upgrades cannot be sold without also selling the Item they are equipped to.
- Consumable Items may be sold for 1 Gold regardless of their Loot Level. Any Consumables not equipped on an Adventurer or not sold during a Story Round are discarded at the end of the Shop and Train.
- For Monster Loot sale price, see Unlocking Item Upgrades Pg. 28.
- Accessories may be sold as if they were an Item from your current Loot LVL or for the gold cost printed on their card, whichever is lower.
- After being sold, Unique Items are removed from the Adventure.
- Story Items may never be sold.
Item Upgrades
What are Item Upgrades?
During the Shop and Train Phases of an Adventure, unlocked Item Upgrades may be purchased. Item Upgrades are attached to a corresponding Item Card and provide new Abilities to that Item.
At the beginning of an Adventure players will have no Item Upgrades available to purchase. By Defeating opponents and drawing the Monster Loot Card, players will be able to unlock Item Upgrades.
Unlocking Item Upgrades
All Monster Loot Cards have the MATERIAL Tag. Any card with this Tag may be traded in during the Shop and Train to perform 1 of 3 benefits:
- Gain 25 Gold.
- Gain and equip any single Item Upgrade of your choice to an Item for free. (Even if it isn't unlocked.)
- Unlock a single Item Upgrade of your choice.
Once an Item Upgrade has been unlocked, mark it on the Adventurer Sheet. This Item Upgrade may be purchased during the current Shop and Train Phase and any future Shop and Train Phases of the Adventure.
Monster Loot Cards have Abilities that can be very useful to Adventurers. However, if they are traded in for any of the above benefits, the Party will lose the card and must return it to the Monster Loot deck.
The Cost of Item Upgrades
Once an Item Upgrade is Unlocked, the Item Upgrades with that name may be purchased by any Adventurer.
The cost of applying an Item Upgrade to an Item varies depending on the Tier of the Item being Upgraded. Unique Items do not cost more to Upgrade than their non-Unique counterparts. Story and Monster Loot Items are considered to be Items in your current Loot LVL.
The chart below lists the Gold cost to apply any Unlocked Item Upgrade to an Item by their Tier.
- MUNDANE = 15 Gold
- COMMON = 30 Gold
- UNCOMMON = 50 Gold
- RARE = 75 Gold
Equipping Item Upgrades
Item Upgrades with the WEAPON, ARMOR, or CORE Tag may only be equipped to Items of the corresponding types. Item Upgrades with the UNIVERSAL Tag may be equipped to any Weapon, Core, or Armor.
1-Handed Weapons may only equip 1 Item Upgrade, while 2-Handed Weapons may equip 2.
Though they are attached to an Item, Item Upgrades and their Abilities are used independently of the Item they are attached to. Meaning, if you Upgraded an Item with an Upgrade that had a Flip Ability, when used, that Flip Ability would only Flip the Upgrade and not the Item it was attached to.
If any Ability references an Icon on an Item with an Upgrade, any Icon bonuses on the Upgrade also apply to the Item in which you have Upgraded.
Transferring and Replacing Item Upgrades
As soon as you've unlocked a single type of Item Upgrade you may purchase any amount of that Upgrade so long as you do not exceed the total amount of Item Upgrade cards available.
If a player wishes to equip an Item Upgrade to an Item, but there are no copies of that Item Upgrade available due to them all being on other Item Cards, that player may pay the Gold cost to transfer that Item Upgrade to the second Item.
If a player wishes to replace an equipped Item Upgrade with another, they, again, must pay the Gold cost of that Item Upgrade.
IMPORTANT: For the purposes of Upgrades, Story and Monster Loot Items are considered to be Items in your current Loot LVL.
IMPORTANT: Items that have the DOUBLE Tag have two separate sides. If you Upgrade one side, the other side is also Upgraded. If the other side is not eligible for the Upgrade, the Upgrade cannot be used but is still attached.
For example: Remi wants to Upgrade her Top-Heavy Axe Common Weapon with the Master Work Item Upgrade but her War Axe Mundane Weapon is already Upgraded with the last available Master Work upgrade. (Her fellow party members have greedily used them all.) She will have to pay the 30 Gold to transfer Master Work from the War Axe to the Top-Heavy Axe.
Item Upgrade Types
The four Item Upgrade types are WEAPON, ARMOR, CORE, and UNIVERSAL. Examples:
- Master Work (Weapon Upgrade) — EXHAUST: When making an Attack, add +1 TO THE ATK ROLL.
- Refined (Armor Upgrade) — EXHAUST: When an Attack is rolled against you, Ignore a single Symbol.
- Scrying (Core Upgrade) — EXHAUST: When making a Conviction Check, add +1 to the roll.
- Etherium (Universal Upgrade) — Grants +1 Movement.
Icons, Conditions, Tags and Symbols
Icons
Icons are listed on nearly every card in Middara.
On Items, they are used to know what kind of benefits you Gain from equipping those Items.
Weapons use Icons to determine their Range and which Combat Dice they use. Armor uses Icons to determine the bonus to your Armor Value. Cores use Icons to determine the bonus to your Defense Value.
On Adventurer and Combatant Cards, Icons are used to convey the different stats figures have such as HP, Movement, and Defense.
On Discipline Cards, they are used to let players know which Weapon types must be equipped to use the Ability card.
See the list of Icons Pg. 89.
Conditions
Every Ability has a Condition. Condition Tags let players know under what circumstances the Ability can be used. Stamina Points and Symbols required to perform an Ability are also Conditions. Any Conditions or costs must be met before an Ability can be used.
See Condition Tags Pg. 90.
Tags
Tags are special rules that are summed up using a shorthand set of words. They are always listed in CAPS. (i.e. FLIGHT, RELENTLESS).
Tags do a variety of different things for Adventurers. Some Tags have no effect unless something else references them. Others have their own special rules and Abilities.
The Tags listed in the top right corner of Item Cards are considered Passive, and always in effect.
See Tags Pg. 92-94.
Symbols
The 4 Symbols (Skull, Book, Shield, Burst) are produced by rolling the custom dice in the game. Different dice will produce different Symbols that can be spent to use Abilities. Unless otherwise stated, there is no limit to how many times Abilities that use Symbols as a Condition can be used, so long as you have the Symbols to spend.
Some Abilities that use Symbols as a Condition might have multiple Symbols printed. In these cases, the Ability would cost 1 Book and 1 Shield to use once. In other cases, there may be too many to fit on the card, so instead they will be printed with numbers in them. For example, a Book with a 3 in it means that an Adventurer must spend 3 Books to use that Ability.
IMPORTANT: Normally, Symbols may only be spent during an Attack Action, although some Abilities allow players to spend Symbols during rolls other than Attack rolls.
Discipline Trees
Discipline Cards contain Abilities that can be used at different times depending on their Conditions. Disciplines are learned as Adventurers spend XP when given the opportunity to Shop and Train. See Buying Items and Learning Disciplines Pg. 24.
The XP cost of a Discipline is listed in the top left corner of the card. This cost is increased by +1 XP for every other Discipline of the same level an Adventurer already has. The "+" is listed alongside the XP cost as a reminder for players.
Disciplines are separated into 5 different Discipline Trees, and each Tree is divided into Levels (LVL). Disciplines can be mixed and matched to customize your Adventurer. Adventurers may learn LVL 1 Disciplines from any Tree but higher LVL Disciplines require at least 1 Discipline from each lower LVL of the same Tree to learn them.
Example: An Adventurer can only learn a Level 3 CRUOR Discipline if they already have a LVL 1 and a LVL 2 CRUOR Discipline.
IMPORTANT: An Adventurer may learn as many Disciplines as they can afford, however, they may not learn the same Discipline twice.
Assemblage — Assemblage is the art of whispering to the things that walk in the realms outside of our own, and dealing with the ancient creatures that were once beyond our imagination. The Abilities in Assemblage often reflect a jack-of-all-trades mentality. This is because these Abilities are as diverse as the creatures you call upon to perform them. In the early levels of Assemblage, a player can perform a wide array of Actions, from Gaining extra Actions to granting Positive Effects.
Cruor — Cruor is risky by nature. Its Abilities can be very powerful, but only if the caster is willing to give a little of themselves. It focuses on the raw power of sacrifice to get the job done. Cruor grants the Ability to curse your enemies into dust, disease them, ruin them, or liquefy them. Those who follow Cruor can expect to reap great rewards, but must be careful not to lose themselves in the process.
Martial — Martial is the embodiment of physical combat in Middara. While many Discipline Trees can make Attacks more powerful, Martial makes an Adventurer a combat powerhouse. Martial can enhance Ranged or Melee Attacks, and a player should consider both in some cases. Some Weapons like the Kusarigama can be used as both Melee and Ranged, meaning that players can use Abilities that work for either while using this Weapon.
Sanctus — Sanctus boasts a wealth of strong and diverse Abilities. It can grant magical armor, temporary wings, or allow users to avoid obstacles. Using Sanctus, players can redirect Damage, HEAL, and even fold reality to teleport themselves or others. Sanctus can complement any Melee or Ranged play style, but really shines with defenders and support characters.
Subterfuge — Subterfuge is the art of the rogue and the assassin. Most Subterfuge Abilities focus on big damage, but some also maximize defensive potential by allowing players to DODGE, take free Actions, and move without penalty. It encourages agility and positioning for a more subtle approach, but includes some straight-forward Abilities as well.
Conviction and Casting Upgrades
Many Abilities offer Conviction or Casting Upgrades. An Upgrade of this type allows an Adventurer to roll better dice when rolling Conviction Checks and Casting rolls.
By default, an Adventurer uses the dice printed on their Adventurer Card when making Conviction or Casting rolls. This will usually be 1 PURPLE die when Casting, and 2 PURPLE dice when making a Conviction Check.
Conviction and Casting Upgrades will replace the dice used to make these rolls.
An Adventurer is limited to 1 Upgrade to their Casting roll, and 2 Upgrades when rolling their Conviction Check. If an Adventurer has an Ability that provides them with more Upgrades than they can use, they must choose which Upgrade they want to use.
Example: The Magic Staff lets an Adventurer replace their default PURPLE die with a WHITE die when determining the Force of a SPELL. The Deflection Core lets an Adventurer replace 1 of their default PURPLE dice with a WHITE die when making a Conviction Check. If an Adventurer had 2 Conviction Upgrades, they could use both and replace both of their default PURPLE dice with better dice.
Discipline Card Breakdown
- A — XP COST: The XP it costs an Adventurer to learn this Discipline.
- B — STAMINA POINT (SP) COST: The red dots indicate the amount of SP a Discipline costs to use. Some Disciplines cost 0 SP but may have other Conditions.
- C — CARD NAME: Name of the Discipline.
- D — TAGS: The Discipline Tree the card is from and its Level (LVL).
- E — ABILITY TEXT: This section of the card contains the Abilities on the Discipline Card, the rules for what they do, and any Conditions that must be met to use them.
Table Setup
- A — ADVENTURER PLAY AREA: This is the area for an Adventurer's Items, Discipline Cards, and Adventurer Card.
- B — ASSIGNED COMBATANT: When setting up an Encounter, we recommend evenly distributing Combatant Cards so that each player has one to control.
- C — TOKENS: Effect, Ability, Terrain, and Encounter tokens should be on the table and within reach of the players.
- D — INITIATIVE TRACK: The Initiative Track is placed near the game board so that all players can see it.
- E — DICE: The dice should be placed near the game board so that all players can access them.
- F — URGENCY TOKENS: These tokens are added to the back of the Initiative Track at the end of any round in which no opponents had an AI Step with a true condition, and no opponents were Spawned. See Urgency Tokens Pg. 18.
- G — DAMAGE AND STAMINA POINT TOKENS: It's important that each Adventurer has enough Damage and SP tokens nearby to keep track of Damage dealt to their Adventurer and assigned Combatants, as well as SP stored and used by their Adventurer.
- H — COMBATANT LOOT DECK: The Combatant Loot deck is shuffled and placed on the table before each Encounter. When an opponent is Defeated, players will draw from this deck.
An Adventurer's Turn
The Initiative Track
Players will begin an Encounter by determining whose turn it is on the Initiative Track. Whether the figure is an Adventurer, a Command Combatant, or an Intelligent Combatant will determine what steps they must go through during their turn.
Encounters are divided into rounds that are made up of individual turns. To determine the order in which figures take turns, players use the Initiative Track. The Initiative Track is dealt out randomly at the beginning of each Encounter using the Initiative Cards of the Active Group as well as the Initiative Cards of all other figures required in the Encounter Setup.
Starting from the front of the Initiative Track and moving to the back, Adventurers and Combatants take their turns. Once a figure has taken their turn, continue to the next Initiative Card and repeat.
Once the back of the Initiative Track is reached, the current round ends and a new round begins. At the start of every new round, shuffle the Initiative Track.
Rounds continue like this until the Encounter reaches an End Condition. See End Conditions and Rewards Pg. 14.
Any Effect that would last until the end of a round, persists until the last figure on the Initiative Track has finished their turn.
IMPORTANT INITIATIVE RULES:
- If a figure is ever instructed to move forward on the Initiative Track, they are moved toward the front, likewise, if a figure is instructed to move backward on the Initiative Track, they are moved toward the back.
- Some Items and Abilities allow Adventurers and Combatants to manipulate the order of the cards on the Initiative Track. When this happens, it is important to remember that a figure's turn is never skipped. The figure closest to the front of the Initiative Track that has not yet had a turn will always take their turn next.
- As soon as a figure is Defeated they must immediately remove their corresponding Initiative Card(s) from the Initiative Track. When this happens, the other Initiative Cards collapse to fill in the empty space. See Being Defeated Pg. 69.
- Some Combatants with multiple figures may share one or more Initiative Cards. We call these Groups. A Group's corresponding Initiative Card is only ever removed from the Initiative Track when the last figure in the Group is Defeated. See Activation Numbers and Groups Pg. 56.
- When a Group starts its turn, each figure that is on the board and in that Group will take a turn, starting with the figure who has the lowest Activation Number. Once the last figure associated with the Group has taken their turn, continue to the next Initiative Card on the Track.
- Some Combatants have multiple Initiative Cards. A Combatant with multiple Initiative Cards of the same Group Number and/or name will take a turn each time its Initiative Card would normally give it a turn.
- Don't forget to shuffle the Initiative Track at the start of every new round!
Example 1: At the start of each round, players shuffle all the Initiative Cards. Generally, the black-bordered cards represent the Adventurers and their allies, while the red-bordered cards represent the Adventurers' opponents. The cards are then dealt face up near the board to create the Initiative Track.
Example 2: Starting with the Initiative Card closest to the front and moving backwards, Adventurers and Combatants take their turns. Once a figure has taken their turn, continue backwards to the next Initiative Card and repeat until you get to the back of the Initiative Track to end the round. After the round ends, shuffle all the Initiative Cards and simply repeat the process again until the Encounter reaches an End Condition.
Phases of an Adventurer's Turn
1. Start of Turn Phase: Resolve Abilities and Effects that occur at the start of a turn.
2. Status Phase: Any Effects and Abilities that have the STATUS Tag occur during this Phase. See Pg. 95 for a list of Effects.
3. Refresh Phase: During the Refresh Phase, the Adventurer goes through the following steps:
-
A. Recover Stamina Points (SP): Each Adventurer's Stamina Recovery Bar determines how many SP they receive during this step, as well as how many SP they may have at any given time. See A: Stamina Recovery Bar on Pg. 25.
IMPORTANT: Adventurers do not Gain SP during the Refresh Phase of their 1st turn of an Encounter. See Prepare Phase Pg. 14.
-
B. Un-Exhaust Cards: Some Abilities require the Adventurer to EXHAUST them to be used. During the Refresh Phase, any Exhausted cards are Un-Exhausted.
4. Action Phase: During the Action Phase, an Adventurer may spend SP to take Actions and/or use Abilities. When they decide they no longer want to spend SP or take Actions and/or use Abilities, the Adventurer continues to the End of Turn Phase.
5. End of Turn Phase: Resolve Abilities and Effects that occur at the End of a Turn.
Example: At the start of her Refresh Phase, Nightingale will Gain 3 SP up to her maximum of 5. No figure may have more SP than their Stamina Recovery Bar depicts. If she would Gain SP over her maximum, she does not Gain the excess.
Exhaust and Flip
To EXHAUST a card, simply turn it sideways. These cards are Un-Exhausted during the Refresh Phase. An Exhausted card may not use any printed Abilities that require you to EXHAUST it, but may otherwise be used as normal.
To FLIP a card, turn it over to its back. Cards that have been Flipped do not Un-Flip until the player is instructed to do so. When a card is Flipped, you may no longer use the front of the card. Instead, you reference the Item text, Icons, and Abilities printed on the back of the card.
Disciplines cannot be used while Flipped. However, other types of cards can. Weapons, Armor, Cores, and Relics will have Icons, Symbols, and Ability text printed on their backs to remind players that these cards can still be used once Flipped. Companion cards and Familiars will also have Ability text printed on their backs.
IMPORTANT: Flipped cards do not Un-Flip until the players are told to Restore Adventurers. See Restoring Adventurers Pg. 18.
TIP: Players most often will have to play more than 1 Encounter before they are told to Restore Adventurers, so choose when to use FLIP Abilities carefully.
Spending Stamina Points
During the Action Phase, an Adventurer may spend any or all of their SP to use any of their available Abilities or Actions, in any order, and as many times as they have SP for. Some Abilities and Actions have limits on how many times they can be used depending on how they activate. Unless an Action or Ability specifically says that it can't be used more than once per turn, an Adventurer may use that Action or Ability as many times as they have SP to do so.
IMPORTANT: An Adventurer must finish their current Action before starting another Action.
Standard Actions and Abilities
A Standard Action or Ability is an Action or Ability that is always available for Adventurers to use. Below is a list of the Standard Actions and Abilities in Middara.
Table 1: STANDARD ACTIONS
| Action | SP Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Move | 1 | Move up to your maximum Movement Value. For each additional SP spent, add 2 to your Movement Value. IMPORTANT: Adventurers are limited to 1 Move Action per turn. |
| Attack | 2 | Make an Attack using your equipped Weapon(s) Combat Dice. |
| Encounter Action | 1 | Encounter Actions are Encounter specific Actions that an Adventurer may make. This also includes activating Loot tokens. |
| Re-Equip | 1 | Equip or un-equip any Items in your Pack or on your Adventurer. Items in your Pack stay Flipped or Exhausted until they would normally be Un-Exhausted or Un-Flipped. You may also take Items and Companions from an adjacent Adventurer, but you may never give Items or Companions to other Adventurers. Any amount of equipping/un-equipping/taking is allowed for 1 SP. |
Table 2: STANDARD ABILITIES
| Ability | SP Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| DODGE | 1 | During the Dodge step of an Attack, roll the BLACK die. For each Shield rolled, the Adventurer adds +1 to their Defense. If the Skull is rolled, no additional Defense is added. See Dodge Pg. 52. |
| EMPOWER | 1 | When building your Combat Dice Pool during an Attack or when determining the Force of a Spell, you may spend 1 additional SP to add the BLACK die. When Empowering an Attack, symbols rolled on this die can be spent to use Symbol Abilities printed on your Weapons. If the Skull is rolled during this Attack, the Attack automatically misses. When Empowering a Spell, you may spend Books rolled on the BLACK die to add +1 to the Force of the Spell per Book spent. If the Skull is rolled during this Spell, the Spell automatically fails to affect the target. Immediately deal 3 IRREDUCIBLE DMG to the caster, and end the Spell Action. |
| COUNTER | 2 | When an Attack deals no Final Damage, COUNTER the Attack. If you successfully Dodged this Attack, reduce the cost of any subsequent Counter by 1 SP. See Counter Pg. 49. |
Allies, Opponents, and Figures
Throughout the game, Abilities and Actions on Adventurers, Intelligent Combatants, and Command Combatants will reference targets that are either "opponents", "allies", or "figures." While opponents and allies refer to specific groups of figures, the word "figure" is used to refer to both opponents and allies. See Opponents and Allies on Pg. 69.
ALLIES: Allies are figures that share the same goal and have no reason to hinder each other in achieving that goal. They are depicted in Diagrams and Encounters with a green border. If you're taking the turn of an Adventurer or friendly Combatant Card depicted with a green border, all figures with this green border are considered your allies. All Abilities that refer to Allies on these cards refer to figures with green Borders. Meanwhile, all figures depicted with a red border are considered your opponents.
OPPONENTS: Opponents are figures that oppose the Adventurers. They are depicted in Diagrams and Encounters with a red border. If you're taking the turn of an Intelligent Combatant Card depicted with a red border, all figures with this red border are considered your allies. All Abilities that refer to Allies on these cards refer to figures with red Borders. Meanwhile, all figures depicted with a green border are considered your opponents. Any figure that Spawns during an Encounter is considered an opponent to the Adventurers unless stated otherwise.
The Move Action
Adventurers are limited to 1 Move Action on their turn. The Move Action costs 1 SP, and allows the figure to move up to the Movement Value printed on their Adventurer Card. Movement is always counted orthogonally. This means that you may not move diagonally. After moving up to their Movement Value, the Adventurer may then spend SP. For each additional SP spent, an Adventurer adds +2 to their Movement Value for that Action.
Areas on a Tile marked with an X cannot be moved into or through.
A figure may not move through opponents. Moving through allies is allowed, but costs 2 Movement Points to leave their space. This does not stack with the increase in movement cost caused by Hindering Terrain or Water Terrain.
IMPORTANT: A figure may not end their movement occupying another ally's space.
Since an Adventurer must always finish an Action before starting another Action, movement may not be broken up with other Actions. For example, you cannot move half of your Movement Value, Attack, and then finish your movement.
Some Abilities allow players to make a Move Action. This Move Action still counts as their Move Action for the turn unless stated otherwise.
IMPORTANT: When a Move Action ends, all unspent Movement Points are lost.
Example: Remi's Avian Flight Ability counts as her Move Action for the turn, so she cannot move and then use this Ability in the same turn.
Free Movement & Diagonal Movement
Some Disciplines and Item Cards have Abilities that instruct you to Move. Any movement granted by these Abilities does not count as the Move Action for the turn. These Abilities cannot be used during another Action.
In addition, movement granted by these Abilities simply moves a figure the amount of spaces listed regardless of the Negative Effects on movement caused by Terrain or allies.
However, Obstructing Terrain and opposing figures still prevent an Adventurer from using Free Movement to move through their Space, and Dangerous Terrain would still Defeat an Adventurer under the normal circumstances.
Some of these Abilities might allow you to move Diagonally. Moving diagonally follows all the limitations associated with drawing Line of Sight diagonally. Meaning you must still move through 1 of the 2 orthogonal spaces and you are still blocked by Obstructing Terrain.
IMPORTANT: HEAVY only affects the movement points granted by the MOVE Action. This means that HEAVY does not affect Free movement.
Example: The Discipline Like the Shadows allows you to move 2 spaces. This movement does not count as a Move Action, and is not hindered by Negative Effects on movement caused by Terrain or allies.
Adjacent Spaces
- A — Any gridded area is considered a space. Spaces that share a corner or edge to a space with a figure are adjacent.
- B — Spaces obstructed by red borders block Line of Sight and are not considered adjacent.
- C — Areas that do not contain a grid are not considered spaces. They cannot be moved into and are never considered adjacent.
- D — Spaces with colored borders and Icons have Terrain Effects. See Terrain Pg. 21.
Movement Example: During Zeke's Action Phase, he wants to move to the Loot token to the west of Remi. He spends 1 SP to make a Move Action and Gains Movement Points equal to his Movement Value printed on his Adventurer Card, in this case, 6. Since figures cannot move diagonally, he must choose between the shorter route heading west through Hindering Terrain (finishing at B), or the longer route heading south and moving to D.
If Zeke chooses the short route to B, the Animate will get a Break Attack against him when he moves out of C (See Diagonals and Break Attacks Pg. 42). If he chooses to move to D, he avoids this danger, but ends up farther from his goal.
After moving to B by traveling past the Animate and through Hindering Terrain, Zeke could spend an additional SP to Gain 2 more Movement Points and move through Remi. But, because Remi is an ally, he can move through — but not stop in — her space, and since the space that allies occupy take 2 Movement Points to move out of, Zeke would not be able to reach A without spending a total of 2 more SP for 4 more Movement Points. After reaching A Zeke would have 1 remaining Movement Point.
Push, Pull, and Command
PUSH is an Ability that moves an opposing figure away from the nearest space the figure using PUSH occupies. The target of the Push must only move into spaces that are farther from the figure using PUSH. This movement must move the target of the Push directly away in a straight line.
PULL is an Ability that moves an opposing figure towards the figure using it, the target of the Pull must only move into spaces that are closer to the destination. These spaces do not need to be in a straight line so long as each space counted is considered closer using Movement Rules. The destination is the nearest space to the figure using PULL, ending adjacent if possible.
COMMAND is an Ability that moves an opposing figure in any single orthogonal direction the figure using it wants, up to the amount listed.
If the target of a Push, Pull, or Command is an Adventurer who is positioned diagonally or has more than one option based on their position in relation to the opponent using Push, Pull, or Command, then the Adventurer must choose the most detrimental direction to move. See Towards & Away Pg. 62.
Push, Pull, and Command are a type of Free Movement. The target of a Push, Pull, or Command does not provoke a Break Attack from the figure that used the Ability. If a figure is moved into Obstructing Terrain or into another figure using Push or Command, they stop moving and are dealt the remainder of the movement as IRREDUCIBLE DMG. While a figure is being moved by Push, Pull, or Command, they cannot use Actions, Abilities that give Actions, or Abilities that move a figure.
Example: The Earth Loa uses the PUSH Ability, which causes Zeke to be moved 3 spaces away in a straight line from the Earth Loa. Zeke is diagonal to the Earth Loa and has to choose to move south or west 3 spaces. Choosing to move west to space A would move him into a Tile Edge and deal him 1 IRREDUCIBLE DMG for the extra space he cannot move. Moving south would cause him to leave Dangerous Terrain and be Defeated. Because it is the most detrimental option he must choose to move south to Space B and be Defeated. Since the Earth Loa was the one who used the Ability, it will not get a Break Attack against Zeke.
The Attack Action
Steps for Making an Attack
Any time an Attack is called for, the figure making the Attack will follow these steps.
1. CHOOSE THE TARGET
Select a figure within Line of Sight and Range as the target. Some Abilities have specific targeting parameters that may override this.
2. BUILD THE COMBAT DICE POOL:
1-Handed Weapons have a single Combat Die printed on them. 2-Handed Weapons have a pair of Combat Dice printed on them. When making an Attack, Adventurers use the Combined Dice of all Weapons they have equipped to form the Combat Dice Pool.
An Adventurer with only a single Combat Die being added from their equipped Weapon adds a PURPLE die to their Combat Dice Pool. If an Adventurer has no equipped Weapons, they add 2 PURPLE dice to their Combat Dice Pool.
Unlike Adventurers, Combatants have their Combat Dice printed on their card. When they make an Attack, they use the Combat Dice printed on their Combatant Card to form their Combat Dice Pool.
IMPORTANT: Abilities that add additional dice to your Combat Pool (Such as Empower) are considered Combat Dice.
3. EMPOWER: Choose to EMPOWER the Dice Pool.
After building their Combat Dice Pool, the Attacker may choose to EMPOWER their Attack by spending 1 SP to add the BLACK die to the Combat Dice Pool.
Intelligent Combatants will only EMPOWER if they have an Ability that specifically allows them to.
IMPORTANT: Some Weapons have the BLACK die pictured as part of their Combat Dice. Attacks made with these Weapons are always Empowered. Likewise, some Combatants have the BLACK die pictured as part of their Combat Dice. Their Attacks will always be Empowered. See Empower Pg. 52.
4. DODGE:
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a. Check if the target uses DODGE: When targeted by an Attack, a figure may spend 1 SP to use the Dodge Ability. Intelligent Combatants do not DODGE unless their card says otherwise.
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b. Make a Dodge Roll: A figure who uses DODGE rolls the BLACK die, and for each Shield rolled, adds +1 to their Defense. If the Skull is rolled, the Dodge adds no additional Defense.
Important: Abilities can give bonuses to this roll. However, if the Skull is rolled, these Abilities provide no bonus.
5. ROLL TO HIT:
- a. Make an Attack Roll: To make an Attack roll the Attacker rolls their Combat Dice Pool.
- b. Spend Symbols and use Abilities to add TO THE ATK ROLL: Some Abilities add to the Attack roll. During this step, the Attacker may spend Symbols and use Abilities that add TO THE ATK ROLL.
- c. Determine if the Attack Hit: If the total number rolled on the Combat Dice Pool, after bonuses from Abilities, is equal to or greater than the target's Defense Value, the Attack hits. The Attacker continues to step 6. Determine Damage. Otherwise, the Attack misses, and the Attacker immediately goes to step 6e. Check if the Target Counters.
6. DETERMINE DAMAGE:
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a. Calculate the difference by which the Attack hit: For each number above the target's Defense Value the figure rolled, the Attacker adds +1 PHYSICAL DMG to the Attack.
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b. Spend Symbols and use Abilities that add Damage: Some Abilities add to Damage. During this step, the Adventurer or Combatant may spend Symbols and use Abilities that add to Damage. See Icons, Conditions, Tags, and Symbols Pg. 30.
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c. Subtract Armor: Subtract the target's Armor Value from the total PHYSICAL DMG being dealt by this Attack. Some Items and Abilities have the Tag +(X) ARMOR PIERCING. This Tag means that the Attacker ignores the first (X) points of Armor when calculating the amount of PHYSICAL DMG that is reduced. ARMOR PIERCING Tags from multiple sources are cumulative.
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d. Calculate and Deal Final Damage: Any Damage remaining after the Subtract Armor step is completed is the Final Damage of the Attack. The target of the Attack then adds Damage tokens to their Combatant or Adventurer Card equal to the Final Damage this Attack dealt. Abilities that reference Final Damage are used during this step.
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e. Check if the Target Counters: If the Attack misses or deals no Final Damage, the player checks to see if the target uses COUNTER. If they do, the current Attack immediately ends. See Counter Pg. 49. If the Attack missed and the target did not Counter, the Attacker skips step 7. Use Follow Up Abilities and continues to step 8. Resolve the Attack.
IMPORTANT: Choosing to Counter or using an Ability that gives you a Counter will interrupt and cancel any other Action or Ability that is currently occurring other than the Ability that gave you the Counter.
7. USE FOLLOW UP ABILITIES (FU):
The Attacker may use Abilities that occur during the Follow Up step of the Attack. If an FU Ability would start a new Attack or Spell Action, the current Attack immediately ends and the player may start the new Action as normal.
Unless otherwise specified, an FU Ability that doesn't start a new Action must be used by you, target yourself, or target the figure you Attacked. This may be done regardless of Range, SOI, and Line of Sight.
If an FU Ability requires a Force (X) to affect the target, then it is also classified as a Spell-Like Ability. See Spell-Like Abilities Pg. 53.
IMPORTANT: Players may use multiple FU Abilities off of the same Attack, so long as they do not start another Standard Action, Spell Action, or move a figure. As soon as a player decides to use an FU Ability that starts a new Attack Action, Spell Action, or would move a figure in any way, the current Attack Action ends and they may no longer use any more FU Abilities.
8. RESOLVE THE ATTACK:
The current Attack ends. Any Abilities that occur "when Resolving an Attack" can now be used. Many Abilities can only be used after "Resolving" an Attack. If a player reaches this step of an Attack Action, the Attack was successfully resolved.
Diagonals
When moving or drawing Line of Sight through a diagonal, players choose which of the 2 spaces affect the Line of Sight or movement. The space chosen by the players then applies all of its possible bonuses and negatives gained by the Terrain type of the space and any figures occupying the space.
For example, if an Adventurer were to draw Line of Sight through a diagonal where 1 space of Hindering Terrain and 1 space of Normal Terrain meet, the Adventurer would be able to choose which space affects their Line of Sight. In this case, the Adventurer would likely choose the space containing Normal Terrain, so that they are not affected by the -1 TO THE ATK ROLL applied by the Hindering Terrain.
Example: Nightingale's Attack roll against the Cave Sickle will be subject to a -1 penalty if she chooses the unoccupied Hindering Terrain space, or a -2 penalty if she chooses the Hindering Terrain space occupied by Remi.
Break Attacks
If at any point during a turn, a figure would leave a space that is adjacent to an opponent, they provoke a Break Attack. This means that the opponent may immediately make an Attack Action that cost no SP against the figure intending to leave the adjacent space. The Break Attack takes place in the space the target is attempting to leave. A figure may never make more than 1 Break Attack per Turn.
Unlike other Actions, the Attack Action granted by a Break Attack will not end the movement of the figure that is moving. Any remaining movement from the Ability or Move Action that moved the figure out of the space may be finished after the Break Attack ends. If for any reason the figure making the movement starts a new Action (such as making an Attack via a Counter) this remaining Movement is lost and will not occur.
All Break Attacks made by Intelligent Combatants are considered to be Melee ATKS unless otherwise stated. Adventurers making Break Attacks make an Attack corresponding to the Type and Range of their equipped Weapons.
If a Break Attack is made against a figure that leaves an adjacent space that is also occupied by one of its allies, an Adventurer may choose to make a Break Attack against either figure in that space. Additionally, Adventurers also choose which figure an Intelligent Combatant will make a Break Attack against in these cases.
If more than one figure would be eligible for a Break Attack, both may make the Break Attack in the order of the players choosing.
Example: So long as they had not already made a Break Attack this turn, Nightingale would provoke a separate Break Attack from both Cave Sickles if she moved into any space.
IMPORTANT: If an Intelligent Combatant provokes a Break Attack from an Adventurer, the Break Attack is free and costs no SP.
Damage Types
Abilities, Attacks, and Spells can all deal Damage. The type of Damage changes depending on the source of the Damage.
There are 3 Damage types in Middara:
Physical Damage: All Attacks deal Physical Damage by default. This Damage can be prevented by Armor.
Magic Damage: Some Spells and Abilities specifically say they deal Magic Damage. Magic Damage is not reducible by Armor or other Abilities that reference Physical Damage.
Irreducible Damage: Some Spells, Abilities, and Effects specifically say they deal Irreducible Damage. Irreducible Damage is not reducible by Abilities, Armor, Terrain, or Special Encounter Rules.
Example: Living Bulwark allows an Adventurer to Gain Resistance to only Physical Damage. This Ability would not be of any use against Magic Damage or Irreducible Damage.
Weapon Types
There are 3 types of Weapons in Middara:
Melee Weapons: These Weapons have the Melee Icon. When taking an Attack Action with a Melee Weapon, an Adventurer may only target an adjacent figure unless the Melee Weapon has REACH.
Ranged Weapons: These Weapons have the Ranged Icon. This Icon has a number that displays the Range of the Weapon.
Melee / Ranged Weapons: These Weapons have the Melee/Ranged Icon. This Icon has a number that displays the Range of the Weapon. Melee / Ranged Weapons can be used with both Melee and Ranged Abilities and count as having both the Melee Icon and Ranged Icon.
IMPORTANT: An Attack Action requires the target of the Attack to be within Range and Line of Sight.
Resolving an Attack or Spell
Some Abilities and Encounter Special rules specify that they occur or can only be used after Resolving an Attack or Resolving a Spell. These Abilities may only be used directly after the Attack or Spell in question Resolves.
An Attack or Spell is only "Resolved" if the Attack or Spell Action in question reaches the "Resolve Step". Meaning, an Attack or Spell Action that is prematurely ended (e.g. an Attack that is Countered) would not have "Resolved".
If a timing issue still presents itself, rule in favor of the Intelligent Combatant.
Determining Range
Attack Actions have a maximum Range. A Combatant's Range when using Attack Actions is determined by their equipped Weapons and Items. Only figures within Line of Sight of the target and within the Range listed on the equipped Item may be the target of an Attack.
There are 3 types of Ranges:
Adjacent / Melee: This is the Range for the Melee Icon. Melee Attacks and Abilities with this Icon require the target to be adjacent to the figure making the Attack.
REACH (X): This Tag changes the Range for Weapons with the Melee Icon. (X) equals the maximum distance at which a Melee Attack can be made.
Ranged: This is the Range for the Ranged Icon. Ranged Attacks and Abilities with this Icon require a target to be no farther than the listed Range on the Adventurer's equipped Weapon(s) with the Ranged Icon. Ranged Attacks can be made against targets that are adjacent, however, Ranged Attacks cannot Gain the Flanking bonus. See Flanking Pg. 50.
IMPORTANT: If an Adventurer equips 2 different Ranged Weapons with 2 different Ranged Values, they may only make Attacks against targets using the lowest of the two values.
How to Count Range
To check whether a target is within Range of an Attack or a SPELL, the player counts the number of spaces from the figure that is performing the Action, to the space the target occupies. When determining if something is within Range they must also be within Line of Sight.
IMPORTANT: Unlike movement, all types of Range are counted diagonally as well as orthogonally.
Sphere of Influence (SOI)
This is both a type of Range and a type of Line of Sight. It is used by Spells and Spell-Like Abilities and represents the area in which a figure can exert their will. Every figure has an SOI. SOI has a base Range of 4 but this Range can be adjusted by Items and Abilities. When using SOI to determine Line of Sight, elevation, opponents, allies, and all Terrain other than Obstructing Terrain do not block or hinder Line of Sight in any way.
Line of Sight
Line of Sight is determined by drawing an imaginary line from the center of the space the acting figure occupies to the center of the space the target figure occupies. If this line moves through anything that blocks Line of Sight, then the Action or Ability cannot be performed.
Obstructing Terrain (red lines), edges of a Tile where the Tile doesn't connect to another Tile, Elevation differences, and spaces occupied by opponents, block Line of Sight. Allies do not block Line of Sight, but give a -1 TO THE ATK ROLL made through them. This effect stacks with the -1 TO THE ATK ROLL from Hindering Terrain. Meaning, if you make an Attack through an ally and Hindering Terrain you'll have a -2 TO THE ATK ROLL.
The -1 TO THE ATK ROLL from Hindering Terrain and allies does not stack with itself. Meaning, if you make an Attack through one or more allies or spaces of Hindering Terrain you will never incur a negative greater than -1.
Line of Sight Example: Nightingale can draw Line of Sight to 2 of the 4 targets. Both Animates are within Line of Sight, but the Cave Sickle is hidden behind Obstructing Terrain and 1 of the Animates is blocking Line of Sight to the Living Oblation. Remi is between an Animate and Nightingale, but allies do not block Line of Sight. Since Range may be counted diagonally, one Animate is at Range 2 and the other is at Range 3. If Nightingale could see the Living Oblation or Cave Sickle, they would be at Range 6 and Range 3, respectively.
Damage and Healing
Middara uses an accumulative Damage system. When an Adventurer or Combatant takes Damage, Damage tokens are added to their card to represent the total amount of Damage a figure has been dealt. If an Adventurer or Combatant has 0 Damage tokens, the figure is at full Health (HP). A figure may never Gain more Damage tokens than their maximum HP.
Healing works by removing Damage tokens from a figure. If an Ability allows a figure to HEAL (X), the player removes (X) Damage tokens from the figure's card. If a figure has fewer Damage tokens than the amount HEALED, the excess healing is lost.
An Ability that redistributes, moves, or otherwise changes Damage token totals on a Combatant without specifically using the word "Damage" or the Tag "HEAL" does not count as healing or dealing Damage. Likewise, Ability Conditions that require you to HEAL or deal Damage to be used cannot be used with such redistribution of Damage tokens.
Example: Zeke uses a Vitality Juice Box on Nightingale. This Item allows Nightingale to HEAL 3. Nightingale currently has 2 Damage tokens on her card. Nightingale's player would remove the 2 Damage tokens from her card, bringing her to full HP. The 1 point of unused healing is lost.
Making an Attack (Example)
Nightingale spends 2 SP to make an Attack and chooses a target to Attack. Nightingale has 2 Weapons equipped, a Katar and a Longsword. Since these Weapons have the Melee Icon, they have a Range of adjacent. Since the Animate is adjacent, Nightingale can choose it as the target of her Attack.
Next, Nightingale must build her Combat Dice Pool using her equipped Weapons. The Katar grants 1 WHITE die and because it is a LIGHT Weapon, the Longsword's COMBO Condition Tag grants FINESSE: ORANGE die. This makes her Combat Dice Pool a WHITE die and an ORANGE die.
Nightingale could EMPOWER the Attack by spending 1 SP to add the BLACK die to her Combat Dice Pool, but she declines to do so.
Before rolling, Nightingale must check to see if the target will DODGE. Intelligent Combatants do not DODGE unless they have an Ability that says otherwise. The Animate does not, so it doesn't DODGE.
Nightingale rolls her Combat Dice Pool. In this example, she rolls a 6 on the ORANGE die, and a 7 on the WHITE die. She adds the numbers together and compares it with the target's Defense Value. Since her roll of 13 is equal to or higher than the Animate's Defense Value of 9, she hits!
If Nightingale had an Ability that added TO THE ATK ROLL, she could use it now. Since she doesn't, she continues to the next step of the Attack, Determine Damage.
To Determine Damage, Nightingale must find the difference by which she hit. 13 - 9 = 4, so she adds 4 Damage.
Next, Nightingale can spend Symbols and use Abilities that add Damage. Between the 2 Combat Dice, she rolled 2 Bursts, 3 Books, and 1 Shield. Nightingale's Longsword and Katar both have a Symbol Ability that allows her to add +2 PHYSICAL DMG by spending 2 Books. The Longsword has a Symbol Ability to add +1 PHYSICAL DMG by spending 1 Burst.
Since these Abilities do not have a Condition that Exhausts, Flips, or otherwise says they cannot be used more than once, there is no limit to how many times she may add Damage with these Symbols. However, Nightingale may only spend each Symbol rolled on the Combat Dice once.
Nightingale decides to spend 2 Books from her Combat Dice for +2 PHYSICAL DMG and 1 Burst from her Combat Dice for an additional +1 PHYSICAL DMG. This leaves her with a Burst and 1 Book.
Now Nightingale must reduce the PHYSICAL DMG she dealt by the Animate's Armor Value. The Animate has an Armor Value of 2, which would normally reduce her Attack's Damage by 2. However, since Nightingale's Katar has the Tag +2 ARMOR PIERCING as a Passive Ability, she ignores 2 of the Animate's Armor, meaning the Damage she dealt is not reduced.
Nightingale must now determine the Final Damage of her Attack. The difference she rolled (4), plus the Damage she added from Abilities (3), minus the Damage that was subtracted from Armor (0), equals a Final Damage of 7. The player adds 7 Damage tokens to the Animate.
Since Nightingale has no Abilities that occur during the Follow Up step of her Attack, her Attack Action ends.
Encounter Actions
An Encounter Action is used any time a Special Encounter Rule calls for it or when interacting with a Loot token.
Many Encounters use Loot tokens. These tokens are activated by an Adventurer that is on or adjacent to the Loot token by using an Encounter Action.
In addition, an Encounter's Special Encounter Rules will occasionally allow Adventurers to interact with Tiles in special ways. When this occurs, an Encounter will specifically say "As an Encounter Action" when referring to this Action.
Example: In the example below, the Encounter's Special Encounter Rules say:
"Movable Rock: As an Encounter Action, an Adventurer adjacent to the Obstructing Terrain token on Tile UM1 may make a Strength 10 Check. If they pass, they may move the Obstructing Terrain token into any unoccupied adjacent space."
This means that Rook may Spend 1 SP to make an Encounter Action while adjacent to the Obstructing Terrain token. If he passes a Strength 10 Check (see Skill Checks Pg. 68) he may move the token so that it is out of the way. However, since he can only move it to an unoccupied adjacent space, he may not move it on to the space that himself or the Cave Sickle occupies.
The Re-Equip Action
For 1 SP, the Re-Equip Action lets an Adventurer equip Items from, and Store Items into, their Pack. Adventurers may also take Items and Companions from adjacent Adventurers. However, Adventurers may never give Items or Companions to another Adventurer. The Adventurer being taken from may also Re-Equip their Items during this Action, but may not take Items or Companions from another Adventurer.
Any amount of equipping/un-equipping/taking is allowed for 1 SP.
Items moved to your Pack remain in the condition they were in when sent to your Pack. (E.g., Flipped, Used, or Exhausted.) They will otherwise Flip, Un-Exhaust, and remove tokens following the normal rules.
IMPORTANT: An Adventurer may only use Abilities on Items that are equipped.
Using Abilities
Basic Ability Rules
An Ability is anything on an Item, Discipline, Adventurer, Combatant, or token that a figure may do. Many cards will have 1 or more Abilities printed on them. Abilities can be used when their Conditions are met. There are 4 types of Conditions.
- Condition Tags: Tags such as DISCARD or EXHAUST. See Condition Tags Pg. 30.
- Stamina Point (SP) Cost: The amount of SP a player must spend. Usually this is listed as a dot and may be listed multiple times.
- Text Conditions: Any condition or requirement listed in the text of the Ability. This could be a variety of requirements or costs.
- Symbol Conditions: The symbols a player must spend. These Abilities may only be used during the "Spend Symbols and use Abilities that add Damage" step of an attack. See The Attack Action Pg. 41.
IMPORTANT ABILITY RULES:
- Some Abilities have more than 1 of the above Conditions listed to use them. In these cases, all the Conditions must be met to use the Ability.
- Unless otherwise stated, there is no limit to how many times Abilities that require Symbols can be used, so long as the figure has the Symbols to spend.
- Abilities can only be used during your turn and not during another Action unless their Conditions say otherwise or the Ability occurs at a specific time.
- If the Text Condition of an Ability says "At any time", this Ability may be used during any turn and at the moment that is most beneficial to the user of the Ability. If the Text Condition of an Ability specifies that it may happen during an Action such as "When making an Attack", this Ability may be used at any time during that Action and at the moment that is most beneficial to the user of the Ability.
- Any Effects Gained by Abilities with Passive Condition Tags are lost if the Ability with the Passive Condition Tag is ever un-equipped.
- Some Abilities have specific targeting parameters that may override the normal targeting rules for Attacks and Spells.
- When an Ability is intended to be used on any ally including yourself it will say "any ally". When an Ability is intended to be used on any ally except yourself it will say "another ally".
- Some Abilities give an Adventurer more than one Action. In these cases, the Adventurer must choose the order in which they would like to resolve these Actions. If an Adventurer would use another Ability that grants Actions, make another Action, or if the Action was ended prematurely via another Ability (e.g. Counter), all Actions that the current Ability being used granted that have not already been made are lost.
IMPORTANT: An Adventurer must finish their current Action before starting another Action.
Stamina Points on Abilities
Some Abilities have an SP Cost as a Condition. This is especially true of many Disciplines. These Disciplines can be used for the listed (SP) Cost. If the Discipline doesn't have other Conditions barring it from being used more than once, then an Adventurer may use the Discipline's Ability as many times as they have the SP to spend for it.
Example: The Discipline Intervention has an Ability with 3 of the 4 Condition types. A depicts an SP Cost of 1. B depicts the Exhaust Condition Tag, which will require the Adventurer to Exhaust this Discipline when its Ability is used. C shows a Text Condition that specifies that the target must be within SOI.
TIP: Knowing when to use Abilities can be the difference between winning and losing! With the Item Upgrade Master Work, an Adventurer may add +1 TO THE ATK ROLL at any time during an Attack and at the time it benefits them the most. This means that they could Exhaust this card to add the bonus after seeing the roll for an Attack.
Abilities that Start Actions
Some Abilities will use Tags to let players perform Actions, such as the Move, Attack, or Spell Actions. Tags that start Actions and also require specific Icons on equipped Weapons (such as the Melee ATK or Ranged ATK Tag), can only be used if the Adventurer has an equipped Weapon with the matching Icon. See Tags Pg. 92-93 to determine if your Ability starts an Action. Abilities that start Actions cannot be used during another Action without ending the current Action first.
Example: Using the Ability on False Idol, an Adventurer Exhausts the Discipline Card and makes a Melee ATK. This Attack Action requires the Adventurer to have a Melee Icon on an equipped Weapon. Since the Adventurer in this example has War Axe equipped, they are able to use this Ability because it has the Melee Icon.
Abilities that End Turns
Some Abilities might instruct a figure to end the current turn under specific circumstances, (e.g. such as dealing Damage). If a figure uses an Ability that instructs them to end the turn they may no longer use Actions or Abilities after resolving the circumstances in question. However, the current turn is only ended after any Actions or Abilities being made by other figures that might be responding to the Action or Ability.
Example: Abbadon's Subtlety ends the turn after dealing Damage. If this Damage was dealt, the target taking this damage could use any Actions or Abilities they have to prevent this damage, redirect this damage, or otherwise finish reacting before the turn ends.
Abilities that End Actions and Abilities
When an Ability instructs a figure to "end the current Action and all Abilities", every other Action and Ability that is currently happening immediately ends. Any Ability, Action, AI Instruction, or Special Rule that would require the current Ability or Action to occur (such as counter), can no longer be used.
Then, the figure that ended the current Action and all Abilities follows the proceeding instructions of their Ability, if any.
After concluding this Ability, the turn in which it interrupted resumes. For information on how AI Steps are affected see Actions and Abilities Pg. 60.
Passive Conditions
The Passive Condition Tag grants Abilities to the Adventurer that are always in effect. Passive Abilities that contain an Ability with another Condition Tag, such as an additional SP cost, are only in effect if the additional condition cost is paid. Some Abilities with the Passive Condition Tag have specific requirements in order for Adventurers to benefit from the Ability.
A card with 2 different Abilities, 1 that has a Passive Condition Tag and 1 that has a different Condition, grants the Ability under the Passive Condition Tag regardless of whether the other Condition has been met. Abilities with the Passive Condition Tag can be used even if the card with the Ability is Exhausted.
Example: Hammer Helm grants the Adventurer +1 PHYSICAL DMG to their Attacks. In addition, an Adventurer can Exhaust the Discipline to re-roll any dice in their Combat Dice Pool so long as they are making a Melee Attack and have a 2-Handed Weapon equipped. While this card is Exhausted, the Adventurer still Gains the bonus to PHYSICAL DMG from the Passive Ability.
Counter
If a figure Attacks a target and the Attack misses or deals no Final Damage, the target may use the COUNTER Ability during the Check if the Target Counters step of the Attack. See The Attack Action Pg. 41.
Adventurers and Command Combatants may use the COUNTER Ability for 2 SP. However, if they successfully Dodged the Attack being Countered, they may reduce the cost of the Counter by 1 SP. Some Items and Disciplines also have the COUNTER Tag listed as an Ability. In cases where there is an SP cost on a COUNTER Tag this SP cost may also be reduced by 1. Intelligent Combatants will only COUNTER if their Combatant Card instructs them to.
To COUNTER, the target being Attacked must have Line of Sight and be within Range of the figure making the Attack Action. If the initial figure that made the Attack Action is blocked by a different opposing figure, that figure may be chosen as the target of the Counter instead. If these requirements are met, the current Attack Action immediately ends and the target being Attacked makes an Attack Action targeting the Attacker.
It is possible for some back and forth to occur when a figure makes a COUNTER during the Check if the Target Counters step of another figure's COUNTER. In these cases, after resolving all Attacks granted by the COUNTER Ability, the figure whose turn it was when the initial Action was made, would resume their turn.
IMPORTANT: Choosing to Counter or using an Ability that gives you a Counter will interrupt and cancel any other Action or Ability that is currently occurring other than the Ability that gave you the Counter. Meaning, that the Attacker who was Countered never reaches the "Use Follow Up Abilities" step of an attack.
IMPORTANT: A figure may not Counter a Break Attack they provoked from Forced Movement. See Forced Movement Pg. 71.
Example: Rook is Attacked by an adjacent Cave Sickle. The Cave Sickle rolls a 10, which hits Rook for 1 PHYSICAL DMG. However, Rook's SHIELD gives him +1 Armor and reduces the Damage to 0. Since Rook was not dealt Damage from the Attack, Rook can Exhaust his SHIELD to COUNTER the Attack.
Flanking and Backstab
When 2 allies are on opposite sides or corners of an opponent, so long as they are not under an effect that would prevent them from making an Attack and they each also have an equipped Melee Weapon, they are both considered to be Flanking that opponent. Figures making a Melee Attack against a target they are Flanking Gain +1 TO THE ATK ROLL.
Some Abilities give Adventurers and Combatants bonuses only when they are Flanking a target. For example, figures with the BACKSTAB Tag Gain +3 PHYSICAL DMG when making a Melee Attack against a target they are Flanking.
Weapons with the Ranged Icon cannot Gain the Flanking bonus. Figures with equipped Ranged Weapons cannot grant another figure the Flanking bonus.
Weapons with the Reach Tag may also Flank and provide opportunities for allies to Backstab. So long as a figure with Reach is attacking an opponent while there is also another ally who is within Melee Range (or the Range of their own Reach Tag) of your target and on the opposite side or corner of that same target, you Gain the Flanking bonus.
Example 1: In this example, Zeke and Rook are on the opposite side of the Shadow Lord as Remi, meaning they are both Flanking. Alternatively, it means that Remi is also Flanking the Shadow Lord. The bonus granted by Flanking does not stack. Meaning, Rook and Remi and Zeke will all only Gain +1 to any Attacks they make against the Shadow Lord. Meanwhile, Remi is on the opposite side of the Animate as Nightingale, meaning in addition to the Shadow Lord, Remi is also Flanking the Animate. However, Nightingale will only Gain an Attack bonus against the Animate.
Example 2: When drawing Line of Sight via Reach, Combatants grant and can benefit from Flanking opponents. In this example, Remi has Reach 2. Rook does not. Even so, they are both considered Flanking since both figures are within Range to make a Melee Attack and on opposite sides of the target.
Example 3: If both Rook and Remi had Reach 2, they could both get the Flanking bonus against the Animate so long as both figures were in Melee range and on opposite sides of the target.
Example 4: In this example, let's assume that Rook and Remi each have Reach 2 Weapons equipped. Even though Rook and Remi could still make an Attack against the Animate at Reach 2, neither are attacking from opposite ends of the target. Furthermore, since there is not a figure on opposite sides of the target, they are also not granting Flanking to any allies. Another way to visualize this is to draw an imaginary line between the center of each figure trying to determine if they are Flanking. If the line is drawn through opposite corners or sides of spaces the target occupies, then you are Flanking. The blue line here represents what that might look like. You can see that it does not draw through opposite sides of the target. Meanwhile, both Nightingale and Zeke could also Attack, but they would also not be considered Flanking for the same reasons.
Example 5: Remember, when determining if you can flank from a corner, another ally must be able to attack the same target from the opposite corner. In this case, both Zeke and Nightingale could flank but neither Remi or Rook could.
Example 6: You can even use Reach 2 to Flank targets diagonally. This gives Remi and Rook a ton of range!
Example 7: Line of Sight is still taken into account when using Reach Weapons. This means that friendly figures will still impart a -1 to Rook's ATK Roll. However, since Rook is still within Melee Range of the target, he and Remi will still get a Flanking bonus.
Example 8: If your Line of Sight is blocked to an opponent a figure may not Gain or contribute to Flanking that opponent. This means that in this example, neither Rook or Remi would be able to Flank either target.
Example 9: Flanking only requires that another ally on the opposite side of the target is also within Range to make a Melee Attack. This works the same with Large Based Combatants. Reach simply expands your Melee Range. This means that the larger the base of the target you're trying to flank, the more spots there are to flank from!
Example 10: You can see that being on opposite sides of a target and within Melee Range is all it takes to flank! The blue line is again drawn here to show that both Remi and Rook are attacking from opposite sides. In the case of the larger figure, this has given them more room to work with as each side is bigger making our imaginary line easier to draw between figures while also crossing opposite sides of the target.
Dodge
When being Attacked, a DODGE can be made by the target during the Dodge step of an Attack Action. For Command Combatants and Adventurers, DODGE costs 1 SP. Intelligent Combatants do not DODGE unless they have an Ability that says otherwise.
When a figure makes a DODGE, they roll the BLACK die. For each Shield rolled, the figure adds +1 to their Defense. If the Skull is rolled, no additional Defense is added.
If an Ability refers to "Successfully Dodging an Attack", it means that you took the DODGE Action and the Attack being made against you missed.
IMPORTANT: Abilities and Dodge Upgrades can add bonuses during a DODGE. However, if the Skull is rolled, these Abilities provide no bonus.
Empower
During the Empower step of an Attack or Spell, an Adventurer may use the EMPOWER Ability.
To EMPOWER an Attack, an Adventurer spends 1 SP when building their Combat Dice Pool to add the BLACK die. This die will provide additional Symbols that can be used on Symbol Abilities during the Attack.
To EMPOWER a SPELL an Adventurer spends 1 SP when Determining the Force of a Spell to add the BLACK die. Spells cannot normally use Symbol Abilities. However, when Empowering a Spell, you may spend Bursts rolled on the BLACK die to add +1 to the Force of the Spell per Burst spent.
Depending on whether an Adventurer used the EMPOWER Ability during an Attack or Spell determines what the Skull Symbol does when rolled.
- Attack: If the Skull is rolled during an Attack, the Attack misses, regardless of the numbers rolled on the Combat Dice.
- Spell: If the Skull is rolled during a Spell, the Spell fails to affect the target and 3 IRREDUCIBLE DMG is dealt to the caster.
Some Weapons also list the BLACK die as part of their Combat Dice or Casting Upgrade. Attacks made with a Weapon that has a BLACK die as part of their Combat Dice are always Empowered. Likewise, Spells Cast with a Weapon that has a BLACK die as part of their Casting Upgrade are always Empowered. Empowering in this way does not cost additional SP. A Spell or Attack may never be Empowered more than once.
IMPORTANT: Some Abilities might use the BLACK die as part of their text. In these instances, the listed Ability does not count as Empowering and will specify what the BLACK die does.
The Spell Action
Steps for Casting a Spell
Many Abilities allow a figure to cast Spells. Whenever a figure uses an Ability that instructs them to "Cast a SPELL (X)", they make a Spell Action to determine if the Spell affected the target. Anytime a Spell is called for, the figure casting the Spell will follow these steps.
1. CHOOSE THE TARGET(S): Select a single figure within SOI as the target. Some Abilities have specific targeting parameters that may override this or allow you to target more than 1 figure. See SOI Pg. 43.
2. DETERMINE THE FORCE: The Force of a SPELL determines how difficult the Spell's effects are to resist.
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a. BUILD FORCE POOL: A Force Pool consists of a figure's printed Casting Die or Upgrade.
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b. EMPOWER: When casting a SPELL, an Adventurer may choose to spend 1 SP to EMPOWER the Spell. When Empowering a Spell, add the BLACK die to the Force Pool.
Intelligent Combatants will only EMPOWER if they have an Ability that specifically allows them to. See Empower Pg. 52.
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c. ROLL TO DETERMINE YOUR FORCE: Finally, the figure Casting the SPELL rolls their Casting die and Empower Die if applicable, and adds the printed X value on the Spell to the result. (Usually 6).
3. EACH TARGET MAKES A CONVICTION CHECK: Each figure's Combatant Card has Conviction Dice printed on it. These 2 dice determine how resistant a figure is to Spells. During this step, each target of the Spell makes a separate Conviction Check to resist the Spell's effects.
To make a Conviction Check, each figure targeted by the Spell rolls the Conviction dice printed on their card. If the total number rolled is equal to or greater than the Spell's Force Value, the Spell is resisted by that figure. However, if their roll is less than the Force Value of the Spell, the Spell's printed effects occur. Once every target has rolled a Conviction Check, the Spell Action ends.
4. RESOLVE THE SPELL'S EFFECT: Each target that failed their Conviction Check resolves the spell's effects separately and in the order they made the Conviction Check. A Spell's effects are described on the Ability that started the Spell Action after, "Cast a SPELL (X)".
IMPORTANT SPELL RULES:
- Items and Abilities can upgrade an Adventurer's Casting and Conviction dice to improve their chances of inflicting and resisting Spells. See Conviction & Casting Upgrades Pg. 33.
- The Spell Action is not a Standard Action and can only be made when an Ability specifically calls for a Spell Action via the SPELL Tag.
- Abilities that use the Spell Action do not require any specific Weapon Icons to be used.
- Spells share a special type of Range and Line of Sight called Sphere of Influence (SOI). See Sphere of Influence (SOI) Pg. 43.
- Spells have their own steps that a figure must go through when instructed to "Cast a SPELL (X)".
- Spells have a Force Value that must be overcome by the target via a Conviction Check to resist the effects of the Spell.
- Allies may purposely fail Conviction Checks when being targeted by other allies.
Spell-Like Abilities
Many Abilities have FORCE (X) printed on them. These are called Spell-Like Abilities. Whenever an Adventurer uses an Ability or Follow Up Ability that has a Force Value listed, they go through the following steps.
1. IDENTIFY TARGETS: Spell-Like Abilities printed on Follow Up Abilities must always be used against the figure that was the target of the Attack. Spell-Like Abilities used under other Conditions will always specify their target(s).
2. IDENTIFY FORCE: The Force of a Spell-Like Ability is always printed in one of the following ways.
- a. FORCE (X) + DIFFERENCE HIT: These Spell-Like Abilities represent effects that occur after making Attacks with Weapons and will only be listed on Follow Up Abilities. To determine the Force of the Spell-Like Ability, the figure that made the Attack adds the difference by which their Attack hit the target to the printed Force on the Ability.
- b. FORCE (X): If the Ability does not have + DIFFERENCE HIT, then the figure using this Ability does not add anything to the Force Value.
IMPORTANT: You may not EMPOWER Spell-Like Abilities.
3. EACH TARGET MAKES A CONVICTION CHECK: Each target must make a separate Conviction Check as detailed in step 3 of the Spell Action.
4. RESOLVE THE ABILITIES EFFECT: If a target of the Spell-Like Ability failed their Conviction Check, they suffer the Ability's listed effect.
IMPORTANT: Spell-Like Abilities do not count as an Action.
Spell Example: Gore Shot is a Discipline that has no SP cost. When Exhausted it allows an Adventurer to Cast a SPELL 6.
Spell-Like Ability Example: The Great Hammer's Ability allows an Adventurer to Move targets if they fail the Conviction Check against the Force Value printed on it. Since this is a Spell-like Ability, it doesn't count as an Action.
Casting Spells (Example)
Zeke wants to use Gore Shot. It has no SP cost so he only has to Exhaust the card to use it. Since Gore Shot has the Tag SPELL 6, Zeke would start a Spell Action.
First, Zeke must choose a target. Since no special targeting parameters are listed on Gore Shot, Zeke may choose any target within SOI. Zeke checks if the Animate is within SOI. The Animate is 4 spaces away and within SOI, therefore, he may target it with Gore Shot.
At this point, Zeke could optionally EMPOWER this spell, but chooses not to. Next, Zeke must determine the Force of Gore Shot by rolling his Casting Die and adding it to the printed Force of the Spell (6). Normally this would be the PURPLE die printed on Zeke's Adventurer Card. However, Zeke has the Magic Staff equipped.
The Magic Staff has a Casting Upgrade of WHITE die so Zeke can increase the Force Value on Gore Shot using the better die.
Zeke rolls a 7. Gore Shot has a Force of 6. Zeke adds the 7 he rolled to the Force of Gore Shot.
This makes the final Force of Gore Shot 13. Next, the Animate must make a Conviction Check to determine if it is affected by Gore Shot. Combatants have their Conviction dice printed on their cards. The Animate has WHITE and TEAL Conviction dice. The Animate rolls both dice and gets a total of 7.
If the Animate had been able to roll a 13 or higher, the Spell would have failed and Zeke's Spell Action would have concluded. However, since the Animate rolled less than the Force of the Spell, the Animate succumbs to the effect of the Spell.
Because Gore Shot was successful, the Animate is dealt 2 MAGIC DMG.
Zeke then decides to use the Ability printed on Gore Shot to deal himself 2 IRREDUCIBLE DMG to deal additional MAGIC DMG to the Animate. Zeke will place 2 Damage tokens on his own card.
Because Zeke's highest LVL CRUOR Discipline is Gore Shot, Zeke will deal the Animate 2 additional MAGIC DMG.
Finished with his Spell, Zeke deals 4 total MAGIC DMG to the Animate. Since MAGIC DMG cannot be reduced by Armor, the Animate adds 4 Damage tokens to its card.
Using Spell-Like Abilities (Example)
Remi makes an Attack against the Animate using a Great Hammer.
Remi rolls her Combat Dice and gets a 6, and a 7. In addition, she rolls 6 Books, and 4 Bursts.
The total Attack roll equals 13. This hits the Animate's Defense Value of 9 with a difference rolled of 4.
During the Determine Damage step of the Attack, Remi spends 6 Books and 1 Burst to add +7 PHYSICAL DMG. The Damage added (7) plus the difference rolled (4) totals 11 Damage so far.
The Animate has 3 Armor, and Remi does not have ARMOR PIERCING on her Weapon, so the PHYSICAL DMG dealt to the Animate is reduced by 3.
The Final Damage dealt to the Animate is 8. The Animate now adds 8 Damage tokens to its card.
Finally, Remi reaches the Follow Up step of her Attack.
The Follow Up Ability on the Great Hammer reads: "FU: Spend 1 SP to PUSH 1 against all adjacent opponents and Inflict Paralyze, FORCE 7 + DIFFERENCE HIT."
Her DIFFERENCE HIT (4) adds to the Force of the Spell-Like Ability (7) totaling 11.
The Animate must now make a Conviction Check against the Spell-Like Ability's Force of 11.
The Animate rolls a 7 and fails the Conviction Check and is Pushed 1 space and Inflicted with Paralyze. This resolves the Attack, and Remi continues her turn.
Note: Normally, if the Animate moved away from a space adjacent to an opponent it would provoke a Break Attack from that opponent. However, Abilities such as Push and Pull will only provoke Break Attacks from figures who weren't the ones who used the Ability. This means that Remi would not be eligible to make the Break Attack.
Combatants
General Information
Combatant information is printed on cards that contain the rules for all the figures other than Adventurers. There are 2 types of Combatants.
- Command Combatants: Players directly control Command Combatants. Usually Command Combatants represent characters that temporarily join the characters on their Adventure.
- Intelligent Combatants: These type of Combatants are used to automate figures on the board, meaning, no player chooses their Actions. Instead, these figures will make their own decisions.
Regardless of which type of Combatant a player is using, both share much of the same information. Below is the information and rules that both types share.
Activation Numbers and Groups
Across the top of most Combatant Cards players will find up to 3 different colored boxes with numbers in them. These are called Activation Numbers. Each Activation Number has a color associated with it. Each color has a corresponding colored base snap to keep track of multiple figures of the same type on the game board.
Example: Cave Sickle 2 would always have a purple base snap. While Cave Sickle 4 would always have a teal base snap.
When setting up an Encounter or spawning figures found on a Diagram, Combatants will have their Activation Number depicted. This number indicates which figure should be placed on the board and where.
Example: The Diagram to the left shows where and which Cave Sickles Spawn by Activation Number.
Reminder: Their individual borders are all kept red to indicate they are opponents. See Allies, Opponents, and Figures Pg. 38.
Figures with more than 1 Activation Number are considered a Group. A Group represents a set of 2 or more figures that share a single Combatant Card. Each Group will also have a corresponding Initiative Card labeled with the same set of Group numbers printed on their Combatant Card. (e.g. 1-3.)
Combatants of the same type might also have two or more Combatant Cards representing additional Groups. Each additional Group has ascending Activation Numbers and their own matching Initiative Card.
This means that if enough Combatants Spawn, or if a Diagram calls for a specific set of figures with Activations Numbers in differing Groups, you will have multiple Initiative Cards placed at different positions on the Initiative Track. These Groups will take turns at different moments than other Groups of the same type of Combatant.
Example: Each Group of the above Cave Sickles has their own Initiative Card and will activate at different times. Specifically when their corresponding Group's Initiative Card comes up in the Initiative Track.
When a Group starts its turn, each figure that is on the board and in that Group will take a turn, starting with the figure who has the lowest Activation Number. See The Initiative Track Pg. 36.
A Group's corresponding Initiative Card is only ever removed from the Initiative Track when the last figure in a Group is Defeated. Additionally, figures in a Group are considered separate figures and keep track of all Damage and Effects separately. Activation Numbers are used to keep track of which figures might have Damage tokens and Effects. When a figure in a Group Gains or loses a token, a player puts the token above the corresponding Activation Number.
Combatant Tags
Combatant Tags are Tags that are uniquely associated with Combatant Cards. These Tags are listed in the top right hand corner of Combatant Cards and have their own special rules. Some Combatant Tags might be referenced by other cards and Abilities controlled by Adventurers or Combatants. See Combatant Tags Pg. 91.
Shared Icons
Both types of Combatants (INTELLIGENT and COMMAND) share many of the same Icons as Adventurers and have the following Icons directly printed on their cards. A figure with no Casting die listed will never be required to roll one.
- Combat Dice
- Conviction Dice
- Casting Dice
- HP, Defense, Movement, Armor
Symbol Abilities
Both types of Combatants (INTELLIGENT and COMMAND) have a section where Abilities with Symbol Conditions are located. Whenever a Combatant makes an Attack Action, they may use the Symbol Abilities printed on their card. Command Combatants may choose which Abilities to use, but Intelligent Combatants will always use Symbol Abilities to deal the maximum amount of Damage possible to their opponents.
Multiple Combatants; Same Name
Many Combatants have more than 1 figure with the same name that corresponds to 1 Initiative Card and Combatant Card.
While these Combatants take their turn using the same Initiative Card, each Combatant is separate from other Combatants with the same name. Each activates separately, their Damage and Effects are tracked separately, and rules treat each figure as an individual.
When taking a turn with Combatants with the same name, each is considered to take their own turn. They each go through the Phases of a turn separately with the only difference being that they share a Combatant Card and so will perform similar Actions to each other.
Combatant Loot Cards
When an opponent is Defeated for any reason, Adventurers draw the top card on the Combatant Loot deck. These cards represent the various rewards that drop when Defeating opponents.
IMPORTANT: Opponents Spawned by other figures (such as Espers that didn't start on the board) do not drop Combatant Loot.
When Adventurers draw Combatant Loot Cards with Gold printed on them, they will pool these cards into a separate pile and add up the total at the end of the Encounter to be added to their Party Gold. Gold acquired in this way is earned even if the entire Party is Defeated.
IMPORTANT: When a card is drawn from the Combatant Loot deck, it is not placed back into the deck until the party is instructed to Restore Adventurers. If the Combatant Loot deck runs out, then the Adventurers may not get any more Combatant Loot Cards until the party Restores.
Unique Loot
Unique Loot is a special type of Combatant Loot Card. Unique Items represent special Items in Middara that are incredibly difficult to obtain.
If an Adventurer kills a Combatant and draws the Unique Loot card, that Adventurer randomly draws a Unique Item Card of the appropriate Tier (Loot LVL of the Encounter) from the Unique Item deck.
In the Adventure Mode, players will usually be instructed to add a single Unique Item Card of a specific Tier for sale at the start of a Story Round. This Item will be for sale until purchased and is never replaced. Meaning, even if you return to that specific Story Round at a later date, you will not draw a new Unique Item Card.
If you return to the same Story Round and you've already purchased the Unique Item Card that was previously for sale, then you will not have a Unique Item Card available to purchase.
Unique Items are intended to be limited by the number of copies included in the game as they're thematically Unique.
IMPORTANT: If you don't purchase a Unique Item Card and you end up being instructed to draw a Unique Item Card during a future Encounter, you will not shuffle that Unique Item Card in as one of the possible options as it is still for sale back at the store. Furthermore, if you do not purchase this Unique Item, or you decide to sell it, this Unique Item Card is lost and removed from the game for the rest of the Adventure.
Monster Loot
Monster Loot is a special type of Combatant Loot Card. If an Adventurer ever draws the Monster Loot Card, they draw a Monster Loot Item Card with the same name as the opponent they Defeated.
Some Combatants have multiple Monster Loot rewards. For example, the Cave Sickle has 3: Sickle Shell Charm, Sickle Venom, and Chipped Chitin. In these cases, shuffle them and Pull a card from the bottom. If an Adventurer cannot draw a Monster Loot Item Card for the opponent they Defeated, they shuffle the Monster Loot Card back into the Combatant Loot deck and redraw. If the Monster Loot Card is the only card left in the Combatant Loot deck, discard it instead.
Monster Loot Items are not only useful as Items, but they also have the MATERIAL Tag printed on them. Materials are required to Unlock Item Upgrades so that they can be purchased during the Shop and Train Phase of a Story Round. See Item Upgrades Pg. 28.
Item Loot
Item Loot is a special type of Combatant Loot Card. If an Adventurer ever draws the Item Loot Card, they Roll two WHITE dice. Depending on the number rolled, the player will draw a random Item from the current Loot LVL.
For Example, if a player rolled an 8, they would shuffle and draw a random Relic from the corresponding Encounter's Loot LVL.
Command Combatants
In Middara, Adventurers perform many complex functions and are intended to maximize customization. COMMAND Combatants on the other hand, are designed to provide allies to the players that can be controlled while having all of their Abilities, Items, and various values wrapped up into one single card.
Command Combatants have Initiative Cards and take turns the same way as Adventurers. In addition, they have the same Standard Actions and Abilities available to them. See Standard Actions Pg. 38.
Command Combatants are always allies to the Adventurers and are always controlled by the Adventurers. These cards are only used when specifically instructed to do so by a Special Encounter Rule, Adventure Mechanic, or an Ability.
The differences between a Command Combatant and an Adventurer are listed below.
- A Command Combatant has all the rules to use their corresponding figure printed on their card. Because of this, Command Combatants cannot equip Items, learn Disciplines, or Gain XP.
- Command Combatants may use all the same Standard Actions and Standard Abilities as Adventurers. If a Command Combatant Gains an Item, put the Item on the Command Card. At the end of the Encounter, the players may choose which Adventurer Gains the Items.
- When an Initiative Card signals the beginning of a Command Combatant's turn, every Command Combatant represented by that card will take a separate turn in the order the players choose.
- During the Prepare Phase of a new Encounter, each Command Combatant follows all the same rules as Adventurers when determining their starting SP and how much they might HEAL. (assuming they were part of a previous Encounter.)
- If a Command Combatant is Defeated, they are removed from the board. If a Command Combatant is part of a Setup Diagram at the Start of an Encounter, they may HEAL and return to play following all the same rules as Adventurers.
- Command Combatants use the same Condition Tags as Adventurers presented in the same black box. These Tags function identically to their counterparts except the EXHAUST Condition Tag. When a Command Combatant uses an Ability with the EXHAUST Condition Tag, instead of Exhausting the card, place an Exhausted token over the Ability that was used to remind you that the Ability has been Exhausted. These tokens are removed during the Refresh Phase of that Combatant's turn.
- Command Combatants also use black boxes to display other Tags when listing Abilities that Command Combatants can perform. In these cases, players should treat the Tags listed in the black box as they are defined in this Rulebook.
- Command Combatants will always have a printed Standard Melee ATK or Ranged ATK that costs 2 SP. This is printed on the card using the Tag ATK. This is the Attack Type and Range that should be referenced when making Standard Attacks, Counters, Break Attacks, or making Free Attacks granted by an Ability or Discipline. If a Combatant has more than one Standard Attack available, they may use any Standard Attack printed on their card.
- Adventurers might bring a Command Combatant to the board via an Ability. An individual Adventurer may not have more than 1 Command Combatant on the board at any given time using an Ability. Command Combatants placed on the board via Special Encounter Rules or other Adventure Mechanics are not limited to or contribute to this limitation.
- Command Combatants might have scaling Icons. Unless the Command Combatant Card says otherwise, these Icons will Scale off of the Adventurer whose Ability brought them to the board. See Scaling Icons Pg. 72.
Intelligent Combatants
Unless stated otherwise, INTELLIGENT Combatant Cards always represent opponents to the Adventurers and are used to automate figures on the board. This way, players can play against the game cooperatively.
Intelligent Combatants have Initiative Cards and take turns during a round just like Adventurers. In addition, they perform Actions and Abilities following all the same rules as Adventurers. However, during an Intelligent Combatants turn, they have their own special phases they go through.
Some key differences between an Intelligent Combatant and an Adventurer are listed below.
- An Intelligent Combatant has all the rules to use their corresponding figure(s) printed on the card. Because of this, Intelligent Combatants cannot equip Items, learn Disciplines, or Gain XP.
- When an Initiative Card signals the beginning of an Intelligent Combatant's turn, every Intelligent Combatant represented by that card will take a separate turn in order of their Activation Number. See Activation Numbers Pg. 56.
- Intelligent Combatants do not use Stamina Points. Instead, during their turns they are instructed by AI Steps to perform a certain amount of Actions or Abilities.
- Intelligent Combatants do not use Condition Tags. Their limitations are solely determined by their AI Steps.
Setting up Intelligent Combatants
At the start of each Encounter, players deal out each Intelligent Combatant Card that they will be using as evenly as possible among the players.
Intelligent Combatants with more than 3 copies of the same figure will have 2 or more copies of their Combatant Card. These cards will have a different set of Activation Numbers on each Combatant Card. In addition, these Combatant Cards will have 2 or more different Initiative Cards with matching Activation Numbers.
Example: 6 Cave Sickles start on the board during an Encounter. One player would manage the Combatant Card for Cave Sickles 1, 2, and 3, and another player would manage the card for Cave Sickles 4, 5, and 6. Since each Cave Sickle Group has a different Initiative Card, Cave Sickle 1, 2, and 3 will activate at a different time than Cave Sickle 4, 5, and 6.
Intelligent Combatant Turns
When an Intelligent Combatant's Initiative Card signals the start of their turn, go through the following steps for each Combatant represented by the Initiative Card, finishing the steps for the 1st figure before moving on to the next one.
- START OF TURN PHASE: Resolve Abilities and Effects that occur at the start of a turn.
- STATUS PHASE: Any Effects and Abilities that have the STATUS Tag occur during this Phase. See Pg. 95 for a list of Effects.
- ACTIVATION PHASE: Go through the Combatant's AI Steps one at a time until one of the conditions is true. Then, perform the instructions listed under the true condition.
- END OF TURN PHASE: Resolve Abilities and Effects that occur at the end of a turn.
Command Combatant Breakdown
- A — ACTIVATION NAME OR NUMBER: Many Command Cards will not use Activation Numbers. Instead, most will have a single Initiative Card associated with them with their artwork and name on it. These Command Cards will take turns just like Adventurers. See Command Combatant Example 2 on Pg. 73 for another example of a Command Card that uses Activation Numbers or names.
- B — STAMINA RECOVERY BAR: The red dots indicate how many Stamina Points (SP) a Combatant Gains each turn and the total amount of dots denote the maximum number of Stamina Points (SP) that a Combatant may have at any time.
- C — COMBATANT CARD TYPE AND COMBATANT TAGS: Combatant Cards can be one of two types, either Command or Intelligent. Combatant Cards may also have Combatant Tags. See Combatants Pg. 56.
- D — COMBATANT NAME: The name of the Combatant.
- E — PASSIVE ABILITIES: Any Abilities with the PASSIVE Tag are listed here.
- F — ABILITIES: The SP Icon indicates how many SP an Ability costs the Combatant to use. On the right, the name of the Ability is listed along with its Conditions and Tags. Underneath the Ability's name is the Ability text.
- G — STANDARD ATTACK: Every Command Combatant has an Attack they can use that costs 2 SP. If a Command Combatant makes a Free Attack they will reference this Attack. See Command Combatants Pg. 58.
- H — SYMBOL ABILITIES: The Symbols the Combatant may use during an Attack Action.
- I — CONVICTION AND CASTING DICE: Every Combatant Card has Conviction dice. Some also have a Casting die. A Combatant will use their Conviction dice when making Conviction Checks and their Casting die when making a Spell Action. A figure with no Casting Dice listed will never be required to roll one.
- J — HEALTH (HP): The Combatant's maximum HP. Damage tokens are added to the Combatant Card and if a Combatant's Damage equals their maximum HP, they are Defeated.
- K — DEFENSE: This value determines how difficult the Combatant is to hit.
- L — MOVEMENT: This is the Combatant's base Movement Value and determines how many spaces the Combatant may move when making a Move Action.
- M — ARMOR: The amount of PHYSICAL DMG the Combatant reduces when being dealt Damage.
- N — COMBAT DICE: The dice the Combatant uses to form their Combat Dice Pool when making an Attack.
- O — SKILLS: These 5 Skills are used to make Skill Checks when instructed by Adventure Mechanics or Special Encounter Rules.
Actions and Abilities
Players controlling Intelligent Combatants take Actions and use Abilities using most of the same rules as Adventurers and follow the same restrictions. Below are some key differences worth noting.
- Since Intelligent Combatants have all of their relevant information printed on their card, players should always reference the Intelligent Combatant's card when acting.
- When using an Ability that allows an Intelligent Combatant to spend Symbols, the players must spend as many Symbols as they can to cause the most Damage possible.
- Instead of using Stamina Points, Intelligent Combatants do the first listed AI Step with a true condition. Any AI Step that starts an Action is concluded before players continue reading further through the AI Step.
- If an Adventurer ever "ends the current Action and all Abilities" during an AI Combatant's turn, the AI Combatant's current Attack, Move, or Ability immediately ends. An AI Combatant's Ability is considered all Actions in an entire block of text separated by "Then" or "Continue Down". Meaning, after resolving the player's Ability, an AI Combatant would continue its turn starting with the next "Then" or "Continue Down" if any of those steps remain.
AI Steps
During an Intelligent Combatant's Activation Phase they will go through their AI Steps. The AI Steps section on the Intelligent Combatant Card contains the Abilities and Actions an Intelligent Combatant might take during their turn. The AI Steps are listed in the order in which they will occur if their conditions are met.
Starting from the top of the Combatant's AI Steps, players check to see if the bolded condition is true. If it is not, the players continue down to the next bolded condition. Players continue in this fashion until a condition is true. The Combatant then follows the instructions listed beneath the true condition.
If an AI Step instructs the Combatant to make an Attack or Cast a Spell, the Combatant will select its target from only the figures within Range or SOI.
After following the listed instructions on an AI Step, players must check to see if it instructs them to "CONTINUE DOWN." If so, the Combatant will continue down until they find the next AI Step with a true condition. Otherwise, their activation ends.
If there are no remaining true conditions in the AI Steps section, then the Combatant's Activation Phase ends.
IMPORTANT AI RULES:
- Move Actions will still be made by Intelligent Combatants even if it would mean they move 0 spaces.
- If an Intelligent Combatant does not have an AI Step with a true condition, they will do nothing.
- Very rarely, an AI Step will have a true condition but the instructions listed beneath the true condition cannot be performed. If none of the instructions listed beneath a true condition can be performed, players should treat that condition as false.
- Very rarely, an AI Step or Special Rule might instruct an Intelligent Combatant to make an Attack or Cast a Spell against a specific target but the target has since been moved out or Range, been Defeated, or is otherwise no longer a legal target. In these cases, the Attack or Spell will not be made and any further instructions that would require this Attack or Spell to have been made will also not be made.
Golden Rules
To prevent the AI from being abused by player decisions, there are 4 golden rules that must be followed when Activating an Intelligent Combatant.
#1 MULTIPLE CHOICES
Sometimes, a Combatant will have more than one option available to them on their turn. Normally, the Initiative Track is used for tie breakers and to determine targets. However, if an AI Step instructs an Intelligent Combatant to make an Action or use an Ability with more than one option and the Initiative Track cannot be used to determine a meaningful or logical choice, the Intelligent Combatant will choose the option that the players deem most detrimental to the Adventurers.
#2 HURTING THEMSELVES
Sometimes, a Combatant's AI Step will instruct them to do something that might hurt or Defeat them, such as Jumping over Dangerous Terrain or provoking Break Attacks. They will take all Actions as written on their Combatant Card even if it may hurt them. However, if they can still complete the instruction as written without the risk of hurting themselves, they will take the less risky path. This would include such things as moving around Dangerous Terrain if they can still reach their target destination while doing so.
#3 DEFEATING THEMSELVES
Unless otherwise stated, a Combatant will never make an Action or use an Ability that would result in their guaranteed Defeat. This includes ending their turn in Dangerous Terrain, or moving into a position where a Current, or Special Encounter Rule would Defeat them at the end of their turn. This will sometimes cause the Combatant to do nothing on their turn.
#4 NO ACTIONS AVAILABLE
Sometimes, a Combatant will be Attacked from a position where they cannot retaliate or won't act as none of their AI Steps are true. In these cases, if a Combatant has been the target of an opponent's Attack, Spell, or Ability and has no true AI Steps on their turn, add an Aggro token to their card.
While a Combatant Card has an Aggro Token on their card, add the following to the bottom of their card: "Otherwise: Move towards the nearest opponent. This figure may Jump up to 4 spaces during this movement."
Intelligent Combatant Breakdown
- A — ACTIVATION NAME OR NUMBER: If there are multiple figures using the same Combatant Card, these names or numbers are used to keep track of which tokens have been assigned to which figures.
- B — COMBATANT CARD TYPE AND COMBATANT TAGS: Combatant Cards can be one of two types, either Command or Intelligent. Combatant Cards may also have Combatant Tags.
- C — COMBATANT NAME: The name of the Combatant.
- D — PASSIVE ABILITIES: Any Abilities with the PASSIVE Tag are listed here.
- E — AI STEPS: When an Intelligent Combatant activates, they go through their AI Steps to determine what they do. Each AI Step is preceded by a bolded condition. When a true condition is found, follow the instructions listed underneath it. After completing the AI Step, the Combatant's turn ends unless CONTINUE DOWN is listed.
- F — SYMBOL ABILITIES: The Symbols the Combatant may use during an Attack Action.
- G — CONVICTION AND CASTING DICE: Every Combatant Card has Conviction dice. Some also have a Casting die. A Combatant will use their Conviction dice when making Conviction Checks and their Casting die when making a Spell Action. A figure with no Casting Dice listed will never be required to roll one.
- H — LOOT LEVEL: When instructed to Spawn Combatants during an Encounter, players always Spawn Combatants with the Loot Level listed on their cards that corresponds with the Loot Level of the current Encounter.
- I — HEALTH (HP): The Combatant's maximum HP. Damage tokens are added to the Combatant Card and if a Combatant's Damage equals their maximum HP, they are Defeated.
- J — DEFENSE: This value determines how difficult the Combatant is to hit.
- K — MOVEMENT: This is the Combatant's base Movement Value and determines how many spaces the Combatant may move when making a Move Action.
- L — ARMOR: The amount of PHYSICAL DMG the Combatant reduces when being dealt Damage.
- M — COMBAT DICE: The dice the Combatant uses to form their Combat Dice Pool when making an Attack. This is also the dice an Intelligent Combatant will use when making a Free Attack.
Targeting Priority
An Intelligent Combatant's AI Steps will usually specify which figure will be targeted when an Intelligent Combatant takes an Action or uses Abilities. Sometimes, this will be something specific like the opponent with the lowest HP, or the target with the lowest Armor Value. Other times, it simply doesn't specify.
In both cases, players will refer to the specific Action being used to determine eligible targets. For Attack Actions, targets must be within the listed Range and within Line of Sight. For Spell Actions, targets must be within SOI. If the AI Step of an Intelligent Combatant further specifies a target, targets meeting the specific criteria are considered the eligible targets for that Action.
If a specific target is never mentioned, or if there are ever multiple eligible targets even after a more specific target is identified, Combatants will prioritize the target that is closer to the front of the Initiative Track.
Example: An AI Step instructs a Cave Sickle to make a Melee ATK against the target with the most Damage. There are 2 eligible targets, both are within Range, which is adjacent, and they both have the same amount of Damage. Out of the two, the target closer to the front of the Initiative Track would be the target of the Attack.
"Up To" vs "Within"
If an Intelligent Combatant Card references "up to" in its AI Steps, then the Combatant will attempt to use the maximum value if able. If they cannot, then they will use as much as they can.
If an Intelligent Combatant Card references "within," then the Combatant will use the Action or Ability without consideration to maximum Ranges or values.
Example: The Animate's Intelligent Combatant Card says "Move up to 2 spaces farther from the target."
This means the Animate will always move 2 spaces farther from their target unless they cannot. In that case, they will move as many spaces as they are able.
If the Animate's Intelligent Combatant Card instead said, "Move to be within 4 spaces of the nearest opponent." then the Animate would find the nearest opponent. If that opponent was already 4 or fewer spaces away, then the Animate would not move at all. Otherwise, it would move until it was within 4 spaces of the nearest opponent.
IMPORTANT: Some Abilities that Adventurers control will use the language "up to" when referring to things like moving and range. In the case of an Adventurer controlling the Ability, they are not required to use the maximum listed spaces.
"Nearest" and "Farthest"
Intelligent Combatant Cards will sometimes reference Nearest or Farthest. When determining what space, target, or figure is Nearest or Farthest, players should count out the number of spaces in the shortest path to the space, target, or figure using the limitations and rules for the Action in question. (Such as the rules for Movement, Range, or SOI.)
If the Action in question does not have rules to follow for counting range, count out spaces at a 1-for-1 conversion, counting diagonally if necessary, to the target figures or spaces.
Obstructing Terrain spaces can never be counted through when determining this distance.
Moving "Farther"
Intelligent Combatant Cards will sometimes instruct a Combatant to move farther from a space or a figure. When this occurs the Combatant will move one space farther away from the target or space following normal movement rules.
"Towards & Away"
If an Intelligent Combatant Card references "Towards" in its AI Steps, then the Combatant will only move into spaces that are closer to the destination listed in its AI. This movement does not necessarily need to be in a straight line. If the destination is a space occupied by another figure, the destination becomes the nearest adjacent space to the figure.
If an Intelligent Combatant Card references "Away" in its AI Steps, then the Combatant will only move into spaces that are farther from the destination listed in its AI. This movement does not necessarily need to be in a straight line.
If an Intelligent Combatant's AI Step says to move "Towards" or "Away" and there is more than one option available, they will always choose the option that is the most beneficial position possible for themselves.
When determining or counting if a space is farther or closer when referencing "Towards" or "Away", always use the rules for counting movement.
"Then"
Sometimes, AI Steps have instructions to perform individual Abilities or Actions separated by the word "THEN". When this occurs, the current Ability or Action being performed ends and a new line of instruction begins.
It's possible that an AI Step cannot do all of the listed "THEN" steps in its instructions. In these cases, it will skip the current "THEN" in the AI Step.
IMPORTANT: Players must always check if the AI Step has "CONTINUE DOWN" listed, even if the "THEN" instructions above it couldn't be fulfilled.
Example: The Animate has an AI Step with the following condition: "Is there an opponent within SOI?"
Assuming this is true, the Animate will cast a Spell that inflicts Darkness.
THEN, it will make a Ranged Attack prioritizing an opponent with Darkness. If no Adventurers were Inflicted with Darkness, the Animate would attack any opponent within Range 4.
THEN, it will move towards the nearest opponent (Attempting to get as close as possible.).
The next THEN instruction explains that the Animate will Attack an adjacent opponent. If there is no adjacent opponent for the Animate to Attack, it will do nothing. Since the Animate doesn't "CONTINUE DOWN" at the end of this AI Step, its activation would end.
IMPORTANT: Intelligent Combatants will always consider only the possible targets for an Action unless they specifically state otherwise. For example, if an Attack would target the figure with the most Damage, it will target the figure with the most Damage in Range.
Discipline Ability Tree
Assemblage
- LVL 1: Banished Knowledge, Last Laugh, Familiar (Tatva, Tristram, Yuxa, Animism), Forebode, Perfect Love, Euthanasia, Sanctuary
- LVL 2: BFF, Imposed Paradigm, Possession, Ruination, Fortune Telling, Summoning, Conduit Summoning
- LVL 3: Exalted Summoning, The Pessimist, Helping Hands, Resonance, Friends With Benefits
- LVL 4: Felled Afterlife, The Tower Reversed, Soul Bond
Cruor
- LVL 1: Life Tithe, Crumbling Time, Imbued Fear, Gore Shot, Oxygen Syphon, Corrosive Ideal, To Faust
- LVL 2: Bring The Shadows, Blood Pact, Blood Toll, Root The Mind, In Dreams, Soul Steal, Organic Liquefy
- LVL 3: Wretched Tether, In Secret, Life Grasp, Sinful Privilege, Soul Pact
- LVL 4: He Watches, Ineptitude, Abbadon's Subtlety
Martial
- LVL 1: Anticipated Attack, Blade Works, Chains of Command, Critical Defense, Hammer Helm, Fortuitous Homicide, Living Bulwark
- LVL 2: Blood Rage, Onslaught, Dead End, Mage Breaker, Physically Perfected, Promise, Whirlwind
- LVL 3: Morbid Envy, Bring the Wrath, Nemesis Enforcement, Gigas Grip, Relentless Feign
- LVL 4: Challenge Supreme, Master Of The Vessel, Will To Live
Sanctus
- LVL 1: Aspect, Guardian Angel, Intervention, Nirvana's Mark, Magic Armor, Courage Stifle, Mend
- LVL 2: Ascension, Soul Clear, From The Grave, Paradigm Assault, Proof of Divinity, Fervor, Salvation
- LVL 3: Greater Existence, Font Of Renewal, Wings Manifest, Invincibility, Zealous Reprisal
- LVL 4: Inspiration, Dimension Shift, The Only Truth
Subterfuge
- LVL 1: Trick Shot, Follow Through, Kill The Messenger, Like The Shadows, Murder Circus, Shame Of The Otaku, Speed Injustice
- LVL 2: Blade Distortion, False Idol, Quick Blow, Overwatch, Friend Over Foe, Down The Masses, C.Q.C.
- LVL 3: Precise Strike, Profound Intuition, Rapid Reload, Jack Of All Blades, Ninjutsu
- LVL 4: Fist Of Polaris, Brutal Slaughter, Blot Out The Sun
Intelligent Combatant Turn Walkthrough
Example 1
The Animate begins with the Start of Turn Phase. There are no Abilities that occur in the Start of Turn or Status Phases, so the Animate moves on to the Activation Phase. This Animate is adjacent to 3 Adventurers and has 3 Damage tokens on its card. At the start of the Activation Phase, players check the Animate's card to make sure there are no relevant Passive Abilities that may occur during the Animate's turn. Both of the Animate's Passive Abilities happen when the Animate is Attacking, so the players will keep those Abilities in mind as they continue to the Animate's AI Steps.
Since the Animate has Damage tokens on its card (A), its first AI Step's bolded condition (D) is true. This means that the Animate will HEAL 2. The player removes 2 Damage tokens from the Animate, making its total Damage 1.
Since the AI Step has CONTINUE DOWN listed in its instructions, the players continue to the next bolded condition (E).
The second AI Step occurs if there is at least 1 opponent adjacent to the Animate. Since there are 3 opponents adjacent, the Condition is true.
The Animate makes a Melee ATK. Since the AI Step did not specify a target and there are 3 eligible targets, players check to see which Adventurer's Initiative Card is closer to the front of the Initiative Track. In this example, Rook's Initiative Card is at the front of the Initiative Track (I), so he is the target.
The Animate builds its Combat Dice Pool using its listed Combat Dice (H) of WHITE and PURPLE. Checking the Passive Ability Heavy Cleave (C), the players determine that it will occur during this Attack since this is the first Attack the Animate will make against an adjacent opponent this turn. So the Animate adds the BLACK die to its Combat Dice Pool.
Rook declines to Dodge and the Animate rolls a WHITE 6 and PURPLE 3 for a total of 9. It also rolls 6 Books and 2 Shields.
This beats Rook's Defense Value by 2 and the Attack hits.
During the Determining Damage Step of the Attack, the Animate spends 2 Shields and 2 Books to add +2 PHYSICAL DMG (G). Including the difference rolled to hit, the PHYSICAL DMG determined is 4. (A difference of 2, and +2 Physical Damage from symbols.)
The Damage would then be reduced by Rook's Armor Value, but since he has no Items equipped with an Armor Value, his Armor Value is 0 so the Damage is not reduced.
The Final Damage of the Attack is 4 and Rook adds 4 Damage tokens to his card.
After the Animate concludes its Attack, it would normally continue to the next "THEN" in the AI Step. However, since it hit with an Attack, the Passive Ability Chains of Perdition (B) is used, and the Animate Attacks the same target again.
Since it's not the first time the Animate has made a Melee Attack this turn, the Animate doesn't add the BLACK die to its Combat Dice Pool via Heavy Cleave.
Rook has the option to Dodge again but declines and the Animate rolls a WHITE 7, and a PURPLE 3 for a total of 10. It also rolls 2 Books, 2 Shields and 1 Burst. The Attack beats Rook's Defense Value by 3, resulting in a hit.
During the Determining Damage Step of the Attack, the Animate spends 2 Shields and 2 Books to add +2 PHYSICAL DMG. Then, the Animate spends its 1 Burst to add +2 PHYSICAL DMG. This brings the total added Damage via symbols to +4 PHYSICAL DMG. (G). Including the difference rolled to hit, the total PHYSICAL DMG determined is 7. (A difference rolled of 3, and +4 Physical Damage from symbols.)
The Damage would be reduced by Rook's Armor Value, but, again, his Armor Value is 0 so the Damage is not reduced. The Final Damage of the Attack is 7 and Rook adds 7 more Damage tokens to his card.
This would bring Rook's total Damage to 11. Since Rook has 14 Health, he's still on the board, ready to fight.
Now that the Attack granted by Chains of Perdition has ended, the Animate continues its AI Step. The next "THEN" says to move 2 spaces farther from the target, so the Animate moves 2 spaces from Rook to space J. Normally, moving out of a space adjacent to an opponent would provoke a Break Attack, but the AI Step instructions specifically state that this movement does not provoke Break Attacks.
This concludes the Animate's turn, if there was another Animate on the board it would now take its turn.
Example 2
The Animate begins with the Start of Turn Phase. There are no Abilities that occur in the Start of Turn or Status Phases, so the Animate moves on to the Activation Phase. At the start of the Activation Phase, players check the Animate's card to make sure there are no relevant Passive Abilities that may occur during the Animate's turn. Both of the Animate's Passive Abilities happen when the Animate is Attacking, so the players will keep those Abilities in mind as they continue to the Animate's AI Steps.
The Animate starts its Activation Phase with no Damage, so the first AI Step's bolded condition (C) is false. The players then CONTINUE DOWN the second AI Step.
The second AI Step's bolded condition (D) is also false since there are no opponents adjacent to the Animate. The players then continue to the third AI Step.
There are 2 Adventurers within the Animate's SOI. This means that the Animate's third AI Step's bolded condition (E) is true. The Animate will cast a SPELL 6 on one of the two Adventurers within its SOI. If the target is affected by the Spell they will be Inflicted with Darkness. The AI Step specifies that the Animate will prioritize the opponent with the lowest Conviction Value without Darkness.
Since neither Adventurer has Darkness, the Adventurer with the lowest Conviction Value would be targeted. To determine which Adventurer has the lowest Conviction Value, see Conviction and Casting Value on the back of this Rulebook.
In this example, neither Zeke nor Remi has Darkness or Items that grant a Conviction Upgrade. Since both Adventurers have 2 PURPLE Conviction Dice (I), they are both eligible targets. This means the Animate will target the Adventurer whose Initiative Card is closer to the front of the Initiative Track.
Since Remi's Initiative Card is at the front of the Initiative Track, she becomes the target (K). Luckily for her, the Animate's Passive Abilities (A and B) only work when making Attacks, and not while casting Spells.
This AI Step starts a Spell Action by Determining the Force of the Spell.
The Animate rolls its Spell casting Die and gets a 3, making the total force of the Spell 9. Remi now rolls her Conviction of 2 PURPLE (I).
Remi rolls a PURPLE 5 and PURPLE 3 for a total of 8. Since Remi rolled less than the Spell's Force Value of 9, the Spell Inflicts Darkness. The player takes a Darkness token and puts it on Remi's card to indicate she has the Effect.
After casting the Spell, the Animate continues to its next "THEN" listed in its AI Step (E).
The Animate now makes a Ranged 4 ATK prioritizing an opponent with Darkness. Since Remi (K) now has Darkness, she is chosen as the target.
The Animate builds its Combat Dice Pool using its Combat Dice (H). Since its HEAVY CLEAVE (B) Passive Ability only works when making an Attack against an adjacent opponent, the Animate doesn't EMPOWER this Attack.
Remi is given the option to DODGE but cannot due to Darkness.
The Animate rolls a WHITE 6 and a PURPLE 2 for a total of 8. It also rolls 1 Book and 2 Shields. This exceeds Remi's Defense Value of 7 (I) by 1 and the Attack hits. The Animate then spends the two Symbols to add +1 PHYSICAL DMG to the Attack (G).
The 2 determined PHYSICAL DMG is then reduced by Remi's Armor Value of 2 granted by her Cuirass. Remi's Armor Value of 2 reduces the Damage done to her to 0. She's lucky!
But... Even though the Attack did no Final Damage, the Attack still hit, and because Remi was the first opponent the Animate hit with an Attack this turn, the Animate's Passive Ability Chains Of Perdition (A) triggers and it makes another Ranged 4 ATK against Remi.
Since Remi can't DODGE, the Animate will just roll its Combat Dice Pool (H). It gets a WHITE 3 and PURPLE 2, for a total of 5. This does not beat Remi's Defense Value of 7 and the Attack misses. Phew!
After using Chains of Perdition, the Animate continues to the next "THEN" in its AI Step (E).
The Animate moves towards the nearest opponent. To determine the nearest opponent, players count out spaces following the rules for Range. Because Zeke is the nearest opponent, and the Animate has no other way to reach Zeke, the Animate will Jump the two gaps required to get adjacent to Zeke. The Animate must make two Skill Checks by rolling the BLACK die. If the Skull is rolled on either space Jumped, the Animate would be Defeated. The Animate rolls twice, passes both rolls, and arrives at (J).
Then, the Animate makes a Melee ATK against the opponent with the most Damage. Since Zeke is the only opponent within Range, he is chosen as the target. Checking the Passive Ability Heavy Cleave (C), the players determine that it will occur during this Attack since this is the first Attack the Animate will make against an adjacent opponent this turn. So the Animate adds the BLACK die to its Combat Dice Pool. Zeke is given the option to Dodge but declines.
The Animate rolls a WHITE 6 and a PURPLE 6, for a total of 12. It also rolls 7 Books and 3 Shields. This beats Zeke's Defense Value by 5. The Animate then Determines Damage and spends 3 Books and 3 Shields to add +3 PHYSICAL DMG (G) for a total of 8 PHYSICAL DMG. (A difference of 5, and +3 Physical Damage from symbols.)
The 8 PHYSICAL DMG is then reduced by Zeke's Armor Value of 2 granted by the Cuirass he has equipped. Like Remi, Zeke's Armor Value of 2 reduces the Damage done by 2. The Final Damage of 6 is dealt to Zeke.
However, Zeke decides that 6 Damage is worth using the Cuirass' PER ENCOUNTER Ability to ignore all PHYSICAL DMG dealt. After marking the Cuirass with a Used token to remind himself that he's used the Ability, Zeke takes 0 Final Damage.
AI steps continue to be considered until there is a step that is true that does not have "CONTINUE DOWN" listed. Since this AI step (E) was true, but does not have "CONTINUE DOWN" listed, the Animate concludes his turn. If there was another Animate on the board it would now take its turn starting from the top of its Intelligent Combatant Card's AI steps.
Other Important Rules
Skill Checks
Special Encounter Rules and Adventure Mechanics will sometimes require Adventurers or Combatants to make Skill Checks. These Skill Checks represent various non-combat challenges the players may be faced with. Depending on whether the figure is an Adventurer or an INTELLIGENT Combatant, the rules for making a Skill Check are different.
Skill Checks might require a specific figure, multiple figures, or a random figure to pass them. Whether a Skill Check passes or fails, the instructions will tell the players how to proceed.
Adventurer Skill Checks
To make a Skill Check, the Adventurer rolls 2 PURPLE dice and adds the appropriate Skill Value (Example: Perception, Strength, Lore, etc.) from their Adventurer Card. If the total is equal to or greater than the listed Skill Check, they pass. Some Abilities will modify Skill Checks or Skill Values.
Only Abilities with a Passive Condition Tag may modify Skill Checks that occur outside of Encounters. In these cases, the Ability must also be used by an Adventurer currently in the Active Party. Sometimes an Adventure Mechanic might call for a Combined Skill Check. In these cases, all figures specified to make the Check roll separate Skill Checks and add their totals to determine if they all passed or all failed.
Combatant Skill Checks
Combatants may have to make Skill Checks. COMMAND Combatants, Loyal Espers, and Conduits can all make Skill Checks the same as Adventurers. However, since INTELLIGENT Combatants do not have printed Skill Values like all the other cards, anytime an INTELLIGENT Combatant is required to make a Skill Check they will roll the BLACK die. Any roll other than the Skull is considered to pass the Check.
IMPORTANT: An INTELLIGENT Combatant will never Jump more than 2 spaces in a single Jump Check. If the condition of an Intelligent Combatant's Step would require a Jump of more than 2 spaces, then the condition is considered false.
Jumping
During an Adventurer's movement, they may choose to Jump over spaces which they would otherwise prefer to not move through.
Jumping is defined as moving over 1 or more spaces without being affected by the Terrain's effects (Reduced Movement, being Defeated, etc).
Jumping may only be done during a Move Action or Free Movement and Jumping over spaces expends Movement Points in the same way Movement does.
During Movement, an Adventurer declares that they are Jumping. Designate a space for the Adventurer to end their Jump on. Each space Jumped over requires a Movement Point, just like normal movement.
The space being Jumped out of must be an unoccupied Normal Terrain space.
The space(s) being Jumped over cannot be occupied by another figure.
The space being Jumped into may be any type of Terrain (other than Obstructing), but cannot be occupied by another figure.
To check if the Jump was successful, make an Agility 10 Skill Check. For each additional space Jumped over after the first, add +2 to the difficulty of the Skill Check.
If 1 or more allies are adjacent to the space the Adventurer is Jumping out of, they may add a single ally's Strength to their roll when making the Skill Check, as the ally gives them a boost.
If an Adventurer fails the Skill Check and an ally is adjacent to the space they are Jumping into, the ally may attempt to catch them by making a Perception Skill Check with a difficulty equal to the difficulty of the Agility Check that was failed.
If an Adventurer fails the Skill Check and an ally does not pass a Perception Check to catch the Adventurer, or if there isn't an Adventurer to try and catch them, the Adventurer lands on the first space they attempted to Jump over and the Ability or Action that granted the Movement ends. Both Move Actions and Free Movement can no longer be made by the Adventurer during the remainder of their turn.
If the Adventurer passes the Skill Check, place the Adventurer's figure on the space they chose when starting their Jump. The Adventurer then continues their Movement.
IMPORTANT: If a figure fails a Jump Check that includes any Terrain that would otherwise Defeat them, and they are not caught by an ally, that figure is Defeated regardless of what space they started the Jump Check from.
Example: If Zeke Jumps over A and then continues to Jump over B, he would make two Agility 10 checks. If he failed either of these Skill Checks, he would immediately end his Move Action in the first space he failed to Jump over.
Being Defeated
When an Adventurer or Combatant Gains Damage tokens equal to their maximum HP, they are Defeated. When Defeated, go through the following steps:
BEING DEFEATED:
- Remove all Effect, Special Effect, and Ability tokens. If the figure is an Intelligent Combatant, remove all Damage tokens. All Tracker tokens are required to stay unless the rule in question they are tracking is no longer required by the players to track.
- Remove their corresponding figure from the board.
- Remove their corresponding Initiative Card from the Initiative Track. When this happens, the other Initiative Cards collapse to fill in the empty space.
ADDITIONAL RULES:
- Unless specified otherwise, Combatant tokens are intended to stay in play after their corresponding Combatant has been Defeated. If a Combatant token is on the card of an Adventurer or Combatant when they are Defeated, their token is placed on any space occupied by the Adventurer who was Defeated. If more than one space is required, choose the nearest legal space.
- A figure can never have more Damage tokens than their maximum HP.
- If an Ability or Effect would cause an Adventurer to become Defeated, immediately remove the figure from the board. Then, add Damage tokens to their card equal to their remaining HP. This does not count as Damage being dealt and cannot be interacted with in any way.
- Adventurers and allied Combatants do not remove Damage tokens when Defeated. Instead, Defeated Adventurers and allied Combatants return to play during the Setup of the next Encounter. During the Prepare Phase, all Defeated Adventurers or Adventurers with more Damage tokens than half of their max HP remove Damage tokens until they have Damage tokens equal to half of their max HP. See Setting Up Pg. 14.
- If an Encounter's Rewards instructs players to Restore, all Adventurers and allied Combatants remove all Damage tokens.
- If an Adventurer or allied Combatant is ever revived via an Ability, if any rules associated with the placement of their figure or Initiative Card are in question, treat them as though they were a Combatant Spawning.
Opponents and Allies
Adventurers and Combatants have allies and opponents and depending on the figure, these opponents and allies can change. A figure's opponent is any figure with an opposing goal. A figure's ally is any figure that shares the same goal and has no reason to hinder them in achieving their goal.
Whenever the term "ally" and "allies" is used during an Action or Ability, it is also referring to the figure using that Action or Ability. When an Action or Ability says "other" or "another" ally, it is referring to any allied figure besides the one using that Action or Ability.
Special Effects
Some Abilities add tokens as Special Effect tokens. These tokens count as Effects and follow all the rules of normal Effects except that they cannot be Gained in any way other than the specific Abilities that add them. See Special Effect Tokens Pg. 95.
Multiple Initiative Cards
Special Encounter Rules, Passive Abilities, or Adventure Mechanics might instruct players to use more than 1 Initiative Card for any given Combatant. These cards are shuffled, added, and removed from the Initiative Track like normal. A Combatant with multiple Initiative Cards will take a separate turn for each Initiative Card it has during the round.
Combatant Tokens
Combatant tokens are unique tokens that are put into play by Combatants and Adventurers. These tokens have special rules associated with them. See Combatant Tokens Pg. 97. In addition to the rules listed on Table 9, unless otherwise specified, Combatant tokens have the following rules associated with them:
- Can occupy the same space as other figures or tokens and do not block Line of Sight or movement into spaces they occupy.
- Can be moved by Currents and other Special Encounter Rules that would move figures or tokens on the board. Damage that would be dealt from this movement, such as being Pushed into obstructing Terrain, is also dealt to a Combatant token.
- Cannot be attacked or targeted by Spells.
- Can be moved by Abilities that would move, PUSH, PULL, or COMMAND all figures within Range or SOI. When affected by these Abilities, Combatant tokens automatically fail any Conviction Check required.
- That are Defeated by a Terrain effect (such as Dangerous Terrain) or take Damage by a Terrain effect (such as being Pushed into Obstructing Terrain) are discarded without effect.
- Some Combatant tokens say they count as Figures or Terrain. In these cases, these Combatant tokens will follow all the rules associated with their corresponding component type.
Gaining Items During an Encounter
Items Gained via Loot tokens are Gained by the Adventurer that activated the Loot token. Similarly, Items Gained by drawing the Monster Loot or Unique Loot cards are Gained by the Adventurer that Defeated the opponent.
If the party Gains an Item via an Achievement or other Special Encounter Rule (or if it is not explicitly clear which player Gains an Item, the players may choose who Gains the Item.)
If it's ambiguous as to what Adventurer would normally Gain the Item, the players may choose which Adventurer Gains the Item.
If an Adventurer has no room for an Item that they have Gained, they may either discard an Item in their Pack to make room, discard the Item itself, or move the Item to the Party Stash.
Any time an Adventurer Gains an Item from another Adventurer or from a Reward, they may Immediately re-equip their own Items as though they had taken a free Re-Equip Action.
Simultaneous Abilities
Anytime two or more Abilities would occur at the same time and the order in which they resolve is important, players should always resolve the Abilities in the order in which is the most beneficial to the figure currently taking the turn.
Effects, Special Effects, & Ability Limitations
An Adventurer may not have more than 1 of any given type of Effect Token. This means that you can have both Barrier and Haste, but you cannot have Barrier or Haste twice.
The limitation on Ability Tokens changes depending on the Ability Token in question. If an Ability Token doesn't specify a limit in the back of this Rulebook, there is no limit to how many tokens a figure may have.
Redirect
This Tag grants an Ability that changes the intended target of the listed Action or Ability being used by an opponent to another figure under specific timing conditions. The specific Actions, Abilities, and their timing in question are listed on the Ability that grants Redirect. Additionally, the figure(s) that it can target instead are also listed.
Example: "Before an ally within Range 2 would Determine Damage from an Attack made against them, or Resolve the Spell's Effect from a Spell made against them, REDIRECT to yourself."
In the above example, this Ability would allow a player to change the target of an Attack or Spell after the Attack or Spell is made against another Ally within Range, but before the Damage would be made. In this way, the player may choose to take the hit and use their Armor to reduce the Damage instead.
When a figure uses Redirect, the new target must be a valid target of the original Attack or Spell being made. Meaning, if it is an Attack, they must be within Line of Sight and Range of the figure making the Attack. If it is a Spell, they must be within SOI of the figure casting the Spell.
After using Redirect to change the target of an Attack or Spell, the opponent who's Attack or Spell was redirected will continue the Action or Ability that granted that Attack or Spell as if the new figure were the original target. Meaning, any additional Effects, Actions, or Abilities granted by the original Ability used by the opponent are now used against the new figure being targeted.
If additional Abilities, Actions, or Spells beyond the first Attack or Spell are now out of Range, these Abilities, Actions or Spells are lost.
Example: Let's say that a Cave Sickle started the above AI Step, and the first Attack Action was redirected using the previous example's Ability. Let's also say that the first Action happens to also Defeat the player it was redirected to. While the FU Abilities would still target the figure they were redirected to, that figure is no longer in Range (as they are Defeated) and would miss.
For the purpose of AI Combatants, Redirect affects an AI Combatant's entire block of text separated by "Then" or "Continue Down". Meaning, after resolving the current Action or Ability against the new target, an AI Combatant would continue its turn starting with the next "Then" or "Continue Down" if any of those steps remain.
Example: Let's say that a Cave Sickle started the above AI Step, and the first Attack Action was redirected using the previous example's Ability. After resolving the Ranged Attack, the Cave Sickle would start its next "THEN" step. In this case, it would Move to be adjacent to the opponent with the most Damage within movement range. The Redirect would have ended, thus, it would have no effect on this AI Step. (Or any other AI Step on the next "THEN" or "Continue Down")
Component Limits
Due to the nature of boardgames, we have designed Middara around the practical idea of component limitations. Meaning, you will rarely be required to use a component that you ran out of. However, Middara is also inspired by TableTop Miniature and Role Playing Games more than anything else. Meaning, we purposely don't want to make our game arbitrarily limited.
If you are instructed to Spawn a figure and all copies of that figure are already in play (and you do not have a Variation or Alternate version to spawn), do not Spawn anything.
Store Items and Disciplines are not limited by the components included in the game box. However, without additional components, or print and play options, you will naturally be limited to what's in the box. Unique Items and Wandering Items are intended to be limited by the number of copies included as they are thematically unique. While Relics do not have a component limit, Adventurers may not have more than 1 Relic of the same name equipped or in their Pack at the same time.
Terrain and tokens of all types that do not say they are limited are assumed to be infinite. We avoid, to the best of our Abilities, situations where this limitation will be violated. In the rare case it does, we recommend doing what Role Players do, using any small object around your home and your imagination.
Large Base Figures
Some figures occupy more than 1 space. These figures are called Large Based Figures and have special rules associated with their large size.
- When drawing Line of Sight, Range, or SOI to or from a Large Based Figure, you must use a single space their figure occupies. The figure making the Action or using the Ability may choose which space to use. Intelligent Combatants will always use the most beneficial space.
- Large Based Figures are only affected by Terrain (except Obstructing Terrain), when each space their base occupies is inside of the same type of Terrain. Exceptions are listed on the Terrain in question. See Table 7: Terrain Types, Pg. 96.
- When moving, count each space one at a time like normal. A Large Based Figure may not move into any space unless every space its base occupies could be placed following all the normal rules of movement.
- Large Based Figures can occupy different Elevations at once. When moving, at least one space their base occupies must be considered and is still subject to all the rules of moving up or down Elevation. An Elevation change of 3 or more will only Defeat a Large Based Figure if no other space it occupied made an Elevation change of less than 3.
- Large Based Figures spawned will DISPLACE other figures.
- Large Based Figures placed on the board via an Ability (e.g. WARP, SUMMONING, CONDUITS) will DISPLACE other figures.
- If a Large Based Figure is too large to be Spawned or placed by an Ability due to Obstructing Terrain, place them on the closest set of spaces that would not result in their entire base occupying Dangerous Terrain instead. Then, DISPLACE other figures.
- When instructed to Spawn a Large Based Figure on a space smaller than its base size, place their figure so that its base occupies at least one of the non-Dangerous space(s) depicted/instructed.
Reducing Numbers
No Value can be reduced below 0. This includes Attack rolls, Damage, Range, or any other number. If an Effect, Ability, or Action would reduce a value below 0, that value is 0 instead.
Rounding Numbers
Anytime you must cut a number in half, you always round up to the nearest whole number. This could be Damage, Gold, or any other number in the game.
Companions
Companions represent characters in the story that help out the players in the Adventure Mode. Typically, these will be found in the Hidden Card deck. These cards do not count against an Adventurer's Item limits, but an Adventurer is limited to having only 1 Companion equipped. Companions can not be Stored in the Pack, but they may be Stored in the Party Stash.
Thematically, Companions are doing their own thing to protect the Adventurer they are attached to. Because of this, Companion cards are not affected by Disciplines or Effects that might prevent them from being used by the Adventurer they are attached to. This means that Companions cards may still be used even while an Adventurer is Paralyzed or in Conduit Form.
Re-Rolling Dice
When using an Ability that re-rolls a roll, or a specific die, you must use this Ability during when the roll or die in question is rolled. You may not wait until a later step of the occurring Action. Once this roll or die has been chosen and re-rolled, the new value must be kept. Alternatively, if you choose not to re-roll the roll or specific die, you may not choose to do so after the step of the Action or effect of the roll has been resolved. There is no limit to the amount of times a die or roll may be re-rolled.
Forced Movement
Some Abilities may refer to "Forced Movement". Forced Movement is defined as any Movement a Combatant makes that they had no choice in making. This includes being moved via Push, Pull, Command, or via Terrain Effects or Special Encounter Rules such as Currents. Additionally, it's possible for a Combatant to use an Ability that moves them an amount of spaces as part of the Ability text. If this Movement is not listed as optional (i.e. "you may") or as "up to" an amount of spaces, this is also considered Forced Movement. Movement made via a Move Action or Symbol Ability controlled by the combatant is always considered Voluntary.
Scaling Icons
Some Icons, numbers, or Combat Dice have the asterisk image on it. This means that this is a Scaling Icon. A Combatant Card might contain Scaling Icons. Scaling Icons represent Icons of any type whose value is dependent on another figure's card. Both COMMAND Combatants and INTELLIGENT Combatants might use Scaling Icons. Meaning, both allies and opponents might get stronger as an Adventure progresses.
COMMAND Combatants that come into play via an Adventure Mechanic, (such as a hidden character in an Adventure) might contain Scaling Icons. Meanwhile, COMMAND Combatants brought into an Encounter via a Discipline or Ability learned by an Adventurer (such as SUMMONING from ASSEMBLAGE) will typically always use Scaling Icons.
COMMAND Combatants use the below special rules to determine their Scaling Icon values. Depending on the Stat or Value in question, the rules for how to determine these values is as followed:
Value:
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Combat Dice: If the stat in question is Combat Dice, the Combatant Card would use the Adventurers currently equipped Combat Dice. This includes any Abilities that passively change these dice when Attacking. (Finesse, Empower, etc.)
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Conviction: If the stat in question is Conviction, the Command Card would use the Adventurers two best Conviction Upgrades.
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Casting: If the stat in question is Casting, the Command Card would use the Adventurers Casting Upgrade. This includes any Abilities that passively change these dice when Casting a Spell. (Empower, etc.)
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Force: If the stat in question is a Force Value marked as Force (asterisk), then the Force Value will always be equal to 6 plus the highest LVL Discipline learned by the Adventurer whose card is being referenced.
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Health: If the stat in question is Health, the Command Cards use the Adventurer's normal maximum HP. This would be their base HP (Usually 12) plus the Icon bonus to HP on their equipped Items and learned Disciplines.
While an Adventurer in Conduit Form may not use any of their learned Disciplines or their equipped Items, any Ability that adds to maximum HP is still used to determine their maximum HP.
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Symbol Abilities: If the stat in question are Symbol Abilities, the Command Card uses the Symbol Abilities printed on their equipped Items and learned Disciplines that deal PHYSICAL DMG, MAGIC DMG, or Spell-Like Abilities.
Any conditions required on Abilities that add these symbols must still be met. Symbol Abilities listed on the Command Cards are in addition to the ones gained from the Scaling Icons.
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Defense: If the stat in question is Defense, the Command Card would use the Adventurer's base Defense (Usually 7) plus the Icon bonus to Defense on their equipped Core and Armor Items.
INTELLIGENT Combatants might also use Scaling Icon rules when an Ability says so (such as Summoning an OPPOSING ESPER) or when a Special Encounter Rule specifically says so.
When an INTELLIGENT Combatant Card would use Scaling Icons, the corresponding card they should reference to determine their stats will always be listed in the Special Encounter Rule, The Rulebook, or on the Ability in question. See Opposing Espers Pg. 76.
Note: Scaling Icons are used sparingly in Middara. Typically, the only cards using these rules are allied Combatants brought to the table via Abilities such as Summoning who should get stronger as a corresponding Adventurer gets stronger.
Occasionally, there will be monsters or antagonists in an Adventure that participate in Encounters that also need to get stronger based on their own allies. These Combatants might also use these rules.
Command Combatant Breakdown (Example 2)
- A — ACTIVATION NAME OR NUMBER: If there are multiple figures using the same Combatant Card, these names or numbers are used to keep track of which tokens have been assigned to which figures. Typically, there will be an Initiative Card for each named Combatant.
- B — STAMINA RECOVERY BAR: The red dots indicate how many Stamina Points (SP) a Combatant Gains each turn and the total amount of dots denote the maximum number of Stamina Points (SP) that a Combatant may have at any time.
- C — COMBATANT CARD TYPE AND COMBATANT TAGS: Combatant Cards can be one of two types, either Command or Intelligent. Combatant Cards may also have Combatant Tags. See Combatants Pg. 56.
- D — COMBATANT NAME: The name of the Combatant.
- E — PASSIVE ABILITIES: Any Abilities with the PASSIVE Tag are listed here.
- F — ABILITIES: The SP Icon indicates how many SP an Ability costs the Combatant to use. On the right, the name of the Ability is listed along with its Conditions and Tags. Underneath the Ability's name is the Ability text.
- G — STANDARD ATTACK: Every Command Combatant has an Attack they can use that costs 2 SP. If a Command Combatant makes a Free Attack they will reference this Attack. See Command Combatants Pg. 58.
- H — SYMBOL ABILITIES: The Symbols the Combatant may use during an Attack Action.
- I — CONVICTION AND CASTING DICE: Every Combatant Card has Conviction dice. Some also have a Casting die. A Combatant will use their Conviction dice when making Conviction Checks and their Casting die when making a Spell Action. A figure with no Casting Dice listed will never be required to roll one.
- J — HEALTH (HP): The Combatant's maximum HP. Damage tokens are added to the Combatant Card and if a Combatant's Damage equals their maximum HP, they are Defeated.
- K — DEFENSE: This value determines how difficult the Combatant is to hit.
- L — MOVEMENT: This is the Combatant's base Movement Value and determines how many spaces the Combatant may move when making a Move Action.
- M — ARMOR: The amount of PHYSICAL DMG the Combatant reduces when being dealt Damage.
- N — COMBAT DICE: The dice the Combatant uses to form their Combat Dice Pool when making an Attack.
- O — SKILLS: These 5 Skills are used to make Skill Checks when instructed by Adventure Mechanics or Special Encounter Rules.
Note: Depending on the Tags listed on the Command Card, some Combatant's will have an asterisk listed where a number, Icon, or Combat Dice usually go. In these cases, they'll use the stat on a specific Adventurers card. See Scaling Icons Pg. 72.
Scaling Icon Example
Nightingale has a Magic Staff and a Cuirass equipped. She also has the Nirvana's Mark and Summoning Disciplines.
She decides to summon Zulfiqar using the Assemblage Discipline, Summoning. After placing the figure according to the Summoning rules, (See Summoning Pg. 75.), she takes the Loyal Esper card and puts it into play under her control.
This Loyal Esper uses Scaling Icons for its HP, Combat Dice, Conviction Dice, Casting Die, Defense, and Symbol Abilities. These Icons are easily identifiable by the symbol depicted on the Icons or Stats in question.
To determine its HP, Nightingale would determine her own maximum HP by taking the HP printed on her Adventure Card (12) and adding all bonuses on equipped Items and Disciplines with a passive Icon bonus to HP. Both the Cuirass and Nirvana's Mark add +2 HP. This means that Zulfiqar's total HP would be 16.
Due to her equipped Magic Staff, Zulfiqar would Gain WHITE and PURPLE Combat Dice and gain a WHITE Casting Dice. If she didn't have any Casting Upgrades, Zulfiqar would use Nightingale's base PURPLE Die instead.
Meanwhile, Zulfiqar's Defense would be 7 and it's Conviction would be PURPLE PURPLE since no equipped Items or Disciplines on Nightingale add to these values.
Lastly, whenever Zulfiqar would make an Attack, it could use any Symbol Abilities printed on Items or Disciplines Nightingale has. In this case, her Magic Staff allows for Zulfiqar to use books and bursts to add MAGIC DMG.
Special Assemblage Disciplines
Summoning
Middara contains Command Combatant Cards with the LOYAL ESPER Tag. While an Adventurer has the Summoning Discipline, they may Spawn a LOYAL ESPER Command Combatant to fight with them.
When an Adventurer uses the Summoning Discipline they will choose any available LOYAL ESPER they own from their Middara collection. An available LOYAL ESPER is any Loyal Esper card that has not already been summoned or dismissed by a summoner since the last time the players were instructed to Restore.
Once summoned, the LOYAL ESPER'S figure is placed on the board within the summoner's Sphere of Influence (SOI). Their corresponding card is set up in front of that player (with full health) and their Initiative Card is added to the Initiative Track as if they had just been Spawned.
Finally, the summoner will Gain a Summon token. These tokens may be used to use other Abilities a summoner might have.
Example: The Summoning Discipline allows an Adventurer to discard one of these tokens any time a Loyal Esper the summoner controls would take damage. For each Summon token discarded, reduce any Non-Irreducible Damage that the LOYAL ESPER would take by 2. Some Disciplines and Items might give you additional Summon tokens or even new Abilities to use with these tokens.
There are special rules associated with LOYAL ESPERS:
- If a LOYAL ESPER would ever take Damage from an opponent, their summoner must take an equal amount of IRREDUCIBLE DMG. A summoner may ignore all Damage being dealt to them in this way by dismissing the Loyal Esper taking this Damage. Espers dismissed in this way count as being Defeated. Loyal Espers who deal themselves Damage via an Ability, Redirect Damage, take Damage from Terrain, or take Damage from Special Encounter Rules, do not deal Damage to their summoner.
- A summoner may dismiss a Loyal Esper they control during their Status Phase. Doing so removes the Loyal Esper from the board. A dismissed LOYAL ESPER doesn't count as being Defeated and deals no Damage to the summoner.
- A LOYAL ESPER will persist between Encounters and is only removed from the board if they are Defeated, or if the Adventurers are instructed to Restore. LOYAL ESPERS do not heal between Encounters. When setting up a new Encounter, if an Adventurer has a LOYAL ESPER under their control, they may place the LOYAL ESPER(S) on any adjacent space to the starting location their summoner started in. (or the closest Non-Dangerous space otherwise)
- Players should set aside the cards of any dismissed and Defeated Loyal Esper to remind them that this card has already been summoned. When players are instructed to Restore, return all Loyal Espers to the available Loyal Esper pile.
- If a LOYAL ESPER'S summoner is Defeated, the LOYAL ESPER will remain on the board and continue to use their summoner's stats (via their scaling symbols) until Defeated themselves.
- When a LOYAL ESPER Gains any Item, the Adventurer who summoned them Gains the Item instead.
- A summoner may never have more than 1 LOYAL ESPER (or any Command Card granted by an Ability) under their control on the board at a time. Some LOYAL ESPERS might circumvent these limitations. In these cases, the rules associated with this will be listed in the LOYAL ESPER's Passive Abilities.
- In cases where you might have more than 1 LOYAL ESPER summoned, you must choose which LOYAL ESPER is benefiting from your Summon token when you discard it.
- Loyal Esper's use Scaling Icons based on their summoner to determine their Stats. See Scaling Icons Pg. 72.
- Loyal Espers cannot be targeted by or use Abilities that Redistribute their Damage. (e.g. Soul steal.)
- LOYAL ESPERS otherwise follow all the normal rules of Command Combatants.
Opposing Espers
OPPOSING ESPERS represent the ESPERS controlled by adversarial summoners.
Opposing Espers follow all the normal rules of an Intelligent Combatant Card with the following differences:
- Opposing Espers will start on the board during setup, or might also be summoned using the AI printed on the corresponding summoner's Intelligent Combatant Card. Encounters with a summoner who might summon an Opposing Esper will have the Opposing Esper they will summon (if instructed to) listed in the Encounter's Special Rules as an Encounter Esper.
- Opposing Espers use Scaling Icons just like Loyal Espers. These Scaling Icons are calculated by using the maximum stats on their corresponding summoner's Intelligent Combatant Card. When making an Attack, an Opposing Esper will use Symbol Abilities printed on their corresponding summoner if the summoner's Symbol Abilities are better for the Attack in question.
- Opposing Espers are not subject to any special rules associated with Loyal Espers. Instead, Opposing Espers function like any other Intelligent Combatant.
- Since Opposing Espers and their summoner do not have Disciplines to reference, Opposing Espers calculate their Scaling Force Value differently than Combatant Cards. To determine Force, these Espers will always use the value printed on the SUMMONER X Tag on their corresponding summoner's card. See Scaling Icons Pg. 72.
Familiars
The Familiar Discipline in ASSEMBLAGE allows an Adventurer to summon and maintain a small creature called a Familiar. Familiars give Adventurers a constant benefit. Thematically, Familiars are doing their own part to help out their master. Because of this, Familiar Cards are not affected by Disciplines or Effects that might prevent them from being used by their master. This means that Familiar Cards may still be used even while Paralyzed or in Conduit Form.
Once chosen, a Familiar cannot be changed until the end of the Crawl Scenario or Adventure. If playing the Epic Dungeon Crawl, do not change your Familiar until you complete the last Scenario.
Exalted Summoning
Assemblage contains a second type of Esper called an EXALTED ESPER. These powerful god-like entities will manifest to help the summoner in a spectacular fashion before vanishing.
The Exalted Summoning Discipline allows an Adventurer to summon an EXALTED ESPER to aid them. When used, a player must choose an EXALTED ESPER (printed on tarot sized cards) and use its printed Ability.
The figure using the Ability is the source of the SOI listed on the card. Any Damage, Effects, or Abilities count as coming from the Adventurer who used Exalted Summoning.
Felled Afterlife
Felled Afterlife is an Assemblage Discipline that allows an Adventurer to bring up to two Enslaved Spirits to the board under their control. Enslaved Spirits are not Loyal Espers. Instead, these Command Cards function like any other Command Card.
TIP: Remember, unless an Ability says otherwise, an Adventurer may never have more than 1 Command Combatant brought to the board via an Ability at a time. This means that an Adventurer couldn't summon an Loyal Esper and use Felled Afterlife at the same time.
Conduit Summoning
The Conduit Summoning Discipline allows an Adventurer to physically take on the aspects of another creature by melding their souls for a brief moment. This grants the Adventurer access to many new and varied Abilities at the detriment of losing their own.
Middara contains Command Combatant Cards with the CONDUIT Tag. While an Adventurer has the Conduit Summoning Discipline, they will passively Earn these CONDUIT Command Cards. To Earn a CONDUIT Command Card, an Adventurer with the Conduit Summoning Discipline must be within SOI of an opponent when they are Defeated. Since thematically Conduit Summoning only works on wildlife and less intelligent creatures; not all opponents have CONDUIT Command Cards to Earn. If the Defeated opponent is within SOI and they also have a corresponding CONDUIT Command Card, the Adventurer would put the CONDUIT Command Card beside the rest of their gear to signify that they can now use Conduit Summoning to channel this creature's soul.
When Conduit Summoning is used, set aside the Adventurer Card and replace it with the CONDUIT Command Combatant Card of the player's choosing (meeting the requirement of being Earned). While in Conduit Form, the Adventurer now uses the CONDUIT Command Combatant Card when Gaining SP, taking Actions, using Abilities, or making Skill Checks. Meaning, the following rules apply:
- You may not use or gain the benefit of Disciplines you have learned other than Conduit Summoning.
- Companions, Familiars, Espers, and other special cards persistently granted by Disciplines or Items you've already used stay in play and may be used while in your Conduit Form.
- You may not use or gain the benefit of Items or Abilities on Items that your Adventurer previously had equipped. (However, you'll still reference them to determine the Scaling Icons printed on your chosen CONDUIT Command Card.)
- You may not use Abilities, Skills, or the Stamina Point Recovery value printed on your Adventurer Card until you return to your original Form.
- Any Effect, Ability, or Damage tokens that were on the Adventurer carry over to their new CONDUIT Command Card. This means that you may use Effect and Ability tokens that are on your CONDUIT Command Card.
- You may use Standard Actions and Abilities.
- When making Skill Checks, you must use your new Conduit's listed Skills.
- While in this new Form, you still count as an Adventurer for the purposes of Abilities or Special Rules and text listed in Encounters. However, any Ability that references the specific Form you are in also applies to you. If one Ability would conflict with another, rule in favor of the Form you are in. (For Example: As a Fragor, you are not affected by Bulb tokens.)
- The Adventurer may Gain Items as normal. If an Adventurer is Defeated while under the effects of Conduit Summoning, they are Defeated as normal.
- The Adventurer may stay as the chosen CONDUIT until they use the Discipline to swap their cards back, they are instructed to Restore, or they are Defeated.
- An Adventurer may swap from one CONDUIT Form into another CONDUIT Form.
- When swapping back to their Adventurer Card, any Effect, Ability, or Damage tokens that were on their CONDUIT Command Card carry over back to their Adventurer Form.
- Command Combatant Cards with the CONDUIT Tag otherwise follow all the normal rules of a Command Combatant.
- The Adventurer's Initiative Card does not change when using Conduit Summoning. Instead, they will continue to use their original card.
Conduit Example
Rook wants to Jump the gap and make an Attack against the Animate. To Jump the following gap, Rook would normally need to make an Agility 12 Check. (10 + 2 for every additional space after the first.) Rook's Agility Skill has a value of 1, meaning that he'd need to roll an 11 or better to succeed at the Jump Check.
However, Rook is lucky enough to have the Conduit Summoning Discipline! Using Conduit Summoning Rook may spend 1 SP to swap his Adventurer Card for any Conduit Command Card that he has Earned. Rook has previously been within SOI of a Gevaudan being killed, meaning that Rook has earned the Gevaudan Command Conduit. Rook decides that being an agile murder-puppy is a better idea than the oaf that he is. Rook spends 1 SP and replaces his card with the Gevaudan Conduit Card.
With his new Agility stat of 6, Rook now only needs a 6 or better to pass the Jump Check. After successfully Jumping the gap, Rook might want to Attack the Animate. However, since he is in his new Gevaudan Form, he would only be able to use Standard Actions and Abilities, or the Abilities printed on the Gevaudan. If Rook wanted to use the Abilities printed on his Item Cards or any Disciplines he's learned besides Conduit Summoning, he'd have to spend 1 SP to swap back!
Special Martial Disciplines
Gigas Grip
The Gigas Grip Discipline in MARTIAL allows an Adventurer to dual wield larger Melee Weapons. In addition to the normal rules for equipping gear, Adventurers with the Gigas Grip Ability may equip 2 (2-Handed) Melee or Melee/Ranged Weapons as if they were 1 (1-Handed) Weapons.
If they do, the following rules apply:
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While equipped, 2-Handed Weapons still count as 2-Handed Weapons for the purpose of other Abilities that might reference them.
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These equipped 2-Handed Weapons must still adhere to the normal Range Icon restrictions when equipping Items.
Example: Both Weapons can be Melee. One Weapon can be Melee and the other can be Melee/Ranged. Or, both may be Melee/Ranged.
IMPORTANT: Even with Gigas Grip, Weapons with the Melee Icon may not be paired with Weapons with only the Ranged Icon.
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You may still equip 1-Handed Weapons of any type following all the rules associated with equipping Weapons normally.
Example: You could equip a 1-Handed Ranged Weapon and a 2-Handed Melee/Ranged Weapon. But it's important to remember that Gigas Grip doesn't allow you to equip a 2-Handed Ranged Weapon as if it was 1-Handed.)
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While these Weapons are equipped, you gain access to all Abilities printed on both equipped Weapons including any Abilities printed on Upgrades applied to either card.
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When Attacking, you must choose which Combat Dice to use. This can be any combination of 2 (non-black) Combat Dice printed across either of your equipped Weapons. If one or more of your equipped Weapons has the BLACK die printed in its Combat Dice Pool, you must add a single BLACK die to your Combat roll. If an equipped Weapon has a different Range or an Ability that might augment the Range of an Attack, (Such as Reach 2 or Range 4), then you must use the lowest Range or Reach available to both Weapons. If one or both Weapons are a melee Weapon without Reach, you may only make attacks against adjacent spaces.
Example: If one Melee Weapon has Reach 2 and the other Melee does not, you may only Attack figures on Adjacent spaces. Alternatively, if one equipped Weapon has Range 4 and the other has Range 6, you may only make Attacks against figures at Range 4. Lastly, if you have an equipped Melee Weapon with Reach 2 and an equipped Melee/Ranged Weapon with Range 4 you could only make Attacks against adjacent figures.
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If at any time you equip a Weapon that you would not be able to equip with Gigas Grip (or otherwise), you must immediately end your current Action and Abilities (if you are currently taking an Action or Ability). Then, Un-equip Weapons so that your equipped Weapons are legal.
Example: This might happen if you used an Ability that flipped a 2-Handed Melee Weapon into a 2-Handed Ranged Weapon. Since you cannot have a 2-Handed Ranged Weapon equipped with any other Weapon.)
Gigas Grip Example
In the above example, an Adventurer with Gigas Grip could legally equip both the Scythe (a 2-Handed Weapon) and a Medium Shield. This also means they'd Gain all the Abilities printed on both cards.
Since Weapons with the Melee/Ranged Icon assume the Range and Type of their paired Weapon, the Shield would be considered a Melee Weapon with Reach 2.
When Attacking, the player would build their Combat Dice Pool. This could be from either card. Meaning, they could choose from an ORANGE die, TEAL die, and an additional ORANGE die. Since the player gets the Abilities listed on both cards at all times they normally would, the Finesse: TEAL Ability on the Shield would increase the Orange Die listed on the Shield to a TEAL die. This would make the optimal choice for making an Attack a double TEAL.
Since one Weapon has a BLACK die they must also add it to the Combat Dice Pool.
Finally, the Adventurer would Gain any Symbol Abilities printed on either card and any Upgrades that were attached.
Alternate, Variations, and Loot LVL
The Basics
As players progress through Middara, some Combatants might get stronger, randomly switch up their AI, or even be replaced by entirely different types of Combatants. The following section details the special rules to denote this Spawning behavior.
These rules replace the Alternate Tag rules from our previous versions of Middara. If you're using a previous version of Middara, or other promotional material, all Alternate Tag Combatants now Spawn according to the rules below. However, mechanically, they still function as described on the back of their cards and can be used with no changes required.
Loot Level & How Combatants Scale
All Combatants now have a Loot Level printed on the front and back of their Combatant Card. The higher the Loot Level, the stronger that Combatant Card is.
On some cards, the Loot Level will be called "Loot LVL" for space purposes. These two terms are interchangeable. See Loot Levels, Pg. 17.
The higher the Loot Level a Combatant Card has, the higher the Loot Level an Encounter must be for it to Spawn.
As an Adventure progresses, or for Adventures that start at higher Loot Levels (In the Crawl Mode for example), Combatants get stronger. When instructed to Spawn Combatants during an Encounter, players always Spawn Combatants whose Loot Level listed on their cards corresponds with the Loot Level of the current Encounter.
Some Combatants have Additional Prerequisites that must be met before Spawning them. These will be listed on the back of their card under their Loot Level requirement. If any required Prerequisites has not been met and players are instructed to Spawn a Combatant of their type, players should use the card with the next lowest Loot Level if available. Otherwise, do not Spawn the Combatant.
Base Combatants
While all Combatant Cards have a Loot Level associated with them, not all Combatant Cards have the Alternate or Variation Tags listed on the top right corner with the other Combatant Tags.
Cards without either of these Tags are considered Base Combatants.
A Base Combatant Card is the unmodified version of a Combatant. Meaning, it's the Combatant Card you can expect to use unless the Alternate or Variation rules modify them.
Example: The Cave Sickles included in Unintentional Malum: Act 1 (all Loot Levels of them) are considered Base Combatants.
Alternate Combatants
Combatant Cards with the Alternate Tag will always specify a Base Combatant they might replace. These Combatant Cards are considered Alternate Combatants.
See The Alternate Tag, Pg. 80.
The Variation Tag
Combatant Cards with the Variation Tag denote Combatants that have new and different AI printed on them but represent the same Combatant.
For example, this could be a Cave Sickle with two different types of AI Steps and instructions.
Combatant Variations are designed to add variety to Middara by shaking up the AI that is printed on Base Combatants and the Alternate Tagged Combatant Cards that might replace them.
Example: This Burrowing Cave Sickle Variation shown above switches up the Cave Sickle AI for Group 1-3!
On the back of Combatants with the Variation Tag, there is the name of the Combatant Card they are considered Possible Spawns for listed as VARIATION: X. (e.g. Cave Sickle Group 1-3.) However, a Combatant with the Variation Tag is never considered a Possible Spawn while its Variation Group card counterpart (e.g. Cave Sickle Group 1-3) is already in use.
The card that the Variation Tag lists (e.g. Cave Sickle Group 1-3) can be either a Base Combatant or an Alternate Combatant. Meaning, you can have a Variation of a Base Combatant or Alternate Combatant.
Combatants with the Variation Tag have special Spawn rules associated with them. See Possible Spawns, Pg. 80.
The Alternate Tag
Combatant Cards with the Alternate Tag will always specify a Base Combatant they might replace. These Combatant Cards are considered Alternate Combatants.
Alternate Combatants are mechanically and thematically different creatures in Middara that can be used as random substitutes for Base Combatants. These substitutes add variety to your game and shake up existing content in exciting and unpredictable ways.
On the back of Combatants with the Alternate Tag, there is the name of the Base Combatant Card(s) they are considered Possible Spawns for listed as ALTERNATE: X. (e.g. Cave Sickle.)
Example: The Cave Sickle Warrior Combatant Card shown above might alternatively Spawn instead of Cave Sickles.
An Alternate Combatant will only ever list Base Combatants as a possible Combatant they might replace. Meaning, there is no situation in which an Alternate Combatant can replace another Alternate Combatant.
Since Alternate Combatant Cards are thematically considered their own creature, they will never share Groups with Base Combatant Cards. Meaning, you will never consider Groups as a prerequisite when determining if an Alternate Combatant is a Possible Spawn.
Combatants with the Alternate Tag have special Spawn rules associated with them. See Possible Spawns, Pg. 80.
Prerequisite Types
Combatant Cards rely on having their prerequisites met before they can be Spawned. The common Prerequisites found across all Combatant Cards are as follows:
Additional Prerequisites - This represents additional unique Prerequisites that must be met before this card might be used under specified circumstances.
Example: The Burrowing Cave Sickle Variation is only ever considered a Variation during the Adventure Mode after you've attempted the Bounty Pack this Variation card came with. However, if the Bounty Pack this Variation card came with, (or any other product) would call for this card to Spawn specifically by name, it would Spawn regardless of the prerequisites. Burrowing Cave Sickle Variation shown above switches up the Cave Sickle AI for Group 1-3!
Alternate: X - See The Alternate Tag, Pg. 80.
Loot Level: X - The Loot Level of the current Encounter must be equal to what is listed here on a Combatant Card for this card to be considered a Possible Spawn. See Loot Level & How Combatant's Scale, Pg. 79.
Variation: X - See The Variation Tag, Pg. 79.
Possible Spawns
Combatant Cards are considered Possible Spawns if they have been revealed, meet all their listed prerequisites, and they are not currently being used.
When Setting Up an Encounter during the Placement Phase, don't check for Possible Spawns. Meaning, you must place the figures as listed in the Setup Diagram. Or if a Combatant Card Spawns a named Combatant Card.
However, in all other cases, when a figure requires a new Combatant Card to Spawn, a Possible Spawn must be considered and might Spawn instead.
This includes Diagrams, Totems, or even when a Summoner summons an Opposing Esper.
To determine what Spawns, you'll shuffle all the Possible Spawns together and draw one randomly. If there are more Spawns required to finish placing the required amount of figures, repeat this process until the amount of figures called for are Spawned. See Important Possible Spawn Rules, Pg. 82.
How To Spawn Alternate & Variation Cards
Alternate: X
Shuffle all Possible Spawns alongside the corresponding Base Combatant Cards listed as X (e.g. Cave Sickle.) Since Alternate Combatant Cards are thematically considered their own creature, they will never share Groups with Base Combatant Cards.
Example: If Cave Sickle Group 1-3 was already in use, and an Encounter calls to Spawn more Cave Sickles, you would still shuffle in Cave Sickle Warriors Group 1-2 since Alternate Combatant Groups are independent of their Base Combatant counterpart.
Shuffle all the cards, and deal one. Then, Spawn figures up to the total figures you were instructed to Spawn or up to the total Activation Numbers on the Combatant Card you drew, whichever happens first.
If remaining Spawns are required, shuffle and draw again.
Variation: X
Shuffle all Possible Spawns alongside the corresponding Base Combatant Cards listed as X (e.g. Cave Sickle Group 1-3.) Since Variations are different versions of existing Combatant's, it's important to ensure that the Group numbers match the Base Combatant Cards in your pile.
Example: If Cave Sickle Group 1-3 was already in use, and an Encounter calls to Spawn more Cave Sickles, you would not include any Variations of Cave Sickle Group 1-3.
Shuffle all the cards, and deal one. Then, Spawn figures up to the total figures you were instructed to Spawn or up to the total Activations Numbers on the Combatant Card you drew, whichever happens first.
If remaining Spawns are required, remove any cards from Groups already in use, then shuffle and draw again.
Variation & Alternate
See Having both the Alternate & Variation Tag, Pg. 82.
IMPORTANT: It's possible (and likely) that you could have Alternate Combatants, Base Combatants, and Variations of each, all being added to a single pile when drawing to Spawn a Combatant during an Encounter.
Multiple Groups, Variation, & Alternate
Combatants with the Variation Tag represent different AI for existing Combatants, but they are not intended to expand the total amount of a single Combatant Type that can Spawn at any given time.
Combatants being Spawned that have 1 or more Activation Number must still adhere to all the Group rules as if their Variation Counterparts counted as the same corresponding Group(s). Meaning, you may not shuffle a Combatant Card with the Variation Tag as a Possible Spawn if the corresponding Base Combatant they replace is already on the board, or vice versa.
Example: Let's assume Cave Sickle 1 and 2 are already on the board and a new Totem is revealed that requires you to Spawn 4 additional Cave Sickles. The player would place Cave Sickle 3 using the existing card. Then, they would shuffle Cave Sickle Group 4-6 together with all the Cave Sickle Variations they own that are also Group 4-6.
Variation Group(s) 1-3 would not be shuffled in as an option since their Base Combatant counterpart (Cave Sickle Group 1-3) is already on the board.
Combatant's with the Alternate Tag represent different figures entirely. These figures are intended to exist simultaneously alongside other Base Combatants they might replace.
This means that so long as a Variation of their own isn't already on the board, they may be considered as Possible Spawns even if the figure they might replace has a matching Activation Number on the table.
Example: Let's assume that Cave Sickle 1, 2, and 3 are already on the board and a new Totem is revealed that requires you to Spawn 3 additional Cave Sickles. After removing any Cave Sickle Variations with Group 1-3 as Possible Spawns, you'd then take Cave Sickle Group 4-6 alongside any Cave Sickle Variations you own that are also Groups 4-6 as Possible Spawns. Then, any Combatants with the Alternate Tag that aren't already on the table and also replace Cave Sickles are added as Possible Spawns.
The whole lot is shuffled, and one Combatant Card is drawn randomly. If the Combatant Card you drew Spawned fewer figures than required, then you'd need to draw an additional Combatant Card until you've Spawned the total amount of figures called for (In this case, 3.)
This process would continue until the instructed amount of figures have been Spawned.
Furthermore, it's important to remember that you never consider Possible Spawns of any type of Combatant unless the figure being Spawned requires a new Combatant Card to Spawn.
Example: If Cave Sickle 1 and 2 are already on the board and a new Totem is revealed that requires you to Spawn 1 additional Cave Sickle, you would not consider any Possible Spawns since you could still Spawn Cave Sickle 3 to complete the existing Group which allows for Cave Sickle 1-3.
Alternate Tag Example
The Cave Sickle Warrior card is a new Alternate Combatant unlocked during the Cave Sickle Queen Bounty. (Found within the expansion, Bounties of Elenia: The Cave Sickle Queen.)
During the Bounty, an Encounter will instruct players to reveal this card via its Hidden Card Number. Some Alternate Tag Combatants might always be revealed, such as Combatants found in Resin Kits or other Expansions.
In either case, using the back of the Alternate Combatant, we can see that the Cave Sickle Warrior can Alternatively Spawn in place of Cave Sickles. This means that, any time a Cave Sickle were to Spawn outside of the Encounter's Placement Phase and would require a new Combatant Card to do so, players would shuffle the Cave Sickle Warrior with all the other Base Combatant Cave Sickle cards that could Spawn and any additional Combatant Cards that might also list Cave Sickles as an Alternate Spawn.
Remember, any card used this way must also meet its Additional Prerequisites. In this case, the Cave Sickle Warrior would only ever be considered as a Possible Spawn if players had already attempted the Bounty "The Cave Sickle Queen". Meaning, they must have either failed or succeeded this Bounty before this card is ever considered a Possible Spawn.
Having Both the Alternate & Variation Tag
Combatants that have both the Alternate and Variation Tag are considered Variations of Alternate Combatants. Functionally, they should be used in the same way as Alternate Combatants and are under all the same limitations of the Variation Tag. Meaning, these Combatant Cards are shuffled in as a Possible Spawn alongside their Alternate Tagged counterparts so long as their corresponding Alternate counterpart's Group isn't already in use.
Example: The above Adlet Priest is the "Combustion Sage" Variation (new AI) of an Alternate Combatant from a Bounty expansion called The Pit Boss.
If the listed Base Combatant (Adlet Drudge) were to Spawn during an Encounter, this card should be shuffled alongside its other Alternate Combatant counterpart (Adlet Priest Group 1-3) as a Possible Spawn so long as Adlet Priest Group 1-3 isn't already on the board.
This means that Variations of Alternate Combatants will increase the chance of an Alternate Combatant Spawning as well as add additional variety to the AI Steps of existing Alternate Combatant Cards.
Type Tag
Combatant Cards with the TYPE: X Tag are used to thematically denote the broad species of a creature. This Tag has no inherent rules and is instead referenced by other Abilities.
Narratively, this is something newer designs have facilitated. As we recognize cards that would require this Tag, we will update them in future printings. In practice, this will be very obvious and players may use their best judgement to determine when these Abilities would reference these Types. It's safe to assume that cards that reference a Type are intended to include any Combatant Card with the "Type" listed in its name.
(e.g. Cave Sickles are intended to be "TYPE: SICKLE" Combatants. Alternatively, Earth Loa and Water Loa are both considered to be "TYPE: LOA" Combatants.)
However, if an Ability specifically calls for a Combatant by name, it is still referring to that Combatant specifically. Meaning, a Cave Sickle refers to a Cave Sickle only. While an Ability that references a Sickle Type Combatant could refer to any Combatant with the "TYPE: SICKLE" Tag.
Example: Combatant Cards that are narratively part of the Sickle Sub-Species contain the Type: Sickle Tag. This is used by other Abilities when referencing these "types" of creatures.
Important Possible Spawn Rules
Figures that change size: If an Alternate Combatant is Spawned and the new miniature is larger or smaller than the figure it replaced, place this figure so that it occupies at least one of the spaces depicted or instructed by the original rules Spawning them. If you cannot, it will Spawn on the nearest unoccupied non-Dangerous space(s) instead.
Monster Loot: If you would ever Gain Monster Loot from an Alternate Combatant draw from its corresponding Monster Loot Deck like normal. If this Combatant does not have a Monster Loot Deck associated with it, or if you've drawn all the Monster Loot available, draw from the Monster Loot associated with its listed Base Combatant.
Combatants with the Variation Tag will only ever draw Monster Loot Deck from their listed Base Combatant's Monster Loot Deck.
Special Encounter Rules: Any Special Encounter Rules that reference a Base Combatant also reference the Possible Spawns that might replace that Base Combatant.
Spawning Combatants Example
A Normal Spawn Example
In this example, Nightingale is running away from 2 Cave Sickles already on the board. As she comes around a corner, she draws Line of Sight to a Blue Totem. This requires her to immediately reveal the Hidden Text from the Adventure Book for the Blue Totem.
Let's assume that the Hidden Text instructs her to Spawn 4 Cave Sickles on or adjacent to the Blue Totem.
First, players must check to see if they require using a new Combatant Card by Spawning what they can. In this case, Cave Sickle 3 is placed on the board since its corresponding Combatant Card still has room for a third Cave Sickle.
Next, players should check the Loot Level of the Encounter.
The book shows that the Loot Level is Mundane. This means that any new Combatant Cards used to Spawn additional figures must also have the Mundane Loot Level listed on their corresponding card.
With that in mind, the players should grab all the Cave Sickle Combatant Cards with the Mundane Loot Level listed. In the base game (Unintentional Malum), there are 2 total Cave Sickle cards, group 1-3 and group 4-6.
With Cave Sickle group 1-3 already in use, players would use the only card they have left to Spawn Cave Sickle 4, 5, and 6. After taking this card, they would then place the figures for Cave Sickles 4, 5, and 6 on or adjacent to the Blue Totem.
Tip: Usually the transition from one Loot Level into another only ever occurs at the same rate as the Items you can purchase. Additionally, this is rarely done during an Encounter. So it should be obvious what Loot Level you're playing in at any given time as we won't transition it without a Tip or other helpful reminder.
However, there are moments where a Special Encounter Rule or Totem might specify that a Combatant Spawns from a different Loot Level than the Encounter's current Loot Level. This is done to provide easier or harder opponents during that Encounter.
Alternate Example
For the purpose of this example, let's assume that the same situation occurs as detailed in the previous example. Only this time, we'll assume that the players have an expansion that utilizes our Alternate and Variation rules.
Like before, the Blue Totem's Hidden Text instructs the players to Spawn 4 Cave Sickles on or adjacent to the Blue Totem.
And, like before, players must check to see if they require using a new Combatant Card by Spawning what they can first. In this case, Cave Sickle 3 is placed on the board since its corresponding Combatant Card still has room for a third Cave Sickle.
Now, with Loot Level in mind, players would grab all Cave Sickle Combatant Cards and also all other Combatant Cards with the Alternate Tag listed on their backs that match the name of the Base Combatant being Spawned. In this case, Cave Sickles.
It's important to keep in mind that Additional Prerequisites might also prevent you from Spawning this Combatant as an Alternate or Variation. In this example above, the Alternate Combatant could not be considered as a Possible Spawn if you haven't already attempted the Cave Sickle Queen Bounty.
Let's assume the players have attempted this Bounty but failed. This means that they would only add additional cards that were revealed (meaning not currently hidden inside of a Hidden Deck) and ones that have met all Additional Prerequisites. Without going into spoilers, this would make for 4 total Possible Spawns (including Cave Sickle group 4-6)
After shuffling these cards, the players draw one randomly.
They draw the Cave Sickle Warrior, Spawning both Cave Sickle Warriors 1 and 2 on or adjacent to the Blue Totem.
However, the Blue Totem requires 4 Cave Sickles to be Spawned. We still need our fourth Cave Sickle. This means that we continue drawing cards using the same method until we've Spawned a total of 4 'Cave Sickles' or Possible Spawns that might replace them.
Drawing a second time, the players draw Cave Sickle Group 4-6.
Since only one Cave Sickle is required, we would only Spawn Cave Sickle 4.
Variation Example
If players had any Variations of Cave Sickles available (which they likely would if they also owned the expansion product, Cave Sickle Queen) they would include them alongside the Base Combatants as Possible Spawns during the last example.
Combatant Cards with the Variation Tag are titled the same as their counterparts (e.g. "Cave Sickle"). However, they will always have a subtitle that is some sort of indicator that they are thematically acting different from their Combatant counterpart. For example, the Cave Sickle below is a Burrowing Variation.
Variations always have the figure they might replace as well as their Group on the back of their cards. The Burrowing Cave Sickle depicted above is meant to be used as a possible replacement for Cave Sickle Group 4-6.
It's important to remember that since Variations are simply new AI of existing Combatants, that only Groups that aren't already in use can be considered Possible Spawns.
After shuffling all the cards, one is dealt! In this case, it would be all the Base Combatants, Alternate Combatants, and Variations!
Now, it's possible to not only get new and different figures (e.g. Alternate Combatants), but to also spawn figures with randomized AI.
Tip: There are many situations where you will never check for Possible Spawns. For example, during Encounter Setup, you will always Spawn what the setup depicts. Meaning, you'll never check for Alternate Combatants or Variations of Base Combatants.
Additionally, in situations where an Encounter's instructions specifically call out an Alternate Combatant by name. (E.g. the Encounter calls for you to Spawn a Cave Sickle Warrior.) You would only ever check for Variations of Cave Sickle Warriors since Alternate Combatants can never be replaced by another Alternate Combatant.
Abraxis Battle Dice
Abraxis Battle Dice is a mini-game that players can take part in during the Adventure Mode. It uses Abraxis cards, the custom dice, Damage tokens, and SP tokens.
Each Adventurer gets 4 dice: Give one Adventurer 2 WHITE and 2 PURPLE dice. Another gets 2 TEAL and 2 ORANGE dice. Another gets 2 GREEN and 2 RED dice. And the last gets 2 BLUE and 2 GREY dice. Each player also starts with 10 Abraxis Points and 5 Fate tokens. These may be tracked with Damage tokens and SP tokens respectively.
The game takes place through a series of 5 Rounds. The goal of each Round is for Adventurers to roll their dice and have the Symbols on all 4 of their dice match the Symbols printed on the bottom of the Abraxis card they are facing as closely as possible.
At the end of each Round, if an Adventurer fails to match the Symbols on the Abraxis card, they lose Abraxis Points. When an Adventurer loses all their Abraxis Points, they are out of the game.
If Adventurers can match their Symbols well enough to survive these 5 Rounds, they'll be rewarded. Rewards earned via Abraxis Battle Dice are cumulative. Meaning, that if all 4 Adventurers survive, they would gain the rewards listed for all four tiers. (1 Adventurer, 2 Adventurer, etc.)
1. Roll For Symbols
Each Round, Adventurers will simultaneously roll all 4 of their dice and must Lock In the result of 1 die.
When dice are Locked In, this means that the Adventurer is satisfied with the result of that die and has set it aside to be tallied against the Abraxis card's Symbols at the end of the Round. All dice that are Locked In will not be rolled again.
If an Adventurer would like to Lock In the result of more than 1 die, they may spend 1 of their 5 Fate tokens. For each Fate token they spend, they may Lock In an extra die.
If an Adventurer does not want to Lock In any of the dice they rolled, they may spend 1 Fate token to skip Locking In any of their dice.
Once all Adventurers have decided which dice to Lock In, or after they've decided to not Lock In any by spending 1 of their 5 Fate tokens, they will then simultaneously roll all of their remaining (non-Locked In) dice.
After rolling a second time, Adventurers will again decide which single die they would like to Lock In. Fate tokens may be spent the same way as before, to either Lock In more than 1 die, or not Lock In any.
Once again, after all Adventurers have decided which dice they are Locking In, they will simultaneously roll their remaining dice.
This process continues until at least 1 Adventurer has Locked In all 4 of their dice. Without spending any Fate Tokens, this will naturally happen at the end of the fourth simultaneous roll. If an Adventurer spent Fate Tokens to Lock In more than 1 Die, it could happen sooner.
At the end of a simultaneous roll, after all players have chosen which dice to Locked In and spent Fate tokens, if at least 1 Adventurer has Locked In all 4 of their dice, all other Adventurers with any non-Locked In remaining dice must make 1 more roll and must Lock In all dice from this final roll. No Fate tokens may be spent on this final roll.
2. Compare Symbols
Now that all Adventurers have Locked In all 4 dice, they will each compare the Symbols on the dice they've Locked In to the Symbols printed on the bottom of the Abraxis card.
For each extra or missing Symbol on an Adventurer's Locked In dice, they lose 1 Abraxis Point. Through the course of these 5 Rounds, if an Adventurer loses all of their Abraxis Points, they are out of the game.
If an Adventurer matches the Abraxis card's Symbols exactly, they Gain 1 Abraxis Point.
3. End Of Round
After losing or gaining Abraxis Points, the Round ends. The game continues for a total of 5 Rounds. After the end of the fifth Round, rewards will be Gained based on how many Adventurers are still in the game after all 5 Rounds. These rewards are detailed in the Adventure Book on the page with the corresponding Abraxis Card Encounter.
Abraxis Card
- A — NAME: The name of the Abraxis Card.
- B — SPECIAL RULES: Any Special Rules that augment the Abraxis Rules are found here.
- C — ABRAXIS CARD SYMBOLS: Each Abraxis Card has a list of Symbols. Players try to match these Symbols when using this card.
Variants
Variants and their Purpose
Middara is a huge game and there are tons of ways we've playtested it over the years. There are many ways to handle common mechanical issues. Some of these options we considered might have worked well despite us deciding to not use them in the Rulebook.
For those looking to tune their Middara experience we've provided some of these options. All of which we've playtested enough to give some of our own feedback and experiences.
Any of the following rules can be taken à la carte to modify Middara to turn it into the game best suited for your gaming group.
No Player Elimination
Middara was designed in such a way that player elimination is an essential part of the game balance. For those who would prefer to remove it, we've provided a way to do so while still providing an experience close to the one we intended.
Normally, the only ways players can Lose Encounters in Middara are A: All Adventurers in the Encounter are Defeated, B: Via a Special Encounter Rule, or C: Players add a 4th Urgency token to the back of the Initiative Track.
To remove player elimination, use the following rules:
Anytime an Adventurer is Defeated, do the following:
- Remove their figure from the game board and place it on their Initiative Card.
- Remove all Ability and Effect tokens from their card.
- Add an Urgency token to the back of the Initiative Track.
On the Defeated Adventurer's next turn, do the following:
- Place the Adventurer on an unoccupied space within an ally's SOI.
- Remove Damage tokens until they have Damage tokens equal to half of their max HP.
- The returned Adventurer takes their turn as normal, Gaining Stamina Points (SP) and following all other steps as if they had not been Defeated.
This Variant could make the game harder, depending on your group's playstyle and how prone they are to getting Urgency tokens already.
To tweak this difficulty, change the amount of Urgency Tokens required to lose an Encounter.
- 5 Urgency Tokens: Easy
- 4 Urgency Tokens: Normal
- 3 Urgency Tokens: Hard
2 and 3 players
Due to the number of required changes, the 2 and 3 player variants of Middara can be found online at www.Middara.com. The rules and their associated cards are available for print and play.
5th Player
Group size may vary between players and while Middara does not natively support 5 players, players may choose to play with 5 people anyway.
The main reason Middara does not natively support 5 players is because at the beginning of the Adventure, there are only 4 characters available to play. A 5th player, therefore, would have to wait until another Adventurer joins the Party. That would create too much downtime for one of the players.
However, if you happen to have access to another Adventurer from another Middara product and are okay with the narrative dissonance of a never-mentioned party member, you may play the game with 5 players using the following rules:
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The 5th Adventurer starts each Encounter adjacent to the Starting Zone listed in the Encounter Setup.
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The maximum HP for all non-BOSS opponents is increased by 50%. The maximum HP for all BOSS opponents is increased by 25%.
For Example, a Cave Sickle would have 9 maximum HP and an Earth Loa would have 30 maximum HP.
This is not the recommended way to play Middara as it will likely make for a much easier experience and increase down time.
Forgiving Dangerous Terrain
Any time an Adventurer would be Pushed, Pulled, or Commanded onto or through Dangerous Terrain, instead of being immediately Defeated, they may make an Agility Check to Jump to a space they have not moved into this turn. If they succeed this check, they may place their figure on the chosen space. If they fail this check, or there is no space available to Jump too, they are Defeated like normal.
Intelligent Combatants follow this same rule. However, when rolling, they succeed on any symbol but the SKULL.
Re-specing an Adventurer
Occasionally, players will realize that a different Discipline will work better for their Adventurer or they may simply want to try going a different direction with how an Adventurer functions.
If a player would like to change the Disciplines their Adventurer has learned, they may do so any time they Shop and Train by spending 25 Gold, plus another 25 gold for every Loot Level beyond Mundane the Story Round's for sale Items are.
This causes them to lose all their Disciplines (excluding Story Disciplines) and Gain back XP equal to the cost of the Disciplines they lost (including the additional cost of Disciplines of the same LVL).
Difficulty Tweaks
Middara was designed to provide a challenging experience for all types of players. However, some people may find the game too hard or too easy. The following rules are ways to modify the difficulty of the game.
Use any or all of these rules for an easier or harder experience. These are listed in the overall potency of the rule with the top rule making the biggest difference to difficulty.
For A Harder Experience
- Random Counters: Whenever an Adventurer or ally misses an Attack by a margin of 3 or more, the target will COUNTER at the longest range listed on its Combatant Card.
- Persistent Damage: During the Prepare Phase of setting up an Encounter, Instead of removing damage tokens to half health as normal, Defeated Adventurers and Adventurers below half health may remove a total of 12 damage tokens split between the Adventurers in the Active Group, An Adventure can only remove damage tokens until they reach half of their maximum HP. However, between Encounters, players may swap out Active Party members with other Adventurers who have joined the party. When choosing another Adventurer in the party, they must be narratively present, not currently being used in another Encounter (i.e a Dual Encounter). If you are instructed to Restore, all Adventurers Heal like normal. If a ruling or moment in an Adventure makes this unclear, we recommend to err on the side of caution and not allow the Adventurer to be swapped out.
- Tougher Mobs: The maximum HP for all non-BOSS opponents is increased by 50%.
- Deadlier Bosses: The first Attack a BOSS misses with (that wouldn't otherwise be re-rolled by an Ability it controls) on its turn is re-rolled.
- Boss Rage: During an Adventurer's turn, when a BOSS has added a damage token that would put its total Damage at equal to or greater than 25%, 50%, or 75% of its maximum HP and not Defeat it, it will immediately end the current turn. Then, the BOSS will take a free turn.
- Nobody Left Behind: When the win Condition is to Exit an Encounter, all Adventurers and allies currently not Defeated must reach the same Exit to win. A figure that reaches the Exit is removed from the board. When playing an Encounter with more than 1 Exit, all Adventurers must leave using the same Exit. There are a few examples where this rule may be unclear. In these cases, we recommend ignoring this rule and adhering to the Encounters Win Condition as written.
For An Easier Experience
- No Scaling: Do not use Combatants of the higher Loot LVL. Instead, always use their lowest Loot LVL Combatant Card.
- Static Monsters: Don't shuffle the Initiative Track at the end of each round. Instead, Combatants will always go in the order in which they were Spawned.
- Slow Monsters: If a player Spawns a Combatant, place the Combatant's Initiative Card at the back of the Initiative Track instead of immediately after whoever is taking the current turn.
- Tough Espers: When a Loyal Esper takes Damage, the summoner doesn't take the same amount of Damage. (This optional rule essentially returns Espers to how they functioned in the first printing of Middara.)
- Bound Souls: When an Opposing Esper takes Damage, the Intelligent Combatant they are thematically tied to takes the same amount of Damage. (The same as players would if they had summoned the Esper.)
- Less Combatant Variety: Ignore Alternate and Variation tagged Combatant Cards unless they are called for specifically by name in an encounter. Meaning, you will always use the listed Combatant in an Encounter and ignore any possible substitutes using the Alternate or Variation rules.
- Favorable Conditions: When an Intelligent Combatant opposed to the Adventures is faced with multiple options during their turn, make the decision based on what's the least detrimental to the Adventurers.
- Reconnaissance: During the Setup of an Encounter, place the Adventurers in the Starting Zone after dealing out the Initiative Track.
- XP Leniency: If players wish to Re-Spec, their first Re-Spec is free.
- Remove Urgency: If players wish to not be prodded ever forward in an Encounter, they may opt to ignore the rules for Urgency all together. The only mechanical issue that will arise would be the Ability to take their time to buff, heal, or otherwise off-set this time limit with Disciplines and Abilities that were never balanced around removing Urgency. These are rarer than you'd think, but do exist. If you opt to remove Urgency, the difficulty will become easier in degrees based on your playgroup's style and their builds.
- Unique Items Persist: Unique Items are returned to their decks instead of removed from the game when not purchased or discarded.
Icons
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Combat Dice: The dice an Adventurer or Combatant rolls when making Actions or using Abilities.
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Melee Icon: Items with this Icon can only be used against adjacent targets unless the Attacker has the REACH Tag. Weapons with this Icon can only be equipped with other Weapons with the same Icon.
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Ranged Icon: Items with this Icon can be used to make Attacks against targets at up to the listed Ranged Value on the Icon. Weapons with this Icon can only be equipped with other Weapons with the same Icon. If an Adventurer equips 2 different Ranged Weapons with 2 different Ranged Values, they may only make Attacks against targets using the lower of the two values.
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Melee/Ranged Icon: Items with this Icon might have either the Melee Icon or the Ranged Icon. These Weapons may be equipped with either a Melee or a Ranged Weapon and assume the Range (including any Abilities that augment the range such as Reach) and type (Melee or Ranged) of whatever they are paired with. If both of your equipped Weapons have the Melee/Ranged Icon then both are considered Melee Weapons.
Abilities with this Icon are referencing both Melee and Ranged, meaning that they can be used with Weapons that have either Icon.
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1-Hand: Players may only ever Equip a maximum of 2 hands worth of Weapons. Weapons with this Icon take up only 1 hand and may be paired with another Weapon with this Icon printed on it. Weapons with this Icon may Equip 1 Item Upgrade.
IMPORTANT: Weapons with the Melee Icon may not be paired with Weapons with the Ranged Icon.
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2-Hand: Weapons with this Icon take up both of an Adventurer's hands and may not be paired with any other Weapons. Weapons with this Icon may Equip 2 Item Upgrades.
IMPORTANT: Illegal Weapon Combinations: If at any time an Adventurer has Weapons equipped that could not legally be equipped due to the Icon limitations listed above, that Adventurer must immediately end their current Actions and Abilities (if they are currently taking an Action or Ability) and discard, or move equipped Weapons to their Pack until their equipped Weapons are legal.
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Health (HP): The total amount of Damage a figure can be dealt before being Defeated.
-
Defense: How difficult a figure is to hit when being Attacked.
-
Movement: The amount of Movement Points a figure receives when making a Move Action.
-
Armor: The amount of PHYSICAL DMG that is reduced any time a figure is dealt Damage. This can be from any source. However, it's also specifically calculated during the Subtract Armor step of an Attack. Armor may be granted by Items, Disciplines, and Effects. See section 6b of The Attack Action Pg. 41.
Some Abilities might reference a Total Armor Value. Your Total Armor Value will always be the base Armor value on your Adventurer Card (usually 0), plus any Effects or equipped Items that grant bonuses to the Armor Icon.
-
Stamina Point(s) (SP): SP are used to perform Actions and Abilities that have an SP cost.
-
Presence: The degree to which others notice the Adventurer.
-
Lore: The Adventurer's book-smarts and knowledge.
-
Agility: How capable the Adventurer is at reacting and performing athletic feats.
-
Perception: How aware the Adventurer is of their surroundings.
-
Strength: The Adventurer's physical prowess and raw muscle.
-
Scaling Icons: Some Combatants will have an asterisk listed where a number, Icon, or Combat Dice usually go. In these cases, they'll use the stat on a specific Adventurer's card. See Scaling Icons Pg. 72.
Condition Tags
- COMBO: (TAG) — If another Item with (Tag) is also equipped, the listed Ability may be used.
- DISCARD — To use the following Ability, the player must discard this card.
- EXHAUST — To use the following Ability, the player must Exhaust this card.
- FLIP — To use the following Ability, the player must Flip this card.
- PASSIVE — The following Ability always grants its bonus or detriment to the figure, and is considered to be in effect at all times.
- PER ENCOUNTER — The following Ability may only be used once per Encounter. Place a Used token on the Ability to track when it is used.
- STATUS — The following Ability or Effect occurs during the figure's Status Phase.
Combatant Tags
ALTERNATE, VARIATION, LOOT LEVEL (LVL): Combatants with this Tag have special rules on how and when they Spawn. See Alternate, Variations, and Loot LVL Pg. 79.
AVARICE (X): These Combatants carry more wealth than your average Combatant. When an Adventurer Defeats a Combatant with the AVARICE Tag, they draw extra Combatant Loot Cards. The X represents the amount of extra cards drawn. For example, an AVARICE 1 Combatant would give 2 Combatant Loot Cards instead of the normal 1.
BOSS: Combatants with this tag represent particularly strong opponents, players will fight these Combatants during special Encounters throughout both the Adventure Mode and Crawl Mode. BOSS Combatant Cards are located in Hidden Card decks and will be revealed whenever a Special Encounter Rule instructs players to reveal and use it. Some BOSS Combatants have special Monster Loot that players will Gain when the BOSS is Defeated. If this does occur, a Special Encounter Rule will instruct players on how to Gain this Monster Loot. Unless otherwise stated, Bosses drop Combatant Loot as normal. If you draw the Monster Loot Card, you must redraw.
CONDUIT: Combatant Cards with this Tag are used by Adventurers using the Conduit Summoning Discipline. The Adventurer that used Conduit Summoning controls the Combatant Card with this Tag.
FRAGILE: When calculating the total Scaling HP of a LOYAL ESPER with this Tag, half the total HP calculated.
GILDED: These Combatants always give their Monster Loot instead of a Combatant Loot Card.
LOYAL ESPER: Combatants with this Tag can be Spawned by Adventurers through the use of the Summoning Discipline. The Adventurer that Spawned a Combatant with this Tag controls the Combatant they Spawned. These cards use special rules, see Summoning Pg. 75.
OPPOSING ESPER: Intelligent Combatants with this Tag can be Spawned by enemy summoners or might start on the board during setup. These cards use special rules. See Opposing Espers Pg. 76.
SWARM: When a SWARM Combatant is Defeated, no Combatant Loot is drawn unless it was the last Combatant of its kind in a Group and its Initiative Card is removed. For example, if there is only 1 Cave Sickle left in a Group, and that Cave Sickle is Defeated, the corresponding Cave Sickle Group's Initiative Card is removed, and the Adventurers Gain a Combatant Loot Card.
TRIVIAL: When a TRIVIAL Combatant is Defeated, no Combatant Loot is drawn.
TYPE (X): A Combatant thematic designation. See Type Tag Pg. 82.
VARIATION (X): A Combatant thematic designation. See Type Tag Pg. 82.
Tags
+(X) ARMOR PIERCING: The amount of Armor this Weapon ignores during the Subtract Armor step of an Attack.
+(X) PHYSICAL DMG: This Tag is used to denote Physical Damage. See Damage Types Pg. 43.
+(X) IRREDUCIBLE DMG: This Tag is used to denote Irreducible Damage. See Damage Types Pg. 43.
+(X) MAGIC DMG: This Tag is used to denote Magic Damage. See Damage Types Pg. 43.
+(X) TO THE ATK ROLL: This tag is used anytime an Ability or Value modifies an Attack roll during the Roll to Hit step of an Attack.
ARCANE: When making an Attack against a figure with Arcane, Shields, Books, and Bursts rolled during the Attack roll are considered non-existent.
ASSEMBLAGE: A Discipline Tree. See Discipline Trees Pg. 32.
Melee ATK: Make an Attack Action using the Combat Dice of your equipped Weapon(s) with the Melee Icon. For Combatants, make an Attack Action using the Combatant's Combat Dice.
Ranged ATK: Make an Attack Action using the Combat Dice of your equipped Weapon(s) with the Ranged Icon. For Combatants, make an Attack Action using the Combatant's Combat Dice.
Melee/Ranged ATK: Make an Attack Action using the Combat Dice of your equipped Weapon(s) with the Melee or Ranged Icon.
AVARICE (X): See Combatant Tags Pg. 91.
BACKSTAB: While Flanking, Attackers with this Tag Gain +3 PHYSICAL DMG. This Tag stacks with the bonus from Flanking. See Flanking and Backstab Pg. 50.
COLOSSAL: A figure with this Tag ignores Elevation and other figures when drawing Line of Sight and figures targeting a figure with this Tag ignore Elevation and other figures when drawing Line of Sight.
COMMAND (X): Move the target up to (X) spaces in any orthogonal direction. The target does not provoke a Break Attack from the figure that used this Ability. See Push, Pull, and Command Pg. 40.
COUNTER: A figure with this Ability may make an Attack during the Check if the target Counters step of an Attack made against them. See section 6e of The Attack Action Pg. 41.
CRUOR: A Discipline Tree. See Discipline Trees Pg. 32.
CRUSH: While moving or being moved via an Ability, this figure treats all spaces as unoccupied. After moving or being moved via an Ability, DISPLACE all other figures in spaces the figure with Crush occupies. Then, deal any opponents Displaced this way a PURPLE die of IRREDUCIBLE DMG.
DISPLACE: When instructed to DISPLACE other figures, place any figures that would be occupying spaces beneath a figure's base onto the nearest unoccupied space to the figure that Displaced them. Placing figures in this way does not count as movement, ignores HEAVY and HULKING, and does not provoke Break Attacks. If the space a figure is placed onto is Dangerous Terrain, that figure may immediately Jump to the nearest Non-Dangerous unoccupied space.
DODGE: This Tag allows a figure to use the Dodge Ability. See Dodge Pg. 52.
DOUBLE: Items with this Tag may be equipped using either side of the card. See Double Tag Items Pg. 27.
ELUSIVE: When making voluntary movement (e.g. you weren't Pushed or Pulled, etc) a figure with ELUSIVE will never provoke Break Attacks from opponents who were adjacent to them at the start of a Move Action or the Ability that gave them Free Movement. If the figure with ELUSIVE is Pushed, Pulled, or otherwise moved by an opponent's Ability, they will still provoke Break Attacks from adjacent figures.
EMPOWER: During the Empower step of an Attack or SPELL, figures Empower the Attack or SPELL by adding a BLACK die. See Empower Pg. 52.
FAMILIAR: A type of card earned via the Familiar Discipline in the ASSEMBLAGE Discipline Tree. See Familiar Pg. 76.
FINESSE: (DIE): If the listed Condition is met, Weapons with this Tag will substitute their printed Combat Die (top-left corner) with the Combat Die specified after FINESSE.
FLIGHT: A figure with FLIGHT ignores the effects of all Terrain they occupy. While moving, figures with FLIGHT ignore other figures and only provoke Break Attacks from opponents who were adjacent to them at the start of the Move Action or the Ability that gave them FLIGHT. Figures with FLIGHT do not ignore Obstructing Terrain. A figure with FLIGHT may not end their movement in a space occupied by another figure. Figures with FLIGHT may draw Line of Sight and move between any Elevation change without penalty.
FORCE (X): The target of your Ability must succeed a Conviction Check against the printed Force Value of (X) or be affected. See Spell-Like Abilities Pg. 53.
FORCE (X) + DIFFERENCE HIT: Used when making an Attack. The target of your Attack must succeed a Conviction Check against the printed Force Value of (X) or be affected. The Force Value is increased by the difference of the Attack roll minus the opponent's Defense Value. See Spell-Like Abilities Pg. 53.
FOLLOW UP (FU): A figure may use this Ability in the Follow Up step of an Attack they made. See The Attack Action Pg. 41.
GIGAS GRIP: See Gigas Grip Pg. 78.
HEAL (X): Remove (X) Damage tokens.
HEAVY: A figure with this Tag may reduce movement from Currents, Effects, and Abilities by 1. Meaning that Free Movement granted by your own Disciplines will only be affected by HEAVY if you want them to be.
However, Adventurers with HEAVY must incur a -1 to their total Movement Value and take a -1 penalty to their Agility. This Tag is cumulative and can have its effect occur from more than 1 source. This means that an Adventurer with HEAVY on 2 different Items must incur a -2 to their Movement Value.
HULKING: Figures with this Tag cannot be moved by opposing Abilities or Currents for any reason.
IMMUNITY: (TYPE): Figures may have Immunities to Effects or Damage Types. If a figure is Immune to an Effect, they may not Gain that Effect. If they have the Effect and then Gain Immunity, they immediately lose the Effect. If a figure is Immune to Damage, When Calculating Final Damage from an Attack or SPELL reduce the Final Damage dealt to 0.
INCORPOREAL: When a figure with INCORPOREAL would be dealt PHYSICAL DMG, roll the BLACK die. If 4 Books or 4 Shields are rolled, all PHYSICAL DMG is ignored.
ITEM UPGRADES: Item Upgrades are used to augment Weapons, Cores, and Armor, and may be purchased during the Shop and Train Phase. Item Upgrades require Materials before they become available for purchase. These Materials can be found by drawing a Monster Loot Card in the Combatant Loot deck after Defeating opponents. See Item Upgrades Pg. 28.
LEAP (X): A figure using this Ability moves up to X spaces orthogonally in a straight line. A figure using LEAP only provokes Break Attacks from opponents that were adjacent to them at the start of the movement granted by this Ability. Figures using the movement from LEAP will ignore other figures and all Terrain except Obstructing Terrain.
A figure using LEAP may move into spaces that contain other figures of their base size or smaller as determined by the amount of spaces their base occupies. If they do, DISPLACE any figures occupying that space. Figures Displaced this way are dealt a PURPLE die of IRREDUCIBLE DMG.
LIGHT: Some Condition Tags and Disciplines require this Tag to use their Ability.
LIMIT (X): Some Abilities note a Limit (X). This is printed in the Ability Text and is used to succinctly let players know the maximum amount of tokens that can be added as per the Ability's effect.
LOOT LEVEL (LVL): See Alternate, Variations, and Loot LVL Pg. 79.
LVL (X) (Discipline Card): Every Discipline Card has a LVL associated with it. See Discipline Trees Pg. 32.
MARTIAL: A Discipline Tree. See Discipline Trees Pg. 32.
MATERIAL: Materials are found by Defeating Combatants and drawing the Monster Loot Card in the Combatant Loot deck. Monster Loot Cards with this Tag are used to unlock Item Upgrades. See Item Upgrades Pg. 28.
MOVE: Make a Move Action using the figure's Movement Value.
NIMBLE: The first time each turn this figure can Dodge an Attack, they DODGE. During this Dodge, if this figure doesn't roll a Skull, add +1 Shield to the result.
PROTECTION: When casting a SPELL or using a Spell-Like Ability against a figure with PROTECTION, that figure adds a BLACK die to their Conviction Dice when making a Conviction Check. For each Book rolled on the BLACK die this figure adds +1 to their Conviction Check.
PROVOKE (X): Any figure that leaves a space within Range (X) of a figure with PROVOKE, will provoke a Break Attack from that space.
PULL (X): Move the target up to (X) spaces towards the figure that used this Ability. The target does not provoke a Break Attack from the figure that used this Ability. See Push, Pull, and Command Pg. 40.
PUSH (X): Move the target up to (X) spaces away from the figure that used this Ability. The target does not provoke a Break Attack from the figure that used this Ability. See Push, Pull, and Command Pg. 40.
REACH (X): Melee Attacks can be made at Range (X). These Attacks are still considered Melee Attacks. See Flanking and Backstab Pg. 50.
REDIRECT: This Tag grants an Ability that changes the intended target of an Attack or Ability. See Redirect Pg. 70.
RELENTLESS: You have CRUSH. In addition, when moving or being moved via an Ability, DISPLACE all opponents you moved through. Figures that are Displaced using this Ability are subject to the normal Damage dealt by CRUSH. (a PURPLE die of IRREDUCIBLE DMG.) Each figure may only be Displaced once by the Action or Ability that granted this movement.
RESISTANCE: (TYPE): Figures may have Resistances to different Damage types. When Calculating Final Damage from an Attack or SPELL reduce the Final Damage dealt by half (rounded up).
SANCTUS: A Discipline Tree. See Discipline Trees Pg. 32.
SHIELD: A type of Weapon that adds to Armor Value. The Range of a SHIELD is equal to the Range of the Weapon equipped in the opposite hand. If 2 Shields are equipped, their Range is considered to be Melee.
SOI: Sphere of Influence. See Pg. 43.
SP: Stamina Points. See Pg. 38.
SPELL (X): Make a Spell Action with the Force Value of the Spell equaling (X) plus the result of a roll made with the caster's Casting Upgrade. The effect of the Spell will be listed with this Tag. See The Spell Action Pg. 53.
SQUEEZE: Figures with SQUEEZE represent figures that are very large but who are also intelligent enough to avoid obstacles with effort and cunning.
A figure with SQUEEZE may attempt to move into 1x1 spaces if Obstructing Terrain would otherwise prevent them from fitting. To do so, during a Move Action, a figure with SQUEEZE may spend 1 additional SP to count all movement granted by that Move Action as though their figure only occupied a single space. A figure may only squeeze through spaces in this way if each space counted would prevent them from fitting due to Obstructing Terrain only.
A figure with SQUEEZE may not willingly end their Move Action in a space that they cannot fit in. If something would cause them to end their turn in a space they can not fit in, end the current Action and all Abilities. Then, the figure with SQUEEZE is placed on the closest legal space they've moved into this Move Action/Ability and Dealt 6 IRREDUCIBLE DMG. If required, this could move them into the spaces they started this movement.
SUBTERFUGE: A Discipline Tree. See Discipline Trees Pg. 32.
SUMMONER X: A Tag referenced by Opposing Espers to determine their Force Values. See Opposing Espers Pg. 76.
SWAP: The figure using this Ability is removed from the board and the target of this Ability is removed from the board. They are then placed in the space the other occupied. This does not provoke Break Attacks.
SYMBIOTIC: A figure with the Symbiotic Tag represents a single figure that uses 2 or more Combatant Cards. These Combatants can be in 1 or more groups on 1 or more unique Combatant Cards.
When taking turns, Symbiotic Combatants will use the same figure on the board. Meaning, they draw Line of Sight, target others, and follow all the same rules as if they were considered a single figure. When provoking Break Attacks, all Symbiotic Combatants may make Break Attacks. When making Skill Checks that would affect more than one Symbiotic Combatant (e.g. Jumping), all Symbiotic Combatants must make the Check. When choosing a Symbiotic figure as a target, you must choose 1 of the Symbiotic Combatants that share that figure as the target.
If an Action or Ability would target 1 or more adjacent spaces that still contain the Symbiotic figure, they may target another Symbiotic Combatant for each additional space that would affect the Symbiotic figure. If an Ability would target all figures within SOI or Range, then all Symbiotic Combatants would be affected. A Symbiotic Combatant's figure is removed from the Encounter via Defeat only if all associated Symbiotic Combatants that share the figure are also Defeated.
THROW: (DIE): The Throw Ability allows an Adventurer to deal PHYSICAL DMG to an opponent equal to the listed die within Range 4 and Line of Sight. This is NOT an Attack and no Attack roll is made. You simply roll the die and deal the Damage. As such, this Damage cannot be Dodged. Lastly, Armor still reduces Damage dealt this way.
UNSTOPPABLE: While moving, this figure treats Obstructing Terrain as normal spaces. Replace any Obstructing Terrain this figure moves into with Hindering Terrain.
VARIATION: See Alternate, Variations, and Loot LVL PG. 79.
WARP: The target(s) affected by this Ability are removed from their current location and then placed in a new location as designated by the Ability text. Locations can be a space on the board or any component outside of the board (e.g. Combatant cards, Initiative cards, etc.). WARP does not provoke Break Attacks.
WANDERING: Items with this Tag and Tier cannot be purchased. Instead, they can only be found. When you are drawing Combatant Loot and Pull the Unique Loot card, shuffle this card into the Unique Loot deck as one of the options regardless of the current Loot Level. This Item can be sold as though it were an Item of your current Loot LVL. However, Wandering Items are intended to be limited by the number of copies included in the game as they're thematically Unique.
Note: There are no Wandering Items included in this Base Game (Unintentional Malum).
WEAPON TAGS: Weapons have Tags that thematically categorize them. Example: SWORD, WARHAMMER, TOME, etc. Mechanically, these are referenced by other tags such as COMBO or when calculating a RESISTANCE.
Table 3: Effect Tokens
Negative Effects
-
Condemn — STATUS: Roll a BLACK die. If the result is the Skull, you are Defeated.
-
Darkness — PASSIVE: You have -1 to Attack rolls. You may not DODGE.
-
Disease — PASSIVE: You may not have Positive Effects. You may not remove Damage tokens or other Effect tokens.
-
Paralyze — PASSIVE: End your Action or Ability. You may not make Actions or use Abilities other than Passive and Status Abilities. You are still affected by Push, Pull, and Command. DISCARD this token at the end of your next turn. Then, Gain IMMUNITY: Paralyze until the end of the Encounter.
IMPORTANT: Paralyze does not affect Actions or Abilities granted to a figure by Special Encounter Rules.
-
Poison — STATUS: You are dealt a PURPLE die of IRREDUCIBLE DMG.
-
Wilt — PASSIVE: When you are dealt Damage by an Attack or Spell, your RESISTANCES are ignored. If you have no Resistances to ignore, add +2 IRREDUCIBLE DMG to the Attack or Spell instead.
Positive Effects
- Barrier — PASSIVE: +1 Armor.
- Courage — PASSIVE: When making a Melee/Ranged ATK Gain a Shield and a Book. DISCARD this Effect if you miss an Attack.
- Haste — STATUS: Gain +1 SP.
Special Effects
-
Tether — Any time you are dealt Damage, the Tethered figure is dealt that much MAGIC DMG. Any time you HEAL, the Tethered figure HEALS the same amount.
Damage or healing done to a figure via Tether cannot be propagated by another instance of Tether.
You may never have more than 1 Tether token on a figure at a time. If you use an Ability that adds another Tether token you must remove a Tether token already on a figure. You may not add a Tether token to a figure who is currently Tethered to you. (Meaning, they used Tether on you.)
-
Nemesis — All Attacks and Spells made against the figure you placed this token on (e.g. your nemesis.) Gain +2 Damage of one type of Damage already being dealt.
A figure may never have more than 1 Nemesis token on them at a time. If you use an Ability that adds another Nemesis token to a figure you must remove a Nemesis token already on a figure.
Table 4: Ability Tokens
-
Dodge — STATUS: DODGE (Limit 3)
Note: Intelligent Combatants will use Dodge tokens when Attacked.
-
Heal — DISCARD: Spend 1 SP. A figure within SOI HEALS 6. (Limit 4)
-
Intervention — DISCARD: Re-roll all dice you just rolled. (Limit 1)
-
Vow — DISCARD: When you deal Damage, deal +2 Damage of the same type. (Limit 5)
-
Summon — DISCARD: These tokens may be used to use other Abilities a summoner might have.
-
Energy — Energy tokens do not have any inherent Effect. Instead, the rules of when, how, and what these tokens do are printed directly on the corresponding cards that use them.
Table 5: Combatant Loot Deck, Selling Items & Upgrades
| Name | Loot Deck | Sell Price | Unique Sell Price | Upgrade Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mundane | 4(x3), 5(x4), 6(x5), 7(x5), 8(x5), 9(x5), Item, Monster, Unique | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| Common | 5(x3), 6(x4), 7(x5), 8(x5), 9(x5), 10(x5), Item, Monster, Unique | 10 | 20 | 30 |
| Uncommon | 6(x3), 7(x4), 8(x5), 9(x5), 10(x5), 12(x5), Item, Monster, Unique | 15 | 30 | 50 |
| Rare | 7(x3), 8(x4), 9(x5), 10(x5), 12(x5), 14(x5), Item, Monster, Unique | 20 | 40 | 75 |
Note: You may not Sell Story Items. Consumables may be sold for 1 Gold. Selling an Item with an Item Upgrade give you 5 extra extra gold per Upgrade on the Item. Monster Loot may be sold for 25 Gold. Accessories may be sold as if they were an Item from your current Loot LVL or for the gold cost printed on their card, whichever is lower.
Table 6: Standard Actions & Abilities
| Actions | SP | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Move | 1 | Move up to your maximum Movement Value. For each additional SP spent, add 2 to your Movement Value. IMPORTANT: Adventurers are limited to 1 Move Action per turn. |
| Attack | 2 | Make an Attack using your equipped Weapon(s) Combat Dice. |
| Encounter | 1 | Encounter Actions are Encounter specific Actions that an Adventurer may make. This also includes activating Loot tokens. |
| Re-Equip | 1 | Equip or un-equip any Items in your Pack or on your Adventurer. Items in your Pack stay Flipped or Exhausted until they would normally be Un-Exhausted or Un-Flipped. You may also take Items and Companions from an adjacent Adventurer, but you may never give Items or Companions to other Adventurers. Any amount of equipping/un-equipping/taking is allowed for 1 SP. |
| Abilities | SP | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Dodge | 1 | During the Dodge step of an Attack, roll the BLACK die. For each Shield rolled, the Adventurer adds +1 to their Defense. If the Skull is rolled, no additional Defense is added. See Dodge Pg. 52. |
| Empower | 1 | When building your Combat Dice Pool during an Attack or when determining the Force of a Spell, you may spend 1 additional SP to add the BLACK die. When Empowering an Attack, symbols rolled on this die can be spent to use Symbol Abilities printed on your Weapons. If the Skull is rolled during this Attack, the Attack automatically misses. When Empowering a Spell, you may spend Books rolled on the BLACK die to add +1 to the Force of the Spell per Book spent. If the Skull is rolled during this Spell, the Spell automatically fails to affect the target. Immediately deal 3 IRREDUCIBLE DMG to the caster, and end the Spell Action. |
| Counter | 2 | When an Attack deals no Final Damage, COUNTER the Attack. If you successfully Dodged this Attack, reduce the cost of any subsequent Counter by 1 SP. See Counter Pg. 52. |
Table 7: Terrain Types
- NORMAL: No special effects. Can be replaced by all Terrain types.
- OBSTRUCTING: Blocks all Line of Sight. Obstructing Terrain is not considered a space. Obstructing may replace all Non-Dangerous Terrain.
- ELEVATION: See Elevation Pg. 22.
- HINDERING: Attacks made through or into Hindering get -1 TO THE ATK ROLL. This effect stacks with the -1 TO THE ATK ROLL from spaces containing Allies. It costs 2 Movement Points to leave a Hindering space. Large Based Figures must occupy every space of Hindering to be subjected to this additional Movement cost. Hindering Terrain may only replace Normal Terrain.
- WATER: Figures in Water may not Dodge. It costs 2 Movement Points to leave Water. Water Terrain may only replace Normal, Hindering, and Muck Terrain. Water tokens placed never have a Current.
- DANGEROUS: Figures that end a turn in, end their movement in, or leave a Dangerous space are Defeated. Dangerous Terrain may replace all Non-Obstructing Terrain.
- MUCK: Figures in Muck must spend an additional Stamina Point (SP) on all Actions and Abilities that cost 1 or more SP to use. Muck Terrain may only replace Normal and Hindering Terrain.
- SPECIAL: See Special Encounter Rules.
Table 8: Restoring and Beginning Encounters Reference
| Do you have? | When instructed to Restore Adventurers (Pg. 18) | When beginning an Encounter (Pg. 14) |
|---|---|---|
| Damage | All Damage is Healed. | Remove Damage tokens until you have Damage tokens equal to half of your max HP. |
| Exhausted cards | Un-Exhaust all cards. | Un-Exhaust all cards. |
| Flipped cards | Un-Flip all cards. | Flipped cards remain Flipped. |
| Effect Tokens (Square, e.g. HASTE) | Remove all Effect Tokens. | Remove all Effect Tokens. |
| Ability Tokens (Round, e.g. HEAL) | Remove all Ability Tokens. | All Ability Tokens remain on Combatants and are not removed. |
| Can I Re-Equip? | Receive a Free Re-Equip Action. | No. You do not receive a Free Re-Equip Action. |
NOTE: Players will only rebuild the Combatant Loot Deck when instructed to Restore. Meaning, unless you have been instructed to Restore, you will continue to draw from the remaining undrawn Combatant Loot Cards. See Combatant Loot Deck, Pg. 57 for details.
Table 9: Combatant Tokens
IMPORTANT: Combatant tokens have additional rules associated with them. See Combatant Tokens on Pg. 69 for details.
Burrow
Some figures may Burrow, or become Burrowed. When a figure Burrows, replace the figure with the corresponding sized Burrow token. When a figure is instructed to Un-Burrow, replace the Burrow token with its corresponding figure and DISPLACE any figures that would be occupying its space. See the DISPLACE Tag Pg. 92.
A Burrowed figure:
- Has RESISTANCE: PHYSICAL DMG and MAGICAL DAMAGE and cannot Flank or be Flanked.
- Does not provoke Break Attacks and may not make Break Attacks. Un-burrowing or Burrowing does not provoke Break Attacks.
- Moved by an Ability (e.g. Push) must Un-Burrow instead. All subsequent movement caused by this Ability is resolved like normal. Meaning, a Burrowed figure who is Pushed 2 spaces would Un-Burrow, then be Pushed 1 space like normal.
- Given the option to Jump to prevent themselves from being Defeated will immediately Un-Burrow to take advantage of this.
- May not enter Water, Obstructing, or Dangerous Terrain. If an Ability would force them into Water, Obstructing, or Dangerous Terrain, they must Un-Burrow. They would also be subject to that Terrain's rules associated with being moved into it. (e.g. Damage if it's Obstructing Terrain or being Defeated if it was Dangerous Terrain.)
- Ignores Elevation and all other types of Non-Dangerous Terrain.
- Ignores all other Un-Burrowed figures and may end their turn on spaces containing other Un-Burrowed figures.
- Does not block Line of Sight or movement of Un-Burrowed figures. Meaning, an Un-Burrowed figure may end their movement on a Burrowed figure.
- If a figure with Symbiotic Burrows or Un-burrows, both figures will Burrow or Un-Burrow. If a Burrowed figure with Symbiotic is ever Defeated while Burrowed, It's paired Symbiotic figure will immediately Un-Burrow.
Bulb
Bulbs tokens are put into play by the Fragor Combatant and Conduit card.
When any figure would provoke a Break Attack from a Bulb, flip the Bulb token and resolve the listed Ability against all figures on or adjacent to the Bulb.
Bulb tokens that are moved at the same time as another figure or cause a situation where a Break Attacks timing is ambiguous will not flip.
Dynamite
Both Adventurers and Combatants might use Abilities that place Dynamite tokens on the board.
Dynamite tokens are tokens that will explode and deal Damage to all those near them. Dynamite tokens exist in one of two states, Lit and Unlit. Anytime a Dynamite token is placed on the board for any reason it becomes Lit. Dynamite tokens that start on the board are already Lit.
At the end of the next round after a Dynamite token becomes Lit it will explode. When a Dynamite token explodes, discard this token. Then, all figures on or adjacent to the token are dealt 3 PURPLE dice of IRREDUCIBLE DMG and any Loot tokens on or adjacent to the token are discarded. An Adventurer adjacent to a Lit Dynamite token may spend 1 SP to make a Presence 10 Check. If they pass, they bravely pick up the Dynamite, which stays Lit.
An Adventurer with a Lit or Unlit Dynamite token may spend 1 SP to place a Dynamite token on any space within Range 4 and Line of Sight. Opponents block this Line of Sight, but allied figures do not.
Dynamite tokens that a figure has are considered to be occupying the same space as that figure. Any Dynamite token caught in the explosion of another Dynamite token also explodes. (Including any unlit Dynamite equipped or in your Pack.)
Combatant Token rule exceptions:
- When Dynamite takes Damage by a Terrain effect, or from being Pushed into Terrain, it will immediately explode.
Font of Renewal
Adventurers have access to a Sanctus Discipline that can place a Font of Renewal token onto the board.
This token counts as Hindering Terrain and can only be placed on Normal Terrain spaces.
If the Font of Renewal is within SOI of an ally during their Status Phase, they may remove any amount of Energy Tokens from Font of Renewal. For each token removed this way, HEAL 4 or remove an Effect. If at any time there are no Energy Tokens on the Font of Renewal, remove it from the board.
Plank
Adventurers have access to Items that can place a Plank token onto the board.
A Plank token:
- Counts as Normal Terrain and replaces all Terrain types except Obstructing Terrain. When placing a Plank token onto the board, at least one edge must be adjacent to a Normal or Hindering Terrain space.
- Plank tokens cannot be placed across different elevations.
- Players may choose to use any size of Plank token they have available.
- Cannot be targeted, PUSHED, PULLED, or otherwise moved by Abilities that don't explicitly allow moving Planks.
Poppet
Poppet tokens are part of Encounter setups that feature the Gatekeeper Combatant.
A Poppet token will be instructed to move during the Gatekeeper's turn. While an opponent shares a space with a Poppet, they may not Dodge. Any figure on the same space as, or on an adjacent space to a Poppet that moves out of that space will provoke a Break Attack from a Poppet. Since Poppet's do not have Combat Dice, if a figure provokes a Break Attack from a Poppet they are dealt 1 MAGIC DMG.
Any figure on the same space as, or adjacent to a Poppet may not cast SPELLS.
At any time, an opponent who shares the same space with, or is adjacent to a Poppet token, may spend 1 SP to make a Lore 10 check to remove a Poppet token in that space from the board.
Combatant Token rule exceptions:
- Poppets ignore the effects of movement from non-Obstructing and non-Dangerous Terrain.
Root
Root tokens are part of Encounter setups that feature the Grotesque Effigy Combatant.
Roots count as figures with 6 HP, 10 Defense, and 6 Armor. Roots have RESISTANCE: PHYSICAL DMG and MAGICAL DAMAGE unless the source of the Damage is from an AXE. Roots have IMMUNITY: SPELLS, EFFECTS.
All opponents who provoke a Break Attack from a Root or are adjacent to a Root at the start of the Grotesque Effigy's turn are dealt a GREEN die of PHYSICAL DMG. Roots do not drop Combatant Loot.
Tentacle
Tentacle tokens are part of Encounter setups that feature the Corpse Collector Combatant.
A Tentacle token will be instructed to move during the Corpse Collector's turn. If an opponent starts their turn on the same space as a Tentacle token, they put the token on their card as a Special Effect. Figures may be affected by multiple Tentacle tokens. Figures with Tentacle tokens or adjacent allies may spend 1 SP and make a Strength 10 check to remove a Tentacle token.
If the Tentacle token is removed, place it in an nearest unoccupied non-Dangerous space adjacent to the Corpse Collector at the end of the Corpse Collector's next turn.
Combatant Token rule exceptions:
- Tentacles cannot be moved by Currents and other Special Encounter Rules that would move figures or tokens on the board.
- Tentacles Ignore the effects of non-Obstructing Terrain.
- Tentacles cannot be targeted, PUSHED, PULLED, or otherwise moved by Abilities that don't explicitly allow moving Tentacles.
Table 10: Current Effects
NOT MOVED BY CURRENTS
- TERRAIN TOKENS: Terrain tokens and things that count as Terrain (e.g. Plank tokens) are not moved by Currents.
- OBJECTIVE TOKENS
- TRACKER TOKENS
- TOTEMS
- EXIT TOKENS
- DIRECTION TOKENS
- ELEVATION AND ELEVATION TOKENS
MOVED BY CURRENTS
- FIGURES: Figures are always subject to being moved by Currents. See Large Based Figures Pg. 71, or the Heavy Tag Pg. 93, for exceptions.
- LOOT TOKENS
- COMBATANT TOKENS
- LOTUS FLOWER
- BUG BOMB
- LOA CRYSTAL TOKEN
- SHOTGUN
NOTE: Combatant tokens may or may not be moved by currents. See Table 9, Pg. 97 for details.
Table 11: Steps for making an Attack
1. CHOOSE THE TARGET
Select a single figure within Line of Sight and Range as the target.
2. BUILD THE COMBAT DICE POOL
Attacker uses dice printed on their equipped Weapons. 1-Handed Weapons have a single dice. 2-Handed Weapons have two dice.
3. EMPOWER
Adventurer or a Command Combatant may spend 1 SP to EMPOWER the Attack. If they do, add BLACK die to the Combat Dice Pool.
4. DODGE
- a. Check if the target Dodges. (If the target is an Adventurer or Command Combatant they may spend 1 SP to Dodge. If the target is an Intelligent Combatants they only Dodge when instructed to do so.)
- b. Make a Dodge Roll by rolling BLACK die and adding 1 Defense for each Shield rolled.
5. ROLL TO HIT
- a. Make an Attack Roll.
- b. Spend Symbols & use Abilities to add to the Attack roll.
- c. Determine if you Hit. (Rolled equal to or greater than the targets Defense.) If you did, continue to Step 6a. Determine Damage. If you missed, continue to Step 6e. Check if the Target Counters.
6. DETERMINE DAMAGE
- a. Calculate the difference by which your Attack Hit and add it as Damage.
- b. Spend Symbols & use Abilities that add to the Damage of an Attack.
- c. Subtract the target's Armor.
- d. Calculate & Deal Final Damage.
- e. If the Attack misses or deals no Final Damage check if the Target Counters. If they do, the Attack immediately ends. If the Attack missed and the target did not Counter, the Attacker skips step 7. Use Follow Up Abilities and continues to step 8. Resolve the Attack.
7. Use Follow Up Abilities
Using a FU Ability that starts a new Action ends the Attack.
8. Resolve the Attack
The current Attack ends.
NOTE: For complete rules and details See The Attack Action Pg. 41.
Table 12: Phases of an Adventurer's Turn
1. START OF TURN PHASE: Resolve Abilities and Effects that occur at the start of a turn.
2. STATUS PHASE: Any Effects and Abilities that have the STATUS Tag occur during this Phase. See Pg. 95 for a list of Effects.
3. REFRESH PHASE: During the Refresh Phase, the Adventurer goes through the following steps:
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A. Recover Stamina Points (SP): Each Adventurer's Stamina Recovery Bar determines how many SP they receive during this step, as well as how many SP they may have at any given time. See A: Stamina Recovery Bar on Pg. 25.
IMPORTANT: Adventurers do not Gain SP during the Refresh Phase of their 1st turn of an Encounter. See Prepare Phase Pg. 14.
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B. Un-Exhaust Cards: Some Abilities require the Adventurer to EXHAUST them to be used. During the Refresh Phase, any Exhausted cards are Un-Exhausted.
4. ACTION PHASE: During the Action Phase, an Adventurer may spend SP to take Actions and/or use Abilities. When they decide they no longer want to spend SP or take Actions and/or use Abilities, the Adventure continues to the End of Turn Phase.
5. END OF TURN PHASE: Resolve Abilities and Effects that occur at the End of a Turn.
Table 13: Steps for Casting a Spell
1. CHOOSE THE TARGET(S)
Select a single figure within SOI as the target. Some Abilities have specific targeting parameters that may override this or allow you to target more than 1 figure.
2. DETERMINE THE FORCE
The Force of a SPELL determines how difficult the Spell's effects are to resist.
- A. BUILD FORCE POOL: A Force Pool consists of a figure's printed Casting Die or Upgrade.
- B. EMPOWER: When casting a SPELL, an Adventurer or Command Combatant may choose to spend 1 SP to EMPOWER the Spell. When Empowering a Spell, add the BLACK die to the Force Pool. When rolling to determine your Force, for each Book rolled on the BLACK die, add +1 to the Force of the Spell. Intelligent Combatants will only EMPOWER a Spell if instructed to do so.
- C. ROLL TO DETERMINE YOUR FORCE: Finally, the figure Casting the SPELL rolls their Casting die and Empower Die if applicable, and adds the printed X value on the Spell to the result. (Usually 6).
3. EACH TARGET MAKES A CONVICTION CHECK
Each Adventurer and Combatant Card has Conviction Dice printed on it. These 2 dice determine how resistant a figure is to Spells. During this step, each target makes a separate Conviction Check to resist the Spell's effects.
To make a Conviction Check, each figure targeted by the Spell rolls the Conviction dice printed on their card. If the total number rolled is equal to or greater than the Spell's Force Value, the Spell is resisted by that figure. However, if the roll is less than the Force Value of the Spell, the Spell's printed effects occur. Once every target has rolled a Conviction Check, the Spell Action ends.
4. RESOLVE THE SPELL'S EFFECT
Each target that failed their Conviction Check resolves the spell's effects separately and in the order they made the Conviction Check. This could be Magic Damage determined by a roll, Negative Effects such as Poison, or manipulating their position on a Tile. A Spell's effects are described on the Ability that started the Spell Action after, "Cast a SPELL (X)".
NOTE: For complete rules and details See The Spell Action Pg. 53.
Dice Breakdown
The dice symbols are Skull, Book, Shield, and Burst. Each die's six faces are listed below.
| Die | Face 1 | Face 2 | Face 3 | Face 4 | Face 5 | Face 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLACK | 2 Shields, 2 Books | 3 Books, 1 Shield | 3 Shields, 1 Book | 4 Shields | 4 Books | Skull |
| WHITE | 2 | 3 | 4, Shield | 5, Shield, Book | 6, 2 Shields, Book | 7, Burst, 2 Shields, Book |
| TEAL | 3 | 4 | 5, Shield | 6, Shield, Book | 7, 2 Shields, Book | 8, Burst, 2 Shields, Book |
| GREEN | 4 | 5 | 6, Shield | 7, Shield, Book | 8, 2 Shields, Book | 9, Burst, 2 Shields, Book |
| BLUE | 5 | 6 | 7, Shield | 8, Shield, Book | 9, 2 Shields, Book | 10, Burst, 2 Shields, Book |
| PURPLE | 1 | 2 | 3, Book | 5, Shield, Book | 6, Shield, 2 Books | 7, Burst, Shield, 2 Books |
| ORANGE | 2 | 3 | 4, Book | 6, Shield, Book | 7, Shield, 2 Books | 8, Burst, Shield, 2 Books |
| RED | 3 | 4 | 5, Book | 7, Shield, Book | 8, Shield, 2 Books | 9, Burst, Shield, 2 Books |
| GREY | 4 | 5 | 6, Book | 8, Shield, Book | 9, Shield, 2 Books | 10, Burst, Shield, 2 Books |
Conviction and Casting Value
Conviction and Casting Ratings:
- 1 — PURPLE
- 2 — WHITE
- 3 — ORANGE
- 4 — TEAL
- 5 — RED
- 6 — GREEN
- 7 — GREY
- 8 — BLUE
Some Abilities, Conditions, or AI Steps may reference a figure's Conviction Value or Casting Value. The Conviction Value or Casting Value is calculated by adding the figure's best dice of the appropriate type according to the rating list above.
Example: If the figure had ORANGE and RED Conviction dice, their Conviction Value would be 8 (5 + 3).
Since Casting only uses 1 die, the Casting Value is simply the value of the single die.