Nova Aetas Renaissance Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Credits
• Golden Rules
• Components
• Glossary
  • A
    • Achievement Cards
    • Action Points
    • Actions
      • Movement (1 Action Point per Square)
      • Attack (X Action Points)
      • Use Skill (X Action Points)
      • Equipment Use (X Action Points)
      • Wait (X Action Points)
      • Mission's Actions
    • Adjacent Models
    • Ally
    • Areas
    • Artificial Intelligence (AI)
    • Astro Symbols
    • Attack Test
    • Available Squares
  • B
    • Battlefield
  • C
    • Character Tokens
    • Characteristic Test
      • Success Threshold
    • Class Points
    • Companion
    • Critical
  • D
    • Dash
    • Defense Test
    • Dice
    • Dice Re-roll
    • Dice Roll
  • E
    • Effect
    • Encumbrance
    • Enemy
      • Enemy Cards
      • Enemies Characteristics
      • Enemies Attacks
        • Physical Attack
        • Psychic Attack
      • Defeated Enemy
      • Playing the Enemies
    • Enemy Draft
      • Draft Cards
    • Equipment Cards
      • Formulae Cards
      • Starting Equipment Cards
      • Advanced Equipment Cards
      • Reward Cards
    • Event Cards
    • Event Tokens
    • Experience Points
  • F
    • Florins
    • Focus Area
    • Focus Points
    • Forced Movement
  • G
    • Game Area
    • Generic Skills
  • H
    • Height Level (HL)
      • Climbing to a higher HL
      • Descending to a lower HL
    • Hero
      • Heroes Characteristics
      • Hero Sheet
      • Skill Sheets
      • Heroes Attacks
        • Physical Attack
        • Psychic Attack
    • Destiny Cards
    • Hero Cube
    • Heroic Points
    • Heroic Skills
    • Hunt Missions
      • Playing a Hunt Mission
      • Prey Card
  • I
    • Injury Cards
    • Instructions
    • Interaction Cube
  • K
    • Keyword
    • KO Hero
  • L
    • Line of Sight (LoS)
    • Loot
  • M
    • Mission Cards
      • Initial Mission Card
      • Standard Mission Card
      • End of a Mission
      • Location Card
      • Special Mission Card
      • Profile Card
      • Using Mission Cards
    • Model
      • Active Model
      • Friendly Model
      • Opposing Model
    • Models Activation
      • Activation Tokens
      • Horologium
      • Hero or Ally Activation
      • Enemy Activation
    • Mud Tile (M)
    • Mystery Tokens
  • N
    • Non-Zone
  • P
    • Patrol
    • Perilium
    • Placing a Model
    • Prayers
  • R
    • Reaction Attacks
    • Reagent Cards and Reagents
  • S
    • Scenic Element
      • Tree
      • Trapdoor
      • Cart/Wagon
      • Bush
      • Building
      • Lever
      • Well
      • Stone
      • Ladder
      • Mystic Stones
    • Side Missions
    • Skills
      • Class Skills
      • Active Skills
      • Passive Skills
      • Upgrade Skills
      • Reaction Skills
    • Spells
    • Status Tokens
      • Status Tokens and Equipment
    • Stealth
      • Stealth Card
      • Stealth Token
  • T
    • Threat Level
    • Tile
    • Traits
    • Transformation
      • Transformation Cards
      • Transformation Token
  • U
    • Unblockable Wounds
    • Upkeep
  • V
    • Valid Target
      • Attack with Friendly or "-" Target
  • W
    • Water Tile (W)
    • Wounds and Wound Tokens
      • Wound Tokens and Equipment
• Campaign
  • First Steps
  • Campaign Sheet
  • Playing a Mission
    • Travel Phase
    • Setup Phase
      • Table Setting
      • Mission Setup
    • Mission Phase
    • Rest Phase
      • Acquiring Class Advancement
      • Acquiring a new Class Skill
      • Crafting Equipment
      • End of Mission

Credits

Project Manager and Art Director: Andrea Colletti

Game Designer: Andrea Colletti, Luca Bernardini

Additional Game Design and Development: Diego Fonseca, Marco Presentino

Graphic Director: Paolo Scippo

Graphic Design: Jonata Benvenuti, Elisa Fiore, Diana Maranzano

Concept Artists: Giovanni Pirrotta, Simone de Paolis, Eleonora Lisi, Fabio Porfidia

Lead 3D Sculptor: Fernando Armentano

3D Sculptor: Tommaso Incecchi

Translation: Elettra Nuzzo

Editing: Edoardo Eibenstein, Frank Calcagno, Louis Angelli

Social Media: Luca Bernardini, Emiliano Caretti

Customer Care: Marco Presentino, Michele Morosini, Francesco Granitto

Kickstarter Manager: Andrea Colletti

Advertising: Fabio Braghettoni, Emiliano Caretti

Fulfillment: Michele Mirizio

Production: Fabio Braghettoni, Paolo Scippo

Playtest: Alberto Grillo, Alberto Sandron, Alessandro Angelini, Alessandro Brogi, Chiara Spagnoletto, Daniele Samele, Daniele Vendittozzi, Federico Morara, Flavio Galmacci, Francesco Pica, Gabriele Macchioro, Gianni Punzo, Giovanni Milani, Lorenzo Meucci, Luca Benedetti, Luca Francescangeli, Luca Perra, Pasquale Carotenuto

Golden Rules

If a rule written on any other game component (card, sheet, or other) conflicts with the rules described in this rulebook, the rule on the game component always has priority.

If during a Test, the Success Threshold is not specified, the Success Threshold is always 5.

Regardless of any modifiers to the roll of the die, or to the Test being performed, a result of 1 on the die is always a fail while a result of 8 is always a success.

Authors' Note: Within this Rulebook we try to clarify as many questions as possible regarding most game situations. Yet in a game as vast as Nova Aetas Renaissance you may come across a situation that we have failed to foresee or that the rules fail to clarify entirely. In such cases, we recommend that you use common sense to resolve it or—in case you want to keep in the spirit in which we designed this game—always back the Enemies up by choosing what is best for them! Functional as it may be, the Artificial Intelligence we have designed will never compete with a player's brain, so giving advantage to the Enemies is what we would do if we were in an uncertain situation.

Components

Heroes: Rebecca, Valerio, Vincenzo, Sofia.

Venice faction: Noble, Gipsy, 3 Arquebusiers, 3 Gunslingers, 5 Moldovian Guards, 5 Stradiots.

Rome faction: Cardinal, Nun, 3 Papal Guards, 5 Swiss Keepers, 5 Swiss Guards, 3 Sacred Guards.

Primaevi faction: Witch, Bully, 3 Warriors, 3 Marauders, 6 Slingers, 6 Lancers.

Cards: 24 Destiny Cards, 18 Enemy Cards, 18 Enemy Draft Cards, 36 Reagent Cards, 20 Reward Cards, 32 Achievement Cards, 4 Companion Cards, 9 Event Cards, 2 Transformation Cards, 14 Injury Cards, 16 Prey Action Cards.

Tokens: 8 Fire Tokens, 4 Water Tokens, 1 Stealth Token, 20 Wound Tokens, 12 Neutral Tokens, 28 Activation Tokens, 30 Positive Status Tokens, 58 Negative Status Tokens, 12 Mystery Tokens, 4 Event Tokens, 2 Transformation Tokens, 2 Character Tokens, 1 Prey Token.

Other components: 2 Line of Sight Tools, 1 Horologium, 4 Perilium, Map of Italy/Rest Board, 10 Interaction Cubes, 30 Hero Cubes, 8 Dice, 1 Water/Mud Tile, 11 Tiles, 4 Focus Points.

Books: 1 Tutorial, 1 Plotbook, 1 Handbook.

Missions: 27 Mission Envelopes, 251 Mission Cards.

Sheets and boards: 4 Hero Boards, 8 Hero Sheets, 8 Skill Sheets.

More cards: 12 Starting Equipment Cards, 24 Advanced Equipment Cards, 43 Equipment Cards.

Scenery: 2 3x3 Houses, 2 2x4 Houses, 4 Ladders, 2 Carts, 2 Trapdoors, 2 Levers, 4 Trees, 4 Bushes, 1 Well, 4 Mystic Stones, 2 Stones, 1 Blood of Gaea.

Before starting a Campaign, place the cards for each Mission in the Envelope marked with the number of the corresponding Mission. Each Mission is composed of a variable number of cards. On the back of each card is the number of the Mission. When sorting the cards for each Mission, keep in mind that the first card always has a dark back and shows only the number and title of the Mission (e.g., the 8 cards of Mission 0.0 should be placed in the envelope that shows the number 0.0).

Glossary

Icons are written out as words below. The hourglass icon means Action Points; the sun-with-face icon means Swiftness.

A

Achievement Cards

These cards represent accomplishments, statuses, or items obtained by the party or an individual Hero during a Mission. The fact that the party or a Hero is in possession of certain Achievement Cards may alter the course and development of the current or subsequent Missions.

Achievement Cards contain this information:

• Name: name of the achievement obtained.
• Number: number of the Achievement Card, on most occasions when the Mission Cards or the Plotbook indicate one of these cards, they will do so exclusively by number, e.g. 5.
• Personal: the Achievement Card is bound to a single Hero, is held by the player who controls it, and marked in the designated slot of the Campaign Sheet.
• Discard: achievement must be discarded and placed back into the corresponding deck once the Mission where it was obtained is completed. If this icon is not present, the Achievement Card is kept by the party Mission after Mission, and must be marked in the designated slot on the Campaign Sheet.
• Artwork.
• Quote.

Related Topics: Playing a Mission (Campaign).

Action Points

Action Points determine how many Actions a Model can perform during its Activation.

Action Points follow these rules:

• When a Model Activates, it gains Action Points equal to its Swiftness value.
• Action Points can be spent by the Active Model to perform Actions or use other Effects at its disposal that require an expense of Action Points.
• For each Action Point spent by a Hero, their Activation Token advances one Sector on the Horologium.
• Enemies move their Activation Token forward on the Horologium by a number of Sectors equal to their own Swiftness characteristic, regardless of how many Action Points they spend during their Activation.
• A Model does not have to spend all the Action Points available to them during their Activation. The Action Points not spent are lost.

Related Topics: Models Activation, Actions, Hero, Enemy, Active Model (Model).

Actions

During its activation a Model can perform Actions by paying their cost in Action Points. The Model can continue to perform Actions as long as it has Action Points available to pay for its cost. A Model may perform the same Action, or different Actions, several times, but must perform one Action completely before it can perform another.

Most Actions can be performed by both Hero and Enemy Models.

Movement (1 Action Point per Square)

The Hero declares the number of Action Points they want to spend for this action, they move their Activation Token to the Horologium and perform the movement on the Battlefield. Each Action Point spent allows the Model to move into an adjacent Square in an orthogonal direction.

A Model can cross a Square occupied by a Friendly Model but cannot stop on it. It cannot cross a Square occupied by an Opposing Model or a Blocking Scenic Element. A Movement Action must always end in an Available Square.

Attack (X Action Points)

The Model performs one of the Attacks indicated in one of its Equipment or Skills, or, in the case of Enemies, one of the Attacks indicated on its Enemy Card. (See: Heroes Attack, Enemies Attack).

Use Skill (X Action Points)

The Hero uses one of their Skills by spending the Action Point cost indicated in its description. (See: Skills)

Equipment Use (X Action Points)

The Hero uses the Effect of one of their Equipment. The cost in Action Points and rules of these Effects are described on the corresponding Equipment Card.

Wait (X Action Points)

The Hero spends any number of Action Points at their disposal, without performing an action, their Activation Token moves forward on the Horologium by a number of Sectors equal to the Action Points spent.

Mission's Actions

These are additional actions that can be performed by Heroes during a Mission as long as the Mission Card indicating them is revealed in the Game Area.

Follow these rules to use Mission's Actions:

• The Hero who wants to use the Mission's Action must spend the number of Action Points indicated at the top of its description.
• If prerequisites are indicated in the Mission's Action description (for example, having Achievement Card 12), the Hero who wants to use the Mission's Action must meet all of them in order to perform it.

If once the Mission's Action is engaged, the Mission Cards or Plotbook Instructions indicate to place an Interaction Cube in the corresponding slot before the Mission's Action description, place an Interaction Cube on it. As long as the Interaction Cube is on the corresponding slot, the Mission's Action is no longer available.

Related Topics: Skills, Models Activation, Equipment Cards, Mission Cards, Interaction Cube, Hero, Stealth, Enemy, Action Points, Focus Point, Attack Test.

Adjacent Models

Two Models are considered adjacent when they are in two Squares that share one of the sides and are at the same HL.

Related Topics: Height Level.

Ally

A Model who has this Generic Skill on their Profile Card follows these rules:

• It is considered a Friendly Model by the Heroes.
• Players perform Tests on behalf of this Model.
• Unless otherwise stated in its Profile Card, players make the choices for this Model.
• An Ally may not perform Missions Actions unless otherwise stated in the rules of a Mission.
• Enemies defeated by an Ally add cards to the Loot normally.
• An Ally's Activation Token always moves a number of sectors equal to their Swiftness, regardless of what Actions they performed and how many Action Points they actually spent.
• An Ally is considered a Hero when they are the target of Skills and Equipment effects of Heroes and Enemies.
• The Allies' Attack profile has no Target, because it always targets Opposing Models.

Related Topics: Actions, Missions' Actions, Loot, Profile Card (Mission Cards).

Areas

Attacks with this Trait can target multiple Models within an Area. This Trait is always followed by the type of Area (e.g., Cross Area), and works differently depending on whether the attacker is a Hero or an Enemy.

Heroes: The Trait is always indicated after the Attack symbol. The Hero must target a single Model (it may be Friendly, Opposing Model, or Misc, depending on the target icon in the Attack profile) following the normal rules for Attacks. The Hero performs a single Attack Test against the target. If the Attack is successfully performed, the target suffers the indicated Effect. Other Models (Friendly and Opposing) in the Area indicated by the Trait suffer the Area Effect, which is normally different from that of the target.

Enemies: The Trait is always indicated before the Attack symbol. The Enemy targets a single Hero as per usual, but the Attack applies to both the target Hero and all other Heroes in the Area indicated by the Trait. Each Hero in the Area suffers the Attack, and performs a separate Defense Test.

In both cases, Area Effects follow these rules:

• Area Effects do not affect Models that are on a different Height Level than the target.
• Models other than the target that are in the Area suffer the effect even if whoever performed the Attack does not have a valid Line of Sight toward them.
• The 4 types of Areas are outlined in the Handbook.
• The Cross Area affects 5 Squares: that of the Target and the 4 Squares adjacent to it.
• The Burst Area affects 9 Squares: that of the Target and the 8 Squares around it.
• The Breath Area affects 4 Squares: that of the Target, the Square on the opposite side to that of the Attacker, and the two Squares adjacent to it in a straight line.
• The Spear Area X affects an X number of Squares in a straight line from the Attacking Model (e.g., Spear 3 affects 3 Squares).
• The Spear X and Breath Areas require the Model performing the Attack to be adjacent to the target.

Related Topics: Heroes Attacks, Enemies Attacks (Enemy), Valid Target, Effects, Line of Sight, Height Levels, Opposing Model, Attack Tests, Defense Tests, Traits.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Enemies are managed by the AI system, which determines their Actions during their Activation.

In some Missions, each Enemy or Group of Enemies has a specific Goal.

An Enemy's Goal always has their own Threat Level. The Enemy always pursues their Goal as long as a Hero in their Control Area does not exceed that Threat Level. In the event that a Goal does not present any Threat Level, the Enemy continues to pursue it regardless of the Threat Level of Heroes in their Control Area.

When an Enemy Model activates, carry out the following steps to determine its behavior:

1. Check if there are Heroes in their Control Area.
2. If one or more Heroes are in the Control Area of the Enemy (no Line of Sight required), determine which among them has the highest Threat Level; that Hero will become the Enemy's Goal. In case the Enemy has a Goal given by the Mission, the Threat Level of the Hero must be equal to or greater than the Threat Level of their Mission Goal. If it is lower, the Enemy will ignore the Hero and continue to follow their Mission Goal.
3. If more than one Hero in the Control Area can be chosen as the Goal, the Enemy selects the closest among them. If there is a tie again, the Goal is the Hero with the most Wound Tokens on their Hero Sheet among them. If the tie persists, the players may choose which Hero will be the Enemy's Goal.
4. If the active Enemy does not have a specific Goal and there are no Heroes in their Control Area, they choose the closest Hero as the Goal (no Line of Sight required), in case of a tie, the Goal will be the Hero with the highest Threat Level among them, and if the tie persists, the one with the most Wound Tokens on the Hero Sheet among them. In case there is still a tie after these checks, players select which Hero will be the Enemy's Goal.
5. This priority is referred to as "Standard" in many Profile Cards and Prey Cards to indicate that that Enemy will behave following these rules for choosing their targets.

There is a detailed diagram on the Handbook for following the Artificial Intelligence rules properly.

Example: AI Priority. At the beginning of the activation of the Papal Guard, Vincenzo and Sofia find themselves inside his Control Area. The Enemy must choose a Goal and apply the Attack Heroes rule. Sofia has Threat Level 3, while Vincenzo has Threat Level 8. So, despite Sofia being the closest Hero, the Enemy will move toward Vincenzo even though he does not have enough Action Points to attack him.

Related Topics: Profile Cards (Mission Cards), Prey Cards (Hunt Missions), Enemy, Perilium, Threat Level.

Astro Symbols

The dice in the game contain, in addition to the normal numbers, special symbols called Astro Symbols.

Effects that require a Test to be used may take into account the Astro Symbols obtained from the dice to apply additional Effects.

Astro Symbols follow these rules:

• Unless otherwise stated, the additional Effect gained by an Astro Symbol must be applied, it is not optional.
• When an Astro Symbol adds a Trait to the Effect, it is normally indicated with the formula: Astro Symbol + Trait (e.g. Moon Burn).
• If you perform an Attack Test and the additional Effect comes before the Attack symbol, it applies regardless of the number of Successes obtained.
• If an additional Effect requires a combination of Astro Symbols (For example, a Sun and a Star, or two Moons), the Test result must contain all the Astro Symbols required to apply the additional Effect.
• Unless otherwise stated, an additional Effect gained through Astro Symbols applies for each Astro Symbol(s) the Hero can use to activate it.
• An Astro Symbol activates all the effects for which it is required. So if a Hero has two different effects that require a Sun Symbol, both effects will be activated if at least one die obtains a Sun as a result. This also applies in case the required symbol is within a combination of Astro Symbols.

Example: Additional Effects of Astro Symbols (Moon, Sun, Star). Rebecca attempts to throw an Arcane Arrow at an Arquebusier. Therefore, she must obtain 2 Successes using the target's Defense 5 as the Success Threshold.

Rebecca rolls the dice and obtains 7, 4, 1, 1, and thus 2 Moons.

Failing to obtain the required number of successes, the Test fails and no effect is applied, not even the Arcane Arrow Side Effect that would have inflicted a Wound more for each Moon obtained.

Related Topics: Dice, Characteristic Test.

Attack Test

Characteristic Test performed to make a Physical or Psychic Attack.

A Physical Attack is considered successful if it inflicts at least 1 Wound.

A Psychic Attack Test is considered successful if you obtain all the required Successes.

Related Topics: Heroes Attacks (Hero), Characteristic Test.

Available Squares

A Square is considered available when it is not occupied by any Model or by certain Bulky Scenic Elements.

Related Topics: Scenic Element, Model, Tile.

B

Battlefield

The Battlefield is represented by the set of Tiles and Scenic Elements that make it up. The Squares on the Roofs of the Buildings are also part of the Battlefield. Location Cards and Non-Zones are not part of the Battlefield.

Related Topics: Location Cards (Mission Cards), Scenic Element, Non-Zone, Tile.

C

Character Tokens

These two Tokens indicate which Enemy Model is to be considered as the Pope or Doge in Missions where these Enemies are encountered.

When required, place a Character Token under the Model indicated by the Mission.

Characteristic Test

A Test is a Dice roll involving a specific Characteristic of the Hero who is to perform it, usually with a number of dice equal to the Characteristic involved. The number of dice used in the Test can be modified by various factors, such as Status Tokens or Skill Effects.

Success Threshold

When the game requires you to perform a Test, it also indicates a Success Threshold, e.g., the minimum numerical value that a die used in the Test must obtain to be considered a Success. If a Success Threshold is not indicated in the Test, that value is considered 5.

Related Topics: Heroes Attacks (Hero), Enemies Attacks (Enemy), Hero Characteristics (Hero), Attack Test, Defense Test.

Example: Success Threshold. Reading the Plotbook during a Mission, Sofia finds herself in the situation of having to pick a lock. The Plotbook indicates that the Hero must perform a Test and obtain at least 1 Success. No Success Threshold is indicated for the Test, so it is considered to have a value of 5.

Sofia rolls a number of dice equal to her Characteristic, that is 3, and obtains two 5+ (2 Successes) results.

The Plotbook indicates that having obtained at least 1 Success, Sofia can read the indicated Paragraph that will tell the consequences of her successfully performed Test!

Valerio attacks a Lancer with his Sword, who has a Defense of 5.

Having a value of 4, and gaining no bonus to that value from the sword, he rolls 4 dice and gains 6, 6, 5 and 2.

By obtaining 3 Successes, Valerio inflicts 3 Wounds and defeats the Lancer in just one Attack!

Class Points

Some Advanced Classes gain the ability to accumulate and spend Class Points. These points are called differently according to the Advanced Class that uses them; for example, the Chronomancer gains the ability to accumulate and spend Class Points called Time Points.

Class Points can be used in various ways:

1. As an additional cost for the activation of Skills.
2. To activate Effects described on Equipment Cards.
3. To activate additional effects of Skills and Equipment.

Related Topics: Skills.

Companion

These represent simplified versions of Heroes. When the group of players is fewer than four, it is recommended (but not essential) to use the Companion version of each Hero not directly controlled by a player.

A Companion Card shows this information:

• Name: name of the Companion.
• Characteristics: a Companion uses the Characteristics of Heroes (see corresponding section).
• Skills: the Skills available to the Companion with corresponding cost in Florins.
• Equipment: provides Attacks or Skills available to the Companion.
• Keyword: the Keywords the Companion has.

A Companion follows these rules:

• A Companion can be hired in the Rest Phase if a Hero visits the Barracks. There is no limit to the number of Companions a Hero can hire, but the total number of Heroes and Companions in use can never exceed four.
• No Companion with the same name as a Hero used by a player in the Mission can be hired.
• Hiring a Companion does not cost Florins, but you may spend Florins to acquire one or more of the 3 Skills on their Card. Any Skill acquired for the Companion can be used in the Mission.
• The three Equipment on a Companion Card can always be used without the need to purchase them.
• A Companion is considered for all intents and purposes a Hero, with the only exception that they never draw Injury Cards.
• A Companion's Actions are chosen and performed by the players, but they are not considered under the control of any player or other Hero.
• During a Rest Phase, Companions can visit the Shops as if they were Heroes. A Companion can also visit the Barracks to hire other Companions or even themselves, but cannot visit the Church, the Baths or the Mentor.
• A Companion is part of the party until the end of the Rest Phase following the one they were hired in. It is therefore possible for a Companion to play more than one Mission before leaving the party.
• In each Rest Phase you can hire new Companions or re-hire those currently in use. In this case, each time you hire a Companion you will have to pay again for the Skills you wish to acquire for them. You are not forced to purchase the same Skills, you may change their configuration according to your needs or availability of Florins.
• A Companion uses the corresponding Hero's Model and Activation Token. Both of these components are placed on the Battlefield and Horologium as though they were a regular Hero.

Related Topics: Skills, Hero, Setup Phase (Campaign), Keyword.

Critical

Although not stated, all Physical Attacks performed by Models other than Enemies have the Critical 1 Trait, so any Attack that inflicts 3 or more Wounds always inflicts an extra Wound (See Critical X on the Handbook) and raises the Threat Level on the Perilium by an additional point. If a Hero scores a Critical by attacking an Enemy who is Immune to Critical (for example, because they have the Fate Skill), the Enemy does not suffer the extra Wound, but the Hero still increases their Threat Level by 1 point.

Related Topics: Heroes Attacks (Hero), Wounds and Wound Tokens, Perilium, Threat Level.

D

Dash

Some Game Effects allow a Model to perform one or more Dashes.

A Dash follows these rules:

• A Model performing a Dash can move to an Available Square adjacent to the one it is currently in.
• A Dash does not use up Action Points in addition to those spent for the Skill or Attack that allows it to be performed.
• A Dash is not affected by any game rule that hinders movement (such as the Hindered Token or the Mud/Water Tile).
• Every Dash must be performed immediately by the Model who gains it, even if it is not the Active Model. Any Dash not performed immediately is lost.
• Unless otherwise stated, a Dash causes Reaction Attacks.
• Unless otherwise stated, a Hero may choose whether or not to perform a Dash.

Related Topics: Reaction Attack, Movement (Actions), Available Square, Active Model (Model).

Defense Test

Characteristic Test performed in response to and to defend against a Physical or Psychic Attack.

Related Topics: Enemies Attacks (Enemy), Characteristic Test.

Dice

Special 8-sided dice are used in Nova Aetas Renaissance.

The sides of the die show the conventional values from 1 to 8. These numbers are used to determine whether a die obtains a Success during a Test.

Some sides of the dice also include the Astro symbols: Sun on sides 8, 6 and 4, Star on sides 5 and 7, and Moon on side 1. These symbols are considered for triggering special effects of certain Skills, or for other features of the game, when explicitly stated in the rules.

Related Topics: Dice Roll, Dice Re-roll, Astro Symbols, Characteristic Test.

Dice Re-roll

Some game effects allow one or more Dice used in a Test to be re-rolled.

Dice Re-rolling follows these rules:

• Dice must be re-rolled before applying the result of the Test.
• A Hero may not re-roll a die that they have already re-rolled due to the Effects of Tokens Status or Skills/Equipment, in the same Test.
• A die may be re-rolled a second time in the same Test, only if the first re-roll was caused by the Effect of an Enemy's Skills.

Related Topics: Heroes Attacks (Hero), Enemies Attacks (Enemy), Dice Roll, Attack Test, Defense Test, Characteristic Test.

Example: Dice Re-roll. Sofia has a Lucky Token on her Hero Sheet and is attacking a Slinger, who has the Dodge Skill.

Sofia performs an Attack Test against the Physical Defense of the Slinger (Defense 5) with 3 dice, obtaining 2 Successes (Star 5, Sun 6, 3).

Sofia could use the Lucky Token to re-roll the die that did not obtain a Success hoping to obtain 3 Successes, which, thanks to the Critical Trait, would allow her to defeat the Enemy with a single Attack. However, following the sequence of the Heroes' Attacks, one must first resolve the Effect of the Slinger's Dodge Generic Skill, which forces Sofia to re-roll one of her dice that obtained a Success. Sofia thus chooses one of the two dice that obtained a Success and re-rolls it. The new result is not a Success (Star 5, 2, 3).

At this point Sofia may decide whether to discard the Lucky Token to re-roll one of the two dice (even the same one that was re-rolled because of the Dodge Skill), or to save it for a future Test. She decides to use it and re-rolls the die already re-rolled for the Dodge Skill of the Slinger and obtains a Success (Star 5, Star 7, 3).

Since there are no additional modifiers to be applied, the final Attack Test Result is 2 Successes that inflict 2 Wounds to the Slinger.

Dice Roll

In some situations a Dice Roll may be required, probably to determine a random element or for specific actions required by Missions. A Dice Roll is not a Test; it cannot be modified by Status Tokens, Skill effects, or other game rules unless otherwise stated. Some Dice Rolls require you to obtain a Success; in this case, as with Characteristic Tests, if a Success Threshold is not indicated, it is considered 5+.

Related Topics: Characteristic Tests, Status Tokens.

E

Effect

Attacks with this icon apply all the Effects and Traits described after it.

For Heroes this occurs if the Test of a Physical Attack inflicts at least 1 Wound, or if the Test of a Psychic Attack obtains all the required Successes. The Effects or Traits indicated after the icon are to be applied following the reading order from left to right.

Some Equipment and Skills can cause an Attack to gain Effects. If an Attack already has Effects, those gained through Equipment/Skills are always to be resolved last, in an order decided by the player.

Enemies apply all Effects if a Physical Attack inflicts at least 1 Wound (not placed on an Equipment) or if a Hero does not obtain all the Successes required to defend against a Psychic Attack.

All Effects and Traits shown after the icon are to be applied following the reading order from left to right.

Related Topics: Heroes Attacks (Hero), Enemies Attacks (Enemy), Traits.

Encumbrance

Each Equipment occupies a certain slot available to the Hero. During the Setup Phase each Hero may equip themselves with the Equipment Cards marked on the Campaign Sheet, following these limits:

• One Equipment Card with Encumbrance (Two-Hand) or two Equipment Cards with Encumbrance (One-Hand).
• Three Equipment Cards with Encumbrance (Accessory).
• Three Equipment Cards with Encumbrance (Grimoire).
• One Equipment Card with Encumbrance (Head).
• One Equipment Card with Encumbrance (Body).
• If an Equipment Card has no Encumbrance symbol, it occupies no slots.

Related Topics: Equipment Cards, Setup Phase (Campaign), Campaign Sheet (Campaign).

Enemy

A Model other than Heroes and who does not have the Ally Trait on their Profile Card is always considered an Enemy.

An Enemy is generally associated with the following components:

• Enemy Model.
• Enemy Activation Token.
• Enemy Card or Profile Card.

When a Mission Card or Plotbook instructs you to use a particular Enemy, take the components listed above out of the box and use them. The same applies to Enemies generated with an Enemy Draft.

Enemy Cards

These cards summarize the characteristics of a specific type of Enemy.

An Enemy card shows this information:

• Name: Enemy's name.
• Identification Number: number shown on the back of the Enemy Activation Token, useful for quick identification.
• Enemy Characteristics: see Enemies Characteristics below.
• Rank: Enemy's level of danger; it can be Troop (a weak Enemy), Elite (a powerful Enemy) or Monster (a lethal Enemy, one of a kind).
• Attack: Attack(s) available to the Enemy.
• Traits: Effects of Attacks.
• Faction: affiliation with a Faction in the game. The Factions in the core game are the Heroes, Rome, Venice, Primaevi.
• Loot: the Reagent Cards that players add to the Loot whenever an Enemy of the type represented on the card is defeated.
• Generic Skills: the Enemy has all the Generic Skills listed here. Consult the Handbook for the rules for each Generic Skill.

Enemy Cards follow these rules:

• Place the Enemy Card of each Enemy that has at least one Model present in the Battlefield on one side of the table at the disposal of all players, keep the others in a deck.
• A single Enemy Card represents all the Models of that Enemy type present on the Battlefield.
• When the last Model of an Enemy type is defeated and removed from the Battlefield, place their Enemy Card in the deck.
• Some Enemies have specific Profile Cards shown on the Mission Cards where they appear. When a Profile Card that refers to a specific Enemy or group of Enemies is revealed during a Mission, that card is considered their Enemy Card.

Enemies Characteristics

Each Enemy Characteristic has a numerical value that represents their ability to influence the game world and resist Heroes:

Swiftness:

• It represents the reflexes and speed of the Enemy. It determines the Enemy's order of Activation in relation to the other Models.
• It provides an equal number of Action Points to the Enemy when they become Active.

Control Area:

• It determines the number of Squares within which the Enemy is able to locate the most dangerous Hero.

Physical Defense:

• It determines the Success Threshold for Physical Attack Tests targeting this Enemy.

Psychic Defense:

• It determines the Success Threshold for Psychic Attack Tests targeting this Enemy.

Health:

• It represents a mixture of physical and mental resistance of the Enemy.
• It determines the maximum number of Wounds the Enemy can take before being defeated.

Enemies Attacks

When an Enemy performs an Attack the following rules are applied:

• Determine which Attack will be performed by the Enemy. Usually Enemies have only one Attack, but some have 2 Attacks. When this happens, follow the rules of the Eclectic Generic Skill (see Handbook).
• Check whether the Attack to be performed is a Physical Attack or a Psychic Attack. Next, continue following the rules given in the following paragraphs.
• The Enemy Attack profile does not include the Target because an Enemy Model will always target Heroes.

Physical Attack

• Apply the Effects of all Attack Traits that come before the Effect symbol.
• The Enemy spends the indicated Number of Action Points.
• Their target must be within Range of the Attack and be a Valid Target.
• Apply in order all the effects of Negative Status Tokens first and then the Positive Status Tokens ones.
• The Enemy deals a number of Hits on the target equal to the indicated value.
• The target Hero performs a Defense Test on the indicated Characteristic (usually Physique) with a Success Threshold equal to the one indicated. After the Dice roll, apply the following points in the order in which they are listed.
  • Apply any effects of the Enemy's Generic Skills.
  • Apply any effects of Hero's Skills.
  • Apply any effects of Positive Status Tokens.
  • Apply any effects of Negative Status Tokens.
• Each Success obtained by the Hero cancels one of the Hits the Enemy dealt.
• Each Hit not cancelled inflicts 1 Wound to the target Hero.
• If the Attack inflicted at least 1 Wound (which has not been placed on an Equipment Card), it is considered successful and the Enemy applies the Effects of all Attack Traits that come after the Effect symbol.

Psychic Attack

• Apply the Effects of all Attack Traits that come before the Effect symbol.
• The Enemy spends the indicated number of Action Points.
• Their Target must be within Range of the Attack and be a Valid Target.
• Apply in order all the effects of Negative Status Tokens first and then the Positive Status Tokens ones.
• The target Hero performs a Defense Test on the indicated Characteristic (usually Mind) with a Success Threshold equal to that indicated. After the dice roll, apply the following points in the order in which they are listed.
  • Apply any effects of the Enemy's Generic Skills.
  • Apply any effects of Hero's Skills.
  • Apply any effects of Positive Status Tokens.
  • Apply any effects of Negative Status Tokens.
• If the number of Successes obtained in the Defense Test is equal to or greater than that indicated in the Attack, the Attack does not produce any Effect. In any other case, the Attack is considered successful and the Enemy applies the Effect in its entirety on the target.
• The Enemy applies the Effect, including all Attack Traits found after the Effect symbol.
• If after the Effect symbol, the Wound symbol is present preceded by a number, the Hero suffers that number of Wounds.

Defeated Enemy

When an Enemy has a number of Wound Tokens equal to their value of Health they are immediately defeated.

Follow these rules when an Enemy is Defeated:

• If the Wound(s) that lead to the defeat of an Enemy are inflicted by a Model, that Model is considered the one who defeated the Enemy.
• A Defeated Enemy is removed from the Battlefield.
• After removing the Defeated Enemy's Model from the Battlefield, a player draws, without revealing them, the Reagent Cards indicated on the Defeated Enemy's Card (if any) and adds them to the Loot.
• A Defeated Enemy with a Wound inflicted by a Status Token provides Reagent Cards to the Loot normally, but is not considered to have been defeated by any Hero.
• If a Hero defeats an Enemy, inflicting more Wounds than those needed to defeat them, the excess Wounds are still considered inflicted by that Hero for the purpose of applying any Effects/Traits, or for counting Class Points/Heroic Points.
• If the removed Enemy is the last of their type, also remove the corresponding Activation Token.

Playing the Enemies

Nova Aetas Renaissance is a fully cooperative game and its game system makes the Enemies very autonomous, so in many cases players will simply have to follow the Instructions provided by their Artificial Intelligence (AI) and move miniatures around the Game Area according to the directions provided.

However, more complicated situations may occur where players will have to make decisions to manage the Enemies in the best way. When such situations occur, follow these simple rules:

• Artificial Intelligence: Goals set by Missions for Enemies always take priority over any other factor.
• Be Naughty!: any good story would not be such if there were no antagonists equal to the Heroes, able to put them in a difficult situation and always staying one step ahead of them. In dubious situations always make the best choices for the Enemies.

Related Topics: Skills, Enemy Activation (Models Activation), Valid Target, Loot, Mission Cards, Enemy Draft, KO Hero, Wounds and Wound Tokens, Artificial Intelligence, Line of Sight, Models, Perilium, Action Points, Status Tokens, Success Threshold, Defense Test, Attack Test, Characteristic Test, Traits, Threat Level.

Enemy Draft

In many Missions you will be required to perform Drafts to introduce new Random Enemies on the Battlefield.

This operation is indicated with a text string that provides the following information:

• The Faction of Draft Cards to be used.
• The Rank of Enemies. It indicates which type of Draft Cards form the deck: Troop, Elite or Monster.
• Potential Enemies that must be excluded. The Draft Card of the indicated Enemy must not be included among those that form the Deck.
• The position where each drawn Model is to be placed on the Battlefield. This could be a specific point indicated by a map or a Focus Point already on the Battlefield.
• Potential special rules to apply to the Draft, such as ignore the Horde Skill.

Follow these steps in order when performing an Enemy Draft:

1. Form a Deck with the Draft Cards of the Enemies indicated by the Mission's rules.
2. Draw a random Draft card and reveal it to know which Enemy to place on the Battlefield.
3. Place a drawn Enemy Model on each Square indicated by the Draft Profile following these rules:
   • If the Square where you should place the Enemy Model is not available, place it in the nearest Available Square to it of your choice.
   • If you do not have enough Models of the drawn Enemy available to occupy all the Squares indicated, draw a new card by repeating steps 2 and 3 until you have placed an Enemy for each Square indicated by the Mission rules.
4. If the Horologium does not already include the Activation Tokens of Enemies that have just entered the game, place their Activation Token in the Sector following the currently active one or in the Sector indicated by the Mission rules (either way, this information is always given in the Mission rules).

Draft Cards

These cards are used to perform an Enemy Draft when a Mission requires it.

They contain the following information:

• Artwork of the Enemy.
• Name of the Enemy.
• Rank of the Enemy.
• Faction the Enemy is part of.
• Skills of the Enemy that may interfere with the Draft, e.g. in some Drafts it may be necessary to exclude cards with the Shooter or Horde Skills.
• Number of Models available for the Enemy indicated by the Draft Card.

Related Topics: Focus Area, Available Square, Enemy.

Equipment Cards

These cards represent the Equipment that Heroes can use during a Mission. They can be obtained in various ways, and they all follow these rules:

• Once gained/crafted, it must be marked in the Inventory section of the Campaign Sheet.
• During the Setup Phase of a Mission, a Hero may equip Equipment Cards by choosing among those listed in the Inventory section of the Campaign Sheet, respecting the Encumbrance limits.
• There are 4 types of Equipment Cards:
  • Starting Equipment Cards
  • Advanced Equipment Cards
  • Formulae Cards
  • Reward Cards

The front of these cards always shows the characteristics and rules of the Equipment:

• Name: Equipment name.
• Category: Equipment category such as Weapon, Artifact, Potion, etc.
• Encumbrance: the type of Encumbrance the Equipment occupies, among those available to the Hero.
• Rules: the rules for using the effect provided by the Equipment. Attack, Active or Reaction Effects follow the same rules as Skills and Attacks (see related entries).
• Bond: indicates an Equipment Card automatically obtained by a Hero accessing the Advanced Class it is bound to.
• Artwork

The back of these Cards indicates the type of Equipment and also the way it can be gained. The types of Equipment are:

Formulae Cards

These are Equipment that can be crafted through the Artisan, using the Reagents, and are distinguished by a white drape.

The back of these cards shows the following information:

• Name: Equipment name.
• Reagents: Reagents required to craft the Equipment.
• Florins: Florins required to craft the Equipment.

Formulae Cards follow these rules:

• All Formulae Cards can be freely referred to during the Rest Phase, creating a Formulae Deck with all the Formulae Cards at your disposal.
• Regardless of the Restrictions of a Formulae Card, all Heroes can craft it by utilizing the Artisan's Shop.
• Once the Equipment the Formulae refers to is crafted, it must be marked in the Inventory section of the Campaign Sheet.
• Formulae Cards are limited by the number of copies provided in the box. Therefore, if only one copy of a particular Formulae Card exists, it cannot be crafted again as long as it is in the Campaign Sheet Inventory.
• If an Equipment crafted by a Formulae is sold or discarded, it must be deleted from the Inventory and can be crafted again later.

Starting Equipment Cards

Each Hero starts a Campaign with a set of 3 Starting Equipment Cards, recognizable by the back bearing the portrait of the Hero to whom they belong and the green background illustration. Each Hero can equip these 3 cards starting from their first Mission. These Cards can only be equipped by the Hero they belong to.

Advanced Equipment Cards

These are 6 cards divided into two sets of 3 cards distinguished by a blue or red drape, depending on the color of the Advanced Class chosen by the Hero. As with the Starting Equipment, these Cards can only be equipped by the Hero they belong to.

The back shows the Hero's portrait and the name of the Advanced Class they belong to. In addition, the back of each of the 3 cards in a set features one of these pieces of information:

• This card is obtained for free by the Hero upon choosing and gaining the Advanced Class it is related to. This Equipment is called Bond and is indicated by the Bond icon on the front.
• This card is obtained for free by the Hero as a reward for resolving their fourth Destiny Card.
• This card must be Crafted exactly like a Formulae Card.

Reward Cards

These cards are distinguished by a yellow drape. The back shows only a number to identify the card, e.g. Reward 3. A Reward Card is obtained if the Instructions of the Mission Cards or the Plotbook state so, and from Side Missions and Hunt Missions as well. When this happens, the Reward Card must be marked in the Inventory of the Campaign Sheet.

Related Topics: Actions, Reagent Cards and Reagents, Crafting Equipment (Campaign), Hero, Setup Phase (Campaign), Encumbrance, Spells, Hunt Missions, Campaign Sheet (Campaign), Status Tokens.

Event Cards

These cards are drawn during the Travel Phase and represent events or encounters that occur during the Travel Phase between two Campaign Missions.

When an Event Card is revealed, follow the instructions on it. Once an Event Card is resolved move on to the next one, or if there are no others, finish the Travel Phase.

Side Mission Event Cards have slightly different rules.

Related Topics: Travel Phase (Campaign), Side Missions.

Event Tokens

These 4 Tokens are used during some Missions to indicate when a particular Event occurs. They are normally placed on a Sector of the Horologium, indicating when the Event is to be resolved. If a Sector contains an Event Token, the Mission will indicate how to resolve it. Unless otherwise stated, Event Tokens resolve before any Activation Tokens present in the same Sector. Some Missions may use these Tokens in different ways, in which case their rules will be described directly by the Mission.

Experience Points

Experience Points are gained by Heroes by completing Missions. The number of Experience Points gained by each Hero at the end of the Mission is indicated in the Mission texts in the Plotbook.

Experience Points follow these rules:

• When a Hero gains Experience Points, they must note them in the corresponding slot of the Campaign Sheet.
• During a Rest Phase a Hero may spend Experience Points to acquire new Skills or to upgrade to their Advanced Class. A Hero can always spend Experience Points to acquire skills of their Basic Class even if they are already in their Advanced Class.

Related Topics: Skills, Rest Phase (Campaign), Skill Sheet (Hero), Campaign Sheet (Campaign).

F

Florins

Florins are the currency used in Nova Aetas Renaissance. They are not physically represented, but their quantity must be updated on the Campaign Sheet each time they are gained or spent.

Formulae cards often graphically show a certain amount of Florins, required as payment to craft Equipment.

Some Reagent Cards of the Pecunia type also graphically show Florins that are obtained by the Heroes when they draw the card.

Related Topics: Loot, Formulae Cards (Equipment Cards), Reagent Cards, Campaign Sheet (Campaign).

Focus Area

Battlefield Areas important to the progress of a Mission are highlighted on Maps with Squares with a specific color border. Texts in Mission Instructions will refer to a Focus Area by mentioning the color of the borders of the Squares that make it up (e.g., Blue Area Squares).

Related Topics: Battlefield, Mission Cards, Enemy Draft.

Focus Points

These colored Squares are used to indicate specific points on the Battlefield Tiles with which, in general, Heroes can interact by taking advantage of Mission's Actions or Special Rules indicated on a Mission Card. A Model can interact with a Focus Point if it is on it or in a Square adjacent to it.

Related Topics: Mission's Actions (Actions), Battlefield, Mission Cards.

Forced Movement

Some effects force a Model to perform a Forced Movement. These Movements do not cost Action Points to the Model forced to perform them. If a Hero must perform a Forced Movement, the controlling player decides how to perform it; if an Enemy must perform it, the players decide how to move the Model. In both cases any limitations described in the effect must be respected. In all other respects a Forced Movement follows the game rules of a regular movement and unless otherwise stated causes Reaction Attacks. Always apply the Golden Rule for the Enemies.

Related Topics: Reaction Attack, Movement (Actions).

G

Game Area

The term Game Area is defined as the area of the table representing the Battlefield. It is where the Heroes may move and which contains their Models and those of their Enemies and all other game components being used in the current Mission. The Game Area thus consists of the Tiles on which the Models move (Battlefield), the Location cards (if any), and the materials indicated, generally, on Card 0 of the current Mission, or taken from the box following the Instructions in the Plotbook.

Related Topics: Battlefield, Location Card (Mission Cards), Tiles.

Generic Skills

A type of Skill that can be possessed by Enemies (indicated on their Enemy Card) or Heroes, who can obtain it through a Skill or Equipment.

Generic Skills are explained in detail in the Handbook.

Related Topics: Actions, Equipment Cards, Enemy Cards (Enemy), Skill Sheet (Hero).

H

Height Level (HL)

In Nova Aetas Renaissance there are 3 Height Levels:

• HL 0: this is the most common level. All Tile Squares that make up the Battlefield (including Water and Mud Tiles) are considered to be at this HL.
• HL 1: all Squares on the Roofs of Buildings are considered to be at this HL.
• HL 2: all Squares on the Tower Roofs are considered to be at this HL.

Height Levels follow these rules:

• HLs should not be considered when counting Squares between two Models. Therefore, when you need to determine whether a Model is within any Range or Control Area, consider Squares on different HLs as being on the same HL.
• An Attack can target a Model on a HL different from that of the Attacking Model only if their Range characteristic is 3 or higher.
• Two Models on two different HLs can never be adjacent.

Climbing to a higher HL

By spending 2 Action Points, a Model can move from a Square of the HL it is in to the nearest Square of a higher HL only in one of these cases:

• It is in a Square with a Ladder
• It has the Climb X Generic Skill (see Handbook) and such movement does not cross Squares on the starting Height Level.

Descending to a lower HL

By spending 2 Action Points, a Model can move from a Square of the HL it is in to the nearest Square of a lower HL if that movement does not cross Squares on the starting Height Level. After performing the movement, the Model gains 2 Wounds unless one of the following conditions is true:

• The Model is in a Square of a Roof to which a Ladder is leaning.
• The Model has the Climb X Generic Skill (see Handbook).

Related Topics: Battlefield, Scenic Elements, Line of Sight, Adjacent Models, Movement (Actions), Tiles.

Hero

During a Mission each Hero is controlled by a player. The term "Hero" refers to their Model, the player who controls them, and all the components associated with them:

• The Hero Model.
• The Hero Activation Token.
• The Hero Sheet.
• The Skill Sheets.
• The Equipment Cards they are using in a Mission.
• The Hero Destiny Cards.

Heroes Characteristics

Each Characteristic of a Hero can have a value from 1 to 6 and represents the character's ability to influence a certain aspect of the game world:

Swiftness:

• It represents the Hero's reflexes and speed.
• It determines the order of Activation of the Hero with respect to the other Models.
• It provides an equal number of Action Points to the Hero when they become Active.
• It determines the number of dice the Hero rolls for Tests involving alertness and speed.

Dexterity:

• It represents the agility of the Hero.
• It determines the number of dice the Hero rolls for Physical Attack Tests with Weapons that use Dexterity (usually all ranged Weapons such as rifles, bows or daggers).
• It determines the number of dice the Hero rolls for Tests involving dexterity and accuracy.

Physique:

• It represents the physical prowess and strength of the Hero.
• It determines the number of dice the Hero rolls for Physical Attack Tests with Weapons that use Physique (usually all melee weapons such as swords, axes or spears).
• It determines the number of dice the Hero rolls for Defense Tests against Physical Attacks (both ranged and melee).
• It determines the number of dice the Hero rolls for Tests involving physical power and stamina.

Mind:

• It represents the Hero's intelligence and mental abilities, as well as their mastery and endurance toward the arcane and mystic arts.
• It determines the number of dice the Hero rolls when performing a Test for a Psychic Attack (usually Spells).
• It determines the number of dice the Hero rolls for Defense Tests against Psychic Attacks.
• It determines the number of dice the Hero rolls for Tests involving mental sharpness and willpower.

Health:

• It represents the endurance of the Hero.
• It determines the maximum number of Wound Tokens the Hero can gain before being KO'd.

Hero Sheet

Each Hero has two Hero Sheets, one for their Basic Class, distinguished by the color green, and one for their two Advanced Classes, distinguished by the colors red and blue.

Each Hero Sheet contains this information:

• Name and image of the Hero.
• Class: the Hero's Class suggests their role on the Battlefield and the type of Skills and Equipment they have access to.
• Characteristics: each Hero has five Characteristics: Swiftness, Dexterity, Physique, Mind and Health.
• Slots for Characteristics upgrades: these slots, if occupied by a Hero Cube, indicate that the value shown to their left is to be considered higher than 1 point. When a Hero gains an Advanced Class they also gain an upgrade to one of their Characteristics, this is to be noted on the Campaign Sheet. A Hero can only improve one of the two Characteristics indicated on the Hero Sheet of the Advanced Class.
• Skill Type Limit: each Class allows the Hero to equip a maximum of five Skills, each being part of a specific type indicated by its color. Advanced Classes indicate an extra Skill, to allow more elasticity in the choice of Skills that can be equipped for a Mission, but a Hero still cannot equip more than 5 Skills.
• Class Skills: a list of the 6 Skills that the Hero may acquire. During the Setup Phase a Hero may equip a previously acquired Skill and indicate it by placing a Hero Cube in the corresponding slot next to the Skill's name.
• Advanced Classes: summarized information about the Hero's Advanced Classes. On the Advanced Class Sheet these boxes are replaced by the Advanced Class Skills.
• Heroic Points Track: used to keep track of the Heroic Points gained and spent during the Mission, via a Hero Cube placed on the 0 of the track at the beginning of the Mission.
• Class Points Track: specific points that can be gained and spent for some Advanced Classes.

Skill Sheets

Each Hero has two Skill Sheets, one for their Basic Class, distinguished by the color green, and one for their two Advanced Classes, distinguished by the colors red and blue.

Each Skill Sheet contains this information:

Name and picture of the Hero.

• Class Name.
• Skill Type Limit: each Class allows the Hero to equip a maximum of five Skills, each being part of a specific type indicated by its color.
• Heroic Skill: each Class gives the Hero access to their Heroic Skill, explained in detail here.
• Skill Name.
• Skill Type.
• Cost: Experience Points needed to acquire the Skill.
• Prerequisite: some Skills require that you have already acquired another Skill before they can be acquired. It is not necessary to equip the Skill listed as a prerequisite for a Skill in order to equip it.
• Keyword: if the Hero equips a Skill that has a Keyword, they gain the Keyword for the current Mission.
• Effect: the rules related to the effect, to apply after using the Skill or for Equipping a Passive Skill.

Heroes Attacks

The Hero performs an Attack chosen from those available to them, usually listed on their Equipment or Class Skills.

To perform an Attack with a Hero, the player controlling them follows these rules:

• They choose an Attack available to their Hero.
• They check whether the chosen Attack is a Physical Attack or a Psychic Attack and perform an Attack Test following the rules for the type of Attack.

Physical Attack

• They spend the indicated number of Action Points.
• They select a Model as a target, which must be within Range of the Attack and be a Valid Target.
• They decide whether to use one or more Upgrade Skills and, if they do, spend the Action Points indicated in the cost of each Upgrade.
• The Characteristic to be used for the Attack Test is determined by the last icon in the Attack profile to which a bonus or penalty can be applied (indicated below the Characteristic icon). For Physical Attacks the Characteristic to use may be Physique or Dexterity.
• They perform a Physique or Dexterity Attack Test rolling a number of Dice equal to the value of the indicated Characteristic, modified by the indicated bonus/penalty, and by any bonuses/penalties due to Status Tokens, Hero Skills, Equipment and Generic Enemy Skills (e.g., Shield). They apply the following points in the order in which they are listed after rolling the Dice.
• They apply any effects of the target's Generic Skills.
• They apply any Skill effects of the Hero.
• They apply any effects of Positive Status Tokens.
• They apply any effects of Negative Status Tokens.
• They apply the effects of all Attack Traits found before the Effect symbol.
• They apply the Test result, gaining a Success for each die with a result equal to or greater than the Success Threshold, which is equal to the value of Physical Defense of the target.
• For each Success obtained they inflict 1 Wound to the target.
• If the Attack inflicted at least 1 Wound, it is considered successfully performed and it applies the effects of all Attack Traits that come after the Effect symbol, including the Critical 1 Trait (see Handbook), that all Physical Attacks of Equipment have.

Psychic Attack

• They spend the indicated number of Action Points.
• They choose a Model as the target, which must be within Range and be a Valid Target.
• They perform an Attack Test with the Mind Characteristic rolling a number of Dice equal to the value of that Characteristic, modified by the indicated bonus/penalty and any bonuses/penalties due to Tokens Status, Hero's Skills, Equipment, and Enemies' Generic Skills. Apply the following points in the order in which they are listed after rolling the Dice.
• They apply any effects of the target's Generic Skills.
• They apply any Skill effects of the Hero.
• They apply any effects of Positive Status Tokens.
• They apply any effects of Negative Status Tokens.
• They apply the effects of all Attack Traits found before the Effect symbol.
• They apply the Test result, gaining a Success for each die with a result equal to or greater than the Success Threshold, which is equal to the value of Psychic Defense of the target.
• If they obtained a number of Successes equal to the indicated number, the Attack is considered successful and it applies the effect of the Attack and the Effects of all Attack Traits following the Effect symbol; otherwise, do not apply any Effect.

Destiny Cards

These cards provide details on the personal history of each individual Hero, and feature this information:

• Name of the Hero to whom the Destiny Card belongs.
• Number: sequential number (from 1 to 6) of the Destiny Card.
• Plot Text: a part of the story of the Hero who owns the Destiny Card.
• Objective: The personal objective to be fulfilled by the Hero who owns the Destiny Card. Reward: the reward the Hero gains at the end of the Mission where they succeeded in meeting the demands of the Objective.

Destiny Cards follow these rules:

• When they meet the requirements of the Objective of Card 1, the player who controls the Hero reads a paragraph in the Plotbook that will give them Destiny Card number 2 and so on, until they gain four of the six cards related to them.
• To avoid spoilers, the paragraphs referenced in the Destiny Cards are scattered among the Missions in the Plotbook. Therefore, if, for example, you need to read paragraph 1.9-14, you will have to look for paragraph 14 of Mission 1.9.
• Each Hero is provided with 6 Destiny Cards. The first 2 are bound to their Basic Class, while the other 4 are bound in pairs to their respective Advanced Classes.
• Destiny Cards obtained and resolved by a Hero are to be marked in the corresponding slot of the Campaign Sheet.

Related Topics: Skills, Valid Target, Loot, Profile Cards (Mission Cards), Enemy Cards (Enemy), KO Hero, Wounds and Wound Tokens, Line of Sight, Spells, Friendly Model, Opposing Model, Perilium, Prayers, Action Points, Status Tokens, Success Threshold, Defense Tests, Attack Tests, Characteristic Tests, Traits, Threat Level.

Hero Cube

These transparent Cubes are used on the Hero Sheet to indicate the Skills equipped for the Mission, to count Heroic Points, to improve a Characteristic, and to count Class Points.

Related Topics: Hero, Setup Phase (Campaign), Class Points, Heroic Points.

Heroic Points

All Basic and Advanced Classes have the ability to accumulate and spend Heroic Points. The way to accumulate and spend these points is considered a Passive Skill, and is always indicated in the Heroic Skill of the corresponding Class. A Hero can accumulate a maximum of 6 Heroic Points, if a Hero already has 6, those they would gain are ignored. Heroic Points are no longer gained at the time a Hero activates their Heroic Skill.

Related Topics: Heroic Skill.

Heroic Skills

Each Class has its own Heroic Skill, available from the first Mission, which does not require Experience Points to be acquired.

• To use the Effect of their Heroic Skill, a Hero must spend the number of Heroic Points indicated in the first part of its description.
• Some Heroic Skills can last for multiple Activations upon spending a certain amount of Heroic Points at the beginning or end of the Hero's Activation. When a Hero cannot or will not spend the required Heroic Points, the effect of the Heroic Skill ends immediately.
• The Effect of each Heroic Skill is found on the Skill Sheet of the Class being used. A Passive Skill is always listed in its description, explaining how the Hero gains Heroic Points.
• Once per Mission, when a Hero has accumulated the number of Heroic Points needed (or more) by their Heroic Skill, they can activate it as a normal Skill by spending any required Action Points and deducting the Heroic Points.
• To keep track of the accumulated Heroic Points use the appropriate track on the Hero Board, placing a Hero Cube in correspondence with the amount of Heroic Points accumulated.
• Heroic Skills are always considered Active Skills, even when they do not use up Action Points to be activated.
• When a Hero acquires an Advanced Class, the Heroic Skill on the Skill Sheet of the new Class replaces that of the Basic Class, which consequently can no longer be used for the rest of the Campaign.

Related Topics: Skills, Actions, Action Points, Heroic Points, Skill Sheet (Hero).

Hunt Missions

Some Event cards allow you to play special Missions called Hunts.

If you are defeated by the Prey, you normally have to delete the Hunt Mission from the Active Side Missions and put its Event Card back into the Event Deck. If, on the other hand, you emerge victorious from the encounter and gain at least one of its Rewards for the first time, erase the Mission's title from the Active Side Missions and mark the Prey's name (and its Hunt Mission code) among the Available Hunts. The mission of hunting a Prey among the Available Hunts can be played again instead of a Campaign Mission. You may decide to Play a Hunt instead of a Campaign Mission during the Setup Phase, at the "Select a Mission" step. In this case, keep in mind the rule that you can never engage in 2 Hunt Missions and/or other types of Side Missions consecutively.

Playing a Hunt Mission

These Missions pit Heroes against Prey, particularly powerful Enemies that use different rules from those used in regular Missions.

When you play one of these Missions, take the Mission envelope and follow the setup instructions given in the cards inside. Hunt Missions normally do not have paragraphs in the Plotbook.

Unlike Campaign Missions, the management of the Prey's Actions is entrusted to a deck of cards that describes its behavior, causing it to perform movements and attacks.

Placed the Action Cards to form a face-down deck, in ascending order of Activation Number, with the number 1 card at the top of the deck and the last card at the bottom of the deck (in Missions this Deck is referred to by the name of the Hunt to which it belongs, e.g., Bear Deck).

When Prey activates, perform these steps in order:

1. Resolve all effects of Skills, Traits, and Status Tokens held by the Prey that are resolved at the beginning of the Activation.
2. Draw the Action Card at the top of the deck.
3. On the Horologium, move the Prey Activation Token by a number of Sectors equal to the Action Points indicated on the Action Card.
4. Resolve the drawn Action Card in full, making the Prey perform all the Actions indicated, and apply all its effects.
   • If the card indicates to interact with a "Target Hero", select the target by following the priority of the Prey indicated at the bottom of its card, among all the Heroes within the Control Area of the Prey, just as is the case for Enemies with a Profile Card.
   • If the card indicates a specific Target (e.g., the farthest Hero), select the indicated target Hero by ignoring the Control Area of the Prey. In case a Target cannot be selected (for example, if there are ties or no Heroes can be selected), use the priority on the Prey Card as described in the previous point.
5. Place the newly resolved Action card face up in a discard pile next to the Action Card Deck.
6. Resolve all Skill, Trait, and Status Token effects held by the Prey that resolve at the end of the Activation.
7. The Prey's Activation ends.

Prey Card

The Prey has a special Mission Card that shows the characteristics of the creature you face.

It replicates the format of Profile Cards, though with the following changes:

• The Prey does not have a Swiftness characteristic and always spends the Action Points indicated on the drawn Action Card.
• The Attack shown on a Prey card is to be used only if the Prey has to perform a Reaction Attack.
• All Preys have the Swiftness rule, which indicates its value of Swiftness for when the Activation order needs to be determined. This value does not indicate the Action Points at their disposal!

Hunt Missions may use various special rules, described on the Mission Cards.

A Hunt Mission ends immediately when one of the following conditions occurs:

• 3 Heroes are KO.
• The Prey is defeated.
• When the Prey activates but has no more Action Cards to draw.

If the Prey was not defeated you do not gain any Rewards (but you can always try again!).

If the Prey is defeated, a separate Mission Card will indicate how many Rewards you gain.

Usually each Hunt provides 4 specific Reward Cards. Take the 4 Reward Cards indicated by the Mission Card and place them face-down on the table. Then count the number of Prey Action Cards that have not been revealed. Based on this number, the Mission Card tells you how many Reward Cards you can reveal and gain.

Unrevealed Reward Cards are to be placed back in the box. Attempting to obtain them requires repeating the hunt later.

Mark all Rewards obtained on the Campaign Sheet.

Related Topics: Reaction Attacks, Models Activation, Actions, Event Cards, Reward Cards (Equipment Cards), Setup Phase (Campaign), Side Missions, Enemy, Action Points, Campaign Sheet (Campaign).

I

Injury Cards

These cards represent serious injuries that are impossible to treat during the course of a Mission.

Injury Cards follow these rules:

• When a KO Hero would Activate, they instead draw an Injury Card, place it next to their Hero Sheet, and mark it in the corresponding slot of the Campaign Card.
• The effect of an Injury Card applies immediately when it is drawn and affects the Hero until they erase it from the Campaign Sheet.
• If a Hero draws an Injury that they already have, they discard it and draw a new one until they draw an Injury that they do not have.
• The effects of several different Injury Cards are cumulative.
• You can remove an Injury during the Rest Phase by visiting the Chyrurgeon and paying the indicated amount of Florins.

Related Topics: Models Activation, KO Hero, Rest Phase (Campaign).

Instructions

Instructions are a series of actions that players must perform by handling the game components. They are given on the Mission Cards and Plotbook in the form of bulleted lists. Instructions are always to be carried out (they are never optional) one at a time, starting with the one at the top of the bulleted list and proceeding downward.

Example instructions:

• Replace 4 with 7; all Heroes placed on 4 are now placed on 7. All Interaction Cubes placed on 4, are placed on the same Choices of 7.
• Reveal 5.
• Place your Hero on 5.
• Continue your Activation.

Related Topics: Mission Cards, Playing a Mission (Campaign).

Interaction Cube

These black Cubes are placed on Mission Cards to indicate that a Mission's Action has already been performed, and cannot be performed again.

Related Topics: Mission's Actions (Actions), Mission Cards.

K

Keyword

A Skill might mention a Keyword in its description. A Hero who equips one of these Skills also has the Keyword associated with it.

Having a Keyword allows a Hero to gain bonuses in the Tests indicated in the Mission Cards and Plotbook. The type of bonus is specified in the text of the Mission.

Having the same Keyword more than once does not provide additional bonuses.

Example: Keyword. If the Hero performing the Test has equipped a Skill that provides them with the keyword "Lock Picking", they may roll an additional die.

Related Topics: Skills, Mission Cards, Skill Sheet (Hero), Characteristic Test.

KO Hero

When a Hero has a number of Wound Tokens on their Hero Sheet equal to their Health Value, they are KO.

A KO Hero follows these rules:

• The Hero's Model is laid in the Square it is in. The Square is considered occupied, no Model can stop on it, but all Models can pass through it.
• If a Hero is KO'd in an occupied Square, their Model is moved to an Available Square of the controlling player's choice as close as possible to the Square they are in.
• A KO Hero is considered out of the game, suffers no game effect, cannot be targeted in any way or considered by any rule unless it is an effect that allows them to discard Wound Tokens.
• Equipment and Skills of a KO Hero produce no effect.
• When a Hero is KO'd, their Perilium is decreased by 2 points and their Activation Token is turned to the KO side.
  • A KO Hero does not gain Heroic Points and/or Class Points.
• A KO Hero's Activation Token never leaves the Sector it is in.
• When a KO Hero would Activate, they instead draw an Injury Card.
• If an effect allows the KO Hero to discard at least one Wound Token from their Sheet, they are no longer KO. Their Model is lifted into the Square they are in. Their Activation Token is turned to the regular side and placed one Sector ahead of where the Active Model's Activation Token is (please note that this is not the Horologium Sector following the Active one).
• A KO Hero discards all Status Tokens on their Hero Sheet, except those on their Equipment Cards.

Related Topics: Models Activation, Heroes' Characteristics (Heroes), Injury Cards, Equipment Cards, Wounds and Wound Tokens, Status Tokens, Perilium, Threat Level.

L

Line of Sight (LoS)

The LoS is determined by drawing an imaginary line from the center of one of the sides of the Square where the Active Model is (for simplicity, each side of the Squares on the Tiles has an empty segment from which to draw this line), towards the center of the Square where the target is.

The Active Model has a LoS on a target at its own Height Level if an imaginary line can be drawn from one of the sides of its Square having all these characteristics:

• It does not cross a Square occupied by a Blocking Scenic Element (such as a Tree or Building) at the same Height Level as the Active Model.
• It does not cross a Square occupied by another Opposing Model.
• It does not cross a Non-Zone.

An Active Model on a Roof has a LoS on the target at a lower Height Level if an imaginary line having all the following characteristics can be drawn from one of the sides of its Square:

• It does not cross a Square occupied by a Towering Scenic Element (such as a Tree or Building) on the same Height Level as the Active Model.
• It does not cross a Non-Zone.
• It does not cross any Square of the Roof the Active Model is on.

An Active Model has a LoS on a target that is on a Roof at a higher Height Level if an imaginary line having all the following characteristics can be drawn from one of the sides of its Square:

• It does not cross a Square occupied by a Towering Scenic Element (such as a Tree or Building)
• It does not cross a Non-Zone.
• It does not cross Roof Squares the Target Model is on other than those occupied by the Target.

The orientation of the Models is irrelevant for the purpose of determining a LoS.

Related Topics: Valid Target, Available Square, Scenic Element, Height Level.

Loot

During a Mission, players gain Reagent Cards as a reward for defeating Enemies. Performing certain Actions or succeeding at Tests described by Mission Cards or the Plotbook also allows players to draw Reagent Cards. All Reagent Cards gained in this way must be drawn face-down and kept aside to form a deck called the Loot. As long as the Mission is in progress, the contents of the Loot cannot be revealed.

At the end of the Mission you will be told what to do with the Loot. There are 3 ways to gain Loot:

1. Loot: none. Discard all the cards that form the Loot.
2. Loot: half. Discard half of the cards that form the Loot (rounded up) and mark the contents of the remaining cards in the Campaign Sheet Treasury. Then put all Reagent cards back into their decks. When selecting the cards to keep and discard, you cannot reveal any of them, but you can choose them according to the symbol on the back of the Reagent cards.
3. Loot: whole. Reveal all the Reagent cards that make up the Loot and mark the contents in the Treasury on the Campaign Sheet. Then place the cards back into their decks.

In addition to the Loot, you can also mark any Reagent cards kept through the use of Skills or Equipment in the Treasury of the Campaign Sheet. Then put these cards back into their decks as well.

Some Missions may add bonuses to the 3 types of Loot, in which case it will be stated directly in the Mission text (e.g., Loot: Half, 5 Florins, mark half of the Reagents that make up the Loot plus 5 Florins in the Treasury.)

Related Topics: Mission Cards, Reagent Cards, Enemy.

M

Mission Cards

Mission Cards form Mission Decks, each of which is used during the course of a Mission.

There are various types of Mission Cards, and although their layout may change to fit specific mechanics, the types most frequently found within a Mission are:

Initial Mission Card

This is always the first card in a Mission Deck, also referred to as Card 0, distinguishable from the others by its dark back. It is revealed as soon as the Mission starts (after carrying out the Setup Phase).

The Initial Mission Card generally features this information:

• Card Number
• Mission Name
• Setup Tips: useful in the Setup Phase to equip Skills and Equipment optimized for the Mission.
• List of Components: game components to be taken from the box for the initial setup of the Mission. The rest of the components should be kept on hand, in case the Mission calls for them.
• Key: information regarding the symbols that will appear in the Maps of the current Mission (found on other Mission Cards or in the Plotbook).

Standard Mission Card

Most Mission Cards fall into this type. Inside them there is the information needed to play the Mission, generally divided into these sections:

• Map: The section showing how to set up the Tiles and all other components on them that make up the Battlefield (such as Scenic Elements or Focus Points) in the Game Area.
• Horologium: The section indicating how to set up the Horologium, the Activation Tokens and any other Tokens on it at the beginning of the Mission.
• The Mission: The section in which Heroes' Goals and Enemies' Goals are given.
• Mission's Actions: The section listing the available Mission's Actions.
• Special Rules: The section listing special rules that affect the current Mission. The Special Rules of a Mission are applied as long as the Mission Card describing them is in the Game Area; they stop being applied when the Mission Card containing them is discarded or replaced.

End of a Mission

At least one Mission Card indicates the Victory and Defeat conditions of the Heroes.

Each Victory or Defeat condition will instruct players to read a paragraph in the Plotbook to read the ending and receive the rewards.

The most common conditions for ending a Mission are:

• At least 3 Heroes are KO.
• The hands of the Horologium reach a specific time (in which case the Mission ends immediately).

Location Card

These kinds of Mission Cards represent places that Heroes can explore in greater detail. Mission Actions are shown on the card's artwork.

A Location Card follows these rules:

• If the Instructions of a Mission Card or Plotbook indicate that a Hero enters a Location Card, their Model must be removed from the Battlefield and placed on the card.
• As long as a Hero's Model is on a Location card, they can only use the Mission's Actions on it following the normal Mission's Actions rules.
• If the Location Card shows an Exit symbol, it counts as a Mission's Action to exit the Location Card by following the directions on it, which will normally indicate placing the Hero's Model on a Battlefield Focus Point), or in the Square nearest to it, if occupied.
• There is no limit to the number of Models that can be placed on a Location Card.
• A Hero who is on a Location Card cannot target and cannot be targeted by other Models, and Enemies ignore them.

Special Mission Card

Some Mission Cards have a particular appearance, such as letters, illustrated scenes, or small spaces to place Tokens. The functioning of these Mission Cards is explained in the Mission where they appear.

Profile Card

These Mission Cards show the characteristics of a Model participating in the Mission. In the case of an Ally, this card uses the Characteristics of Heroes, or the Characteristics of Enemies. This type of card may carry Special Rules or Goals specific to the Model it represents. In all other respects, this type of card is equivalent to an Enemy Card. If the card indicates an Enemy, in the lower part the priority for choosing the target of its Attacks is indicated.

If you find the word "Standard", it means that the Enemy will follow the rules of Artificial Intelligence.

Otherwise, when these Enemies must choose their target, select a Hero in their Control Area following the illustrated order of priority, starting with the first factor and continuing to subsequent ones to break any ties or in case no Hero is selectable as a target.

If after applying all the priority discriminants a tie cannot be broken, or if there are no targetable Heroes in their Control Area, these Enemies follow the normal Artificial Intelligence rules (this eventuality is indicated last in the attack profile by the term "Standard"). In this same section of the card some Enemies may show cards to be added to the Loot as a regular Enemy.

If this card instead indicates an Ally (see Ally) follow all the rules related to this type of Model. In this case, at the very bottom of the card you will find any rules for determining their Threat Level against Enemies.

Using Mission Cards

Once the deck of cards for a given Mission is collected, it is placed face-down on the table. Each Mission begins by revealing the Initial Card and following the Instructions (red text) in it and in the Mission Cards that will be revealed later. Revealed Mission Cards, however, are considered "active" until an Instruction indicates to discard or replace them. If, for example, an instruction on a Mission Card reads "Replace 5", card number 5 will be set aside for the rest of the game and will be replaced by the card containing the instruction.

If an Instruction says "Read. Paragraph X.X-X" the corresponding paragraph in the Plotbook is to be read aloud, and the Instructions therein are to be resolved in order (these Instructions could also reveal, replace, or even discard Mission Cards).

The first number in the Instruction (e.g., 0.2) indicates the current Mission, and thus, the corresponding chapter in the Plotbook, while the number after the "-" indicates the paragraph. For faster reference, it is recommended to keep the Plotbook open to the chapter corresponding to the Mission being played.

Related Topics: Mission's Actions (Actions), Achievement Cards, Reward (Equipment Cards), Interaction Cube, Setup Phase (Campaign), Mission Phase (Campaign), Stealth, Artificial Intelligence, Instructions, Keyword.

Model

"Model" is the term used to refer to any miniature in the game.

Active Model

The Model that is performing its Activation.

Friendly Model

All Heroes are Friendly Models with each other. Enemies that are part of the same Faction are considered Friendly Models with each other. Enemies of different Factions are considered Friendly Models with each other, with the exception of Generic Skills, which affect only Enemies of the Same Faction. An Enemy cannot suffer Wounds by another Enemy regardless of which Faction they belong to, unless specified by the Mission rules.

Opposing Model

Heroes consider Enemies Opposing Models, Enemies consider Heroes Opposing Models

Related Topics: Active Skill (Skills), Models Activation, Valid Target.

Models Activation

Nova Aetas Renaissance uses a dynamic activation sequence that takes into account the amount of time each Action performed by a Model takes. To do this, the game exploits the Horologium and the Activation Tokens of Heroes and Enemies (or groups of Enemies) on it.

Follow these rules to Activate a Model:

• When activating a Horologium Sector containing at least one or more Activation Tokens, the Models associated with them must activate.
• Models with the highest Swiftness value activate first.
• In case of a tie among Hero and Enemy Models, the Enemy Models activate first.
• In case of a tie among Enemies, their order of activation is chosen by the players, trying to choose the order of activation most advantageous to the Enemies.
• In case of a tie among Heroes, their order of activation is chosen by the players.

Activation Tokens

These tokens are used to manage the activations of all the Models associated with them.

They move on the Horologium according to the Action Points spent.

• Enemy Activation Tokens have a number on their back for quick identification.
• Heroes' Activation Tokens have a red back to indicate that they are KO.

Horologium

The Horologium is used to determine the order of activation of each Model in the Game Area, to indicate the start and end of a Mission and the possible triggering of events.

The Horologium consists of 3 elements:

• 12 Sectors, each one featuring a Zodiac Sign
• Minute Hand
• Hour Hand

The Horologium functions similarly to a classic analog clock, the Minute Hand advances from Sector to Sector indicating a Roman numeral on its circumference.

When the Minute Hand reaches a Sector occupied by at least one Activation Token, it stops, and all Models that have their tokens within that Sector become active (see Hero Activation and Enemy Activation).

Once activated, a Model must perform its own activation. This process continues until the Mission is completed, as indicated in one of the Mission Cards.

Players must manage the Horologium by performing these actions when required:

• If the Minute Hand reaches a Sector with an Event and/or Mystery Token, before activating any Model, carry out the Instructions given by the Mission Cards. When the event has been fully resolved you can proceed with Model activations, if any.
• When an Active Hero declares an Action, they move their Activation Token forward on the Horologium by a number of Sectors equal to the number of Action Points spent to perform the Action.
• When activating Enemies of the same type, a player moves the Activation Token of the activated Enemy type by a number of Sectors equal to the Swiftness value of that Enemy.
• When an active Sector becomes empty, the Minute Hand must be moved forward to the next Sector occupied by any Activation Token or Event/Mystery Token.
• Whenever the Minute Hand reaches or passes Sector "XII," the Hour Hand must be moved forward, marking the next number, before performing any Activation.

It is recommend to choose one of the players and entrust them with the management of the Horologium. It will be their job to move the Hands and the Activation, Event and Mystery Tokens to reduce the risk of errors.

Example. During his Activation Valerio has 5 Action Points. He spends 1 Action Point to perform a Movement Action and move one Square. Then, he performs an Attack Action by selecting the one that his Sword Equipment provides, which requires 3 Action Points. Finally, he spends 1 Action Point to perform a second Movement Action to move one Square.

Hero or Ally Activation

When a Hero or Ally Model activates, the player controlling it must perform a series of steps in order:

1. Start of Activation a. Apply the Effects of all Status and Neutral Tokens the Model has and that are triggered at the beginning of its Activation (such as Stunned or Reaction 1). b. Apply all Skill and Equipment Effects that are triggered at the beginning of the Model's Activation.
2. Actions Phase a. The player controlling the Model declares an Action that it will perform. b. The Model spends the number of Action Points indicated in the Action's description, and its Activation Token is moved forward on the Horologium by a number of Sectors equal to the number of Action Points spent. c. The Model fully performs the Action declared by the player; the Action must be completed before moving on to the next point. d. If the Model still has any Action Points available, the controlling player may declare that they will perform another Action starting again from step 2a. If the Model does not have enough Action Points to perform another Action or the controlling player does not want to declare any other Actions, perform the End of Activation Phase. e. If the Hero still has Action Points not spent, but with the Actions performed during this activation did not reach or surpass the Activation Token of at least one Enemy, apply the following rules:
   • The Hero must perform a Wait Action by spending a minimum number of Action Points such that their Activation Token can reach the first Sector with an Enemy Activation Token.
   • However, the Wait Action cannot exceed the maximum number of Action Points available to the Hero. Therefore, if by spending all their remaining Action Points their Activation Token does not reach a Sector with an Enemy Activation Token, their Activation ends in the Sector they reached.
   • If at the beginning of the Activation the Hero's Activation Token is in a Sector that also contains that of an Enemy, it should not be considered as reached and/or passed.
   • The rules in point "e" described are to be ignored if there is only one Enemy Activation Token on the Horologium.
3. End of Activation Phase a. Apply the Effects of all Status and Neutral Tokens that the Model has and that are triggered at the end of its Activation (such as Burned) b. Apply all Skill and Equipment Effects that are triggered at the end of the Model's Activation.

Example. Valerio is in Sector XII and the next Enemy Activation Token is in Sector V. Valerio uses a Movement Action to move 3 squares, thus spending 3 Action Points.

After moving his Activation Token and performing the Movement action, he is still 2 Sectors away from the Enemy Token. Valerio must therefore spend 2 more Action Points to move his Token to the same Sector as the Enemy. Having no other useful actions to perform he must perform a Wait action by spending the 2 Action Points needed to reach Sector V.

If in the same example the Enemy Activation Token was in Sector VI, Valerio would still have to reach Sector V, spending all his remaining Action Points.

Enemy Activation

When an Enemy activates, players must perform a series of steps in order, to resolve their Activation:

1. Activation Order Phase a. Move the Activation Token on the Horologium a number of Sectors equal to the value of Swiftness indicated on the Enemy card. b. If there are two or more Models represented by the same Activation Token on the Battlefield, players choose which Model will Activate from those that have not yet Activated.
2. Beginning of Activation a. Apply the Effects of all Status and Neutral Tokens the Model has and that are triggered at the beginning of its Activation (such as Stunned or Unloaded). b. Apply all Generic Skill Effects or Traits that are triggered at the beginning of the Model's Activation.
3. Artificial Intelligence Phase. Consult the Enemy Artificial Intelligence diagram in the Handbook to define the behavior of the Active Enemy.
4. End of Activation Phase a. Apply the Effects of all Status and Neutral Tokens the Model has and that are triggered at the end of its Activation (such as Burned). b. Apply all Generic Skill Effects or Traits that are triggered at the end of the Model's Activation.
5. Control Phase. If, on the other hand, there are Models in the Battlefield represented by the same Activation Token as the newly Activated Model that have not yet activated, start again from step 2.

Related Topics: Ally, Actions, Mission's Actions, Mission Cards, Artificial Intelligence, Active Model, Enemy, Action Points, Skill Sheet (Hero), Status Tokens.

Mud Tile (M)

This Tile represents Mud Squares or other sloughs, and follows these rules:

• Entering a Mud Tile Square with a Movement Action costs 1 additional Action Point.
• A Model that exits a Mud Tile Square to a Square on another Tile immediately gains the Hindered Token.

Related Topics: Movement (Actions), Tile, Status Tokens.

Mystery Tokens

These 12 Tokens are used in various ways in the course of many Missions. Each Mission will indicate the way to use them. Some Missions may refer to specific Mystery Tokens by indicating the symbol they show on one of the sides.

N

Non-Zone

This term refers to all zones outside the Tiles and not part of the Battlefield. A Non-Zone obstructs the Line of Sight.

No model may enter a Non-Zone (and consequently leave the Map that makes up the Battlefield) unless specified in the rules of a Mission.

Related Topics: Battlefield, Line of Sight, Tiles.

P

Patrol

When the Model activates, it does not perform its Actions normally; instead, roll a Swiftness die and compare the result to the orientation diagram (present in the Map section of the Mission Card with the Map).

The Model moves a number of Squares equal to its value of Swiftness in the indicated direction. If it encounters an obstacle that blocks its movement, it retraces its steps until it exhausts its Action Points.

If its Movement would lead it to enter the Square occupied by a Hero, it ends its Activation in the Square adjacent to that of the Hero.

Related Topics: Stealth, Dice Roll.

Perilium

This disk indicates the Threat Level of the Hero it is assigned to. Enemies will normally tend to choose as the target of their Attacks the Hero with the highest Threat Level. Each Hero must have a Perilium assigned at the beginning of the Mission, which must be set to a value of 0.

Related Topics: Artificial Intelligence, Threat Level, Setup Phase (Campaign).

Placing a Model

When a rule indicates to place a Model, temporarily remove the target Model from the Battlefield and place it in the location indicated by the rule.

Placing a Model is not considered a Movement Action and therefore does not trigger any of the related rules (e.g. Reaction Attacks, Hindered, etc.)

Related Topics: Reaction Attacks, Movement (Actions).

Prayers

Prayers are special Skills available to some Heroes:

• Usually their effect improves based on the number of Successes beyond the first, obtained from the required Characteristic Test.
• If no different Threshold is indicated by the text of the Skill, Success Threshold for the Test is 5+.
• If the Test obtains no Success, no effect applies.

Related Topics: Skills, Skill Sheet (Hero).

R

Reaction Attacks

Enemy Models perform Reaction Attacks by targeting Heroes who leave the Squares adjacent to them.

A Reaction Attack follows these rules:

• If a Hero who is adjacent to an Enemy is about to perform a Movement Action that will result in the Hero no longer being adjacent to that Enemy, before performing the Movement, all Enemy Models adjacent to the Hero perform a Reaction Attack targeting the Hero.
• The Enemy uses their Attack with Range 1 or 1-X as a Reaction Attack. If they do not have at least one Attack that can target a Hero adjacent to them, they do not perform the Reaction Attack.
• The Enemy does not spend Action Points to perform this Attack.
• Enemies never suffer Reaction Attacks.
• If a Hero is KO'd by a Reaction Attack, they are placed prone in the Square they are in, without performing any Movement, and they immediately end their Activation by spending all their Action Points.

Related Topics: Enemies Attacks (Enemy), KO Hero, Adjacent Models, Dash, Defense Tests.

Reagent Cards and Reagents

Reagent Cards are useful materials for crafting the Equipment. (see Equipment Cards).

There are three types of Reagent Cards: Pecunia, Elementum and Alchemia.

Reagent Cards follow these rules:

• At the start of the Mission they must be divided into three separate decks, one of each type, and placed on one side of the Game Area.
• During the Mission, when an Enemy is defeated or when the Mission indicates it, they are drawn and added to the Loot, unrevealed.
• Once the Mission is over, the Reagent Cards still in the Loot are revealed and their contents must be marked in the Reagents section of the Campaign Sheet.
• When a Reagent is used to craft Equipment by the Artisan it must be erased from the Campaign Sheet.
• On the Campaign Sheet, next to the Reagents' name you will find the buy and sell price to be used when visiting the Market during the Rest Phase.

Related Topics: Loot, Equipment Cards, Enemy Cards (Enemy), Crafting Equipment (Campaign), Rest Phase (Campaign), Defeated Enemy, Campaign Sheet (Campaign).

S

Scenic Element

A Scenic Element represents a physical object in the game world, such as a house, ladder, or well.

A Scenic Element cannot be moved or removed in any way from the Battlefield unless otherwise stated by an Instruction, Mission's Action, or Special Rule.

Each Scenic Element may have one or more of the following special rules:

• Bulky: it occupies the Squares it is in. If a Scenic Element does not have this rule, the Squares it is in are Available Squares.
• Blocking: blocks the LoS as if it were an Opposing Model.
• Towering: it has the Tall Generic Skill (see Handbook).
• Interactive: you can interact with the Scenic Element, following the rules of the Mission.

Tree

The Tree is a Scenic Element, with the following special rules:

• Bulky
• Blocking
• Towering

Trapdoor

The Trapdoor is a Scenic Element with the following special rules:

• Interactive.

Cart/Wagon

The Cart is a Scenic Element with the following special rules:

• Bulky
• Interactive

Bush

The Bush is a Scenic Element with the following special rules:

• Bulky.

Building

Buildings are a category of Scenic Elements characterized by Squares on their Roofs, which are at different Height Levels from the Tiles. Various Scenic Elements fall into this category: the 3x3 House, the 4x2 House, the Tower (obtained by placing 2 3x3 Houses on top of each other), and others available in expansions of the game.

A Building follows these special rules:

• Bulky
• Blocking
• Towering
• Interactive

It is also possible to move in the Squares on the Roofs of the 3x3 and 4x2 Houses, which are considered at Height Level 1, and in the Squares on the Roof of the Tower, which are considered at Height Level 2.

Lever

The Lever is a Scenic Element with the following special rules:

• Interactive

Well

The Well is a Scenic Element with the following special rules:

• Bulky
• Interactive

Stone

The Stone is a Scenic Element with the following special rules:

• Bulky
• Blocking

Ladder

The Ladder is a Scenic Element with the following rules:

• It must be placed so as to rest against the wall of a Building.
• By spending 2 Action Points a Model that is in the same Square as the Ladder can move to the nearest Roof Square of the Building to which the Ladder is leaning, and vice versa.

Mystic Stones

Each Mystic Stone is a Scenic Element with the following special rules:

• Bulky
• Interactive

Related Topics: Mission's Actions (Actions), Battlefield, Mission Cards, Available Square, Setup Phase (Campaign), Line of Sight, Height Levels, Tile.

Side Missions

Some Event cards may allow you to play Side Missions.

Side Missions follow these rules:

• If you draw one of these Event Cards during a Travel Phase, you may decide whether to accept or reject it. If you decide to accept it, mark the title of the Mission in the Active Side Missions section of the Campaign Sheet and keep the Event Card aside.
• You can accept more than one Side Mission during a single Travel Phase, but you can only have up to 3 Side Missions Active at the same time. If you already have 3 Active Side Missions you may decide which one to keep before ending the Travel Phase.
• If you reject a Side Mission put its Card back into the Event Card Deck at the end of the Travel Phase.
• During a Setup Phase you may decide to play one of your Active Side Missions instead of the intended Campaign Mission (marked on the Campaign Sheet in the Campaign Missions section).
• Once the Side Mission is complete, perform a Rest Phase in the Town/Village indicated in the next scheduled Campaign Mission.
• It is never possible to play 2 Side Missions consecutively, so after playing any Side Mission, the next mission to be played must be a Campaign Mission.

There are 3 types of Side Missions:

• Hunt Mission.
• Encounter Mission.
• Exploration Mission.

Only one Hunt Mission is present in the core game. Encounter and Exploration Missions and other Hunt Missions are introduced with the Nova Aetas Renaissance expansions.

Related Topics: Event Cards, Travel Phase (Campaign), Hunt Missions.

Skills

Class Skills

Each Basic Class and Advanced Class has a set of 6 Skills.

Each Skill falls into a category defined by a colored diamond:

• Red: Offensive skills; these are normally Special Attacks or Upgrades. Generally, these Skills focus on inflicting Wounds on Enemies or improving the chances of an Attack succeeding.
• Blue: Defensive skills that improve the chances of avoiding Wounds and Negative Status or provide bonuses to Heroes' Defense Tests.
• Purple: Support Skills that provide bonuses, Positive Status to Heroes, and the ability to discard Wounds.
• Green: Movement skills that provide various types of bonuses to Movement and alternative methods of moving around the Battlefield.

A Hero can acquire the Skills indicated on their Basic Skill Sheet and on their Advanced Skill Sheet by spending Experience Points.

Class Skills follow these rules:

• There is no limit to the number of Skills a Hero can acquire.
• A Hero can equip a maximum of 5 Skills at a time, these will be the only Skills they can use during the next Mission.
• Each Hero may equip a limited number of Skills in each category, these are indicated in the relevant section of each Hero Sheet and vary according to the Hero's current Class. For example, when Valerio is a Squire you can equip 1 Red, 2 Blue, 1 Purple and 1 Green; when Valerio becomes a Knight you can instead equip 1 Red, 2 Blue, 2 Purple and 1 Green.
• Although the Advanced Class Sheet indicates a category limit of six Skills, the maximum number of Skills that can be equipped is always five; an Advanced Class simply offers a wider choice of Skills that can be equipped.
• If no icon of a particular category is shown on the Hero Sheet of the Hero's Class, it means that Class cannot equip any Skill of that category.
• To highlight that a Skill has been equipped for a Mission on the Hero Sheet, place a Hero Cube in the slot next to the name of the chosen Skill.
• Each Skill is associated with a Keyword, a Hero has the Keywords of the Skills they have equipped.
• When a Hero acquires an Advanced Class, they may use and acquire the Skills of both the Basic Class and the Advanced Class.

Active Skills

Active Skills require the use of the Use Skill Action and the expense of Action Points to apply its Effect.

• It can be used only when the Hero is Active.
• Once used, its Effect is applied.
• The expense of Action Points to use an Active Skill can be 0 Action Points, the player who controls the Active Hero simply needs to declare its use.
• Some Active Skills, in order to be used, may require spending Class Points or the increase in Threat Level of the Hero (e.g. Threat Level +1), in addition to the Action Points.

Passive Skills

This is a type of Class Skill whose effects are always considered active, and therefore do not require an expense of Action Points to be activated. If a Hero is KO, the effects of their Passive Skills do not apply as long as they are in this condition. A Hero who has a Passive Skill equipped cannot choose not to apply its effect.

Upgrade Skills

An Upgrade is an Effect, usually made available to the Hero by one of their equipped Class Skills, that allows them to improve a Physical Attack a Hero is about to perform.

An Upgrade follows these rules:

• Its use must be declared when the Hero performs a Physical Attack with one of their Equipment, before the Dice for the Test of that Attack are rolled.
• An Upgrade cannot be declared when the Hero performs Attacks present on components different from one of their Equipment, such as an Attack made available to them by one of their Class Skills, or by their Heroic Skill.
• The cost of the Upgrade in Action Points must be paid in addition to the cost of Action Points of the Attack on which it is applied.
• More than one Upgrade can be used on the same Attack, as long as all costs in Action Points are paid, and that they are different Upgrades (it is not possible to apply the same Upgrade twice on the same Attack).

Reaction Skills

Class Skill type usable only when the Hero equipping it is not the Active Model.

• A Reaction Skill always indicates the condition that must be met in order for the Hero to use it (e.g., when the Hero suffers at least 1 Wound).
• Some Equipment has a Reaction Skill in its effect that resolves in exactly the same way as a Reaction Skill on the Skill Sheet.
• The number next to the word "Reaction" in the Skill description indicates the type of Reaction Token—1 or 2 (see Handbook)—that the Hero gains when they declare to use said Skill.
• As long as a Hero has a Reaction Token, they cannot use any other Reaction Skill.
• Using a Reaction Skill is always optional.

Related Topics: Use Skill (Actions), KO Hero, Keyword, Prayers, Action Points, Skill Sheet (Hero), Acquiring a new Class Skill (Campaign).

Spells

Some Equipment Cards are Spells. Usually Spells can be of a particular School or be Magic Tricks.

A Hero can equip Spells of a School (such as Necromancy or Chronomancy) only if there is a rule on any of their Skill Sheets that allows them to do so. For example, as a Chronomancer, Rebecca can use both Chronomancy and Omnia Spells.

Trick Spells can be Equipped by any Hero.

Related Topics: Hero, Equipment Cards.

Status Tokens

Status Tokens represent altered or enhanced states. Models can gain Status Tokens in many ways, through the Effect of Skills or Equipment, by failing a Test, or because of a Plotbook Instruction.

Status Tokens follow these rules:

• There are two types of Status Tokens: Positive and Negative. See the Handbook for a detailed explanation of their Effects.
• When a Hero is KO'd, they must discard all Status Tokens on their Hero Sheet (see KO Hero).
• An Enemy cannot have two identical Status Tokens. A Hero cannot have two identical Status Tokens on their Hero Sheet. If a Model gains a Status Token they already have, they immediately discard it (unless they can assign it to an Equipment, as described below).
• A Hero may use and discard multiple copies of the same Positive Status Token for a single Test. This can happen if the Hero has placed Positive Status Tokens on their Equipment.
• Wounds inflicted through a Status Token (e.g. Bleeding) are not considered inflicted by any Model, so they do not increase the Threat Level, nor provide Heroic Points or Class Points. Similarly, an Enemy Defeated by a Wound inflicted by a Status Token is not considered to have been defeated by a Hero.

Status Tokens and Equipment

Some Effects allow a Status Token to be placed on an Equipment.

A Status Token on an Equipment follows these rules:

• The moment they gain a Status Token, a Hero may decide to place it on one of their Equipment Cards that provides this option.
• If a Hero gains a Status Token they already have, they may decide to discard it or place it on an Equipment Card that provides this option.
• Status Tokens obtained from an Equipment are to be placed on the Equipment Card.
• If a Hero would gain a Status Token, but it is placed on an Equipment Card, the Hero is considered not to have gained the Status Token.
• Unless otherwise stated in the Equipment Effect description, an Equipment cannot have two equal Status Tokens, any Effect that causes a Status Token already on the Equipment Card to be placed is ignored.
• Unless otherwise stated on the Equipment Effect, a Hero may use the Positive Status Tokens on their Equipment as if they were on their Hero Sheet.
• Unless otherwise stated on the Equipment Effect, Negative Status Tokens on a Hero's Equipment produce no Effect. If a Hero inflicts at least 1 Wound with a Physical Attack with a Weapon on which there is at least one Negative Status Token, all Negative Status Tokens on the Equipment Card are moved onto the target.
• Unless otherwise stated, Status Tokens placed on an Equipment Card are not discarded if a Hero is KO'd.
• Status Tokens placed on Equipment Cards are considered in the Hero's possession.

Related Topics: Skills, Equipment Cards, KO Hero (Hero), Wounds and Wound Tokens, Characteristic Test.

Stealth

Stealth Card

Some Missions use the Stealth rule.

These Missions require the use of these two game elements:

• Stealth Card
• Stealth Token

When this rule is used in a Mission, at least one of the Mission Cards bears a Track on which to place the Stealth Token, indicating the Heroes' Stealth level.

If a Mission Card has the Stealth Token on it, this rule is active in the Mission.

Place the Stealth Token as indicated by the Mission Card, in the lowest slot among those on it.

As long as the Token is on the card, the following rules apply:

• The Enemies' Control Area Value is considered 1 and they never target Heroes who are not within their Control Area.
• A Hero who attacks an Enemy gains an additional Success for the Attack Tests.
• At the end of each Movement Action, the Hero who performed it must roll a Swiftness die; when they do, they may choose to spend Action Points to roll an additional Swiftness die for each Action Point spent. At least one of the dice rolled must obtain a result equal to or greater than the value indicated in the slot directly above the Stealth Token in the corresponding Mission Card, otherwise the Stealth Token is moved up one slot.
• If the Stealth Token reaches the slot marked with the alarm icon the Stealth ends and the Mission will instruct you on how to proceed.

Stealth Token

The Stealth Token determines whether the Stealth rule is still active. Some events affect the position of the Token on the corresponding card; when one of the following events occurs, the Stealth Token is moved directly to the slot with the alarm symbol:

• An Enemy that was previously the target of an Attack Action activates.
• An Enemy begins or ends their Activation adjacent to a Hero.
• The movement of an Enemy would lead them to enter a Square occupied by a Hero.

Related Topics: Mission Cards, Dice Roll, Patrol.

T

Threat Level

This value represents the dangerousness of a Hero. It is a numerical value indicated by the Perilium associated with each Hero. The Threat Level of a Hero starts from 0 at the beginning of each Mission and increases by one point whenever:

• The Hero inflicts at least 1 Wound.
• The Hero inflicts one or more Unblockable Wounds with a single Action.
• The Hero inflicts 3 or more Wounds to an Enemy with a single Physical Attack, thus triggering a Critical (even against Enemies immune to Critical).
• The Hero Defeats an Enemy.
• The Hero allows a Friendly Model (including themselves) to discard any amount of Wounds.

Some Active Skills require increasing the Threat Level of the Hero who wants to use them as an additional cost for their activation.

When a Hero is KO'd, their Threat Level decreases by two points.

Related Topics: Active Skills (Skills), Critical, KO Hero, Wounds and Wound Tokens, Unblockable Wounds, Artificial Intelligence, Enemy, Perilium.

Tile

A cardboard game component showing a section of terrain divided into Squares. Each Tile is identified by a code consisting of a letter and a number.

Related Topics: Game Area, Battlefield, Non-Zone, Water Tile, Mud Tile.

Traits

Traits are special skills common to multiple Enemy Equipment or Attacks that are identified by their own name for convenience (e.g. Bleed, Stun etc). For the specific functioning of each Trait, see the Handbook.

Related Topics: Areas, Heroes Attacks (Hero), Enemies Attacks (Enemy), Equipment Cards, Enemy Cards, Critical.

Transformation

Transformation Cards

These cards are used when a game effect changes the characteristics and rules of a Model. In such cases, as long as the effect is active, the characteristics listed on these cards must be used in place of the original ones. To indicate that a model has been transformed each Transformation card is associated with a Token that is to be placed under the Model.

Transformation Token

These Tokens are used to indicate a transformed Model on the Battlefield.

Transformed Models follow these rules:

• The Model on the Battlefield remains the same, but underneath it is placed the specific Transformation Token of the new form the Model takes.
• Each Transformation Token is linked to a specific Transformation Card. As long as the transformed Model has the Transformation Token under it, it uses only the statistics (characteristics, attacks, skills, etc...) shown on the card attached to it, ignoring its original Characteristics.
• Unless otherwise stated in the game components, a Model's Activation Token does not change. If the Transformed Model uses the Activation Token of a group of Enemies it Activates with them.
• A Model with a Transformation Token is defeated (and removed from the Battlefield) when the number of Wound Tokens assigned to it is equal to its Health value.
• If the Hero's Model controlling a Transformation Token leaves the Battlefield for any reason (e.g., it enters a Location card, or the Instructions of a Mission indicate to disassemble the Battlefield), the Transformation Token (and its Model) is removed as if it had been Defeated.

Related Topics: Upkeep, Enemy.

U

Unblockable Wounds

Some effects inflict Unblockable Wounds. These Wounds are applied to the Model suffering them regardless of any Skill, Token or other game effect that would undo the Wound. Heroes may not place Wound Tokens resulting from Unblockable Wounds on Equipment Cards.

Related Topics: Wounds and Wound Tokens, Defeated Enemy (Enemy), Perilium, Threat Level.

Upkeep

An effect indicating an Upkeep requires spending a certain number of Action Points in the Initial Activation Phase. If the Action Points are not spent the Effect usually ends.

Related Topics: Action Points.

V

Valid Target

When an Attack or Skill targets a Model, it must be a valid Target. This applies if a Hero attacks an Enemy and vice versa. A Target is considered valid when these requirements are met:

• The target Model is within the number of Squares indicated by the Range of the Attack.
• The Model is Opposing, Friendly or any of the two, as indicated by the Attack.
• The Active Model has a Line of Sight (LoS) on the target Model.

Attack with Friendly or "-" Target

Some attacks allow you to target a Friendly Model or have no target ("-"). In both cases they must be resolved as per usual for their type (Physical or Psychic), but the Attack Test Success Threshold is always set at 5+. A Hero may also use one of their attacks on themselves if the target of the Attack is Friendly and the Range includes 0 (e.g., 0-3 Range).

Related Topics: Heroes Attacks (Hero), Enemies Attacks (Enemy), Line of Sight.

W

Water Tile (W)

This Tile represents Water Squares or other liquids, and follows these rules:

• Entering a Water Tile Square with a Movement Action costs 1 additional Action Point.
• A Model entering a Water Tile Square immediately discards the Burned Token if it has it.
• A Model that is in a Water Tile Square cannot gain the Burned Token.

Related Topics: Movement (Actions), Tile, Status Tokens.

Wounds and Wound Tokens

Wounds determine when a Hero Model is KO'd and when a Model other than a Hero is Defeated.

• When a Hero Model suffers a Wound, the controlling player places a Wound Token on their Hero Sheet.
• When the Hero has Wound Tokens equal to their Health value, they are KO'd.
• When a Model other than a Hero suffers a Wound, a Wound Token is placed near the Model.
• When a Model other than a Hero has Wound Tokens equal to their Health value, they are Defeated and removed from the Battlefield.
• When an effect allows a Model to discard one or more Wounds, remove an equal number of Wound Tokens from the Hero Sheet or from among those placed next to the Model.
• A Wound inflicted by a Status Token is not considered inflicted by any Model (heroes do not gain Heroic Points or Class Points for Wounds inflicted by Status Tokens).
• To optimize their use, Wound Tokens have a varied amount of Wounds on each side. One side shows a single Wound, the other shows 3 Wounds, with each Wound to be treated as if it were a single Wound Token.

Wound Tokens and Equipment

Some Equipment Cards allow you to place Wound Tokens on them, thanks to the Resistance X Trait. These Equipment Cards follow these rules:

• If a Hero who has an Equipment Card with Resistance X equipped gains Wounds from a Physical Attack, they must assign them to the Equipment first, until it has a number of Wounds equal to the "X" value of the Resistance Trait, excess Wounds can be assigned to another Equipment or to the Hero themselves.
• If a Hero would gain a Wound Token, but it is placed on an Equipment Card, the Hero is considered to have not gained the Wound Token and as not holding it.
• If a Hero has equipped multiple Equipment Cards with the Resistance X Trait, they may decide how to distribute the Wounds received on their Equipment Cards with Resistance X.
• Wounds on an Equipment Card can only be discarded by effects that specifically indicate so.
• Unblockable Wounds cannot be assigned to an Equipment Card.
• The Wounds suffered by a Hero because of a Status Token (e.g., a Bleeding Token), cannot be assigned to an Equipment Card.
• The Wounds on an Equipment Card are all discarded after the End of a Mission.

Related Topics: Heroes' Characteristics (Hero), Equipment Cards, KO Hero, Unblockable Wounds, Defeated Enemy (Enemy), Perilium, Status Tokens, Threat Level.

Campaign

This section of the Rulebook explains how to prepare and play a Nova Aetas Renaissance Campaign.

To start a Campaign, it is best to proceed as outlined below in the First Steps chapter, where the Heroes are selected and the Campaign Sheet filled out. The 4 steps that make up a single Mission are explained next:

• Travel Phase, in which the party of Heroes, if necessary, moves around Italy with the possibility of making unexpected encounters.
• Setup Phase, in which the table is set up for the Mission and Equipment and Skills are selected for the Heroes.
• Mission Phase, in which Heroes will take part in the Mission by following the directions of Mission Cards and the Plotbook, gain Experience Points and Reagents, and find out what Mission they will face next.
• Rest Phase, settles in the Town or Village where the current Mission takes place and allows the party to upgrade and visit various Shops.

First Steps

To prepare the Nova Aetas Renaissance Campaign, proceed by following these steps:

• Make a photocopy of the Campaign Sheet, found at the end of this Rulebook, or print it out by downloading the file from our WebApp at: app.ludusmagnusstudio.com
• Each player chooses a Hero to use for the duration of the Campaign. They take the Hero's Model, their Basic Class Hero Sheet, their Basic Class Skill Sheets, their Basic Class Starting Equipment, and their Destiny Cards.
• All components related to Advanced Hero Classes need not be taken at this time, but all players can freely consult them to better plan the growth of their Heroes.
• Nova Aetas Renaissance is balanced to be approached with 4 Heroes. If there are fewer players you may decide to use multiple Heroes each or hire Companions (easier to use but will not progress).
• Should a player want to join the game in the middle of the Campaign they can use one of the Heroes by "building" it from scratch, spending the same amount of Experience Points accumulated so far by the party. In this case, no new equipment can be crafted (you will have to wait for the next Rest Phase) but you can share those already present in the Inventory.
• The Companions selected to undertake the "0.0 Prologue" do not have any Skills as they have not yet accumulated wealth to pay for them.
• For each chosen Hero (non-Companion) fill in the corresponding sections of the Campaign Sheet (see below).
• Take the "0.0 Prologue" Mission envelope.
• Since this is the first Mission of the Campaign, the Travel Phase is not performed, so go directly to the Setup Phase.

May your campaign begin!

Campaign Sheet

The Campaign Sheet is a key tool for keeping track of the progress of the story, the Hero party's earnings, and the upgrades gained by each of them.

This sheet is used to save the progress achieved, and it is useful to note any useful information each time you perform a Travel Phase or Rest Phase.

The Campaign Sheet includes this information:

• Treasury: In this section you can keep track of the Reagents and Florins gained during the Missions, updating the quantities each time you gain or spend any. Next to each Reagent is its cost of buying and selling, which is useful during the Rest Phase when a Hero visits the Market.
• Campaign Missions: campaign progress information, such as the name of the next Mission and the Town/Village where it will take place (useful information for managing the next Travel Phase, if any) can be noted here.
• Inventory: here you can note Equipment Cards and Rewards obtained by the party and not tied to a specific Hero.
• Achievements: when a Mission Card or Plotbook Instruction causes you to gain an Achievement Card that is not assigned to a Hero, you can note its number in this section of the Campaign Sheet.
• Available Hunt Missions: after you have successfully undertaken a Hunt Mission, you can note here the name of the Prey and the Mission ID in the right square. Prey marked here can be faced again by playing their Hunt Mission (see Hunt Mission).
• Active Side Missions: Whenever during a Travel Phase you decide to accept a Side Mission, its Title must be noted here, while in the square on the right you can note its ID. Normally, after playing a Side Mission, it must be erased from this section. You can have a maximum of 3 active Side Missions (see Side Missions).
• Hero: each Hero can note down all their information in one of these 4 sections. In addition to the name, you can note the Advanced Class and the Equipment Bond attached to it (when they are obtained); the number of Achievement Cards assigned to the Hero; and the effect of each Injury gained and not yet healed.
• Experience: Here you can keep track of the experience gained by your Hero. From top to bottom you can note:
  • Which Destiny Cards you have resolved.
  • Which Characteristic you decide to enhance at the time you gain the Advanced Class.
  • The Skills you acquire and their cost in Experience Points.
  • The total of Experience Points spent on the acquisition of the Skills.
• Experience Points: The total Experience Points gained by the party. All Heroes in the party gain the same value of Experience Points at the End of a Mission and in this section you can keep track of them by updating it at the end of each Mission.

Playing a Mission

As previously mentioned, to play a Nova Aetas Renaissance Mission, four phases must be performed in a specific order: Travel Phase, Setup Phase, Mission Phase, and Rest Phase.

Once you have performed all the phases for a single Mission, move on to the next one.

If you are playing for the first time, it is recommended that you tackle the Tutorial first, where you will learn the basic mechanics of the game and then begin the Campaign starting with Mission "0.0 Prologue".

Travel Phase

In this phase, the Heroes move to the place where they will undertake the Mission, as noted in the corresponding slot of the Campaign Sheet. Warning: some Missions indicate skipping this step.

To perform the Travel Phase follow these steps in order:

• Take all available Event Cards and shuffle them to form an Event Deck.
• Open the Map of Italy.
• Consult the Campaign Sheet looking for the Town or Village where the last Mission took place, and the Town or Village where the Mission to be played will take place.
• Each route between Towns/Villages shows the number of Event Cards that must be drawn without revealing them. If you have to go through multiple routes to get to your destination, add up all the numbers listed on them and draw the corresponding amount of Event Cards.
• If more than one route is available to get to your destination, you should choose the ones that result in drawing fewer Event Cards.
• Once you have drawn all the Event Cards, reveal one of them, reading it aloud, and apply all the Instructions on it.
• Proceed in this manner until you have revealed and resolved all Event Cards drawn.

Setup Phase

Table Setting

Before undertaking a Mission, prepare the table by following these points:

• Take your Hero's components and prepare it in front of you as shown in the figure. Place the Hero Sheet of your Class in the Hero Board. Place a Hero Cube on the Heroic Points track and on the Class Points track, if any.
• Take a Perilium for each Hero, set it to a value of 0 and place it next to your Hero Sheet.
• Prepare the three decks of the Reagent Cards: Elementum, Alchemia and Pecunia, shuffling each one individually, and place them on one side of the table.
• Shuffle the Injury deck and place it within reach of all players.
• Divide the Tokens by type (Positive Status, Negative Status, Neutral Tokens, Wounds, and Activation Tokens) and place them so that they are within easy reach.
• Place the Dice and Interaction Cubes on the table so that they are accessible to all players.
• Place the Horologium on one side of the Table and choose a player who will manage it for the duration of the Mission.
• Assign the Plotbook to a player who will be responsible for finding the paragraphs and reading them.
• Assign the Handbook to a player who will be responsible for consulting the rules in it and passing it on to other players when necessary.

Mission Setup

To prepare the Mission and the Heroes who will undertake it, proceed by following these steps:

• Select the Mission: check in the Campaign Sheet to see which is the next Mission the party must undertake (the first two are already indicated on the Sheet). During this step you can also decide to select an Active Side Mission or an Available Hunt instead of the Campaign Mission.
• Prepare a Mission: take the envelope of the Mission you have chosen to undertake, open it and take out the cards. The cards are in a numbered order; we recommend for easier play that you do not shuffle them.
• Consult the Hints: consult the symbols on the back of the first Mission Card, the one with the black back. These symbols are useful hints for choosing Skills and Equipment Cards to be used to best tackle the Mission.
  • Enemies of the indicated Faction will be present in the Mission.
  • The Mission will feature Water Tile Squares.
  • The Mission will feature Mud Tile Squares.
  • The Mission takes place in an urban setting.
  • The Mission takes place in a rural setting.
  • The Mission features Buildings.
  • The Mission features the Stealth rule.
• Equipping Skills: by using Hero Cubes, select the Skills equipped by each Hero (maximum 5 Skills, respecting category limits), choosing them from those the Hero has already purchased (noted on the Campaign Sheet). To do this, place a Hero Cube in the appropriate slot of each chosen Skill. See the Class Skills entry for complete rules.
• Choose Equipment Cards: select the Equipment Cards that each Hero will use during the Mission by choosing them from those noted in each Hero's Inventory and Personal Equipment in the Campaign Sheet. See the Equipment Cards entry for complete rules.

Once the Setup is over, you can continue with the Mission Phase!

Mission Phase

In this phase the Heroes will undertake the Mission by following the directions in the Mission Cards and the Plotbook. Proceed by following these rules:

• Reveal the first Mission Card of the deck drawn from the envelope.
• Read the card from top to bottom following the Instructions on it.
• When an Instruction calls for revealing a new Mission Card or consulting a paragraph of the Plotbook, read its contents from top to bottom always carrying out the Instructions given in it.
• When an Instruction reads Start the Mission, use the Horologium and proceed to the Model Activations until an Instruction indicates to reveal a new Mission Card again or consult a paragraph of the Plotbook.
• When an Instruction reads Continue the Mission, resume using the Horologium and continue the Models Activation.
• When an Instruction reads Continue your Activation, the active Hero picks up their Activation where they left off.
• Continue until an Instruction indicates to note in the Campaign Sheet the next Mission to be undertaken or to repeat the Mission. If it is indicated in the Instruction, perform the Rest Phase.

Rest Phase

In this phase, the Heroes recover from their fatigues, heal their wounds, train and acquire new Equipment by spending the Reagents and Florins they have accumulated. Warning: some Missions indicate skipping this step.

To perform the Rest Phase follow these steps:

• Each Hero who has resolved their Destiny Card 2 may spend 2 Experience Points to change their Basic Class to one of the two Advanced Classes available to them.
• Any Hero (non-Companion) can spend the Experience Points available to them to purchase new Skills of their Class.
• Based on the ending of the last Mission played, and using the Map of Italy, check whether the Heroes are in a Town or a Village, as indicated by the Town or Village symbol.
• Take the Map of Italy and turn it to the side of the Rest Board, on which the following Shops are indicated: Artisan, Barracks, Baths, Church, Chyrurgeon, Mentor, Market, Inn.
• Decide by mutual agreement which Shops to visit. Each Hero (or Companion used in the last Mission played) can visit a single Shop by placing their Model on it.
• All Shops have a capacity that may be different if the Rest Phase is conducted in a Village or a Town. Next to the name of the Shop, the number after the Town and Village icons, indicates how many Heroes can visit it during the same Rest Phase.
• In the order preferred by the players, each Hero uses the Effects indicated in the Shop they are in. The Effects of each service are indicated on the Rest Board.
• When all Heroes have finished using the Effects of the Shops they are in, the Rest Phase ends.

Acquiring Class Advancement

Each Basic Class can advance into one of the two Advanced Classes available if the Hero has learned at least 3 Skills of their Basic Class and has resolved their Destiny Card 2. The player who wants to take this important step for their Hero must proceed as follows:

1. Choose one of the two Advanced Classes and spend 2 of their Experience Points.
2. On the Hero Board, replace the Basic Class Hero Sheet with the Advanced Class Hero Sheet. The Basic Class Hero Sheet can be placed back in the box; it will not be used again for the rest of the Campaign.
3. Take the Advanced Class Skill Sheet and keep it next to the Basic Class Skill Sheet, with the side corresponding to the chosen Advanced Class visible.
4. The Hero immediately gains the Bound Equipment indicated on the Hero Sheet of the new Class.
5. The Hero gains one of the two Characteristic upgrades available for the Advanced Class. Place a Hero Cube in the slot corresponding to the Characteristic chosen to be improved. From now on, the improved Characteristic is considered permanently increased by 1 point.
6. Write the Advanced Class you chose, its Bound Equipment and the Characteristic you chose to upgrade on the Companion Sheet in the slot provided. Place the set of 3 Advanced Equipment Cards of the Advanced Class you did not choose back in the box. They will no longer be used for the rest of the Campaign.

Unlike regular Skills, once the Advanced Class is acquired, the Heroic Skill of the Basic Class can no longer be used, as it is replaced by that of the chosen Advanced Class. It may be convenient to keep the two Skill Sheets overlapping so that the Heroic Skill section of the Advanced Class covers the Heroic Skill of the Basic Class (see the example below).

Acquiring a new Class Skill

During a Rest Phase, a Hero may purchase new Skills from those available to them. When a Hero switches to one of the two Advanced Classes, they may acquire and use the Skills indicated on both the Basic Class Skill Sheet and the chosen Advanced Class.

To acquire a Skill, the player spends the Experience Points indicated by the cost of the Skill and writes on the Campaign Sheet the name of the acquired Skill, also updating the amount of Experience Points spent.

Some Skills have a Prerequisite, so they can only be acquired if you have the Skill listed as a Prerequisite.

During a single Rest Phase you can acquire as many Class Skills as you want as long as you have Experience Points available.

There is no limit to the number of Skills a Hero can acquire during a Campaign.

Crafting Equipment

If at least one Hero visits the Artisan's Shop during the Rest Phase, they can Craft Equipment using Formulae Cards.

As long as Reagents are available, a single Hero can Craft as many Equipment as they wish, not only for themselves but also for all other Heroes; they can also create the Formulae-type Advanced Equipment of any Advanced Class, not just their own.

To Craft an Equipment follow these steps:

1. Place a Hero in the Artisan's Shop.
2. Choose one or more cards from the Formulae deck or from the Advanced Equipment of any Hero.
3. Delete the Reagents and Florins required by the chosen Formulae Cards from the Campaign Sheet.
4. Mark the newly crafted Equipment on the Campaign Sheet. From this moment on it will be available to the Heroes.

Keep in mind that you can only craft an Equipment a number of times equal to the number of Formulae Cards that represent it. So, if an Equipment has only one Formulae Card and is already marked on the Campaign Sheet, you will not be able to craft it again.

If an Equipment is sold or discarded (for example, if it is a Potion), it must be deleted from the Campaign Sheet, and it can be crafted again.

End of Mission

Concluding the Rest Phase marks the actual end of a Mission. The next Mission will take place in the same way, but remember that the Travel Phase and Rest Phase will not always be available in all Missions. When this happens, simply move on to the next Phase until the Mission ends.

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Nova Aetas Renaissance - Rulebook v.1.1 ©2023 Ludus Magnus Studio All rights reserved www.ludusmagnusstudio.com