Okko Chronicles: Cycle of Water – Quest into Darkness Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object of the Game
• Components
  • Component Notes
• Game Set-Up
  • Hero Set-Up
  • Game Board Set-Up
  • Oni Set-Up
  • Example of Set-Up
• Playing the Game
  • 1. Strategy
  • 2. Activation
  • 3. End of the Round
• Ending the Game
  • The Final Battle
  • Tikku's Memoirs
• Game Components
  • Character Cards
  • Action Cards
    • Secret Technique
    • Special Talent
    • Weakness Card
  • Follower Cards
    • Kami
  • Equipment Cards
  • Character Cards (Mortal Thrall & Supernatural Creature)
    • Mortal Thralls
    • Supernatural Creatures
  • Event Cards
    • Secret Technique
    • Special Effects
  • Corruption Track
    • The Time Track
    • Corruption Tokens
    • Supernatural Creature Enhancement Tokens
    • Mortal Thrall Enhancement Tokens
    • After Round 8
  • Clue Cards
    • Clue Tokens
    • Courtier Clue Cards
    • Oni Clue Cards
    • Complication Clue Card
    • Accusations
  • Tiles
    • Corridors
    • Mission Tiles
    • Prohibited Tiles
    • Sneaking
• How to Play
  • Movement
    • Rules of Movement
  • Making an Attack
    • Melee Attack
    • Ranged Attack
    • Resolving an Attack
    • Condition Tokens
    • Wound Cards
  • Making an Attribute Test
    • Direct Attribute Tests
  • Reorganizing & Transferring Equipment
  • Using a Special Talent
  • Example Hero Activation

Object of the Game

OKKO CHRONICLES sees players take on the role of the legendary ronin and his traveling companions as they move through the Palace of Mists to uncover a dark conspiracy and defeat the demonic Oni that lies at its heart.

During a game, one of the players will take on the role of the Oni. Assisted by an army of supernatural creatures and mortal thralls, they will try to achieve their objectives and flee the palace before being unmasked by the Heroes.

The remaining players will take on the role of one of the Pajan Empire's most notorious band of demon hunters. These Heroes must quickly discover the Oni's nature and identify which of the palace's Courtiers the evil demon has been using as a disguise.

The game ends when the Oni has completed its loathsome scheme and either escaped or is defeated in a deadly and dramatic climax with the Heroes. While failing to defeat the Oni would see the Heroes remembered as little more than notorious scoundrels, their honor and reputation would be perfectly redeemed if they can successfully thwart its plans.

Components

• 4 Hero miniatures
• 4 Oni miniatures
• 10 Ashigaru miniatures
• 5 Samurai miniatures
• 1 Hiroji-San miniature
• 5 Yurei miniatures
• 5 Ninja miniatures
• 1 Bakemono miniatures
• 14 Character cards
• 4 Initiative cards
• 4 Personal Mission cards
• 4 Mission tokens
• 32 Action cards
• 32 Equipment cards
• 6 Follower cards
• 8 Kami cards
• 3 Follower tokens & 4 Kami tokens
• 20 Clue cards
• 21 Clue tokens
• 1 Corruption track
• 1 Time Token
• 7 Enhancement tokens
• 4 Corruption tokens
• 26 Event cards
• 8 Double-sided Tiles & 5 double-sided Corridors
• 4 Mission tiles Reference cards
• 12 Door tokens
• 16 Condition tokens
• 28 Damage tokens
• 16 Wound cards
• 6 Chest tokens
• 31 Mission tokens
• 16 Test tokens
• 3 Objective tokens & 1 Relic token
• 4 Activation tokens
• 28 Modifier tokens
• 5 Combat dice
• 5 Action dice
• 6 Test dice

Component Notes

Hero miniatures — Each player uses their own miniature to depict their Hero on the game board.

Hero Character cards — Each Character card summarizes all of the information needed to play that Hero.

Action cards — Each Hero has their own set of Action Cards. Play them wisely during each game turn to activate their Special Talents, Secret Techniques and even Weaknesses.

Initiative cards — These are used to determine the order in which the Heroes are Activated.

Equipment cards — Once equipped, these items will give Heroes additional capabilities.

Clue tokens — Found throughout the palace, these allow Heroes to draw Clue cards when they are successfully analyzed, deciphered or interrogated.

Mission tokens — These are used when resolving a Mission Tile.

Double-sided Tiles — These are combined to create the various locations in which the adventure takes place. They may also represent the location of a special mission for the Heroes or the Oni.

Objective and Relic tokens — These tokens are used to mark the location of special objects or objectives necessary for the realization of a scenario.

Clue cards — As Clue cards are revealed, innocent Courtiers are eliminated from their investigation and the Heroes move a step closer to uncovering the nature of the Oni that opposes them. These cards may also enable the Heroes to enlist the aid of those found to be free of the Oni's demonic influence.

Door tokens — They are used to mark the possible passages between two tiles.

Followers and Kami tokens — These tokens represent the Followers and Kami on the game board.

Hero Mission tokens — These tokens are used to mark the Personal Mission of each Hero.

Chest tokens — Arranged on the game board, they can be searched by Heroes and contain additional equipment.

Condition tokens — Some Attacks apply a Condition which is represented by these tokens.

Damage tokens — These are used to track a character's injuries.

Modifier tokens — They are used to remember bonuses or penalties applied during the game.

Wound cards — These cards apply a penalty to a wounded Hero and determine whether they are eliminated from the game.

Test tokens — During specific scenarios, they are placed in various places on the board where a characteristic test is necessary to perform an action.

Combat dice — These are used to make Attacks.

Action dice — These are used by characters whose basic abilities have been enhanced.

Test dice — These are used to perform Attribute Tests.

Corruption tokens — They are used to mark tiles corrupted by the Oni player.

Enhancement and Time tokens — They are used to mark the improvements chosen on the Corruption track as well as the current game round.

Corruption track — As the game progresses, the Oni's corruption spreads, granting them greater influence over the palace and its inhabitants. This board tracks the growth and effects of the Oni's corrupting influence.

Supernatural Creature Character cards — Each Character card summarizes all of the information needed to play the Oni or one of its Supernatural Creatures.

Mortal Thrall Character cards — Each Character card summarizes all of the information needed to play the Oni's Mortal Thralls.

Activation tokens — These tokens are used to mark Character cards when activated by the Oni player.

Event cards — These allow the Oni to temporarily improve the Attributes of its agents or trigger Special Effects.

Tikku's Recollections — These are used to create Tikku's Memoirs, a narrative of the investigation, which determines if the Heroes or the Oni wins the game.

Game Set-Up

Hero Set-Up

Each player chooses a Hero. They place the Hero's Character card in front of them, take their 8 Action cards to form a hand, along with the Hero's Personal Mission and Initiative cards. The player takes the cards listed in their Hero's Starting Equipment from the Equipment deck and places their Hero's miniature on the game board in the position indicated by the chosen scenario.

Heroes who start the game with a Follower, choose 1 Follower card and place it next to the Follower slot on their Hero's Character card. Finally, they place the character's Follower token on any unoccupied Space adjacent to the Hero. A Follower need not start the game in the same Area as the Hero, but they must be adjacent to them.

Personal Mission — Before starting a game, each player rolls 1 Combat die, the result of which will determine the Personal Mission they must attempt to complete. Players should place a Mission token on the corresponding mission on their Personal Mission card.

Should a Hero complete their Personal Mission and survive until the end of the game, the Recollection of their exploits is placed, blue side up, into Tikku's Memoirs.

For scenarios without an investigation, don't roll a die but instead always choose the first Personal Mission.

Game Board Set-Up

The players choose a scenario from the Scenario Book or may create their own Okko Chronicle (see back cover of the Scenario Book).

Place the Tiles listed as indicated in the scenario to form the game board.

One or more Mission Tiles may also be required to make the scenario more challenging.

Place the Oni player's miniatures and the Courtier Clue tokens as shown in the scenario. Evidence and Parchment Clue Tokens, as well as any Chest Tokens required, are chosen at random.

Oni Set-Up

The Oni player places the Character cards of their Mortal Thralls and Supernatural Creatures indicated by the chosen scenario in front of them.

They then place the Corruption Track close by and place 4 Corruption tokens and the Time Token in their indicated positions on the track.

If the chosen scenario calls for an Investigation, the Oni player secretly selects 1 Oni Clue card at random and 1 Courtier Clue card that corresponds to a Courtier token present on the game board from the Clue deck.

Note: These Clue cards dictate the nature of the Oni and which of the Courtiers it is disguised as. As a result, they must be kept secret from the Heroes until they determine its nature or its mortal disguise.

The Oni player shuffles the Clue deck and places it within reach of the Heroes.

Finally, the Oni player draws a number of Event cards equal to the number of Heroes pitted against them to form a hand.

Example of Set-Up

A fully set-up play area in front of a Hero includes: Character cards, a hand of Action cards, Initiative cards, discard piles, Equipment cards, a Follower card, Combat dice, Action dice, Test dice, Damage tokens, Clue cards, Wound cards, Bonus/Penalty tokens, Condition tokens, Normal Tiles, a Mission Tile, and the Corruption Track & tokens.

Playing the Game

OKKO Chronicles is played in Rounds, each of which is made up of three Phases:

1. Strategy Phase (simultaneous)
2. Activation Phase (alternating)
3. End of the Round Phase

1. Strategy

Attention: During the Strategy Phase, the Heroes and the Oni develop their strategies for the coming Activation Phase simultaneously.

The Heroes' Strategy

The Heroes should briefly discuss their plans amongst themselves before choosing the Action and Equipment cards they wish to use, as well as the order in which they will activate.

• Action Cards — As they discuss, the Heroes choose whether they will use a Secret Technique and/or a Special Talent, playing their Action cards face down to the appropriate side of their Character card (as described on pg. 16). Each Hero MUST play at least 1, but no more than 2 Action cards. Once an Action card has been revealed, its effects last until the end of the Round.
• Equipment Cards — If a Hero wishes to gain the benefits of an Equipment card in one of their Hand slots, they must turn the card face up during the Strategy Phase. Its effects last until the end of the Round. The other card is turned face down.
• Initiative Card — Once the Heroes have played their Action and Equipment cards, they determine their Activation order by stacking their Initiative cards face down in any order they choose to create an Initiative deck. The card on the top of the Initiative deck will be the first Hero to be activated during the Activation Phase.

The Oni's Strategy

The Oni player works alone to prepare their plans and manipulate their forces to thwart the Heroes.

• Corruption Track — The Oni moves the Time Token to the next position on the Corruption Track.

  If the Time Token indicates an odd numbered round, the Oni may choose 1 Corruption token, already on the board, to move somewhere on an adjacent Tile. The Oni then places an Enhancement token on the next available position of the Mortal Thrall Enhancement Tree on the Corruption Track (see pg. 24).

  If the Time Token indicates an even numbered Round, the Oni places a Corruption token on any unoccupied Space of a Tile of their choice. The Oni then places an Enhancement token on the next available position on the Supernatural Creature Enhancement Tree on the Corruption Track (see pg. 24).

• Event Cards — The Oni may play a number of Event cards equal to the number of Heroes that oppose. As Heroes are eliminated, the number of cards the Oni may play is reduced.

  The Oni's Event cards are placed face down to the right of the Character card of any agent they wish to improve by using the card's Secret Technique (see pg. 23).

  Note: The Oni may elect not to play any Event cards yet - it depends on their strategy.

Once the Heroes have declared that they are ready to move on, the Oni may make one final adjustment to the placement of their own cards before announcing the start of the Activation Phase.

2. Activation

At the beginning of the Activation Phase, the Heroes reveal their Action cards and the Oni reveals any Event cards played for their Secret Technique.

The Heroes' Activation

The Heroes reveal the top card of their Initiative deck. The corresponding Hero is then activated.

Once activated, unless stated otherwise, each Hero has a maximum of 3 Actions, which they may use to:

• Move
• Make an Attack
• Perform an Attribute Test
• Use a Special Talent
• Reorganize their Equipment cards
• Transfer an Equipment card to an adjacent Hero

Any unused Actions are lost at the end of the Hero's Activation.

Any Hero with a Follower activates them at the end of their own Activation (see pg. 19).

The Oni's Activation

Once a Hero has completed their Activation, the Oni chooses one of their agents that does not already have an Activation token on its Character card to activate. The Oni may use all or some of an activated agent's Actions to:

• Move
• Make an Attack

Note: The Character cards of Minions may be associated with several miniatures. When these agents are activated, the Oni's chosen Actions may be applied to some or all of the agents associated with that Character card.

To indicate that their chosen agent has been activated, the Oni places 1 Activation token on its Character card.

At any point during each of their agents' Activations, the Oni may play 1 and only 1 Event card from their hand to trigger its Special Effect (see pg. 23). The resolution of an Event card's Special Effect need not be related to the activated agent. Once resolved, the card is moved to the Oni's discard pile.

Once the Activation of the agent chosen by the Oni is complete, play passes back to the Heroes and the next card from the Initiative deck is revealed.

Play alternates back and forth between the Heroes and the Oni until the Initiative deck is exhausted and the Oni has placed as many Activation tokens as there are Heroes in play.

As Heroes are eliminated, the number of agents the Oni may activate is reduced.

For any reason, if the Oni cannot activate a character card after the turn of a Hero, he draws an event card. If he does so, he may still play an Event card from his hand.

3. End of the Round

Once the Heroes' Initiative deck is exhausted and the Oni has used their last Activation token, the End of the Round Phase begins.

Accusations — During the End of the Round Phase, the Heroes may decide to make an Accusation (see pg. 27):

• To announce the Nature of the Oni.
• To reveal the Identity of the Oni.

Reorganize Equipment — Each Hero may reorganize the Equipment cards attached to their Character card.

Wound Cards — The Heroes discard any Action cards they played during the Strategy Phase to their personal discard pile.

If a Hero has a number of Damage tokens on their Character card equal to or greater than their STAMINA, they discard a number of Damage tokens equal to their STAMINA and draw 1 Wound card (see pg. 17).

A Hero cannot draw more than 1 Wound card per Round.

When a Hero has no more Action cards left in their hand, they retrieve all the cards from their discard pile (including any Wound cards) to form a new hand.

Attention: A Wound card is not considered an Action card.

Example: Noshin has 5 Damage tokens on his Character card. He has a STAMINA of 3, so he discards 3 Damage tokens and draws 1 Wound card. The remaining 2 Damage tokens stay on Noshin's Character card.

The Oni — The Oni discards his Event cards placed as Secret Techniques, draws 2 Event cards and resolves the effects of any Mission Tiles the scenario uses.

Ending the Game

Scenarios that do not call for an Investigation end as detailed in the Scenario Book. However, scenarios that call upon the Heroes to uncover an Oni only reach their conclusion after a climactic showdown between the forces of good and evil. In these instances, the game only ends when all Mission Objectives have been resolved by one side or the other AND this Final Battle has been resolved.

The Final Battle

Once the Oni has been unmasked or its scheme is complete and it reveals itself, the Final Battle begins.

The Oni player consults the 2 Clue cards they secretly removed from the Clue deck at the beginning of the game.

The demon's mortal disguise is immediately discarded and the Courtier token matching the Oni player's Courtier Clue card is replaced by the miniature that corresponds to their Oni Clue card.

Once the Final Battle begins, there are only two possible outcomes:

• The Heroes succeed in destroying the Oni; in which case, the blue "The Oni was Defeated!" Recollection is added to Tikku's Memoirs.
• The Oni successfully makes their escape. To do so, the Oni must spend 1 Action once they or their agents have eliminated any one of the Heroes during the Final Battle. In this case, the red "The Oni Escaped" Recollection is added to Tikku's Memoirs.

While the Final Battle rages:

• If the Heroes successfully identified the Oni's nature, the Oni will be subject to the penalty described on their revealed Oni Clue card.
• Mission Tile Objectives, if not already resolved, continue to function normally.
• The Oni retains the ability to discard Event cards to summon Mortal Thralls and Supernatural Creatures, as described on the Enhancement Trees of the Corruption Track.
• Any Enhancements the Oni's agents have accumulated from their progression through their respective Enhancement Trees remain active. However, the Oni can no longer add any Enhancement tokens to the Corruption Track.

Round 8 — If, at the beginning of Round 8 End of round phase, the Oni has not been discovered:

• The Oni reveals itself and its miniature is placed on the board instead of the Courtier Clue token behind which it was hiding.
• Final Battle starts.
• Recollections cannot be added to Tikku's Memoirs.

Tikku's Memoirs

At the end of the game, the players are catapulted through the years to take on the role of Tikku. Now a wise and venerable monk, Tikku is in the process of transcribing his many adventures in the company of Okko and his companions.

Writing Tikku's Memoirs always begins by selecting a new scroll of parchment to record them on. Depending on the outcome of the scenario, Tikku will either fondly recall the saga of the Heroes' triumphant success on a Blue scroll; or recount the doleful tale of the Oni's victory on a Red scroll.

• When a Mission Tile Objective is completed by the Heroes, the corresponding Recollection is added to Tikku's Memoirs with its blue side face up. If a Mission Tile Objective is completed by the Oni, the corresponding Recollection is added to Tikku's Memoirs with its red side face up.
• If the Oni was defeated during the Final Battle, the Recollection of its defeat is added to Tikku's Memoirs with its blue side face up, or if the Oni fled during the Final Battle, the Recollection of its escape is recorded in Tikku's Memoirs with its red side face up.
• If a Hero is eliminated, the Recollection of their failure is faithfully recounted in Tikku's Memoirs red side face up. If a Hero has completed their Personal Mission without being eliminated, the Recollection of their heroism is entered in Tikku's Memoirs blue side face up.
• If there are any gaps in the Recollections at the end of the game, insert a print to fill out the tale.
• Once all the Recollections have been added to Tikku's Memoirs, the winner of the game is determined. The Heroes gain points collectively for each blue Recollection, while the Oni scores points for each red Recollection. The winner of the game is the side to achieve the highest score.

Tikku's Recollections are scored as follows: a Large Recollection is worth 4 points, a Medium Recollection is worth 2 points, and a Small Recollection is worth 1 point.

Example: 1 Large Recollection (4 Points) + 1 Medium Recollection (2 Points) + 1 Small Recollection (1 Point) = Total 7 Points. Or, 1 Medium Recollection (2 Points) + 1 Small Recollection (1 Point) = Total 3 Points.

Game Components

Character Cards

Character cards detail a Hero's various Attributes and Special Talents. On every Character card, you will find the following Attributes:

SPEED — A Hero's SPEED determines the number of Areas they can travel when using a single Action to move.

MIGHT — A Hero's MIGHT indicates the number of Combat dice to roll when they make an Attack.

DEFENSE — A Hero's DEFENSE indicates the number that must be equaled or exceeded by an Attack to injure the character. In order for an attack to be considered successful, an attacker's Attack must equal or exceed the Hero's DEFENSE. Unless otherwise stated, a successful attack deals 1 Damage token to a Hero.

GUILE — A Hero's GUILE can be used to bypass traps, solve Objectives or complete Special Actions. Unless otherwise stated, a Hero's GUILE is used to make Attribute Tests. Note: Only Heroes have a GUILE Attribute.

ACTIONS — An agent's ACTIONS indicates the number of Actions they may take once activated. Note: Only the Oni's agents have an ACTIONS Attribute. Heroes always take 3 Actions when activated.

STAMINA — A Hero's STAMINA indicates their resilience and determines how many Damage tokens they can have on their Character card before they must draw a Wound card.

Hero Stamina — During the End of the Round Phase, a Hero compares the number of Damage tokens on their Character card to their STAMINA. If the number of Damage tokens equals or exceeds their STAMINA, they discard a number of Damage tokens equal to their STAMINA and draws 1 Wound card into their hand. Any remaining Damage tokens remain on the Hero's Character card.

If, at any time, a Hero has 3 Wound cards in their hand, they are immediately eliminated from the game.

Stamina & the Oni's Agents — As soon as any character controlled by the Oni has a number of Damage tokens equal to their STAMINA, they are immediately eliminated from the game.

Natural Talent — As long as the Hero is in play, their Natural Talent remains active.

Class — A Hero's Class determines which Equipment cards they may equip themselves with.

Follower — Heroes may be accompanied by a single Follower. The Follower card of any such companion is placed in this slot.

Equipment Slots — Each Hero has 4 Equipment Slots, which are used to play Equipment cards:

• Right Hand & Left Hand Slots — Equipment cards in these slots, which have been turned face up during the Strategy Phase, may be used by the Hero when they are activated.
• Clothing Slot — Equipment cards played to this slot are always placed face up. Unless otherwise stated, these cards grant their effect throughout the course of the game.
• Supplies Slot — A Hero may carry a number of Equipment cards equal to the number of Supplies symbols on this slot. A Hero's Class has no effect on which Equipment cards can be placed here.

Action Cards

Each Hero has their own set of Action cards. These cards can be used in one of two distinct ways: as a Secret Technique they modify a Hero's Attributes, or as a Special Talent they temporarily grant extraordinary abilities. Each time you play an Action card during the Strategy Phase, you must choose which of these two ways you will use it.

An Action card placed to the left of your Hero's Character card, gives them the ability to use the card's Special Talent when they are activated. When played here, the card's Secret Technique modifiers are inactive.

An Action card placed to the right of your Hero's Character card, applies the card's Secret Technique modifiers to their Attributes. When played here, the card's Special Talent is inactive.

Note: Some cards may only have a Secret Technique or a Special Talent. In these cases, the card can only be played to the corresponding side of your Hero's Character card.

With each Strategy Phase, you may choose to play up to 2 Action cards. A Hero must always play at least 1 Action card during the Strategy Phase.

During the End of the Round Phase, any cards played are moved to the Hero's discard pile.

During the coming Strategy Phase, Heroes will have fewer Action cards to choose from. When a Hero has no more Action cards left in their hand, they retrieve all the cards in their discard pile (including any Wound cards) to form a new hand.

Secret Technique

Secret Techniques modify a Hero's Attributes. These modifiers apply until the end of the End of the Round Phase.

• SPEED Modifier — The Hero's SPEED is increased or decreased by the modifier indicated on the Action card.
• MIGHT Modifier — When making an Attack, the Hero adds as many Action dice as indicated on the Action card. If the modifier is negative, then the Hero removes as many Combat dice from their Attack as indicated.
• DEFENSE Modifier — The Hero's DEFENSE is increased or decreased by the modifier indicated on the Action card.
• GUILE Modifier — The Hero's GUILE is increased or decreased by the modifier indicated on the Action card.

Special Talent

While an Action card is in play to the left of a Hero's Character card, its Special Talent remains active. If the words Action or Unique Action are mentioned in its description, the Special Talent only becomes active when the Hero uses an Action during the Activation Phase to use it:

• ACTION: Requires 1 Action to use the Special Talent as described. You may use this Special Talent each time you use 1 Action to activate it.
• UNIQUE ACTION: Requires 1 Action to use the Special Talent as described, but it may only be used once per Round.

Note: Pay attention to the Heroes' Activation Order! In order for a Hero to benefit from some Special Talents, they may need to be activated before or after another Hero has been activated.

Next to an Action card's name is a symbol, this indicates the nature of the Special Talent:

• SPEED — These Special Talents affect how Heroes, their Allies and/or their opponents move.
• ATTACK — These Special Talents either improve a Hero's basic attacks or allow them to make special attacks under certain conditions.
• DEFENSE — These Special Talents either improve the DEFENSE of a Hero and/or their Allies or let them respond to attacks against them.
• GUILE — These Special Talents affect the success requirements of Attribute Tests.
• COORDINATION — These Special Talents affect a Hero's Allies.
• WEAKNESS — This card has a negative effect on a Hero and/or their Allies; however, they also give a Hero an opportunity to recover from their injuries.

Weakness Card

Every Hero has a weakness, a moment of doubt, or a vice that may hinder them or their Allies. This is represented by a Weakness card (considered an Action card for rules purposes).

This card can only be played as a Special Talent (to the left of the Hero's Character card) and has a negative effect on the Hero and/or their Allies. However, the Weakness card allows a Hero to discard a number of Damage tokens from their Character card equal to their STAMINA.

Heroes will need to coordinate their efforts to compensate for the weaknesses of their Allies. As Action cards can only be refreshed after ALL Action cards in their hand have been played, a Hero's Weakness card will have to be played eventually!

Follower Cards

Followers are characters who accompany the Heroes on their adventures.

• Followers are always considered to be Allies.
• Each Hero may only be accompanied by a single Follower, who activates only after the Hero has used all of their own Actions.
• Followers use the same SPEED, MIGHT and DEFENSE Attributes as a Hero; however, they also share some qualities with the Oni's agents:
  • ACTION — Determines the number of Actions a Follower can perform at the end of their Hero's Activation.
  • STAMINA — Indicates the number of Damage tokens that the Follower may have on their Follower card before they are eliminated from the game.
  • TALENT — The Follower's unique special ability that they may use to help the Heroes.
• By spending 1 Action, a Follower card can be transferred to the Character card of a Hero adjacent to the Follower.

If a Follower is eliminated, their Follower card is discarded and the Follower slot on the Hero's Character card becomes vacant.

Kami

Identified by their golden Follower cards and similar to regular Followers, Kami have some unique differences:

• Unless otherwise stated, Kami can only be brought into play when summoned with an Action card, Special Talent or scenario rule. When summoned, the corresponding Kami token is placed face up on the game board.
• At the end of its Activation, a Kami's token is flipped face down. If a Kami token has already been flipped face down, the elemental spirit is removed from the game board. Thus, Kami can never be in play for more than 2 Rounds.
• A Kami card may never be transferred between the Character cards of Heroes.

Equipment Cards

Equipment cards represent weapons, armor and items that Heroes may use to help them. Heroes gain some Equipment cards at the beginning of the game in the form of their Starting Equipment, but may acquire more over the course of an adventure.

Beyond its name, Equipment cards contain the following information:

Legendary Equipment Icon — Some rare Equipment cards may feature this symbol: these items are considered an extraordinary, or even magical example of its type. Equipment cards that do not feature this icon are entirely mundane or ordinary.

Permitted Classes — These symbols indicate those classes which may equip a given Equipment card. Only Heroes whose Class matches one of those highlighted on the Equipment card may use that item: Samurai, Ronin, Hinin, Mahotsukai.

Equipment Slot — This symbol indicates where the Equipment card must be positioned if it is to be used:

• Equipment cards with this symbol must be placed face down in a Hand slot (left or right).
• Equipment cards with this symbol must be placed face up in a Hero's Clothing Slot for them to grant their benefit.
• Equipment cards with this symbol may be used while placed in a Hero's Supplies Slot.
• An Equipment card with this symbol indicates that the Hero needs both hands to use it. These cards must be placed so that the red triangle points to the line separating the right and left Hand Slots.

A Hero must always respect an Equipment card's slot symbol. They cannot place their Bô in their Clothing slot, for example.

Effect — Some Equipment cards grant the Hero using them some additional or unusual benefit. When an Equipment card modifies a Hero's MIGHT, roll the indicated number of additional Action Dice.

Chest Tokens — In certain scenarios, Chest tokens will be scattered throughout the chambers of the palace. The number shown at the top of a Chest token indicates the difficulty of the SPEED Test that must be passed to open it. The number at the bottom of a Chest token indicates the number of Equipment cards that may be drawn if the chest is successfully opened.

Once opened, a Chest token is flipped to reveal how many of the drawn cards a Hero may keep. All remaining Equipment cards are then discarded, along with the opened Chest token.

Example: Here, the difficulty of the SPEED Test is 4. If a Hero successfully passes this Test, they will draw 5 Equipment cards. Flipping the token face up reveals that a Hero may keep 3 of these cards, but must discard the remaining 2.

Character Cards (Mortal Thrall & Supernatural Creature)

Characters controlled by the Oni have a Character card similar to that of a Hero: these cards share many of the same features, with the notable exceptions of the ACTIONS Attribute, the character's Rank and the fact that these characters may have more than one Natural Talent.

The Oni commands two Types of characters: Mortal Thralls such as the castle's Ashigaru have gray Character cards, while Supernatural Creatures such as Yurei have black Character cards.

SPEED — An agent's SPEED determines the number of Areas they can travel when using a single Action to move.

MIGHT — An agent's MIGHT indicates the number of Combat dice to roll when they make an Attack.

DEFENSE — An agent's DEFENSE indicates the number that must be equaled or exceeded by an Attack to deal 1 Damage token to the character.

ACTIONS — An agent's ACTIONS indicates the number of Actions they may take once activated. When activating a character card, the Oni player activates one figure at a time. For each figure, the Oni player may freely choose its actions and their order.

Natural Talent — The Natural Talents of characters controlled by the Oni trigger when the conditions stated in its description are fulfilled. Example: If three adjacent Ashigaru attack a Hero, each one adds a bonus to the result of their Attack.

STAMINA — An agent's STAMINA indicates their resilience and determines how many Damage tokens they may have on their Character card before they are eliminated from the game.

TYPE — A character's Type can have an impact when applying certain effects. For example, some weapons may be more effective against characters of a certain Type, while others have no effect at all.

Mortal Thralls

Characters with a gray Character card are Mortal Thralls of the Oni. They represent the guardians of the daimyo's castle. Until the Heroes prove to be undesirable guests, they will go about their day-to-day duties.

While Mortal Thralls are counted among the Oni's agents, their sheer number prevents them from universally falling under its demonic influence:

• The Oni may only activate Mortal Thralls on a Tile occupied by a Corruption token.
• If a Mortal Thrall is attacked by a Hero on a Tile where no Corruption token is present, the Oni takes the "The Alarm Was Raised!" Recollection and adds it to Tikku's Memoirs at the end of the game.
• Heroes must end their movement when entering any Area occupied by a Mortal Thrall (see pg. 30).

The Alarm Was Raised — Once the alarm has been raised, the Oni may activate all Mortal Thralls normally. In addition, the Oni adds the "The Alarm Was Raised!" Recollection to Tikku's Memoirs.

There are two different Ranks of Mortal Thralls:

• Minions: When activated, all Minions that share the activated agent's Character card may be activated.
• Lieutenant: Unique, named characters, Lieutenants have higher STAMINA and deadlier Natural Talents than Minions.

Supernatural Creatures

Characters with a black Character card represent all sorts of malevolent Supernatural Creatures under the command of the Oni.

These characters can be activated normally during the Activation Phase (as described on pg. 13). Supernatural Creatures can hold one of three different Ranks:

• Minions: When a Minion Character card is activated, all characters linked to the card may be activated.
• Lieutenant: Like their mortal counterparts, monstrous Lieutenants are unique and have fearsome Natural Talents and terrifying STAMINA.
• Greater Demon: The Oni itself. At the beginning of the game, the Oni is not present on the game board. The Oni's miniature only replaces the Courtier Token of the courtier it has been masquerading as when:
  • The Oni chooses to reveal itself at the beginning of Round 8 End of turn phase.
  • The Heroes discover which of the Courtiers is actually the Oni.

In the last case, the Heroes are considered to have successfully unmasked the Oni and earn the "The Oni was Unmasked" Recollection.

Event Cards

Where the Heroes use Action cards, the Oni uses Event cards.

Unlike Action cards, the Oni chooses which of an Event card's two functions to use depending on where and when they play it.

• By placing the card to the right of an agent's Character card during the Strategy Phase, the Oni modifies an agent's Attributes with the Event card Secret Technique. When placed here, the card's Special Effect is not activated.
• Alternatively, when the Oni activates one of their agents, they may play an Event card from their hand to use its Special Effect during the Activation Phase.

Note: An Event card's Special Effect does not need to be linked to the activated agent.

Example: The Oni may decide to activate his Samurai and play the "Dark Influence" Event card to move the Courtier tokens as described.

Once its Special Effect has been resolved, the Event card is immediately discarded.

During the End of the Round Phase, any Event cards played for their Secret Technique during the Strategy Phase are moved to the Oni's discard pile.

If, at any point, the Oni's Event deck is exhausted, the Oni's discard pile is shuffled to create a new one.

Secret Technique

Secret Techniques modify an agent's Attributes. These modifiers apply until the end of the End of the Round Phase.

• SPEED Modifier — The agent's SPEED is increased or decreased by the modifier indicated on the Event card.
• MIGHT Modifier — When making an Attack roll, the agent adds as many Action dice as indicated on the Event card. If the modifier is negative, then the agent removes as many Combat dice from their Attack roll as indicated.
• DEFENSE Modifier — The agent's DEFENSE is increased or decreased by the modifier indicated on the Event card.
• ACTIONS Modifier — The number of Actions the agent may take is increased or decreased by the modifier indicated on the Event card.

Special Effects

When the Oni plays an Event card during the Activation Phase, its Special Effects are immediately resolved.

The Event card is discarded once its Special Effect has been resolved.

If a Special Effect affects an Oni's agents, all characters linked to the activated Character card are subject to the effect.

Example: The Oni activates their Ashigaru and plays the "Powerful Blow" Event card. All Ashigaru now use Action dice instead of Combat dice for the duration of their Activation.

Corruption Track

As the Heroes' adventure progresses, the Oni's corrupting influence spreads throughout the palace enabling them to manipulate more Mortal Thralls and summon more Supernatural Creatures. As the Oni's grip tightens, they will be able to enhance those who have already fallen to its dark and terrible will.

The Corruption Track is used to track the Oni's growing influence over the occupants of the palace and the increase of its own powers.

Once the Heroes unmask the Oni, he may no longer place any Enhancement tokens on the Enhancement Trees of its agents or use any Corruption Token.

The Time Track

At the beginning of the game, the Time token is placed on the first position on the Time Track.

At the beginning of each Strategy Phase, the Time token is moved to the next position on the Time Track and the following effects are resolved in order, if possible:

• On each odd-numbered Round, the Oni may move 1 Corruption token already on the game board somewhere on another Tile of their choice to mark it as corrupted (except on round 1).
• The Oni places 1 Enhancement token on the next available position on the current branch of the Mortal Thrall Enhancement Tree.
• On each even-numbered Round, the Oni takes the Corruption token from the Corruption Track and places it somewhere on a Tile of their choice to mark it as corrupted.
• The Oni places 1 Enhancement token on the next available position on the current branch of the Supernatural Creature Enhancement Tree.

Corruption Tokens

When a Corruption token is present on a Tile:

• The Mortal Thralls on that Tile may be activated by the Oni.
• Heroes may attack Mortal Thralls on that Tile without raising the alarm.

When the red Corruption token is brought on the board, at Round 4, by the Oni player, Heroes MUST make an accusation at the end of the Round.

Supernatural Creature Enhancement Tokens

During the Strategy Phase of each even-numbered Round, the Oni places an Enhancement token on the Supernatural Creature Enhancement Tree, immediately granting these agents the indicated benefit.

Once an Enhancement token has been placed on an Enhancement Tree, the token may not be moved.

Warning: The Oni cannot place an Enhancement token in a slot where another token exists in the same column of the same Enhancement Tree.

Mortal Thrall Enhancement Tokens

During the Strategy Phase of each odd-numbered Round (including Round 1), the Oni places an Enhancement token on the Mortal Thrall Enhancement Tree, immediately granting these agents the indicated benefit.

Once an Enhancement token has been placed on an Enhancement Tree, the token may not be moved.

Warning: The Oni cannot place an Enhancement token in a slot where another token exists in the same column of the same Enhancement Tree.

After Round 8

If the game extends beyond Round 8, the Oni may move 1 Corruption token of their choice on an adjacent Tile during the Strategy Phase of each subsequent Round.

All Enhancements obtained in the previous Rounds continue to remain active.

Example: Here we join the game in Round 5. The Oni can move 1 Corruption token already on the game board if they choose to do so during the Strategy Phase. In Round 4, they placed an Enhancement token on the middle branch of the Supernatural Creature Enhancement Tree. This means that in Round 6, the Oni's last Supernatural Creature Enhancement token can only be placed on the indicated position. This Round, the Oni decides to place their Mortal Thrall Enhancement token on the top branch of the Mortal Thrall Enhancement Tree. In Round 7, the Oni's last Mortal Thrall Enhancement token can only be placed in the indicated position.

Clue Cards

Over the course of the game, the Heroes gather the information necessary to make a successful Accusation by collecting Clue Cards.

During the End of the Round Phase, the Heroes can use the information they have discovered from the Clue Cards they have collected to deduce the Identity or Nature of the Oni and make their Accusation.

Whilst sifting through the Palace of Mists' many clues, the Heroes may also uncover unexpected allies and terrifying revelations.

Clue Cards & the Oni — When a scenario calls for an Investigation, before the game begins the Oni selects 1 Courtier Clue card that corresponds to one of the Courtiers present in the chosen scenario. They then randomly select 1 Oni Clue card that depicts a particular type of Oni.

These two cards reveal the mortal disguise the Oni is using to pass unnoticed through the palace, as well as the nature of the demon itself. The Oni keeps both these cards face down beside the Corruption Track.

Note: These Clue cards must be kept secret from the Heroes until the Oni's nature has either been successfully guessed or simply unmasked.

All the remaining Clue cards (excepting those depicting Courtiers that are not present during the chosen scenario) are shuffled to form the Clue deck.

Clue Tokens

During the game, the Heroes will move through the palace until they are adjacent to one of the various Clue tokens scattered throughout its many Areas.

Each scenario details the placement of Clue tokens on the game board.

There are three forms of Clue token: Evidence (Green), Courtiers (Blue), Parchments (Yellow).

While adjacent to a Clue token, a Hero may attempt an Investigation Test, the difficulty of which is indicated at the top of the token.

• To gather information from Evidence tokens, Heroes must attempt an Analysis Test.
• To gather information from Courtier tokens, Heroes must attempt an Interrogation Test.
• To gather information from Parchment tokens, Heroes must attempt a Decipher Test.

Performing an Investigation Test, whether to analyze, interrogate or decipher, requires the Hero to use 1 Action to attempt a Direct GUILE Test.

The number at the top of a Clue token indicates the difficulty of the Investigation Test required to gather information from an adjacent token.

The number at the bottom of a Clue token indicates the number of Clue cards a Hero draws if the Investigation Test is successful.

The first time information is successfully gathered from an Evidence or Parchment Clue token, it is flipped. After a second successful Analysis or Decipher Test has been performed on a flipped Clue token, it is removed from the game board.

Note: Once flipped, Courtier Clue tokens cannot be interrogated again.

Courtier Clue Cards

When the Heroes draw a Courtier Clue card, it indicates that this character is NOT controlled by the Oni and it allows them to eliminate them from their investigation.

The Heroes keep any Courtier Clue Cards they have collected, and any Hero may call upon the Courtier's assistance at the beginning of its Activation. Once played, a Courtier Clue card is placed in a Courtier Clue card discard pile.

Some Courtiers may also become Followers. In this case, when their card is drawn, it may be placed in the Follower slot of a Character card of the Heroes' choice. Hereafter, the Courtier acts in all ways as a Follower (see pg. 19).

Once a Courtier becomes a Follower, they are considered an ally and may no longer be interrogated.

Oni Clue Cards

When the Heroes draw an Oni Clue card, it reveals that the demon hidden somewhere in the palace is NOT the Oni depicted. Heroes keep any Oni Clue cards they have drawn to help them make their Accusation. If the Heroes' Accusation regarding their nature is correct, the Oni gives the Heroes their Oni Clue card. Thereafter, this card indicates the penalty that the Oni will be subject to during the Final Battle.

Complication Clue Card

Complication Clue cards have an effect, which is resolved immediately when the card is drawn. A Complication Clue card's effect may help or hinder the Heroes' investigations.

Accusations

During the End of the Round Phase, the Heroes may make one or two Accusations, but not of the same type.

The Oni's Nature — If the Heroes' Accusation is correct, then the Oni reveals their Oni Clue card and gives it to the Heroes. This card will apply a penalty to the Oni during the Final Battle (see pg. 14).

The Oni's Identity — If the Heroes' Accusation is correct, the Oni is unmasked. The "The Oni was Unmasked" Recollection is added to Tikku's Memoirs and the Final Battle begins (see pg. 14). If it is still on the game board, the Courtier token that corresponds to the Oni's Courtier Clue card is removed and the Oni miniature is placed on the Space of the Courtier Clue token behind which he was hiding (i.e. his identity).

If the Heroes' first Accusation is unfounded, the "Embarrassing Accusation" Recollection is placed in Tikku's Memoirs. If a second incorrect Accusation is made, the "Defamatory Accusation" Recollection is recorded. Finally, if a third unsuccessful Accusation is made, the "Dishonorable Accusation" Recollection is added and the Heroes are forbidden from making any further Accusations. The Courtier token is replaced by the miniature of the Oni in question and the Final Battle begins (see p.14). However, the Corruption track can still be used.

When the red Corruption token is brought on the board, at Round 4 by the Oni player, Heroes MUST make an accusation at the end of the Round.

Tiles

Tiles represent various rooms and locations and are combined to form the game board on which the adventure unfolds.

The Tiles listed in a chosen scenario are placed as indicated. Alternatively, players may choose to create their own Palace of the Mists.

Tiles fall into two categories:

• Normal Tiles are used to create a region of the palace.
• Mission Tiles add an additional Objective that may be accomplished by either the Heroes or the Oni. Each Objective is completed in its own way. The side that successfully completes a Mission Tile Objective places the associated Recollection into Tikku's Memoirs in the appropriate color (blue for the Heroes, red for the Oni).

A Tile is made up of Areas and Spaces.

An Area is delimited by walls, white lines and the edges of the Tile itself. An Area contains several Spaces. When characters move into an Area, they may be placed on any unoccupied Space in that Area.

A Space represents a point where a character may be placed within an Area. Spaces are represented by a point of colored light:

• Blue are Normal Spaces and have no game effect.
• Orange are Interaction Spaces, which allow a character to affect their environment in some way. A character must typically occupy an Interaction Space to use it.
• Purple are Mortal Thrall Reinforcement Spaces.
• Green are Supernatural Creature Reinforcement Spaces.

The Oni uses Reinforcement Spaces to add additional agents to the game board. It can always have only one agent per Space.

Reinforcement Spaces marked with a +1 are used in all games. Reinforcement Spaces marked with a +3 may only be used in games with 3 or more Heroes.

It is allowed to bring any type of Mortal Thralls or Supernatural Creatures to the board. The number of figures that may be simultaneously on the board is limited to the figures available.

Heroes and their Allies may never occupy any Reinforcement Spaces.

Corridors

Corridors are considered to be Tiles in their own right.

Mission Tiles

Mission Tiles add additional Objectives to the game. The name of a Mission Tile is prefixed with an M.

Mission Tiles are accompanied by a Reference card, which explains the conditions that must be met for its Objective to be completed by either the Heroes or the Oni.

Each Mission Tile is also associated with one of Tikku's Recollections. This Recollection is added to Tikku's Memoirs with its blue side face up if the Heroes achieve the Objective's conditions, or its red side face up if the Oni is successful.

Prohibited Tiles

It may be inappropriate for a Hero to be found in some rooms of the palace; however, courtesy will not prevent Okko and his companions from carrying out their investigations.

Prohibited Tiles are identified by the red triangle around their name and a Prohibited symbol.

Sneaking

When a Hero uses an Action to move onto a Prohibited Tile, they must immediately begin to Sneak.

Sneaking requires the Hero to make the Direct SPEED Test indicated on the Tile itself (see pg. 30).

• If successful, the Hero can continue their Activation normally.
• If the Test is failed, all Mortal Thralls present on the Prohibited Tile immediately surround the Hero, moving to adjacent Spaces of the Oni's choice. These agents then make an immediate Attack against the trespassing Hero.

Example: Setsuka ends her movement on a Prohibited Tile and fails to Sneak. The Oni immediately moves the 3 Ashigaru on the Tile to surround Setsuka; however, only the two adjacent guards may Attack her.

How to Play

When a character is Activated, they gain a number of Actions, which they can use to Move, make an Attack, use a Special Talent, reorganize or transfer their Equipment cards or attempt an Attribute Test.

Actions may be undertaken in any order and, unless specifically stated otherwise, the same Action may be performed more than once in the same Activation.

Heroes may perform up to 3 Actions each time they are activated. The number of Actions an agent of the Oni may perform each time they are activated is detailed on their Character card.

Movement

Each Action used to Move, enables a character to:

• Move through a number of adjacent Areas equal to their SPEED.
• Exit an Area currently occupied by an opponent. In this case, the character's movement ends in an adjacent Area, regardless of their SPEED.
• Move to any unoccupied Space within an Area they currently occupy.

Example: Noshin has a SPEED of 2, so he can use 1 Action to move 2 Areas. He can choose to end his movement on any unoccupied Space in his destination Area.

Note: Whenever a character enters an Area occupied by an opponent, their movement is immediately halted. Because there is an opponent present in the same Area, the character must use 1 Action to leave it.

Example: Noshin may use 1 Action to move to any unoccupied Space in his current Area.

Rules of Movement

• You may only pass through an Area if it is not occupied by an opponent. Your movement ends immediately when you enter an Area occupied by one or more opposing characters.
• You cannot end your movement in an Area if all the Spaces within it are occupied by Allies, but you may pass through such an Area. However, if even one of the Spaces in the Area is occupied by an opponent, it is impossible to pass through it.
• You may end your movement on any unoccupied Space in your final destination, regardless of where any opponents may be positioned within that Area.
• You cannot end your movement on a space occupied by a token.

Example: Noshin can use 1 Action to move into the adjacent Area, but must end his movement there since it is occupied by an opponent.

Example: Because all the Spaces in this Area are occupied by opponents, Noshin cannot pass through it. However, the Ninja may pass through this same Area as none of the characters in the Area are his opponents. The Ninja may move to any unoccupied Space within this Area.

Follower Movement — Followers are considered Allies by Heroes. As such, they are considered opponents by Mortal Thralls and Supernatural Creatures. Followers are subject to the same movement constraints as Heroes.

Making an Attack

A character may use 1 Action to make an Attack against an opponent.

Melee Attack

A character can make an Attack against a target in an adjacent Space (even if they are not in the same Area), so long as no walls or closed doors lie between the attacker and their target.

For a melee attack, the Attacker always needs to have line of sight to the target figure (i.e. space). For determining Line of Sight, draw a straight line from space to space. If that line is not interrupted, the attacker has line of sight. Scenery elements other than walls and closed doors do not block or hinder an attacker's ability to perform a Melee Attack against targets on the other side of them.

Ranged Attack

It is necessary to have an equipment or an ability that explicitly provides the ability to perform a ranged attack. To do so, the attacker must have a clear Line of Sight to their target.

In order to determine the attacker's Line of Sight, draw an imaginary straight line between the attacker's Space and that of their target.

If no walls, closed doors, or opponents obstruct their Line of Sight, the attacker can make a Ranged Attack against them.

Allies and scenery elements other than walls and closed doors do not block or hinder an attacker's ability to make a Ranged Attack.

Resolving an Attack

In order to determine the outcome of an Attack, the attacker rolls a number of Combat dice equal to their MIGHT Attribute.

If the attacker's MIGHT Attribute is currently being enhanced by the Secret Technique of an Action card, they also roll the indicated number of Action dice.

If the attacker's MIGHT Attribute is currently subject to a penalty, they remove the corresponding number of Combat dice from their roll.

All the required dice are rolled simultaneously and the total number of hit symbols on the dice is calculated.

Dice featuring the reroll symbol are counted as hit results and rolled again.

If the total number of hits rolled is equal to or greater than the target's DEFENSE Attribute, the Attack is successful and 1 Damage token is placed on the target's Character card.

If the attacker rolls at least one push result during their Attack but fails to eliminate the target, they may move the target away from them to any adjacent, unoccupied Space of their choice.

Example: Okko makes a Melee Attack against Hiroji-San. He rolls 3 Combat Dice and 4 Action Dice and gets the following results: 0, 1, 1, reroll, 2, 0, 1 = 6. Okko rolls the reroll die again for an additional 2, bringing the total of his Attack to 8.

As Okko's Attack of 8 is higher than Hiroji-San's DEFENSE of 7, the daimyo's champion places 1 Damage token on his Character card. As Hiroji-San already has 3 Damage tokens on his Character card, the addition of this fourth token eliminates him from the game.

Condition Tokens

Some cards or Talents inflict specific Conditions. When a character is affected by a particular Condition, the corresponding Condition token is placed on their Character card.

Condition tokens are always placed on a Character card with their greatest penalty face up.

During the End of the Round Phase characters:

1. Flip any Condition tokens on their Character card.
2. Discard any flipped Condition tokens on their Character card.

The effects of all Condition tokens are cumulative, but a Hero cannot have the same condition twice. The new condition token replaces the old token.

• Bleeding: A Bleeding character places 1 Damage token on their Character card each time they make any form of Attack.
• Poisoned: A Poisoned character applies the penalty indicated on the Condition token to their DEFENSE.
• Stunned: A Stunned character applies the penalty indicated on the Condition token to their SPEED.
• Amputee: An Amputee character permanently loses 1 Natural Talent of their choice. This Condition token is neither flipped nor discarded during the End of the Round Phase.

Wound Cards

During the End of the Round Phase, each Hero compares the number of Damage tokens on their Character card to their STAMINA to see if they must draw a Wound card (see pg. 17).

Wound cards may be played like an Action card during the Strategy Phase; however, as a Hero must always play at least 1 Action card (see pg. 17), they must also play an Action card whenever they play a Wound card. It is impossible to play 2 Wound cards in the same Strategy Phase.

A Hero can retrieve all their Action cards from their discard pile if they have only Wound Cards left in their hand.

You may play a Wound card you have in your hand during the Strategy Phase.

If, at any point, a Hero has 3 Wound cards in their hand, they are immediately eliminated from the game and any miniatures or tokens associated with them are removed from the game board.

Making an Attribute Test

To complete certain tasks, investigate clues or avoid traps, a Hero must sometimes perform an Attribute Test (SPEED Test, MIGHT Test, DEFENSE Test, or GUILE Test).

As a general rule, a Hero must occupy an Interaction Space to attempt an Attribute Test. In this case, the requirements of the Attribute Test are detailed on the Reference card that corresponds to the Tile.

To make an Attribute Test, the Hero rolls a number of Test dice equal to the Test's Difficulty. The result of their roll is calculated and any modifiers are applied to determine the score of the test.

If their total is less than or equal to the value of the tested Attribute, the Hero has successfully passed the Attribute Test.

If the Hero's total is greater than the value of the tested Attribute, they fail the Attribute Test.

Each time an Attribute Test is failed, the Hero places a Penalty token on the Test's Difficulty to indicate its reduced value. The placement of multiple Penalty tokens may cause a Test to be passed automatically; however, a Hero must still use one of their Actions to achieve this.

Note: A MIGHT Test may only be attempted at range if the Hero has a clear Line of Sight to the target and a Talent or Equipment card that allows them to make a Ranged Attack.

Direct Attribute Tests

Heroes may sometimes be called upon to make a Direct Attribute Test.

Direct Attribute Tests are most common in circumstances where a Hero has no opportunity to prepare for the Test or where their repeated attempts do not make it any easier to accomplish.

In these cases, if a Direct Attribute Test is failed, no Penalty token is placed to reduce the Difficulty of future attempts.

Reorganizing & Transferring Equipment

During their Activation, a Hero may discard 1 Equipment card from their Character card for free.

By using 1 Action, a Hero may:

• Rearrange any number of Equipment cards positioned on their various Equipment slots, moving them to appropriate locations of their choice. A Hero must still respect an Equipment slot's restrictions.
• Transfer 1 Equipment card from their Supplies slot to an adjacent Hero. The receiver may immediately place this item in an Equipment slot of their choice, while respecting any Equipment slot restrictions.

Example: Using 1 Action, Noburo moves his Naginata from his Hands slots to his Supplies slot. He then moves his Wakisashi and Inro from his Supplies slot to his Hand slots.

Using a Special Talent

To use the Special Talent of an Action card preceded by the words ACTION or UNIQUE ACTION, the Hero must use 1 Action.

UNIQUE ACTIONS can only be used once per Round.

Some Special Talents benefit a Hero's Allies rather than themselves, so it is important for Heroes to work together during the Strategy Phase of each Round.

Reminder: Special Talents that are not preceded by the words ACTION or UNIQUE ACTION remain in effect for as long as the Action card is in play. They do not require the use of an Action and are active until the end of the End of the Round Phase, even if the Hero has not yet been activated.

Example Hero Activation

Noburo's Initiative card has just been revealed from the Initiative deck, so it is his turn to be activated.

He uses 1 Action to move 2 Areas and ends his movement adjacent to the Ninja.

He uses 1 Action to make a Melee Attack against the adjacent Ninja. Noburo rolls 4 Combat dice, while his Special Technique allows him to roll an additional 2 Action dice. Noburo rolls a total Attack of 6. As the Ninja's DEFENSE is 5, the Oni's agent is eliminated.

With his last Action, Noburo moves to the Interaction Space of the Cell.

During his next Activation, Noburo will attempt a MIGHT Test to break open the Cell. This calls for a MIGHT Test, the Difficulty of which is 8. Even with a +3 modifier to his MIGHT from a Secret Technique, Noburo will still have to roll 8 Test dice and roll a total of 7 or less.

With all of his Actions used, Noburo's Activation is complete and play passes to the Oni.