Order of the Stick Adventure Game: The Dungeon of Dorukan
Order of the Stick Adventure Game: The Dungeon of Dorukan Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
This booklet will give you the full rules of the game, in mind-numbing detail, but here's the beautiful thing: you don't need to read these rules cover-to-cover to get started.
HEY! YOU CAN START PLAYING WITHOUT READING THESE RULES!
Really. Here's what you do: find the 8-page booklet that looks like an Order of the Stick comic strip. Read it. Then, open these rules and read all of the yellow boxes - they're the Examples, and they show you how the game is played in practice. Then read the Set-Up section so you know how to, well, set up. And that's it - start playing! Oh, sure, there will be questions, and you can look them up in the Table of Contents of the rules as they arise. Or you can have someone read the rules while you play, so they'll know what to do when strange situations arise. But the important thing is, you won't need to read 25+ pages of rules in their entirety before anyone draws a single card. Because seriously, that's boring. We'd rather get you into playing the game as fast as possible, and let you work out the details later.
Components
Dungeon Room Deck and Xykon's Lair Deck
What would a dungeon be if it didn't have any rooms in it? A big hole in the ground, that's what. As players explore the Dungeon of Dorukan, they reveal new room cards from the Dungeon Room Deck. Room cards are oversized so that they can easily accommodate character movement tokens as well as Monster and Loot cards. There is a separate deck of room cards for Xykon's Lair.
- Room Name: What the room is called.
- Room Effect Text: This explains what happens when characters move into - or sometimes through - the room. Many rooms have effects on the first player to enter them, so it's never a bad idea to go exploring. Other rooms have an effect on battles, adding to the Attack or Defense of one side. Still others affect movement or have totally random special effects.
Character Cards and Movement Tokens
There are six members of the Order of the Stick, and this card tells you which one you're playing. At the beginning of each game, randomly select a Character Card. This card is placed face-up in front of you, and used to track wounds and just sort of organize your play area. A tidy player is a happy player.
- Character Name: The name of your character. Throughout these rules, we'll generally refer to the player who is playing the character by the character name. So that if we say, "Elan plays a card," we're saying, "The player who is playing the Elan character in this game."
- Type: This line tells you your race and allegiance. In Dungeons of Dorukan, all players are members of the Order of the Stick allegiance, but they have different races. Your race and allegiance may affect certain things in the game, such as whether a certain shtick affects you.
- Personal Stats: This includes class, gender, and alignment. It's mostly for fun; none of this stuff really has any bearing on the game.
- Saved Monster: When you defeat a Monster with one or more experience symbols, place it under this corner of your character card. When you have three symbols saved, trade the Monsters in to the discard pile and draw a new shtick.
- Loot: When you equip Loot, place it face-up to the left of this edge of your Character Card. Your Loot Stash is placed in a pile face-down somewhere nearby, too.
- Shticks: The Shticks you have acquired are placed face-up below this card. If you have room, your Shtick deck can be placed face-down here; otherwise, just put it somewhere off to the side where you won't knock it over or spill soda on it.
- Wound Tracker: This series of portraits lets you keep track of how healthy you are. At the beginning of the game, place a Wound token on the portrait with the white background; this represents full health. Whenever you take a Wound, move the token down one position. If it ever gets to the bottom position, you flee the dungeon!
- Character Move Token: This is a little card with a picture of your character walking and his or her first name. You use this to show where in the dungeon you are. You stick your Character Move Token in a plastic stand so that it stands upright.
Shtick Decks
Your Shtick Deck represents the core of what your character can do. There are six Shtick Decks, one for each player, each with 20 different skills or abilities that are tailored to your specific character. You'll start the game with three red-bordered Starting Shticks, but as you defeat Monsters you will slowly acquire more from your Shtick Deck. All shticks share the following traits.
- Shtick Name: In addition to being a handy way to know what the shtick is called, sometimes Loot cards or other shticks might refer to a shtick by name. A shtick's name also determines what other shticks boost it (see below). Shticks with red names and borders are Starting Shticks.
- Flip: Indicates that the Shtick flips when used; not all shticks have this icon. The Shtick card is turned face-down and cannot be used again until it is unflipped - usually after resting. Shticks that are flipped are treated as being blank until they are unflipped; their text does not come into play and they may not boost other shticks.
- Shtick Type: Many shticks have types, including Armor Shticks, Weapon Shticks, Magic Shticks and Verbal Shticks. Some Monsters are immune to Shticks of certain types, and some rooms or Loot provide bonuses when using certain types.
- Shtick Description: This text describes what the shtick does. Some shticks add a bonus to Attack, Defense, or Range under certain circumstances; others allow a character to take a special action or to "break" one of the rules of the game.
- Boost: Boosting enhances the power of a shtick. There are several ways to boost a shtick, but the most common is by having multiple shticks with the same name. A shtick is automatically boosted once for every shtick with the same name that you have in play and face-up. Bonuses provided by boosting are always cumulative and there is no limit to the number of times a shtick can be boosted at once.
Battle Shticks
If your shtick has a series of three icons along the left bottom edge, it's a Battle Shtick. You must select a Battle Shtick every time you enter into battle with a Monster or another player. You can only gain benefit from ONE Battle Shtick per battle, though it can be boosted by other Battle Shticks with the same name. Battle Shticks have the following additional characteristics.
- Defense: The Battle Shtick's Defense Modifier, used when Defending against a Monster or player.
- Attack: The Battle Shtick's Attack Modifier, used when Attacking a Monster or player.
- Range: The Battle Shtick's Range; you may not use a Battle Shtick in any battle where the Monster or player you are battling is further away (measured in number of room cards) than this number.
- Result: This describes what occurs if you win a battle for which you have selected this Battle Shtick. The most common results are "Foe loses 1 Wound" and "The battle is a draw", but there are others.
- Area Effect Battle Shticks: Some Battle Shticks are designed to be used against many Monsters at once. If so, it will have the text "Area Effect" in bold type on it. See the rules on Area Effect Battle Shticks for details.
- Targets: After the words, "Area Effect", the shtick will tell you how many or what type of targets are affected. Some Area Effect shticks will specify a certain Monster type, while others will specify a number of targets, and still others will affect all Monsters in a room.
- Area Result: This text describes what happens to each of the Monsters defeated by the shtick.
Battle Deck and Xykon Deck
If the Shtick Decks represent what your characters can do, the Battle Deck represents what they're trying to defeat: the horrible denizens of the Dungeon of Dorukan and the twisted hand of fate. The Battle Deck contains both Monster cards and Screw This! cards. You are dealt a hand of battle cards at the beginning of the game, called a Battle Hand. When a player enters an empty room, you play Monster cards for him to fight. You play Screw This! cards throughout the game to spin the game to your advantage, or to the disadvantage of others - which is really the same thing, right?
The Xykon Deck works differently; we'll give you the details later in the rules. Most of the Xykon cards are Monsters, though, so they look pretty much the same as those from the Battle Deck.
Monster Cards
- Monster Abilities: Most Monsters have abilities that affect how the players fight them. A short description of the ability is shown on the card. A full description of each ability can be found in the Field Guide to Monsters at the end of this rulebook.
- Support: Support abilities are effects that ONLY occur if the Monster is on the same dungeon floor as one or other Monsters of the given type (usually, but not always, the same type as the Monster). Support abilities are always cumulative; if 3 Monsters of the correct type are present, the Monster gains the indicated ability 3 times (or its effect is tripled).
- Monster Name: The Monster name is mainly for flavor. However, some cards are designated Unique (green name and border.) If there is another Monster with the same name already in play somewhere in the dungeon, then that Monster goes to the discard pile when this card is added to a battle.
- Monster Type: All Monsters have a type, such as ogre, fiend, Linear Guild, etc. Monsters gain support by being on the same floor as other Monster cards of the designated type. Some shticks or Screw This! cards also have special effects on Monsters of a certain type. The Monster's type is indicated by icons in the upper left and icons plus text in the card body. It's usually a good idea when placing Monsters in a Battle Stack to spread them so that the upper type icon is easily visible, so that you can tell who is lending support to whom.
- Monster Attack: The Monster's Attack Value, used when a player is Defending against the Monster.
- Monster Defense: The Monster's Defense Value, used when a player is Attacking the Monster.
- Monster Range: The Monster's Range. Monsters usually do not Attack at a Range greater than 0, though they often need to Defend against players.
- Loot Coins: These coins tell you how many Loot cards the Monster leaves behind in the room when defeated. No coins means no Loot.
Screw This! Cards
Haven't you ever been playing a board game and thought, "Aw, screw this! This game sucks!" Well, you won't when playing this game, friends, because we let you express your need to twist things in your favor with the ever-popular Screw This! cards. These cards are basically there to let you metagame by directly interfering with other players or giving yourself a little leg up.
In order to play one, simply announce loudly, "SCREW THIS!" and throw the card down on the table. Whatever is happening stops and the effects of the card are determined. Of course, another player can play a Screw This! in response to your Screw This! card, too. When the effects of the Screw This! are over, place it on the Battle Deck discard pile.
- Card Name: It would be awfully confusing if we left this part out.
- When: This tells you when the card can be played. Many can be played even when it's not your turn, so read this section carefully.
- Effect: This tells you what happens when the card is played.
Loot Deck
What would be the point of a dungeon crawl without treasure? In this game, the treasure is found on Loot cards. But be warned: the members of the Order of the Stick are very different people, and they each value different things.
When a Monster is defeated, Loot cards are placed in the room. Some are actual Loot, while others are cleverly hidden Traps. If you pick up a Loot from a room, you get to add it to your Loot Stash, but if you pick up a Trap, you must Evade it or suffer the consequences.
Loot Cards
- Loot Name: This is what the Loot is called. Enjoy the subtle wit.
- Drool Factor: These icons show the Loot's Drool Factor: which characters Drool Over the Loot, and by how much. You can only offer Loot in exchange for assistance in battle if the player you are asking Drools Over the Loot. When the same face appears twice, the assistance bonus is doubled when offered to that player (e.g. Drool Factor of 2.) When there are three faces (Drool Factor of 3), the bonus is tripled. The number of appropriate Drool icons on all the Loot you own helps determine your final Bragging Points and whether or not you win the game!
- Effect: This shows any special effect the Loot can provide. There will be one or more player names here along with some text describing how the Loot works. Only the player (or players) whose character name appears in this area may use the Loot for that effect.
Trap Cards
- Trap Effect: Any character that does not Evade the trap suffers the trap's effect.
- Evade: To Evade the trap, you must roll this number or higher on one die.
- Range: Players standing in any room within the trap's range (in either direction) must roll to Evade. Many traps have a Range of 0, meaning they only affect the room in which they are revealed.
- Single Target: This trap affects only the one player who revealed the trap.
- Multiple Targets: This trap affects all players within Range.
Miscellaneous Stuff
This is all the stuff that comes with the game that doesn't fall into one of the above categories.
- Stairs Cards: There should be eight of these. Place these between dungeon floors to show where you can go up or down. They don't have any numbers or anything, they're just, you know, stairs. They're different colors, though.
- Dungeon Entrance Card: This special room card is where the game starts. Place it at the top of the playing area, and put all the Character Movement Tokens in it. During the game, you can return here to get healed and unflip your shticks. There are no battles at the Dungeon Entrance.
- Dice: There are two of them. Most of the time, you'll only use one; Monsters don't roll dice, only players do. Of course, when players battle other players, it's convenient to have one die for each player. And frankly, they're cheaper than putting all these cards in the game anyway, so we just put two in to make things easy.
- Quick Start Booklet: This 8-page booklet contains a comic showing the Order of the Stick learning the basic rules of the game. It's kinda funny, and it's a lot easier to read first than these rules, so give it a try.
- Rules Booklet: What you're reading now. This contains the full detailed rules of the game, in all their technical glory. You probably don't need to read every word in order to play the game, but it would help if someone at the table has read them. They're also good for reference, since we tried to make it easy to find stuff.
Setting Up
OK, now that you know which cards are which, it's now time to actually set up the game. You'll need a fairly large area to play this game: enough room for the dungeon to be set up in the middle and everyone to have their Character Cards, Shtick Decks, and assorted Loot and saved Monsters at their fingertips. We suggest a good-sized kitchen table or even the floor; a coffee table is probably not going to cut it.
- Take the Dungeon Room Deck. Find the Dungeon Entrance room and place it at one end of the play area. Shuffle the rest of the Room Deck and place it face-down off to one side of the table. Leave a large space in the center of the table clear, as the dungeon will be built with cards from the Room Deck as the game progresses. Place a Stairs card below the Dungeon Entrance.
- Shuffle the six Character Cards and randomly deal one to each player; that is the character he or she is playing. Give that player the matching Shtick Deck and Character Move Token that goes with that character. Everyone takes a Wound token from the game box and puts it on the fully healed (top) character portrait on their Character Card.
- Place everyone's character move token on the Dungeon Entrance card. Place the character tokens for all of the characters that are not being played (NPCs) next to the Dungeon Entrance card.
- Search your Shtick Deck for the 4 Starting Shtick (red-bordered) cards and choose any 3 of them. Place them face up in front of you, then shuffle the fourth back into your Shtick Deck and place the deck face-down in front of you where you can easily reach it. All other players do the same.
- Shuffle the Battle Deck and deal 7 cards to each player; this is your Battle Hand. Place the rest of the Battle Deck face-down next to the Room Deck.
- Shuffle the Loot deck and deal 3 cards to each player. Place the rest of the Loot deck face-down next to the Battle Deck. If anyone was dealt Trap cards, he or she should discard them and draw cards from the Loot deck in replacement until they have three Loot cards. These 3 Loot cards can be looked at by the player holding them but are placed face-down next to your Character Card. This pile is called your Loot Stash.
- Remove the Safe Haven from the Xykon's Lair cards. Shuffle the rest of the deck and deal 4 cards face-down to the side of the table. This is now the Xykon's Lair Deck; put the Safe Haven card face-down on top of it. Remove the Xykon the Lich card from the Xykon Deck. Shuffle the rest of the deck and deal 3 cards face-down; put the card with them. Shuffle these 4 cards and put them next to the Xykon's Lair Deck. Put any unused Xykon Deck and Xykon's Lair cards back in the game box; you won't need them this game.
| Game Length | # Players | Playing Time | # Floors (+ Xykon's) | Minimum Loot | Minimum Shticks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short Game | 2-3 | 2 to 3 hours | 3 | 8 | 8 |
| Short Game | 4-6 | 2 to 4 hours | 3 | 7 | 8 |
| Medium Game | 2-3 | 3 to 4 hours | 3 | 10 | 10 |
| Medium Game | 4-6 | 3 to 5 hours | 3 | 8 | 9 |
- Finally, everyone rolls a die - the player with the highest result goes first. Reroll ties.
The Spirit in Which It Is Intended
Some games are meant to be pondered over at great length and with a critical eye. Players are always on the lookout for the perfect move - that one turn where they can crush their opponents and revel in the glory of their mental superiority.
Other games are meant to be played with friends that just want to spend an evening enjoying each others' company, letting the game take them where it will. Sure, somebody wins, but the fun is in the playing.
This Order of the Stick Adventure Game is somewhere inbetween those two extremes, but a lot closer to being the latter sort. You will (hopefully) find that many of the cards will be fun to play, just for their humorous effect - even if their tactical value is somewhat dubious. There is strategy to be had, but just as often, there is no one "best" action to take on any given turn. The game also has a strong cooperative element; if every player is cutthroat from the start, the game will be a LOT harder for everyone. Feel free to help your friends when they ask for your assistance on their turn. And, if you're so inclined, stab them in the back when it gets to be your turn.
I mean, it's a board game based on a stick figure webcomic that makes fun of roleplaying games. How seriously were you expecting to take it?
Full Rules of Play
So here's the good news: if you've read the Quick Start rules and the descriptions of all the cards, you already know a lot about how the game is played. You have all of the pieces, we're just going to flesh it out in detail now.
Things You Can Do at the Start of Your Turn
- Equip or unequip Loot.
- Search for Stairs.
- Trade in saved Monsters for a new shtick.
- Trade in Loot you Drool Over for a new shtick.
- Pick up one Loot card from the room you are in, if it has no Monsters.
- Play any Screw This! cards that specify they must be played at the start of the turn.
- After resting, stand your Move Token up, heal 1 Wound, and unflip shticks.
Things You Can Do at the End of Your Turn
- Equip or unequip Loot.
- Search for Stairs.
- Trade in saved Monsters for a new shtick.
- Trade in Loot you Drool Over for a new shtick.
- Pick up one Loot card from the room in which you end your movement, if it has no Monsters AND you did not pick up Loot in the room in which you started your move.
- Play any Screw This! cards that specify they must be played at the end of the turn.
- When the dungeon is collapsing, remove a room.
The Turn
Starting with the player who goes first, each player takes their turn, going in a clockwise direction.
Taking Turns
Here is what you can do on your turn, in the order you may do them:
- Perform any action that can (or must) be done at the start of your turn; see the sidebar for a list of such actions.
- Move up to 3 rooms.
- Movement is optional. You never need to move, unless you are fleeing the dungeon.
- Movement always comes before battling; if you begin a battle, you may no longer move this turn.
- Battle Monsters and other players.
- Some battles are optional; others, depending on whether or not you moved and where, are not.
- Perform any action that can (or must) be done at the end of your turn; see the sidebar for a list of such actions.
- The turn passes to the next player.
Turns continue, from one player to the next, until the dungeon collapses and the game ends; see The Dungeon Collapses.
What is a Turn?
Whenever a card refers to a turn, it always means the turn of a single player. It NEVER means the entire series of turns around the table.
Movement Rules
You may choose whether or not to move your character on your turn. If you choose to move, however, you do so before battling Monsters or other players.
How to Move
Your Character Move Token represents where you are in the dungeon. You can move it from room card to room card to change your position and explore the dungeon.
Basic Movement Rules
- When it is your turn, you may choose to move. Pick up your Character Move Token and move it from one room card to the next.
- You can move up to 3 rooms on your turn. You can move to the left or to the right, but you cannot enter a room you have previously left on the same turn - so no leaving a room and going right back into it, for example.
- You cannot move up or down from room to room unless there is a Stairs card between the two rooms.
Movement via Stairs
- A Stairs card connects two rooms on different dungeon floors, allowing you to move up or down through the dungeon. Simply move to one of the rooms with stairs above or below it, then move over the Stairs card to the other room.
- The Stairs do not count as a room and do not apply to your limit of 3 rooms moved.
Moving into an Unexplored Room
- The dungeon is built one room at a time as characters move into unexplored areas. Each level of the dungeon is made up of horizontal rows of room cards, no more than 8 per level.
- If a dungeon floor has less than 8 rooms in play, both ends of the floor (left and right) are considered Unexplored. You may move into an Unexplored space as if it were a room; simply move your Character Move token off the edge of the floor into empty space. Then take the top card from the Dungeon Room Deck and place it face-up under your token. You have now explored the room!
- Your movement always ends for the turn when you enter an Unexplored space. You may not move into any other room or into any other Unexplored space this turn.
- Once a dungeon floor has 8 rooms in it, no more rooms can be explored on that floor. The leftmost and rightmost edges of the row of room cards become dead ends through which you cannot pass.
Example: Movement
(Figure not reproduced: a diagram of a partly explored dungeon with Haley's reachable rooms circled.)
On her turn, Haley can move up to 3 spaces. With the board explored so far, that gives her 10 different rooms in which she can end her movement - 2 of which haven't even been placed on the board yet! All of the rooms circled in blue are available to her; the other rooms are not.
- Movement is optional, so she can stay in her current room if she wishes.
- She can move 1 space to the left. The Monster does not affect movement.
- She can move 2 spaces to the left. Roy does not affect her movement.
- She can move 1 space to the right.
- She can move 2 spaces to the right, into this blank space. She draws a new room from the Dungeon Rooms deck.
- She can move 1 space to the right, then 1 space down the stairs.
- She can move 1 space to the right, 1 space down, and 1 space to the right.
- She can move 1 space to the right, 1 space down, and 1 space to the left into this empty space. She draws a new room from the Dungeon Rooms deck.
- She can move 1 space to the left and 1 space up the stairs. She must end her movement when she lands on the Dungeon Entrance.
- She can move 3 spaces to the left.
- She cannot move into this empty space because it would require 4 spaces of movement.
- She cannot move into this room because it would require 4 spaces of movement.
- She cannot move into this empty space because moving into an unexplored room (in this case, room #5) ends her movement for the turn.
- She cannot move into this empty space because the Stairs down to that level have not been found yet.
- She cannot move onto the Stairs because the Stairs are not a room; you may not end your movement on Stairs, ever.
Moving to a New Floor
- When Stairs are discovered, the area below them is considered Unexplored; in this case, the first player to descend the Stairs draws a card from the Dungeon Room Deck as the first room on the new floor.
- It is not necessary for the various levels to line up neatly. The diagram above demonstrates this, showing two incomplete levels, plus the Dungeon Entrance.
- The number of floors in the dungeon is determined during Set-Up. Below the last floor in any dungeon is Xykon's Lair, so that the Stairs down from the fourth floor in a 4-level game lead to Xykon's Lair.
Moving Through Rooms
- You may move through any room that is explored without stopping, unless the room has an effect that specifically hampers movement through the room.
- You may move through rooms with Monsters or other players in them.
Ending Your Movement
Ending in an Empty Room
- An empty room is one with no Monsters and no other players. It might have Loot cards face down in it, however.
- If you end your movement in an empty room, you trigger a new battle; see Populating an Empty Room (Playing Monsters), below.
Ending in a Room With Monsters
- If you end your movement in a room that contains Monster cards, you must battle the top Monster in the Battle Stack, whether or not there are other players in the room.
Ending in a Room With Players
- If you end movement in a room with one or more other players, but no Monsters, you do not trigger a new battle. You may Attack one of the players in that room if you wish, but you are not required to do so.
- If you end movement in a room with one or more other players and one or more Monsters, you must still battle the top Monster in the Battle Stack.
Searching for the Stairs
You can attempt to find stairs in any room where there are no Monsters. You may not search for stairs down if there are already a Stairs card leading down from the floor you are on.
You may search at either the beginning or the end of your turn, but only once per turn. You are never required to search for stairs.
In order to search for stairs, simply roll one of the dice. If you get a result of 1, 2, or 3, congratulations! You've found the stairs down. Place a Stairs card below your room card. If not, you can try again next turn (unless another player finds them before then).
Don't put a room card below the Stairs until someone actually moves down there, though!
Battle Rules
Any time you combat a Monster or another player, it is called a battle. Battles are a little complicated at first, but once you get the hang of them, you'll be able to engage in two or three per turn without thinking about it.
When to Battle
Battles occur after you move - or, if you choose not to move, at the start of your turn.
Battling Monsters
- You must battle the top Monster if you do not move on your turn and there are Monsters in the room with you. You are the Attacker.
- You must battle the top Monster if you end your movement in a room that contains Monsters. You are the Defender.
- You must battle the top Monster if you end your movement in an empty room with no Monsters, Loot, or players, and thus trigger a new battle. You are the Defender.
- You may choose to battle the top Monster in another room if you do not move on your turn and there are no Monsters in the room with you. You need to have a Battle Shtick with Range sufficient to reach a room that has Monsters in it. You are the Attacker.
- You may choose to battle additional Monsters if you defeat the top Monster of the Battle Stack for the room in which you are standing. For every Monster you battle on the same turn (after the top Monster), you may choose to be either the Attacker or Defender.
Battling Players
- You are never required to battle players on your turn.
- You may choose to battle players on your turn if you end your movement in a room that contains players (but no Monsters). You are the Attacker.
- You may choose to battle players if you do not move on your turn and there are no Monsters in the room with you. You need to have a Battle Shtick with Range sufficient to reach a room that has another player in it. You are the Attacker.
- You must battle another player if they choose to battle you on their turn. You are the Defender.
New Battles
Triggering a New Battle
- When a player ends their movement in an empty room (one without Monsters or other players), they trigger a new battle.
- A player who does not move does not trigger a new battle, even if they are in an empty room.
Battle Size
- The number of Monsters played in a new battle is called the Battle Size.
- By default, the Battle Size in any given room is equal to the floor that it is on. Thus, rooms on the first floor (Level 1) have a Battle Size of 1, while rooms on the second floor (Level 2) have a Battle Size of 2.
- Some room text can change the Battle Size.
- The Battle Size can increase in the middle of playing Monsters into the room, if a Monster with the Leader ability or the Horde support ability are played.
Example: Triggering a New Battle
In a 4-player game, Elan moves into a room that has a Loot card, but no players or Monsters. He triggers a new battle. Because this is the second floor down of the dungeon, the Battle Size is 2.
Roy's player sits to the left of Elan, so he plays the first Monster. He chooses Skelemen from his Battle Hand, knowing that Elan's Verbal Shticks won't work on a Mindless Monster. The next player to the left of Roy is Belkar, who plays a Goblin Necromancer. This Monster has the Leader ability, which increases the Battle Size by 1, for a total of 3. But wait - it ALSO has the Support ability Horde, which increases the Battle Size by +1 for every supporting Undead. Since the Skelemen are Undead, the Battle Size is now 4.
Durkon is the third player, but he has no Monster cards. He has to discard his 2 Screw This! cards from his Battle Hand and draw 7 new ones. Thus play skips him, and now Elan has to play a Monster to himself! He picks a Cowardly Kobold, since they don't add anything to the Necromancer.
Finally, it's back to Roy again. Roy has Xykon's Zombies in his hand - another Undead card - but decides that the battle is big enough. If Elan doesn't beat the Necromancer, he wants a fighting chance of beating it on his next turn. He plays Fido/Rover and the battle is ready to go.
The Monsters are placed in the order in which they were played, and Elan now must Defend against the Skelemen. Any Monsters that Elan fails to defeat this turn remain in the room, waiting for other players until someone manages to kick their asses.
Strategy: Your Battle Hand
There are a lot of Monsters in this game, and knowing when to play them on other players can sometimes be tricky. Contrary to what you might think, playing the biggest Monster first is not always the best choice.
- Always be watchful of the Monsters other players have already played into a battle. If they played Monsters with Support abilities, then try to play Monsters that match.
- If you're the first player to play a Monster, then look for Monsters with support effects, unless you're on the first floor. If you're on the first floor, then other players won't generally be able to player Monsters to support the Monster you play, since the Battle Size is 1.
- You have to play all of the Monsters in your hand before you can draw a new Battle Hand, so don't automatically play your biggest Monster the first chance you get - a better opportunity may come later.
- Don't get caught with a hand full of nothing but good Screw This! cards. If you can't play a Monster, you'll have to discard your hand, so play the Screw This! cards early.
Playing Monsters
- Starting with the player on the left of the player who triggered the new battle, each player puts one Monster card from their Battle Hand into the room. Continue clockwise around the table, with each player playing a Monster, until the number of Monsters in the room equals the Battle Size.
- Monsters are played from top to bottom, so that the first Monster played is the top Monster in the Battle Stack.
- If a player has no Monster cards in their Battle Hand, they must discard their entire remaining Battle Hand and draw 7 new cards. They are then skipped, and the next player in succession plays a Monster instead. If the Battle Deck runs out of cards, do not shuffle it until the end of the current player's turn. Players that are not able to play monsters into the Battle Stack simply discard their hand and are skipped over. If no player can play a monster into the Battle Stack then the Battle Size is frozen at its current size. At the end of the turn, reshuffle the Battle Deck and deal 7 cards to each player with no cards in their Battle Hand.
- You may be called upon to play Monsters from your own Battle Hand into the room, if the Battle Size is large or other players have no Monsters to play. The same player may even be called on more than once to play a Monster into the same room.
- Fan the Monsters in the Battle Stack so that the name and type icon can be seen for each Monster, then place them in the room.
- Once a Monster is played into a room, it remains in that room until defeated or removed by some other effect (such as the dungeon collapsing at the end of the game).
Starting a New Battle
- When the Battle Stack is completed, the top Monster Attacks you. You are the Defender for this battle.
Attacking and Defending
In every battle, there is an Attacker and a Defender. Determining which you are in any given battle is key to running the battle correctly.
- If you are not the Attacker, then you are the Defender. The Monster or player you are battling is the Attacker when you Defend, and the Defender when you Attack.
- All modifiers and values associated with Attack are printed in red; all modifiers and values associated with Defense are printed in blue.
- Thus, every battle between any two sides is always red vs. blue.
When You are the Attacker
You are the Attacker when it is your turn and ANY of the following are true:
- You did not move before the battle.
- You initiated a battle with another player, regardless of whether you moved or not.
- You battled and defeated at least one other Monster earlier this turn, and have chosen to Attack (rather than Defend against) the Monster you are battling now.
When You Are the Defender
- You are the Defender in all battles for which you are not the Attacker, as outlined above.
- The most common situation for being the Defender is when you move into a room that is either empty (and thus triggers a new battle) or already has Monsters in it.
- When another player initiates a battle with you, you are also the Defender.
Two-Player Game
The rules for playing Monsters into a new battle are a little different when there are only 2 players in the game.
First, whichever player isn't triggering the battle plays 2 cards the first time their turn to play Monsters comes up, so that you only play a Monster on yourself if the Battle Size is 3 or greater.
Second, if anyone runs out of Monster cards, the turn doesn't skip them. They still discard and draw 7 new Battle Cards, but they just look at the new cards and play a Monster from those.
Without these rules, players are too likely to be filling up a room with Monsters they are about to fight themselves, which isn't really the intent of the rules.
Range
Range is the measurement of how far a certain Attack can reach - and from how far away a form of Defense is effective. For ease, Ranges are always listed in green.
Counting Range
- Range represents the number of room cards - on the same floor - between two foes in a battle.
- When counting Range between you and a Monster or other player, do not count your room but DO count the room the other Monster or player is in. Do not bother counting the Range between you and a Monster or player on another floor; you cannot battle one another unless you are on the same floor.
- If the Range between you and the Monster or other player is equal to or less than the Range on one of your Battle Shticks, you can use that shtick to battle those foes.
- If you and a Monster or other player are in the same room, you are at Range 0; you may use shticks with a Range value of 0 to battle them.
- You may use shticks with a Range greater than 0 (often abbreviated "Range > 0") against a foe even while in the same room with that foe.
Ranged Attacks
- Any Attack where you are at a Range > 0 from your foe is considered a Ranged Attack. An Attack with a shtick that has a Range value greater than 0 is NOT considered a Ranged Attack if it occurs at Range 0.
- You NEVER make a Ranged Attack at a foe at Range 0.
- If you move, you cannot make Ranged Attacks that turn.
- If you did not move and there are no Monsters in the room with you, you may make a Ranged Attack against any Monster or player on the same floor as you.
- If you did not move and there are Monsters in the room with you, you may not make a Ranged Attack. You are still free to use a Battle Shtick that happens to have a Range value greater than 0, it's just not a Ranged Attack.
- You must select a shtick that has Range equal or greater to the Range between you and the foe you are Attacking. If you have no such shtick, you may not make the Ranged Attack at all.
Example: Ranged Attacks
(Figure not reproduced: a diagram of Haley's surroundings.)
Haley has the Longbow shtick (Range 4); she begins her turn and examines the ranges to various targets, to decide what she wants to do this turn. Vaarsuvius is in the same room as her, at Range 0. To the left, she sees a Hobgoblin Soldier at Range 2, and to the right she sees Roy at Range 1. On the floor below her are Belkar, a Kobold Knight and a Troll, but the Range there is undefined; she can't battle someone on another floor.
She decides that the Kobold Knight and Troll are who she wants to fight, so she moves 2 rooms, down the Stairs to the next floor and into Belkar's room. (She doesn't want to trigger a new battle, so she stays in the room with another player.) The kobold is now at Range 2, within the Range of her Longbow shtick (Range 4) - but now Haley has moved. She can no longer make a Ranged Attack at all until next turn.
Haley decides to Attack Belkar instead with her Longbow shtick. While Longbow does have a Range of 4, using it at Range 0 is not considered a Ranged Attack, and since Belkar is a player (not a Monster), she can Attack even when she moves.
Ranged Defense
- If a player is Attacked by another player with a Ranged Attack, they must select a Battle Shtick to Defend with that has a sufficient Range value to reach the Attacking player. If they have no such shtick, they must Defend without a shtick (see Battling Without Shticks, below).
- If a Monster is Attacked by a player with a Ranged Attack, check to see if the Monster's Range value is high enough to reach the Attacking player. If it is, the Monster Defends as normal. If it is not, the Monster cannot win the battle; any result that would lead to a win for the Monster is instead considered a draw.
- If an effect (such as a Screw This! card) increases the Range of a Monster or player in a battle before any dice are rolled, then the Monster or player may immediately Defend themselves with their new Range, as normal.
Infinite Range
- Some Battle Shticks have a listed Range of infinity ("Infinity"). These shticks are always only usable in Defense.
- A shtick with an Infinite Range can be used to Defend against any foe on the same floor, no matter how many rooms away they are.
Attacking a Monster
Once you have determined you are the Attacker and some poor Monster is the Defender - and that you have sufficient Range to reach it, you are ready to battle the Monster.
1.) Select a Battle Shtick
You must select a Battle Shtick to use in any battle.
- A Battle Shtick is one that has the row of icons down the left bottom side: a blue shield, a red sword, and a green bow and arrow.
- You may choose one and only one Battle Shtick for each battle. However, many shticks are boosted by others you might have in play, leading to a single shtick that is more powerful when in play with other shticks with the same name.
- The Battle Shtick must have an Attack Value listed in red, next to the sword icon. This value CAN be +0, but it CANNOT be N/A. A shtick that has a red N/A next to the sword icon cannot be used to Attack.
- The shtick you select must have a Range value high enough to reach the target; see Ranged Attacks, above.
- You may not select a shtick that is currently flipped.
- You may choose not to select a Battle Shtick; see Battling Without Shticks, below.
NPC Players
If you're playing with less than the full 6 players, some of the characters in the game will be NPC Players, or "Non-Player-Character Players." Yes, we know the word "player" was in the phrase twice.
At the beginning of the game, take the Move Tokens of the characters who are not being played and place them next to the Dungeon Entrance. For the duration of the game, these extra characters always move automatically to stay on the lowest dungeon floor occupied by at least one player. So at the start of the game, they're at the Dungeon Entrance, but as soon as one player moves down, they move with him or her. You can put them off to the side of the proper dungeon floor, to remind people that they're there.
What do NPCs do? Well, not much. They don't move into rooms, battle Monsters, and you can't attack them. What you CAN do, though, is ask for their assistance in battle. If you are on the same floor as the NPCs, you can offer them Loot that they Drool Over in return for assistance, just like you can with a character who is being played. However, you CANNOT offer them Loot if that Loot is also Drooled Over by a current player who is not an NPC. As an extra bonus, the NPCs never turn you down; they always happily accept your offer. At the end of the battle, you must still pay them their Loot, which goes to the Loot discard pile.
2.) Ask for Assistance
Before a battle begins, you may ask other players for assistance.
- You may ask any other player on the same floor as you who is not resting or missing a turn for assistance.
- In order to ask, you must offer that player a Loot card - either from your Loot Stash or your equipped Loot - that they Drool Over. See Loot, later in these rules, for more on Drool Factor.
- The other player may agree or not.
- If the other player agrees, you gain an assistance bonus to your Attack for this one battle. A Loot with a Drool Factor of 1 (relative to the player to whom it was offered) is worth +2 Attack, a Drool Factor of 2 is worth +4 Attack, and a Drool Factor of 3 is worth +6 Attack.
- Certain shticks might grant greater bonuses when the player that owns them is assisting.
3.) Determine Attack Modifier
Add up all bonuses to your Attack before rolling the die.
- Start with the base Attack Modifier of your Battle Shtick, located next to the red sword.
- If your Battle Shtick is being boosted by another shtick, a piece of equipped Loot, or a Screw This! card, check the Boost text to see if this gives it any bonuses to Attack. Remember that all Boost bonuses are cumulative, so that a card that says "Boost: +2 Attack" that is being boosted by two other shticks of the same name gets a total Boost bonus of +4 Attack.
- Check to see if you have any non-Battle shticks that add to your Attack Modifier. Some shticks add to your Attack under specific circumstances, such as when battling a Monster of a certain type. Others add to your Attack only when you flip them. You may choose to flip any such shticks at any time before the die is rolled.
- Check to see if you have any equipped Loot that adds to your Attack Modifier under specific circumstances, such as when battling a Monster of a certain type.
- Check to see if the room in which you are standing has any Room Effect Text that adds or subtracts to your Attack. If you are making a Ranged Attack, check to see if the room your foe is standing in has any such text.
- Some Screw This! cards can add to your Attack Modifier; you or other players may play these at any time before the die is rolled.
Add all bonuses to your Attack to the base Attack Modifier of your Battle Shtick. This is your total Attack Modifier.
Strategy: Playing Elan
Oh, Elan. You are naught but a simple fool, are you? Elan's most potent ability is helping others. While this may seem counterproductive, every time Elan helps another player, he earns Loot that he Drools Over. He also is fairly decent at Defense, especially as he gains more shticks.
When playing Elan, try to get other players to accept your assistance as much as possible. This often means keeping their goodwill and appearing as nonthreatening as possible; players are less likely to give Loot to a player who looks like he might stab them in the back later. The more you tempt players with that fat Bard Song assistance bonus, the more Loot you will collect. Also, a sense of cooperation and fun will make it more likely that players will help out when you use Banjo the Clown.
Elan wins when he is friendly and funny enough that other players have accepted his help over and over while failing to notice the growing size of his Loot Stash.
Example: Player Attacks
Roy is Attacking a Headless Zombie in the Spoooooky Crypt. He selects his Greenhilt Sword shtick as his Battle Shtick, of which he has two copies in play and face-up.
He is on the same floor as Durkon, so Roy looks in his Loot Stash and finds the Word of Thor. He offers it to Durkon, who accepts. Since Durkon's portrait is on it once, it has a Drool Factor of 1, and Durkon thus grants Roy an assistance bonus of +2 Attack.
His shtick has a base Attack Modifier of +2. Since he has more than one copy of the card, though, it is automatically boosted, and checking the Boost icon, he sees that grants him an additional +2 Attack when using it.
He looks at his other shticks. He has a Bag of Tricks, but that is also a Battle Shtick, and he can only use one Battle shtick at a time. He also has Master of Battle Administration, which would grant him +2 Attack if the zombie had the Leader ability - which it doesn't, so never mind. Adding all bonuses together, he has a total Attack Modifier of +6.
Not finding any other Attack bonuses, he looks at the zombie's Defense Value. It has a Defense of 9, but it is in the Spoooooky Crypt, which grants all Undead Monsters a +2 Defense bonus. The zombie is Undead, so that gives it a total Defense Value of 11.
Roy rolls the die and gets an 8. He adds his +6 Attack for a total of 14. That's higher than the zombie's Defense of 11, so Roy wins! The zombie loses 1 Wound, which defeats it. Roy gives Durkon the Word of Thor, saves the zombie for its symbol, and takes the one Loot card that the zombie drops.
4.) Determine Monster Defense Value
You must determine the Monster's total Defense Value before you roll the die.
- Start with the base Defense Value of the Monster, located next to the blue shield on the Monster's card.
- Check to see if the Monster has any abilities that add to its Defense in certain circumstances, such as when facing a specific player.
- Check to see if the Monster has any support abilities that add to its Defense Value. If it does, check to see if the Monster has any support and how much. Remember that all abilities are cumulative, so that if a Monster has a support ability that adds +2 Defense and has three Monsters supporting it, it gains +6 Defense. See the sidebar for details on Monster support.
- Check to see if the room in which you are standing has any Room Effect Text that adds or subtracts to the Monster's Defense. If you are making a Ranged Attack, check to see if the room your foe is standing in has any such text.
- Some Screw This! cards can add to a Monster's Defense Value; any player may play these at any time before the die is rolled.
Add all bonuses to the Monster's Defense to the base Defense Value of the Monster. This is the Monster's total Defense Value.
5.) Make an Attack Roll
When you have your Attack Modifier and the Monster's Defense Value, you are ready to roll the die.
- Roll one twelve-sided die and add your total Attack Modifier. This combined number is your Attack Roll.
- Compare this number to the Monster's Defense Value.
- If your Attack Roll is higher than the Monster's total Defense Value, you have won the battle.
- If your Attack Roll is lower than the Monster's total Defense Value, you have lost the battle.
- If your Attack Roll is equal to the Monster's total Defense Value, the battle is a draw.
6.) Apply Results
- If you won the battle, apply the Result Text of your chosen Battle Shtick. For many battle shticks, this will result in 1 Wound being applied to the Monster.
- If you lost the battle, you lose 1 Wound. Some Monsters might have additional special abilities that come in to play when you lose a battle with them, such as Paralyze, Thief, or the support ability Deadly. These abilities are in addition to causing the player to lose 1 Wound.
- If the battle was a draw, neither you nor the Monster lose any Wounds or suffer any results. Nothing happens.
- Some Battle Shticks result in a draw even if you win the battle. In this case, treat the battle as a draw if you win or if you draw, but still treat it as a loss if you lose.
7.) Aftermath
- If the Monster lost 1 or more Wounds as a result of the battle, it is defeated. Remove it from the room.
- You may save a defeated Monster towards gaining new shticks if it has one or more experience symbols on its card. Place the Monster face down underneath the upper left corner of your Character Card.
- If a defeated Monster has one or more Loot Coin icons on its card, draw the appropriate number of Loot cards from the Loot deck and place them - without looking - into the room. Place them beneath any additional Monsters in the same room.
- If you defeat the last Monster in the room in which you are located, you may immediately draw the top two Loot from that room into your Loot Stash. This is a bonus, above and beyond any Loot you would normally pick up by beginning or ending your turn in a room with Loot.
- If the Battle Shtick you used in the battle has the flip icon in the top right corner, you must flip that shtick at the end of the battle.
- If you offered Loot to any other player for assistance in the battle, you must now give that Loot to those players - whether you won or lost the battle. You may not break your word or refuse to give the Loot unless you have a shtick or Screw This! card that specifically allows you to do so.
8.) Battle Additional Monsters
If you won the battle and there are additional Monsters in the same room, you may choose to battle the next Monster in the Battle Stack.
- You may choose whether to be the Attacker or the Defender for any additional Monsters you battle this turn. Begin again at Step One and select a new Battle Shtick.
- You may not continue to battle additional Monsters if you made a Ranged Attack into a room; you must be in the same room as the Monsters in order to continue.
- Shticks or Screw This! cards that have effects that last until the "end of the turn" that were played during the first battle remain in effect; cards that have effects that last until the "end of the battle" expire after each individual battle.
- You may continue to battle Monsters one after another until you lose, a battle is a draw, there are no more Monsters in the room to battle, or you choose to stop.
Defending Against a Monster
Defending against a Monster is almost exactly like Attacking it - except that you use your Defense Modifier against the Monster's Attack Value, instead of your Attack Modifier against its Defense Value.
1.) Select a Battle Shtick
Unless noted below, all of the rules for selecting a Battle Shtick while Attacking a Monster apply.
- The Battle Shtick must have a Defense Value listed in blue, next to the shield icon. This value CAN be +0, but it CANNOT be N/A. A shtick that has a blue N/A next to the shield icon cannot be used to Defend.
- Monsters do not generally make Ranged Attacks, but certain shticks or Screw This! cards might allow it. If a Monster does make a Ranged Attack against you, the shtick you select to Defend with must have a Range value high enough to reach the target. If you do not have any shticks with sufficient Range, you must Defend without a shtick; see Battling Without Shticks, below.
2.) Ask for Assistance
Unless noted below, all of the rules for asking for assistance while Attacking a Monster apply.
- The assistance of other players grants the same bonus to Defense as it would to Attack, so that if you offer a player a Loot with a Drool Factor of 1, 2, or 3, you gain an assistance bonus of +2 Defense, +4 Defense, or +6 Defense, respectively.
3.) Determine Your Defense Modifier
You must add up all bonuses to your Defense before rolling the die. This works exactly as when determining your total Attack Value, only it uses your Defense.
- Start with the base Defense Modifier of your Battle Shtick, located next to the blue shield.
- If your Battle Shtick is being boosted by another shtick, a piece of equipped Loot, or a Screw This! card, check the Boost text to see if this gives it any bonuses to Defense. Remember that all Boost bonuses are cumulative, so that a card that says "Boost: +1 Defense" that is being boosted by three other shticks of the same name gets a total Boost bonus of +3 Defense.
- Check to see if you have any non-Battle shticks, equipped Loot, Room Effect Text, or Screw This! cards can add to your Defense Modifier. See Attacking a Monster, above, for details.
Add all bonuses to your Defense to the base Defense Modifier. This is your total Defense Modifier.
4.) Determine Monster Attack Value
You must determine the Monster's total Attack Value before you roll the die. This works exactly as when determining the Monster's total Defense Value, only it uses the Monster's Attack.
- Start with the base Attack Value of the Monster, located next to the red axe on the Monster's card.
- Check to see if the Monster has any abilities, support abilities, Room Effect Text, or Screw This! cards that add or subtract to its Attack Value. See Attacking a Monster, above, for details.
Add all bonuses to the Monster's Attack to the base Attack Value. This is the Monster's total Attack Value.
5.) Make a Defense Roll
When you have your Defense Modifier and the Monster's Attack Value, you are ready to roll the die.
- Roll one twelve-sided die and add your total Defense Modifier. This combined number is your Defense Roll.
- Compare this total number to the Monster's total Attack Value.
- If your Defense Roll is higher than the Monster's total Attack Value, you have won the battle.
- If your Defense Roll is lower than the Monster's total Attack Value, you have lost the battle.
- If your Defense Roll is equal to the Monster's total Attack Value, the battle is a draw.
6.) Apply Results
Results are applied exactly as if you were Attacking the Monster, above.
- It is important to stress that you CAN cause a Monster to lose a Wound and be defeated while Defending against it, if you Defend with a shtick that has Result text of "Foe loses 1 Wound." Some characters are actually more deadly on Defense than Attack!
7.) Aftermath
The aftermath of the battle is carried out exactly as if you were Attacking the Monster, above.
8.) Battle Additional Monsters
All of the rules for battling additional Monsters after Attacking a Monster apply.
Example: Player Defends
Elan is Defending against a Kobold Knight, with a Kobold Ranger and a Cowardly Kobold in the same Battle Stack. He's not feeling confident, so he chooses Hide as his Battle Shtick.
Haley is on the same floor as him, so he offers her Oooooo! Sparklies! With a Drool Factor of 2, it's worth +4 Defense if she accepts, which she does.
Hide has a base Defense Modifier of +4, and while it can be boosted, Elan doesn't have any more copies of it in play. He does have the Chain Shirt, though, which gives him a +1 Defense. With Haley's help, that gives him a total Defense Modifier of +9.
The Kobold Knight has a base Attack Value of 6, but he has the Support ability Assist, which grants him an additional +2 Attack for every other kobold on the same floor. Since there are two other kobolds in the same room, he gets +4 Attack, for a total Attack Value of 10.
Elan checks that the room they're in doesn't affect the battle (it doesn't), so he is about to roll the die when Belkar stops him, playing The Kobold and the Brave, a Screw This! card that gives all kobolds +3 Attack until the end of the turn. That pushes the Kobold Knight's Attack Value up to 13.
Elan rolls the die and gets a 3, to which he adds his +9 Defense for a total of 12. The kobold has an Attack Value of 13, so Elan loses. He loses 1 Wound, and he has to give Haley the Oooooo! Sparklies! Loot card anyway. The kobolds stay put, and Belkar snickers to himself.
Player vs. Player Battles
In general, a player vs. player battle proceeds as if the each player were battling a Monster: the Attacker follows the procedure for Attacking a Monster, while the Defender follows the procedure for Defending against one. The main difference is that each player has their own battle roll, and the winner gets to steal one Loot from the loser.
- See Battling Players for details about when you can initiate a battle against another player.
- You may not Attack NPC players, ever.
1.) Select a Battle Shtick
- The Attacking player chooses a Battle Shtick exactly as if they were Attacking a Monster. The Attacker must choose their Battle Shtick first, when they initiate the battle.
- Once the Defending player has seen their opponent's Battle Shtick, they choose a Battle Shtick exactly as if they were Defending against a Monster.
2.) Ask for Assistance
- Both players may ask any other players on the same floor for assistance, as if they were Attacking or Defending against a Monster.
- Any third player can only provide assistance to ONE player in a player vs. player battle. They are welcome to hear offers from both players, but can only accept one. Once a request for assistance is accepted by the third player, it cannot be rescinded. Any additional promises made for assistance beyond the offer of one Loot card (such as a promise of future behavior) are nonbinding and unenforceable; accept them at your own risk!
- When offering Loot to an NPC player for assistance in a player vs. player battle, the Attacking and Defending players take turns. First, the Defending player may offer Loot to any one NPC on the same floor. Then, the Attacking player may do so, if there is a second NPC or if the Defender was not able to offer Loot to any NPCs. If there are three or four NPCs in play, the turns continue until all NPCs are granting assistance or both players are unable to make any more offers.
3.) Determine Attack Modifier
The Attacking player determines their total Attack Modifier, just as if they were Attacking a Monster.
4.) Determine Defense Modifier
The Defending player determines their total Defense Modifier, just as if they were Defending against a Monster.
5.) Make Battle Rolls
- The Attacking player rolls a twelve-sided die and adds their total Attack Modifier. This is their Attack Roll.
- The Defending player rolls a twelve-sided die and adds their total Defense Modifier. This is their Defense Roll.
- The player with the highest roll wins. If the rolls are tied, the battle is a draw.
6.) Apply Results
- The winning player applies the Result Text of their chosen Battle Shtick to the loser. For many battle shticks, this will result in 1 Wound being applied to the other player. Another might cause the losing player to miss a turn or allow the winning player to draw random Loot from the losing player's Loot Stash.
- In addition, the winning player may take one equipped Loot from the losing player, of the winner's choice. This Loot is added to the winner's Loot Stash immediately. If the losing player has no equipped Loot, the winner may draw one Loot at random from the winner's Loot Stash.
- If the battle was a draw, neither player suffers any results. Nothing happens.
7.) Aftermath
- If the Battle Shtick you used in the battle has the flip icon in the top right corner, you must flip that shtick at the end of the battle.
- If you offered Loot to any third player for assistance in the battle, you must now give that Loot to those players - whether you won or lost the battle. You may not break your word or refuse to give the Loot unless you have a shtick or Screw This! card that specifically allows you to do so.
- Regardless of who wins or loses, the Attacking player may not battle any player or Monster for the rest of this turn.
Example: Player vs. Player
Belkar now moves to Attack Elan. Belkar announces that he will be using his Twin Dagger of Doom shtick as his Battle Shtick. Deciding to fight back this time, Elan selects X-Treme Diplomacy (he has both copies in play).
Both Belkar and Elan offer Loot to Haley, but she'd rather see Elan win and accepts his offer (for the Cloak of Cloaking, with a Drool Factor of 2). Elan also offers A Simple "Thank You" to Roy, who accepts as well. That gives Elan a total assistance of +6 Defense (+4 from Haley, +2 from Roy).
Belkar has a base of +3 Attack from the Twin Daggers of Doom; while he has two copies of it, the Boost text doesn't say that add to Attack when boosted. He gets +2 from Deep-Seated Emotional Problems because he's Attacking another player. His total Attack Modifier is +5.
Then Elan adds up his Defense Modifier. He has a base of +1 Defense, but his shtick does gain Defense when it is boosted - +2 Defense, to be specific. And he still has the Chain Shirt, since he checks Belkar's Battle Shtick and sees that it is a Weapon Shtick. That's another +1 Defense. Adding his +6 Defense assistance bonus, that gives Elan a big +10 Defense Modifier.
Each player rolls a die. Belkar gets a 12 and smiles - until he sees that Elan rolled an 11. That gives Elan a total of 21, while Belkar only has a 17. Elan wins! Belkar loses 1 Wound and Elan gets to take one equipped Loot. Elan picks the Stepladder, figuring that he can trade it to Durkon later.
Strategy: Playing Belkar
Three feet of psychotic antisocial tendencies, Belkar doesn't play well with others. Literally, in this case. More than any other character, Belkar excels at situations that directly impede other players. While his shticks are certainly adequate against Monsters, many have extra bonuses against players. He also has a few shticks that benefit from other players' misfortune, which encourages him to continually harass his opponents.
When playing Belkar, don't be timid about attacking other players. It's what you're best at, so you might as well get in there and mix it up. Beware of Haley - she's likely to steal all of your best Loot if you go after her too often. Look for players that are resting with very few Wounds left; sending someone fleeing back to the Dungeon Entrance is an easy way to pick up free Loot as you follow them there.
Belkar wins when he is aggressive enough that all other players have been forced to flee the dungeon several times and are thus weakened and low on Loot, while he has reaped the rewards many times over.
Special Battle Situations
Battling Without Shticks
Sometimes you will be called upon to battle without a Battle Shtick. It may be that all of your Battle Shticks are flipped, or that you do not have any shticks with enough Range to reach the player Attacking you. Often, it is because you are fighting a Monster that does not allow you to use the only type of shtick you have available. No matter the cause, the procedure is the same.
- If you do not or cannot select a Battle Shtick, you have a +0 Attack Modifier and a +0 Defense Modifier.
- You may still gain bonuses to your Attack Modifier or Defense Modifier from any of the following sources: assistance from other players, non-Battle shticks, equipped Loot, Screw This! cards, or Room Effect Text.
- If you win the battle without a Battle Shtick, the result is treated as a draw.
Area Effect Shticks
Some Battle Shticks are marked as Area Effect Shticks. An Area Effect shtick allows you to simultaneously battle several Monsters at once. Unless noted below, all normal battle procedures for Attacking or Defending against a Monster apply to a battle with an Area Effect Shtick.
- Area Effect Shticks cannot be used as a Battle Shtick in a player vs. player battle.
- An Area Effect Shtick can be used at any Range - up to the Range of the shtick, of course.
- When an Area Effect Shtick is selected, examine the number or type of targets listed on the shtick. Some shticks affects a certain number of targets, some affect all targets of a specific Monster type, and some affect all targets in the room. When a certain number is indicated, start with the top of the Battle Stack and count downwards to find which Monsters are to be battled.
- Once you have determined which Monsters in the room are targets of the Area Effect Shtick, find the targeted Monster with the highest total Defense Value. Don't forget to add in abilities and support to which each Monster might be entitled.
- If a Monster has an ability that would normally exempt it from being battled with the Area Effect Shtick (most commonly, a Monster with the Enchanted ability facing a Magic Shtick), that Monster still counts against the number of targets affected and can still be found to be the Monster with the highest total Defense Value.
- Battle the Monster with the highest total Defense Value, as you would normally, rolling one Attack Roll.
- Use any and all abilities possessed by the Monsters that affect the entire battle, including Bloodlust, Multiattack, or Outsmart. Abilities that add bonuses to Attack, Defense, or Range only apply to the Monster who possesses the ability in question.
- If you win, apply the results of your chosen Battle Shtick to all targeted Monsters in the room. This may result in defeating several Monsters at once. Monsters that are exempt from being battled with your chosen Area Effect Shtick do not suffer any results.
- If you lose, determine if any of the targeted Monsters have a Range value sufficient to reach you (if you are in the same room as the Monsters, a Range of 0 will suffice). If so, lose 1 Wound (not 1 Wound per targeted Monster).
- If you lose, also determine which targeted Monsters have a Range value sufficient to reach you and apply any ability that takes effect when that Monster wins (such as Deadly, Spellcaster, or Thief) for all such Monsters. If more than one Monster with Range has the same ability, apply it more than once; this can result in two or more missed turns in a row if the Monsters have the Paralyze ability.
Example: Area Effects
Vaarsuvius blasts the adjacent room with a Fireball. The room has one player, Belkar, and three Monsters (from top down): That Thing with the Eyes, Snake Dragons and a Goblin Cleric. According to the Area Effect line, Fireball can affect 2 targets. The players in the room are not affected, but 2 of the 3 Monsters are.
Vaarsuvius first figures the total Attack Modifier, in this case it's just +5 Attack for the Fireball, since he has no Loot that he could offer Belkar and no other shticks that could help.
Only the top two Monsters can be battled by the Fireball. Of those, That Thing with the Eyes has the Enchanted ability, and so is immune to Magic Shticks. Regardless, it still counts when determining the Defense Value and number of targets. The Dragon Snakes have a higher Defense, however, so their Defense Value of 11 is used. Vaarsuvius rolls the die and gets a 6. He adds his +6 Attack Modifier for a total of 11 - the battle is a draw. Normally no effects would be applied, but the Dragon Snakes have the Bloodlust ability, so instead of a draw, Vaarsuvius loses the battle.
That Thing with the Eyes has enough Range to affect Vaarsuvius, so V loses 1 Wound - and a random card from his Battle Hand, since it also has the Spellcaster ability. Vaarsuvius also needs to flip the Fireball shtick.
Wounds
The Wound token on your Character Card indicates how healthy you are. In the topmost position, you are fully healed. For ease, references to Wounds are colored purple, like the portraits on your Character Card.
Losing Wounds
- All players begin the game fully healed, with the Wound token on the top (white background) portrait.
- You can lose Wounds as a result of battle, traps, certain shticks, certain Screw This! cards, certain Room Effect Text, and potentially several other ways.
- Whenever you lose a Wound, move the token down one space to the portrait below it.
- If you lose more than one Wound at a time, move the token more than one space.
- If your Wound token ever reaches the bottom portrait (with the darkest purple background), you begin fleeing the dungeon.
Monster Wounds
- Monsters do not have Wounds. When a Monster would lose a Wound, it is instead defeated.
Healing Wounds
- You may have Wounds healed during the game. You can heal Wounds by resting or returning to the Dungeon Entrance. You can also heal Wounds as a result of certain shticks, Screw This! cards, or Room Effect Text, and potentially other ways.
- When you have a Wound healed, move the Wound token up one space to the portrait above it.
- If you have more than one Wound healed at a time, move the token more than one space.
- If you have "all Wounds" healed, move the token directly to the top portrait.
- You cannot be healed above the top portrait on the Character Card; additional healing has no effect if you are fully healed.
Fleeing the Dungeon
When your Wound token moves to the bottom portrait on the Character Card, you have taken enough of a beating that your character decides to flee the dungeon. From that point until your Character Move Token is at the Dungeon Entrance, you are considered to be fleeing.
- Pick up all of your equipped Loot and put it back into your Loot Stash. Shuffle your Loot Stash and have another player draw one at random - no player should look at it. Place it face-down in the room in which you are standing.
- Immediately move 3 spaces towards the Dungeon Entrance, taking the shortest path possible and moving as many spaces as you are allowed. (This movement takes place even if it is not your turn.) You may not enter unexplored spaces while fleeing. Any room that affects your movement still does so while you are fleeing.
- If you must miss a turn while fleeing, you still drop a Loot but do not move towards the Entrance during that turn. You are still considered to be fleeing.
- At the start of each of your subsequent turns, continue fleeing. You must drop another Loot at random in your current room and move 3 more spaces towards the Dungeon Entrance. You continue to do this every turn until you reach the Dungeon Entrance.
- When you reach the Dungeon Entrance, you stop fleeing. Put your Wound token back to the top (fully healed) portrait and unflip all flipped shticks. You may equip any Loot remaining in your Loot Stash immediately. On your next turn, you may begin moving through the dungeon again as normal; you are no longer considered fleeing.
What You May Do While Fleeing the Dungeon
- While you are fleeing the dungeon, you do not trigger new battles in empty rooms. You cannot battle any player or Monster, and cannot be Attacked at all so long as you are fleeing. You cannot provide assistance to other players.
- You may not pick up Loot from any room while you are fleeing. You automatically Evade any traps that are revealed.
- You cannot lose additional Wounds and you cannot be healed until you reach the Dungeon Entrance.
- You specifically may still play Screw This! cards, as long as they do not require you to take some action that is prohibited while fleeing the dungeon. You can still play Monsters from your Battle Hand if another player triggers a new battle.
Strategy: Playing Durkon
Stoic, reliable, and kind of bland, Durkon's strength is in endurance. He has the highest Defense shticks of any character and has a wide variety of cards that mitigate Wounds - most notably his ability to heal them without resting. Once he gets his hands on Thor's Lightning, though, he's quite adept and battle as well.
When playing Durkon, you can pick up a lot of Loot by healing other players with Cure Assorted Wounds. In order to do so, though, you have to make sure the other players know that you're willing. If they're about to rest on the same floor as you, ask them if they wouldn't be willing to trade a Loot for some healing instead. Remind them that it doesn't even need to be Loot that you Drool Over; any will do. Oddly, your greatest ally might be another player who is intent on player-vs.-player battles; when resting is risky due to the chance of being stabbed while sleeping, giving you a Loot for healing seems very attractive!
Durkon wins when other players come to rely on him for healing and he is able to use his superior Defense to weather the lower levels.
Example: Fleeing
Elan loses his last Wound to a Monster; his Wound token is on the bottom portrait. He is now fleeing the dungeon. He picks up his equipped Loot and shuffles it into his Loot Stash. Another player pulls one out and puts it face down in Elan's room (in this case, under the Monster that beat Elan). Elan then moves 3 rooms, towards the stairs. He lands in a space with Troglodytes, but it doesn't matter; since he is fleeing, he doesn't battle them.
On Elan's next turn, another player pulls a second Loot from his Stash and places it in the room Elan is in (under the Troglodytes). Elan then moves up the stairs and 3 more rooms into an empty room.
Before Elan's next turn, Belkar moves into the same room. He'd love to Attack Elan, but he can't because Elan is fleeing.
On his third turn, Elan loses another Loot, then moves 2 rooms and arrives at the Dungeon Entrance. His Wound token returns to the fully-healed position and he unflips any flipped shticks. He can now try to go recover his lost Loot. Belkar then moves into the room Elan left and picks up the Loot.
Resting
Resting is the primary means by which characters regain lost Wounds and unflip flipped shticks, bringing them back to full combat strength.
When You May Rest
- You may rest on your turn instead of moving or battling any players or Monsters. If you do any of these things, you may not rest on that turn.
- You may only rest in a room without Monsters in it. The room may have players or Loot cards.
- You may draw shticks, trade in Loot for shticks, or equip Loot on a turn on which you rest.
How to Rest
- Instead of moving or battling, place your Move Token on its side in the room. You are now resting; your turn is over.
- If there is Loot in the room, you may pick up 2 Loot cards immediately when you begin resting.
Battling While Resting
- You may still ask for assistance from other players if you must Defend while resting.
- You may never Attack while you are resting.
- If you must Defend against a player (or, far more rarely, a Monster) while resting, you suffer a -4 Defense penalty.
- While you are resting, you may not give assistance to other players in battle.
Fleeing While Resting
If you are forced to flee the dungeon while resting, you do not gain the benefits of resting (as above). Instead, stand your Character Move Token up at the start of your next turn and begin fleeing the dungeon as normal.
Benefits of Resting
At the start of your next turn, you are done resting. Stand your Character Move Token back up. Heal 1 Wound and unflip all of your flipped shticks.
- You may rest more than one turn in a row, if you wish. At the end of each turn, heal 1 Wound and unflip all of your shticks, then declare that you are resting again.
Missing a Turn
Some Monster abilities or shticks cause you to miss a turn. Missing a turn is similar to resting, but without the healing benefits.
- When something causes you to miss a turn, place your Character Move Token on its side in the room immediately. You are now missing a turn.
- At the start of your next turn, stand your token back up. That is your entire turn; you may do nothing else. You heal no Wounds and may not unflip any shticks.
- On your next turn after that, you may take your regular turn as normal.
Battling While Missing a Turn
All of the rules for battling or fleeing the dungeon while resting apply while your move token is on its side.
Example: Resting
Roy loses a battle to a Monster, and starts to get worried. He's lost 3 of his 4 Wounds; if he loses any more, he will be forced to flee the dungeon. He decides to rest. Unfortunately, he has to wait until his next turn.
On his next turn, he would like to rest - but the Monster who beat him last turn is still in the room. He needs to move to another room to rest, but if he moves to an empty room, he'll trigger a new battle, and he's afraid he'll lose.
Luckily, Elan is only 2 rooms away, in a room with no Monsters. Roy moves there, since it won't trigger a battle, but that's his whole turn. He has to wait to rest.
Finally, on his next turn, Roy announces that he's resting. He puts his Move Token on its side and ends his turn. When the turn gets back around to him, he stands up, heals 1 Wound, and unflips his shticks.
Now Roy has to decide if he wants to rest again, or try to find Durkon for healing!
Shticks
Shticks are the building blocks of your character. They tell you what you can and cannot do as this character rather than that one, and define all of your strengths and weaknesses. The more shticks you gain during play, the more powerful you become.
Starting Shticks
- You begin play with 3 out of 4 of your Starting Shticks; the fourth is shuffled back into your Shtick Deck.
- Shticks can never be discarded or lost during play; once you have them, they are yours until the end of the game. They can become flipped, however.
- Shticks can never be traded or given to another player under any circumstances.
Types of Shticks
There are several ways that shticks are organized.
- All shticks belong to one character; that character is the one named and pictured on the back of the shtick card.
- Some shticks are Battle Shticks. A Battle Shtick is defined as a shtick with an Attack Modifier, a Defense Modifier, and a Range Value (even if that value is 0). The use of Battle Shticks is discussed in the Battle rules.
- Many shticks have additional types, such as Armor Shtick, Magic Shtick, Weapon Shtick, or Verbal Shtick. These types determine what effects help or hinder usage of these shticks. Some Monsters cannot be affected by shticks of a certain type, and some Loot or rooms enhance shticks of a certain type.
Gaining New Shticks
You may gain additional shticks one of three ways:
Trading in Monsters for Shticks
- At the start or end of your turn, you may trade in Monsters that you have saved for shticks.
- For every 3 experience symbols on Monsters you have saved, you may draw one shtick from your shtick deck.
- You may turn in as many Monsters as you wish at one time. You gain one shtick draw for every 3 symbols.
- There is no "change" if you turn in a number of symbols that is not divisible by three. For this reason, it usually prudent to save Monsters until you have the right number.
- When you trade Monsters for shticks, draw 3 shticks from your deck and examine them. Choose the one you want, then place the other two on the bottom of your Shtick Deck (there is no discard pile for Shtick Decks).
- This is the ONLY method by which you can choose which shtick you wish to take. All other means of gaining shticks require you to take the top shtick.
Trading in Loot for Shticks
- You may trade in Loot to the Loot Deck discard pile for the right to immediately draw a single shtick from the top of your deck and place it directly into play. The Loot you discard must be Loot you Drool Over and have a combined Drool Factor of 3 (relative to you).
- You may trade Loot for shticks - as often as you are willing and able - at the beginning or end of any of your turns.
Special Shtick Acquisition
- Certain Room Effect Text allows you to draw a shtick if you are the first player to explore a room.
- Certain Screw This! cards allow players to draw a shtick.
- Each character has one Loot card that may be directly discarded to draw a shtick.
- In all cases, take the top shtick from your deck and place it directly in to play. Do NOT draw 3 and choose one.
Example: Gaining Shticks
On his first turn, Belkar defeats a Kinda Wimpy Goblin, a Monster with one experience symbol. He saves the Monster face down under his Character Card. The next turn, he defeats a Cowardly Kobold. This Monster has no symbols, so he doesn't save it at all; he puts it right into the Battle Deck discard pile. On the third turn, he gets lucky and defeats the Black Dragon, a Monster with 2 symbols. He saves it. In the same turn, he battles a Half-Orc Adventurer after the dragon, a Monster with one more symbol, which he also saves.
At the end of his turn, he looks at his saved Monster pile and sees he has 4 symbols on the 3 Monster cards. He takes the Black Dragon and the Kinda Wimpy Goblin and trades them in to the Battle Deck discard pile. He draws 3 shticks from his Shtick Deck, picks one and puts the other 2 on the bottom of his deck. He puts the shtick into play face up next to his other shticks. He puts the Half-Orc Adventurer back under his Character Card, saving it until he has 2 more symbols to go with it. (Figure captions: "Trade for new shtick." "Save for later.")
Strategy: Playing Vaarsuvius
The master of arcane secrets, the elven wizard Vaarsuvius is deeply in love with the sound of his (or her?) own voice. Vaarsuvius is an offensive powerhouse, but at a price - almost all of her (his?) most potent shticks flip when used. This makes playing Vaarsuvius a balancing act, where you must judge whether each battle is worth expending your shticks.
When playing Vaarsuvius, you will need to learn the rules on Area Effect shticks well - your Fireball is your most powerful shtick, but it can be dangerous. You'll want to stay on Attack as much as possible early on; you might consider simply standing in place and Fireballing Monsters that other players reveal! It will be hard to gain Loot this way, but as you gain more shticks you will eventually get more versatile shticks like Lightning Bolt. You will need to rest more than any other player, so be sure to keep more than 3 spaces away from Belkar!
Vaarsuvius wins when he is able to unleash his magic and rest in a regular cycle without disruption by other players.
Flipping Shticks
- Many shticks need to be flipped in order to do anything. Other shticks have a certain effect constantly, but are flipped when a certain event happens. Still others are never normally flipped, but can be flipped by a shtick or Screw This! card that says it can flip any shtick.
- In order to flip a shtick, simply turn it face down.
- You cannot flip a flipped shtick. You can only unflip it.
- A flipped shtick is treated as being blank for as long as it is flipped. It does not count as being a shtick you possess.
- Flipped shticks DO NOT boost other shticks.
Unflipping
- Once a shtick is flipped by any means, it can only be unflipped (turned face up again) by resting, ending your movement at the Dungeon Entrance, or by a shtick or other effect that specifically says it can unflip a shtick.
Boosting Shticks
In order to enhance their usefulness, shticks can be boosted by a variety of means.
What Boosts a Shtick
- A shtick is automatically boosted by any shtick bearing the same exact name that is in play and face-up.
- Flipped shticks do NOT boost other shticks and cannot be boosted themselves.
- Certain Loot, Room Effect Text, shticks, and Screw This! cards can also boost shticks, if they specifically indicate that they do.
How Long Boosting Lasts
- Boosting as a result of duplicate shticks or equipped Loot is constant and permanent as long as the duplicate shtick or equipped Loot is in play and face up.
- Boosting as a result of Room Effect Text lasts as long as you stay in the room.
- Boosting from all other effects varies; the card that does the boosting will generally specify the duration.
What Boosting Does
- The exact benefits of boosting a shtick are based solely on the shtick itself.
- Any shtick that can be boosted bears a tiny energy icon with the word "Boost" next to it. After that, text describes what benefit the card gets when boosted.
- All boosts are cumulative. A single shtick can be boosted 2, 3, 4, or 547 times, if there are sufficient means to do so.
- For Battle Shticks, all benefits only apply when using that shtick in battle! If a Battle Shtick indicates +2 Attack when boosted, that +2 Attack ONLY applies when using that Battle Shtick. If you select a different Battle Shtick to fight with, you get no benefit from the other shtick being boosted.
- For non-Battle shticks, whether the boost applies only to the use of the shtick itself will be specified.
Example: Boosting and Flipping Shticks
(Figure not reproduced: Durkon's shticks labelled Not boosted / Boosted twice / Boosted once.)
Durkon has all 3 copies of Thor's Lightning and 2 copies of Cure Assorted Wounds in play, as well as 1 copy of Thor's Hammer. He moves into a room and Defends against a Monster (the specifics don't matter here). While adding up his Defense Modifier, he sees that the Boost text on Thor's Lightning grants a +1 Defense bonus per boost. Since he has 2 additional copies in play, he gets a +2 Defense on top of the shtick's base +2 Defense Modifier for a total of +4 Defense.
Unfortunately, he loses anyway and suffers 1 Wound. He flips his first Thor's Lightning shtick because it has the FLIP icon in the corner; it needs to be flipped after any battle in which it is used.
On his next turn, he decides to Attack the same Monster, using his second Thor's Lightning shtick. He can't pick the first one, because it's flipped. While this shtick also adds +1 Attack per boost, he now has one less card boosting it - because the first copy of Thor's Lightning is now flipped and doesn't contribute. That means it's only boosted once, for +5 Attack total.
He loses again! He loses another Wound and must again flip the Battle Shtick he used. Seeing as he's down 2 Wounds, Durkon decides to voluntarily flip one of his Cure Assorted Wounds shticks. This normally heals 1 Wound, but the shtick is also being boosted by the second copy of Cure Assorted Wounds. That increases the amount healed by 1 Wound, for a total of 2 Wounds healed.
On his third turn, Durkon decides to switch off and use Thor's Hammer against the Monster. This shtick isn't being boosted at all - he doesn't have the second copy in play yet, it's still in his Shtick Deck. As seems to be a trend, he loses a third time. At least he doesn't have to flip it though; it doesn't have a flip icon. He decides to flip his remaining Cure Assorted Wounds shtick, but this time it only heals 1 Wound; it is no longer being boosted because the other copy is already face down.
On his fourth turn, Durkon Attacks again using his last Thor's Lightning card. It is not normally boosted at all this time, since all other copies of it are face down, but Durkon does have a Get Angry Screw This! card, which boosts any one shtick until the end of the turn. Durkon plays it on Thor's Lightning, boosting it once for +1 Attack. With a +5 Attack total, Durkon finally defeats the Monster.
On his fifth turn, Durkon decides to rest! At the start of his sixth turn, he will be able to stand up and unflip all 3 Thor's Lightning cards and both Cure Assorted Wounds cards.
Variant Rules
After you've played the game as written a few times, you may be tempted to screw around with the rules, to create your own variants. Hey, it's your game. Here are a few ideas we recommend trying, though:
Go Team: Instead of playing individually, players form two or three teams (depending on how many people are playing). Members of each team should sit interspersed, so that two members of the same team do not take their turns in a row. Players cannot Attack members of their team, and if one member of a team rests in a room where another member of the same team is located (and not resting), they do not suffer the standard -4 Defense penalty should they be Attacked while resting. Players can still offer Loot to members of any team for assistance, as normal. At the end of the game, Loot held by each player of a team is pooled together, and the team scores 1 point for each Drool Factor of Loot relative to ANY member of the team - so that a Haley/Roy team would score 3 points if either player held Eternal Vigilence, a Loot that has a Drool Factor of 1 for Haley and 2 for Roy. The total scores for each player are added together to determine team Bragging Rights.
Lucky Bastards: When rolling the die in battle, a result of 1 on the die is always a loss for the player, regardless of the total Battle Roll. A result of 12 on the die is always a win for the player, regardless of the total Battle Roll. If two players are battling each other and the both roll a 1 on the die (or the both roll 12 on the die) then the battle is automatically a draw, regardless of the total Battle Rolls of the participants. In this variant, the Durkon shtick Thor Incarnate should treat any result of 2 on the die as a 13, rather than a result of 1.
Me and My Shadow: This variant is for either 2 or 3 players only. Instead of having the NPCs always lurk on the lowest floor occupied by a player, have each player choose one NPC character at the start of the game. That character stays with the player, moving automatically to keep in their space at all times. Otherwise, they behave exactly as an NPC, and can be given Loot in return for assistance as normal. You can even give Loot to an NPC shadowing another active player. NPCs that were not selected by players (in a 2-player game) lurk on the lowest floor occupied by a player, as normal.
Nerdcore: These rules make the game much more difficult - sometimes punishingly so, depending on your play style. Players cannot return to the Dungeon Entrance voluntarily; they may only enter the space as a result of fleeing the dungeon. Remove the Safe Haven card from the Xykon's Lair deck. When a trap is resolved, it is placed on the Loot Deck discard pile, rather than being removed from the game, so that it is shuffled back into the Loot Deck when that deck runs out. When players trade in three Monsters to gain a new shtick, they must draw the top shtick and place it directly into play (they do not draw three and pick one).
Xykon's Not Home, Man: Instead of using only 4 Xykon's Lair and 4 Xykon Deck cards, use both whole decks. Simply shuffle each deck in its entirety, making sure the Safe Haven card is still on top of the Xykon's Lair room deck. You'll notice that there are 10 Xykon cards and only 7 Xykon's Lair cards for which you draw a Xykon card. That means that there is a good chance that all of Xykon's Lair will be explored without Xykon himself showing up. If that happens, then it turns out that Xykon was away on a business trip - he was never really here to begin with. On the turn following the exploration of the final Xykon's Lair card, the dungeon begins collapsing, as if Xykon had been defeated. No one gets the points for defeating Xykon if that happens.
Loot
The Loot deck contains all of the nifty stuff your intrepid adventurers can find in the dungeon. Gathering Loot you find valuable is a key part of winning the game.
Where Loot Comes From
Loot enters the game one of three ways:
- Each player begins the game with 3 Loot cards dealt to them from the shuffled deck.
- When a Monster is defeated, one Loot card is placed into the room for every Loot Coin icon on the Monster card.
- Certain shticks, Room Effect Text, or Screw This! cards might allow you to draw Loot under certain circumstances, as explained on the card.
Picking Up Loot
- Loot is picked up one at a time, from the top of the Loot pile in a room. You may not look at the Loot in the pile before you take it.
- You are not required to show any other player the Loot you drew, unless it is a trap. See Traps, below.
- You may pick up Loot from a room - whether it was dropped there by a Monster that was defeated or another player - only when you are in that room.
- If the room you enter has Loot cards but no players or Monsters, a new battle is triggered immediately - before you can pick up the Loot cards.
How Much Loot Can Be Picked Up
- You may pick up 1 Loot card in the room in which you either begin or end your movement if there are no Monsters in that room. You may NOT pick up Loot in BOTH the room in which you begin or end your movement; you must pick one.
- If you defeat the last Monster in the same room as you, you may pick up the top 2 Loot cards from that room as a bonus, even if you picked up Loot in another room before moving. You may not pick up any more Loot in this room this turn.
- If you rest, you may immediately pick up 2 Loot cards from that room (before you are done resting).
Example: Picking Up Loot
Roy starts in a room without any Loot cards, and moves 2 rooms to the Hall of Mysterious Runes. There, he battles and defeats three Monsters, who drop a total of 5 Loot cards into the room. Roy immediately picks up the top two, as his bonus for killing the last Monster. He cannot pick up a third, even though he did not pick up any Loot before moving.
Elan is standing in a nearby room that still has 1 Loot card in it from a previous battle. He picks it up then moves into Roy's room. He can't pick up another Loot, though, because he can't pick up more than 1 card per turn either.
Then it's Roy's turn again. He announces he is resting, and as a result picks up the last 2 remaining Loot cards immediately.
Haley sees the Loot pile and comes running, moving into the room and picking up 1 Loot card. (She can't pick up more than 1 card per turn.)
Strategy: Playing Haley
Say what you will about Haley - the woman loves her Loot. Haley is a strong ranged combatant, but her real specialty is acquiring and manipulating Loot. She has the ability to pick up more Loot from the board than anyone else, and is quite adept at stealing it from other players, too.
When playing Haley, use your shticks to keep the Loot flowing into your Stash, whether it's Loot you Drool Over or not. Whatever you don't need yourself can be traded for assistance, allowing you to kill more powerful Monsters and pick up even more Loot. If Haley has one flaw, it is that relying on her strength at Ranged Attacks means less opportunities for grabbing Loot, since you need to be in the same room as a defeated Monster to grab their cash.
Haley wins when she uses all of her shticks to get Loot, Loot, and more Loot, then manages to fend off other players battling her for it.
The Loot Stash
All of the Loot that you draw from the deck, pick up from a room, or take from another player goes into your Loot Stash.
- Your Loot Stash is a face-down pile of Loot cards that belong to you. You may look at them whenever you want and organize them as you see fit.
- Many effects call for a random card to be taken from your Loot Stash. You are specifically allowed to shuffle your Loot Stash before allowing another player to draw the random card.
- Other players are permitted to know the number of cards in your Loot Stash, should they ask. They may not see the faces of the cards in your Loot Stash unless you wish to show them.
Drool Factor
- Each Loot card has one or more portraits along the left side on the yellow bar, showing one or more character portraits. If a Loot has the portrait of the character you are playing on it, then that Loot is one that you Drool Over.
- The Drool Factor of the Loot is the number of portraits on that Loot's yellow sidebar, relative to a given player. Thus, a Loot with one portrait of Haley and two of Roy is said to have a Drool Factor of 1 for Haley but a Drool Factor of 2 for Roy.
- Loot without your portrait on it at all have a Drool Factor of 0 to you.
Using Loot to Gain Assistance in Battle
- You may ask for assistance in battle by offering another player Loot that they Drool Over. If they accept, they provide +2 Attack or +2 Defense per Drool Factor.
- Some Loot has the Order of the Stick crest on it. Such Loot is Drooled Over by all members of the Order of the Stick equally. The Drool Factor for that Loot is equal to the number of crests on it.
Using Loot to Enter Xykon's Lair
- You may not descend to Xykon's Lair unless you have equipped Loot with a certain total Drool Factor. The exact total is determined during set-up.
- Only Loot that you Drool Over counts to this total.
Using Loot to Win the Game
The total Drool Factor of all Loot you Drool Over that you have equipped or in your Loot Stash at the end of the game adds to your Bragging Points.
Equipping Loot
You may equip Loot at the beginning or end of your turn. To do so, simply place it face-up in front of you, next to the left edge of your Character Card.
- You may only equip Loot that you Drool Over.
- Equipped Loot is not in your Loot Stash, and cannot be affected by any effect that would discard or steal Loot from your Stash.
- Loot remains equipped until you unequip it, which you may do at the start or end of any of your turns. When you unequip Loot, return it to your Loot Stash.
- You automatically unequip all of your Loot when you begin fleeing the dungeon.
Strategy: Loot Strategies
There are many uses for Loot cards. Developing strategies for using Loot effectively can go a long way to helping you win. Use the tips below to help you decide the best use for your Loot.
- Early in the game the best use for your Loot is to give it to others to help you win combats. Don't worry about saving Loot you Drool Over to enter Xykon's Lair until later in the game.
- When deciding which Loot to give to other players for battle assistance, look at the Loot effect. You may not want to give someone Loot if you think they're close to winning.
- Durkon and Elan will generally collect more Loot than other characters (Durkon for his Cure Assorted Wounds Shtick and Elan for his Bard's Song Shtick.) That's okay - it's what they do! They're generally not as strong in battle, and can gain Shticks by trading in the extra Loot they Drool Over. Don't be afraid to give these players Loot for their help early in the game.
- Where is your Loot safer - in your Loot Stash or equipped? Face up Loot can be cherrypicked by other players when they attack you, and all players can see what Loot you have. Loot in your stash is secret from other players, but is more readily stolen by the Thief and Greed Monster abilities. There really isn't one right answer here.
Loot Effects
- Certain Loot have special effects that can come into play. These are listed at the bottom of the Loot card.
- Only players named on the Loot card can use effects.
- Some Loot effects require that the Loot be discarded (to the Loot Deck discard pile) to be used. These effects take place only once, when the Loot is discarded.
- Others require that the Loot be equipped. These effects are constant until the Loot is stolen, discarded, or unequipped.
Stealing Equipped Loot from Other Players
- If you win a battle against another player at Range 0, you may take one equipped Loot from them of your choice. If they have no equipped Loot, you may take one random Loot card from their Loot Stash.
Trading Loot for Shticks
- You may trade in Loot to the Loot Deck discard pile for the right to immediately draw a single shtick from the top of your deck and place it directly into play. The Loot you discard must be Loot you Drool Over and have a combined Drool Factor of 3 (relative to you).
- You may trade Loot for shticks - as often as you are willing and able - at the beginning or end of any of your turns.
Traps
Sometimes, when you pick up a Loot card from a room, you will get a trap card instead. Life is unfair.
Picking Up a Trap
- When you draw a Loot card from a room and look at it, check to see if it is a trap card. (If it is, the word TRAP! in big red text will be where you would normally see the Drool Factor portraits.)
- You must reveal a trap card that you have picked up immediately to all other players.
Detonation
- When a trap is revealed by a player, it detonates, potentially harming or hampering nearby players.
- Some shticks might allow you to attempt to disarm the trap before it detonates. The details of this procedure will be on the shtick.
Evading Traps
In order to not be harmed by a trap, players must Evade. References to Evading are always in brown.
Determining Who Must Evade
- The player who revealed the trap must always Evade.
- If the trap has the multiple target icon, all players within Range of the room in which the trap was revealed must Evade or be harmed.
- If the Range of the trap is 0, then only players in the same room as the trap is revealed must Evade.
Evasion Roll
- Each player who must Evade rolls a twelve-sided die; this is called the Evasion Roll.
- If you roll equal to or higher than the Evade Value of the trap (located next to the bear trap icon), then you have Evaded. If not, then you have failed to Evade (see below).
- Each player who must Evade does so individually. It is possible for the player who revealed the trap to Evade it while other do not.
- Certain shticks, equipped Loot, or Screw This! cards might add to Evade rolls.
Failing to Evade
- If you fail to Evade a trap, you must suffer the effects of the trap. These effects are written on the trap; most traps cause you to lose 1 Wound, but there are other effects.
Removing Traps from the Game
After a trap is detonated and all players have either Evaded or not, it is removed from the game. Do NOT put it in the Loot Deck discard pile. If you do, then when the Loot Deck needs to be reshuffled it will be filled with more traps than Loot!
Example: Traps
Durkon picks up a Loot card in a room and gets a Shuriken Trap. Muttering curses under his breath, he sees that it affects multiple targets and has a Range of 2. That means Roy and Vaarsuvius are also affected - V is in the same room (Range 0) and Roy is one room away. Haley is safe; she's on another floor.
The players need to roll an 8 or higher to Evade the trap. Each of the three players affected rolls the die. Durkon gets a 9 - he's safe. With an 11 on the die, Vaarsuvius is also safe. Roy gets a 3; he's been hit with the trap and loses 1 Wound.
The trap is then put in the game box rather than being discarded on the Loot Deck discard pile; it won't show up again in this game.
Xykon's Lair
The ultimate goal of the game is to defeat the Dungeon of Dorukan by killing Xykon and escaping the dungeon.
Getting to Xykon's Lair
Xykon's Lair is always below the last floor of the dungeon. The exact number of dungeon floors is determined by mutual agreement during Set-Up, but for a standard game with 3 floors, Xykon's Lair would be the fourth.
- Getting to Xykon's Lair first requires that someone locate the stairs down from the last level of the dungeon. The stairs are located as normal.
Loot and Shtick Requirements
- Once the stairs down have been located, only players with enough shticks and equipped Loot can move down the stairs into Xykon's Lair. The number of shticks and Loot needed were also determined during Set-Up.
- You must have shticks in play equal to the specified amount. Shticks do not need to be unflipped to count towards the minimum number of shticks needed.
- You must have equipped Loot with a total Drool Factor (as always, relative to you) equal to the specified amount.
- If you lose some of your equipped Loot while on Xykon's Lair, you do not need to leave, but if you do you will not be able to return without once again meeting the entry requirements.
- You are not required to move to Xykon's Lair as soon as you meet the requirements. You may continue adventuring on the upper levels until you feel you are ready to battle Xykon.
Exploring Xykon's Lair
- The first player to descend the stairs to Xykon's Lair draws the top card from the Xykon's Lair room deck. If you set the game up properly, this will always be the Safe Haven room. No battles with Monsters can take place here, though players can still battle each other.
- Any player may move into unexplored space on either side of the Safe Haven, exactly as they explored the dungeon above. Rooms are drawn from the Xykon's Lair deck instead of the Dungeon Room deck.
- Many Xykon's Lair room cards require that you end your movement upon entering them.
- Unlike the upper floors, Xykon's Lair only has 5 rooms in it before it is considered fully explored; one of those rooms is always the Safe Haven. After 5 rooms have been revealed, no more rooms may be added to Xykon's Lair.
Battles in Xykon's Lair
- The first time a new battle is triggered in any Xykon's Lair room, draw the top card from the Xykon Deck. If the card is a Monster, that Monster becomes the top card in the Battle Stack for this room, as if it had been played by a player.
- Other players then play additional Monsters into the room from their Battle Hand as normal, until the Battle Size is fulfilled.
- Note that Xykon's Lair has a default Battle Size based on how deep in the dungeon it is, as if it were a regular dungeon floor. If the Lair is the fourth floor down, the Battle Size is 4; if it is the sixth floor down, the Battle Size is 6.
Xykon Card Attack and Defense
- All Xykon card Monsters have special Attack and Defense Values, consisting of a number and the word "+level".
- To determine the Attack Value or Defense Value of a Xykon card Monster, add the numerical value of the floor on which the Monster is being battled. For example, if Xykon's Lair is the fourth floor, the Monsters gain +4 Attack and +4 Defense.
- Since all of Xykon's Lair is on the same level, all Xykon cards in a given game should have the same bonus to Attack and Defense.
Saving Xykon Cards
- Instead, when a Xykon card is defeated, flip it face down in the room. The card remains there for the rest of the game.
- Do not draw any new Xykon cards in any room with a Xykon card, whether it is face up or face down. Only one Xykon card ever gets drawn for any given Xykon's Lair room.
Non-Monster Xykon Cards
Some of the cards in the Xykon deck are not Monsters. Play these cards into the room when they are revealed, but they do not count against the room's Battle Size. Follow the special text written on these cards; they have special abilities that affect the battles that take place in Xykon's Lair.
Strategy: Playing Roy
The leader of the Order of the Stick, Roy is possibly the most straightforward character. As a fighter, he is strong and consistent in combat, with a high Attack and a decent Defense. Few of his shticks flip, meaning he can fight several Monsters in a row without worrying about resting (unless he starts losing).
When playing Roy, seek out Monsters and beat the snot out of them. Roy isn't subtle; his strength is battling, and lots of it. Of course, that means he has fewer special abilities that don't directly aid in battle. His role as party leader can let him shut down other players by flipping their shticks or using Logic to ward off their attempts at battling him. Roy is uniquely suited to take on Xykon, especially if he gets the Blood Oath of Vengeance shtick.
Roy wins when he hacks and slashes his way through the entire dungeon and defeats Xykon.
Xykon the Lich
- If you set up the game properly, one of the Xykon cards to be revealed will eventually be Xykon the Lich, archvillain of the game.
- Xykon has a special Monster ability called simply Xykon Special. This ability is detailed in the Monster Ability section at the end of this rulebook.
- Whichever player defeats Xykon saves him, but does not trade him in for shticks. Instead, defeating Xykon is worth a number of Bragging Points equal to twice the number of floors (not counting Xykon's Lair).
- As soon as Xykon is defeated, the dungeon begins collapsing; see below.
The Dungeon Collapses
The moment that Xykon is defeated, the dungeon begins collapsing thanks to a carelessly placed self-destruct spell. From this point until the end of the game, many of the rules change.
The Monsters Escape
Predictably, the Monsters knew this was coming and planned their escape.
- The game freezes; the next player does not take their next turn until all of the steps in this section have been done.
- Starting from the room in which Xykon was defeated and moving upward through the dungeon, each Monster left in play is discarded.
- As each Monster vanishes, place Loot cards (equal to the number of Loot Coin icons on the Monster) from the Loot deck into the room the Monster was in.
- Continue placing Loot in each room that has Monsters with Loot Coin icons until there is no more Loot in the Loot deck or there are no more Monsters in play.
The Collapse
- At the end of each of your turns (starting with the player who takes their turn after Xykon has been defeated), remove one room card - either a Xykon's Lair card or a Dungeon Room card - from the board.
What Order to Remove Rooms
- The room removed must always come from the lowest level of the dungeon still remaining.
- The room removed must always be removed from either the left or right edge of the dungeon floor. A floor with only one room remaining is, of course, on both the left and right edge.
- Rooms with stairs leading up must always be the last rooms removed from a dungeon floor. Once all rooms in a floor have been removed, all stairs leading down to that floor are discarded.
- You may not remove a room with any players still in it unless there are no rooms without players in them remaining on the lowest floor of the dungeon, or unless the only room without players in it is the room with the stairs up.
- If there is more than one equally valid choice of rooms to be removed, the player whose turn is ending chooses which to remove.
Removing a Room
- Take the room card off of the board. Discard any Loot left face down in that room.
- If you remove a room that has players in it, move all players in that room to the next adjacent room - or up the stairs, if there are no rooms left on the floor.
Players in the Collapsing Dungeon
- Players are not required to exit the dungeon when it starts to collapse; they may continue to move around the dungeon on their turns.
- No new battles are triggered in any room, but other Room Effect Text not pertaining to battles with Monsters still applies.
- Players may battle each other while the dungeon collapses, as normal.
- Players may pick up Loot from rooms that have not yet been removed.
- Players may not rest, but they may miss a turn.
Exiting the Collapsing Dungeon
Once you move onto the Dungeon Entrance, you have permanently exited the dungeon. You may not re-enter.
- The order in which players exit the collapsing dungeon is important for Bragging Rights, so pay attention to it.
- When there is only one player left inside the dungeon - all others have exited - the game ends immediately. That last player cannot gather any more Loot or move around the dungeon.
Example: Endgame
The game has been going on for a while now, and Roy is starting to think about winning. He's playing in a 4-player medium-length game, which means the dungeon has 3 floors (all of which are currently revealed). According to the setup rules, he needs 8 of his Drool Factors on equipped Loot and 9 shticks in play before he is permitted into Xykon's level.
At the start of his turn, he searches for stairs in an empty room and finds them. He has three Loot equipped that he drools over - the Starmetal Chunk, Eternal Vigilence, and the Talisman of Dorukan. Combined, these have a Drool Factor of 5 (as Loot everyone Drools Over, the Talisman counts). He equips 3 more Loot cards. He also counts up his shticks and finds that he has 12, more than enough. He moves into Xykon's Lair.
He takes the first room off of the top of the Xykon's Lair deck; as always, it is the Safe Haven. This card does not require him to end his movement here, so he picks a direction (left) and moves 1 more room. He takes the next Xykon's Lair room card and gets Xykon's Secret Lair.
Now that the room has been played, he triggers a battle with a Battle Size of 4. He flips the top card of the Xykon Deck and gets the Zombie Horde. The remaining 3 cards in the battle are played by the other players, as normal. Because Xykon's Lair is the 4th floor in this game, the Zombie Horde gets +4 Attack and +4 Defense, due to its "+level" notation. Roy defeats all Monsters and ends his turn atop a big Loot pile.
On his turn, Belkar equips enough Loot so that he too has 8 Drool Factors of Loot equipped and 9 shticks in play. He slips down the stairs to Xykon's level, past the Safe Haven, and into Roy's room to grab a Loot.
On his next turn, Roy would love to rest to pick up 2 more Loot, but the Xykon's Secret Lair room doesn't allow resting. Instead he picks up just 1 Loot and moves forward, revealing a new Xykon's Lair card: Dorukan's Gate. He happily draws the free shtick the gate grants him, and then draws the next Xykon card from the Xykon deck: Xykon the Lich himself!
By the time the rest of the battle has been placed, Xykon sits atop a pile of 2 Goblins and 2 Undead (plus some other Monsters that don't matter), granting him an impressive +8 Attack and +8 Defense. Like the zombies, Xykon also gets +4 Attack and +4 Defense, giving him an impressive 24 Attack Value for Roy to Defend against.
Figuring Belkar could defeat Xykon before he even gets to go again, Roy pulls out all the stops. He flips his Charge! shtick so that he is now on Attack and Xykon is on Defense; his 3 copies of the Greenhilt Sword are much better at Attack. Then he plays Get Angry, a Screw This! card that boosts any one shtick; he picks the Greenhilt Sword. Finally, he takes a risk: he has the Inappropriate Violence Loot card, Belkar's only Loot card with a Drool Factor 3. Belkar wants to refuse - he'd rather kill Xykon himself, even if it is nice Loot - but the Xykon Special ability means that no one can refuse to offer assistance against Xykon. That gives Roy another +6 Attack. Roy rolls well and wins!
Roy takes Xykon and saves him for the final score tally, then the game immediately freezes while the dungeon begins to collapse. All of the Monsters in the dungeon are discarded, including the ones beneath Xykon. Roy picks up his 2 Loot for being the victor, and play passes to the next player.
From here on out, the players race to exit the dungeon as each removes a card each turn. The diagram on the next page shows the path each player takes and what order the rooms collapse.
(Room card shown in the example: Dorukan's Gate - This magical artifact seems to be the key to all of Xykon's plans. The first player to enter this room immediately draws one shtick from their shtick deck.)
Example: Collapsing Dungeon
(Figure not reproduced: a diagram of the dungeon with rooms numbered by removal order.)
Each player is shown in the position they are in when Roy kills Xykon and the Monsters flee. The turn order after that is Vaarsuvius, Belkar, Elan, and Roy. At the end of each turn, the player removes a room (numbered for their turn and character on the diagram).
- Vaarsuvius moves up to 1st floor, exits the dungeon first. Removes 1V, Roy is bumped to the left, all Loot is discarded.
- Belkar picks up 1 Loot, moves up to 2nd floor. Removes 2B, Roy is bumped to the left.
- Elan moves right one room, picks up Loot. Removes 3E, Roy is bumped up stairs. Stairs are discarded.
- Roy moves right and up stairs. Removes 4R.
- Vaarsuvius removes 5V.
- Belkar moves right, up stairs, and left. Removes 6B.
- Elan picks up Loot, moves left. Removes 7E.
- Roy moves right, picks up Loot. Removes 8R.
- Vaarsuvius removes 9V.
- Belkar moves up to first floor, exits dungeon second, and removes 10B.
- Elan moves up to 1st floor, exits dungeon third. With only one player left in the dungeon, the game ends.
When Elan leaves, each player counts up their total points. Vaarsuvius has 7 Loot he/she Drools Over, 9 shticks, and exited the dungeon first (3 points) for a score of 19. Belkar had 15 Loot, 9 shticks, and exited the dungeon second (2 points) for a score of 26. Elan had 17 Loot, 9 shticks, and exited the dungeon third (1 point), for a total of 27 points. And Roy had 14 Loot, 13 shticks, and defeated Xykon (6 points for a 3-level game) for a total of 33 points. Roy wins!!
Bragging Rights
As with most things, the ultimate goal of the game is to achieve Bragging Rights among your fellow adventurers.
The Game's End
The game ends when the following things have happened:
- Xykon has been defeated.
- The dungeon has started to collapse.
- All but one player has reached the Dungeon Entrance.
When all of these have happened, the game ends immediately and each player determines if they have earned Bragging Rights.
Bragging Points
In order to win the game, you have to earn Bragging Rights. This entails adding up your score for the game.
- 1 Point for every Drool Factor of Loot you possess, equipped or in your Stash. Remember that only Loot you Drool Over counts.
- 1 Point for every shtick you have in play.
- 1 Point for every player still inside the dungeon when you exit it at the end of the game.
- X Points for defeating Xykon, where X is equal to twice the number of floors in the dungeon (not counting Xykon's Lair).
Winning the Game
The player with the most Bragging Points wins Bragging Rights and thus the game! Feel free to shower him or her with affection.
Tied Score
- If two players are tied for the most Bragging Points, the player who defeated Xykon wins the game.
- If neither of the two players with the most Bragging Points is the player to have beaten Xykon, the player who exited the dungeon first wins the game.
Field Guide to Monsters
Monster Abilities
Monster abilities are described on each Monster card, but due to the limited space, complications for each ability cannot be fully discussed. Here you'll find a full description of each Monster ability. The more complicated ones also have an example.
- Bloodlust: Ignore any battle results that say the battle is a draw; instead, the Monster wins. Lose 1 Wound and suffer the effects of any other Monster abilities. A tied Battle Roll is considered a draw.
- Breath Weapon: You may not select Battle Shticks that are Armor Shticks when battling this Monster. Armor Shticks can provide no bonuses or benefit to battles with this Monster, and cannot prevent any Wounds this Monster causes you to lose.
- Duel: You may not ask other players for assistance when battling Monsters with this ability.
- Enchanted: You may not select Battle Shticks that are Magic Shticks when battling this Monster. Magic Shticks can provide no bonuses or benefit to battles with this Monster, and cannot prevent any Wounds this Monster causes you to lose.
- Flying: You may not select shticks that have a Range of 0 as your Battle Shtick when battling this Monster. If you have no Battle Shticks without a Range greater than 0, you must battle without a shtick.
- Example: Roy is battling a Teeny Tiny Dragon in the same room. He cannot use his Greenhilt Sword because it has a Range of 0. He can use his Bag of Tricks, because it has a Range of 2; he does not need to make a Ranged Attack with the Bag of Tricks in order to use it.
- Henchman: This Monster provides Support for all Monsters on the same floor, regardless of its actual type. It is not treated as a being of any other type for any other purpose. This Monster also moves to the bottom of all Battle Stacks automatically, regardless of the order in which it was played. Monsters with the Henchman ability have a special pink icon at the top of the card to show that they add support to all monsters.
- Example: The Ogre Chieftain has the Deadly support effect (+1 Wound for every other Ogre on the Level.) Demon Roaches have the Henchman ability, so any on the level count as Ogres for this purpose. The Ogre Cheiftain causes you to lose 2 Wounds if he defeats you.
Monster Support Abilities
Monsters have a tendency to gang up on you, which is only fair since you can ask your fellow party members for assistance. Monster support abilities allow Monsters to gain benefits when there are more Monsters of a specific type on the same floor.
Whenever a Monster has a support ability, check to see whether it has any Support. Look next to the word "Support:" near the bottom of the Monster's card; there should be one Monster type listed there. A Monster has Support when it has one or more other Monster cards of the specified type located on the same floor. Monsters on other floors do not count, and Monsters of other types do not count (though a Monster with more than one type does, as long as one of the types is the right one). Monsters never provide Support for themselves.
Any monster that could support more than one monster in a room only actually supports the topmost eligible monster in that room. This means that a monster can only support one other monster PER ROOM.
If a Monster has at least 1 supporting card, then it gains the benefit listed under the Support text. This benefit is always cumulative, so if the Monster has 2, 3, 4, or more Support, it gains the effect that many times. In this way, Monsters at the lowest levels of the dungeon can become very powerful, gaining large bonuses to Attack and Defense due to the number of Monsters in play on the floor.
- Ambush: This Monster gets +3 Attack for every supporting card it has, but only on the turn it comes into play.
- Example: Warg is supported by Orcs and has the Ambush support ability. On the turn the Warg is played, Thog and an Orc Barbarian are both on the same floor. The Warg gets +6 Attack for the rest of this turn.
- Assist: This Monster gains +2 Attack and +2 Defense for every supporting card it has.
- Deadly: When this Monster defeats you, you lose 1 Wound for every supporting card it has. This is in addition to the standard 1 Wound the Monster would normally cause you to lose when it wins.
- Example: The Ogre Chieftain is supported by Ogres and has the Deadly support ability. If there is a Stupid Ogre, an Ugly Ogre, and a Troll on the same floor as the Ogre Chieftain, then any player who loses a battle with him loses 4 Wounds - 1 Wound as normal, plus 3 Wounds for having 3 Support.
- Greed: When this Monster defeats you, it forces you to discard 1 random Loot card from your Loot Stash for every supporting card. Have another player select a card at random. If the Monster has both the Thief ability and the Greed support ability, then the cards discarded as a result of Greed are in addition to any lost as a result of the Thief ability.
- Example: Hilgya Firehelm is supported by Linear Guild Monsters and has the Greed support ability. Thog is in another room on this level, and Nale is in the same room as Hilgya; both are Linear Guild members, so she has 2 Support. If she wins the battle, the player will lose 2 Loot from his Loot Stash in addition to taking 1 Wound.
- Horde: When this Monster is played into a new battle, the Battle Size increases by 1 for every supporting card it has. If any additional supporting cards are played into this battle this turn, the Battle Size increases appropriately.
Icon Reference
(The icons themselves are not reproduced; the guide lists the following names.)
- Shtick Icons: Defense Modifier; Attack Modifier; Shtick Range; Battle Results; Area Results; Boost Effect; Flip When Used.
- Monster Icons: Attack Value; Defense Value; Monster Range; Experience; Loot Coins; Support; Henchmen Card.
- Monster Types: Animal; Bandit; Creepy-Crawly; Dragon; Dwarf; Elf; Fiend; Goblin; Halfling; Human; Kobold; Linear Guild; Ogre; Orc; Order of the Stick; Undead.
- Drool Icons: Belkar's Loot; Durkon's Loot; Elan's Loot; Haley's Loot; Roy's Loot; Vaarsuvius' Loot; All OOTS Players.
- Trap Icons: Evade Value; Trap Range; Single Target; Multiple Targets.