Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Mummy's Mask – Base Set Rulebook

Table of Contents

Object of the Game
Card Sets
Organizing Your Cards
Setting Up
Playing a Scenario
After the Scenario
- Ending a Scenario, Adventure, or Adventure Path
- Between Games
Card Types
Example of Play
Suggested Deck Lists
- Base Set Characters
- Character Add-On Deck Characters
Things to Keep in Mind
Reference Sheet

Object of the Game

In the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, your party of adventurers races against time on a quest to defeat a dangerous villain. Each player has a deck of cards representing a character. In most scenarios, your characters explore a variety of locations as you try to hunt down the villain. You'll need to clean out or protect these locations so you can defeat and corner the villain before time runs out. As you play more games, you'll complete scenarios, improve your deck, customize your character, and take on more and more powerful challenges.

Rules Sidebar: Throughout this rulebook, you'll find a number of sidebars that look like this one. These sidebars explain general rules that deserve special attention. Make sure you read them all!

Strategy Sidebar: You'll also find a variety of sidebars that look like this one. These offer advice about game strategy. If you prefer to develop strategies on your own as you play, feel free to skip these sidebars—you won't miss any rules!

Example Sidebar: Sidebars that look like this provide examples. Don't miss the example of an entire turn on page 26!

New Sidebar: If you already know how to play the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, but you haven't played Mummy's Mask, keep an eye out for sidebars that look like this. They spotlight noteworthy changes to the rules for this Adventure Path.

Card Sets

The Mummy's Mask Base Set is one of several Pathfinder Adventure Card Game products. This box contains everything that 1–4 players need to begin the game, including the base card set for Mummy's Mask. Included in the same box is your first Adventure Deck, The Half-Dead City, which provides the cards needed to tell the first chapter of the Mummy's Mask story. Other Adventure Decks, available separately, continue the adventure by adding new locations to explore, new villains to fight, new loot to acquire, and much more. The Mummy's Mask Character Add-On Deck, also available separately, adds new characters, monsters, and other cards; it also increases the maximum number of players to 6.

Each Mummy's Mask card is marked with a pair of set indicators: the top of each card features the logo of the Adventure Path, and a letter or number in the upper-right corner identifies the specific product that the card came from. This might be a letter, such as B (indicating the card is part of the base set) or C (indicating that it's from the Character Add-On Deck); adventure deck numbers from 1 to 6 indicate that the card is part of one of six Adventure Decks for Mummy's Mask. If a card has a letter for the set indicator, treat its adventure deck number as 0.

Also available separately are a variety of Class Decks. Each one includes several different versions of a specific character type (for example, the Summoner Class Deck has three different summoner characters) and a variety of cards that are useful for those characters. Since Class Decks are designed for use with any Adventure Path, Class Deck cards are marked with the name of the Class Deck instead of the logo of an Adventure Path. Class Deck cards are also marked with the letter B or numbers from 1 to 6 in the upper right.

Rules Sidebar — The Golden Rules: If a card and this rulebook are ever in conflict, the card should be considered correct. There is one exception to this: When the rulebook uses the word "never," no card can overrule it. If cards conflict with one another, then Adventure Path cards overrule adventures, adventures overrule scenarios, scenarios overrule locations, locations overrule support cards, support cards overrule characters, and characters overrule other card types.

Despite this hierarchy, if one card tells that you cannot do something and another card tells you that you can, comply with the card that tells you that you cannot. For example, if you're at a location that prevents you from moving, and the scenario has an effect that would move your character, you do not move. If a card tells you to ignore something, the thing you're ignoring never has any effect on you. If a card instructs you to do something impossible, like draw a card from an empty deck, ignore that instruction.

Regardless of the above, if you need to do anything with any number of cards from the blessings deck (other than shuffling it) and you don't have enough, you lose the scenario; if that happens with your character deck, your character dies.

To the left of the letter or number, you'll find the card type. There are more than a dozen different card types in the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. Among them are character cards, roles, and tokens; story cards, which include an Adventure Path, adventures, and scenarios; locations; support cards, which include scourges, traders, a bazaar card, and a defensive stance card; banes, which include villains, henchmen, monsters, and barriers; and boons, which include weapons, spells, armors, items, allies, blessings, and loot.

On story cards and location cards, the side with the more colorful version of the artwork is the face; the less colorful version is the back. Very rarely, a card can have two faces.

For your first play session, you'll need only the base cards, so leave The Half-Dead City sealed for now. If you own the Character Add-On Deck, go ahead and combine that set with the cards in the base set as described in Organizing Your Cards (see below). If you own any Class Decks, you may also add any cards from them that have a B in the upper-right corner.

We have also published a number of promotional cards; these are marked with the letter P in the upper-right corner. If you have a character promo card, or you have a promo card that has the Owner trait and you are playing the character listed as the owner, you can use it right away. Don't add other promo cards to the game until you begin adventure 1 of the Adventure Path.

Organizing Your Cards

The way you organize your cards is important, since there are times when you'll need to quickly locate specific cards during play. The box includes a special tray to keep all of the cards organized. It has room for the cards from the base card set, the Mummy's Mask Character Add-On Deck, and all six Mummy's Mask Adventure Decks.

Each type of card has its own place in the box, so you'll need to divide up the cards by type as shown in the illustration (Discard Pile, Character Deck, Character Card, Buried Cards, Location Card, Location Deck, Token Card, and Blessings Deck / Blessings Discard Pile trays). For now, leave the character deck slots empty. You'll build your first decks soon.

When you use adventures, scenarios, locations, traders, scourges, cohorts, villains, henchmen, and loot, you'll often be asked to locate specific cards. You may wish to alphabetize the cards within each of those types to help you find them quickly during play. Group the character, token, and role cards by character. The other card types should have their cards shuffled, as you will often be asked to draw random cards from those groups.

Example Sidebar: Simoun's deck includes 5 weapons, no spells, 1 armor, 3 items, 3 allies, and 3 blessings. (The checkboxes are for card feats she'll gain later.)

Setting Up

You never know what to expect from a temple that has been sealed for a thousand years. Traps, monsters, and collapsing architecture can make it very difficult to just run back for something you forgot, so proper preparation is key.

Choose Your Character. Each player chooses one character card; this represents the character you'll be playing in the game. Characters have skills, which tell you which dice to roll when you attempt a check; powers, which are special things you can do before, during, or after the game; and other details that make them different from one another (see Character Cards on page 20). You might use some of your character's powers at the start of the game, so read them right away.

Locate the token card that matches your character card. Then place both on the table in front of you.

Build Your Deck. Each character needs a character deck; if you don't already have one, you'll need to build one. If you'd like to start playing quickly, use the suggested deck for your character provided at the back of this rulebook (see Suggested Deck Lists on page 28). Alternatively, you can choose your own cards to create your deck. The Cards List on your character card indicates the exact quantity of each card type that you must choose from the box to make up your character's deck. You may choose only cards that have the word "Basic" in the list of traits underneath the card name.

Trade Cards If You Like. Before starting a scenario, players may freely trade cards from their character decks. After trading, each character deck must still conform to the list of card types specified by the character card.

Put the Mummy's Mask Adventure Path Card Faceup on the Table. It lists the adventures that make up the Adventure Path as well as the reward you'll get for completing all of those adventures.

Put the Current Adventure Card Faceup on the Table. It lists the scenarios that make up that adventure, as well as the reward you'll get for completing all of those scenarios. (If you're just starting Mummy's Mask, the Mummy's Mask Adventure Path card tells you to complete the adventure Cross the Pharaoh's Land first, so put that card on the table.)

Put the Current Scenario Card Faceup on the Table. It describes the goals and any unusual rules for this particular game session. (If you're just starting Mummy's Mask, the Cross the Pharaoh's Land adventure card tells you to complete the scenario All that Glitters Begets Gold first, so put that card on the table.)

Set Out the Locations. The back of a scenario card lists the locations the scenario uses; a required number of players is listed next to each location. Use all of the location cards listed up to the number of players you have. For example, if you have 3 players, you'll use all of the location cards listed for 1, 2, and 3 players, but you won't use any of the location cards listed for 4, 5, or 6 players. Put the location cards you're using faceup in the middle of the table.

Build the Location Decks. Each location card has its own list of card types that are used to build a location deck, in much the same way that a character card has a list of card types that are used to build a character deck. Shuffle each card type and deal the correct number of cards of each type to form the basis of each location deck. Don't look at these cards; set them facedown in a stack next to their location card.

Add Villains and Henchmen. Each scenario card lists one or more villains and one or more henchmen. Make a stack of cards starting with the villain(s) and then add henchmen, starting from the beginning of the henchman list, until your stack has as many cards as you have locations. Use multiple copies of the henchman at the end of the list as needed. For example, if you have 5 locations and your scenario card lists Bonecrusher Master as the villain and Giant Sand Eel and Mining Constructs as henchmen, you'll make a stack of 5 cards: Bonecrusher Master, Giant Sand Eel, and 3 Mining Constructs. If you have 3 locations and your scenario card lists Undead Velriana Hypaxes as the villain and Graven Guardian of Nethys, Senenmerek, and Forgotten Pharaoh Cultists as henchmen, you'll make a stack of just the first 3, leaving the Forgotten Pharaoh Cultists in the box. Shuffle this stack and put 1 card on top of each location deck, then shuffle each location deck.

Create the Blessings Deck. Draw 30 random blessing cards from the box. Shuffle them together, form a deck, and place it facedown on the table.

Arrange Yourselves around the Table. Use any order you wish.

Place Token Cards. Each player chooses a location and puts her character's token card near it. Multiple characters can choose the same starting location.

Draw Starting Hands. Each character card includes a hand size for that character. Draw that number of cards from your character deck. The character card also lists a favored card type; if more than one is listed, choose 1 type before drawing. If you didn't draw at least 1 card of that type, discard that hand and draw again, repeating as needed until your hand contains at least 1 card of the specified type. If you discard enough cards that you can't draw up to your full hand size, draw all the remaining cards, then shuffle your discard pile into your deck and draw the rest of your hand. Once you have a full hand that includes your favored card type, shuffle any discarded cards back into your character deck.

Add Cohorts. The Mummy's Mask set doesn't contain any cohorts, but some characters from Wrath of the Righteous and Class Decks use cohorts. If you have a cohort listed on your deck list, add it to your hand (see Cohorts on page 22).

Decide Who Goes First. Starting with whichever player the group chooses, take turns proceeding clockwise (see Taking Your Turn on page 7).

Playing a Scenario

The sands of Osirion are replete with the treasures of adventurers who thought the desert was filled with treasure.

Taking Your Turn

Take your turn by going through the following steps in order. You can play cards and use powers without limit in between these steps, as long as they don't say they can only be played at certain times.

Strategy Sidebar — Should You Split the Party?: There's an old saying in roleplaying games: Never split the party. Is that true for the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game? This isn't an RPG, so the answer is, "It depends."

Sometimes, it's a good idea to have multiple characters at the same location; at other times, it makes more sense to split the party. A lot of your strategy depends on which characters you're playing. If you're playing Alahazra and Zadim, staying together makes sense; if you're playing Simoun and Yoon, you may want to spread out.

The best strategy also depends on where you're going. Characters shouldn't cluster at the Alchemical Laboratory, but everyone at the Oasis benefits when it closes. Sometimes you want help for whatever perils await you; another time, there might be a Conflagration that burns everyone at the same location. Pay attention to where you are in the game. If you know where the villain is, splitting up so you can temporarily close open locations is a good idea... unless it isn't. Every situation is different, and thinking before you move is always wise.

Advance the Blessings Deck: At the start of your turn, discard the top card from the blessings deck faceup onto the top of the blessings discard pile. You never acquire this card, though some cards may refer to it during your turn. If you have to remove one or more cards from the blessings deck for any reason and there are not enough cards to do so, the party loses the scenario (see Ending a Scenario, Adventure, or Adventure Path on page 18). After advancing the blessings deck, apply any other effects that happen at the start of your turn.

Rules Sidebar — Tracking the Blessings Deck: It's very easy to get excited about starting your turn, so much so that you might forget to advance the blessings deck. Unfortunately, once you realize you've skipped it for the last few turns, it's often not so easy to figure out how many cards you need to flip to catch up. We recommend that when each player advances the deck, she should orient the card she turns over so that the text is right-side up to that player. Sure, it makes for a messy-looking blessings discard pile, but it makes it easy to see who remembered and who didn't.

Give a Card: You may give 1 card from your hand to another player at your location. (Other players cannot give you cards on your turn.)

Move: You may move your token card to another location. Moving then triggers any effects that happen when you enter or leave a location. When you choose to move, you must always select a new location, although it is possible for some effects to move you to the same location you came from. If you do not change locations, your character is not considered to have entered or left a location. Some effects may cause you to move whether you want to or not, and other effects may restrict you from moving. If an effect would move you while another effect restricts you from moving, do not move.

Explore: You may explore your location once each turn without playing a card that allows you to explore; this must be your first exploration for the turn. You may never explore outside of your explore step. When you explore, flip over the top card of your current location deck. If it's a boon, you may attempt to acquire it; if you don't attempt that, banish it. If it's a bane, you must try to defeat it (see Encountering a Card on page 9). Many effects allow you to explore again on your turn, and there is no limit to the number of times you can explore.

However, during a single exploration, no matter how many different effects allow you to explore again, treat them as granting one additional exploration, not a series of additional explorations. For example, Drelm has taken the Keymaster role, and has gained the power feat that lets him explore his location after he defeats a barrier that has the Obstacle trait on his exploration. During his exploration, Drelm encounters Falling Rubble, a barrier that has the Obstacle trait and a power that says "If defeated, you may explore your location." Drelm defeats the barrier, but he gains only one additional exploration, not two.

If a card grants you an additional exploration, after you finish what you are doing, you must immediately use that exploration or forfeit it.

Strategy Sidebar — Should You Always Explore?: The blessings deck is a countdown timer, and it's very unforgiving. More exploration leads to more success, but there are times you just want to hang out for a while.

One reason might be the state of your hand or character deck. If you have a scourge, you might want to wait for Alahazra to come over and take care of it.

Another reason to cease exploration is so you can realign your party near the end of the game. If you just need someone at the Scorched Ruins so you can temporarily close it when you find the villain, don't risk finding a monster that has the Fire trait if it might get shuffled into the villain's deck. Take the time to set your strategy, especially if you have plenty of turns to burn.

Of course, the biggest disasters often occur shortly after someone says, "We've got plenty of turns left."

Close a Location: If your character is at a location that has no cards remaining and has not been closed, you may make one attempt to close it at this time (see Closing a Location on page 15).

End Your Turn: First, apply any effects that happen at the end of the turn. While you do this, unless a power directed you to end your turn, you may play cards and use powers. Then, reset your hand (see Resetting Your Hand on page 14). When you're done, the turn passes to the player on your left.

Character Sidebar — Alahazra, Oracle: This oracle of the sun can bring fury down on any bandit or desert monster. Despite being blind, she can see into the future, finding out whatever awaits her friends' explorations. Alahazra is a master of Divine spells, and can remove a curse from anyone who has run afoul of the mummies in the tombs.

Playing Cards

Anyone can play a card whenever the card allows it. Playing a card means using a power on that card by performing an action with that card that is specified by the card itself (see Boons, page 23). Choosing to activate a power on a displayed card also counts as playing it. If a power says using it counts as playing a boon, it counts as playing a card. Doing something with a card that does not use a power on that card does not count as playing that card. For example, when Alahazra discards a spell to use a power on her character card, the discarded card does not count as being played (meaning she also can't recharge it). When a card has multiple powers, you must choose one of them, and you must do everything that power says when possible. If a power says it may be used when something happens, you may use it every time that happens. Otherwise, a specific card's power may only be used once per check or step.

Example Sidebar: The ally Shock Lizard has two different powers: you may recharge it to add 1d4 and the Electricity trait to your combat check, or you may discard it to explore your location. You can do either, but you cannot do both; once you play the card one way, it's no longer in your hand for you to play it the other way.

When you play a card, it will usually require you to take one of the following actions.

Reveal: Show it from your hand then put it back in your hand. You may not reveal the same card for its power more than once per check or step.
Display: Place it faceup next to your deck, unless stated otherwise; the card's powers function as long as it is displayed. When a character displays a card, it is not part of that character's hand, deck, or discard pile, but it still belongs to that character.
Discard: Put it into your discard pile—a stack of faceup cards next to your deck.
Recharge: Put it facedown at the bottom of your character deck.
Bury: Put it under your character card (likely losing access to it for the rest of the scenario).
Banish: Put it back in the box, shuffling it in with the other cards of the same type (thus losing it for good).

When you reveal a card, it does not leave your hand. When you display a card, it leaves your hand immediately. When you play cards by performing any other actions, set them aside while you process their effects. For example, a spell might tell you to discard it, then allow you to succeed at a check to recharge it instead; set it aside until you resolve the check that determines whether or not you recharge it. Do what each card requires in the order you set them aside. While set aside, a card does not count as being in your hand, your discard pile, your deck, or anywhere else.

If you play a card in such a way that it leaves your hand, that action can trigger only 1 power. For example, if a card says you may discard it to add to your die roll or discard it to explore your location, you may discard it to trigger either effect, but not both.

Always perform the first action required by a power before performing any other action. For example, if a card says "Recharge this card to recharge a card from your discard pile," recharge the card you're playing before recharging the card from your discard pile.

Cards often have instructions that you need to follow after you play the card; follow these instructions even if the card is no longer in your hand (even if the card is out of your sight, such as in the box or in a deck).

If you are instructed to play, reveal, display, discard, recharge, bury, banish, or otherwise manipulate a card, that card must come from your hand unless otherwise specified. You may not activate a power or play a card that doesn't apply to your current situation. For example, you may not play a card to reduce damage when damage is not being dealt, and you may not play a card to evade a monster when you are not encountering a monster. When something refers to "any number" of cards, that number must be at least 1.

If a card in your hand does not specify when it can be played, you can generally play it anytime you can play cards, with the exception that during an encounter you may only perform specific actions at specific times.

Your cards include your deck, the cards in your hand and your buried, discarded, and displayed cards. You can look through your displayed, discarded, and buried cards at any time. You may not look through your character deck unless a card specifically allows it. Don't shuffle any stack of cards unless you're instructed to. A deck is a deck, a hand is a hand, and a pile is a pile whether or not it has cards.

Rules Sidebar — Affecting the Situation: In some situations, you are limited to playing cards or using powers that affect or otherwise relate to the current situation. In these cases, the things you do cannot require anyone to do something else for your action to be meaningful—the things you do must directly affect the situation. For example, let's say that a character is attempting a check using a power that adds 1 to her check for each blessing in her hand, and a second character has a power that allows him to give the first character a card. He could give her a blessing, because that doesn't require any other action to affect the check. But he could not give her a card that allows her to draw a blessing from the box, because she would have to do something else—in this case, play the card he gave her—to affect the check.

Strategy Sidebar — Should You Acquire Boons You Won't Use?: The short answer is "absolutely." At minimum, a boon is something you can give up as damage when some monster cracks your skull open. But there's another reason: your fellow adventurer might want you to give it to him.

This is sometimes trickier than it looks. To give a card to someone, you must start your turn at that character's location. That character might have to come to you to get it, assuming you even still have it in your hand when he does. Coordinating a timely rendezvous can lead to a villain's untimely demise.

This situation is a lot easier, of course, if a character who's good at acquiring a type of boon gets it herself. If you're able to look ahead in the location deck or evade cards, you can tell another player about a useful card. Then she can spend her turns trying to get it, and you can get on with your own goals.

Encountering a Card

When you encounter a card, you—and only you—can go through the following steps. No one else can perform these steps for you, though others might be able to play cards to help you deal with the encounter's challenges. During each of these steps, characters may perform only the specified actions. Characters may only play cards or use powers that relate to each step (or relate to cards played or powers used in that step). Each character may play no more than 1 card of each type during each step; for example, a character may play no more than 1 blessing while attempting a check, though multiple characters could each play 1 blessing. A character may not activate a given power more than once during each step, other than effects that can be used each time something particular happens. Characters may not play any cards or activate any powers between these steps.

If the card you're encountering states that it is immune to a particular trait, during the encounter, characters may not play cards that have the specified trait or use powers that would add that trait to the check. The card you're encountering might require or allow a check that can affect your check to acquire or defeat; you must resolve that check before you begin the check to acquire or defeat.

Character Sidebar — Damiel, Alchemist: If you want a man who knows to test his plans before enacting them, turn to one who handles acids and poisons for a living. He concocts potions and poison bombs, returning them to usability even after plying his deadly trade. Liquids are scarce in the desert, but Damiel always has enough to drink.

After you flip over the top card of the location deck, put it on top of the deck and read it. If the card is a bane, you must try to defeat it. If it is a boon, you may try to acquire it for your deck; if you choose not to acquire it, it counts as failing to acquire it. If any powers happen when you flip over the card, they take effect at this time. Then go through all of the following steps that apply in order.

Apply Any Effects That Happen When You Encounter a Card. If any powers on the card you're encountering happen when you encounter the card, they take effect at this time. You may also use powers or cards that state they can be used when you encounter a card.

Apply Any Evasion Effects. You may use a power or card that lets you evade the card you're encountering. If any powers on the card you're encountering relate to evading the card, they take effect at this time. If you evade the card, do not activate any other powers on it. Shuffle it back into the deck; it is neither defeated nor undefeated, and the encounter is over.

Apply Any Effects That Happen Before You Act. If any powers on the card you're encountering happen before you act, they take effect at this time. You may also use powers or cards that state they can be used before you act.

Attempt the Check. Most cards require you to succeed at a check to acquire or defeat them. If a card's check section says "None" or "See Below," look at the card's powers and immediately do whatever it says there.

If a power allows you to automatically defeat or acquire a card, you may use it instead of attempting the check. Doing so counts as succeeding at all checks and requirements to defeat or acquire the card. You may not use such a power against any card that does not have a check to acquire or defeat, or any card that has a check you're not allowed to succeed at.

After you attempt the check, deal with any effects that were triggered by the check. If any cards played while attempting a check include their own checks, resolve the current check in this step and the new checks in subsequent steps.

Attempt the Next Check, If Needed. If another check is required, resolve it now. For example, some boons allow you to attempt a check to recharge them, and some banes require a second check to defeat. Repeat this step until you resolve all such checks.

Character Sidebar — Estra, Spiritualist: Estra and her husband Honaire have a lifelong bond—check that, it's gone beyond life. She can summon her love's ghostly spirit and bid him to handle all manner of physical tasks, whether benign or violent. Her spiritual senses allow her to seek out the unliving and send them swiftly to their final resting places.

Apply Any Effects That Happen After You Act. If any powers on the card you're encountering happen after you act, they take effect at this time. You may also use powers or cards that state they can be used after you act. Do this whether or not you succeeded at your checks.

Resolve the Encounter. If you succeed at all of the checks required to defeat a bane, banish it; if you don't succeed, it is undefeated—shuffle the card back into its location deck. If you succeed at a check to acquire a boon, put it in your hand; otherwise, banish it. If you move during an encounter, any effects that would happen after that encounter do not happen. If you are forced to end your turn during an encounter, shuffle the encountered card back into the deck, or if it was summoned, banish it; it is neither defeated nor undefeated, and the encounter is over.

Rules Sidebar — Faceup Cards: Sometimes a card is left faceup on the top of the location deck. The card is still in the deck, and it can never leave the top of the deck until it is defeated or the condition that caused it to be left faceup on the deck has been resolved. If a faceup card tells you that you must encounter it on your first exploration on a turn, then you must encounter it the first time you explore that turn. After that exploration, ignore it for the purpose of additional explorations that turn; however, it still counts as the top card of the deck for any other purpose. If multiple cards are left faceup on the same deck, you may place them in any order and encounter them in that order, one per exploration. If you're instructed to put cards on top of the deck, put them immediately below any faceup cards. If you're instructed to shuffle the deck, leave any faceup cards on top.

Attempting a Check

Many times during the game, you will need to succeed at checks to do things, such as acquire a new weapon or defeat a monster. When you are required to attempt a check, you may not choose to fail it.

Each boon card has a section called Check to Acquire. This section indicates the skills that can be used in checks to acquire the boon and the difficulty of the checks. If you succeed in acquiring the card, put it into your hand. If you fail, banish it.

Each bane card has a section called Check to Defeat. This section indicates the skills that can be used in checks against the bane and the difficulty of the checks. If you succeed in defeating the bane, it is usually banished. If you fail to defeat a bane, it is usually considered undefeated, and it is shuffled back into the location deck. If you fail to defeat a monster, you are dealt damage (see Take Damage, If Necessary on page 12).

Rules Sidebar — Optional vs. Required Checks:

If you are instructed to attempt a check, you must do so.

If you are instructed to succeed at a check to do a thing, and the instruction does not use the word "may," you must attempt the check; if you succeed, you must do that thing.

If you are instructed to succeed at a check or do a thing, you must attempt the check; if you fail, you must do that thing.

If you are instructed to either attempt a check or do something else, choose one of those options.

If you are presented with 2 or more options, none of which require a check, you may choose any of those options.

Rules Sidebar — Skills, Dice, and Modifiers: If your character card says "Strength d10," and the "+1" box next to that has been checked, your Strength skill is d10+1, and your Strength die is d10. (The "+1" is called a "modifier.") If your character card also says "Melee: Strength +3," your Melee skill is d10+4, your Melee die is d10, and the Melee modifier is +4.

If a card refers to a check against another card, that refers to any check required by that card, whether it's a check to defeat, a check to acquire, a check to recharge, or any other check.

If multiple checks are listed on the card with "or" between them, choose one of them. If there's a "then" between them, you'll need to succeed at both checks sequentially; you must attempt both checks, even if you fail the first, because failure often has consequences. "Or" takes priority over "then," so if a card says "Wisdom 10 or Combat 13 then Combat 15," you must first attempt either a Wisdom check with a difficulty of 10 or a combat check with a difficulty of 13; after that, you must attempt a combat check with a difficulty of 15.

Only the character who encounters the card may attempt the check, save for one exception: if a card requires sequential checks, the character who encountered the card must attempt at least one of the checks, but any other checks may each be attempted by any character at the encountering character's location. While you are attempting a check against such a card that you did not encounter, powers that would apply to the character who encountered it apply to you instead.

Many cards also require checks to use powers or to recharge the cards after playing them.

Attempting a check requires several actions that are explained below. Each player may not play more than 1 card of each type or use any 1 power more than once during each check, other than powers that can be used each time something particular happens.

Determine Which Skill You're Using. Cards that require a check specify the skill or skills you can use to attempt the check. Each check to defeat or acquire a card lists one or more skills; you may choose any of the listed skills for your check. For example, if a check lists Dexterity, Disable, Strength, and Melee, you may use any one of those skills to attempt your check. Even if your character doesn't have any of the skills listed for a check, you can still attempt the check, but your die is a d4.

Some cards allow you to use a particular skill for a specific type of check, or to use one skill instead of another. (These cards generally say things like "For your combat check, use your Strength or Melee skill," or "Use your Strength skill instead of your Diplomacy skill.") You may play only 1 such card or use only 1 such power to determine which skill you're using. A few cards that can be used on checks don't use any of your skills; they instead specify the exact dice you need to roll or the result of your die roll.

The skill you're using for the check, and any skill referenced by that skill, are added as traits to the check. For example, if your character has the skill Melee: Strength +2, and you are using your Melee skill, both the Strength and the Melee traits are added to the check. When you're playing a card to determine the skill you're using, that card's traits are also added to the check; for example, revealing the weapon Heavy Pick for your combat check adds the Pick, Melee, Piercing, and Basic traits to the check. (This isn't the same as giving you a skill; for example, playing the spell Immolate adds the Arcane trait to your check, but it does not give you the Arcane skill.) If a power adds an additional skill or die to a check, that skill or die is not added as a trait to the check. For example, a card that adds your Strength die to your combat check does not add the Strength trait to your check.

Most monsters and some barriers call for a combat check. Weapons and many other cards that can be used during combat generally tell you what skill to use when you attempt a combat check; if you aren't playing one of those cards, you must use your Strength or Melee skill.

Character Sidebar — Ezren, Wizard: Ezren is an intrepid researcher, knowing with confidence how to break through invulnerabilities that monsters wield. Should you find yourself surrounded by undead or oozes, Ezren knows a way to conquer them. And the more spells he has, the faster he will find these monsters and dispatch them for good.

Determine the Difficulty. To succeed at a check, the result of your die roll and modifiers must be greater than or equal to the difficulty of the check. In checks to defeat a bane or acquire a boon, the difficulty is the number in the circle under the skill you've chosen. In other checks, the difficulty is the number in the text that follows the skill you've chosen. (For example, where a card's power instructs you to attempt a Fortitude 7 check, the difficulty is 7.) Some cards increase or decrease the difficulty of a check; for example, if a card says that the difficulty is increased by 2, add 2 to the number on the card you encountered; if it says the difficulty is decreased by 2, subtract 2 from the number. When determining the lowest or highest difficulty to defeat or acquire a card, apply all powers from cards that affect the difficulty, but do not apply powers that happen before you act, while you act, or after you act.

Play Cards and Use Powers That Affect Your Check (Optional). Characters may now play cards or use powers that affect your check. Characters may not do things that modify a skill unless you're using that skill, and characters may not do things that affect combat unless you're attempting a combat check. Do not add traits from these cards to the check; for example, playing the spell Aid on a check does not give the check the Magic trait.

Some cards and powers affect only specific types of checks, such as Dexterity checks, Acrobatics checks, or non-combat checks. If, on your character card, the skill you're using refers to another skill, both skills count for the purpose of determining the type of check. For example, if you're using the Arcane skill on a combat check, and your character card says that your Arcane skill is Intelligence +2, the check counts as both a combat Arcane check and a combat Intelligence check. Traits also determine the type of check; for example, if you're attempting a combat check and you played a weapon that added the Ranged trait, it counts as a Ranged combat check.

Some cards may allow you to replace a specific die with a different one. For example, Estra's Ectoplasmatist role allows her to roll a d10 instead of her Strength or Dexterity die.

Assemble Your Dice. The skill you're using and the cards you played determine the number and type of dice you roll. For example, if you're attempting a check using your Strength skill, and your Strength die is d10, you'll roll 1d10. If another player played a blessing to add a die to your check, you would roll 2d10.

Character Sidebar — Simoun, Rogue: This storm-riding, tattooed half-sylph dances on the air, mesmerizing those she faces with her agility and poise. But beware, for Simoun never travels without at least a dozen knives. If an assassin or brigand appears before her unperforated, that is but a temporary condition—a condition that Simoun is often eager to correct.

Attempt the Roll. Roll the dice and add up their value, adding or subtracting any modifiers that apply to the check. No matter how many penalties are applied to a roll of the dice, the result cannot be reduced below 0. Powers may allow or require you to reroll 1 or more dice; each such power can let you reroll dice only once in a single check or step. If the result is greater than or equal to the difficulty of the check, you succeed. If the result is lower than the difficulty, you fail.

Rules Sidebar — Rolling Dice: The game comes with five dice: a 4-sider, 6-sider, 8-sider, 10-sider, and 12-sider. When you roll the 4-sider, use the number that's upright.

The game uses a shorthand form describing the number and type of dice to roll: Xd#, where "X" represents the number of dice to roll and "d#" represents the number of sides on the dice. For example, if you're asked to roll 2d6, that means to roll 2 6-sided dice and add their values together. Sometimes the shorthand includes a "+" or "–" and a number listed after the die, meaning that you add that number to, or subtract it from, the total of the roll (not each individual die rolled). So 2d4+2 means to roll 2 4-sided dice, total them together, and then add 2. No matter how many penalties are applied to a roll of the dice, the result can't be reduced below 0.

Sometimes, the type of die that you need to roll is determined by your skill. If you're told to use your Strength skill + 1d8, and your Strength die is a d10, roll one 10-sided die and one 8-sided die and add them together to determine your result.

If a card calls for a die roll that affects multiple characters or situations (for example, if it says that each character at a location is dealt 1d4 damage), roll separately for each.

Take Damage, If Necessary. If you fail a check to defeat a monster, it deals an amount of damage to you equal to the difference between the difficulty to defeat the monster and your check result. Unless the card specifies otherwise, this damage is Combat damage. For example, if the difficulty to defeat a monster is 10 and the result of your check is 8, the monster deals 2 Combat damage to you (see Damage, below). Remember that players may not play more than 1 of each card type during a check, so if you previously played an item to affect the check, you may not play an item to reduce damage.

Rules Sidebar — Dealing with Cards: Unless a card says otherwise, drawing means taking a card from the specified source and adding it to your hand. If no source is specified, draw it from your character deck. When you draw a card from a facedown deck, such as a character deck, a location deck, the blessings deck, or any other deck the game tells you to create, draw from the top of the deck. When you draw a card from a faceup pile, such as your discard pile, the blessings discard pile, or any other pile the game tells you to create, draw a card of your choice. When you draw a card from the box, unless you are told to draw a specific card, draw a random card of the appropriate type by shuffling the cards you're drawing from and drawing the top card.

This applies to actions other than drawing—for example, if you're told to bury 1 card from your deck, bury the top card; if you're told to bury 1 card from your discard pile, you choose the card.

When you are told to discard a card from a deck, always put it on top of that deck's discard pile.

Example Sidebar: In a 2-character game, Simoun and Ezren are at the Sulfur Pits. Simoun encounters a Blessing of Abadar. The check to acquire it is Dexterity or Disable 6, or Divine 5. Simoun's Dexterity skill is d12, and her character card says "Disable: Dexterity +1," so her Disable skill is d12+1; she does not have Divine listed on her character card, so she would roll a d4 if she used that. She chooses Disable, and rolls a 4 on her d12, adding 1 for a result of 5; that's 1 less than she needed to acquire the blessing. She banishes the Blessing of Abadar.

On the next turn, Ezren encounters the monster Yellow Jelly; it requires a Combat 8 check to defeat. Combat checks use Strength or Melee (unless a card changes it). Ezren's Strength skill is d4; since he doesn't have the Melee skill, he would roll a d4 for that. However, he has the spell Acid Splash in his hand, which he can discard to use his Arcane skill plus 1d6 for his combat check. He has the skill Arcane: Intelligence + 2, and his Intelligence is d12, so the Acid Splash lets him roll 1d12+2 + 1d6. In addition, the spell adds the Acid trait to the combat check. Because Ezren is at the Sulfur Pits, the Acid trait adds an extra die, which always means his skill die, so he adds another d12. The Yellow Jelly has a power that adds 3 to the check to defeat has the Acid trait, so Ezren rolls 2d12+5 + 1d6, and gets a result of 21. That's enough to defeat the monster. However, the Yellow Jelly has a power that deals 1d4 Acid damage if the result of the check to defeat it exceeds 12! Ezren rolls a 2 on the d4, so he's dealt 2 Acid damage, then he banishes the oozy monster.

Rules Sidebar — Compatibility with Other Sets: Cards in the Mummy's Mask set are intended to be compatible with cards from other sets. Certain cards from one set may not be as effective in another one; for example, the spell Remove Curse will not be as useful in a set without Scourges.

When the same characters or cohorts appear in different sets, they are represented with different cards having different abilities and powers. For example, among other differences, the oracle Alahazra has the Survival skill in Mummy's Mask and the Knowledge skill in Skull & Shackles. To distinguish between them, we add the Adventure Path name to the card name. For example, "Mummy's Mask Alahazra" is a different card than "Skull & Shackles Alahazra," so you may not exchange feats or role cards between them.

Damage

When you are dealt damage, you and other characters may play only cards and use only powers that reduce or otherwise affect the specific type of damage you're being dealt. If you're being dealt Fire damage, for example, you may play cards that reduce Fire damage or cards that reduce all damage, but you may not play cards that reduce only Combat or Electricity damage. Each character may play no more than 1 of each card type to affect damage to the same character from the same source. If a card says it reduces damage with no type listed, it reduces all types of damage.

After any cards or powers affect the amount of damage dealt, choose that number of cards from your hand and discard them. If you don't have enough cards in your hand, discard your entire hand.

Strategy Sidebar — Should You Be Selfish?: Throughout the game, your friends will ask you for help. They might even beg for it. Should you ever tell them no?

Probably not. This is a cooperative game, so sharing information and setting goals as a group is wise. Think about ways you can help each other, such as Zadim discarding a weapon to add to another character's check. You might spend a blessing to get a boon that you can't use and give it to someone else who desperately wants it. Some groups even play with their hands faceup on the table so everyone can help make choices.

Other players do not share as freely, and there's a good reason for it. Your character is a living, growing entity. Your choices will determine whether your character succeeds and improves. If you let your friends make decisions for you, you might not be looking out for yourself.

Character Sidebar — Yoon, Kineticist: A little street urchin with a stuffed owly-bear—what could be cuter? This sentiment lasts right up until Yoon sets that very street on fire. She's a lucky girl, Yoon. She can dodge her way through dangerous situations, and if she's got a blessing in her hand, she'll be seeing it again. Probably with some fire.

Dying

If, for any reason, you are ever required to remove 1 or more cards from your deck and you don't have enough cards, your character dies. Bury your deck, hand, and discard pile; your turn immediately ends. You cannot take turns, play cards, move, visit traders, do anything, or affect anything while you are dead; effects that refer to characters do not affect you unless they specifically refer to dead characters. Certain powerful cards allow you to return from death; if this doesn't happen before the end of the scenario, your death is permanent. The other characters may use the dead character's cards when they rebuild their decks after the scenario; any cards they don't keep are then returned to the box.

If all of the characters are dead, the players lose the scenario (see Ending a Scenario, Adventure, or Adventure Path on page 18).

If your character dies, start a new character for the next scenario. Choose a character card (it can be the same character who just died, though you do not get any of the feats that character previously earned) and build a new character deck as described in Build Your Deck on page 4, choosing only cards that have the Basic trait. If your party has begun the adventure Shifting Sands, you may ignore the Basic trait restriction; instead, you may use any cards with an adventure deck number at least 2 lower than that of the adventure you're currently playing.

New Sidebar — Invokes: A check invokes a trait if it has or is against a card that has that trait. A card invokes a trait if it has that trait. A bane also invokes a trait if it deals only damage of the type that matches that trait.

Examining and Searching

Sometimes a card allows you to examine one or more cards—that means looking at the specified card and then putting it back where it came from. If there are any faceup cards on the deck, ignore them when determining which cards you are examining. If a card tells you to examine a deck until you find a particular card type, begin with the top card of that deck and stop when you have found a card of the correct type. If you don't find a card of the specified type, ignore any directions related to that card. Examine the cards in the order you find them, and put them back in the same order unless instructed otherwise. If anything would cause you to shuffle the deck while you are examining cards, shuffle the deck only after you put the cards back. (Examining cards is not exploring, though it may happen during an exploration.)

If a card allows you to examine a card and then encounter it, and the card you examine says that when you examine it, you encounter it, encounter it only once.

Strategy Sidebar — Should You Look Ahead?: Mummy's Mask is full of cards that let you look at cards in location decks before you encounter them, from Alahazra's powers to spells like Acute Senses. This can be a tremendous help as you race the clock that is the blessings deck.

Finding the villain early can mean the difference between success and failure. A card like Augury can strand a villain on top of a deck, leaving him waiting for you to return while you loot and lock down other locations.

Of course, all that peeking ahead comes at an opportunity cost: Augury could instead be a card that helps you defeat banes and acquire boons. If you can't actually beat what you find, there's no point in finding it.

Looking ahead can also be dangerous. Cards that have the Trigger trait have powers that activate when you examine them. You can find yourself suddenly being dealt Poison damage or having to fight a Ghost Scorpion because you peeked ahead.

Sometimes a card allows you to search a deck and choose any card of a particular type; that means you may look at every card in the deck and choose any card of that type. Unless instructed otherwise, shuffle the deck afterwards.

Character Sidebar — Zadim, Slayer: The tools of a slayer are simple: steel, stealth, and a willingness to do the undesirable. Acids and poisons coat Zadim's blades, which he keeps ready to impale the threats faced by his comrades. His instincts tell him what is around every corner. He's an assassin with a simple creed: never let them see what's coming their way.

Resetting Your Hand

Do the following whenever you are instructed to reset your hand. First, apply any effects that happen when you reset your hand. You may also play cards or use powers that say they may be used when you reset your hand. Next, you may discard any number of cards. Then, if you have more cards in your hand than your hand size specifies, you must discard until the number of cards in your hand matches your hand size. Finally, if you have fewer cards than your hand size, you must draw cards until the number of cards in your hand matches your hand size.

Summoning and Adding Cards

Sometimes you will be told to summon cards or to add cards to a deck. When this happens, retrieve the cards from the box. However, if you're told to summon a card that's already being used, just imagine you have another copy of that card for the new encounter; this summoned copy ceases to exist at the end of the encounter. A summoned card can't cause you to summon a copy of itself or of the card that summoned it.

If you're told to summon and encounter a card, this immediately starts a new encounter. If you're already in an encounter, complete the encounter with the summoned card before continuing the original encounter. After evading a summoned card or resolving the encounter with it, never put it anywhere other than back in the box unless the card that caused you to summon it instructs you otherwise. If an effect causes multiple characters to summon and encounter cards, resolve the encounters sequentially in any order you like, including banishing the card at the end of the encounter. If the summoned card is a villain or henchman, defeating it does not allow you to win the scenario or close a location deck—ignore any such text on those cards. Cards that you summon are not part of any location deck.

New Sidebar — Tokens in Location Decks: Some cards require you to shuffle your character token into a location deck. You shouldn't know where your token card is while you are shuffling. When your token is examined, encountered, or would be returned to the box or removed from the game, remove it from the location deck and place it at that location. While your token is in a location deck, you may explore, encounter cards, and play cards; you cannot move, and you must evade any banes you encounter.

The When Closing section on some locations requires you to summon and defeat (or acquire) a card. Summon and encounter it; if you do not defeat (or acquire) it, the location is not closed.

If you're told to summon and build a location, if it's not already built, retrieve the location card from the box and build the location as usual; do not add villains or henchmen unless instructed to do so. The location and its deck become part of the location list for the rest of the scenario and are no longer considered summoned cards.

If you are instructed to summon and play a card, immediately draw the card from the box and play it, using any power on it that can be used in the current circumstance, then banish it. If no power on it can be used in the current circumstance, banish it.

If you're instructed to add a card to the top or the bottom of a deck, do so; otherwise, any cards added to a deck are shuffled into it.

If you're told to add a random card of a particular type with some additional requirement, such as "having the Human trait" or "non-Basic" (shorthand for "not having the Basic trait"), draw cards of that type from the box until you find a card that fulfills the requirement. Then add that card and put the rest back in the box.

New Sidebar — The Trigger Trait: Many cards in Mummy's Mask have the Trigger trait. Cards that have the Trigger trait always have powers that happen when you examine that card. The Trigger trait is always the first trait listed on a card, and it's highlighted in red so that you can easily spot it. When you examine a card and you see that red highlight, make sure you read the card and do what it says!

Strategy Sidebar — Should You Hoard Blessings?: Blessings are among the most versatile cards in the game. Most can be used to add to checks or to explore again, but you can't use one blessing to do both at the same time. So when you're trying to decide whether to play a blessing on your companion's check to acquire a wand, you might be wondering, "Did I just cost us a turn?"

What is the opportunity cost of not exploring? Do you need that sword more than you need to find the villain? The risk-reward analysis requires some thought.

Early in the game, you might be willing to spend a blessing on a check, but when the clock is ticking down, conservatism is often the wiser course. If it's your combat check and you think you need the blessing to succeed, it's likely worth playing it. Fail badly enough, and you might lose the blessing to damage anyway.

This analysis is worth going through, but don't let it stop you from acting. There are always more turns—at least, until there aren't.

Closing a Location

You may earn the opportunity to close a location in a number of ways. Usually you get to attempt to close a location after defeating a henchman from that location deck (the henchman card will indicate if this is the case) or after that location deck runs out of cards (see Your Turn on page 7). You can never attempt to close a location that is temporarily or permanently closed, or that your character isn't at.

When you have the opportunity and want to close a location, do whatever the location's When Closing section says. Locations often require specific checks to close them; otherwise, they list specific tasks you must perform. (If a location says you may close it automatically, you don't need to do anything else.) If the When Closing text offers multiple options separated by "or," you must choose an option before you use any powers, play any cards, or roll any dice. If you succeed at meeting the When Closing requirement, search the location deck for villains. If you find any, banish all non-villain cards from the location deck. The location is not closed—but at least you know where the villains are! If you would banish any cohorts this way, you may encounter them instead.

If you didn't find any villains, perform the When Permanently Closed effect: First, apply any effects that say "before closing." Then banish all of the cards from the location deck; it is now closed. Finally, apply any effects that say "on closing" and flip the location card over. The location stays closed for the rest of the scenario, so villains may not escape to that location (see Encountering a Villain on page 16). Characters may move to closed locations, and if there are cards there, they may explore and encounter those cards as normal. (Most closed locations don't have cards to explore, but some effects can put cards there.)

Character Sidebar — Ahmotep, Magus (from the Character Add-On Deck): Few in the deserts of Osirion know the value of a stick like the magus Ahmotep does. It can find water, it can crack across a ruffian's skull, it can propel spell power with great potency. Amhotep is the master of staffcraft, never far from teaching someone a lesson they will not soon forget—assuming they remember anything at all.

Rules Sidebar — Active and Optional Powers: In the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, there are always a lot of cards in play. But you don't need to worry about doing what all of them say all the time. Generally, powers on cards are only active in certain situations.

Cards in your hand — Powers on cards in your hand are active only when you choose to play them.

Cards you examine — When you examine cards, only powers that say they happen when you examine the card are active.

Banes you encounter — All of a bane's applicable powers are active while you encounter it.

Boons you encounter — When you encounter a boon, the only powers that are active are ones that say they happen when you encounter it, if you acquire it, or if you fail to acquire it.

Other cards you encounter — When you encounter a card that isn't a bane or a boon, the only powers that are active are ones that say they happen when you encounter it.

Cards in the blessings deck and discard pile — With regard to these cards, the only powers that are active are ones that say they happen when they are discarded from the blessings deck or while on top of the blessings discard pile.

Location cards — Most powers on location cards are active only when players are at that location, but a few location powers affect other situations.

Other cards on the table — Powers on cards on the table—including story cards, character cards, and displayed cards—are active whenever they are appropriate.

Playing cards from your hand is always optional. Active powers on all other cards are only optional if they say "you may" do something.

Character Sidebar — Channa Ti, Druid (from the Character Add-On Deck): A water druid in the desert? It's not as strange as you might think. They're low on water in Osirion, so Channa Ti is quite the popular half-elf. She controls the spirits of the land, whether animal or elemental. This makes her a masterful guide in this dangerous land. She's happy to light your way, for a price.

Encountering a Villain

Most scenarios have a villain—a big bad bane for the players to fight at the end. Villains work a lot like other monsters, but since defeating them is the goal of many scenarios, some special rules are used.

Unlike monsters and henchmen, a villain doesn't just need to be defeated. A villain also needs to be cornered: you need to make sure there are no open locations the villain can escape to.

Attempt to Temporarily Close Open Locations. Before a character encounters a villain, each character at any other open location may immediately attempt to fulfill the When Closing requirement for his location; the villain's location cannot

Before a character encounters a villain, each character at any other open location may immediately attempt to fulfill the When Closing requirement for his location; the villain's location cannot be temporarily closed. You may decide the order in which these attempts are made. If anything causes a character to move before his attempt is made, he may attempt to close his new location, not his previous location. If any character succeeds, his location is temporarily closed and the villain cannot escape there this encounter (see Check to See Whether the Villain Escapes on page 17). Temporarily closing a location only prevents the villain from escaping there during this encounter; it does not trigger any of the other effects of closing a location, and the location opens again immediately after the encounter.

Encounter the Villain. This encounter works exactly as it does with other banes, but be careful to look for any special rules listed on the villain card or the scenario card.

If You Defeat the Villain, Close the Villain's Location. You do not need to fulfill the When Closing requirement. Search the location deck for additional villains; if you don't find any, banish all of its cards. The location is permanently closed, and the location's When Permanently Closed effect is triggered. Flip the location card over. If any villains remain in the deck, banish everything except the remaining villains and shuffle the deck; the location is not permanently closed, but if there are no other open locations for the villain to escape to, banish the villain.

Check to See Whether the Villain Escapes. If any locations are not closed, the villain escapes. If you defeated the villain, count the number of open locations, subtract 1, and retrieve that number of random blessings from the box. Shuffle the villain in with those blessings, then deal 1 card to each open location and shuffle those location decks. If the villain is undefeated, do the same thing, but retrieve the blessings from the blessings deck instead of from the box. (Note that if you did not defeat the villain, there is always at least one open location: the one in which it was just encountered.)

If the Villain Has Nowhere to Escape to, You Win! See After the Scenario below. Some scenarios may have other conditions for winning.

Example Sidebar: Alahazra has defeated the final card in the Surgery location deck, and she is now attempting to close the location. In its When Closing section, Surgery gives two options: Alahazra can recharge a card that has the Healing trait, or she can succeed at an Intelligence, Craft, or Survival check with a difficulty of 6 plus the scenario's adventure deck number. She's playing a scenario in the first adventure, so the difficulty is 7. She has the spell Cure in her hand, which has the Healing trait, but she wants to keep it. She considers rolling her Survival skill, which is d8+2, but she doesn't like those odds. She plays the item Osirion History Guide to add 1 die to the check. She rolls 2d8+2 and gets a 10, which closes the Surgery. Its When Permanently Closed power is activated, so she rolls a d4+1 and shuffles 4 random cards from her discard pile into her deck. Alahazra flips the Surgery card over to show that it's closed.

Strategy Sidebar — Should You Burn Through Your Deck?: Playing a character such as Ezren or Yoon gives you ways to churn through your deck faster, discarding cards quickly to get to the cards you want. While this makes you far more likely to defeat your enemies and acquire what you need, it comes with a cost: you might kill off your character.

This game is all about trade-offs. Should you press your luck or hold off a bit? Not taking risks will make you lose as often as taking too many risks, but at least your character will be alive after you lose.

One of the toughest choices involves shedding cards as you reset your hand. You're allowed to discard any number of cards before you draw up, but that means you're closer to death. There are few things more humiliating than dying because you forgot how many cards you needed to draw at the end of your turn.

When you have too many cards in your hand, that's a different problem. If you can play some cards that can be recharged—even though you might have used them much later—it's still worth playing them. Discarding cards for no gain is more painful.

Character Sidebar — Drelm, Cleric (from the Character Add-On Deck): To get the most out of the marketplace, you have to be willing to flip a few tables. Captain Drelm can wrangle that extra boon out of any trader, whether the trader wants it or not. He has the power of the god Abadar on his side, meaning the many traps in the tombs of the necropolis are mere nuisances to him.

After the Scenario

When you have broken the last vase and sent the last mummy back to rest in its sarcophagus, you can retreat to the shade of the markets. Heal up, rest, and trade with the local merchants, for tomorrow there is another tomb to search.

Ending a Scenario, Adventure, or Adventure Path

If at any point you need to advance the blessing deck but there are no cards remaining in it, immediately end the current turn; the scenario then ends and your party of adventurers loses. You also lose if all of the characters are dead at the same time (see Dying on page 13). You do not earn the reward on the scenario card, and you didn't complete that scenario. You must replay it and complete it successfully before you can attempt the next scenario.

If the players defeat the villain and prevent it from escaping, or they achieve a different condition for winning listed on the scenario card, your group defeats the scenario and earns the reward listed on the scenario card. You may be rewarded with loot cards, each of which can be given to any character in the group. If you're rewarded with a feat, choose an appropriate checkbox on your character card (or your role card, if you have one) and check it. That feat now applies to your character until she dies. If you're rewarded with a feat of a specific type and your character has no unchecked feats of that type, you do not gain a feat. Your party may be rewarded with a trader; check it off on the Bazaar card. You may not earn the reward from a given scenario, adventure, or Adventure Path more than once unless the reward specifically tells you otherwise.

Character Sidebar — Mavaro, Occultist (from the Character Add-On Deck): The occultist is a sampler of the best of all things. Rarely bound by limitations of what he can carry, Mavaro can start one day with an array of armors and the next with nary one in his possession. His talents lie with exploiting those goods on checks, then casting them aside when their utility is maxed out.

If you won the scenario, after gaining rewards, each character may visit a trader. Most traders list a type of card that they offer and a trade cost; characters can pay the trade cost to get a card offered by the trader. Each character may visit 1 trader that has been checked off on the Bazaar card; multiple characters may visit the same trader. First, display the chosen traders. Then for each trader, draw a number of random cards from the box equal to 1 plus the number of characters visiting that trader. These cards must be of the type that that trader is offering, and must have an adventure deck number equal to the completed scenario's adventure deck number, or 1 less than that number. Display these cards on the trader. Next, all characters may trade boons amongst themselves, then each may trade with the trader.

Example Sidebar: Alahazra and Damiel have chosen to visit Falsin Deek, while Estra visits Hadden Hoppert. The party has just completed a scenario with an adventure deck number of 3, so Falsin Deek is displayed and 3 random items that have an adventure deck number of 2 or 3 are taken from the box and displayed on him. Hadden Hoppert is displayed with 2 random spells that have an adventure deck number of 2 or 3. If the characters want a card with adventure deck number 3, they'll need to trade in cards with adventure deck number 2 or higher; if they want a card with adventure deck number 2, they'll need to trade in cards with adventure deck number 1 or higher. Damiel and Alahazra can each trade 2 boons to get 1 of the items displayed on Falson Deek. Damiel really wants an item with adventure deck number 3, but he has only one boon with adventure deck number 2 or higher that he's willing to trade away. Fortunately, Alahazra isn't interested in any of the items, but she does have a boon with adventure deck number 2 that she doesn't need, so she gives it to Damiel so he can pay the trade cost for the item he wants. He puts those two boons in the box and takes the item from the trader. Estra pays her trade cost by putting a boon with adventure deck number 2 and another with adventure deck number 3 in the box, then takes a spell with adventure deck number 3 from Hadden Hoppert. Since everyone is done trading, the traders go back in the box along with the remaining boons that were displayed on them.

To trade with the trader, the character must pay the trade cost by putting the appropriate number and type of cards from her cards into the box; these cards must have an adventure deck number no less than 1 less than the desired card's adventure deck number. After paying the trade cost, the character may take a card displayed on the trader. Each character can make no more than 1 trade. If more than 1 character chose the same trader, those characters should randomly determine which character trades with that trader first. After all characters are done trading, shuffle any boons that remain displayed on the traders back into the box and put the traders back in the box.

Then, whether you won or lost the scenario, if any displayed boons could be banished or removed from the game when a certain condition is met (such as the end of an encounter, the end of a turn, or a location closing), treat them as if that condition is occurring. Then put all cards other than boons back in the box. Next, rebuild your character deck (see Between Games below). Finally, put any remaining cards back in the box.

If you successfully completed the scenario, you may proceed to the next scenario listed on the adventure card.

When you successfully complete all of the scenarios on the adventure card, you complete the adventure, and earn the reward on the adventure card. To move on to the next adventure, add all of the cards from the next Adventure Deck to the box, sorting the cards by type and combining them with the cards you already have. If you own any Class Decks, you can add any cards from them that have the same adventure deck number as the Adventure Deck cards you just added. Begin with the first scenario of the new adventure.

If you successfully complete all of the adventures listed on the Adventure Path card, you earn the reward on the Adventure Path card. At this point, you can build your own adventures using the cards you have, or you can create new characters and start over.

Between Games

After each scenario, you must rebuild your character deck. Start by combining your discard pile with your hand, your character deck, any cards you buried under your character card, and any cards you displayed; you may then freely trade cards with other players. Your deck must end up meeting the Cards List requirements on your character card. Loot cards count as cards of their type. For example, if your character's Cards List specifies 3 items, and you keep 1 loot card with the item type when your rebuild your deck, your deck must contain exactly 2 other items.

If you can't construct a valid deck from the cards your group has available because you don't have enough of certain cards, choose the extra cards you need from the box, choosing only cards that have the Basic trait. After you begin the adventure Shifting Sands, you may ignore the Basic trait restriction; instead, you may use any cards in the box whose adventure deck number is at least 2 lower than the adventure you're currently playing. If you have cards left over after rebuilding all of the surviving characters' decks, put them back in the box.

If you want to start a new character, you may, but it's important that you do not keep decks for characters you're not actively playing. Doing so would use up cards that you should be encountering during play. The base set is designed to have no more than 4 character decks built at one time; the Character Add-On Deck, available separately, expands the maximum number of concurrently built decks to 6. If you switch characters for some reason, it's best to write down the cards in the previous character's deck (or use the free character sheets posted online at paizo.com/pacg) and return the cards to the box until you want to play that character again.

Strategy Sidebar — Should You Seek Out Danger?: When you're adventuring, you can go wherever you want… but not all locations are created equal.

Start by looking at the text on all of the location cards. You might be able to discard a blessing to explore again, but if you're at the Peasant Tombs, will you have a Divine card to bury when you need to close it?

A location's When Closing requirement can guide your path as well. If you can't close the location when the henchman pops up, you'll have to burn through the whole deck to try again.

Sometimes you'll want to leave a location open until the villain appears and you can temporarily close it.

All else being equal, more exploration yields more fun.

Strategy Sidebar — Advice for Solo Play: Solo play is particularly good for quickly completing scenarios to advance your character if you want to catch up to other players.

Not all characters should be considered equal for solo play. Zadim is particularly helpful to other characters, but that doesn't help when there are no other characters. Estra, on the other hand, is great for solo play, because she can reduce damage to herself.

You can also play multiple characters if you like; we suggest you try solo play with 2 characters. Treat each character as if he were being played by a separate player (so if you're playing Ezren and Damiel, advance the blessings deck at the start of Ezren's turn and at the start of Damiel's turn).

Some cards are particularly difficult in solo play. If you're playing Yoon by herself, and you pick up a Falling Rubble, you may be making impossible Strength checks until you die. When you encounter a card your character just can't deal with, remove it from the game and replace it with another card of the same type that roughly matches its power level but isn't as impossible to overcome. (Some cards are actually easier in solo play, such as banes that require each character to succeed at a check.)

Card Types

It is said that in Osirion the bazaars hold great wonders and the tombs hold quick death, but often it is the other way around.

Character Cards

Each character card includes the following information.

Traits: Many effects use a card's traits; for example, some cards give you a bonus if your character has a particular trait.

Skills: Skills tell you what type of die to roll when you attempt a check (see Attempting a Check on page 10). Normally, you roll 1 die of the appropriate type for a check, but other cards can add to that.

Powers: Each character has powers you can use to affect the game. Unless a character power says "you may," it is active whenever it is appropriate. For example, Estra must add 1d10 to her checks against cards that have the Undead trait, even at the Alchemical Laboratory where rolling too high could cause her to take Acid damage. You may use multiple different character powers during one check or step.

Hand Size: This is the number of cards you draw to form your hand at the beginning of each scenario. When you reset your hand, you must discard or draw cards so you have exactly this number of cards again.

Proficient With: If your character is proficient with weapons or specific types of armors, they're listed here. Some weapons and armors are more useful for characters who are proficient with them.

Favored Card Type: Your character always begins a scenario with at least 1 card of this type in hand (see Draw Starting Hands on page 6).

Cards List: At the start of each scenario, your character deck must contain exactly the listed quantity of each boon type. As you play through a scenario, you will add and remove cards from your deck, so it may vary from this list during play. At the end of the scenario, you'll rebuild your deck to conform to the list again, although you might not end up with exactly the same cards you had before. If you have a cohort listed, and it hasn't been removed from the game, you can put it in your hand after you draw your starting hand; it counts as a Basic card for you.

Feats

Character cards include a number of powers with checkboxes; these are called feats. After successfully completing a scenario or adventure, you might be instructed to gain a feat of a specific type. After you check a box of that type on your character card, your character may use that feat in future scenarios. You may not use feats that are not yet checked off. If there's more than 1 checkbox associated with a skill, power, or card type, you must check the unchecked box farthest to the left before you can check immediately adjacent boxes. For example, if a skill has boxes labeled +1, +2, and +3, you must check the +1 box before you can check the +2 or +3 box, and you must have checked +1 and +2 before you can check +3. These boxes aren't cumulative—that is, "+2" replaces "+1," so they do not add together to make +3.

We recommend you use a pencil to lightly check the feat boxes, or you can track your character with the free character sheets posted online at paizo.com/pacg.

There are three main types of feats.

Skill Feats: When you gain a skill feat, check 1 new box in the Skills section of your character card. Skill feats add a modifier to a skill of your choice: you'll add the number next to the box you selected to any check attempted with that skill. So if your Charisma die is d10, and you've checked the "+2" box for your Charisma skill, you'll roll 1d10 and add 2 when you attempt a check that uses your Charisma skill (see Attempting a Check on page 10).

Power Feats: When you gain a power feat, check 1 new box in the Powers section of your character card. Some power feats give you new powers, such as increasing your hand size or making you proficient with weapons or specific types of armors. Other power feats improve your character's existing powers. If your character has a power that allows him to add 1d4 to another character's combat check, and you've checked the "+1" box next to it, you'll add 1d4+1 to the other character's check. These modifiers apply only when using the power on your character card; if you instead play a card with a similar power, the feat modifier doesn't apply.

Card Feats: When you gain a card feat, check 1 new box on the Cards List on your character card. Each card feat allows you to put one more card of the type you choose into your character deck. After you choose a card feat, use the new number on your Cards List whenever you rebuild your deck.

Role Cards

Each character card has a corresponding role card, though you won't use it right away. Role cards are part of the reward you get for completing the third adventure of the Mummy's Mask Adventure Path. Role cards offer new feats for you to choose; these feats apply to your character as if they were part of the original character card, and your role card counts as part of your character card.

Each side of the role card presents a different specialization for your character, allowing you to choose one of two different paths for your character's continuing advancement. For example, one side of the role card for the rogue Simoun presents feats that let her play multiple knives in every combat, while the other side offers feats to represent her abilities to control and use lightning.

When you are told to select your character's role card, select one of the two roles. From then on, whenever you gain a feat and choose to check a box on your role card, you must always choose feats from that side of the role card.

Your role card must be placed directly over the Powers section of your character card; thereafter, your character card's Powers section cannot be modified. When you first get the role card, check any boxes for the role you've chosen that match boxes you've already checked on your character card. For example, if the "Light Armors" box was checked on your character card, check the "Light Armors" box on your role card.

Token Cards

Each character has a corresponding token card, which you'll move to keep track of your character's current location. Each token card also includes a brief character biography.

Story Cards (Adventure Path, Adventure, and Scenario)

Story cards define the game session you'll be playing. You have a scenario card, which tells you what to do and where to go in the current game session. You have an adventure card, which lists the scenarios you must finish to complete the adventure; and you have an Adventure Path card, which lists the adventures you need to finish to complete the Adventure Path.

The front of each story card includes powers for playing it. Some are used during play, and some are used as you set up a particular scenario, so make sure you read them right away. Story cards also list a reward—something you get to do once you complete the task provided by the story card (see Ending a Scenario, Adventure, or Adventure Path on page 18).

The front of each scenario card lists the villains and henchmen in the scenario; the back of each scenario card includes a list of locations used in the scenario (see Set Out the Locations and Build the Location Decks on page 6).

Location Cards

Location cards represent the places your characters will visit during the scenario. If any character is at a location, it is considered occupied. The front of each location card has the following features.

Deck List: This tells you the quantity of each card type you need to set up the location deck (see Build the Location Decks on page 6).

At This Location: These are special powers that are in effect while the location is open. Some of these remain in effect when the location is permanently closed; in that case, they also appear on the back of the location card.

When Closing: When you have the opportunity to close a location and want to do so, you must perform this task. Usually you get the opportunity to close a location after a henchman is defeated there (when this is the case, the henchman card will say so) or after the location deck runs out of cards (see Closing a Location on page 15). When you close a location, flip it over. The villain can no longer escape to this location, though characters can still move there.

When Permanently Closed: When a location is permanently closed, the powers listed here go into effect. Some of these remain in effect when the location is permanently closed; in that case, they also appear on the back of the location card.

Support Cards (Scourge, Trader, Bazaar, Defensive Stance, and Cohort)

Support cards supplement various features of the game. Support cards do not count as either banes or boons.

New Sidebar — More Support Card Types: Mummy's Mask introduces four new card types: Scourge, Trader, Bazaar, and Defensive Stance.

Scourges are cards that have lasting negative effects on characters. If a card tells you to suffer a specific scourge, draw it from the box and display it next to your character deck. If a card tells you to suffer a scourge without naming a specific card, check the adventure card to find out what the adventure's scourge die is, roll that die on the scourge table, draw the corresponding scourge from the box, and display it next to your character deck. If you encounter a scourge in a location deck, immediately display it next to your character deck; the encounter is over. Some powers can remove scourges; otherwise, they remain displayed until the end of the scenario.

Scenario	Scourge Die
B	1d4
1	1d4+1
2	1d6
3	1d6+1
4	1d8
5	1d8+1
6	1d10

Die Roll	Scourge
1	Curse of Poisoning
2	Curse of Poisoning
3	Curse of Vulnerability
4	Curse of Daybane
5	Curse of the Ravenous
6	Curse of Withering
7	Curse of Fevered Dreams
8	Curse of the Sphinx
9	Curse of Blindness
10	Curse of the Mummy

Traders let you exchange cards in your deck that you don't want for different ones. The Bazaar card allows you to keep track of the traders that you are able to choose at the end of each scenario (see After the Scenario on page 18).

Some scenarios tell you to display the Defensive Stance card. The powers in its During This Scenario section apply while it is displayed.

Cohorts are companions that some characters get at the start of a scenario. (Mummy's Mask does not include any characters that use cohorts; they can be found in Wrath of the Righteous and certain Class Decks.) If the back of your character card lists a cohort at the bottom of your cards list, after you draw your starting hand, add your cohort to it.

If you encounter a cohort in a location deck, you automatically acquire it. If you would banish a cohort, remove it from the game instead; it may not be used in future scenarios, even if it's listed on your character card.

Rules Sidebar — Owner Trait: Some cards have the Owner trait, followed by the name of a character. If your character is the Owner of a card, you—and only you—may treat it as if it has the Basic trait.

Boon Cards (Weapon, Spell, Armor, Item, Ally, Blessing, and Loot)

Boons are cards you may be able to acquire and put into your hand or deck for future use. Weapons, spells, armors, items, allies, blessings, and loot are all boons. Each player may play only one of each type of boon on a single check. The following information appears on boons.

Type: This is the boon's card type.

Traits: Many effects use a card's traits; for example, a Skeletal Jackal is harder to defeat when you play a weapon that has the Piercing or Slashing trait.

Check to Acquire: When you encounter a boon, you may attempt a check to acquire it. If you succeed at the check, put the card in your hand; if you fail or choose to not attempt the check, banish the card (see Playing Cards on page 8). You only attempt the check to acquire when encountering a card, not when drawing it from your deck or playing it from your hand. Some boons list actions other than checks that you may take to acquire the card. Loot cards do not have a check to acquire; instead, you earn them as a reward for completing a scenario.

Powers: Each power is presented as a complete paragraph. Powers allow you to perform a specified action to cause an effect, such as discarding the boon to add to a check. (Common actions include revealing, displaying, discarding, recharging, burying, and banishing, but other actions may be specified.) When you perform an action with the card to cause an effect, you are playing it for its power. (See Playing Cards, p. 8).

If a paragraph on a boon doesn't require you to perform an action with that boon to cause an effect, that paragraph is not a power; do what it says at the appropriate time. For example, if a paragraph says "After you play this card, if you have the Divine skill, recharge it instead of discarding it," and you have the Divine skill, you must recharge the card after you play it. If a card says "If proficient with light armors, you may recharge this card when you reset your hand," and you are proficient with light armors, then when you reset your hand, you may recharge that card. When you are required to do something with the card as part of the effect (rather than to cause an effect), that does not count as playing it. So in either of the previous examples, recharging the card does not count as playing it.

If a card tells you that you may treat it as if it has the same powers as another boon, do not include paragraphs that are not powers.

The following are general descriptions of each type of boon.

Weapon: Weapon cards often require you to do something (such as reveal the card) to modify your combat check. If a power refers to characters who are proficient with weapons, look in the Powers section of your character card to see if you're proficient.

Spell: Spell cards have a wide variety of effects. Spells always have the Arcane or Divine trait or both; characters with a skill matching that trait will often be able to make the best use of a given spell.

Armor: Armor cards help you by reducing damage. Armor powers specify which types of damage they reduce; if a power refers to "all" damage, that applies to all damage of all types. If the armor doesn't reduce the type of damage you're being dealt, you can't play it to reduce the damage. For example, if you're dealt Fire damage, and an armor card doesn't say it reduces Fire damage or all damage, you can't play it to reduce the damage. If a power refers to characters who are proficient with either Light or Heavy Armors, look in the Powers section of your character card to see if you're proficient.

Item: Item cards have a wide variety of effects. Many of them help with non-combat checks.

Ally: Ally cards often help you with checks you attempt, and many let you discard them to explore again on your turn.

Blessing: Blessing cards often allow you to explore or add dice to checks attempted by any player, including yourself, at any location. The dice added are normally of the type associated with the skill the character is using for the check; for example, if Yoon is attempting a Fortitude check with her Fortitude of d10+2, Blessing of the Ancients adds a d10. If a card instead specifies the exact dice to roll for the check, the added dice are of the type specified by that card.

Loot: Loot cards are unique in a couple of ways. The other boons can be found by exploring locations, but loot cards are only given out as rewards for completing scenarios, except in very rare cases when other cards give them out. They are automatically acquired, and so they have no check to acquire. Also, loot cards list a type, such as "weapon"; apart from the way loot cards are acquired, loot cards behave just like other boons of that type and count as cards of that type rather than loot when played. If a loot card ends up in a location deck, you automatically acquire it when you encounter it.

Bane Cards (Villain, Henchman, Monster, and Barrier)

You must defeat bane cards or suffer their consequences. Barriers and monsters appear randomly in location decks, while most scenarios call for specific villains and henchmen.

Type: Most banes are either monsters or barriers. Most villains and henchmen have the "monster" type and count as monsters; a few have the "barrier" type and count as barriers.

Traits: Many effects use a card's traits; for example, the monster Magma Spirit is immune to the Fire trait, and is more vulnerable to the Cold trait.

Check to Defeat: This is the skill check or combat check needed to defeat the bane. If the check is listed as "None" or "See Below," the requirements to defeat the bane may be stated in the bane's power. If the check is listed as "None" and the power does not state the requirements to defeat the bane, the bane cannot be defeated. You normally take damage if you fail a check to defeat a monster (see Take Damage, If Necessary on page 12).

Powers: These special rules apply when you encounter the bane. If a bane says an effect happens if or when you do a particular thing, it applies to any character who does that thing. If it limits the things you can do, that limit applies to any character who wants to do those things; however, if the limitation is the result of an action such as playing a card or attempting a check, it applies only to the character who took that action.

Rules Sidebar — Limited Resources: If you're required to do something with a certain number of things and there aren't that many things available, use as many as there are. For example, if you're told to choose 2 characters at a location occupied by only 1 character, choose only that character. If you're told to draw 4 cards from a deck that has only 3 cards, draw the 3 cards. (Regardless, if you need to do anything with any number of cards from the blessings deck, other than shuffle it, and you don't have enough cards, you lose the scenario; if that happens with your character deck, your character dies.)

Note that this only applies when you are required to do something. If you have the opportunity to do something that requires a limited resource, and you don't have enough of that resource, you cannot do that thing. For example, if you have the opportunity to close a location whose "When Closing" says "recharge 2 spells" and you have only 1 spell, you cannot close that location.

Strategy Sidebar — Join the Community: To get the most out of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, please visit paizo.com/pacg. You'll find FAQs, rules updates, character sheets, links to videos of people playing the game, the latest Pathfinder Adventure Card Game news, and more. You'll also find the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game messageboards, where you can interact with other players and the people who made the game. You can also learn about and join our worldwide Pathfinder Society Adventure Card Guild organized play program and advance your characters through new scenarios.

Rules Sidebar — Making Your Own Cards: You can make your own story cards—simply follow the format on the ones in the box, choosing villains and henchmen that are appropriate for the power level of your characters. Be careful when setting rewards; you don't want to give out too much for success.

You can also make your own character and role cards. To balance them with the ones in the box, each character should start with 15 cards on her Card List, no more than 1 d12 in her skills, and no more than 5 different skill modifiers. The sum of the skill dice should be 42. She should have 15 skill feat checkboxes, 10 card feat checkboxes, 4 power feat checkboxes on her character card, and 12 power feat checkboxes on her role card. Expanded guidelines can be found at paizo.com/pacg.

Best of all, we have partnered with DriveThruCards to provide a tool that allows you to easily create your own cards and have them professionally custom-printed. Visit drivethrucards.com/pacg to try it out!

Promo Sidebar — Can't Get Enough Game? Try the Adventure Card Guild!: If an entire Adventure Path just isn't enough for you, or you want to play at conventions or game store events, check out the Pathfinder Society Adventure Card Guild organized play program.

Each Adventure Card Guild season is associated with a specific Base Set. The Season of the Mummy is an entirely new Adventure Path full of brand-new scenarios using the Mummy's Mask Base Set and its expansions.

To join in the fun, visit paizo.com/pfsacg to get your Pathfinder Society ID number and download the Pathfinder Society Adventure Card Guild Guide. Each player will also need a Class Deck. Find an Adventure Card Guild event at paizo.com/pathfinderSociety/events, or run your own!

Example of Play

Setting Up

Eric, Yolanda, and Simon are playing Ezren, Yoon, and Simoun, and they are just about to start The Half-Dead City adventure. Eric puts the Adventure Path Mummy's Mask, the adventure The Half-Dead City, and the scenario Ahead of the Competition on the table. The back of the scenario card lists 5 specific locations for the 3 characters, so he sets those out. Then he builds each location deck by looking at the deck list on each location card and dealing the specified number of each type of card listed into that location deck. Looking at the scenario card, Yolanda shuffles the villain Imanish together with 4 random allies (instead of the usual henchmen), then shuffles 1 card from that pile into each location deck. Simon creates a deck of 30 blessings.

Eric and Yolanda place Ezren and Yoon's tokens at the Hot Springs, while Simon places Simoun at the Scorched Ruins. This leaves the Tarworks, Thornscrub, and Glass Pavilion unoccupied.

Everyone draws a starting hand. Simoun's hand size is 6, so she draws 6 cards. She drew the weapon Corrosive Dagger +1, so she has her favored card type. Ezren's hand includes a card that has the Attack trait, his favored card type. Yoon favors blessings, but gets none in her starting draw. So she discards her hand and draws another 5 cards, getting 2 blessings, then shuffles her discards back into her deck.

Yolanda's Turn

Yolanda starts her turn by discarding the top card of the blessings deck, a Blessing of Pharasma. Yoon's hand contains 2 blessings, and Ezren's has none, so she gives him a Blessing of the Ancients. Yoon then plays the armor Crocodile Skin Helmet. Because she's proficient with light armors, she can recharge it to examine the top card of her location deck, so she can decide whether she wants to explore it or move somewhere else. The card she examines is an item, the Brilliance of Ra. It has the Trigger trait, which means that something happens when the card is examined. In this case, it's good news: If she reveals a blessing that has the Ra trait, she can acquire the Brilliance of Ra before she even explores. As the gods would have it, her remaining blessing is a Blessing of Ra, which has the Ra trait. So she adds the Brilliance of Ra to her hand.

Now she explores her location. She encounters a monster, a Fire Hydra! It says that before she acts, each character at her location has to attempt a Dexterity or Acrobatics check with a difficulty of 8 to avoid 1d4-1 Fire damage. Yoon's Acrobatics skill is d8+1. She doesn't play any cards to affect her check and rolls a 4, failing the check. She rolls for damage and gets a result of 2. But Yoon has a power that lets her reveal a card that has the Fire trait to reduce Fire damage by 3. She reveals her Blessing of Ra and takes no damage. Ezren has only a d4 in Dexterity and so cannot succeed at the check. He rolls for damage and gets a result of 1. He recharges his Crocodile Skin Madu to reduce the damage by 2, so he doesn't have to discard any cards.

Now Yoon must fight the Fire Hydra, which requires a Combat 7 check to defeat. She has a weapon in her hand, but the Hot Springs says to discard a weapon if you play it, so she decides to use her Strength die of d6. She uses a character power to recharge her Blessing of Ra, and adds her Fortitude die of d10+2 and the Fire trait to her combat check. So she rolls 1d6 + 1d10+2, and gets a result of 10. To be defeated, the monster also requires the check to have one of the Acid, Cold, Electricity, Fire, or Poison traits; since Yoon added the Fire trait and exceeded the difficulty, the monster is defeated.

Yolanda ends Yoon's turn. She has 3 cards left in her hand, so she draws 2 cards to get back up to her hand size.

Simon's Turn

Simon advances the blessings deck and reveals a Blessing of the Elements. Simoun explores the Scorched Ruins, encountering the barrier Lightning Storm. It has no check to defeat. It is immediately displayed next to Simoun's location, but luckily Simoun won't have to deal with it until she moves or starts her next turn.

Since that encounter was so unsatisfying, Simoun decides to try again. So she discards the ally Shock Lizard to explore again. She encounters a Galvanic Chakram +1. She has to succeed at a Dexterity or Ranged 8 check to acquire it, and she has a Ranged skill of d12+2. This is pretty much her dream weapon, so she plays a Blessing of Horus, and since this check is against a card that has the Electricity trait, she gets 2 extra dice. Simoun rolls 3d12+2 and gets a 20. The Galvanic Chakram +1 is hers!

Simoun wants to use her new toy, so she discards a Blessing of the Ancients to explore one more time, and finds an ally, Mahga Threefingers. Simoun blows the Charisma 8 check to acquire Mahga, banishing her. But because of a scenario power that happens after a character encounters an ally, she must now summon and encounter the henchman Beheaded! Before she acts, the Beheaded will deal 1 damage to her, of a type determined by rolling a d4. Simoun could discard her Galvanic Chakram +1 to use a power on it that would allow her to ignore the damage power on the monster, but she really wants to keep her weapon to fight the monster, so she takes the damage. Besides, if she rolls a 4 on that d4, it will deal Electricity damage, which her character power would reduce. Unfortunately, she rolls a 2, so it deals 1 Acid damage. Simoun discards a card for the damage and prepares for combat.

Simoun reveals her Galvanic Chakram +1 to use her Ranged skill of d12+2 plus 1d8+1. Simoun also discards her beloved Corrosive Dagger +1, allowing her to add 1d4+1 on a check on which she played another weapon. Normally, playing two weapons is not allowed, but the Dagger is special. So she rolls 1d12 + 1d8 + 1d4+4, and gets a 16, 4 more than needed.

The scenario power says that after defeating the henchman, she has a chance to close her location. To close the Scorched Ruins, she must summon and acquire a weapon. She pulls a random weapon—a Torch— from the box and attempts to acquire it. She'll need to succeed at a Strength, Intelligence, or Wisdom check of a difficulty of 4. She uses her Intelligence skill of d8 and gets a 5. She keeps the Torch and the location is closed! Simon banishes all the cards from the Scorched Ruins and turns it face down. Simoun's turn is over.

Eric's Turn

Eric advances the blessings deck, discarding a Blessing of Abadar. The Fire Hydra made him realize that bunching up was a bad idea, so Ezren moves to the Tarworks. He then explores, encountering the villain Imanish! Because there are open locations that no character can temporarily close, there's no chance to permanently defeat the villain this early, but even forcing him to escape has advantages.

Before Ezren encounters Imanish, Yoon has a chance to temporarily close her location—and the Hot Springs' requirement is that she summon and defeat the henchman Acid Pool. This requires an Intelligence, Craft, Wisdom, or Survival check of 9 plus the adventure deck number, or 10. This would be difficult with an Intelligence of only d6, but luckily the Acid Pool is a barrier and she drew a Blessing of Abadar at the end of her turn. This adds 2d6 to her check, and she rolls an 11. The Hot Springs location is temporarily closed.

Now Ezren encounters Imanish. Before he acts, he needs to succeed at a Wisdom or Perception 8 check, or fight the henchman Blightwing. Ezren has a Perception skill of d8+1. Normally, Ezren would be in trouble now, but Yoon gave him a Blessing of the Ancients, which he plays to add another d8 to the check. He gets a 10 and succeeds.

Now Ezren must attempt to defeat the villain, who requires a Combat 9 check to defeat. However, the villain is immune to the Fire and Poison traits, and if the check has the Acid or Electricity trait, Ezren would have to subtract 1 from each die he rolls. This significantly weakens Ezren's spells, but they're still better than using his d4 Strength. He plays Lightning Touch, which adds 2d4 to his Arcane skill for a total of 1d12 + 2d4+2. Ezren gets a 9, and barely defeats the villain! He succeeds at an Arcane 6 check to recharge Lightning Touch.

Because he defeated a villain, Ezren closes the Tarworks without having to fulfill its requirement, and banishes all its cards. With the Scorched Ruins also permanently closed and the Hot Springs temporarily closed, the villain can only escape to the Thornscrub or the Glass Pavilion. Eric draws a random blessing from the box, shuffles it and Imanish together, and shuffles 1 of those cards into each open location. The Hot Springs then reopens, but at least the party knows that the villain's not there.

Ezren's turn is over, and he draws back up to his hand size of 6. The hunt for Imanish continues in the tombs!

Suggested Deck Lists

Here are optional starting card lists for the seven characters in the base set and the four characters in the Character Add-On Deck. All of these characters start with only cards that have the Basic trait (including cards that have the Owner trait for these characters). Note that while all of these characters are buildable with any others, they can't all be built at once because you might not have enough cards left in the box to play the game.

Base Set Characters

Alahazra — Spell: Cure (2), Elemental Treaty, Fireblade (2). Armor: Crocodile Skin Armor. Item: Flame Staff, Holy Water Grenade. Ally: Camel, Pahmet Clansman. Blessing: Blessing of the Ancients (5).

Damiel — Weapon: Blowgun, Torch. Armor: Armored Kilt, Tussah Silk Coat. Item: Acid Flask (2), Bladeguard, Flash Freeze, Noxious Bomb. Ally: Dhabba, Tomb Raider. Blessing: Blessing of the Elements (4).

Estra — Spell: Acid Jet, Cure, Remove Curse, Unshakable Chill, Viper Strike. Armor: Armored Kilt. Item: Compass, Osirion History Guide. Ally: Honaire, Porcupine, Tomb Raider. Blessing: Blessing of the Ancients (2), Blessing of the Elements (2).

Ezren — Weapon: Torch. Spell: Acid Jet, Elemental Treaty, Immolate, Lightning Touch, Remove Curse, Unshakable Chill. Armor: Tussah Silk Coat. Item: Fire Ward Gel, Osirion History Guide. Ally: Embalmer, Pahmet Clansman, Porcupine. Blessing: Blessing of the Elements (2).

Simoun — Weapon: Blowgun, Kopis (4). Armor: Tussah Silk Coat. Item: Antitoxin, Compass, Magnifying Glass. Ally: Embalmer, Shock Lizard, Tomb Raider. Blessing: Blessing of the Ancients (2), Blessing of the Elements.

Yoon — Weapon: Blowgun, Torch. Armor: Armored Kilt. Item: Acid Flask, Flash Freeze. Ally: Camel, Dhabba, Porcupine, Shock Lizard. Blessing: Blessing of the Ancients (2), Blessing of the Elements (4).

Zadim — Weapon: Khopesh, Kukri (3), Whip. Armor: Crocodile Skin Armor, Crocodile Skin Shield. Item: Bladeguard, Crowbar, Noxious Bomb. Ally: Dhabba, Pahmet Clansman. Blessing: Blessing of the Ancients (2), Blessing of the Elements.

Character Add-On Deck Characters

Ahmotep — Weapon: Explorer's Staff, Khopesh. Spell: Elemental Treaty, Immolate, Lightning Touch, Remove Curse. Armor: Armored Kilt. Item: Bladeguard, Crowbar, Flame Staff. Ally: Embalmer, Pahmet Clansman. Blessing: Blessing of the Ancients, Blessing of the Elements (2).

Channa Ti — Weapon: Bolas. Spell: Acid Jet (2), Cure, Unshakable Chill (2). Armor: Tussah Silk Coat. Item: Acid Flask, Holy Water Grenade. Ally: Camel, Dhabba, Porcupine, Shock Lizard. Blessing: Blessing of the Elements (2).

Drelm — Weapon: Explorer's Staff, Khopesh, Whip. Spell: Cure, Elemental Treaty, Remove Curse. Armor: Crocodile Skin Armor, Crocodile Skin Shield. Item: Crowbar, Flash Freeze. Ally: Camel. Blessing: Blessing of the Ancients (4).

Mavaro — Weapon: Explorer's Staff, Whip. Spell: Cure, Unshakable Chill, Viper Strike. Armor: Crocodile Skin Armor. Item: Compass, Magnifying Glass, Noxious Bomb. Ally: Embalmer, Tomb Raider. Blessing: Blessing of the Ancients, Blessing of the Elements (3).

Things to Keep in Mind

If you've played other card games, board games, or roleplaying games, you may find a lot of familiar concepts in the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. However, bringing in assumptions from other games—including the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game—can potentially trip you up. Here are some guidelines you might want to keep in mind.

Cards Do What They Say. Read any card as it is encountered or played, and do what it says as soon as it makes sense. Let the card tell you what to do, and don't impose limitations that aren't there. You can play an armor card even if there isn't one in your deck list. You can play a Cure spell even if it's not your turn. You can play a blessing on a check even if someone else has played one. Cards say everything they need to say.

Cards Don't Do What They Don't Say. Each card's powers reference specific situations, and if you're not in those situations, you can't play it. If a card says it works on "any check," you can play it on anyone's check, but if a card says "your check," it only works on yours. You can't play a Cure spell to reduce the amount of damage you're taking, because Cure isn't about reducing damage. You can't examine a deck that has no cards. Your weapon doesn't help you acquire new weapons. Each card tells you what it's for, and you can use it only for that.

No One Else Can Take Your Turn for You. Whenever you encounter a card or make a check, you—and only you—must resolve it. No other character can evade it, defeat it, acquire it, close it, decide what to do with it, or fail at doing any of those things. If Simoun encounters a monster that has the Undead trait, Estra can't play an Embalmer to evade it for her. If Alahazra encounters a Scarab Swarm, Yoon can't attempt the check to defeat it. If Amhotep encounters a Tarworks Master, Ezren can't acquire it. If Zadim defeats a henchman at the Caravanserai, Damiel can't banish an item to close the location. If the game tells you to do something, you have to do it.

Cards Don't Have Memories. Cards forget they've been played after they've done whatever they do. So if you reveal an item to reduce damage dealt before an encounter, you can reveal that item again during the encounter. A monster isn't affected by anything you did in a previous encounter with it. Even though you've played a card to explore again, after that exploration you can play another. Don't ask your cards to remember what happened, because they're just cards.

Finish One Thing Before You Start Something Else. You do many things in a specific order, and you need to finish doing each thing before you do the next thing. You move before you explore, not after. If a spell used in a check can be recharged, finish the first check before you attempt your check to recharge it. If a villain requires two sequential combat checks, finish the first before starting the second. Don't start a new process until you've finished the last one. (That said, if the game doesn't specify an order for things, you decide the order.)

If It Isn't Called Something, It Isn't That Thing. Every term described in the rules and on cards has a specific definition. The item Flame Staff is a staff, but it is not a weapon. A Potion of Healing may sound like it's magical, but it doesn't have the Magic trait. An Emperor Cobra deals Poison damage when it damages you, even if you failed a Stealth check to defeat it. Don't make assumptions—just read the card.

Add Only What You Are Told to Add. If a card adds another die, that's all it gives you: a die. It doesn't give you your modifiers again. It doesn't give you the skill associated with that die. It doesn't give you the ability to recharge an Arcane spell if you don't have the Arcane skill. When you discard a Galvanic Chakram +1 to add 1d6 to your combat check, playing a Blessing of Horus doesn't add 2 dice because you did not add the Electricity trait. You get what you get.

Allow for Abstractions. Sometimes the story you imagine can get in the way of playing the game. Despite its freezing nature, Shasalqu can be encountered in the Hot Springs. Your Canteen can hold any number of items that have the Liquid trait without spilling. Don't force the cards to fit your story; let the cards tell you their stories.

Choices Matter. Your choices have consequences. Once you choose cards for your character, you can't trade them for other cards whenever you like. If a location makes you choose between attempting a check or banishing a card before closing it, you can't attempt the check and then banish the card if you fail. If you roll too low on a Combat check, it's too late to play a Dhabba ally to improve your result. If something kills your character, your character dies. Every choice matters—take your choices seriously.

Reference Sheet

Turn Overview

Advance the blessings deck.

Give a card to another character at the same location (optional).

Move to another location (optional).

Explore the top card of the location deck (optional).

Try to close a location if it doesn't have any cards (optional).

End your turn—apply end-of-turn effects, then reset your hand by first discarding any number of cards then discarding down to or drawing up to your hand size.

Encountering a Card

Apply any effects that happen when you encounter a card.

Apply any evasion effects.

Apply any effects that happen before you act.

Attempt the check.

Attempt the next check, if needed.

Apply any effects that happen after you act.

Resolve the encounter.

Attempting a Check

Determine which skill you're using.

Determine the difficulty.

Play cards and use powers that affect the check (optional).

Assemble your dice.

Attempt the roll.

Take damage if you fail a check to defeat a monster.

Playing a Card

Reveal: Show it, then put it back in your hand.

Display: Place it faceup next to your deck, unless stated otherwise; the card's powers function until it's discarded.

Discard: Put it faceup into your discard pile.

Recharge: Put it facedown at the bottom of your deck.

Bury: Put it faceup under your character card.

Banish: Put it back in the box with the other cards of the same type.

Draw: Unless otherwise specified, take it from your character deck and add it to your hand.

Encountering a Villain

Attempt to temporarily close open locations.

Encounter the villain.

If you defeat the villain, close the villain's location.

Check to see whether the villain escapes.

If the villain has nowhere to escape to, you win!

A Few Rules That Are Easy to Forget

While encountering a card, each player may play no more than 1 card of each type during each step.
When blessings add dice to a check, the dice are of the same type that the character is already using for the check.
If your character doesn't have a skill listed for a check, you can use a d4 for that skill.
In the case of a bane that requires sequential checks, any character at that location can attempt one or more of the checks, as long as the character who encountered the bane attempts at least one of them. Damiel is at the Howling Sands; Ezren is at the Glass Pavilion. The Windswept Chasm and the Hot Springs are also open. On Ezren's turn, he encounters the villain Tukanem-Hanam. Damiel gets a chance to temporarily close the Howling Sands, using his Dexterity skill of d10. He gets a result of 6, succeeding at the check. Before Ezren acts, the villain makes Ezren attempt a Wisdom or Perception check; he succeeds, avoiding a point of Electricity damage. It takes two Combat 10 checks to defeat the villain. If Damiel were at the location, they could each attempt one check, but Ezren is alone, so he must attempt them both. Ezren wants to play the spell Clinging Venom, but the villain is immune to the Poison trait. Fortunately, the villain has the Electricity trait, so Ezren can use a character power to ignore that immunity. Ezren rolls 1d12+2 plus 1d8 and gets a result of 12, enough to beat the first Combat 10 check. Clinging Venom lets him use the result for the second check, so Tukanem-Hanam is defeated and the Glass Pavilion is closed. The Hot Springs and the Windswept Chasm are open, so the villain escapes. Ezren's player shuffles together Tukanem-Hanam and a random blessing from the box and deals one into each of the open locations—but not the Howling Sands, since it's temporarily closed. The game continues!

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Mummy's Mask – Base Set Rulebook

Table of Contents

Object of the Game
Card Sets
Organizing Your Cards
Setting Up
Playing a Scenario
After the Scenario
- Ending a Scenario, Adventure, or Adventure Path
- Between Games
Card Types
Example of Play
Suggested Deck Lists
- Base Set Characters
- Character Add-On Deck Characters
Things to Keep in Mind
Reference Sheet

Object of the Game

Rules Sidebar: Throughout this rulebook, you'll find a number of sidebars that look like this one. These sidebars explain general rules that deserve special attention. Make sure you read them all!

Strategy Sidebar: You'll also find a variety of sidebars that look like this one. These offer advice about game strategy. If you prefer to develop strategies on your own as you play, feel free to skip these sidebars—you won't miss any rules!

Example Sidebar: Sidebars that look like this provide examples. Don't miss the example of an entire turn on page 26!

New Sidebar: If you already know how to play the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, but you haven't played Mummy's Mask, keep an eye out for sidebars that look like this. They spotlight noteworthy changes to the rules for this Adventure Path.

Card Sets

Rules Sidebar — The Golden Rules: If a card and this rulebook are ever in conflict, the card should be considered correct. There is one exception to this: When the rulebook uses the word "never," no card can overrule it. If cards conflict with one another, then Adventure Path cards overrule adventures, adventures overrule scenarios, scenarios overrule locations, locations overrule support cards, support cards overrule characters, and characters overrule other card types.

Despite this hierarchy, if one card tells that you cannot do something and another card tells you that you can, comply with the card that tells you that you cannot. For example, if you're at a location that prevents you from moving, and the scenario has an effect that would move your character, you do not move. If a card tells you to ignore something, the thing you're ignoring never has any effect on you. If a card instructs you to do something impossible, like draw a card from an empty deck, ignore that instruction.

Regardless of the above, if you need to do anything with any number of cards from the blessings deck (other than shuffling it) and you don't have enough, you lose the scenario; if that happens with your character deck, your character dies.

On story cards and location cards, the side with the more colorful version of the artwork is the face; the less colorful version is the back. Very rarely, a card can have two faces.

Organizing Your Cards

Example Sidebar: Simoun's deck includes 5 weapons, no spells, 1 armor, 3 items, 3 allies, and 3 blessings. (The checkboxes are for card feats she'll gain later.)

Setting Up

Locate the token card that matches your character card. Then place both on the table in front of you.

Put the Mummy's Mask Adventure Path Card Faceup on the Table. It lists the adventures that make up the Adventure Path as well as the reward you'll get for completing all of those adventures.

Create the Blessings Deck. Draw 30 random blessing cards from the box. Shuffle them together, form a deck, and place it facedown on the table.

Arrange Yourselves around the Table. Use any order you wish.

Place Token Cards. Each player chooses a location and puts her character's token card near it. Multiple characters can choose the same starting location.

Decide Who Goes First. Starting with whichever player the group chooses, take turns proceeding clockwise (see Taking Your Turn on page 7).

Playing a Scenario

The sands of Osirion are replete with the treasures of adventurers who thought the desert was filled with treasure.

Taking Your Turn

Strategy Sidebar — Should You Split the Party?: There's an old saying in roleplaying games: Never split the party. Is that true for the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game? This isn't an RPG, so the answer is, "It depends."

Sometimes, it's a good idea to have multiple characters at the same location; at other times, it makes more sense to split the party. A lot of your strategy depends on which characters you're playing. If you're playing Alahazra and Zadim, staying together makes sense; if you're playing Simoun and Yoon, you may want to spread out.

The best strategy also depends on where you're going. Characters shouldn't cluster at the Alchemical Laboratory, but everyone at the Oasis benefits when it closes. Sometimes you want help for whatever perils await you; another time, there might be a Conflagration that burns everyone at the same location. Pay attention to where you are in the game. If you know where the villain is, splitting up so you can temporarily close open locations is a good idea... unless it isn't. Every situation is different, and thinking before you move is always wise.

Rules Sidebar — Tracking the Blessings Deck: It's very easy to get excited about starting your turn, so much so that you might forget to advance the blessings deck. Unfortunately, once you realize you've skipped it for the last few turns, it's often not so easy to figure out how many cards you need to flip to catch up. We recommend that when each player advances the deck, she should orient the card she turns over so that the text is right-side up to that player. Sure, it makes for a messy-looking blessings discard pile, but it makes it easy to see who remembered and who didn't.

Give a Card: You may give 1 card from your hand to another player at your location. (Other players cannot give you cards on your turn.)

If a card grants you an additional exploration, after you finish what you are doing, you must immediately use that exploration or forfeit it.

Strategy Sidebar — Should You Always Explore?: The blessings deck is a countdown timer, and it's very unforgiving. More exploration leads to more success, but there are times you just want to hang out for a while.

One reason might be the state of your hand or character deck. If you have a scourge, you might want to wait for Alahazra to come over and take care of it.

Another reason to cease exploration is so you can realign your party near the end of the game. If you just need someone at the Scorched Ruins so you can temporarily close it when you find the villain, don't risk finding a monster that has the Fire trait if it might get shuffled into the villain's deck. Take the time to set your strategy, especially if you have plenty of turns to burn.

Of course, the biggest disasters often occur shortly after someone says, "We've got plenty of turns left."

Close a Location: If your character is at a location that has no cards remaining and has not been closed, you may make one attempt to close it at this time (see Closing a Location on page 15).

Character Sidebar — Alahazra, Oracle: This oracle of the sun can bring fury down on any bandit or desert monster. Despite being blind, she can see into the future, finding out whatever awaits her friends' explorations. Alahazra is a master of Divine spells, and can remove a curse from anyone who has run afoul of the mummies in the tombs.

Playing Cards

Example Sidebar: The ally Shock Lizard has two different powers: you may recharge it to add 1d4 and the Electricity trait to your combat check, or you may discard it to explore your location. You can do either, but you cannot do both; once you play the card one way, it's no longer in your hand for you to play it the other way.

When you play a card, it will usually require you to take one of the following actions.

Reveal: Show it from your hand then put it back in your hand. You may not reveal the same card for its power more than once per check or step.
Display: Place it faceup next to your deck, unless stated otherwise; the card's powers function as long as it is displayed. When a character displays a card, it is not part of that character's hand, deck, or discard pile, but it still belongs to that character.
Discard: Put it into your discard pile—a stack of faceup cards next to your deck.
Recharge: Put it facedown at the bottom of your character deck.
Bury: Put it under your character card (likely losing access to it for the rest of the scenario).
Banish: Put it back in the box, shuffling it in with the other cards of the same type (thus losing it for good).

Rules Sidebar — Affecting the Situation: In some situations, you are limited to playing cards or using powers that affect or otherwise relate to the current situation. In these cases, the things you do cannot require anyone to do something else for your action to be meaningful—the things you do must directly affect the situation. For example, let's say that a character is attempting a check using a power that adds 1 to her check for each blessing in her hand, and a second character has a power that allows him to give the first character a card. He could give her a blessing, because that doesn't require any other action to affect the check. But he could not give her a card that allows her to draw a blessing from the box, because she would have to do something else—in this case, play the card he gave her—to affect the check.

Strategy Sidebar — Should You Acquire Boons You Won't Use?: The short answer is "absolutely." At minimum, a boon is something you can give up as damage when some monster cracks your skull open. But there's another reason: your fellow adventurer might want you to give it to him.

This is sometimes trickier than it looks. To give a card to someone, you must start your turn at that character's location. That character might have to come to you to get it, assuming you even still have it in your hand when he does. Coordinating a timely rendezvous can lead to a villain's untimely demise.

This situation is a lot easier, of course, if a character who's good at acquiring a type of boon gets it herself. If you're able to look ahead in the location deck or evade cards, you can tell another player about a useful card. Then she can spend her turns trying to get it, and you can get on with your own goals.

Encountering a Card

Character Sidebar — Damiel, Alchemist: If you want a man who knows to test his plans before enacting them, turn to one who handles acids and poisons for a living. He concocts potions and poison bombs, returning them to usability even after plying his deadly trade. Liquids are scarce in the desert, but Damiel always has enough to drink.

Character Sidebar — Estra, Spiritualist: Estra and her husband Honaire have a lifelong bond—check that, it's gone beyond life. She can summon her love's ghostly spirit and bid him to handle all manner of physical tasks, whether benign or violent. Her spiritual senses allow her to seek out the unliving and send them swiftly to their final resting places.

Rules Sidebar — Faceup Cards: Sometimes a card is left faceup on the top of the location deck. The card is still in the deck, and it can never leave the top of the deck until it is defeated or the condition that caused it to be left faceup on the deck has been resolved. If a faceup card tells you that you must encounter it on your first exploration on a turn, then you must encounter it the first time you explore that turn. After that exploration, ignore it for the purpose of additional explorations that turn; however, it still counts as the top card of the deck for any other purpose. If multiple cards are left faceup on the same deck, you may place them in any order and encounter them in that order, one per exploration. If you're instructed to put cards on top of the deck, put them immediately below any faceup cards. If you're instructed to shuffle the deck, leave any faceup cards on top.

Attempting a Check

Many times during the game, you will need to succeed at checks to do things, such as acquire a new weapon or defeat a monster. When you are required to attempt a check, you may not choose to fail it.

Rules Sidebar — Optional vs. Required Checks:

If you are instructed to attempt a check, you must do so.

If you are instructed to succeed at a check to do a thing, and the instruction does not use the word "may," you must attempt the check; if you succeed, you must do that thing.

If you are instructed to succeed at a check or do a thing, you must attempt the check; if you fail, you must do that thing.

If you are instructed to either attempt a check or do something else, choose one of those options.

If you are presented with 2 or more options, none of which require a check, you may choose any of those options.

Rules Sidebar — Skills, Dice, and Modifiers: If your character card says "Strength d10," and the "+1" box next to that has been checked, your Strength skill is d10+1, and your Strength die is d10. (The "+1" is called a "modifier.") If your character card also says "Melee: Strength +3," your Melee skill is d10+4, your Melee die is d10, and the Melee modifier is +4.

If a card refers to a check against another card, that refers to any check required by that card, whether it's a check to defeat, a check to acquire, a check to recharge, or any other check.

Many cards also require checks to use powers or to recharge the cards after playing them.

Character Sidebar — Ezren, Wizard: Ezren is an intrepid researcher, knowing with confidence how to break through invulnerabilities that monsters wield. Should you find yourself surrounded by undead or oozes, Ezren knows a way to conquer them. And the more spells he has, the faster he will find these monsters and dispatch them for good.

Some cards may allow you to replace a specific die with a different one. For example, Estra's Ectoplasmatist role allows her to roll a d10 instead of her Strength or Dexterity die.

Character Sidebar — Simoun, Rogue: This storm-riding, tattooed half-sylph dances on the air, mesmerizing those she faces with her agility and poise. But beware, for Simoun never travels without at least a dozen knives. If an assassin or brigand appears before her unperforated, that is but a temporary condition—a condition that Simoun is often eager to correct.

Rules Sidebar — Rolling Dice: The game comes with five dice: a 4-sider, 6-sider, 8-sider, 10-sider, and 12-sider. When you roll the 4-sider, use the number that's upright.

The game uses a shorthand form describing the number and type of dice to roll: Xd#, where "X" represents the number of dice to roll and "d#" represents the number of sides on the dice. For example, if you're asked to roll 2d6, that means to roll 2 6-sided dice and add their values together. Sometimes the shorthand includes a "+" or "–" and a number listed after the die, meaning that you add that number to, or subtract it from, the total of the roll (not each individual die rolled). So 2d4+2 means to roll 2 4-sided dice, total them together, and then add 2. No matter how many penalties are applied to a roll of the dice, the result can't be reduced below 0.

Sometimes, the type of die that you need to roll is determined by your skill. If you're told to use your Strength skill + 1d8, and your Strength die is a d10, roll one 10-sided die and one 8-sided die and add them together to determine your result.

If a card calls for a die roll that affects multiple characters or situations (for example, if it says that each character at a location is dealt 1d4 damage), roll separately for each.

Rules Sidebar — Dealing with Cards: Unless a card says otherwise, drawing means taking a card from the specified source and adding it to your hand. If no source is specified, draw it from your character deck. When you draw a card from a facedown deck, such as a character deck, a location deck, the blessings deck, or any other deck the game tells you to create, draw from the top of the deck. When you draw a card from a faceup pile, such as your discard pile, the blessings discard pile, or any other pile the game tells you to create, draw a card of your choice. When you draw a card from the box, unless you are told to draw a specific card, draw a random card of the appropriate type by shuffling the cards you're drawing from and drawing the top card.

This applies to actions other than drawing—for example, if you're told to bury 1 card from your deck, bury the top card; if you're told to bury 1 card from your discard pile, you choose the card.

When you are told to discard a card from a deck, always put it on top of that deck's discard pile.

Example Sidebar: In a 2-character game, Simoun and Ezren are at the Sulfur Pits. Simoun encounters a Blessing of Abadar. The check to acquire it is Dexterity or Disable 6, or Divine 5. Simoun's Dexterity skill is d12, and her character card says "Disable: Dexterity +1," so her Disable skill is d12+1; she does not have Divine listed on her character card, so she would roll a d4 if she used that. She chooses Disable, and rolls a 4 on her d12, adding 1 for a result of 5; that's 1 less than she needed to acquire the blessing. She banishes the Blessing of Abadar.

On the next turn, Ezren encounters the monster Yellow Jelly; it requires a Combat 8 check to defeat. Combat checks use Strength or Melee (unless a card changes it). Ezren's Strength skill is d4; since he doesn't have the Melee skill, he would roll a d4 for that. However, he has the spell Acid Splash in his hand, which he can discard to use his Arcane skill plus 1d6 for his combat check. He has the skill Arcane: Intelligence + 2, and his Intelligence is d12, so the Acid Splash lets him roll 1d12+2 + 1d6. In addition, the spell adds the Acid trait to the combat check. Because Ezren is at the Sulfur Pits, the Acid trait adds an extra die, which always means his skill die, so he adds another d12. The Yellow Jelly has a power that adds 3 to the check to defeat has the Acid trait, so Ezren rolls 2d12+5 + 1d6, and gets a result of 21. That's enough to defeat the monster. However, the Yellow Jelly has a power that deals 1d4 Acid damage if the result of the check to defeat it exceeds 12! Ezren rolls a 2 on the d4, so he's dealt 2 Acid damage, then he banishes the oozy monster.

Rules Sidebar — Compatibility with Other Sets: Cards in the Mummy's Mask set are intended to be compatible with cards from other sets. Certain cards from one set may not be as effective in another one; for example, the spell Remove Curse will not be as useful in a set without Scourges.

When the same characters or cohorts appear in different sets, they are represented with different cards having different abilities and powers. For example, among other differences, the oracle Alahazra has the Survival skill in Mummy's Mask and the Knowledge skill in Skull & Shackles. To distinguish between them, we add the Adventure Path name to the card name. For example, "Mummy's Mask Alahazra" is a different card than "Skull & Shackles Alahazra," so you may not exchange feats or role cards between them.

Damage

After any cards or powers affect the amount of damage dealt, choose that number of cards from your hand and discard them. If you don't have enough cards in your hand, discard your entire hand.

Strategy Sidebar — Should You Be Selfish?: Throughout the game, your friends will ask you for help. They might even beg for it. Should you ever tell them no?

Probably not. This is a cooperative game, so sharing information and setting goals as a group is wise. Think about ways you can help each other, such as Zadim discarding a weapon to add to another character's check. You might spend a blessing to get a boon that you can't use and give it to someone else who desperately wants it. Some groups even play with their hands faceup on the table so everyone can help make choices.

Other players do not share as freely, and there's a good reason for it. Your character is a living, growing entity. Your choices will determine whether your character succeeds and improves. If you let your friends make decisions for you, you might not be looking out for yourself.

Character Sidebar — Yoon, Kineticist: A little street urchin with a stuffed owly-bear—what could be cuter? This sentiment lasts right up until Yoon sets that very street on fire. She's a lucky girl, Yoon. She can dodge her way through dangerous situations, and if she's got a blessing in her hand, she'll be seeing it again. Probably with some fire.

Dying

If all of the characters are dead, the players lose the scenario (see Ending a Scenario, Adventure, or Adventure Path on page 18).

New Sidebar — Invokes: A check invokes a trait if it has or is against a card that has that trait. A card invokes a trait if it has that trait. A bane also invokes a trait if it deals only damage of the type that matches that trait.

Examining and Searching

If a card allows you to examine a card and then encounter it, and the card you examine says that when you examine it, you encounter it, encounter it only once.

Strategy Sidebar — Should You Look Ahead?: Mummy's Mask is full of cards that let you look at cards in location decks before you encounter them, from Alahazra's powers to spells like Acute Senses. This can be a tremendous help as you race the clock that is the blessings deck.

Finding the villain early can mean the difference between success and failure. A card like Augury can strand a villain on top of a deck, leaving him waiting for you to return while you loot and lock down other locations.

Of course, all that peeking ahead comes at an opportunity cost: Augury could instead be a card that helps you defeat banes and acquire boons. If you can't actually beat what you find, there's no point in finding it.

Looking ahead can also be dangerous. Cards that have the Trigger trait have powers that activate when you examine them. You can find yourself suddenly being dealt Poison damage or having to fight a Ghost Scorpion because you peeked ahead.

Character Sidebar — Zadim, Slayer: The tools of a slayer are simple: steel, stealth, and a willingness to do the undesirable. Acids and poisons coat Zadim's blades, which he keeps ready to impale the threats faced by his comrades. His instincts tell him what is around every corner. He's an assassin with a simple creed: never let them see what's coming their way.

Resetting Your Hand

Summoning and Adding Cards

New Sidebar — Tokens in Location Decks: Some cards require you to shuffle your character token into a location deck. You shouldn't know where your token card is while you are shuffling. When your token is examined, encountered, or would be returned to the box or removed from the game, remove it from the location deck and place it at that location. While your token is in a location deck, you may explore, encounter cards, and play cards; you cannot move, and you must evade any banes you encounter.

The When Closing section on some locations requires you to summon and defeat (or acquire) a card. Summon and encounter it; if you do not defeat (or acquire) it, the location is not closed.

If you're instructed to add a card to the top or the bottom of a deck, do so; otherwise, any cards added to a deck are shuffled into it.

New Sidebar — The Trigger Trait: Many cards in Mummy's Mask have the Trigger trait. Cards that have the Trigger trait always have powers that happen when you examine that card. The Trigger trait is always the first trait listed on a card, and it's highlighted in red so that you can easily spot it. When you examine a card and you see that red highlight, make sure you read the card and do what it says!

Strategy Sidebar — Should You Hoard Blessings?: Blessings are among the most versatile cards in the game. Most can be used to add to checks or to explore again, but you can't use one blessing to do both at the same time. So when you're trying to decide whether to play a blessing on your companion's check to acquire a wand, you might be wondering, "Did I just cost us a turn?"

What is the opportunity cost of not exploring? Do you need that sword more than you need to find the villain? The risk-reward analysis requires some thought.

Early in the game, you might be willing to spend a blessing on a check, but when the clock is ticking down, conservatism is often the wiser course. If it's your combat check and you think you need the blessing to succeed, it's likely worth playing it. Fail badly enough, and you might lose the blessing to damage anyway.

This analysis is worth going through, but don't let it stop you from acting. There are always more turns—at least, until there aren't.

Closing a Location

Character Sidebar — Ahmotep, Magus (from the Character Add-On Deck): Few in the deserts of Osirion know the value of a stick like the magus Ahmotep does. It can find water, it can crack across a ruffian's skull, it can propel spell power with great potency. Amhotep is the master of staffcraft, never far from teaching someone a lesson they will not soon forget—assuming they remember anything at all.

Rules Sidebar — Active and Optional Powers: In the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, there are always a lot of cards in play. But you don't need to worry about doing what all of them say all the time. Generally, powers on cards are only active in certain situations.

Cards in your hand — Powers on cards in your hand are active only when you choose to play them.

Cards you examine — When you examine cards, only powers that say they happen when you examine the card are active.

Banes you encounter — All of a bane's applicable powers are active while you encounter it.

Boons you encounter — When you encounter a boon, the only powers that are active are ones that say they happen when you encounter it, if you acquire it, or if you fail to acquire it.

Other cards you encounter — When you encounter a card that isn't a bane or a boon, the only powers that are active are ones that say they happen when you encounter it.

Cards in the blessings deck and discard pile — With regard to these cards, the only powers that are active are ones that say they happen when they are discarded from the blessings deck or while on top of the blessings discard pile.

Location cards — Most powers on location cards are active only when players are at that location, but a few location powers affect other situations.

Other cards on the table — Powers on cards on the table—including story cards, character cards, and displayed cards—are active whenever they are appropriate.

Playing cards from your hand is always optional. Active powers on all other cards are only optional if they say "you may" do something.

Character Sidebar — Channa Ti, Druid (from the Character Add-On Deck): A water druid in the desert? It's not as strange as you might think. They're low on water in Osirion, so Channa Ti is quite the popular half-elf. She controls the spirits of the land, whether animal or elemental. This makes her a masterful guide in this dangerous land. She's happy to light your way, for a price.

Encountering a Villain

Unlike monsters and henchmen, a villain doesn't just need to be defeated. A villain also needs to be cornered: you need to make sure there are no open locations the villain can escape to.

Encounter the Villain. This encounter works exactly as it does with other banes, but be careful to look for any special rules listed on the villain card or the scenario card.

If the Villain Has Nowhere to Escape to, You Win! See After the Scenario below. Some scenarios may have other conditions for winning.

Example Sidebar: Alahazra has defeated the final card in the Surgery location deck, and she is now attempting to close the location. In its When Closing section, Surgery gives two options: Alahazra can recharge a card that has the Healing trait, or she can succeed at an Intelligence, Craft, or Survival check with a difficulty of 6 plus the scenario's adventure deck number. She's playing a scenario in the first adventure, so the difficulty is 7. She has the spell Cure in her hand, which has the Healing trait, but she wants to keep it. She considers rolling her Survival skill, which is d8+2, but she doesn't like those odds. She plays the item Osirion History Guide to add 1 die to the check. She rolls 2d8+2 and gets a 10, which closes the Surgery. Its When Permanently Closed power is activated, so she rolls a d4+1 and shuffles 4 random cards from her discard pile into her deck. Alahazra flips the Surgery card over to show that it's closed.

Strategy Sidebar — Should You Burn Through Your Deck?: Playing a character such as Ezren or Yoon gives you ways to churn through your deck faster, discarding cards quickly to get to the cards you want. While this makes you far more likely to defeat your enemies and acquire what you need, it comes with a cost: you might kill off your character.

This game is all about trade-offs. Should you press your luck or hold off a bit? Not taking risks will make you lose as often as taking too many risks, but at least your character will be alive after you lose.

One of the toughest choices involves shedding cards as you reset your hand. You're allowed to discard any number of cards before you draw up, but that means you're closer to death. There are few things more humiliating than dying because you forgot how many cards you needed to draw at the end of your turn.

When you have too many cards in your hand, that's a different problem. If you can play some cards that can be recharged—even though you might have used them much later—it's still worth playing them. Discarding cards for no gain is more painful.

Character Sidebar — Drelm, Cleric (from the Character Add-On Deck): To get the most out of the marketplace, you have to be willing to flip a few tables. Captain Drelm can wrangle that extra boon out of any trader, whether the trader wants it or not. He has the power of the god Abadar on his side, meaning the many traps in the tombs of the necropolis are mere nuisances to him.

After the Scenario

Ending a Scenario, Adventure, or Adventure Path

Character Sidebar — Mavaro, Occultist (from the Character Add-On Deck): The occultist is a sampler of the best of all things. Rarely bound by limitations of what he can carry, Mavaro can start one day with an array of armors and the next with nary one in his possession. His talents lie with exploiting those goods on checks, then casting them aside when their utility is maxed out.

Example Sidebar: Alahazra and Damiel have chosen to visit Falsin Deek, while Estra visits Hadden Hoppert. The party has just completed a scenario with an adventure deck number of 3, so Falsin Deek is displayed and 3 random items that have an adventure deck number of 2 or 3 are taken from the box and displayed on him. Hadden Hoppert is displayed with 2 random spells that have an adventure deck number of 2 or 3. If the characters want a card with adventure deck number 3, they'll need to trade in cards with adventure deck number 2 or higher; if they want a card with adventure deck number 2, they'll need to trade in cards with adventure deck number 1 or higher. Damiel and Alahazra can each trade 2 boons to get 1 of the items displayed on Falson Deek. Damiel really wants an item with adventure deck number 3, but he has only one boon with adventure deck number 2 or higher that he's willing to trade away. Fortunately, Alahazra isn't interested in any of the items, but she does have a boon with adventure deck number 2 that she doesn't need, so she gives it to Damiel so he can pay the trade cost for the item he wants. He puts those two boons in the box and takes the item from the trader. Estra pays her trade cost by putting a boon with adventure deck number 2 and another with adventure deck number 3 in the box, then takes a spell with adventure deck number 3 from Hadden Hoppert. Since everyone is done trading, the traders go back in the box along with the remaining boons that were displayed on them.

If you successfully completed the scenario, you may proceed to the next scenario listed on the adventure card.

Between Games

Strategy Sidebar — Should You Seek Out Danger?: When you're adventuring, you can go wherever you want… but not all locations are created equal.

Start by looking at the text on all of the location cards. You might be able to discard a blessing to explore again, but if you're at the Peasant Tombs, will you have a Divine card to bury when you need to close it?

A location's When Closing requirement can guide your path as well. If you can't close the location when the henchman pops up, you'll have to burn through the whole deck to try again.

Sometimes you'll want to leave a location open until the villain appears and you can temporarily close it.

All else being equal, more exploration yields more fun.

Strategy Sidebar — Advice for Solo Play: Solo play is particularly good for quickly completing scenarios to advance your character if you want to catch up to other players.

Not all characters should be considered equal for solo play. Zadim is particularly helpful to other characters, but that doesn't help when there are no other characters. Estra, on the other hand, is great for solo play, because she can reduce damage to herself.

You can also play multiple characters if you like; we suggest you try solo play with 2 characters. Treat each character as if he were being played by a separate player (so if you're playing Ezren and Damiel, advance the blessings deck at the start of Ezren's turn and at the start of Damiel's turn).

Some cards are particularly difficult in solo play. If you're playing Yoon by herself, and you pick up a Falling Rubble, you may be making impossible Strength checks until you die. When you encounter a card your character just can't deal with, remove it from the game and replace it with another card of the same type that roughly matches its power level but isn't as impossible to overcome. (Some cards are actually easier in solo play, such as banes that require each character to succeed at a check.)

Card Types

It is said that in Osirion the bazaars hold great wonders and the tombs hold quick death, but often it is the other way around.

Character Cards

Each character card includes the following information.

Traits: Many effects use a card's traits; for example, some cards give you a bonus if your character has a particular trait.

Favored Card Type: Your character always begins a scenario with at least 1 card of this type in hand (see Draw Starting Hands on page 6).

Feats

We recommend you use a pencil to lightly check the feat boxes, or you can track your character with the free character sheets posted online at paizo.com/pacg.

There are three main types of feats.

Role Cards

Token Cards

Each character has a corresponding token card, which you'll move to keep track of your character's current location. Each token card also includes a brief character biography.

Story Cards (Adventure Path, Adventure, and Scenario)

Location Cards

Deck List: This tells you the quantity of each card type you need to set up the location deck (see Build the Location Decks on page 6).

Support Cards (Scourge, Trader, Bazaar, Defensive Stance, and Cohort)

Support cards supplement various features of the game. Support cards do not count as either banes or boons.

New Sidebar — More Support Card Types: Mummy's Mask introduces four new card types: Scourge, Trader, Bazaar, and Defensive Stance.

Scenario	Scourge Die
B	1d4
1	1d4+1
2	1d6
3	1d6+1
4	1d8
5	1d8+1
6	1d10

Die Roll	Scourge
1	Curse of Poisoning
2	Curse of Poisoning
3	Curse of Vulnerability
4	Curse of Daybane
5	Curse of the Ravenous
6	Curse of Withering
7	Curse of Fevered Dreams
8	Curse of the Sphinx
9	Curse of Blindness
10	Curse of the Mummy

Some scenarios tell you to display the Defensive Stance card. The powers in its During This Scenario section apply while it is displayed.

Rules Sidebar — Owner Trait: Some cards have the Owner trait, followed by the name of a character. If your character is the Owner of a card, you—and only you—may treat it as if it has the Basic trait.

Boon Cards (Weapon, Spell, Armor, Item, Ally, Blessing, and Loot)

Type: This is the boon's card type.

Traits: Many effects use a card's traits; for example, a Skeletal Jackal is harder to defeat when you play a weapon that has the Piercing or Slashing trait.

If a card tells you that you may treat it as if it has the same powers as another boon, do not include paragraphs that are not powers.

The following are general descriptions of each type of boon.

Item: Item cards have a wide variety of effects. Many of them help with non-combat checks.

Ally: Ally cards often help you with checks you attempt, and many let you discard them to explore again on your turn.

Bane Cards (Villain, Henchman, Monster, and Barrier)

You must defeat bane cards or suffer their consequences. Barriers and monsters appear randomly in location decks, while most scenarios call for specific villains and henchmen.

Type: Most banes are either monsters or barriers. Most villains and henchmen have the "monster" type and count as monsters; a few have the "barrier" type and count as barriers.

Traits: Many effects use a card's traits; for example, the monster Magma Spirit is immune to the Fire trait, and is more vulnerable to the Cold trait.

Rules Sidebar — Limited Resources: If you're required to do something with a certain number of things and there aren't that many things available, use as many as there are. For example, if you're told to choose 2 characters at a location occupied by only 1 character, choose only that character. If you're told to draw 4 cards from a deck that has only 3 cards, draw the 3 cards. (Regardless, if you need to do anything with any number of cards from the blessings deck, other than shuffle it, and you don't have enough cards, you lose the scenario; if that happens with your character deck, your character dies.)

Note that this only applies when you are required to do something. If you have the opportunity to do something that requires a limited resource, and you don't have enough of that resource, you cannot do that thing. For example, if you have the opportunity to close a location whose "When Closing" says "recharge 2 spells" and you have only 1 spell, you cannot close that location.

Strategy Sidebar — Join the Community: To get the most out of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, please visit paizo.com/pacg. You'll find FAQs, rules updates, character sheets, links to videos of people playing the game, the latest Pathfinder Adventure Card Game news, and more. You'll also find the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game messageboards, where you can interact with other players and the people who made the game. You can also learn about and join our worldwide Pathfinder Society Adventure Card Guild organized play program and advance your characters through new scenarios.

Rules Sidebar — Making Your Own Cards: You can make your own story cards—simply follow the format on the ones in the box, choosing villains and henchmen that are appropriate for the power level of your characters. Be careful when setting rewards; you don't want to give out too much for success.

You can also make your own character and role cards. To balance them with the ones in the box, each character should start with 15 cards on her Card List, no more than 1 d12 in her skills, and no more than 5 different skill modifiers. The sum of the skill dice should be 42. She should have 15 skill feat checkboxes, 10 card feat checkboxes, 4 power feat checkboxes on her character card, and 12 power feat checkboxes on her role card. Expanded guidelines can be found at paizo.com/pacg.

Best of all, we have partnered with DriveThruCards to provide a tool that allows you to easily create your own cards and have them professionally custom-printed. Visit drivethrucards.com/pacg to try it out!

Promo Sidebar — Can't Get Enough Game? Try the Adventure Card Guild!: If an entire Adventure Path just isn't enough for you, or you want to play at conventions or game store events, check out the Pathfinder Society Adventure Card Guild organized play program.

Each Adventure Card Guild season is associated with a specific Base Set. The Season of the Mummy is an entirely new Adventure Path full of brand-new scenarios using the Mummy's Mask Base Set and its expansions.

To join in the fun, visit paizo.com/pfsacg to get your Pathfinder Society ID number and download the Pathfinder Society Adventure Card Guild Guide. Each player will also need a Class Deck. Find an Adventure Card Guild event at paizo.com/pathfinderSociety/events, or run your own!

Example of Play

Setting Up

Eric and Yolanda place Ezren and Yoon's tokens at the Hot Springs, while Simon places Simoun at the Scorched Ruins. This leaves the Tarworks, Thornscrub, and Glass Pavilion unoccupied.

Yolanda's Turn

Yolanda ends Yoon's turn. She has 3 cards left in her hand, so she draws 2 cards to get back up to her hand size.

Simon's Turn

Eric's Turn

Ezren's turn is over, and he draws back up to his hand size of 6. The hunt for Imanish continues in the tombs!

Suggested Deck Lists

Base Set Characters

Character Add-On Deck Characters

Things to Keep in Mind

Reference Sheet

Turn Overview

Advance the blessings deck.

Give a card to another character at the same location (optional).

Move to another location (optional).

Explore the top card of the location deck (optional).

Try to close a location if it doesn't have any cards (optional).

End your turn—apply end-of-turn effects, then reset your hand by first discarding any number of cards then discarding down to or drawing up to your hand size.

Encountering a Card

Apply any effects that happen when you encounter a card.

Apply any evasion effects.

Apply any effects that happen before you act.

Attempt the check.

Attempt the next check, if needed.

Apply any effects that happen after you act.

Resolve the encounter.

Attempting a Check

Determine which skill you're using.

Determine the difficulty.

Play cards and use powers that affect the check (optional).

Assemble your dice.

Attempt the roll.

Take damage if you fail a check to defeat a monster.

Playing a Card

Reveal: Show it, then put it back in your hand.

Display: Place it faceup next to your deck, unless stated otherwise; the card's powers function until it's discarded.

Discard: Put it faceup into your discard pile.

Recharge: Put it facedown at the bottom of your deck.

Bury: Put it faceup under your character card.

Banish: Put it back in the box with the other cards of the same type.

Draw: Unless otherwise specified, take it from your character deck and add it to your hand.

Encountering a Villain

Attempt to temporarily close open locations.

Encounter the villain.

If you defeat the villain, close the villain's location.

Check to see whether the villain escapes.

If the villain has nowhere to escape to, you win!

A Few Rules That Are Easy to Forget

While encountering a card, each player may play no more than 1 card of each type during each step.
When blessings add dice to a check, the dice are of the same type that the character is already using for the check.
If your character doesn't have a skill listed for a check, you can use a d4 for that skill.
In the case of a bane that requires sequential checks, any character at that location can attempt one or more of the checks, as long as the character who encountered the bane attempts at least one of them. Damiel is at the Howling Sands; Ezren is at the Glass Pavilion. The Windswept Chasm and the Hot Springs are also open. On Ezren's turn, he encounters the villain Tukanem-Hanam. Damiel gets a chance to temporarily close the Howling Sands, using his Dexterity skill of d10. He gets a result of 6, succeeding at the check. Before Ezren acts, the villain makes Ezren attempt a Wisdom or Perception check; he succeeds, avoiding a point of Electricity damage. It takes two Combat 10 checks to defeat the villain. If Damiel were at the location, they could each attempt one check, but Ezren is alone, so he must attempt them both. Ezren wants to play the spell Clinging Venom, but the villain is immune to the Poison trait. Fortunately, the villain has the Electricity trait, so Ezren can use a character power to ignore that immunity. Ezren rolls 1d12+2 plus 1d8 and gets a result of 12, enough to beat the first Combat 10 check. Clinging Venom lets him use the result for the second check, so Tukanem-Hanam is defeated and the Glass Pavilion is closed. The Hot Springs and the Windswept Chasm are open, so the villain escapes. Ezren's player shuffles together Tukanem-Hanam and a random blessing from the box and deals one into each of the open locations—but not the Howling Sands, since it's temporarily closed. The game continues!