Pathfinder Dice Conquest Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • Attacking Creatures
  • Special Dice Notes
  • Creature Abilities
  • Slaying a Creature
  • Hero Abilities and Critical Hits
  • Magic Items
• Round End
• Spells
• Game End
• Clarifications

Components

• 23 Creature cards
• 3 Boss cards
• 6 Hero cards
• 4 Health Tracker cards
• 4 Player Aid cards
• 1 First Player token
• 4 Health tokens
• 7 polyhedral dice
• 8 Spell cards

Setup

1. Each player chooses one of the Hero cards. Remaining Hero cards can be discarded back to the box.
2. Each player also chooses one Player Aid, Health Tracker card, and a Health token. Remaining Player Aids, Health cards, and tokens can be discarded back to the box. Place the Health token on the number of health corresponding to the number of Heroes in the game.
   • 4 Heroes: 4 health each
   • 3 Heroes: 6 health each
   • 2 Heroes: 10 health each
   • 1 Hero: 20 health
3. Give the First Player token to the noblest Hero. If the players cannot decide, the youngest adventurer will be given the token.
4. Remove the three Bosses from the Creature deck and shuffle the remaining Creature cards. Place the shuffled Creature cards in a deck facedown. Randomly choose one of the 3 Boss cards and place it on the bottom of the deck. Discard the other Bosses back to the box.
5. Draw three Creature cards and place them faceup in a display next to the Creature deck. Place each Creature to the right of the previous one. Resolve any Reveal effects on these cards from left to right. Note: some cards make you draw more Creature cards - these are also added to the display and their Reveal effects are also resolved.
6. Place the dice within reach of all players. This area will be called the Available Dice area. Choose another area to be the Spent Dice area: where dice that have been discarded are placed.

Setup example (4 players) labels: A Hero card; B Health card; C Hero Ability; D Critical Hit Ability; E Starting Health; F Creature deck; G Creature Health; H Creature Damage; I Creature Ability; J Magic Item; K Available Dice area; L Spent Dice area.

Gameplay

Dice Conquest is played over a series of rounds. Each round begins with the First Player rolling all dice in the Available Dice area. Then, starting with the First Player and going clockwise, each Hero will choose one die and resolve it to attack a Creature. This continues until the end of the round is triggered (see Round End).

Attacking Creatures

On your turn, you must choose one die from the Available Dice area to attack a Creature. Once chosen, you may not select another die. You may keep the number shown on the chosen die, or you may reroll that die one time. You must keep this new roll.

To attack a Creature, place the chosen die on the Creature's card keeping the value of the die faceup. This is the amount of damage done to the Creature.

Example: The Magus chooses a D6 showing a '1' and decides to reroll it to get a higher number. A '4' is rolled. Magus places this die on the Jinkin, which means the Jinkin has suffered 4 damage so far.

Special Dice Notes

Dice Conquest comes with a standard set of polyhedral dice that you can use in your Pathfinder sessions. If you have a favorite set of dice, you can also use your own dice. When playing Dice Conquest:

• When choosing the D10 die (10-sided die with one digit on each face), the "0" face is equal to a 10.
• When choosing the D10% die (10-sided die with two digits on each face), the 00 face is equal to a 10. For all other faces, only use the first digit (for example, 20 = 2, and 30 = 3). A 10 on this die is similarly read as a 1 (and not a 10).

Creature Abilities

Several Creatures have abilities that activate upon their reveal, to be resolved after a minimum of 3 Creatures are drawn to the display (during setup and the end of a round). Other abilities, such as those that affect themselves or the Heroes, are active when the Creature is in the display.

Example: Clay Effigy has two abilities: Only odd-numbered dice may be placed on it and no dice may be altered while this creature is in play.

Example: The Smaranava, while in the display, causes all other creatures to deal +1 damage at the end of the round until this creature is slain.

Slaying a Creature

As soon as the sum of all dice on a Creature equals or exceeds the Health Number, that Creature is slain. This can happen when a new die is placed on the Creature and/or when an effect alters the current dice on a Creature that would now meet the threshold to slay it.

If the Creature does not possess a Magic Item, remove it from the game. If it possesses a Magic Item, give the card to any Hero. All dice on the slain Creature are discarded to the Spent Dice area.

Hero Abilities and Critical Hits

When attacking Creatures, you may use your Hero's ability which may modify the normal game rules. In addition, if you choose a die equal to your Critical Hit number, you may also use the ability shown for the Critical Hit when attacking with that die. You can use abilities in any order you choose.

When using any abilities that bring dice out of the Spent Dice area back into the Available Dice area, those dice are rerolled first.

Example: The Witch wishes to attack the Minotaur which has 11 health left. She chooses the D12 showing an 8 on it (her Critical Hit number) and changes it to 11. Placing this die causes the Witch to take 1 damage, but this also slays the Creature, which heals the Witch 1 health (her Critical Hit ability). The Minotaur is slain and the D8 that was on it as well as the D12 that was just used are placed in the Spent Dice area.

Magic Items

Some Creatures have Magic Items listed on the bottom of their card. If you slay a Creature, you may take the Creature card and keep any Magic Item for yourself or give it to another Hero. Magic Items may be used at any time during your turn by discarding the Magic Item, unless stated otherwise.

Example: The Swashbuckler has the Magic Item, Mage's Hat (found on Redcap). They really want to use their Critical Hit ability, but there isn't a "6" showing on any of the Available Dice. However, the D12 is showing a "5" so they discard the Mage's Hat to change the 5 to a 6. This allows them to change the D12 to 12 and then swap the D4 for the spent D20.

Round End

When either (a) all Creatures in the display have been slain, (b) all dice have been placed or Spent, or (c) any Hero chooses to pass, the round ends and you must do the following:

1. Take Damage. If there are any remaining Creatures in the display, the Heroes take damage equal to the sum of the damage shown on the Creature cards. Starting with the First Player and going clockwise, each Hero takes 1 point of damage until all Creature damage is allocated.

   Example: A Kobold, Ankhrav, and Xulgath Skulker are in the display. The sum of their damage is 4. The First Player is the Swashbuckler, followed by the Magus and then the Monk. Allocate one damage to the Swashbuckler then going clockwise, the Magus takes one damage, then the Monk takes one damage, and finally, the Swashbuckler takes a second point of damage. Since 4 damage has been allocated, no more damage is taken.

   If the Health of a Hero ever reaches the skull, that Hero has fallen, and all players have lost the game.

2. Remove or Keep Spent Dice. Any dice that have been placed on Creatures that have not been slain may be left on the Creatures or removed to the Spent Dice area, to be rolled next round.

   Example: a D20 showing a "2" is on a Smaranava. Since that is such a low number for the die, the Heroes decide to remove the die so it can be used next round to hopefully better effect.

3. Prepare for the next round. a. Pass the First Player token clockwise. b. Draw 3 new Creature cards and place them in the display next to the rightmost Creature card (if there is one) then resolve any Reveal effects on these 3 new Creatures from left to right. If there are no more Creature cards in the deck, continue a new round without dealing any new Creature cards (it often takes more than 1 round to defeat the Boss). c. Move all Spent Dice to the Available Dice area.

Spells

Spell cards are optional advanced play cards that can be used to add variety to the game. After mastering the standard game, you may shuffle in spell cards (we recommend 3 or 4) into the Creature deck during setup. Spell cards are labeled for easy, medium and hard difficulty, and you may also choose to shuffle in Spell cards of a specific difficulty into the Creature deck based on your desired difficulty level.

Each time a Spell is revealed, you will draw an additional Creature card (a minimum of 3 new Creatures are always drawn during setup and when preparing for the next round). Any Reveal effects are resolved on all new Creature and Spell cards from left to right as usual.

Before the first player rolls all Available dice at the beginning of the round, the First Player will attempt to cast the first revealed Spell (resolved in order from left to right) by rolling the die indicated on the Spell card. If the indicated die has been left on a Creature card at the end of the prior round, you may take the die from the Creature card and attempt to cast the Spell (placing it back on the Creature with the same original number after attempting the Spell). Depending on whether the Spell is successfully cast or not (the target roll being shown on each Spell card), resolve the Success or Fail result as shown on the Spell card. If there are multiple Spells, the next player in clockwise order will cast the next Spell. Re-roll abilities and Magic Items may be used when casting Spells.

Game End

The game ends when the chosen Boss is slain (all players win) or one Hero has fallen (all players lose). If the Boss and any Hero die simultaneously, all players lose.

Clarifications

For each damage that is healed, move the Health token up the Health Tracker. (You may not heal past your original starting health). If there is a Heal and damage effect at the same time, you can Heal first.

If placing a die will cause a Creature to be slain, all the dice on it are immediately considered Spent for purposes of Hero abilities that let you return or roll Spent dice. However, a Creature's ability (such as a Hero having to take damage when a die is placed on that Creature) will still occur even if the die causes the Creature to be slain.

The dice are limited to their maximum number, and you may not change a die to be more than it otherwise could be (i.e., you cannot change a D10 to an 11).

In most cases, Creature abilities will override conflicting Hero abilities, Magic Items and Spells, but certain types of abilities may be countered:

• Specific Abilities: Abilities that specifically state you can ignore Creature abilities (Witch, Magus) will override a conflicting Creature ability.
• Dice Manipulation: Abilities that let you manipulate dice on a Creature after placement (Witch, Magus, etc.) may be used even if their use would violate a number limitation (Hydra) or an odd/even restriction (Xulgath Skulker, Ankhrav, Clay Effigy).
• Magic Items and Spells Dealing Damage: Magic Items and Spells that deal damage to a Creature (Goblin Skull Bomb, Fireball, Dominate) are not limited by odd/even restrictions, but cannot slay a Creature if their damage causes the total damage to exceed the Health of a Creature with an exact restriction (Kobold, Jinkin).

You may pass prior to choosing a die on your turn (and end the round) but once you have chosen a die, you must place it on a Creature if possible. If you cannot legally place your chosen die, you must discard it to the Spent Dice area.

Hydra Clarifications: After placing a die on the Hydra, you must re-roll the Available dice immediately and prior to any abilities that let you return Spent dice to the Available dice area (Monk). You may re-roll the Available dice even if the Medusa or Hobgoblin Archer are in play.