Пенумбра: Испытания Арканы (Penumbra: Trials of Arcana) Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
  • Finite and infinite components
• Setup
  • Ready-made deck for the first game
  • The Fate deck
  • Talents
  • Personal play area (for each player)
  • Common play area
  • Adaptive layout
• Game Overview
  • What the game is about
  • Mechanics
  • Game flow
  • How to win
• Disciplines
  • Ruby Discipline
  • Amber Discipline
  • Jasper Discipline
  • Emerald Discipline
  • Sapphire Discipline
  • Amethyst Discipline
  • Marks
  • Ingredients
  • Dice
    • Dice types
    • Dice manipulation
• Wizards
  • Cards
  • Rest effects
    • About the White Thread of Rest
  • Mastery
  • Gaining Marks
  • Mark states
  • Mark effects
• Threat
  • Threat example
    • About the Power of the Aura
• Wizard Cards
  • • About Magic Marks
  • Cost
  • Transformation
  • Activation
  • Launch
  • Chains
    • Complex chains
• Artifacts
  • Equipment
  • Tomes
• Summons and Pets
• Spells
• Recipes and Potions
• Primagic
  • Dice effects
  • Ingredient effects
    • Any task is solvable
    • About trinkets
• Locations
  • Class
  • Bazaar
  • Brewery
  • Shop
  • Guild
    • The Guild and Contracts
  • The Wilds
• Contracts and Trials
  • Tasks
  • Rewards
  • Contracts
    • About the Magic Spark
  • Trials
  • Light and Darkness
    • Light and Darkness
  • Properties
  • Reserving
• Turn Sequence
  • Study turn
  • Trial turn
  • Rest turn
  • The Fate deck in play
  • End of the game
• Scoring

Components

• Rulebook and solo-mode rules
• 4 Player reference sheets (Памятки игроков)
• 4 Wizard boards
• 1 City board
• 1 Wilds board (Дикие Земли)
• 6 Class boards
• 60 Magic Marks
• 114 Ingredients
• 76 Dice
• 2 Resource dice
• 96 Common Discipline cards (mini cards; the decks of Common Disciplines)
• 4 Mortal Wound cards (mini cards)
• 24 Trial cards (standard cards)
• 36 Artifact cards (mini cards, the Artifact deck)
• 36 Contract cards (mini cards, the Contract deck)
• 9 Prophecy cards (standard cards)
• 4 Goal cards (standard cards)
• 14 Potion cards (mini cards, the Potion deck)
• 12 Talent cards (mini cards)
• 8 Event cards (standard cards)

Finite and infinite components

Dice and Ingredient tokens are unlimited. In the rare situation when you do not have enough of the components included in the set, use any suitable substitute.

Magic Marks are limited. If a type of Mark runs out, no player can gain it.

Setup

Ready-made deck for the first game

Assembling the Fate deck is the most time-consuming part of setup. Once you know the game, it takes only a few minutes. But for the first game, to start playing faster, you can use a ready-made deck.

Instead of assembling the deck by the usual rules, find the listed cards and lay them out in the order given.

Note: some cards are added only in a game of three or more players (3+), and some only in a game of four players (4).

STARTING PROPHECY (put it on the table face up at once):

• End of Time (Конец Времен) (Prophecy)

STARTING ROW OF TRIALS (put them on the table face up at once):

• Goldeater (Златоед) (Trial)
• Scrollers (Свиточники) (Trial)
• Out-of-Tune Clock (Расстроенные Часы) (Trial) (3+ players)
• Gloomy Lady (Хмурая Леди) (Trial) (4 players)

FATE DECK (top to bottom):

• Wildwood (Диколесье) (Trial)
• Guild Revival (Возрождение Гильдии) (Prophecy)
• Aranea (Аранея) (Trial)
• Mastery (Мастерство) (Goal)
• Fog of Oblivion (Туман Забвения) (Trial) (3+ players)
• Extracurricular Reading (Внеклассное Чтение) (Event) (3+ players)
• Pack of Direwolves (Стая Лютоволков) (Trial) (4 players)
• Harvest (Урожай) (Event) (4 players)
• Plains of Agony (Равнины Агонии) (Trial)
• Song of Overcoming (Песнь Преодоления) (Prophecy)
• Radomir Flaming (Радомир Фламинг) (Trial)
• Secret Deal (Тайная Сделка) (Event)
• Swarm of Umbrals (Рой Умбралов) (Trial) (3+ players)
• Festival (Фестиваль) (Event) (3+ players)
• Smoky Beast (Дымчатый Зверь) (Trial) (4 players)
• Wanderer (Странник) (Event) (4 players)
• Basilisk (Василиск) (Trial)
• Awakened Spark (Пробужденная Искра) (Prophecy)
• Night of Horrors (Ночь Ужасов) (Trial)
• Fresh Batch (Свежая Партия) (Event)
• Dragan Ivancevic (Драган Иванцевич) (Trial) (3+ players)
• Practice (Практика) (Event) (3+ players)
• Lair of the Fleshrenders (Логово Плотожоров) (Trial) (4 players)
• Personal Training (Личная Тренировка) (Event) (4 players)

Put the assembled Fate deck next to the starting row of Trials (face down).

Go on to the "Talents" setup section.

The Fate deck

This is a specially prepared deck of large cards that sets the rhythm, length and difficulty of the game. It contains all the large cards: Events, Prophecies, Goals and Trials. At the top of the deck there will be easier Trials, and at the bottom harder ones. The deck scales with the number of players (the more players, the more cards in it).

The Fate deck gives the game variety: in each game you will meet different Trials, different Events will happen, and the game will even end under different conditions.

Take all the Fate cards (standard-size cards) in the game. Find them and split them into sets:

• Prophecies
• Events
• Goals
• Trials

Split the Trial cards into four sets by difficulty from 1 to 4. Difficulty is shown by dots in the top left corner (Difficulty 1, Difficulty 2, Difficulty 3, Difficulty 4).

End of Time. Find the Prophecy End of Time. This is the Prophecy that is in effect in every game. Put it in the common play area.

Starting row of Trials. Take the set of Difficulty 1 Trials. Shuffle it and reveal from it a number of random cards equal to the number of players. Put them in the common play area, face up. These cards form the starting row of Trials. Put the remaining Difficulty 1 Trial cards back in the box; they will not be needed in this game.

Fate deck stacks. Take the sets of Difficulty 2, 3 and 4 Trials. Shuffle each set separately. From each set deal face down a number of random cards equal to the number of players. This gives three stacks: Difficulty 2, 3 and 4 Trials.

• Add to the first stack (with the Difficulty 2 Trials) one random Goal card, face down.
• Add to each stack one random Prophecy card, face down.
• Add to each stack random Event cards, face down, so that the number of cards in each stack is twice the number of players.
• Shuffle each stack separately, face down.
• Join the stacks into a deck without shuffling, so that the Difficulty 4 Trials are at the very bottom, above them the Difficulty 3 Trials, and at the very top the Difficulty 2 Trials.

For example, in a three-player game the stacks will each consist of three Trials and one Prophecy; in the first stack there is one Goal, and the remaining space is filled with Events.

Put the Fate deck in the common play area, to the left of the row of Trials.

Talents

Deal each player 2 random Talent cards. Each player chooses one of them, after which all players reveal their chosen Talents. Put the unchosen Talent cards back in the box; they will not be needed in this game.

A Talent card shows the starting Mark, the starting Ingredients, the starting Discipline card and the Turn order. Each player takes the indicated Discipline Mark and Discipline card (finds it in the corresponding deck) and takes the indicated set of Ingredients.

(Example Talent: Druid. Starting Mark; Starting Ingredients; Starting Discipline card "Unity with Nature" (Единство с Природой): You may summon Pets from the market. Roll 2 Resource dice.)

Turn order. The order of turns in the game is determined by the Turn order shown on the Talent cards: the player with the lowest Turn order value goes first, then the players in ascending order of values. For convenience, it is best to sit at the table clockwise in turn order starting from the first player.

Personal play area (for each player)

• Choose a Wizard board and put it in front of you (the boards differ only in colour and illustration; functionally they are identical).
• Take a Spark Mark and put it in the first Spark cell on the board (the leftmost).
• Put the starting Mark in the first cell (the leftmost).
• Find the starting Discipline card and put it in the corresponding area next to the board (a Spell goes below, into the Grimoire).
• Put the starting Ingredients in the personal Ingredient supply on the board.
• Take 2 Bone (beige) dice, 1 die of the colour of your starting Mark, and 1 Spark die. Roll them, and put them with the rolled values into your dice supply.

Common play area

1. Put the City board and the Wilds board in the centre of the table.
2. Take the Class boards of the Disciplines that correspond to the players' starting Marks. If fewer than four Classes result, add random Classes of other Disciplines; there are always 4 Classes in the game. Put the chosen Classes on the table. The remaining two Classes can be put back in the box.
3. Lay out the dice, Ingredient tokens and Mark tokens so that everyone can reach them.
4. Lay out the Contracts:
   • Shuffle the Contract deck well so that Contracts with dark and light headings are distributed evenly.
   • Reveal a random Contract from the deck. If it is a Difficulty 2 Contract (two dots in the top left corner), put it on the bottom of the deck. If it is a Difficulty 1 Contract (one dot), put it in the rightmost free cell of the Guild.
   • Repeat this process until all four Guild cells are filled.
5. Lay out the large cards:
   • Put the Fate deck and the row of Trials above the location boards.
   • Put the Prophecy End of Time above the location boards.
6. Lay out the remaining cards:
   • The Potion deck above the Brewery: reveal two cards from it and put them next to it; this is the Brewery market.
   • The Artifact deck above the Shop: reveal two cards from it and put them next to it; this is the Shop market.
   • The Discipline decks above the corresponding Classes: reveal two cards from each and put them next to it; these are the Class markets.
   • The remaining two decks of unavailable Disciplines put in the common play area; do not put them away (they may be used during the game, even though the corresponding Classes are not in the game).
   • Put the Mortal Wound cards in the common play area.

Adaptive layout

In Penumbra we deliberately gave up a large game board in favour of compact boards. Thanks to this, locations and card decks can be laid out in different ways. The game easily adapts to any table shape and a different number of players. The diagram on the page is only a recommendation. Place the boards however is convenient for you!

Game Overview

What the game is about

You are a wizard beginning your training in the art of sorcery.

To prove yourself and become the holder of the highest award for students, the Cup of Sorcery, visit the classes of the school, develop your mastery in the magical Disciplines, learn spells, gather ingredients, brew potions, summon pets, collect artifacts and fulfil contracts in the city Guild.

Sometimes you will have to face harsh Trials beyond the school walls. Such Trials are not only a test of your magic powers, but also a moral choice that will determine your fate and awaken the abilities hidden within you.

All your achievements count toward the final score: the wizard who has proved themselves better than the others will earn the Cup of Sorcery.

Mechanics

Penumbra is a complex victory-point game. Here are the main mechanics you will meet:

• Board development (the wizard's training). Develop your personal board to have more dice, use your cards with enhanced effects, and do more on each turn.
• Card combination (developing the grimoire and inventory). Collect spells, potions, pets and artifacts to have more options and available effects. Find combinations between effects and do what seemed impossible to other players.
• Dice placement (visiting locations). Place dice in three kinds of locations. Visit the school to develop your board and gain new cards. Gather resources in the wilds. Go to the city to shop and to fulfil contracts.
• Dice manipulation. You will often need dice of a certain colour or value. Manage your dice with cards and other effects: flip them, increase or decrease their value, or even recolour them.
• Resource management. Accumulate and use different magical ingredients: seal contracts with magical blood, exchange jewels for powerful artifacts, gain new opportunities in exchange for keepsakes of powerful mages.

Game flow

During the game, players take turns. On their turn a player chooses one of three turn options: Study, Trial or Rest:

• STUDY. Make two dice placements in locations: get new spells at the school, fulfil contracts in the guild, go to the wilds for potion ingredients. Most of a game consists of such turns.
• TRIAL. Pass one of the available Trials. On average each player passes 2-3 Trials per game.
• REST. Replenish your dice supply and unexhaust your turned (rotated) cards.

On their turn a player can also use spells, potions, artifacts and other effects, if nothing restricts their use (for example, some spells can be used only on a Trial turn).

The game continues until one of the prophecies, the end-of-game conditions, is triggered. In different games these conditions may be different, and new conditions may be added during the game. After that everyone takes one more turn, and the game ends.

How to win

The winner is the wizard who has become the best student of the school: the player who has scored more victory points. How to achieve this:

• Fulfil contracts and pass trials. Contracts and trials are the main source of victory points. Contracts are small commissions that can be fulfilled several times per turn. Trials are harder and take a whole turn, but give a larger reward.
• Collect experience symbols. Contracts, trials and tomes (a special kind of artifact) contain experience symbols. Collecting sets of such symbols also brings victory points.
• Accumulate Arcana. Arcana is the most expensive of the game resources. Arcana is necessary for developing a wizard, but is also victory points.
• Achieve goals. Sometimes goals common to all players appear in the game. Each such goal gives an additional way to score victory points.
• Strive for light or darkness. In contracts and trials there are two paths: light and darkness. To score more points, try always to go in one direction: either toward light or toward darkness.
• Gain magic Marks. Develop your wizard and gain more Marks. If you collect many Marks, you will get victory points for it.

All victory points are awarded only at the end of the game. However, all information about sources of victory points is open: you always see the fulfilled contracts and passed trials of other players (and, if you wish, you can even count exactly who is leading).

Disciplines

Magic is divided into 6 Disciplines: Ruby, Amber, Jasper, Emerald, Sapphire and Amethyst. Each Discipline corresponds to Marks (tokens with the symbol of that Discipline), cards (Spells, Potions, Pets), dice and Ingredients of the same colour.

To master the Disciplines (to level up your Wizard in a given Discipline), visit the classes of the school. This will give you new Discipline cards and also increase your dice supply.

Discipline	Colour	Ingredient
Ruby	Red	Blood
Amber	Orange	Crystals
Jasper	Yellow	Jewels (Драгоценности)
Emerald	Green	Fruits (Плоды)
Sapphire	Blue	Trinkets (Безделушки)
Amethyst	Purple	Arcana

Ruby Discipline

Blood magic (Sanguinomancy). Uses the magical properties of the blood of both wizards and magical creatures. With it you can make a blood pact, use your own wounds for empowerment and even summon a blood elemental. Students predisposed to Sanguinomancy turn out to be covered in scrapes and scratches from head to toe even in harmless circumstances.

Amber Discipline

Sound and music magic (Sonomancy). Uses the magical properties of sounds, notes and rhythm. Turns Spells into enchanting melodies, chants and incantations. Interacts well with other Disciplines and strengthens them. Sociable students who whistle tunes and compose poems and songs will most likely show a talent for Sonomancy.

Jasper Discipline

The magic of transformation (Alchemy) and protective charms (Custodiomancy). Protects against any threats and helps convert some resources into others. Students of the Jasper Discipline are careful, caring and hardworking. Even in clear weather you cannot drag them out of the alchemical laboratory. However, in a difficult moment they will always come to the rescue, showing unexpected strength and courage.

Emerald Discipline

The magic of wild nature and magical beasts (Bestiomancy). Focuses on summoning Pets and provides an abundance of Ingredients. If in the early stages of study a student seeks to spend time in the company of birds and beasts, and prefers a walk in an enchanted forest to reading a textbook, they clearly have a predisposition to Bestiomancy.

Sapphire Discipline

Mind magic (Ratiomancy). Devoted to memory, time, predictions, foresight, telepathy and suggestion. Helps with learning Spells, getting discounts from merchants and making additional placements. Students predisposed to Ratiomancy are well-read, erudite and often arrogant (owing to outstanding intellect) mages. They do not like to waste time on other people, preferring telepathic suggestion to conversation and persuasion.

Amethyst Discipline

Shadow magic (Umbromancy). Allows you to become invisible, instantly teleport a huge distance or break a protective aura. Helps in fights with dangerous monsters and other wizards. Students with a talent for Umbromancy often turn out to be reserved, unnoticeable loners. Partly for this reason they are drawn to the teachers of this Discipline, who are just as strange and send chills down the spines of others.

Advice. The Amber and Sapphire Disciplines are mechanically more complex than the others and more prone to "analysis paralysis". When you are just learning the game, it is better to start with other Disciplines. Once you are comfortable with the gameplay and add these two Disciplines, the game becomes even more interesting and adds new unexpected spell interactions.

Marks

DISCIPLINE MARKS. A Wizard's development in the magical Disciplines is shown by Marks. Each Discipline has its own Marks, called simply: Ruby Mark, Emerald Mark and so on.

SPARK MARKS. Besides academic development in the Disciplines, Wizards can gradually reveal innate abilities. These abilities are shown by Spark Marks and Spark dice.

Ingredients

Ingredients are resources of the same six colours as the magical Disciplines. Each Ingredient has a special game function, called Primagic (see p. 26).

A reference like (00) points to the section and page where the details on the topic are found.

Ingredients are represented by transparent tokens.

INGREDIENT SUPPLY. Your Ingredients are kept in the personal Ingredient supply on the Wizard board. The Ingredient supply can hold up to 12 Fruits, 12 Crystals, 12 Jewels, 12 Trinkets, 12 Blood and 12 Arcana (no more than 12 of each Ingredient, but the total may be larger).

GAINING INGREDIENTS. When an effect tells you to gain Ingredients, take them from the common supply and add them to your personal Ingredient supply. If some of the Ingredients do not fit in the supply (exceed the limit on the number of Ingredients), immediately discard the excess back to the common supply.

DISCARDING INGREDIENTS. When an effect tells you to discard Ingredients, move the Ingredients from the personal Ingredient supply on your Wizard board to the common supply.

RESOURCE DIE. Some effects in the game tell you to roll a Resource die, a special die whose faces show Fruits, Crystals and Jewels. When you roll such a die, gain all the Ingredients rolled on the die into your Ingredient supply.

If an effect tells you to roll several Resource dice at once, then all the Ingredients appear in your personal supply at the same time. This effect cannot be interrupted by other effects (you cannot gain part of the Ingredients, spend them on something, and then gain the remaining Ingredients into the freed personal supply).

BLOOD is the magical blood of both wizards and magical creatures. It is used to seal magical bonds (unbreakable contracts) and to access secret knowledge. Many Spells of the Ruby Discipline are based on the use of Blood. In addition, all Wizards can use Blood to reserve Contracts.

CRYSTALS are gemstones able to resonate with magical energies and influence them. They respond most strongly to sound vibrations, so they are often used in the Amber Discipline (sound magic, whose very name came from the high enchantability of amber). With Crystals you can manipulate your available dice: reroll, adjust, flip and even recolour them.

JEWELS are precious metals, gems and coins that can be used as payment. They are needed to buy Artifacts and ready-made Potions. In addition, Jewels help with haggling: refreshing the cards available in markets.

FRUITS are herbs, roots, berries and other components for Potions and for summoning Pets, both growing wild and cultivated in the school's greenhouses. All Wizards can Heal wounds using Fruits.

TRINKETS are nondescript items whose unremarkable look hides their history. Sometimes they are personal belongings of powerful wizards, keeping the memories and feelings of their owners. Sometimes they are souvenirs steeped in the memory of significant events, which have preserved the spirit of an era. A skilled wizard can extract from these imprints many forgotten secrets and clues to the mysteries of the past, so such "trinkets" are worth more than gold in the magical world. For their sake many members of magical society will agree to help you, provide informal preferences or access to otherwise unavailable artifacts.

Once per turn you can make an additional placement for a Trinket. In addition, Trinkets are needed for using some Artifacts.

ARCANA is secret knowledge, mystical revelations, concentrated sorcerous power. The most valuable and hard-to-obtain resource in the magical world. It is an intangible, invisible ingredient. Arcana is directly connected with the strength of a wizard's spirit, their life experience and the difficulties they have overcome, so it cannot be bought, exchanged or given to another. Creating a Mark and binding it to a wizard always requires that wizard's own Arcana.

Arcana is needed for developing a Wizard (for adding new Marks to the board), and at the same time it is victory points in the game.

Dice

The magical powers of Wizards are represented in the game by dice. Dice are needed for almost everything: to be placed in Locations, to use Spells, to fulfil Contracts and pass Trials, and also to defend against Threat. The more dice you have, the stronger your Wizard. To have more dice, gain Disciplines' Marks (see p. 14) and add them to your Wizard board. In addition, some Spells, Pets and Artifacts can give you additional dice.

When you run short of dice, you can always replenish your supply by taking a Rest turn (see p. 36).

DICE SUPPLY. The dice available to you are kept in your personal dice supply on the Wizard board. The personal dice supply is not limited: you can keep any number of dice in it.

GAINING A DIE. When an effect tells you to gain a die, take that die from the common supply, roll it and, without changing the rolled value, put it in your personal dice supply.

DISCARDING A DIE. When an effect tells you to discard a die from your supply, move the die from the personal supply to the common supply.

Dice types

• DISCIPLINE DICE (COLOURED). All coloured dice (most dice in the game). Each colour corresponds to one of the magical Disciplines.
• BONE DICE (COLOURLESS). Do not belong to any discipline and are not considered dice of any colour. They represent diligence, resourcefulness, and any skills and abilities not connected with magic. If you played Penumbra not as a wizard but as an ordinary person, only Bone dice would be available to them. Many tasks can be solved with Bone dice (that is, without resorting to magic), but some only with coloured dice (that is, with the help of magic).
• SPARK DICE (TRANSPARENT). Wild dice. When you use such a die, you can choose which one colour it counts as. Spark is the innate magical power that every Wizard possesses. All Wizards start the game with 1 Spark die. During the game you can gain additional Spark dice. Some tasks can be solved only with Spark dice.
• THREAT DICE (BLACK). They are rolled when a Wizard faces danger. Wizards do not use Threat dice and cannot add them to their personal supply, but can influence these dice with their Spells and other effects.
• TEMPORARY DICE. Some effects create temporary dice. Temporary dice always appear and are kept on the specific cards (Spells, Pets, etc.) that generated them. Their symbol looks just like that: a die on a card. As with gaining any other dice, when gaining temporary dice, roll them to determine their value. Temporary dice count as dice in your supply unless the effect by which you gained them says otherwise. They can be used like any other dice. At the end of your turn all your temporary dice are discarded.

Dice manipulation

Although there are a lot of dice in Penumbra, the game depends little on luck. You can manipulate dice, change their value and even their colour.

All manipulations apply only to your own dice, unless the effect explicitly says otherwise.

Manipulation effects apply immediately (they cannot be postponed for later).

If you gain several manipulation effects at once, you can apply them all to one die or to different dice, in any proportion and in any order.

• REROLL. Reroll the die once.
• FLIP. Turn the die to the opposite face ("1" to "6", "2" to "5", "3" to "4").
• SET. Set the die to any face.
• ADJUST. Increase or decrease the die's value by 1 (for example, from "3" to "4", from "2" to "1"). A "1" cannot be decreased, and a "6" cannot be increased.
• RECOLOUR. Discard the die from your supply and gain from the common supply a die of a different colour with the same value (for example, replace a yellow "3" with a red "3"). Bone dice can be recoloured into coloured dice.

Wizards

WIZARD BOARD. Shows the Wizard's powers and the magical Disciplines they have studied. All your dice and Ingredients are also kept on it, and around the board are placed cards: Spells, Recipes and Potions, Summons and Pets, Artifacts, Contracts and Trials. The Wizard board and the cards kept around it make up your personal play area. The boards of all Wizards are functionally identical (they differ only in design).

Cards

Put your cards on the table next to the Wizard board. All cards lie on the table face up unless stated otherwise.

ARTIFACTS: on top, in Equipment. The Wizard board has four Equipment cells: Conductor (Проводник), Pendant (Кулон), Mantle (Мантия) and Ring (Кольцо). If an Artifact card shows an Equipment icon, such a card can be placed only in the corresponding Equipment cell (above the Wizard board). An Artifact with an Equipment icon cannot be kept anywhere else. A Wizard cannot have two Artifacts with the same Equipment symbol. Artifacts can be discarded at any time to free a cell. If you gain an Artifact card and the Equipment cell with that icon is already occupied, you can either discard the gained Artifact or discard the equipped one and replace it with the new card. Artifacts with no Equipment symbol but with an Experience symbol are kept in the Experience zone.

TRIALS and CONTRACTS: on the left, in the Experience zone. To the left of the board, put face up the cards of fulfilled Contracts and passed Trials.

BREWED POTIONS and SUMMONED PETS: on the right, in the Inventory. Potions move to this area when brewed. Pets move to this area when summoned.

SPELLS, RECIPES and SUMMONS: below, in the Grimoire. All Discipline cards first go to the Grimoire, regardless of their type. Recipes (Potions not yet brewed) and Summons (Pets not yet summoned) also lie in the Grimoire.

Two cards with the same name cannot be in your play area. If an effect tells you to gain a random card, and a card with that name is already in your play area, discard the drawn card and draw another. Continue until you find a card you can gain. If no such card exists in the deck, you gain nothing.

If you can gain one card of your choice (for example, by an Event effect), but all the available cards are already in your play area, you do not gain a card.

Rest effects

At the top of the Wizard board is the Rest thread. It lists the Rest effects that trigger when you Rest, Heal, or gain a new Mark.

REST. When you take a Rest turn (see p. 36), go along the Rest thread from left to right. Apply all the effects at the start of the thread, and then all the effects under which there is a non-wounded Mark.

• Effects at the start of the thread: always trigger on Rest.
• Mark effects: trigger on Rest if the Mark under them is not wounded.

NEW MARK OR HEALING. When you place a new Mark on the board or Heal a wounded Mark, apply the Rest effect above that Mark.

Rest effects:

• UNEXHAUST ALL CARDS. Unrotate all rotated cards in your play area (Spells, Potions, Pets, Artifacts, Talent). Potions that unrotate (see p. 25) move from the Inventory back to the Grimoire.
• GAIN A COLOURED DIE. Take a coloured die of the same colour as the Mark from those placed in locations (if possible), or from the supply (if not). You can take any die of the corresponding colour of your choice from those placed in locations.
• RECHARGE ALL MARKS. Raise all discharged non-wounded Marks to the upper (charged) position.
• GAIN A SPARK DIE. Take a Spark die from those placed in locations (if possible), or from the supply (if not). You can take any Spark die of your choice from those placed in locations.
• WOUNDED MARKS GIVE NO EFFECT. If a Mark is wounded, then on Rest it is not recharged and does not give the effect shown above it (this symbol is added to the board as a reminder).
• BREW POTIONS from your Grimoire (any number), at the usual cost in Ingredients. (Only during Rest.)
• GAIN A BONE DIE. Take a Bone die from the dice placed in locations (if possible), or from the supply (if not). You can take any Bone die of your choice from those placed in locations. The board has two such effects, i.e. on every Rest any Wizard always gains 2 Bone dice.
• EXCHANGE INGREDIENTS. Exchange the Ingredients in your supply any number of times, at the usual Bazaar rate (see p. 29). (Only during Rest.)
• BUY 1 POTION OR 1 ARTIFACT from the market, at the usual cost. (Only during Rest.)

About the White Thread of Rest

At a very young age wizards already have small powers, although they cannot handle structured academic spells. Such powers can be directed with simple incantations and chants, the simplest forms of primagic. One of the traditions connected with this is the white thread. So that a child would remember which incantations to say before sleep, and at the same time practise their magical powers daily, parents made a small string of beads on a thick white thread. The thread was enchanted to glow slightly with a soothing white light. The beads were of different sizes, shapes and colours to recall different incantations: a ward for a window or door, an incantation for good sleep, an incantation for understanding the language of pets; it started with simple ones and then there were more. Therefore even in adulthood a string of beads on a white thread is associated for most wizards with sleep, rest, childhood and the parental home.

On the Wizard board the Rest line is also marked with a white thread. Each effect on it is like a bead on a rosary. When you Rest, go through the beads on the White Thread in order, so as not to forget anything.

Mastery

In the middle of the Wizard board is the Mastery area, a row of cells for Discipline Marks. When you develop your Wizard, you gain new Marks, and they are placed in the cells of the board. (Illustration: on the left, Discipline Marks: Sapphire, Amber, another Sapphire and Ruby; on the right, a Spark Mark.)

8 cells are for Discipline Marks (what can be learned in the school's classes), and the 3 cells on the right are for Spark Marks. Marks stay on the board until the end of the game.

MARKS GIVE DICE. The more Marks you have, the more dice you restore on Rest, and the more additional Rest Effects you get.

MARKS ARE OPPORTUNITIES. The more Marks you have, the more free effects your Wizard can make "at the snap of a finger". Each Mark on your board is like a switch. A Mark is first in the upper part of its cell, but it can be lowered to apply the Mark Effect shown in the lower part.

MARKS ARE "HEALTH". In addition, Marks are also your Wizard's "health". When any Threat (see p. 16) inflicts wounds on them, these wounds are distributed among the Marks, and the Mark tokens are flipped to their wounded side.

WOUNDED MARKS AS BLOOD. Wounded Marks have a Blood symbol. This Blood can be used exactly like Blood in your Ingredient supply. (Illustration: Amber Mark, front side and reverse, wounded side.)

MARKS STRENGTHEN SPELLS. Many Spells (see p. 24) and other effects become stronger if you have more Marks of the corresponding Discipline. (Example: the Spell Scarlet Downpour (Алый Ливень) brings one Blood into your Ingredient supply for each Ruby Mark: "Gain 1 Blood for each Ruby Mark.")

At the start of the game the Mastery area is almost empty. Your Wizard can do little, and to make them stronger you will have to study the Disciplines.

Gaining Marks

To gain a new Discipline Mark, you need to visit one of the Classes (see p. 28) and spend Arcana. The Mark symbol on a Class board means "gain a Mark".

GAIN A MARK. When an effect tells you to gain a Discipline Mark or a Spark Mark, take the corresponding Mark token from the common supply and place it in the first free (from left to right) corresponding cell (Disciplines or Spark) on your Wizard board, in the upper (charged) position. Immediately after that, apply the Rest Effect shown above the Mark.

SPARK MARKS. Spark Marks cannot be gained in the School. The rules for gaining them depend on the game mode. In the base game Penumbra: Trials of Arcana only one mode is available, called Trials of Arcana. In this mode new Spark Marks are connected with Trials (see p. 33). When you pass a Trial whose difficulty exceeds the number of your Spark Marks, you gain a new Spark Mark. For example, if you have one Spark Mark and you pass a Difficulty 3 Trial, you gain another Spark Mark. (The Trial's difficulty is shown by dots on the card.)

In the everyday speech of academic magic schools, a student's set of marks is usually called a belt. At first, when marks are few, students fasten them to the belt of the student robe. Special clothing elements and expensive accessories designed for attaching marks appear later (as the wizard's mastery grows, and with it the number of marks). In other traditions the set of marks is called differently: a volkhovnik among the volkhvs, a dreamcatcher among the shamans, or an oracle among the soothsayers.

Mark states

A Mark can be in three states:

• CHARGED MARK. The Mark is in the upper position. Its Mark effect can be used. On Rest it gives its Rest effect.
• DISCHARGED MARK. The Mark is in the lower position. Its Mark effect cannot be used. On Rest it is recharged and gives its Rest effect.
• WOUNDED MARK. The Mark is flipped to the wounded side (always in the lower position). Its Mark effect cannot be used. On Rest it gives no Rest effect.

Mark effects

These effects change the state of a Mark:

• USE A MARK (Charged → Discharged + Mark Effect). Lower a charged Mark down (to the discharged position) and apply the effect shown in the lower part of the cell. A Mark effect affects only dice and spells of the same colour as the Mark.
• RECHARGE (Discharged → Charged). If an effect lets you Recharge a Mark, you can choose any discharged non-wounded Mark on your board and raise it to the charged position. You do not gain the Rest effect shown above the cell (recharging is only for using the Mark again).
• INFLICT A WOUND (Charged / Discharged → Wounded). If a wound is inflicted on a Mark (as a result of a Threat roll), flip the Mark to its wounded side and put it in the lower part of its cell.
• USE BLOOD (Wounded → Discharged + Blood). If an effect lets you discard some amount of Blood, instead of discarding 1 Blood from your Ingredient supply you can flip any wounded Mark. You can flip several wounded Marks to discard more than 1 Blood. You can combine using Blood from wounded Marks and Blood from the Ingredient supply. You cannot flip a wounded Mark if there is no effect that requires discarding Blood.
• HEAL (Wounded → Charged + Rest Effect). If an effect lets you Heal, you can choose any wounded Mark on your board. Flip the Mark to its normal (non-wounded) side, move it to the upper (charged) position and gain the Rest effect shown above the cell. Only wounded Marks can be Healed.

Using a Mark means lowering a charged Mark down (to the discharged position) and applying the effect shown in the lower part of the cell. The effect of a Discipline Mark affects only dice and Spells of the same colour as the Mark.

Effects you can get by using Marks:

• SET. Set a die in your supply (of the same colour as the Mark) to any face. This effect cannot affect Bone dice or Spark dice (only coloured dice matching the Mark's colour).
• CAST A SPELL. Cast a Spell from your Grimoire (of the same colour as the Mark) for free. This effect works only with Spells (you cannot summon a Pet or brew a Potion with it).
• RECOLOUR A BONE DIE. Replace a Bone die in your supply with a coloured die (of the same colour as the Mark) with the same value.

Spark Marks, unlike ordinary Discipline Marks, can be applied to dice and cards of any colour:

• SET. Set any die in your supply to any face.
• CAST A SPELL. Cast any Spell from your Grimoire for free. This effect works only with Spells (you cannot summon a Pet or brew a Potion with it).
• UNEXHAUST. Unrotate any rotated card in your play area for free. Since the effect lets you unrotate "any card" rather than "any Spell", it can also unrotate Pets, Potions, Artifacts and even Talents.

Threat

Sometimes Wizards face dangerous creatures or magical phenomena. These encounters are always connected with Threat.

If a Wizard fails to avoid the Threat, they receive wounds. This is not always bad: a Wizard's blood has magical properties (and you can often use these properties to your advantage), and healing wounds gives new strength.

Threat is found mainly on Contract and Trial cards (see p. 31) and is shown as a black die with a number.

In Penumbra Wizards have no "hit points". Your dice and Marks act as defence and health. Threat dice will affect the dice in your supply and the Marks on your board. The values on the dice and the values of the Marks will matter. A Mark's value is shown under its cell by a die symbol.

When you face a Threat, go through the following steps in order:

1. PREPARE THE THREAT DICE. Take the indicated number of black dice.
   • Effects that affect the number of Threat dice ("discard X Threat dice") can be applied only at this step, before the roll.
   • Any other effects (Spells, Potions, Pets, Primagic, Marks) can also be applied at this step.
   • At the end of this step (when the Wizard has played all the effects they wanted), Properties (see p. 35) whose text contains "before the Threat roll" trigger.
2. ROLL THE THREAT DICE. Another player (you can choose who) rolls the prepared Threat dice.
   • Effects that manipulate the values of Threat dice ("adjust X Threat dice") can be applied only at this step, after the roll but before the results are distributed. No other effects can be applied at this step.
3. DISTRIBUTE THE RESULTS. The values on the Threat dice are distributed first among the dice in your supply, and only if that is impossible, among your Marks. No other effects can be applied at this step.

Resolve each Threat die one at a time (in any order). For each Threat die, check the following conditions in order:

• If there is a die in your supply with a matching value, discard that die from the supply. If there are several dice in your supply with a matching value, discard any one of them. Discard the resolved Threat die and move on to the next.
• Otherwise (no die with a matching value in your supply):
  • If there is a non-wounded Mark with a matching value on your board, that Mark becomes wounded: flip the Mark to its wounded side and put it in the lower part of its cell (if it is not already in the lower position). If there are several non-wounded Marks with a matching value, flip any one of them. Discard the resolved Threat die and move on to the next.
  • Otherwise (no non-wounded Mark with a matching value on the board):
    • If there is a wounded Mark with a matching value on your board, gain a Mortal Wound card and follow its instructions. Discard the resolved Threat die and move on to the next. Note: even if you gain a Mortal Wound card, you must resolve all the remaining Threat dice.
    • Otherwise (no wounded Mark with a matching value on the board): discard the resolved Threat die and move on to the next. This situation (no matching die or Mark was found for the Threat die) is called a "miss".

MORTAL WOUNDS. Wizards in Penumbra do not die permanently. A Mortal Wound card takes away points at the end of the game and slows the Wizard down, but they are not eliminated from the game. A Wizard cannot gain more than one Mortal Wound card per turn. If you should gain more than one Mortal Wound card, gain one.

Mortal Wound card text: "After the current Threat roll: Your turn is over. Discard all dice. Your next turn is Rest." (A Mortal Wound card costs 3 points at the end of the game.)

UNCANCELLABLE THREAT. Some effects imply an uncancellable Threat. Such a Threat is shown by a black die on a red background. Effects that discard Threat dice cannot be applied to an uncancellable Threat.

Advice. In Penumbra wounds are not always bad. Sometimes an unexpected wound can upset all your plans. And sometimes, on the contrary, it gives an opportunity to restore dice through Healing (without spending a turn on Rest) or to use magical Blood when it is badly needed. When a Wizard is wounded, you can either Heal the wound (recharge the Mark and get the Rest effect) or use the Blood as an Ingredient. These effects are mutually exclusive. It is up to you which of them is more advantageous in a specific case.

Threat example

For example, we faced "Threat 7" in a Trial. We prepared 7 black dice. But before rolling them, we first used Silverling (Серебрянка) to cancel two Threat dice ("Before the Threat roll: Discard 2 Threat dice").

5 black dice remained. Another player rolled them (the roll was 2, 2, 4, 5, 6 as in the original illustration; see the following description).

Threat dice first knock out dice with matching values in our supply. Let us look at the result of the roll and at the dice in the supply: one black 2 knocks out the Spark 2 (the only 2 in the supply). The black 6 knocks out either the Bone 6 or the orange 6, our choice (let us choose the Bone one).

There are fewer Threat dice left. What to do with the remaining ones? The remaining Threat dice can wound the wizard if we have Marks with matching values. The small black dice drawn under each Mark are the Marks' values.

We have no Marks with values 4 and 5, so the 4 and 5 are misses; these Threat dice do nothing. But on 2 we have a Jasper Mark, so the black 2 inflicts a wound. The Mark is flipped to its wounded side.

At this point all the Threat dice are distributed. We lost two dice and received one wound, but survived and can continue passing the Trial.

How could we have "not survived"? A Wizard receives a Mortal Wound if a black die falls on an already wounded Mark and there are no non-wounded Marks with that value. For example, if we had got one more 2: we would have had to assign it to the already wounded Mark, which means a Mortal Wound. It is better not to let it come to that: all dice from the supply are discarded, and the next turn is automatically Rest. And minus 3 points at the end of the game.

About the Power of the Aura

Young wizards who have only just received their first marks and mastered their first spells have a magical aura that is not very strong and, more importantly, not very noticeable. And many monsters, magical beasts, curses and guard wards react first of all to the strength of the aura. So where an experienced sorcerer will shine brightly in the eyes of a monster, their student can simply sneak past like an invisible person.

In Penumbra the stronger the Wizard, the more options they have and the stronger their Spells. But the more noticeable they are to any Threat (dragons, basilisks and curses): fewer and fewer values on Threat dice are misses for them.

Wizard Cards

Wizard cards are cards with useful effects that you can use during the game. They include Discipline cards (Spells, Recipes, Summons), Artifacts, Potions and Talents.

During the game you will gain various Wizard cards (most often through study at the School), and sometimes discard such cards. Gained cards are in your personal play area around the Wizard board (see p. 12). These are the cards you can use.

GAIN A CARD. When an effect tells you to gain a card, add the corresponding card to your personal play area. The effect usually names the specific type of card you can gain.

DISCARD A CARD. When an effect tells you to discard a card, move it to the bottom of the corresponding deck.

COST AND ACTIVATION. Usually when using a card you must pay its cost and then activate it (apply its effect).

For some cards, paying the cost and activation do not happen at the same time. When their cost is paid, such cards transform (a Recipe turns into a Potion, and a Summon into a Pet), i.e. they change status. You can activate them later.

Some cards can, after their activation, "launch" other cards for free. This is called a Launch effect and makes it possible to link separate effects into chains.

Card anatomy (illustrated with Scarlet Downpour and Ringing Staff): CARD TYPE (Spell, Potion, Pet, Artifact); COST (what you need to spend to use the card); EFFECT (what happens when the card is activated); LAUNCH (an additional effect after the card is activated).

About Magic Marks

When a wizard masters magic, their progress in each of the disciplines is marked by marks. Gaining a mark is a kind of initiation, gaining status, consolidation of achievements. In academic schools of sorcery these are small amulets that the wizard can easily carry with them. The student receives such marks directly from their teachers when they consider them worthy. Wizards of the classical tradition usually wear mark-talismans in plain view as a sign of status. But in other magical traditions marks may look different, the process of receiving them may be more ritualized, and wearing them openly may not be accepted. For example, sanguinomancers may use ritual scars as marks, shamans amulets made of animal bones, alchemists prefer jewellery of precious metals (often implanted under the skin), and assassin-mages of the eastern schools use charm-tattoos. In rare cases a wizard may lose a mark: the amulet crumbles to dust before their eyes, or the tattoo vanishes from the skin. This can happen as a result of a ritual, severe shocks or mortal wounds. Losing a mark is a painful process for any wizard, since together with the magical powers they lose the part of their personality fixed in the mark.

Cost

A card's cost may include dice and Ingredients. How to pay a card's cost:

• DIE. Discard a die of that colour (with any value) from your dice supply and return it to the common supply.
• DIE WITH VALUE "6". Discard a die of that colour with value "6" from your dice supply and return it to the common supply.
• INGREDIENTS. Discard the indicated Ingredients from your Ingredient supply and return them to the common supply.
• SEVERAL COST OPTIONS. Some cards have more than one cost option. To use such a card, it is enough to pay one of these options. For example, to apply Healing (Исцеление: "Heal all Wounds") you need to spend either 1 Green die or 2 Fruits.

RESTRICTION ON WHEN THE COST CAN BE PAID. The cost of some cards can be paid only during a certain type of Turn (see p. 36): only during Study or only during a Trial.

• If the cost contains the Study symbol, the cost can be paid only on a Study turn. Example: Alchemy (Алхимия: "Discard 1 Fruit to gain 1 Jewel any number of times"). Alchemy can be used only during Study.
• If the cost contains the Trial symbol, the cost can be paid only on a Trial turn. Example: Invisibility (Невидимость: "Before the Threat roll: Discard 1 Arcana to discard all Threat dice"). Invisibility can be used only during a Trial.
• If no restriction is shown, the cost can be paid on either a Study turn or a Trial turn (but not on a Rest turn). Example: Vulnerability (Уязвимость) can be used both during Study and during a Trial.

PURCHASE. Some Wizard cards you will gain not through study at the School, but through purchase. This happens with Artifacts and ready-made Potions. When purchasing, you pay the purchase cost once, after which the card is placed at once in the Inventory / Equipment and is ready for use.

The Wand of Everwood (Палочка из Вечнодерева) is an Artifact that can be bought for 1 Jewel and 1 Trinket. It immediately ends up in the Equipment area (above the Wizard board). You no longer need to pay this cost: the Artifact now belongs to you and is ready for use. (Its text: "Emerald effects trigger with +2 Marks." Another card of this kind: "Until end of turn: Ignore all dice in your supply when distributing Threat.")

Transformation

Recipes and Summons are not activated immediately when their cost is paid, but change their status. Recipes become ready Potions, and Summons become Pets. The cards move from the Grimoire to the Inventory, and from that moment can be activated. As a reminder, the card's transformation is shown in its cost.

Triplet (Триплет) is a Potion. When you gain the Triplet card, it ends up in your Grimoire and is a Recipe (you know how to brew such a potion, but it does not yet exist physically). When you pay its cost (1 Crystal and 1 Fruit), Triplet becomes a brewed Potion and moves to the Inventory. Its effect (shown at the bottom of the card, "Adjust 3 times") does not trigger instantly. You decide when to drink the Potion, and then apply its effect.

Activation

To activate a card means to fulfil its requirements ("rotate the card", "discard the card") and apply its effect once.

Note that when a card is activated, its effect triggers once. For example, when activating Mystery (Мистерия: "Discard 1 Jewel to gain 1 Arcana") you cannot spend several Jewels to gain the same amount of Arcana.

REQUIREMENTS AND EFFECT. Most cards have a requirement separated from the effect by a colon. Most often it is "rotate the card" or "discard the card". The requirement is a mandatory part of activation. If you cannot fulfil the requirement, the card cannot be activated (for example, you cannot apply the effect of a card with the requirement "rotate the card" if that card is already rotated).

ROTATE. Activating most cards requires rotating. To activate such a card, rotate it. Spells are activated immediately after their cost is paid, and their effect cannot be postponed. But Potions, Pets and Artifacts can be activated not immediately after paying the cost, but later.

ROTATING AND UNROTATING. Activating most cards requires rotating (turning the card from a vertical position to a horizontal one). A card can be rotated only if it is not already rotated. Cards that require rotating for activation cannot be activated while rotated. Cards with a constant effect that are rotated for any reason do not work until they are unrotated again. To be able to use a rotated card again, it must be unrotated (from horizontal back to vertical). Usually cards are unrotated during Rest, but there are other effects with which cards can be unrotated.

(Example: Rift (Разлом): "Before the Threat roll: Discard 1 Threat die for each Jasper Mark.")

DISCARD. Activating some cards requires discarding them. To activate such a card, discard it.

THREAT. Activating some cards requires a Threat roll. To activate such a card, apply the indicated Threat by the usual rules. Example: Ichor (Ихор: "Apply 1 Threat (uncancellable): Gain 2 Blood"). Ichor's effect triggers after you apply Threat 1.

CONDITION. The effect of some cards works when certain conditions occur. They are activated each time such a condition occurs (once per occurrence of the condition). Example: Sniffer (Нюхач: "When placed in a Class: Gain a Trinket"). Its effect (gain 1 Trinket) triggers each time the condition "you place in a Class" is fulfilled.

TEXT + ICONOGRAPHY. Card effects are always given in text and iconography. Since effects in Penumbra are very varied, the iconography does not replace the text but only helps you understand the meaning of the card faster and read the information faster. The requirements (rotate the card or discard the card) are shown only in iconography, as they need no separate explanation.

CONSTANT EFFECT. Some cards have no requirements. The effects of such cards work constantly, unless some effect rotates the card (a rotated card with a constant effect stops working). Example: the Druid Talent (Друид, "Unity with Nature": "You may summon Pets from the market") allows you to summon Pets from the market. This effect works constantly and does not require rotating the card or any conditions.

RESTRICTION ON WHEN THE CARD CAN BE ACTIVATED. Many cards can be activated only during a certain type of Turn (see p. 36): only during Study, only during a Trial, or only during Rest. Note: this is not the same as the restriction on when the cost may be paid. It happens that the cost can be paid only during Study but the card can be activated only during a Trial.

• STUDY. If the effect has the Study symbol, the card can be activated only during Study. Example: Hunting Falcon (Охотничий сокол: "Roll a Resource die for each Emerald Mark") can be activated only during Study.
• TRIAL. If the effect has the Trial symbol, the card can be activated only during a Trial. Example: Dead Water (Мертвая Вода: "Replace the task of any path in the Trial with 'Spark 1+'. At the end of the turn gain and apply a Mortal Wound card.") can be activated only during a Trial. Note that this restriction applies to the moment of activating the Potion. This Potion can, on the contrary, be brewed only on a Study turn.
• STUDY / TRIAL. If no restriction is shown, the card can be activated both during Study and during a Trial (but not during Rest). Example: Liquid Luck (Жидкая Удача: "Set a die to any face. Recolour 2 times.") can be activated both during Study and during a Trial.
• REST. If the effect has the Rest symbol, the card can be activated only during Rest. Example: Duplica (Дуплика: "On Rest: Gain an additional Bone die for each Sapphire Mark") can be activated only during Rest. Every time you Rest, Duplica gives you an additional Bone die for each Sapphire Mark on your board.

ENHANCEMENT. The strength of some effects depends on the number of Marks of the corresponding Discipline. The more such Marks, the stronger the effect. The Spell Devourer of Minds (Пожиразум: "Gain 1 Discipline card for each Sapphire Mark") lets you take one Discipline card from the market for each Sapphire Mark. For example, if you have 3 Sapphire Discipline Marks on your board, with this Spell you will take three cards from any Discipline decks.

For enhancement effects it does not matter what state the Marks are in (charged, discharged or wounded) or in which cell of the board they are. A Mark in any state and in any cell gives you +1 to the strength of such effects.

Launch

On some cards you will see Launch effects: an icon with a card type on the left (in the cost) or on the right. Cards with a Launch effect can launch other cards for free, or be launched for free by other cards.

LAUNCHES. If the Launch icon is on the right, this card launches the indicated type of cards for free. Immediately after you have applied the main effect of the launching card, you may use another card of the type indicated in the Launch effect for free (ignoring its cost).

• Chant (Распев) has on the right a Launch effect "any Spell". This means Chant launches any Spell. When you activate Chant, then right after that you may activate any other Spell without paying its cost. Chant itself has no effect at all (this card is needed only to launch other Spells).
• The Artifact Pulsing Staff (Пульсирующий посох) has a Launch effect "Red Spell". When you activate Pulsing Staff, its main effect triggers first: discard a Trinket to gain 2 Red dice. Right after that you may activate any Red Spell for free.

IS LAUNCHED. If the Launch icon is on the left (in the cost), this card is launched by the indicated type of cards. Right after you have applied a card of the indicated type, you may use the launched card without paying its cost.

• Devourer of Minds (Пожиразум) has two cost options. In the second cost option there is a Launch effect "Blue Spell". This means Devourer of Minds is launched by any Blue Spell. If you have just applied some Blue Spell, then right after that you may apply Devourer of Minds for free.

IGNORE ONLY THE COST. Launch effects let you ignore only the cost of the launched card. If the effect of the launched card tells you to discard something, you will still have to discard it.

Example: you activated Radiant Staff (Сияющий посох: "Discard a Trinket to gain 2 Yellow dice") and with its Launch effect applied Mystery for free. This lets you not discard the Yellow die with value 6 as the cost of Mystery. The effect of Mystery is to discard 1 Jewel to gain 1 Arcana. For the effect to work, you will still have to discard the Jewel (the Launch effect does not cancel this expenditure).

Chains

Launch effects link cards into a chain, an unbroken sequence of effects. Some effects in the game depend precisely on chains. For example, some Amber Spells can become stronger when they take part in a long chain. And in difficult Trials chains help get around limits on the number of cards used.

A chain is formed whenever one card launches another card, or is launched by another card. It is enough for the Launch effect to be present on one of the cards. The chain must be unbroken, i.e. between cards in the chain you cannot apply any other effect not belonging to this chain.

Examples of chains:

• You spend 2 Crystals to apply Chant (Распев). Chant launches any Spell for free. Thanks to this, you apply Alchemy (Алхимия: "Discard 1 Fruit to gain 1 Jewel any number of times") for free.
• Transmutation (Превращение: "Convert Ingredients any number of times") is launched by any Yellow Spell. Since you have just applied the Yellow Spell Alchemy, you can launch Transmutation for free.

A chain can be of any length. There is no limit on the length of a chain. A chain can contain any number of cards, as long as the conditions for linking the cards are met. For example, the four cards in the following example are one long Chain of effects (and this is not the limit):

1. You rotate the equipped Ringing Staff (Звенящий посох: "Discard a Trinket to gain 2 Orange dice") and, having fully applied its effect (discard a Trinket to gain 2 Orange dice), launch Chant for free.
2. You rotate Chant and launch Alchemy for free.
3. You rotate Alchemy and apply its effect (discarding several Fruits to gain the same number of Jewels).
4. Transmutation is launched by any Yellow Spell (which the Alchemy that has just triggered is), so you launch it for free too.

Complex chains

It can happen that right in the course of resolving a chain some cards are discarded, some are unrotated, and some new ones are added to your Grimoire. You may use new (just gained) cards later in the same chain. You may discard Spells that took part in the chain earlier (if some effect allows / requires it). You may even reuse a card that was already applied earlier in the chain but was unrotated by some effect.

In all these cases the chain is still considered a chain, all applied cards count toward the length of the chain (even discarded ones), and cards applied twice count twice toward the length of the chain.

The first time you do this, the other players may call you a cheater (because it will look too cool to be true). But know that you did everything right.

Artifacts

Artifacts are magical items. Artifacts cannot be gained in Classes, but can be bought in the Artifact Shop or gained as a reward (in Contracts and Trials).

Many Artifacts require rotating to apply their effect and are unrotated on Rest like other cards. Some Artifacts give a constant effect and do not require rotating. There are also Artifacts that give a one-time instant effect and Experience symbols. In rare cases an Artifact may be single-use, requiring discarding to apply its effect.

• The Thorny Patch (Колючая Заплатка: "Heal up to 2 Wounds") must be rotated to apply its effect. On Rest it will unrotate and be ready for use again.
• The Guard Wand (Стражевая палочка: "Jasper effects trigger with +2 Marks") gives a constant effect: +2 Levels to all Jasper effects. It works all the time; there is no need to rotate the card.
• The Phylactery (Филактерий: "Ignore the effects of a Mortal Wound and discard its card") is a single-use Artifact. To apply the effect of this card (ignore the effects of a Mortal Wound), it must be discarded.

Equipment

The Wizard board has four Equipment cells: Conductor, Pendant, Mantle and Ring. The card Radiant Staff (Сияющий посох: "Discard a Trinket to gain 2 Yellow dice") has the "Conductor" equipment icon. It can be placed only in the corresponding Equipment cell, above the Wizard board.

Artifacts can be discarded at any time to free a cell. If you gain an Artifact card and the Equipment cell with that icon is already occupied, you can either discard the gained Artifact or discard the equipped one and replace it with the new card.

If an Artifact requires rotating for activation, it is rotated right in the Equipment cell and remains in it.

If an Artifact card shows an Equipment icon, such a card can be placed only in the corresponding Equipment cell (above the Wizard board). An Artifact with an Equipment icon cannot be kept anywhere else. A Wizard cannot have two Artifacts with the same Equipment symbol.

When you gain an Artifact (as a result of purchase or as a reward), place it in the corresponding Equipment cell. If the Artifact has a constant effect, it starts working at once. If the Artifact requires rotating, it is ready for activation.

To activate an Artifact, rotate it right in the Equipment cell and apply its effect. When some effect unrotates a rotated Artifact (usually this will be Rest), the Artifact stays in the Equipment cell and can be activated again.

Tomes

There are Artifacts without an Equipment symbol: these are Tomes. All of them give an instant effect when gained, and also an experience symbol. Such Artifacts are kept in the experience zone.

The Manual of Good Manners (Руководство по Хорошим Манерам: "Gain a Discipline card") instantly gives, when gained, the effect "gain a Discipline card from any deck". After that the Artifact is kept in the experience zone (to the left of the board) and gives one experience symbol "Society".

Summons and Pets

Pets are helpers that you need to summon to your aid once, so as to use their effect many times afterwards.

Such cards enter the game as a Summon in your Grimoire. After the cost is paid, the Summon turns into a Pet, and the card moves to the Inventory. Once summoned, a Pet stays in the Inventory and will be with you until the end of the game, unless you discard it with some effect.

Example: to summon the All-Colour Wolf (Всецветный волк: "Gain 1 die of any colour"), you must spend once a Green die showing 6 and 1 Arcana. When activated, the All-Colour Wolf gives 1 die of any colour.

1. When you gain a Summon card, put it below the board, in the Grimoire. The Wizard knows how to summon this Pet, but physically the Pet does not yet exist.
2. To summon a Pet, pay its cost. Move the card from the Grimoire to the Inventory (without rotating it). Now it is a summoned Pet. Its effect is not applied yet.
3. To activate a Pet, rotate it and apply its effect. You decide when to do it. A Pet can remain in your Inventory for any length of time.
4. When you have activated a Pet, it stays in the Inventory, rotated. A rotated Pet cannot be activated. When some effect unrotates a rotated Pet (most often this will be Rest), the Pet stays in the Inventory and can be activated again.

Spells

Spells are reusable cards with the most varied effects. To apply them, you must pay their cost each time.

When you gain a Spell card, put it below the board, in the Grimoire.

How to use a Spell:

• Pay the cost.
• Fulfil the requirement and apply the effect.

Example: the Spell Scarlet Downpour (Алый Ливень: "Gain 1 Blood for each Ruby Mark"): discard 1 Red die (with any value on it). Rotate the card. Gain as much Blood into your Ingredient supply as you have Ruby Marks.

Recipes and Potions

Potions are reusable cards that can be prepared from Ingredients in advance and then applied when they are needed.

Such cards enter the game as a Recipe in your Grimoire. After the cost is paid, the Recipe turns into a Potion, and the card moves to the Inventory. Later the Potion becomes a Recipe again, and it can be brewed again.

Example: the Potion Liquid Luck (Жидкая Удача: "Recolour 2 times") can be brewed from 2 Crystals. When used, it recolours up to two dice in your supply to any colour.

1. When you gain a Recipe card, put it below the board, in the Grimoire. The Wizard knows how to brew this Potion, but physically the Potion does not yet exist.
2. To brew a Potion, pay its cost. Move the card from the Grimoire to the Inventory (without rotating it). Now it is a brewed Potion. Its effect is not applied yet.
3. To activate a Potion, rotate it and apply its effect. You decide when to do it. A brewed Potion can remain in your Inventory for any length of time.
4. When you have activated a Potion, it stays in the Inventory, rotated. A rotated Potion cannot be activated or brewed again.
5. When some effect unrotates a rotated Potion (most often this will be Rest), move the card, unrotated, back to the Grimoire. So the Potion becomes a Recipe again, and it can be brewed again.

READY-MADE POTIONS. In the Brewery you can buy ready-made Potions. Such Potions do not need to be brewed, but they are single-use (the Wizard does not learn the Recipe, but gets the ready Potion at once). When you buy a ready-made Potion, put it straight into the Inventory. When you decide to activate a ready-made Potion, discard it and apply its effect.

• The Liquid Luck Recipe card, which can be gained in the Amber Class: the cost has the Study symbol and the Potion transformation icon. The requirement is rotating the card.
• The ready-made Liquid Luck Potion card, which can be bought in the Brewery: the cost has the purchase symbol. The requirement is discarding the card.

Primagic

Regardless of academic training in magic, all Wizards can use their innate magical powers and the natural properties of different magical energies. This primitive but effective magic is called Primagic.

In game terms, coloured dice and Ingredients have different properties. You can use the dice and Ingredients in your supply to apply these properties. They are always available; you do not need any cards or other effects for this.

Mechanically, Primagic effects are similar to Spells: they are activated at once and may have a restriction on when they can be applied. There is no limit on the number of times Primagic can be applied. Unless the effect text explicitly forbids it, you may apply the same Primagic effect several times.

Dice effects

KNOCK OUT (Выбить) (during Study). Place a Red die in place of any placed die with a lower value, or discard a Red die to also discard any other placed die.

HARVEST (Добыть) (during Study). Place a Green die in any location of the Wilds (Forest, Sanctuary and Ruins) to roll a Resource die and gain the Ingredients from it (in addition to the location's main effect). Note: the Forest location effect by itself already lets you roll a Resource die. If you place a Green die in the Forest, you will roll two Resource dice at once.

EMPOWER (Усилить) (during Study or Trial). Discard an Orange die to add +2 to the strength of the effect of any Spell (you may discard several to add +2 for each). This effect applies only to Spells with enhancement by Discipline Marks (the effect text contains "for each Discipline Mark").

Example: Scarlet Downpour gives 1 Blood for each Ruby Mark on your board. If you have 1 Ruby Mark, you can activate Scarlet Downpour and discard an Orange die to gain 3 Blood. If in this situation you discard not one Orange die but two, you gain 5 Blood. If you have no Ruby Marks at all (0 Marks), you can still activate Scarlet Downpour and discard, for example, 3 Orange dice to gain 6 Blood.

PERSUADE (Убедить) (during Study). Place a Blue die in any shop to reduce the purchase price by 1 Ingredient. This effect applies to the Brewery and the Shop. In both locations you can place a Blue die to buy Potions or an Artifact for one Ingredient less than the usual cost. The purchase price can be reduced to zero. If you buy several Potions at once in the Brewery, the discount of one Ingredient applies to the whole sum of your expenses, not to each Potion.

DEFEND (Защитить) (during Study or Trial). Place or discard a Yellow die to discard 1 Threat die. This effect is applied at step 1 "Prepare the Threat dice" (see p. 16).

• The first effect ("place") is useful when you place in a location where the Wizard must apply Threat dice. In that case placing a Yellow die discards one Threat die. This applies, for example, in the Guild (if the Contract being fulfilled has Threat) and in the Ruins (the effect "apply 1 Threat die, gain 2 Blood").
• The second effect ("discard") lets you, before the Threat roll, discard any number of Yellow dice from your supply to discard the same number of Threat dice. This can be done when attempting to fulfil a Contract, when passing a Trial, and with any other effect involving Threat.

GRAB (Прихватить) (during Study). Place a Purple die in any location of the City (Brewery, Guild, Bazaar and Shop) to roll a Resource die and gain the Ingredients from it (in addition to the location's main effect).

Ingredient effects

BIND (Связать) (during Study). Once per placement in the City: Discard 1 Blood to Reserve (see p. 35) one Contract. Choose a Contract either from the four open Contracts (lying in the Contract row), or from the top three Contracts of the deck (put the remaining two on the bottom of the Contract deck). If you take a Contract from the top three cards of the Contract deck: do not show the other players what you chose from, what you chose, and what you put on the bottom of the deck. You are also entitled, after looking at the cards, to take no Contract (the Blood is still discarded). This effect can be applied when placing in any location of the City (Brewery, Guild, Bazaar, Shop). It can be done either before or after applying the effect of the location itself.

MANIPULATE (Манипулировать) (during Study or Trial). Discard Crystals to manipulate any of your dice.

• Discard 1 Crystal to Reroll one die once.
• Discard 2 Crystals to Adjust one die by 1.
• Discard 2 Crystals to Flip one die.
• Discard 3 Crystals to Recolour one die.

BRIBE (Подкупить) (during Study). Discard 1 Jewel to refresh any one market (Brewery, Shop or one of the Classes). Discard all cards of the chosen market and lay out new cards from the top of the deck. Note: the Contract row in the Guild is not a market. This effect does not apply to Contracts.

HEAL (Исцелить) (during Study or Rest). Discard 2 Fruits to Heal one wounded Mark. Note: this Primagic effect can be used during Rest.

HURRY (Успеть) (during Study). ONCE PER TURN: Discard a Trinket to make an additional placement.

APPEAR (Оказаться) (during Study). Discard 1 Arcana to place a die outside a cell. This effect lets you place in any location, even if all the cells in it are occupied. Put the placed die next to the cells. The requirements of the cell whose effect you want to use must still be met with such a placement. If you are trying to place in a Class to gain a Discipline Mark, you must still place either a Spark die or a six of the needed colour. This effect can be applied both to an ordinary placement and to an additional one (for a Trinket or gained through another effect).

Any task is solvable

Primagic may at first seem unnecessary overload. In the first games you will constantly peek at the reference sheet: what do orange dice do there? What are trinkets for? But after a couple of games, it is precisely thanks to Primagic that any game task becomes solvable. The only question is the price and resourcefulness.

• Taken the cell you need? Knock it out with a Red die. No Red die? Use Crystals and recolour a Bone die into a Red one. Not enough placements in the turn? Pay a Trinket and make one more.
• No light contracts in the Guild, only gloomy ones come out, and you set out to be a light wizard? Use Blood to rummage through the contract deck and find what you need.
• No useful spells in the Class? Spin the deck for a Jewel. No Jewels and nowhere to get them? Go to the Bazaar with a Purple die, get some Ingredients for it, and exchange them for Jewels.

Almost in any situation when it seems "no, I cannot do this", it is actually "you can, if you use such resources in such a way".

About trinkets

The name "trinkets" took hold in magical society thanks to junk dealers and hunters of magical antiques. Bargaining and exchanging artifacts, they tried to hide their interest in the most valuable items. "Add that trinket over there, and so be it, deal" usually sounded at the very end of a deal involving jewels, magic wands, talismans and impressive spellbooks. And the nondescript "trinket", of course, was the true goal of the whole transaction.

Locations

On a Study turn you can visit various locations belonging to one of three areas: School, City or Wilds. Each area consists of several locations:

• The School consists of Classes.
• The City consists of the Brewery, Guild, Bazaar and Shop.
• The Wilds consist of the Forest, Sanctuary and Ruins.

To visit a location means to place a die in one of its cells.

PLACING A DIE. Any location contains one or more sections, and a section one or more cells (places to place a die). When you place in a cell, you may apply the effect of the corresponding section. For example, the location Emerald Class contains three sections with different numbers of cells and different effects.

CELL CONDITIONS. Most cells allow placing one die of any kind. However, some cells have a condition:

• Any die.
• A die of the indicated colour.
• A die of the indicated colour and value.
• The cell is available only in a game of three or four players.
• The cell is available only in a game of four players.
• Any number of dice may be placed in the cell.
• A Spark die.

PRIMAGIC EFFECTS. For the City and the Wilds there are Primagic effects (see p. 26) valid for every location in that area. The City and Wilds boards carry a reminder of this.

• When placing in any location of the Wilds you may also: place a Green die to gain a Resource die.
• When placing in any location of the City, in addition to the location's effect, you may also: discard 1 Blood to Reserve 1 Contract; place a Purple die to gain a Resource die.

Class

All Classes are arranged identically. In the Class of any Discipline you can gain Marks of that Discipline, cards of that Discipline and dice of the corresponding colour. Above a Class lies the deck of the corresponding Discipline, and two Discipline cards make up the Class market.

A Class has three sections with different effects:

GAIN A DISCIPLINE MARK AND A CARD:

• Place a six of the corresponding colour (first two cells) or a Spark die (third cell).
• Spend Arcana, as much as is shown in the nearest (left to right) unoccupied cell of the Mastery area on your Wizard board.
• Gain a Discipline Mark (see p. 14) and put it in the nearest (left to right) unoccupied cell of the Mastery area, charged. Apply the Rest Effect (see p. 13) shown above the gained Mark.
• Gain one Discipline card (either one of the two lying face up in the Class market, or one random card from the top of the Discipline deck) and add it to your Grimoire.

GAIN A CARD:

• Place a die of the corresponding colour.
• Gain one Discipline card (either one of the two lying face up in the Class market, or one random card from the top of the Discipline deck) and add it to your Grimoire.

GAIN A COLOURED DIE:

• Place any die.
• Gain a die of the Class colour into your dice supply.

Bazaar

At the city Bazaar you can exchange any non-magical Ingredients: Fruits, Crystals, Jewels and Trinkets. Only one effect is available in this location:

EXCHANGE INGREDIENTS:

• Place any die.
• Exchange Ingredients any number of times.

The exchange rate is shown above the cell: 4 Fruits = 3 Crystals = 2 Jewels = 1 Trinket.

With one placement you can exchange any Ingredients, any number of times, in any combination. For example, 8 Fruits into 4 Jewels, 1 Trinket into 2 more Jewels, and 1 more Trinket into 3 Crystals.

Ingredients can be exchanged only in amounts that are multiples of those indicated. You cannot exchange 2 Fruits for 1 Jewel. Only 4 Fruits for 2 Jewels, 8 Fruits for 4 Jewels and so on.

Brewery

In the Brewery you can buy ready-made Potions (see p. 25) for Jewels. Above the Brewery there is always a Potion deck, and two Potions make up the Brewery market. Only one effect is available in this location:

BUY POTIONS:

• Place any die.
• Buy any number of Potions.

You can buy only Potions lying face up in the Brewery market. You cannot buy from the top of the deck. Right after buying a Potion, reveal a new Potion card from the top of the deck and put it in the vacated place. Thus with one placement in the Brewery you can buy any number of Potions, as long as you have enough Jewels. However, remember that your play area cannot contain two cards with the same name.

MARKET REFRESH AND DISCOUNT. Primagic effects (see p. 26) apply in the Brewery: for a Jewel you can refresh the Potion market, and when placing with a Blue die you get a discount of 1 Ingredient. Remember that the discount applies to the total sum of Jewels spent, not to each Potion. Note: under the Brewery market there is a reminder that the market can be refreshed for a Jewel, and above the cells a reminder that a Blue die gives a discount.

Shop

In the Shop you can buy Artifacts (see p. 23). Above the Shop there is always an Artifact deck, and two Artifacts make up the Shop market. Only one effect is available in this location:

BUY AN ARTIFACT:

• Place any die.
• Buy one Artifact.

You can buy only Artifacts lying face up in the Shop market. You cannot buy from the top of the deck. Right after buying an Artifact, reveal a new Artifact card from the top of the deck and put it in the vacated place. However, unlike the Brewery, with one placement in the Shop you can buy only one Artifact.

MARKET REFRESH AND DISCOUNT. Primagic effects (see p. 26) apply in the Shop: for a Jewel you can refresh the Artifact market, and when placing with a Blue die you get a discount of 1 Ingredient. Note: under the Shop market there is a reminder that the market can be refreshed for a Jewel, and above the cells a reminder that a Blue die gives a discount.

Guild

In the city Guild you can fulfil Contracts (see p. 32). Under the City board is the Contract row. This row is not a market. Unlike the markets of the Brewery, Shop and Classes, it cannot be refreshed for a Jewel (by the Primagic effect). Only one effect is available in this location:

FULFIL A CONTRACT:

• Place any die.
• Attempt to fulfil one Contract. This can be either one of the 4 face-up Contracts, or a Reserved Contract.

The Guild and Contracts

If there are no suitable Contracts for you in the Guild, do not forget: you can use Blood to find the Contract you need in the deck and reserve it. This Primagic effect (like others) can be used before the main effect of the Location. For example, you can do this: place in the Guild; then spend Blood to look at the top three Contract cards of the deck; reserve one of these three Contracts if something suits you; then fulfil the Contract you have just found as the main effect of the Guild.

You can do this even if there are suitable Contracts in the Guild. You can place in the Guild, look at the Contracts from the top of the deck, possibly reserve some Contract (for the future), and then fulfil one of the Contracts already lying in the Guild that you were originally targeting.

The Wilds

Forest. In the Forest you can always get Ingredients. Only one effect is available in this location:

GAIN A RESOURCE:

• Place any die.
• Roll a Resource die (gain the Ingredients rolled on it into your personal Ingredient supply).

Sanctuary. In the Sanctuary you can get Spark dice for Blood. Only one effect is available in this location:

GAIN A SPARK DIE:

• Place any die.
• Discard 1 Blood.
• Gain 1 Spark die into your dice supply.

(Reminder on the board: when placing with a Green die, roll a Resource die.)

Ruins. In the Ruins you can get Blood. Only one effect is available in this location:

GAIN BLOOD:

• Place any die.
• Apply 1 Threat die.
• Gain 2 Blood into your personal Ingredient supply.

Contracts and Trials

Contracts and Trials are the main way to score victory points in Penumbra. They bring significant rewards (including Arcana, the most valuable resource), give victory points directly, and also indirectly through experience symbols.

Most of your actions in the game (developing the Wizard, gaining new cards, etc.) will be aimed at ultimately fulfilling Contracts and Trials.

In structure, Contracts and Trials are similar: they often involve Threat, they always have a task and a reward, and they are always a step toward Light or Darkness.

Tasks

Contracts and Trials contain several types of tasks. The same rules apply to them in both Trials and Contracts.

• DISCARD INGREDIENTS. Discard the indicated number of Ingredients to the common supply. Example: "Discard 3 Crystals."
• DISCARD DICE (TOTAL SUM). Discard any number of dice of the indicated colours. The sum of the values on these dice must be greater than or equal to the indicated number. Examples: "Discard any number of Purple dice with a sum of 6 or more": this can be one purple 6, or, for example, a purple 3 and a purple 4. "Discard any number of Red and/or Purple dice (in any combination) with a sum of 8 or more."
• DISCARD DICE (EXACT VALUE). Discard dice of the indicated colours and values to the common supply. Examples: "Discard exactly two Red dice with values 5 and 5." "Discard exactly two dice, Yellow and/or Blue, with values 2 and 4": the combination can be any: two yellow dice, two blue dice, or one yellow and one blue.
• ROLL ON DICE (TOTAL SUM). Take the indicated number of dice of a specific colour from your supply and roll them. The sum of the values on these dice must be greater than or equal to the indicated number. Then discard these dice. If the required sum was not reached, the dice are still discarded. You can roll only the indicated number of dice (you cannot add more dice to this roll). Examples: "Take exactly two Yellow dice from your supply, roll them and get a sum of 7 or more, after which discard these dice." "Roll exactly three Purple dice from your supply and get a sum of 16 or more, after which discard these dice."
• WITHSTAND THREAT. Roll and apply the indicated number of Threat dice (see p. 16). The task is fulfilled if the Wizard did not receive a Mortal Wound during this Threat roll. Example: "Roll and apply three Threat dice."
• HAVE EXPERIENCE. To fulfil this task, you must have the indicated Experience symbols in your Experience zone (on Contracts, Trials and Tomes). No resources are spent: if at the moment of fulfilling the task you have the necessary Experience symbols, the task is fulfilled. Example: "Have two 'Monsters' symbols in the Experience zone."

Rewards

Contracts always have one set of rewards. Trials have two sets: gain the set of rewards corresponding to the chosen path.

Rewards may include:

• DICE. Gain the indicated dice into your personal supply.
• INGREDIENTS. Gain the indicated Ingredients into your personal supply.
• CARDS. Gain the indicated cards and add them to your personal play area.
  • Discipline card. Gain any card from the market of one of the Classes or from the top of the deck of any Discipline (including unavailable Disciplines).
  • Potion. Gain any Potion from the Brewery market or from the top of the Potion deck.
  • Artifact. Gain any Artifact from the Shop market or from the top of the Artifact deck.
• LIGHT AND DARKNESS. See Light and Darkness (p. 34).
• SPARK MARK. If you passed a Trial whose difficulty exceeds the number of your Spark Marks, gain a Spark Mark (see p. 14). Note: a Spark Mark is never shown in the rewards of a Trial. A reward in the form of a Spark Mark is conditioned not by the Trial card but by the base game mode Trials of Arcana.
• RETALIATION (X). After gaining the other rewards, roll and apply X Threat dice. The result of this Threat roll does not affect passing the Trial: the Trial is already passed even if the Wizard receives a Mortal Wound as a result of this Threat roll. Retaliation is not a Property. Therefore it cannot be cancelled by any effects that cancel properties (the Potion Liquid Darkness, the Spell Corruption, the Talent Pariah). Retaliation does not depend on the path you chose.

Contracts

Contracts are small commissions of the Sorcery Guild (see p. 30). They can be fulfilled on an ordinary Study turn. It is assumed that the Wizard takes Contracts and gains practical experience in parallel with studying at the school.

A Contract card contains a task and a reward for it. Card anatomy: Title, Threat, Experience symbols, Victory points, Task, Reward.

FULFILLING A CONTRACT. When you attempt to fulfil a Contract, go through the following steps in order:

• THREAT. If the Contract shows Threat (see p. 16), roll and apply the Threat dice. Before the Threat roll you may use any available effects (Spells, Primagic, Potions, Artifacts, Pets, etc.) by the usual rules.
• TASK. Perform the Task indicated in the Contract.
• REWARD. If the task is successfully completed, gain the Reward indicated in the Contract. If the task is not completed, nothing happens.
• EXPERIENCE. The card of the fulfilled Contract stays with you: put it to the left of the board, in the Experience zone. Contract cards contain Experience icons that will bring victory points at the end of the game.
• REFRESH. After a Contract leaves the Guild, shift the remaining Contracts to the right. Reveal a new Contract card (from the top of the Contract deck) and add it to the Contract row, in the vacated leftmost place.

You may attempt to fulfil a Contract even if you have no chance of succeeding. In that case the Contract is not discarded and stays in the Guild.

To fulfil any contracts with dice tasks you can use Crystal Primagic, Potions, Spells and any other effects that allow manipulating the values on dice. This is especially important for "roll on dice" tasks. You should not get involved in them if you have nothing to influence the dice with: you can waste a placement and dice in vain, achieving nothing. Note: you can use dice manipulation effects before placing in a location, after placing but before the Threat roll, after the Threat roll, after rolling the dice in the task, whichever is more advantageous for you.

About the Magic Spark

The magic spark is the innate magical ability and inner power of every wizard. Such powers cannot be developed academically. Only fateful moments, tempering by trials and one's own decisions can open to a wizard access to the depths of their abilities. Therefore spark marks are not marks in the usual sense, and are never physical objects. When a wizard goes through a deep transformation opening access to new abilities, it is accompanied by small, sometimes barely perceptible changes in their appearance or body. An unusual jade shade of the eyes, a slight glow of the hair noticeable only at dusk, or a barely perceptible scent of pine needles: one can never predict in advance how a wizard's spark will manifest on the physical plane.

Trials

Trials are serious challenges for a Wizard, for which they must tear themselves away from studying at the school. A Trial is a separate type of turn. To pass a Trial, at the start of your turn you must declare that you are taking a Trial turn (see p. 36).

Trials, unlike Contracts, always offer two possible paths: Darkness (left) and Light (right).

Card anatomy: Title, Threat, Experience symbol, Difficulty, Path of Darkness, Darkness task, Path of Light, Light task, Darkness reward, Light reward, Victory points.

DIFFICULTY. Trials are divided into several groups by difficulty (marked by dots in the top left corner of the card). A Trial's difficulty is used when building the Fate deck before the game starts, and also affects gaining Spark Marks (see p. 14) in the base game mode Trials of Arcana.

APPROACH. Each of the two paths in a Trial contains an "approach" to solving the problem. There are six approaches in all:

• DESTROY (Уничтожить). Defeat another wizard in a duel, defeat a monster in a fight.
• CATCH (Поймать). Capture a criminal, catch magical creatures.
• RECONCILE (Примирить). Establish a bond with a magical creature, subject a monster to your will.
• DISPEL (Развеять). Lift a curse, destroy an enchanted object.
• WITHSTAND (Выдержать). Overcome the effects of a curse.
• BRIBE (Подкупить). Give a ghost what it seeks, bait magical creatures.

Approaches have no effect by themselves. However, there are effects that interact with approaches. Example: the Whispering Ring (Шепчущее кольцо: "When attempting to Catch: -6 to the task or ignore 1 die in the task"): if in a Trial you chose the Catch approach, the Whispering Ring lowers the difficulty of the task.

PASSING A TRIAL. When you attempt to pass a Trial, do the following:

• THREAT. Roll and apply the indicated Threat dice (see p. 16). Before the Threat roll you may use any available effects (Spells, Primagic, Potions, Artifacts, Pets, etc.) by the usual rules. If as a result of the Threat roll your Wizard receives a Mortal Wound (gain a Mortal Wound card and apply its effect), your turn ends immediately and the Trial card leaves the game.
• TASK. Choose the path of Light or the path of Darkness. These paths involve different approaches, tasks and rewards. Attempt to fulfil one of the Tasks (see p. 31) indicated in the chosen path. If the path involves several different tasks, it is enough to fulfil one of them.
  • If while attempting the task your Wizard receives a Mortal Wound, your turn ends immediately and the Trial card leaves the game.
  • If the task is not fulfilled, the Trial is failed. Your turn ends immediately and the Trial card leaves the game.
  • If the task is successfully fulfilled, go on to the next step.
• REWARD. Gain the Reward (see p. 31) of the chosen path.
• EXPERIENCE. The card of the passed Trial stays with you: put it to the left of the board, in the experience zone. Trial cards contain experience icons that will bring victory points at the end of the game.

You may attempt to pass a Trial even if you have no chance of succeeding.

Refresh the Contract row and bring a new card into play from the Fate deck when you finish a Trial turn (see p. 36).

Light and Darkness

Contracts and Trials go beyond studying at the School. They are decisions and achievements in real life that temper the Wizard's character and shape their fate. And these decisions lead the Wizard either to Light or to Darkness.

LIGHT AND DARKNESS IN CONTRACTS. Contracts are of two types: light and gloomy. Each Contract always has only one path and no Approaches. Light Contracts have the title on a light background, gloomy ones on a dark background. Movement toward Light and Darkness is marked by Light and Darkness symbols in the rewards. Example: Lost Hut (Пропащая изба) is a light Contract, Sorcerous Prison (Колдовская тюрьма) is a gloomy Contract.

For Contracts there is no need to mark Light and Darkness in any special way: there is only one path on a Contract card.

LIGHT AND DARKNESS IN TRIALS. Trials, unlike Contracts, always contain both a light and a gloomy path. Trial cards, unlike Contracts, contain two paths. Therefore for passed Trials you need to mark the way in which you passed them. To do this, put passed Trials in the Experience zone so that only the passed path is visible.

Example: the wizard passed Goldeater by the path of Darkness, and Aranea and Fog of Oblivion by the path of Light. Now they have 2 Darkness (for Goldeater and Scarlet Pact) and 4 Light (for Lost Hut, Aranea, Fog of Oblivion and Brightshine).

When meeting Goldeater you have a choice: destroy the magical creature and gain the Jewels it devoured, or make it your ally (which will give you a die for your supply and more secret knowledge in the form of Arcana).

Note: some cards contain in the rewards more than one Darkness or Light symbol. For example, the reward for defeating the Basilisk is 2 Darkness or 2 Light, depending on the chosen path.

THE WIZARD'S FATE. If a Wizard time after time fulfils gloomy Contracts and chooses the path of Darkness in Trials, they gradually move toward Darkness, and vice versa: light Contracts and the path of Light in Trials move the Wizard toward Light.

You can fulfil any Contracts and choose any path in Trials during the game. However, it is more advantageous to move in one direction: either to Light or to Darkness. At the end of the game Fate brings victory points.

Light and Darkness

LIGHT and DARKNESS in the magical world are not the same as "good" and "evil". "Darkness" is "murk" (морок), that is, obsession, tangledness, vagueness. The path of Light means clarity, transparency, order, unambiguity of rules, strict principles. The path of Darkness means grey zones, compromises with conscience and unresolvable inner contradictions. A wizard treading the path of darkness is far from always "evil" or "bad". Often this is someone who has faced hard events, an inner break or deep trauma. The history of the magical world knows cases when monstrous deeds were committed in the name of justice and order. And conversely, when a wizard despised by all and treading the path of Darkness turned out in reality to be a hero.

Properties

More difficult Trials have additional Properties that make the Wizard's life harder.

By default, Properties are in effect for the entire Trial (from the moment you chose the Trial card). However, many Properties state the exact moment of their application, for example "before the Threat roll".

• RIFT (X) (Разлом). Before the Threat roll, discard any X dice (Discipline, Spark, Bone) from your supply, if possible. If the order of effects matters, the exact moment of applying this Property is the end of step 1 in the Threat mechanic (see p. 16). If during a Trial several Threat rolls happen (because of the Retaliation property or the "withstand Threat" task), Rift applies only once, to the main Threat roll.
• VIGILANCE (X) (Бдительность). Before the Threat roll you may apply no more than X Wizard cards or chains. Note: Chains (see p. 22) let you partly get around this restriction. "Vigilance 1" means you may apply one chain of any length. Vigilance does not limit the use of Primagic.
• SHIELD (X) (Щит). Before fulfilling any Task, first discard dice according to the Shield's task (exact value / dice with total sum).
• TRAP (Ловушка). On failing the Trial, gain a Mortal Wound card and follow its instructions.
• CRYSTAL SUPPRESSION (Подавление кристаллов). Crystals cannot be used for the entire Trial.
• POTION SUPPRESSION (Подавление зелий). Potions cannot be used for the entire Trial.
• ARTIFACT SUPPRESSION (Подавление артефактов). Artifacts cannot be used for the entire Trial.
• PET SUPPRESSION (Подавление питомцев). Pets cannot be used for the entire Trial.

CANCELLING PROPERTIES. Any Properties can be cancelled by effects that cancel Properties (the Potion Liquid Darkness, the Spell Corruption, the Talent Pariah). From the moment the effect is applied until the end of the Trial the Property ceases to act.

Note: you must be able to apply this effect. For example, you cannot cancel the Potion Suppression property with the Potion Liquid Darkness, because while Potion Suppression is in effect, no Potions can be applied. Cancelling a Property whose effect has already been applied (for example Rift) gives no effect. Threat dice are not a Property, so they cannot be cancelled by such effects.

Reserving

Some effects let you reserve a Contract or a Trial. Reserved Contracts and Trials are your personal tasks, unavailable to other Wizards. Reserved Contracts and Trials are kept to the left of the board, in the Experience zone, face down.

RESERVED CONTRACTS. To fulfil a reserved Contract, you must place in the Guild (see p. 30). When you place in the Guild, you can fulfil either the Contracts lying in the Guild or any of your reserved Contracts. You can have any number of reserved Contracts. However, each unfulfilled Contract takes away 3 points from you at the end of the game (a reminder: -3 victory points on the back of the Contracts).

RESERVED TRIALS. To fulfil a reserved Trial, you must spend a turn on a Trial by the usual rules. When you declare a Trial turn, you can attempt either the public Trials in the row of Trials or any of your reserved Trials. Unfulfilled reserved Trials carry no penalties and do not affect victory points.

Turn Sequence

During the game all players take turns in order. The order of turns is determined by the Turn order shown on the Talent cards (see p. 6): first the player with the lowest Turn order value goes, then players with values in ascending order.

On your turn you can do one of three things:

• STUDY. Make two placements in locations: go to the School, visit the Guild, go to the Wilds for potion ingredients, etc.
• TRIAL. Pass one of the available Trials.
• REST. Replenish your dice supply, unrotate rotated cards.

First turn: one placement. On the first turn of the game all players make only one placement (instead of the usual two). However, other effects (Primagic, Spells) can give you additional placements even on the first turn. The use of such effects is not limited in any way.

Study turn

TWO PLACEMENTS. During a Study turn you can make up to two placements in Locations (see p. 28). You can make only one placement, or none at all. You can make additional placements if some effect allows it. On the first turn of the game all players make only one placement (instead of the usual two).

AVAILABLE EFFECTS. In addition, you can apply any number of available effects in any order, interleaving them with placements as you like. Available effects can be applied before placements, between placements and after placements. Available effects can be applied inside a placement, both before the location's effect triggers and after.

During your turn you can also:

• Use Primagic (see p. 26)
• Use a Mark (see p. 15)
• Use a Spell (see p. 24): pay the cost and activate
• Brew a Potion (see p. 25): pay the cost of the Recipe and move it to the Inventory
• Activate a Potion
• Summon a Pet (see p. 24): pay the cost of the Summon and move it to the Inventory
• Activate a Pet
• Activate an Artifact (see p. 23)

You can use these effects at any moment, in any number and in any order, unless some rule explicitly forbids it. Most often the applicability of these effects will be limited only to a Study or Trial turn. In the cost and effect of many cards there are restrictions on the moment of paying the Cost (see p. 19) or on the moment of Activation (see p. 20).

Trial turn

ONE TRIAL. During a Trial turn you are obliged to choose and attempt to pass one Trial (see p. 33).

AVAILABLE EFFECTS. During a Trial you can also apply any number of available effects in any order and at any stage of the Trial. Available effects can be applied before the Threat roll, when fulfilling the task and even when gaining the Reward.

CONTRACT AND FATE REFRESH. When your Trial turn is finished:

• Discard the rightmost Contract in the Contract row. Shift the remaining Contracts to the right. Reveal a new Contract card (from the top of the Contract deck) and add it to the Contract row, in the vacated leftmost place.
• Reveal and bring into play one card from the top of the Fate Deck (see p. 37).

Rest turn

REST THREAD. When you take a Rest turn, go along the Rest thread from left to right and apply the Rest Effects (see p. 13). Apply all the effects at the start of the thread, and then all the effects under which there is a non-wounded Mark.

Note: the dice you take by Rest effects must be taken from those placed in locations, not from the common supply (if possible). Dice are "yours" only while they are in the dice supply on your board. When you place a die, it is no longer yours, since it is in the common play area. There is no need to remember "where my dice are on the board". When you Rest, you take from the locations any suitable dice, regardless of who placed them.

CONTRACT AND FATE REFRESH. When your Rest turn is finished:

• Discard the rightmost Contract in the Contract row. Shift the remaining Contracts to the right. Reveal a new Contract card (from the top of the Contract deck) and add it to the Contract row, in the vacated leftmost place.
• Reveal and bring into play one card from the top of the Fate Deck (see p. 37).

The Fate deck in play

The Fate deck reflects the passage of time: events important to everyone happen, new Trials become available, goals common to all appear and new Prophecies sound.

The Fate deck is also a "timer" for the game: when this deck runs out, the game will definitely end. However, this is not the only way for the game to end; the game may end earlier.

FATE CARD. Each time any player finishes a Trial turn or a Rest turn, that player reveals and brings into play one new card from the Fate deck.

• TRIAL. If a Trial card is revealed from the Fate deck, add it to the row of Trials.
• EVENT. If an Event card is revealed from the Fate deck, immediately apply its instructions. "You" in the text of Event cards refers to the current player (the one who has just finished their turn). Many Events concern all players. For example, Harvest (Урожай: "All Wizards roll 1 Resource die. You roll 1 more Resource die.") gives all players one Resource roll. And the player who has just finished the turn and revealed this card from the Fate deck rolls one more Resource die.
• GOAL. If a Goal card is revealed from the Fate deck, put it in the common play area so that all players can see it. Nothing else happens when a new Goal is brought into play. Goals are additional ways to get victory points at the end of the game. Example: Heroism (Героизм: "Each passed Trial will bring an additional 2 points").
• PROPHECY. If a Prophecy card is revealed from the Fate deck, put it in the common play area so that all players can see it. Example: Unity (Единство: "All Wizards have passed 3 Trials"). At the start of the game the Prophecy End of Time is always in effect: the game ends if the Fate deck has run out of cards ("The Fate deck has run out of cards").

End of the game

The game ends when one of the Prophecies triggers.

When any of the active Prophecies is fulfilled (the condition stated on it is met): the current player finishes their turn as usual, after which all players take one more turn each, including the player on whose turn the Prophecy was fulfilled.

A Prophecy starts working as soon as it is revealed and brought into play. If a newly revealed Prophecy is fulfilled at once, this immediately triggers the end of the game. The next turn of the player who revealed this prophecy will be the last turn in the game. After that the game ends; go on to scoring.

Scoring

Scoring takes place when the End of the game (see p. 37) has come: the condition of one of the Prophecies has triggered, and all players have taken one more turn each. Flip the City and Wilds boards over. On their reverse side is a victory point reference and a track for counting them. Use Ingredient tokens of the same colour as your Wizard board to mark your position on the victory point track and on the experience counter.

1. ARCANA. Each Arcana in your supply brings you 1 victory point.
2. TRIALS. Add up the victory points on all the Trials you have passed.
3. MORTAL WOUNDS. If you have Mortal Wound cards, each such card brings -3 points.
4. EXPERIENCE. Count the experience symbols on Contracts, Trials and Tomes (see p. 23). For convenience, use the experience counter (on the reverse of the City board).
   • Each set of six different experience symbols brings you 7 victory points.
   • Sets of identical symbols bring victory points depending on how many identical icons you have collected: 1 symbol = 1 point; 2 identical = 2 points; 3 identical = 4 points; 4 identical = 6 points; 5 identical = 9 points.
   • For each kind of experience symbol, count the set of identical ones separately. The same symbol can take part both in a set of six different ones and in a set of identical ones.
   • Example: at the end of the game a Wizard has the following experience symbols (on Contract and Trial cards): 1 "Monsters" symbol (1 point); 4 "Magical Beasts" symbols (6 points); 1 "Wilds" symbol (1 point); 1 "Mystic" symbol (1 point); 3 "Wizards" symbols (4 points); 1 "Society" symbol (1 point). One set of six different symbols = 7 points. Total for experience symbols the Wizard gets: 7 + 1 + 6 + 1 + 1 + 4 + 1 = 21 points.
5. CONTRACTS. Add up the victory points on all the Contracts you have fulfilled. Reserved but unfulfilled Contracts bring -3 points.
6. BOARD. Count the points for developing the Wizard. If your board has Marks under which victory points are shown, gain victory points for each such Mark (the victory points are added up).
7. GOALS. Count the points for the Goal cards in effect. Each Goal card shows a unique condition for gaining victory points for it. Example: Heroism (Героизм): Each passed Trial will bring an additional 2 points.

The winner is the player with the most victory points.