Reflets d'acide Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Presentation and Goal of the Game
• Setup
  • 1. The board
  • 2. Elements in plain view and Influence Boards
  • Influence Boards by number of Players
• Preparation of the Adventure
  • A | The Quests
  • B | The Teams
  • C | Choice of your Challenge
  • D | Placement of your Mystery Tokens
  • E | First active player of the game: the Guide
  • Mystery Tokens (continued)
    • 1. 4 Mystery Tokens with a golden background
    • 2. 3 Mystery Tokens with a brown background
  • F | Gem management
    • 1. On your Influence Boards
    • 2. On the Vils Board
• Explanation of a Game Turn
  • A | Blessing (optional)
    • 1. Divine Skill (Hero or LOOT)
    • 2. Divine Dilemma (Unforeseen Event)
  • B | Progression of the Pawns
    • 1. Golden Die of Destiny
    • 2. Management of the Pawns
  • C | Resolution of a space
    • 1. Empty space or empty location
    • 2. Space with a Mystery Token
    • 3. Chance space
    • 4. Perilous Shortcut space
• End of the Game
  • A | The Avatar of the Void catches up with your Team
  • B | The Vils finish their Quest before your Team
  • C | Your Team accomplishes its Quest (Points calculation)
    • 1. Epic Points obtained by your Team
    • 2. Epic Points obtained by the Vils
    • 3. Success or failure of your Challenge
• Appendix - Table of Challenges

Presentation and Goal of the Game

After discovering the Quest of the Vils and your own, organize your Team of Heroes, decide the difficulty of your game (Challenge) and place your 7 Mystery Tokens on the route.

Whether you play solo, duo or trio, you will have to manage the Gems, roll the Dice, keep the Avatar of the Void at a distance and master the Unforeseen Events. Each time your Team succeeds at its Quest and its Challenge, you will earn a reward that will make all your future games easier.

MAIN GOAL OF A GAME: succeed at your Quest before that of the Vils and without the Avatar of the Void catching up with your Team.

SECONDARY GOAL OF A GAME: succeed at your Challenge by reaching an objective of Epic Points (this objective is set at the start of the game, according to the desired difficulty).

ULTIMATE GOAL OF THE GAME: definitively thwart the Void and its time spiral by succeeding at the Infernal Challenge.

Setup

1. The board

Unfold the game board in the center of the table, then place the following elements, drawn at random, face down:

• The white Pawn of the Avatar of the Void on its space.
• One Gate Hazard card (Aléa de Porte) on its location.
• One Zone Hazard card (Aléa de Zone) per dedicated location (Forest, River, Cave, Bivouac, Hills, Mountain).
• One Room Hazard card (Aléa de Salle) on each location.
• Place the 7 grey Mystery Tokens on each space following the starting space and the 6 Zones.
• Place the 7 red Mystery Tokens on each space preceding the 6 Zones and the Gate of the Chasm.
• The Portal Token and your (green) Relic/RIP Token are placed between the Vitality Markers.
• The 4 draw piles of Hero, LOOT, Relic and Unforeseen Event cards.
• The green Pawn of your Team on the starting location: the City of Maender-Alkoor.
• Leave a Treasure card visible UNDER the Relic draw pile.

2. Elements in plain view and Influence Boards

Place these elements in plain view and choose the Influence Boards according to the number of Players:

• The 7 green Mystery Tokens.
• The 5 Challenge Tokens.
• The Gem Bank (Pouch).
• The Golden Die of Destiny.
• The Cooperation Aid (play aid card).
• The green Pouch (case).
• The 12 Quests.
• The Trials & Destinies Track (Dice board).
• The Vils Board.
• The monochrome Dice.

Place 5 Gems, one of each color, on each Influence Board and on the Vils Board.

Cooperation Aid (summary of the play aid card):

• MYSTERY TOKENS: BOURSE (Purse): +5 Gems. CHANCE (see below). SECRET VISION of an element of the game board (Hazard, Mystery Token or 1st card of one of the 4 draw piles). BONUS DIE: re-roll of Die/Dice or additional progression Die. GEM TAX (DAH): take back 5 Gems from the Vils Board. GEM TAX (Vils): place 5 of your Gems on the Vils Board. UNFORESEEN TAX (DAH): draw 2 UNFORESEEN EVENTS or take 2 from the Vils. UNFORESEEN TAX (Vils): place 2 of your UNFORESEEN EVENTS on the Vils Board. PERIL (DAH): designate 1 HERO and test his or her Vitality. PERIL (Vils): test the Vitality of the HERO designated by the Golden Die of Destiny.
• CHANCE: Choose a single bonus among the 5 below, or roll the Golden Die of Destiny, place it on the Trials & Destinies Track = gain the designated bonus + the lower bonus(es). 5: Reveal the 1st HERO of the draw pile: discard it; enroll it if you have a vacant place; enroll it in place of 1 HERO (to be discarded). 4: +4 Gems. 3: +3 HEROES healed. 2: +2 LOOT (to equip or keep under a Hero, face down). 1: +1 UNFORESEEN EVENT (to keep, or replace, or discard). 6: BAD LUCK! Re-roll the Golden Die to designate 1 HERO, then test his or her Vitality.
• PERIL / VITALITY TEST: Roll a die, then compare its result with the Vitality of the designated HERO: lower result < Wounded (Marker), Life = value of the Hero; exact result = Unharmed, no wound; higher result > Dead - won by you or by the Vils.
• DIVINE HAND: designates the Guide (in Duo or Trio). RIP: indicates where your Team crossed the Avatar of the Void. PORTAL: return to the City (if step 11 validated, 1i1 succeeded). RELIC: allows you to validate step 11 of your Quest.

Vils Board: VILS' QUEST: place their Quest card at the top left of this Board, face up. Slide the card downward according to the order of the Rooms revealed. VILS' TEAM: place 6 Hero cards, face down. The top Hero will be the Team Leader. POINTS PILE: place here the cards won by the Vils (dead Heroes, recovered Relic...). Text on the board: "the Vils recover their Relic (place it on the points pile)"; "the Vils use their Relic and validate their step 11"; "your team has only 3 turns left to finish its quest!". The track of Gem series (4 Gems of the same color) triggers the Powers listed under Gems on the Vils Board below.

Trials & Destinies Track: has a location for the Golden Die of Destiny (labeled Progression / Designated Hero), and for each of the six Heroes (N°1 to N°6) an Individual Objective (1 to 6) and a Collective Objective (1 to 20); "Expert" is used in Trio, "Simple" in Solo/Duo.

Influence Boards by number of Players

INFLUENCE BOARDS SOLO (1 PLAYER)

• Place side by side the Influence Boards of Heroes No. 1/2/3 and No. 4/5/6.
• Add 3 white Dice and 3 black Dice.

INFLUENCE BOARDS DUO (2 PLAYERS)

• Share the Influence Boards of Heroes No. 1/2/3 and No. 4/5/6.
• Add 3 white Dice, 3 black Dice and the Divine Hand Token.

INFLUENCE BOARDS TRIO (3 PLAYERS)

• Share the Influence Boards of Heroes No. 1/2, No. 3/4 and No. 5/6.
• Add 2 white Dice, 2 grey Dice, 2 black Dice and the Divine Hand Token.

Each Influence Board has five "perfect" options (one per Characteristic): "perfect attack", "perfect perception", "perfect intelligence", "perfect agility", "perfect defense": before testing the individual or collective Objective of Attack (respectively Perception, Intelligence, Agility, Defense), spend 4 Gems (of the matching color) to succeed at it automatically.

Preparation of the Adventure

A | The Quests

Draw a Quest card at random, read it carefully, then place it face up on the Vils Board (top left location).

NB: during the game, this card may be shifted downward as the Rooms of the Chasm relevant to the Vils' Quest are revealed in chronological order.

Then take the Quest card opposite to that of the Vils (its name is shown at the bottom of their card). Read it, then place it face up in your green Pouch.

B | The Teams

Draw 6 Hero cards at random and place them face down on the Team location of the Vils Board.

Draw 6 Hero cards at random, turn them face up. Place each Hero on a numbered location of your Influence Boards.

Organizing your Team

If I were you, I would take the following into consideration:

• On your Quest card, secondary missions allow you to earn Epic Points at the end of the game. Try to place a Team Leader that matches your quest (example: a GOOD Team Leader for a Beneficial quest).
• Keep in mind that if a Hero dies during the game, all of his or her teammates located to the right are shifted one location to the left, following the arrows... So, if the Team Leader dies, the second in line replaces him or her!
• Try to distribute your Heroes evenly across the Influence Boards so as to balance their strengths and weaknesses (Characteristics and Skills).
• During this enrollment, you may replace a Hero that does not suit you: discard a Hero, pay one Gem of any color, then draw a new Hero. A second replacement will cost you 2, a third, 3...

C | Choice of your Challenge

Choose one of the 10 Challenges (see Table opposite) by placing the Challenge Token corresponding to your choice on the first Influence Board.

The selected Challenge determines both the difficulty of your game and an Objective of gap Points (between you and the Vils) to reach: succeed at your Quest and your Challenge to obtain a reward! The rewards obtained accumulate over games.

There are 3 difficulty levels: Easy, Normal or Hard. The chosen difficulty applies during Revelation phases, that is, each time your Team stops on a Hazard to be revealed (Zone, Gate or Room card placed face down on the game board); in that case, before turning over the Hazard, you must draw the indicated number of Gems and Unforeseen Events:

Difficulty	Gems drawn for the Vils	Unforeseen Events suffered
EASY	2	2
NORMAL	3	3
HARD	4	4

CHALLENGE SELECTION: you will find the details of the rewards in the Big Challenge Table at the end of this manual (see Page 16).

Suitable Challenge

Choose the difficulty of your Challenge according to your Team's abilities, the point potential of your Quest and the reward you are aiming for!

If it is your first game, choose the "Pépère" Challenge (Easy, 42-Point gap)... In fact, I advise you not to launch into an adjacent Challenge without having succeeded at a good "Pépère"! For subsequent games, proceed gradually: the more rewards you accumulate, the more the "Infernal" Challenge becomes conceivable...

D | Placement of your Mystery Tokens

Before setting off on the adventure, place your 7 Mystery Tokens on the route, each on an empty space located between two opposing Mystery Tokens (grey and red).

When you stop your Pawn on a Mystery Token, reveal it and read its effects (see Play Aid): if it has a golden background, you may play it immediately or put it on hold on one of your Influence Boards; if it has a brown background, play it immediately.

Stop! If you wish to start your game quickly, place each of your 7 green Mystery Tokens at random and face down just after a grey Mystery Token (in other words, on the intersection spaces) and move on to reading paragraph E.

For subsequent games, once you know the effects of your Mystery Tokens better, you will be able to establish a strategy!

E | First active player of the game: the Guide

The active Player is called the Guide. During his or her Turn, the Guide manages 3 steps: Blessing, Progression (Pawn of the Avatar of the Void and Pawn of the Team) and Resolution. The Guide alone manages the Golden Die of Destiny and reads aloud the revealed cards (Hazards, Unforeseen Events).

IN SOLO, you are the only Guide, but your Influence Boards remain independent.

IN DUO OR TRIO, each Player becomes the Guide in turn, clockwise. The Guide is designated by the Divine Hand Token. The first Guide of the game is the Player who manages the Team Leader (Hero No. 1) on his or her Influence Board.

Mystery Tokens (continued)

1. 4 Mystery Tokens with a golden background

Whether green, red or grey, the effect of a golden-background Token is always favorable to your Team.

You may use it immediately or put it on hold on the empty location of an Influence Board; in that case, it may be played at any time. Once used, place the Token next to the green Pouch (green Token) or on the Vils Board (red or grey Token).

• BOURSE (Purse): receive 5 Gems from the Bank and place them, according to their colors, on the locations of your Influence Boards.
• CHANCE: benefit from the same choices as those offered on Chance spaces (see Page 8).
• BONUS DIE: after any roll of Die/Dice, re-roll one or more Dice whose results do not suit you. You may also use this Token during a Progression phase, in order to add the result of a Die to the walk or run of your Team.
• SECRET VISION: choose to look at one of the following elements:
  • a Zone, Gate or Room Hazard card.
  • the first card of a draw pile (Hero, LOOT, Relic or Unforeseen Event).
  • a Mystery Token placed on the game board. Once the element has been seen, put it back, face down, on its original location.

2. 3 Mystery Tokens with a brown background

The DAH Tokens (green with brown background) are favorable to you; the VILS Tokens (red or grey with brown background) are unfavorable to you.

Their effects apply immediately after revelation. Once used, place the Token next to the green Pouch (green Token) or on the Vils Board (red or grey Token).

• GEM TAX:
  • DAH (green Token revealed): take 5 Gems from the Vils Board and place them, according to their colors, on your Influence Boards.
  • VILS (red or grey Token revealed): place 5 of your Gems on the Vils Board. At the end of this phase, if they obtain at least 4 Gems of the same color, the associated power activates.
• UNFORESEEN TAX:
  • DAH (green Token revealed): draw 2 Unforeseen Events or take 2 Unforeseen Events waiting on the Vils' Points pile. Discard any Bestioles or Creatures; Dilemmas may be kept, discarded or replaced.
  • VILS (red or grey Token revealed): place 2 of your Unforeseen Events on the Vils' Points pile.
• PERIL:
  • DAH (green Token revealed): designate a Hero, test his or her Vitality (see Page 13). If the Hero dies, you win him or her: place the card in your green Pouch.
  • VILS (red or grey Token revealed), according to the result of the Golden Die of Destiny:
    • If it designates the location of a Hero, test that Hero's Vitality (see Page 13). If the Hero dies, place the card on the Vils' Points pile.
    • If it designates a vacant location, no Test is to be made.

F | Gem management

Stop! To best manage the divine currency of the game, remember these three general rules:

• Gem earned = Team gain! Place it on any Influence Board.
• Mandatory payment = Team payment! Take the required number of Gems from any Influence Board.
• Optional payment = targeted payment! Take the required number of Gems from the Influence Board concerned.

These three rules are detailed below: in game situations, you can refer to them.

1. On your Influence Boards

GEM EARNED = TEAM GAIN

Any Gem earned may be placed on any Influence Board. But once placed, you cannot transfer or exchange it (from one Influence Board to another) except after paying a Gem (see optional payment below).

NB: if you no longer have any free location to receive a Gem (color completed on all your Influence Boards), put it back in the Bank (Pouch).

MANDATORY PAYMENT = TEAM PAYMENT

Any Gem may be taken from any Influence Board when the payment is mandatory; this is the case:

• during the Revelation phase of an Unforeseen Event (Creature or Bestiole) or of a Hazard.
• after the revelation of a Vils Gem Tax Mystery Token.
• after certain failed Trials (Dark Outcome).

NB: if you cannot pay, discard any won card (or, failing that, Heroes), considering that 1 Epic Point equals 1 Gem.

OPTIONAL PAYMENT = TARGETED PAYMENT

Any Gem must be taken from the Influence Board directly linked to the effects of an option to be paid; this is the case for:

• activating the Skill of a Hero or a LOOT.
• re-rolling the result of a Die by paying 2 targeted Gems.
• enrolling a revealed Hero in place of a Hero to be discarded (see Chance).
• automatically succeeding at the targeted Objective without having to roll the Dice (example: Perfect Intelligence, 4 purple Gems to pay).
• transferring a Gem or a Dilemma Unforeseen Event to another Influence Board.
• exchanging 2 Gems or 2 Dilemma Unforeseen Events between two Influence Boards.
• choosing an option during a salutary Zone Hazard.

Any Gem must be taken from the Guide's Influence Board in order to:

• re-roll the result of the Golden Die of Destiny by paying 2 targeted Gems.
• slow the Avatar of the Void (Brake).
• speed up the progression of the Team Pawn (Run).

2. On the Vils Board

You must place Gems on the Vils Board during each Revelation phase (Challenge difficulty / discarded Dilemma Unforeseen Event), when your Pawn stops on one of their Gem Tax Mystery Tokens, or during a Dark Outcome (ex: 1 Gem given up).

As soon as 4 Gems of the same color are placed on their Board, discard them and apply the indicated Power:

• 4 red Gems = take the 1st Hero of the draw pile and place it, face down, on the Points Pile.
• 4 orange Gems = turn over the 2 Rooms closest to the Gate.
• 4 purple Gems = draw 3 Unforeseen Events and place them, face down, on the Points Pile.
• 4 green Gems = draw 4 LOOT and place them, face down, on the Points Pile.
• 4 blue Gems = going up the Route from the City, move 5 Mystery Tokens onto 5 empty spaces of the Chasm corridor (in priority onto the 5 spaces facing the Rooms).

NB: during the same phase, discard any surplus Gems of a series that has just been completed.

Explanation of a Game Turn

To make discovering the game easier, read this manual calmly a first time, then dive in! If a technical element escapes you on first reading, rest assured: everything will make sense as you play.

This introductory reading allows you to understand the basics of the game: each choice or situation will lead to a new step to follow.

The Guide's Turn has three steps: Blessing (A), Progression (B) and Resolution (two possibilities: either your Pawn stops on a space (C), or it stops on a Hazard (D)). You may have to manage the Vitality of your Heroes (E) before ending your game Turn (F, end of turn).

A | Blessing (optional)

On a midnight-blue background, Blessings are easy to spot. There are two kinds: Divine Skills and Divine Dilemma Unforeseen Events. The Guide may activate a single Blessing, which must be clearly visible on his or her Influence Board. As this step is optional, the Guide may also go directly to the Progression phase (see B).

1. Divine Skill (Hero or LOOT)

It may be activated for free or after payment: in that case, any Gem spent must be taken from the same Influence Board as the targeted Skill.

NB: a Skill may only be activated once per Turn.

2. Divine Dilemma (Unforeseen Event)

It may be activated for free or under conditions. Once used, the Divine Dilemma Unforeseen Event is discarded.

Guide in Solo! When you play Solo, you may activate a Divine Skill or a Divine Dilemma present on either of your Influence Boards: this is the advantage of this mode!

Example (card illustrations: a Hero, a LOOT and a Dilemma)

• The Hero Mikau has a Skill: "Sacrifice 1 teammate: the dead one is won". This Hero can sacrifice a teammate: place the dead one in your green Pouch.
• The LOOT "Bouclier Naimportant" ("A life-giving, saving shield!") has the Skill "Bearer healed, no wound". This LOOT allows free healing of the Hero who carries this shield.
• The Dilemma "Remplacez-moi ce tocard !" ("Replace this loser!"): "Discard one of your HEROES and draw a replacement HERO, or draw a new HERO if you have a vacant place on your Influence Board." This Unforeseen Event allows replacing a Hero or drawing a new one.

In this case, the Guide has four possibilities:

• do nothing.
• activate the divine Skill of the LOOT "Bouclier Naimportant" and heal the bearer of the LOOT.
• activate the divine Skill of Mikau (sacrifice a teammate by paying 2 Gems).
• activate the targeted divine Dilemma Unforeseen Event allowing to replace one of his or her Heroes for free.

Referring to his or her Quest card, the Guide sees that a dead and won evil Hero earns Points: he or she decides to activate Mikau's divine Skill by paying the 2 required Gems (taken from his or her Influence Board), then designates one of the evil Heroes of the Team, who is sacrificed: this Hero, dead and won, is put away in your green Pouch.

B | Progression of the Pawns

The Guide rolls the Golden Die of Destiny, puts it on hold on its location on the Trials & Destinies Track, advances the Avatar of the Void, then manages the progression of his or her Team.

1. Golden Die of Destiny

Once rolled by the Guide, the result of the Golden Die of Destiny is placed on hold on the dedicated location of the Trials & Destinies Track.

Its result determines:

• the progression (number of spaces traveled) of the Avatar of the Void.
• the progression (walk or run) of your Team.
• the designation of a Hero in case of a Perilous Shortcut, Bestiole, individual Trial, Vitality Test...

Once per Trial, the result of the Golden Die of Destiny may replace that of any other Die.

Only the Guide may, if needed, modify the result of the Golden Die of Destiny (Bonus Die Mystery Token, paid Re-roll, particular Dilemma Unforeseen Event...).

NB: the Guide must re-roll the Golden Die of Destiny as soon as he or she tries to accumulate the bonuses of a Chance space or a Chance Token.

Example

The Guide rolls the Golden Die of Destiny and gets a 6: this is bad news!

The Avatar of the Void will advance 6 spaces while your Team can potentially reveal a Zone Hazard card with 2 handicaps: if it is a Trial, the Golden Die of Destiny cannot replace the result of another Die (the 6 is a Critical Failure); moreover, in the case of an individual Trial, Hero No. 6 will be designated... If the latter's Characteristics are limited, the Trial will be difficult!

The Guide therefore decides:

• to pay 5 Gems to brake the Avatar of the Void so that it advances only one space.
• to walk (gain of 1 Gem) and have a movement potential of 6 spaces.
• to take the risk of stopping just before the Zone Hazard, on the 5th space occupied by a red Mystery Token... hoping that the latter is a bonus (golden background)!

2. Management of the Pawns

PAWN OF THE AVATAR OF THE VOID: it is attracted by your Pawn; if it catches up with it, the game ends.

• The Guide advances the Pawn of the Avatar of the Void by the number of spaces indicated by the result of the Golden Die of Destiny.

• The Pawn of the Avatar of the Void must always advance first and by at least one space per Turn.

• Knowing this, you may brake its progression by paying as many Gems as the number of spaces it does not travel.

  NB: the LOOT "Anneau du Cauchemar" (Ring of Nightmare) prevents you from braking the Avatar of the Void.

• At the start of the game, it progresses toward the City, on its own path (red spaces).

• Once the City is reached, it pursues your Team and uses only the classic spaces of the route and of the Chasm corridor: this excludes Perilous Shortcuts and portals.

• If it stops on a green Mystery Token, the Guide discards it; if it stops on a red or grey Mystery Token, the Guide must place it face up on the Vils Board.

• If it stops on a Zone Hazard, the Guide discards the card.

PAWN OF THE TEAM: the Guide chooses whether the Team will walk or run:

• WALK: receive one Gem from the Bank and place it on any Influence Board whose color location is empty. The result of the Golden Die of Destiny corresponds to the movement potential of your Team.
• RUN: the Guide pays one Gem to the Bank, taking it from his or her Influence Board; he or she then rolls an additional Die. The result of the addition of the two dice (Golden Die + additional Die) corresponds to the movement potential of your Team.
• The Guide must stop his or her Pawn on a Zone or Gate Hazard even if the maximum movement result has not been reached.
• The Guide may stop his or her Pawn on a Mystery Token, a Chance space, a Perilous Shortcut or a Room Hazard even if the maximum movement result has not been reached.
• Finally, the Guide can only stop his or her Pawn on an empty space (or an empty Zone location) if the number of spaces traveled corresponds exactly to the result of his or her Die/Dice roll.

C | Resolution of a space

After the Progression phase, if your Pawn has not stopped on a Hazard card, you must resolve one of these 4 possibilities:

1. Empty space or empty location

When your Pawn stops on an empty space, the Guide's Turn ends. Likewise when your Pawn stops on an empty Zone location: it is considered an empty space.

2. Space with a Mystery Token

When you stop your Pawn on a Mystery Token, you must reveal it:

GOLDEN-BACKGROUND MYSTERY TOKEN (Chance, Secret Vision, Bonus Die, Bourse):

• Green Token: you may use it immediately OR put it on hold on one of your Influence Boards.
• Red or grey Token (VILS): you may use it immediately OR put it on hold on one of your Influence Boards.

BROWN-BACKGROUND MYSTERY TOKEN (Gem Tax, Peril, Unforeseen Tax):

• Green Token: play it immediately, then place it near your Pouch.
• Red or grey Token (VILS): play it immediately, then place it on the empty location of its color, on the left, on the Vils Board.

Mystery! If I were you, I would take the following information into consideration:

• If you have no free locations to put a golden-background Token on hold, you may play another golden-background Token and thus free a location.
• At the end of the game, if a golden-background Vils Token has remained on hold on one of your Influence Boards, it will offer no additional Epic Point bonus to the Vils.

Once the Mystery Token has been revealed and then kept, suffered or played, the Guide's Turn ends.

3. Chance space

When your Pawn stops on a Chance space, you have 2 possibilities:

• either choose a single bonus among the 5 offered (see list below).

• or roll the Golden Die of Destiny (to be placed on the matching location of the Trials & Destinies Track) to try to accumulate up to 5 bonuses (see list below): from 1 to 5, you win the bonus designated by the Die and all the bonuses of lower values; on the other hand, by rolling a 6, it is a Bad Luck!

• 5 - REVEAL THE 1ST HERO OF THE DRAW PILE, choose an option:

  • discard it.
  • enroll it if you have a vacant place.
  • enroll it in place of a Hero of the Team (to be discarded) after payment of 5 Gems (one of each color) taken from the Influence Board concerned.

• 4 - RECEIVE 4 GEMS FROM THE BANK to be placed on any Influence Board.

• 3 - HEAL 3 HEROES: remove up to 3 Vitality Markers (any healed Hero fully recovers his or her Life Points).

• 2 - DRAW 2 LOOT: respecting any constraints, slide the LOOT card under a Hero, letting the top of its face-up side show (active, equipped LOOT, 3 maximum per Hero) or of its face-down side (inactive, stowed LOOT, no maximum).

  NB: each Characteristic of a Hero may only be modified once; Equipment may be reassigned just after the loss or gain of a LOOT, a Relic or a Hero.

Examples

By rolling a 2 on the Golden Die, you obtain the bonuses 2 + 1 (draw 2 LOOT + 1 Unforeseen Event).

By rolling a 5 on the Golden Die, you win all the bonuses (5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1).

Once the effects of the Chance space have been applied, the Guide's Turn ends.

Chance: 2 tips!

• If you roll the Golden Die to try to accumulate several bonuses, you can secure its result by using a targeted Dilemma: "Mon Dé était pipé !" (My Die was loaded!) (change a 6 into a 5).
• If you have a Chance Mystery Token, you already know that you can use it at any time, notably to re-roll the Golden Die whose result you dislike... Think, think!

4. Perilous Shortcut space

The Guide checks the result of the Golden Die of Destiny:

• if the Die designates a vacant location, there is no Vitality Test.
• if a Hero is designated, the Player who manages him or her tests his or her Vitality (see E, Vitality Test).

If the Hero dies, you win him or her (see E). Once this step is resolved, advance your Pawn following the arrow and play, in the same Turn, the space (see C) or the Hazard (see D).

5. Portal space (Rooms)

Using a Portal costs no movement point: its use is instantaneous.

• if the Rooms Alcôve Secrète and Galerie des Glaces are both revealed, your Team may go from one Room to the other using their respective Portal space.
• once the Trial of the Room Chambre de l'Octuple has been succeeded, you may place the Portal Token there, which allows you to return to the City of Maender-Alkoor (one-way).

Extreme example

Your Team is in the Chasm and your result on the Golden Die is a 3. Having a walking potential of 3 movement points, you can:

• enter the Alcôve Secrète (1st movement point) then move your Pawn directly onto the Galerie des Glaces (by passing from one Portal to the other, you use no movement point).
• come out onto a space of the Chasm (2nd movement point).
• join the Room opposite, here the Chambre de l'Octuple (3rd and last movement point). In this example, as the Trial has already been succeeded, the Portal Token is in place: your Team can therefore return to the City instantly (you use no movement point).

D | Resolution of a Hazard

After the Progression phase, if your Pawn is on a Hazard card to be revealed (1) or already revealed (2), you are in the case of the Resolution of a Hazard (Zone, Gate or Room placed on the game board). Only one Hazard may be played/revealed per Guide Turn.

There are 3 types of Hazards:

• Hazard without Trial (crossed-out swords icon)
• Hazard with mandatory Trial (crossed swords icon)
• Hazard with optional or conditional Trial (both icons)

Either your Team tests no Trial (3), or it tests one (4). A Trial is made up of one or more Objectives to be reached.

1. Hazard to reveal = Revelation phase (Challenge difficulty)

• Draw and turn over the number of Unforeseen Events corresponding to the chosen Challenge (see Challenge Token). During this step, there are three possible Unforeseen Events (examples shown: a Dilemma "Sorry... I'll have to re-roll!" / "The Guide succeeded at an Objective? Ask them to re-roll all their Dice to succeed!", a Dilemma "Free Skill!" / "Activate the Skill of a HERO for free (possible penalty not included!)", a Creature "Kobolds", a Bestiole "Crapouille, la Grenouille"):
  • DILEMMA DRAWN:

    • either you keep it on a vacant location of any Influence Board: thus put on hold, the Dilemma is a bonus to play to your benefit (lower part).

      NB: the targeted symbol limits the effect of a Dilemma to the sole Influence Board on which it is located.

    • or you do not keep it (by choice or for lack of room): apply the effect of the Gem bag symbol by drawing, according to the difficulty of the Challenge, 2, 3 or 4 Gems for the Vils, then discard the card.

  • CREATURE DRAWN: as soon as it is drawn, it must be paid. The Creature is played if a Trial is tested; otherwise, it is discarded.
  • BESTIOLE DRAWN: as soon as it is drawn, it must be paid. The Golden Die of Destiny designates the Hero hindered by the Bestiole, which is placed above the designated Hero, on his or her possible Equipment. For the duration of the Trial, the Characteristics of the Hero are capped at 2. If no Trial is tested, the Bestiole is discarded.

(Illustration on this page: a Vils Board with the neutral Quest "Honneur des Nains": Room I Crypte Royale: recover the RELIQUAIRE; Room II Galerie des Glaces: use the RELIQUAIRE: exchange one or more of your non-Dwarf Heroes for as many DWARVES chosen from the Teams in the Chasm; Room III Chambre de l'Octuple: take the Portal. Points: 15 Quest succeeded; 10 Team Leader DWARF alive; 10 Team with at least 3 DWARVES; 10 at least 3 DWARF Equipment; 10 1 ELF Hero dead and won; 5 "Splendeur Elfique" quest thwarted. Under the Quest card the Vils Board shows "Rooms I revealed", "Rooms I & II revealed", "Rooms I, II & III revealed".)

2. Gate or Room Hazard already revealed

The Revelation phase is ignored (go to 3 or 4 - Resolution of the Hazard).

3. Hazard without Trial test

This is a Zone/Gate Hazard without Trial OR a Room Hazard with optional or conditional Trial that you do not test: discard any paid Creature or Bestiole Unforeseen Event.

• SALUTARY ZONE: this type of Hazard offers options that only the Guide can pay for. Once the Hazard is resolved, you automatically win it. (End of turn.)

• OPEN GATE: the Guide shifts the Gate to the right, onto its location, then reveals 1 Room Hazard for free. (End of turn.)

• VISITED ROOM: if the revealed Room Hazard does not interest you or you cannot yet test it (example: a Room requiring the use of a Relic that you do not yet have), leave your Pawn on the Room Hazard card. (End of turn.)

• ROOM WITH PORTAL:

  • if the Rooms Alcôve Secrète and Galerie des Glaces are both revealed, the Portal that links them allows you to move your Pawn from one to the other: this movement costs no movement Point.
  • if the Portal Token is placed in the Room Chambre de l'Octuple, you may move your Pawn to the City, but this will end your game! If you have not succeeded at your Quest, you fail while at least having the satisfaction of having saved your Team. (End of turn.)

  NB: the Pawn of the Avatar of the Void cannot use a Portal.

• ROOM WITH CHANCE SPACE: if you enter the Room Chapelle du DAH (God of Hazards and Chance), you may benefit from the Chance space located there. Once its effects are applied, leave the Pawn on the Chance symbol. (End of turn.)

4. Hazard with tested Trial

This is a Hazard with mandatory Trial OR a Hazard with optional or conditional Trial that you test.

A Trial is made up of a series of Objectives to be reached. The color of an Objective corresponds to that of the Characteristic tested. To validate an Objective, you roll the Dice, then assign each result on the Trials & Destinies Track:

• the Success points are counted for the collective Objectives.
• the golden stars are counted for the individual Objectives.

1. Before validating an Objective

CREATURE/BESTIOLE IN PLAY

• one or more Creatures may increase the difficulty of certain Objectives of the Trial.
• one or more Bestioles may hinder the Hero designated by the Golden Die; during the Trial, his or her Characteristics are capped at 2 and his or her Equipment is inaccessible.

PRELIMINARY BONUSES

• before validating an Objective by rolling Dice, you may succeed at it automatically by spending 4 Gems of the color of the targeted Objective. Take them from a single Influence Board: any one for a collective Objective, or the one on which the Hero concerned is located for an individual Objective. Once these 4 Gems are spent, the Objective is succeeded (go to 4).
• any Narrator may activate, only once per Turn, the Hazard Skills of his or her Heroes by paying one or more specified Gems. The aim is to decrease the difficulty of one or more Objectives. Concerning an individual Objective, only the Hazard Skills of the Hero concerned may be activated by the Player who manages him or her.
• a Narrator may play Unforeseen Events to decrease the difficulty of an Objective, facilitate a Dice Re-roll, activate a Skill for free...
• when a Gate/Room Hazard is re-tested, its card is shifted by 1, 2 or 3 notches: the revealed values add up, thereby decreasing by that much the difficulty of the Objectives of the Trial.

(Illustration: the card shifted over the board.)

• If you must validate an individual Objective, go to 2.
• If you must validate a collective Objective, go to 3.
• If you must test a Hero's Vitality (see E, Vitality Test).

2. Individual Objective

• An individual Objective involves a single Hero designated by the result of the Golden Die (No. of the Golden Die): if there is no Hero on the designated location, the Guide chooses the Hero he or she prefers.
• An individual Objective is represented by a number followed by a star. It is succeeded when the requested number of stars is reached or exceeded (minimum 1 star / maximum 6 stars).
• According to the Characteristic concerned, the Narrator who manages the designated Hero rolls 5 Dice. He or she places them on the Trials & Destinies Track, one per column, according to the result obtained:
  • SIMPLE SUCCESS: result strictly lower than the Hero's Characteristic.
  • CRITICAL SUCCESS: result equal to the Hero's Characteristic.
  • SIMPLE FAILURE: result strictly higher than the Hero's Characteristic, but not equal to 6.
  • CRITICAL FAILURE: result equal to 6.
• Everything visible once the Dice are placed is added or subtracted:
  • SIMPLE SUCCESS: gain of 1 star.
  • CRITICAL SUCCESS: gain of 1 Gem and of 2 stars.
  • SIMPLE FAILURE: no effect.
  • CRITICAL FAILURE: loss of 1 Gem and 1 star (loss of 1 Life Point if it is a Defense Objective).

3. Collective Objective

• A collective Objective involves all the Heroes of the Team: the aim to be reached in the targeted Characteristic is a given value of Success Points (minimum 1 Point and maximum 20 Points).
• Each Narrator checks on his or her Heroes the value of the Characteristic concerned. Then, each one rolls the Dice associated with his or her Heroes: on the Trials & Destinies Track, this means placing each result (Die) on the column corresponding to the Hero's number.
  • SIMPLE SUCCESS: result strictly lower than the Hero's Characteristic.
  • CRITICAL SUCCESS: result equal to the Hero's Characteristic.
  • SIMPLE FAILURE: result strictly higher than the Hero's Characteristic, but not equal to 6.
  • CRITICAL FAILURE: result equal to 6.
• The number of Success Points is counted as follows:
  • Add up the results of all the Dice placed on the simple and critical Success locations.
  • For each Die placed on a critical Success, add 1 Point and gain 1 Gem.
  • For each Die placed on a simple Failure, there is no effect.
  • For each Die placed on a critical Failure, subtract 1 Point and lose 1 Gem (loss of 1 Life Point if it is a Defense Objective).
• If the Objective is succeeded, go to 4.
• If the Objective is failed, go to 5.

4. Objective succeeded

• Apply any Gem losses or gains.
• Only for a Defense Objective, even if the Objective is succeeded, apply any blue Heart malus:
  • INDIVIDUAL OBJECTIVE: each 6 equals the loss of one Life Point for the Hero concerned (see E, Wound).
  • COLLECTIVE OBJECTIVE: a 6 equals the loss of one Life Point for the Hero concerned (see E, Wound).
• Follow the golden arrow leaving the succeeded Objective.
  • If it is a new Objective, go to 1.
  • If it is the Bright Outcome, the Trial is succeeded, go to 6.

5. Objective failed

• If the total does not reach the Objective, you may use catch-up aids:

  • PAID RE-ROLL: according to its result (from 1 to 5), a Die may be re-rolled by paying 2 associated Gems. Thus, the Re-roll of a 1 is possible by paying 2 red Gems, a 2 for 2 orange, a 3 for 2 purple, a 4 for 2 green and a 5 for 2 blue. The re-rolled Die and the spent Gems must be linked to the same Influence Board.
  • SUBSTITUTION OF THE GOLDEN DIE: only once per Trial, it may replace any other Die assigned to any Hero.

  Example: During a Trial, a Player obtains a 6 which he or she assigns to one of his or her Heroes. The Guide proposes to discard this 6 in order to assign to the Hero concerned the result of the Golden Die.

  • HAZARD SKILL (CATCH-UP): to decrease the difficulty of an Objective after a Dice roll, you may play a Hazard Skill on condition of paying 1 additional Gem (penalty) of the requested color(s).

    NB: a same Skill may only be activated once per Turn.

  • use of one or more Mystery Tokens.

  • use of one or more Dilemma Unforeseen Events.

• If the Objective is still not reached, apply any Gem losses or gains.

• Only for a Defense Objective, apply any blue Heart malus:

  • each 6 equals the loss of one Life Point for the Hero concerned (see E, Wound).

(Illustration: LEFT, Zone card "Fleuve du Gué Tapant": Dark Outcome; RIGHT, Gate card "Blindée": Bright Outcome.)

6. Trial succeeded

The Team succeeds at its Trial when the last Objective is reached and points toward the Bright Outcome of the Hazard. Knowing that the bonuses of the Bright Outcomes are mandatorily applied and cumulate, the consequences are as follows:

ZONE

• Apply the Bright Outcome (LOOT, Pawn advance, gain of a dead Hero...).
• Win the Zone card.

GATE

• Apply the Bright Outcome by revealing for free the indicated number of Rooms (no Revelation Phase).
• Check whether or not the revealed Rooms concern the Vils' Quest.

ROOM

• Apply the Bright Outcome; according to the Room tested with regard to your Quest, you may:
  • ROOM I = take the targeted Relic card (to be placed under a Hero, as Equipment) OR 3 LOOT cards.
  • ROOM II = place your Relic Token on the tested Room card.
  • ROOM III = place the Portal Token on the Trial of the Chambre de l'Octuple. Once done, you will then have 4 options:
    • 1 - take the Treasure, then option 3 or 4 if desired.
    • 2 - test the Trial of the Octagon, then option 3 or 4 if desired.
    • 3 - stay in the Room.
    • 4 - take the Portal (Team to Maender-Alkoor = End of game).

+ ALL HAZARDS

• Apply the Bright Outcomes of any Unforeseen Events (Bestiole, Creature).
• Optional: play opportunity Skills of your Heroes.
• Optional: play opportunity Dilemma Unforeseen Events (Trial won).
• Place every won card in your Pouch, with your Quest card.

(End of turn.)

7. Trial failed

The Team fails its Trial when the last Objective is not reached and points toward the Dark Outcome of the Hazard. Knowing that the maluses of the Dark Outcomes are mandatorily applied and cumulate, the consequences are as follows:

ZONE

• Your Team suffers the Dark Outcome (back up one space, Vitality Test, Theft...).
• You lose the Zone card to the benefit of the Vils (to be placed on their Points Pile).

GATE

• Your Team suffers the Dark Outcome (back up one space).
• Shift the Gate card down one notch: at the next attempt, you will benefit from a decrease in the difficulty of the Trial (add up the revealed values).

ROOM

• Your Team suffers the Dark Outcome (back up one space).
• Shift the Room card down one notch: at the next attempt, you will benefit from a decrease in the difficulty of the Trial (add up the revealed values).

NB: in the Chasm, if you must back up several spaces, your Pawn cannot go into another Room; it must back up toward the Gate and stop on a corridor space. As a reminder, only one Hazard may be played/revealed per Guide Turn.

+ ALL HAZARDS

• You lose any Bestiole Unforeseen Event as well as the Equipment carried by the targeted Hero to the benefit of the Vils (to be placed on the Points Pile) and apply the Dark Outcome (back up one space).
• You lose any Creature Unforeseen Event to the benefit of the Vils (to be placed on the Points Pile) and apply the Dark Outcome (Vitality Test, backing up of your Pawn, Gem to give up to the Vils...).
• If one of your Heroes is killed, place him or her on the Points Pile of the Vils Board.

(End of turn.)

(Illustration: cards won go into the green Pouch with the success icon; cards lost go to the Points Pile with the failure icon.)

E | Vitality of a Hero

(Illustrations: four Hero cards. The Vitality of Heroes ranges between 2 (weak) and 5 (strong).)

1. Peril - Vitality Test

Except when playing a green Peril Mystery Token (see Page 5), the Hero who must undergo this Test is designated by the result of the Golden Die:

• Perilous Shortcut (see Page 8)
• Bad Luck (see Page 8)
• Malus of a Creature Unforeseen Event (see Page 12)
• Failure during a Hazard (see Page 12)

The Player who manages the designated Hero rolls a Die:

• if the result is equal to his or her Life Points, the Hero comes out of the test unharmed.
• if the result is strictly lower than his or her Life Points, the Hero is wounded (see 2).
• if the result is strictly higher than his or her Life Points, the Hero is dead (see 3).

Lower result	Exact result	Higher result
Wounded: his or her Vitality is the result of the Die	Unharmed: no wound	Dead - won by the "responsible" party

2. Wound

A Hero may be wounded following a Vitality Test or a Defense Test (Heart -1): a Vitality Marker is placed on the card of the wounded Hero.

• The Marker blocks the Skills of the Hero, but not those of his or her Equipment.
• The value of the Marker (from 1 to 4) becomes the ceiling value of all the Characteristics of the wounded Hero, even those modified by his or her Equipment. (Card illustration: "Provisional Vitality 1 - Characteristics capped at 1".)

To heal a Hero, you may activate the healing Skills of a teammate or of a LOOT, use an Unforeseen Event, a Chance space or a Chance Mystery Token (bonus 3).

3. Death

• If a Hero of your Team dies in a Trial or because of a malus of a Creature Unforeseen Event, of an adverse Peril Mystery Token or of a Bad Luck, his or her card is won by the Vils. You win a dead Hero from your Team when you use your green Peril Mystery Token, a Perilous Shortcut or a divine Skill of sacrifice.
• The dead Hero abandons his or her Equipment: you may redistribute it among his or her teammates or discard it (especially cursed items).
• The dead Hero leaves an empty location: shift his or her teammates and their Equipment according to the arrows, from right to left. Location No. 6 becomes empty.

Example: If the dead Hero is the Team Leader, all his or her teammates move one location to the left (No. 2 becomes No. 1, No. 3 becomes No. 2, etc.) and may thus pass from one Influence Board to the other.

Making an adventure epic is your playful priority... As an emeritus Narrator, I encourage you to master blood, tears and other sacrifices within your Team in order to win precious Epic Points! The death of some makes the happiness of others and... in that case, the "others"... that's you!

F | End of the turn

• IN SOLO, the end of your Turn allows you to start a new one.
• IN DUO OR TRIO, pass the Divine Hand Token to your left-hand neighbor so that he or she begins a new Turn as Guide.

End of the Game

A | The Avatar of the Void catches up with your Team

No need to count Points: you have failed and your Challenge is not reached... alas!

B | The Vils finish their Quest before your Team

The 3 Rooms of the Vils' Quest have been revealed: their Quest card is therefore on the 3rd notch. At the end of the 3rd remaining Guide Turn, the game stops. You have failed... alas!

C | Your Team accomplishes its Quest (Points calculation)

After having succeeded at the 3 steps of your Quest, use your Pawn and the Score Track on the back of the Trials & Destinies Track.

1. Epic Points obtained by your Team

By moving your Pawn on the Score Track, add up the Epic Points obtained by your Team:

• Refer to your Quest card and count the Points of the main mission (Quest succeeded) then those of the secondary missions (Team Leader, Team composition conforming, type of LOOT or gold value obtained, dead and won Heroes, bonus Points for having thwarted the opposing Quest).
• Count the Points of the Heroes of your Team and those of the Relic(s) recovered.
• Then count the Points placed in your Pouch: these are the won cards (Zone Hazards, Bestiole and Creature Unforeseen Events, dead and won Heroes).
• For each series of 5 Gems (one of each color present on the same Influence Board), add 5 Points.

(Example Quest cards, neutral Quests "Honneur des Nains" and "Splendeur Elfique": Quest succeeded 15; Team Leader DWARF (resp. ELF) alive 10; Team with at least 3 DWARVES (resp. 2 ELVES) 10; at least 3 DWARF Equipment (resp. at least 4 ELF Equipment) 10; 1 ELF (resp. DWARF) Hero dead and won 10; Quest "Splendeur Elfique" (resp. "Honneur des Nains") thwarted 5. "Your Quest earns 15 Epic Points if it is finished." "This earns points for having compatible Heroes with a Quest!")

2. Epic Points obtained by the Vils

By moving your Pawn on the Score Table, you must subtract all the Epic Points obtained by the Vils:

• Refer to their Quest card and subtract the Points of the secondary missions (Team Leader [the one on top of their face-down Hero pile], Team composition conforming, LOOT obtained, dead and won Heroes...).
• Subtract the Points of the Heroes of their Team.
• Then subtract those of the Points Pile: Zone Hazards, Unforeseen Events, Relic, killed Heroes...
• Subtract the Points obtained on the Vils Board: for each Mystery Token placed, the black arrow points to a number of Points to subtract.
• For each series of 5 Gems (one of each color present on the Vils Board), subtract 5 Points.

3. Success or failure of your Challenge

• If the Point gap between your Team and the Vils is greater than or equal to the targeted Challenge, you have succeeded! On the Table, tick one of the empty boxes of the succeeded Challenge. You will begin all your next games with the reward(s) obtained (they accumulate from game to game).
• If the Point gap between your Team and the Vils is strictly lower than the targeted Challenge, you obtain no reward for future games, but the essential is there: you have thwarted the Quest of the Vils!

Challenge... perfectly! This word is of French origin... In the 12th century, the word "chalenge" (with a single L and the pronunciation "CHA-LANJ") was used, which meant "quibble", "attack", "challenge" (from the Latin calumnia). So, let it be said... this word is not an anglicism... and TOC!

Appendix - Table of Challenges

After the calculation, if you have reached the targeted number of gap Points, tick in this Table one of the 5 empty boxes of the chosen Challenge.

Difficulty	42	69	96	123
EASY (2 Gems for the Vils, 2 Unforeseen Events suffered)	PÉPÈRE: +2 Gems per tick	PÉTILLANT: +1 Hero per tick	PÉNIBLE: +1 Hills Hazard per tick	-
NORMAL (3 Gems for the Vils, 3 Unforeseen Events suffered)	AISÉ: +1 LOOT per tick	AVANCÉ: +1 Cave Hazard & +1 Bivouac Hazard per tick	ARDU: +1 Gate per tick	-
HARD (4 Gems for the Vils, 4 Unforeseen Events suffered)	INTENSE: +1 Forest Hazard & +1 River Hazard per tick	INFECT: +1 Mountain Hazard per tick	INFÂME: +1 Quest per tick	INFERNAL (one box): WORLD SAVED!

Subtlety... unprompted?! You will notice that the easy Challenges begin with P, the normal ones with A and the hard ones with I... Knowing that there are 10 Challenges (X in Roman numerals), you should know what your God wishes to find again!

Each Challenge Token shows its target gap (42, 69, 96 or 123), its name and the number of Gems for the Vils / Unforeseen Events suffered of its difficulty level.

Example: After enrolling your Team, you choose, at the start of the game, the "Aisé" Challenge (normal difficulty and 42-Point gap). At the end of the game, if your Quest is succeeded and the targeted Point gap is reached, tick in this Table the first empty box of the "Aisé" Challenge: the tick tells you that at the start of all your next games, you will be able to draw a LOOT for the benefit of your Team!

You may tick the same Challenge up to 5 times and accumulate as many rewards:

• PÉPÈRE/PÉTILLANT/AISÉ: for each tick, randomly draw 2 additional Gems, 1 additional Hero or 1 additional LOOT (respectively) at the start of the game.

  If I were you, as soon as a cursed LOOT comes out this way, I would get rid of it! After all, one has the right to avoid a misdeed, no?!

• INTENSE/AVANCÉ/INFECT/PÉNIBLE: for each tick, randomly draw 1 corresponding Zone Hazard and add it, face down, on its location at the start of the game.

• ARDU: for each tick, randomly draw 1 Gate Hazard and add it, face down, on its location at the start of the game.

  NB: when your Pawn stops on a location on which several Zone or Gate Hazards are found (from 2 to 6), first apply the Revelation Phase, then read all the cards: pay/play only one and discard the others.

• INFÂME: for each tick, randomly draw 1 Quest and place it on the one already drawn at random during game setup. Read the Quests and keep only one on the Vils Board.

  If I were you, as soon as several Quests are envisaged, I would only choose that of the Vils (and therefore, by opposition, mine) once my Team is known and formed! After all, one has the right to optimize, no?!

• INFERNAL: this is the ultimate goal! Succeeding at this Challenge definitively saves your world from the clutches of the Void... If you manage it, you can truly boast about it!