Sentinels of the Multiverse: Rook City & Infernal Relics

Expansion for Sentinels of the Multiverse

Sentinels of the Multiverse: Rook City & Infernal Relics Rulebook

Table of Contents

Rook City Official Rulebook

Introduction

Welcome to Rook City, where evil never sleeps!

Expanding the cooperative, comic book themed card game, Sentinels of the Multiverse, this game adds 2 heroes, 4 villains, and 2 environments to the roster of characters in the ongoing battle for the multiverse!

What's New?

Rook City introduces a few new mechanics, notably, irreducible damage, indestructible cards, and the (H) icon.

Whenever damage is irreducible, it cannot be decreased by any effect. Irreducible damage can still be increased or redirected. However, if a target is immune to damage, or if an effect prevents damage to a target entirely, irreducible damage cannot be dealt to that target.

Indestructible cards are rare, but serve very specific purposes. An indestructible card cannot be destroyed or removed from play by any method, other than the end of the game itself. If a target (any card with HP) is indestructible, it remains in play, even if it is reduced to 0 or fewer HP.

The (H) icon is a means by which the game balances itself, based on number of heroes fighting the villain. It always equals the number of heroes in the current game you are playing, regardless of whether those heroes are active or incapacitated. Thus, in a game with three heroes fighting the villain, (H) equals 3. In a four hero game, (H) = 4, and in a five hero game, (H) = 5.

Game Setup

Each game begins by setting up the table with the villain and environment decks side by side. Feel free to select whichever heroes, villains, and environment to fight the battles which interest you the most!

Set up the game according to the following diagram. The labelled areas are: Villain Trash, Villain Deck, Villain Character Cards, Villain Play Area, Environment Deck, Environment Play Area, Environment Trash, Hero Card, Hero Play Area, Hero Trash, and Hero Deck.

After the game setup is complete, each player draws the top four cards of their hero deck. The game begins with the villain turn, then proceeds clockwise around the table through each of the hero turns, ending the round with the environment turn. The same order is followed throughout the game: villain turn, hero turns, environment turn, repeat.

Players will need to keep track of Hit Points of heroes, villains, and various other targets. This can be done easily with pen and paper, chips, dice, or any other tracking method you might prefer!

Turn Sequence

Villain Turn

Start: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the start of the villain turn.
Play: Reveal the top card of the villain deck and play it, following any instructions printed on that card.
End: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the end of the villain turn.

Hero Turn

Start: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the start of this hero's turn.
Play: This hero's player may choose to play one card from their hand, following any instructions printed on that card.
Power: This hero's player may choose to use one power from one of their cards in play which has a power.
- Note: Even if a hero may use multiple powers in a turn, each instance of a power may only be used once per turn.
Draw: This hero's player may draw the top card of their hero deck.
End: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the end of this hero's turn.

Additional Card Draw: If, for any reason, a player neither plays a card nor uses a power on their turn, then they may draw an additional card during their draw phase. If, by contrast, a player skips their turn for any reason, they have skipped every phase of their turn and cannot draw any cards.

Environment Turn

Start: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the start of the environment turn.
Play: Reveal the top card of the environment deck and play it, following any instructions printed on that card.
End: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the end of the environment turn.

Damage

All damage has a "type" which relates to the nature of that damage. In many cases, damage type does not matter when it comes to damaging targets. However, some cards and abilities interact with damage type in a variety of ways. The Sentinels of the Multiverse damage types are: Cold, Energy, Fire, Infernal, Lightning, Melee, Projectile, Psychic, Radiant, Sonic, and Toxic.

Damage can also be irreducible, regardless of its type. Whenever damage is irreducible, it cannot be decreased by any effect. Irreducible damage can still be increased or redirected. However, if a target is immune to damage, or if an effect prevents damage to a target entirely, irreducible damage cannot be dealt to that target.

More Information

The next few pages contain some frequently asked questions and their answers, along with examples to further explain and inform. After that, you'll find the glossary, full of handy definitions of keywords and important game terms. Also, the back of the rulebook has a simple turn order diagram.

Need more information? Go to www.sentinelsofthemultiverse.com, where we share exciting news from Greater Than Games, extended character bios for the heroes and villains of Sentinels of the Multiverse, and an active online community!

Gameplay FAQs

Over the course of a game, there are situations in which the effects of multiple cards take place simultaneously or have competing effects. In all situations, card effects that happen simultaneously take effect in the order in which the cards were played.

Example: At the end of the Matriarch's villain turn, the Matriarch deals the hero target with the lowest HP 1 Psychic damage. Huginn is also in play and, at the end of the villain turn, he puts Muninn from the villain trash into play. The Matriarch was obviously in play before Huginn, so she deals damage before Huginn pulls Muninn from the villain trash.

Additionally, there are times when players encounter ambiguous situations. In any ambiguous situation, the players choose the outcome.

Example: At the end of the villain turn, the Chairman's card "The Contract" deals the hero target with the highest HP 2 Projectile damage. Mr. Fixer and Expatriette are currently tied for highest HP at 23 HP each. After brief consideration, the players decide that the 2 Projectile damage should be dealt to Mr. Fixer.

Q: Do damage bonuses apply to each instance of damage or to total damage?

Damage bonuses apply to each instance of damage. If a card or power breaks out damage in any way, each instance is increased appropriately.

Example: Spite's card "Demon's Kiss" states "At the end of the villain turn, Spite deals each non-villain target 1 Fire damage and 1 Infernal damage." If something increases Spite's damage by 1, then Spite would deal 2 Fire damage and 2 Infernal damage, for a total of 4 damage. If, instead, something were to reduce Spite's damage by 1, he would deal no damage for either effect.

Game FAQs - Continued

Q: If irreducible damage is increased, can it be decreased again?

No. If 2 points of irreducible Fire damage is being dealt, and that is increased by an environment card to 3 points, all of the damage is still irreducible and cannot be reduced.

Q: If a target is immune to damage somehow, is it still considered a target?

Yes. Even though the Chairman is immune to damage on his "Master of the Underworld" side, he is still a target.

Q: If my hero can use more than one power per turn, can I use the same power twice? What if I have multiple copies of the same "Power" in play?

As noted in the "Power" section on page 3, each Power in play can be used a maximum of once per turn, regardless of how many powers your hero may use that turn. If a card is not limited, you can have multiple copies of it in play. However, each copy of the card is considered its own power. Since you are limited to activating one power per turn, you may thus only activate one of the two "instances" of the power during your power phase.

Glossary

Active: An active hero has more than 0 HP. A hero is active if they are not incapacitated.
Current HP: The HP of a target, relative to how much damage that target has taken, if any. For instance, a target with a maximum HP of 7 that has been dealt 2 damage has a current HP of 5.
Destroy: When a card is destroyed, it is removed from play and placed in the appropriate trash.
Deck: The set of cards associated with a specific hero, villain, or environment. All cards in a deck have a uniform back.
Device: A keyword appearing on villain cards. Devices have HP. When played, devices remain in play, but are destroyed when reduced to 0 or lower HP.
Discard: When a card is discarded, it is removed from a player's hand and placed in the appropriate trash.
Draw: When a hero card is drawn, that hero card goes into the hero's player's hand, unless stated otherwise.
Environment: An environment is a deck not played by a player which simulates the environment in which the game takes place. Environments have a deck of 15 environment cards. Like targets, environments can be sources of damage, but, unlike targets, the environments themselves do not have HP and cannot be dealt damage.

Turn Order

Villain Turn

Start! Start of the villain turn.
Play! Play a villain card.
End! End of the villain turn.

Hero Turns

Start! Start of the hero turn.
Play! Play a hero card.
Power! Use a power.
Draw! Draw a hero card.
End! End of the hero turn.

Environment Turn

Start! Start of the environment turn.
Play! Play an environment card.
End! End of the environment turn.

(H) = the number of heroes.

Infernal Relics Official Rulebook

Introduction

Ancient deities, extra-planar elder gods, and dark spirits threaten the very fabric of the multiverse! Who will stand in their way?

Sentinels of the Multiverse: Infernal Relics adds two heroes, four villains, and two environments to expand and enhance the ongoing battle for the multiverse!

What's New?

Both of the two new heroes in Infernal Relics have unique mechanics by which their decks operate. Below is a quick overview of Nightmist's spell icon mechanic, and on the next page we cover The Argent Adept.

Nightmist, the cursed paranormal investigator, has a spell icon on each of her cards in the lower right corner, as shown in the example card printed in the rulebook:

Heedless Lash (One-shot, Spell): "Reveal the top card of your deck. Nightmist deals herself and 1 other target that card's [spell icon] Infernal damage. Put the revealed card into your hand or into play."

Note that her cards can reference the spell icon of other cards in her deck or hand. This represents the unpredictable nature of her magical abilities while still providing Nightmist with powerful options.

Each copy of a card in Nightmist's deck has a different spell icon value, so a good deal of her strategy comes from deciding which cards to use and which to hold on to for later.

The Argent Adept

The Argent Adept features a multi-layered mechanic involving instrument cards which can activate the Perform and Accompany text of three types of ongoing cards: Melodies, Harmonies, and Rhythms.

The rulebook illustrates the mechanic with four example cards:

This is an instrument card. Instruments have Powers which can activate certain ongoing cards. (Example: "Drake's Pipes" — Equipment, Instrument. Power: Activate the Perform text of up to 2 different Melody cards.)
This is a melody card. Melodies have Perform abilities, which are particularly strong. (Example: "Rhapsody of Vigor" — Ongoing, Melody. Perform: Up to 5 targets regain 1 HP each.)
This is a harmony card. Harmonies have Perform and Accompany abilities. (Example: "Alacritous Subdominant" — Ongoing, Harmony. Perform: One player may play 1 card now. Accompany: You may use a power now. If you do, destroy this card.)
This is a rhythm card. Rhythms have Perform and Accompany abilities. (Example: "Counterpoint Bulwark" — Ongoing, Rhythm. Perform: Select up to 2 targets, until the start of your next turn, reduce damage dealt to those targets by 1. Accompany: One player may draw 1 card now.)

Perform and Accompany abilities are different from powers in that they must be activated by either an instrument card or The Argent Adept's innate power. However, they are also more versatile as they can be used multiple times per turn, if there are multiple ways of activating them in play.

Turn Sequence

Villain Turn

Start: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the start of the villain turn.
Play: Reveal the top card of the villain deck and play it, following any instructions printed on that card.
End: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the end of the villain turn.

Hero Turn

Start: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the start of this hero's turn.
Play: This hero's player may choose to play one card from their hand, following any instructions printed on that card.
Power: This hero's player may choose to use one power from one of their cards in play which has a power.
Draw: This hero's player may draw the top card of their hero deck.
End: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the end of this hero's turn.

Environment Turn

Start: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the start of the environment turn.
Play: Reveal the top card of the environment deck and play it, following any instructions printed on that card.
End: Follow any instructions on any cards in play which occur at the end of the environment turn.

Damage

More Information

Gameplay FAQs

Example: At the start of Gloomweaver's turn, if his three relics are in play, his instructions say to flip his character cards. The Grimoire of Curses says that at the start of the villain turn, each player may discard one card. However, if all three relics were in play, then Gloomweaver would flip first, as he was in play first, and then the Grimoire of Curses would activate.

Additionally, there are times when players encounter ambiguous situations. In any ambiguous situation, the players choose the outcome.

Example: At the end of the villain turn, Akash'Bhuta's card Arboreal Phalanges deals the no-villain target with the highest HP (H) minus 1 Melee damage. The Argent Adept and Nightmist are currently tied for highest HP at 12 HP each in a four player game. After brief consideration, the players decide that the 3 Melee damage should be dealt to Nightmist.

Q: Do damage bonuses apply to each instance of damage or to total damage?

Damage bonuses apply to each instance of damage. If a card or power breaks out damage in any way, each instance is increased appropriately.

Example: At the end of the villain turn, Apostate deals the hero target with the highest HP (H) minus 2 Melee damage and (H) minus 2 Infernal damage. In a 3 player game, that would be 1 Melee and 1 Infernal damage, but if some effect increased Apostate's damage by 1, then he would deal 2 Melee and 2 Infernal damage.

Game FAQs - Continued

Q: If irreducible damage is increased, can it be decreased again?

No. If 2 points of irreducible Fire damage is being dealt, and that is increased by an environment card to 3 points, all of the damage is still irreducible and cannot be reduced.

Q: If a target is immune to damage somehow, is it still considered a target?

Yes. Even though the Chairman is immune to damage on his "Master of the Underworld" side, he is still a target.

(The rulebook's example is printed as shown; it refers to the Chairman, a Rook City villain.)

Q: If my hero can use more than one power per turn, can I use the same power twice? What if I have multiple copies of the same "Power" in play?

Each Power in play can be used a maximum of once per turn, regardless of how many powers your hero may use that turn. If a card is not limited, you can have multiple copies of it in play. However, each copy of that card is considered its own power. Since you are limited to activating one power per turn, you may thus only activate one of the two "instances" of the power during your power phase.

Glossary

Active: An active hero has more than 0 HP. A hero is active if they are not incapacitated.
Character card: A unique card which represents the primary or a major character of a deck. Character cards do not have the same back as the rest of their deck, rather, they have a unique back that provides their extra rules, such as a villain's flip side or a hero's incapacitated abilities.
Current HP: The HP of a target, relative to how much damage that target has taken, if any. For instance, a target with a maximum HP of 7 that has been dealt 2 damage has a current HP of 5.
Destroy: When a card is destroyed, it is removed from play and placed in the appropriate trash.
Deck: The set of cards associated with a specific hero, villain, or environment. All cards in a deck have a uniform back.
Device: Keyword appearing on villain cards. Devices have HP. When played, devices remain in play, but are destroyed when reduced to 0 or fewer HP.
Draw: When a hero card is drawn, that hero card goes into the hero's player's hand, unless stated otherwise.
Environment: An environment is a deck not played by a player which simulates the environment in which the game takes place. Environments have a deck of 15 environment cards. Like targets, environments can be sources of damage, but, unlike targets, the environments themselves do not have HP and cannot be dealt damage, though some cards in an environment deck do have HP.

Turn Order

Villain Turn

Start! Start of the villain turn.
Play! Play a villain card.
End! End of the villain turn.

Hero Turns

Start! Start of the hero turn.
Play! Play a hero card.
Power! Use a power.
Draw! Draw a hero card.
End! End of the hero turn.

Environment Turn

Start! Start of the environment turn.
Play! Play an environment card.
End! End of the environment turn.

(H) = the number of heroes.