Runebound (Third Edition) Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Using This Document
  • Foundational Rules
• Setup Instructions
  • Frequently Overlooked Rules
• Glossary
  • Abilities
  • Actions
  • Active Player
  • Acts
  • Adventure
  • Adventure Cards
  • Adventure Gems
  • Agility Symbols
  • Asset Cards
  • Attack
  • Attacker
  • Attributes
  • Attribute Tests
  • Bartering
  • Block Damage
  • Body
  • Bonus Trophies
  • Cancel
  • Casting
  • Challenge
  • Cities
  • Combat
  • Combat Actions
  • Combat Deck
  • Combat Pool
  • Combat Tokens
  • Companions
  • Component Limitations
  • Damage
  • Dash Symbols
  • Dealing Damage
  • Defeated
  • Delayed
  • Dice
  • Discard
  • Double Symbols
  • Draw
  • Eliminated Heroes
  • Enemies
  • Enemy Damage
  • Engage
  • Events
  • Exert
  • Exploration Deck
  • Exploring
  • First Player
  • Flavor Text
  • Flip
  • Foe
  • Gain
  • Gold
  • Goods
  • Heal
  • Health
  • Heroes
  • Hex
  • Initiative
  • Learn
  • Lore
  • Magic Damage
  • Margath
  • Markets
  • Master Enemies
  • Maximum Hand Size
  • Mind
  • Move
    • River Movement
    • Road Movement
  • Once Per Turn
  • Physical Damage
  • Prevent
  • Quests
  • Recast
  • Remove
  • Rest
  • Retreat
  • Rivers
  • Roads
  • Rounds
  • Rumors
  • Scenario
  • Scenario Card
  • Sell
  • Shield Symbols
  • Shop
  • Shrines
  • Simultaneous Abilities
  • Skill Cards
  • Social Deck
  • Speed
  • Spend
  • Spirit
  • Sportsmanship
  • Story Cards
  • Story Quests
  • Story Tokens
  • Strongholds
  • Success Symbol
  • Surge Abilities
  • Surge Symbols
  • Terrain Dice
  • Tests
  • Time Token and Time Track
  • Towns
  • Trade
  • Train
  • Traits
  • Trophies
  • Turn Order
  • Turns
  • Victory Conditions
  • Villain
  • Vorakesh
  • Wilderness
  • Wild Symbols
  • X (The Letter)
  • Zombies
• Quick Reference
  • Combat Actions
  • Terrain Symbols
  • Other Symbols
  • Hexes
  • Miscellaneous

Using This Document

This guide is intended as a reference for all rules queries. It is recommended that players begin playing Runebound by reading the Learn to Play booklet in its entirety. Then, as questions arise during gameplay, players can refer to this guide.

The Rules Reference is divided into the following sections:

• Setup Instructions
• Glossary
• Index
• Quick Reference

Foundational Rules

These rules are fundamental concepts on which all other game rules are built, and should always be followed.

• This Rules Reference is the definitive source of rules. If something in this document contradicts information from the Learn to Play booklet, this guide takes precedence.
• If the rules text of a card contradicts information from the Rules Reference, the component-specific rules text takes precedence. If both the card and the rules can be followed at the same time, they should be.
• If a card ability uses the word "cannot," that effect is absolute and cannot be overridden by other abilities. If a rule uses the word "cannot," that rule is absolute and cannot be overridden by other rules.
• The word "may" means the effect is optional. All surge abilities are optional.
• A player cannot interact with other players' quests, rumors, skill cards, asset cards, hero card, tokens, and trophies unless an ability allows it.

Setup Instructions

Before playing each game, perform the following steps:

1. Setup Game Board: Place the game board in the center of the play area. Players can sit around the board in whatever order they wish. Place one adventure gem faceup on each of the matching hexes on the board.
2. Create Token Bank: Sort the remaining tokens by type to create the token bank.
3. Choose Scenario: Players agree upon one scenario to use this game. Shuffle the corresponding story deck (the cards have art of the scenario's villain on them) and return the other story cards to the box. Read both sides of the scenario card aloud to all players.
   • If players cannot agree upon which scenario to play, randomly decide which scenario to play.
4. Setup Adventure Decks: Separate the 60 non-scenario adventure cards into three decks based on their card backs. Shuffle in the adventure cards associated with the chosen scenario (as indicated by the art located on the bottom right of the card), and return the adventure cards from the other scenario to the box. This will leave 30 cards in each adventure deck.
5. Choose Heroes: Players randomly choose one player to be the first player. Starting with the first player and proceeding in turn order, each player chooses a hero.
   • Each hero card is double-sided and starts the game with the side that has a setup ability faceup. Each player takes gold from the token bank equal to his or her starting gold and the combat tokens associated with his or her hero.
6. Starting Skills: Shuffle the skill deck. Starting with the first player and proceeding in turn order, each player draws skill cards equal to his or her hero's maximum hand size.
7. Place Heroes: In turn order, players place their heroes on a shrine, stronghold, or town (as shown on the hero's card) of their choice.
8. Hero Setup Abilities: In turn order, players resolve the setup ability on their hero cards. Then each player flips his or her hero card over to the opposite side.
   • Laurel of Bloodwood cannot use Pathfinding during setup, but can exert to reroll the terrain dice rolled by her setup ability.
9. Populate Markets: Shuffle the asset deck and deal three cards from it faceup into each of the four markets on the side of the board.
10. Setup Time Track: Place the time token on the first space of the time track.

Players are now ready to begin the game.

Frequently Overlooked Rules

Some topics in the glossary are often overlooked. We recommend that all players read the following entries:

• "Component Limitations"
• "Once Per Turn"
• "Simultaneous Abilities"
• "Sportsmanship"
• "X (The Letter)"

Glossary

This section provides detailed information about all gameplay topics.

Abilities

Each card has a number of effects on it known as abilities. Each separate paragraph on a card is a single ability.

• A hero can only trigger abilities on his or her own cards. This includes all cards that the hero bought, learned or gained. This does not include other players' cards, or cards that have been discarded or given to another hero.
• Always resolve abilities in the order they appear on the card. If there are two or more effects in the same sentence, do whichever one appears first in the sentence before the other(s).

Related Topics: Cancel, Simultaneous Abilities, Skill Cards, Surge Abilities, Trophies

Actions

Each hero has three hero actions to spend on his or her turn. A hero action can be spent to adventure, move, rest, shop, train, or any other action specified by a card.

• If a card or rule refers to an action and does not specify "combat action", it refers to a hero action.
• A hero can perform the same action more than once during his or her turn (e.g., move twice or train three times).
• A hero must spend two actions to adventure instead of one.
• Card abilities that require an action are prefaced by the action symbol.
• A hero can spend an action to do nothing.

Related Topics: Adventure, Combat Actions, Delayed, Exploring, Move, Rest, Shop, Train

Active Player

The active player is the player who is currently taking his or her turn.

Related Topics: Turn Order, Turns

Acts

The game is divided into two acts. The number on the faceup side of the time token shows the current act.

• An act ends after the time token reaches the last space of the time track and all players have taken their turn during that round.
  • After the end of Act 1, the next time the time token moves, return the token to the starting space and flip it over to its Act 2 side.
• There is never an Act 3. Once the time token reaches the end of the time track for the second time, refer to the scenario card.

Related Topics: Time Token and Time Track

Adventure

A hero can spend two actions in a hex with an adventure gem to flip the token facedown and draw one card from the corresponding adventure deck.

• A hero that has only one action remaining cannot adventure.
• A hero cannot adventure in a hex containing a facedown (grey) adventure token.

Related Topics: Actions, Adventure Cards, Adventure Gems, Combat Deck, Exploration Deck, Social Deck

Adventure Cards

There are three different adventure decks: social, combat, and exploration. There are three types of cards that appear in these adventure decks: enemies, events, and quests.

• If an adventure deck is empty, it is not reshuffled. Heroes can spend actions to adventure in hexes with gems of the matching type, but nothing will happen other than the flipping of the adventure gem.
• Italicized text on cards is flavor text or traits. This text has no gameplay effect.

Related Topics: Adventure, Adventure Gems, Enemies, Events, Flavor Text, Quests

Adventure Gems

Adventure gems are placed faceup (colored) onto each hex with a matching icon during setup.

• A hero can adventure in a hex that has a faceup adventure gem. He or she flips the gem facedown and draws one card from the corresponding adventure deck.
• When the time token enters a gem refresh space, each adventure gem in a hex without a hero in it is refreshed and flipped to its faceup side.

Related Topics: Adventure, Hex, Time Token and Time Track

Agility Symbols

As a combat action, a hero can spend one agility symbol from his or her combat pool. This allows the hero to either flip one token in his or her combat pool, or recast one token in his or her foe's combat pool.

• A hero can stack an agility symbol on top of a double symbol, but since only one agility symbol can be spent at a time, it has no additional effect when spent.

Related Topics: Combat Actions, Combat Tokens, Double Symbols, Flip, Recast

Asset Cards

During setup, cards are drawn from the asset deck and placed on the edge of the board within each market. Heroes can perform shop actions to gain cards from the markets.

• There are five different types of assets: clothing, equipment, goods, movement, and weapon.
  • A hero can only have one asset of each type at the same time. If a hero gains a second asset of the same type, he or she must immediately discard one of the two.
• When a hero gains an asset, the combat token associated with it (shares the same three-digit code) is also gained, if applicable.
  • If an asset is sold or lost, the combat token associated with that asset is returned to the token bank, if applicable.
• Whenever the asset deck is empty, shuffle the discard pile to create a new facedown deck.
• Asset cards are referred to as "assets" in abilities.
• If an asset card is ever removed from a market outside of a shop action, immediately replace it with the top card of the deck so that the market still has three cards in it.
• There are three different asset sets in the base game, labeled A, B, and C. Three different sets are used to create the asset deck, and with future expansions, players can switch out asset sets during setup.

Related Topics: Cities, Markets, Shop

Attack

An attack is any combat action that deals damage, even if the damage is blocked. Abilities that are not combat actions but deal damage are not attacks (e.g., the skill card Counter Charm).

Related Topics: Block Damage, Combat, Combat Actions, Damage, Dealing Damage

Attacker

During combat, the attacker is the active player. An enemy can never be the attacker.

Related Topics: Combat, Enemies, Foe, Initiative

Attributes

Each hero has three attributes: body, mind, and spirit. These attributes are used to resolve various abilities and make tests.

• A hero takes into account all modifiers when determining his or her attribute value; e.g., a hero who has +2 body and -1 body at the same time is considered to have +1 body.
• An attribute can become negative. Treat negative values as zero when resolving card abilities, unless a comparison to that value is being made.
• A hero cannot have more skill cards learned of each type (body, mind, spirit) than his or her current attribute values (see "Skill Cards").

Related Topics: Attribute Tests, Body, Mind, Skill Cards, Spirit

Attribute Tests

When a hero is directed to test body or mind or spirit, he or she makes an attribute test. An attribute test is divided into three steps:

1. Use Attribute. The hero reveals a number of cards from the top of the skill deck equal to the required attribute. If there is a modifier on the test (e.g., +1 or -1) then the hero reveals that many more or fewer cards.
   • A hero cannot reveal fewer cards than his or her attribute, except when applying a modifier.
2. Exert. The hero may exert (discard one skill card) to reveal another card from the top of the skill deck. The only limitation on the number of times a hero can exert is the number of skill cards in his or her hand. Each exertion is resolved individually, and the hero can choose to move to step 3 after each reveal.
   • A hero with an attribute of zero or less can still make an attribute test but reveals zero cards in step 1 and must exert in order to have a chance of succeeding.
   • A hero can exert even if a success was already revealed in an attempt to get more successes.
3. Apply results. The hero has one success for each success symbol (star) on the cards revealed for the test.

If there is at least one success symbol, then the test succeeds and the hero continues resolving the card. If there are zero successes, then the test fails. Do not resolve anything else on the card except for a failure effect, if applicable; if it was an event card, also discard it.

No matter the result, discard all revealed skill cards at the end of the test.

Related Topics: Discard, Exert, Skill Cards, Spend, Success Symbol

Bartering

If heroes are in the same hex, they are free to exchange gold and assets during either of their turns. This does not cost any actions.

• If an asset is exchanged, any matching combat token must be exchanged along with the card.
• Heroes cannot trade starting combat tokens, trophies, skill cards, or story tokens.
• If a hero exchanges a goods with another hero, this is not trading the goods and no gold is gained from its trade value.

Related Topics: Asset Cards, Gold, Goods, Hex, Sportsmanship

Block Damage

Damage that is blocked is ignored.

• Some abilities deal damage and have an additional effect. The effect will resolve even if the damage is blocked, unless otherwise specified.

Related Topics: Combat, Combat Tokens, Damage, Shield Symbols

Body

Each hero has a body attribute which represents strength, dexterity, and other physical characteristics.

• A hero cannot have more body skill cards learned than his or her body attribute.
• Abilities that increase a hero's body are written as "+X body," where X is the amount of the increase.

Related Topics: Attributes, Mind, Skill Cards, Spirit

Bonus Trophies

Some adventure cards provide bonus trophies. The hero first takes the adventure card as a trophy, and then gains any bonus trophies from the top of the adventure deck.

Related Topics: Enemies, Gain, Quests, Trophies

Cancel

Something that is canceled or prevented does not resolve.

• Cancel and prevent are synonyms.
• A player can only use an ability that cancels or prevents something from occurring immediately before that ability resolves.
• If a cost is paid and the effect is canceled or prevented, the cost is not refunded; e.g., if a player spent a surge to trigger an ability and the ability is canceled, the surge is still spent.

Related Topics: Abilities

Casting

During combat, players randomize their combat tokens by casting them. To cast tokens, the player places the tokens in-between closed hands and shakes them loosely. The player then tosses the tokens onto the table like dice.

The player uses the symbols on the faceup sides of his combat tokens to resolve combat actions.

• If a player ever needs to cast or recast a single token, he or she can flick the token with his or her thumb, end over end, into the air.
• If most players agree that a cast is not sufficiently randomized, then the offending player casts again.

Related Topics: Agility Symbols, Combat Tokens, Recast

Challenge

When a hero challenges another hero to combat, those heroes engage in combat and fight until one hero is defeated or retreats.

• A hero cannot challenge another hero unless an ability allows it.
• The hero who made the challenge is the attacker and wins ties for initiative.
• A hero challenged by Corbin who wins the combat gets no reward. Neither hero can retreat during Corbin's challenge.

Related Topics: Combat, Initiative

Cities

Cities are hexes marked with banners and art. There are four cities on the board: Dawnsmoor, Forge, Riverwatch, and Tamalir.

• A city matches all terrain types. A hero can spend any terrain die to move into a city.

Example: If Lyssa is fighting in a city, all terrain dice deal damage for Stalk Prey.

• City hexes are considered to be roads for movement. A hero can match any terrain symbol to move from a city along a road.
• When a hero rests in a city, he or she heals all damage.

Related Topics: Asset Cards, Hex, Markets, Move, Rest, Terrain Dice

Combat

Combat occurs between two foes. When a hero engages an enemy in combat, the player to the hero's right takes control of the enemy for that combat. The controlling player casts tokens and makes all decisions for the enemy.

Combat is divided into rounds, and each round of combat is further divided into three phases. Players continue fighting rounds of combat until one combatant is defeated or retreats.

1. Cast Phase: Each participating player collects all of his or her combat tokens and simultaneously casts them. Cast tokens form the players' combat pools.
   • A hero casts all of his starting tokens and any other combat tokens he or she has.
   • An enemy casts the five enemy tokens. During Act 2, enemies also cast the master token.
   • Villains cast the token shown on their scenario card in addition to the master token and the other five tokens.
2. Action Phase: Players alternate performing combat actions until both players pass. The player with the most faceup initiative symbols on combat tokens at the start of this phase performs the first combat action. In the case of a tie, the attacker goes first.
   • The most common combat action is to deal damage in an attempt to defeat the player's foe (see "Damage").
   • When a hero or enemy is defeated, the combat immediately ends.
   • When an enemy is defeated, the hero takes the enemy's adventure card as a trophy.
   • If a player does not wish to take an action, he or she may pass. Once a player has passed, he or she cannot take another combat action during this round of combat (but can still use shields). If a player has no more combat actions to use (e.g., has no more combat symbols to spend), then he or she must pass.
3. Retreat Phase: The hero has the option to retreat. To retreat, a hero rolls one terrain die and may spend it to move. If he or she does not (or cannot) retreat, a new round of combat is resolved starting with the Cast Phase.
   • A hero cannot move into a new hex during combat, unless he or she is retreating to end combat.
   • If two heroes are fighting each other, the hero who initiated combat has the first chance to retreat. If he or she does, then the combat immediately ends, and the other hero cannot retreat.
   • Enemies cannot retreat.

Related Topics: Acts, Challenge, Combat Actions, Combat Deck, Combat Pool, Combat Tokens, Damage, Defeated, Enemies, Foe, Retreat, Villain

Combat Actions

During combat, players spend combat symbols from their combat tokens to perform combat actions. Each symbol has a different effect when spent during combat (see the Quick Reference).

After a player performs a combat action, his or her foe performs the next combat action. This continues until both players pass.

• Combat actions are not hero actions (the three actions a hero must spend on his or her turn).
• Cards can provide a hero with special combat actions that he or she can perform.
• Abilities that affect combat tokens only affect tokens still in a combat pool unless otherwise specified.

Example: The Dread Prophet's Prophesy ability that recasts a token can only be used on a token in the hero's combat pool, because it does not specify spent tokens.

• Combat actions and other abilities that are used during combat cannot be used to target heroes or enemies that are not participating in that combat.

Related Topics: Agility Symbols, Combat, Combat Deck, Combat Tokens, Damage, Double Symbols, Magic Damage, Physical Damage, Recast, Shield Symbols, Surge Abilities, Surge Symbols

Combat Deck

The combat deck is one of the three decks of adventure cards. Most of the cards in the combat deck are enemies.

• The combat deck is not reshuffled when it is empty.
• Combat cards and trophies are represented by the combat icon in text.
• Combat cards taken as trophies are called combat trophies.

Related Topics: Adventure Cards, Combat, Component Limitations, Discard, Enemies, Trophies

Combat Pool

The combat pool is made up of all combat tokens a player has after being cast for combat.

• Tokens in the combat pool can be spent as a combat action and are eligible targets for other token and card abilities.
• Tokens removed or spent during combat are cast again during the next round of combat.

Related Topics: Casting, Combat Tokens, Flip, Recast, Remove

Combat Tokens

Combat tokens are cast to resolve combat. Each token has symbols on both sides.

• The large symbol can be spent as a combat action to resolve its effect. The small symbol is only a reference for the symbol that appears on the other side of the token, and cannot be targeted by token or card abilities.
• Any time an ability refers to a token or symbols on that token, it only refers to the side and symbols of the token that is currently faceup.
• Any combat token a hero or enemy has outside of its combat pool, whether that token was spent or removed, is a spent token. Spent tokens are not eligible targets for other token or card abilities unless the ability specifies that they are.
• Combat tokens can be cast, flipped, and recast. Other tokens are unaffected by abilities that cast, flip, or recast a token.
• If an ability targets tokens of a specific type (e.g., "Remove all your foe's physical damage tokens"), this applies to tokens of any value.

Related Topics: Agility Symbols, Casting, Combat, Combat Pool, Double Symbols, Flip, Initiative, Magic Damage, Physical Damage, Recast, Shield Symbols, Surge Symbols

Companions

White story tokens in The Corpse King scenario are called companions. Vorakesh has -2 health for each companion his foe has.

Related Topics: Scenario, Story Cards, Story Tokens, Zombies

Component Limitations

The quantity of components are limited, or not limited, as follows:

• Players are not limited by the number of gold tokens, story tokens, or damage tokens in the game. If the token bank is empty, substitute coins or tokens from other games as needed.
• Players are not limited by the number of dice in the game. If a player needs to roll more than five dice, then he or she rolls all of the dice, notes the results, and rerolls the number needed.
• Players are limited by the number of adventure cards in the game. If there are no adventure cards left to gain as a trophy in either the adventure card deck or discard pile, then no card can be gained as a trophy.
• Whenever the asset or skill deck is empty, shuffle that deck's discard pile to create a new facedown deck.

Related Topics: Adventure Cards, Asset Cards, Skill Cards, Terrain Dice, Trophies

Damage

Damage tokens are placed on a hero or enemy card whenever that hero or enemy takes damage. When a hero or enemy has damage equal to its health, it is defeated.

• The number of damage tokens on a hero cannot exceed that hero's health. Ignore any excess damage taken from an ability or attack.
• A 3-damage token is equivalent to three 1-damage tokens. Players can freely make change with damage tokens at any time.
• Abilities that require a hero or enemy to "take X damage" outside of combat cannot be blocked with shields.

Related Topics: Dealing Damage, Defeated, Enemies, Enemy Damage, Magic Damage, Physical Damage, Rest

Dash Symbols

Dash symbols have no inherent ability and cannot be spent as a combat action. Golden dash symbols count towards initiative.

Related Topics: Combat Actions, Combat Tokens, Initiative

Dealing Damage

Damage is usually dealt as the result of combat actions. Damage dealt in combat can only be dealt to a combatant's foe; a combatant cannot deal damage to a hero or enemy outside of combat or to itself.

• If all damage from an attack or ability is blocked, then no damage was dealt and abilities that require damage to be dealt do not trigger.

Related Topics: Damage, Enemy Damage, Magic Damage, Physical Damage

Defeated

When a hero or enemy has damage tokens equal to its health, it is defeated.

• When a hero or enemy is defeated during combat, the combat immediately ends.
  • Combat abilities that have not yet resolved (e.g., the Singe ability on a Feral Dragon after the dragon is defeated by a hero) do not resolve.
• When a hero is defeated by an enemy on an adventure card, the adventure card is discarded.
• When an enemy is defeated, the hero gains the reward on the card and takes the adventure card as a trophy.
• When defeated, ignore any extra damage that would exceed the hero or enemy's health.
• A defeated hero cannot perform any action except rest.
• A defeated hero cannot be challenged by another hero or engage in combat for any reason.
• A defeated hero can still use abilities and learn skill cards. If a hero learns a skill card that gives him or her additional health, then the hero is no longer defeated (and does not have to rest).

Related Topics: Damage, Health, Rest

Delayed

A delayed hero must spend his or her next action to become undelayed. Place the hero figure on its side to show that it is delayed.

• A delayed hero can still use abilities and learn skill cards.
• If a defeated hero is also delayed, that hero must first recover from being defeated before spending an action to become undelayed.

Related Topics: Actions, Defeated

Dice

See "Terrain Dice."

Discard

When a card is discarded, place the card in a faceup discard pile next to that card's deck.

Related Topics: Adventure Cards, Asset Cards, Component Limitations, Maximum Hand Size, Skill Cards

Double Symbols

As a combat action, a player can stack another combat token on top of a token with a faceup double symbol. The token stacked on top of the double is considered to be doubled. Both tokens are spent at the same time when the top token is used.

Example: A 2 physical damage token is placed on top of a double token. Both tokens can be spent as a combat action to deal 4 physical damage.

• Only one token can be stacked on another; a stacked token cannot have another token stacked on top of it.
• A token stacked on top of a double token can be recast, flipped, and removed from the combat pool. If it is recast or flipped, it returns to the top of the stack once the effect resolves.
• Once stacked, the double token is immune to all effects while there is a token on top of it. It cannot be recast, flipped, removed from the combat pool until spent, etc.

Related Topics: Combat Actions, Combat Tokens

Draw

When a card is drawn, it is drawn from the top of the corresponding deck.

• Whenever an adventure card is drawn, it is immediately resolved according to its type (enemy, event, or quest).
• After one or more skill cards are drawn, the hero must immediately discard down to his or her maximum hand size, if necessary.
• Multiple cards drawn from the same effect are drawn simultaneously.

Related Topics: Adventure Cards, Asset Cards, Quests, Skill Cards

Eliminated Heroes

Some game effects can eliminate a hero from the game (e.g., being defeated during combat with a villain). When a hero is eliminated, the player controlling the hero loses the game, and that hero's figure is removed from the board. The hero's assets, skill cards, trophies, and combat tokens are removed from the game.

• An eliminated hero's gold, story tokens, and damage tokens are returned to the token bank.
• If the player who controlled the hero was the first player, the next player in turn order becomes the new first player.

Related Topics: Turn Order, Villain

Enemies

Enemies are a type of adventure card. When a hero draws an enemy, he or she immediately engages it in combat.

• An enemy is defeated when it has taken damage equal to its health.
• When a hero defeats an enemy in combat, he or she gains the reward listed on the card and then takes the card as a trophy.
• Enemies have traits on them listed in bold italic, e.g., Undead. Traits are for flavor and card effect purposes only, and have no inherent abilities.
• If an enemy has an attribute test on it, and a hero fails this test, the enemy is not discarded and combat continues. Resolve any failure effect on the test as normal, if applicable.
• If an ability allows a hero to take an enemy as a trophy, the combat ends and the hero does not gain the reward on the enemy.
• Enemies can also appear on story cards and scenario cards.

Related Topics: Attribute Tests, Combat, Combat Deck, Defeated, Foe, Trophies, Villain

Enemy Damage

As a combat action, a player controlling an enemy can spend X enemy damage in his or her combat pool to deal X enemy damage to his or her foe. He or she does not have to spend all of his or her enemy damage tokens at once in the same action.

Related Topics: Block Damage, Combat, Combat Tokens, Damage

Engage

A player engages a foe when he or she enters into combat with it.

• Abilities which trigger off of engaging an enemy happen immediately before the first Cast Phase of the first combat round.

Related Topics: Combat, Enemies, Foe

Events

Events are a type of adventure card. When a hero draws an event, he or she reads the two choices on the card aloud and chooses one to resolve.

• A hero can choose either option but resolves as much of the chosen effect as possible. This may mean that a hero ends up resolving none of the chosen effect.
• Some choices on event cards have a "Rumor" label. If a hero chooses a rumor, the event stays faceup in front of the hero until it is resolved according to the card.
  • There is no limit to the number of rumors a hero can have.
  • After a hero has taken an event as a rumor, he cannot later choose to resolve the other option on the event.
• In addition to the italicized flavor text at the top of the card, events often have thematic text integrated into their abilities.

Example: The Tales of Old event reads "Test body to convince the bard to give you his purse. Gain 1 gold and take this card as a trophy." The phrase "to give you his purse" serves a thematic purpose and has no game effect. The actual effect of this event is that the hero gains one gold and takes the adventure card as a trophy.

Related Topics: Adventure Cards, Attribute Tests, Flavor Text, Trophies

Exert

A hero can exert by discarding one skill card from his or her hand.

• Many skill cards require a hero to exert in order to use the card's ability.
• A hero can exert during an attribute test to reveal an additional card from the skill deck.
• A hero can exert to reroll one terrain die. This can be used any time terrain dice are being rolled, e.g., during movement or exploration, or while resolving an ability. If the hero still does not like the result on that terrain die, he or she can exert again, provided he or she has another skill card to discard.
• The only limit to the number of times a hero can exert is the number of skill cards in his or her hand.

Related Topics: Attribute Tests, Exploring, Move, Skill Cards, Terrain Dice

Exploration Deck

The exploration deck is one of the three decks of adventure cards. Most of the cards in the exploration deck are quests.

• The exploration deck is not reshuffled when it is empty.
• Exploration cards and trophies are represented by the exploration icon in text.
• Exploration cards taken as trophies are called exploration trophies.

Related Topics: Adventure Cards, Component Limitations, Discard, Quests, Trophies

Exploring

Some cards, such as quests, require a hero to explore in order to resolve an ability. When a hero explores, that hero rolls terrain dice equal to his or her speed. The results of the exploration are dependent on the ability that let the hero explore.

• Each die can only be matched to a single terrain symbol.
• Treat a wild result as all terrain types, but only a wild result can match a wild exploration requirement.

Related Topics: Adventure Cards, Quests, Speed, Terrain Dice

First Player

The first player is randomly determined at the beginning of the game. One way to do this is to have each player roll all five terrain dice, and the player who rolls the most wilds becomes the first player.

• The first player moves the time token one space down the time track at the end of each round.

Related Topics: Rounds, Time Token and Time Track

Flavor Text

Flavor text appears as centered, italicized text on many different cards. It has no bearing on the resolution of the card but adds to the narrative of, and immersion in, the game.

Related Topics: Adventure Cards, Events

Flip

To flip a combat token, a player turns it over to its opposite side. Only unspent tokens can be flipped.

• Players cannot recast or flip a token that has another token on top of it. The token stacked on top, however, can be flipped or recast. If it is, then it is returned to the top of the stack after the flipping or recasting is completed.

Related Topics: Agility Symbols, Combat Tokens, Double Symbols

Foe

A foe is a player's opponent during combat (whether an enemy or a hero).

Related Topics: Challenge, Combat, Enemies, Heroes

Gain

When a player gains or takes a component, he or she places the component near his or her hero card so that other players can clearly see that the player now controls that component.

• When a hero gains gold or another token, he or she takes it from the token bank.
• When a hero gains a trophy, he or she takes the top card of the appropriate deck and places it facedown near his or her hero card.

Related Topics: Gold, Trophies

Gold

Gold is the currency of the realm. A hero can spend gold to buy assets and use various card abilities.

• There is no limit to the amount of gold a hero can have.
• A 3-gold token is equivalent to three 1-gold tokens. Players can freely make change with gold tokens at any time.

Related Topics: Asset Cards, Markets, Spend

Goods

Goods are a type of asset that has a trade value. Each goods card has an action on it that allows a hero to trade it. Goods can also be traded by other means.

• Traded goods are discarded.
• If a hero exchanges a goods with another hero, this is not trading the goods and no gold is gained from its trade value.

Related Topics: Asset Cards, Bartering, Markets

Heal

When a hero or enemy heals, the player removes damage tokens from the hero or enemy card equal to the amount healed.

• A hero cannot heal if he or she has no damage, but that hero can still perform a rest action.

Related Topics: Damage, Rest

Health

Heroes and enemies have health. If a hero or enemy has damage tokens equal to its health, that hero or enemy is defeated.

• Abilities that increase a hero's or enemy's health are written as "+X health," where X is the amount of the increase.

Related Topics: Damage, Defeated, Heal

Heroes

Each player controls a hero. Each hero has a hero card, matching figure, and starting combat tokens.

Related Topics: Attributes, Combat Tokens, Maximum Hand Size, Speed

Hex

A hex is a six-sided space on the board. Each hex is defined by one type of terrain. There are five different types of terrain in the base game: plains, hills, water, forest, and mountains.

• There is no limit to the number of heroes that can occupy a hex.

Related Topics: Cities, Move, Shrines, Strongholds, Terrain Dice, Towns, Wilderness

Initiative

Golden symbols on combat tokens count toward initiative while that symbol is faceup. The player who has more tokens with initiative symbols at the start of the Action Phase performs the first combat action of the combat round.

• In the case of a tie, the attacker goes first (the hero is always the attacker when fighting an enemy).
• Tokens that have a symbol with a denomination greater than 1 on them (e.g., a token with 2 physical damage) still only count as one token for determining initiative.

Related Topics: Attacker, Combat, Combat Tokens

Learn

See "Skill Cards."

Lore

Story tokens in The Ascendance of Margath scenario are called lore. Margath has -1 health for each lore his foe has.

Related Topics: Scenario, Story Cards, Story Tokens

Magic Damage

As a combat action, a hero can spend X magic damage in his or her combat pool to deal X damage to his or her foe.

• A hero does not have to spend all of his or her magic damage tokens at once in the same action.
• A hero cannot spend physical damage during the same combat action he or she spends magic damage, and vice versa.
• Some abilities specifically affect magic damage; e.g., an enemy may be able to block magic damage but not physical damage.

Related Topics: Block Damage, Combat, Combat Tokens, Damage, Physical Damage

Margath

See "Villain."

Markets

There are four markets on the edge of the board. Each market has three asset cards that heroes can acquire by shopping in the corresponding city.

• If a asset card is ever removed from a market outside of a shop action, immediately replace it with the top card of the asset deck so that the market still has three cards in it.

Related Topics: Asset Cards, Shop

Master Enemies

During Act 2 of the game, all enemies cast the master combat token (2 enemy damage / surge) during combat in addition to the other five enemy combat tokens.

Related Topics: Acts, Combat Tokens, Enemies

Maximum Hand Size

Each hero has a maximum hand size listed on his or her hero card. This is the maximum number of skill cards that hero can have in his or her hand.

• A hero discards down to his or her maximum hand size if he or she ever has more skill cards in hand than his or her maximum hand size.

Related Topics: Discard, Skill Cards

Mind

Each hero has a mind attribute which represents intelligence, perception, and other mental characteristics.

• A hero cannot have more mind skill cards learned than his or her mind attribute.
• Abilities that increase a hero's mind are written as "+X mind," where X is the amount of the increase.

Related Topics: Attributes, Body, Skill Cards, Spirit

Move

A hero can spend one action to either move to one adjacent hex or roll terrain dice equal to his or her speed.

If the hero rolls terrain dice, then he or she spends one terrain die at a time to move into an adjacent hex, provided the die has a matching terrain symbol. Rivers and roads have special movement rules as listed below.

• After a hero rolls terrain dice, then he or she may only use the dice to move and may no longer choose to move to one adjacent hex.
• A hero can spend any number of the terrain dice after rolling, including zero.
• A hero cannot spend one die to move multiple hexes, even if the die matches multiple terrain; each die can only be spent to match the terrain of one hex.
• A hero cannot spend terrain dice, perform another action, and then spend more terrain dice. All terrain dice must be spent before performing another action.
• A wild symbol matches all terrain types.
• A city matches all terrain types. A hero can spend any terrain die to move into a city.
• There are two bridges: one at Red Bridge and one at Zadric's Crossing. A hero can spend any terrain die to move across a bridge.
• If an ability allows a hero to move (e.g., the skill card Walk on Water), the hero does not need to perform a move action to use this ability.

River Movement

A river is a blue line that runs along the edges of a hex that impedes movement.

• When using terrain dice to move, a hero can only move across a river by spending a die with a water (or wild) symbol. A hero cannot move across a river by spending a terrain symbol of the destination hex.
• If a hero decides not to roll terrain dice, he or she can still move across a river using the move to one adjacent hex option.

Road Movement

If a hero is in a hex with a road, then he or she can spend any terrain die to move one hex along the road.

• City hexes are considered to be roads. Market Town and Suvar's Rest are road hexes as well.
• When moving into a road hex from a non-road hex, a hero must match the terrain of the hex; a hero cannot use any terrain die to move along a road until he or she is already on it.
• A hero cannot use the road to jump from one adjacent space to another if the roads in those two hexes do not directly connect. The road hexes that form a crossroad near Suvar's Rest are an example of this.

Related Topics: Actions, Speed, Spend, Terrain Dice

Once Per Turn

A hero cannot use a once per turn ability more than once during his or her turn; a hero also cannot use these abilities on other heroes' turns.

• A hero can use his or her once per turn abilities at any time during his or her turn, provided all conditions on the card are obeyed.

Example: A hero can spend one terrain die to move, use the Tireless skill to move one hex, and then spend two more terrain dice to continue moving.

Related Topics: Abilities, Combat Actions, Turns

Physical Damage

As a combat action, a hero can spend X physical damage in his or her combat pool to deal X damage to his or her foe.

• A hero does not have to spend all of his or her physical damage tokens at once in the same action.
• A hero cannot spend magic damage during the same combat action he or she spends physical damage, and vice versa.
• Some abilities specifically affect physical damage; e.g., an enemy may be able to block physical damage but not magic damage.

Related Topics: Block Damage, Combat, Combat Tokens, Damage, Spend

Prevent

See "Cancel."

Quests

Quests are a type of adventure card. When a hero draws a quest, he or she places it faceup next to his or her hero card.

Each quest requires a hero to move to specific hexes on the map, usually highlighted in red on the quest card. To complete the quest, the hero must be in one of these hexes and follow the instructions listed at the top of the card.

• There is no limit to the number of quests a player can have at one time.
• Quests have one to three outcomes listed on them. At the top of the text box, under the map, are the requirements for each of these outcomes. When a requirement is fulfilled, the ability with the matching Roman numeral may be resolved.

  • Most quests instruct the hero to explore a specific hex, and their requirements are lists of terrain symbols. To fulfill these requirements, the hero spends one terrain die with a matching symbol for each listed terrain symbol. Only wild symbols can match wild symbols.

    Example: Corbin wants to fulfill a requirement that requires a mountain and a wild. This requirement can be fulfilled by a mountain/water die and a wild die, or two mountain/water dice, or two wilds dice. But if Corbin needed to fulfill a requirement that required two wilds, he would need two wild results.

  • A hero cannot spend one die to match multiple terrain symbols; each die can only be spent to match one of the listed terrain symbols.

  • A hero can choose to not resolve an outcome, even if he or she fulfills the requirement. The quest remains faceup next to the hero's card and can be attempted again by following its instructions.

  • When a hero resolves an outcome, he or she always takes the quest as a trophy unless the outcome instructs otherwise.

  • A hero can only resolve one outcome on each quest, even if he or she fulfills more than one of the requirements at the same time.

  • If a hero is unable to resolve one of the outcomes, the quest remains faceup next to the hero's card and can be attempted again by following its instructions.

Related Topics: Adventure Cards, Exploring, Terrain Dice

Recast

When an ability allows a player to recast a token, the player takes one token in his or her combat pool and follows the rules for casting a token.

• A player is always responsible for recasting his or her own tokens.
• If an ability does not specify which player's token is being recast, it applies to any player's token.
• Players cannot recast or flip a token that has another token on top of it. The token stacked on top, however, can be flipped or recast. If it is, then it is returned to the top of the stack after the flipping or recasting is completed.

Related Topics: Casting, Combat Pool, Combat Tokens

Remove

Tokens that are removed from the combat pool are set aside, just as if they were spent.

• Removed tokens are cast again during the next round of combat.
• Any combat token a hero or enemy has outside of its combat pool, whether that token was spent or removed, is a spent token. Spent tokens are not eligible targets for other token or card abilities unless the ability specifies that they are.

Related Topics: Casting, Combat Pool, Combat Tokens

Rest

A hero can spend one action to rest. If the hero rests in a city, town, shrine, or stronghold, then he or she heals all damage. If a hero rests in the wilderness, then he or she rolls five terrain dice; for each die with a terrain symbol that matches his or her hex, the hero heals one damage.

• It is possible to rest in the wilderness and roll zero matching results, and therefore heal zero damage. A defeated hero who heals zero damage is still defeated, and must spend his or her next action to rest.
• When resting on a road hex, a hero must still match the terrain of the hex underneath the road.
• Abilities that increase speed do not affect the number of dice a hero rolls during a rest action.

Related Topics: Actions, Cities, Defeated, Heal, Health, Shrines, Strongholds, Towns, Wilderness

Retreat

A hero may retreat from combat during the Retreat Phase of a combat round. To retreat, the hero rolls one terrain die and may spend it to move to an adjacent hex that has the matching terrain.

If the hero is unable or does not want to spend the terrain die rolled, then a new round of combat begins (unless his or her foe is a hero who retreats).

• There is no penalty for attempting to retreat and failing (other than having to fight an unwanted round of combat).
• If a hero or enemy is defeated, combat ends immediately, and the hero cannot retreat.
• If two heroes are in combat against one another, the attacker has the first chance to retreat. If he or she does, then the combat immediately ends, and the other hero cannot retreat.

Related Topics: Attacker, Combat, Terrain Dice

Rivers

See "Move."

Roads

See "Move."

Rounds

The game is played over a number of rounds. During each round, each player takes one turn, beginning with the first player.

At the end of each round, and before the first player takes his or her next turn, the first player moves the time token one space down the time track.

Related Topics: Acts, First Player, Time Token and Time Track, Turns

Rumors

See "Events."

Scenario

During setup, players choose one scenario to play. Each scenario includes one scenario card, 10 adventure cards for each adventure deck, and a 10-card story deck.

• Each scenario has a piece of art that marks all of the cards associated with that scenario. The two scenarios in the base game are marked with their corresponding villains' art pieces.

Related Topics: Scenario Card, Story Cards, Villain

Scenario Card

The scenario card is placed next to the board during setup. There are special instructions on each scenario card. Side A contains the rules content used during the course of the game. Side B contains the villain (or other victory condition) that heroes must defeat in order to win the game.

• Players should familiarize themselves with both sides of the scenario card at the beginning of each game. Players can read both sides of the scenario card at any time.
• When a hero engages the villain in combat, flip the scenario card over to side B. After the combat, if the hero did not win, flip the card back to side A.

Related Topics: Scenario, Villain

Sell

See "Shop."

Shield Symbols

Whenever a hero or enemy is about to take damage during combat, he or she may spend shield symbols to block that damage. Each shield blocks one damage of any type (enemy, magic, or physical damage).

• Spending shields to block damage does not take a combat action.
• Spending shields is optional; a player can take damage even if he or she has shields to spend.
• Shields can block damage from any source during combat (this includes surge abilities or other abilities).
• If damage "cannot be blocked," shields cannot be spent to block that damage.
• If an ability deals damage when engaging a foe, shields cannot be spent to block that damage.
• Shields cannot be spent to block damage dealt outside of combat.

Related Topics: Block Damage, Combat Tokens

Shop

A hero in a city can spend one action to shop in the city's market. A shop action is divided into three steps:

1. Browse the Market. Draw the top card of the asset deck and add it to the city's market. There are now four cards in the market.

   • Whenever the asset deck is empty, shuffle the discard pile to create a new facedown deck.

2. Sell Assets (Optional). A hero can sell any asset cards he or she has. Each sold asset card is discarded, and the hero gains gold equal to its cost.

   • If a sold asset card has a matching combat token, return the token to the token bank.
   • A player cannot sell asset cards outside of shopping, unless an ability allows it.
   • A player cannot sell an asset card during the same action he or she bought that asset.

3. Buy or Discard one Asset. A hero must either buy one asset card or discard one asset card from the market (if he or she does not wish to buy anything). This means that there are always three asset cards left in a market after each shop action.

   To buy an asset, the hero spends gold equal to the asset's cost, then takes the asset card and places it next to his or her hero card. If the asset card has a three-digit code, the hero also takes the matching combat token.

   • A hero cannot buy more than one asset card during each shop action.

Related Topics: Asset Cards, Markets

Shrines

Shrines are hexes on the board that represent holy sites. Shrine hexes still have one of the five terrain types for movement and exploration; e.g., Yrthwright's Forge is still a mountain.

• Shrine hexes are not wilderness.
• When a hero rests in a shrine, he or she heals all damage.

Related Topics: Rest, Strongholds, Towns

Simultaneous Abilities

When two or more abilities trigger at the same time, they are considered to be simultaneous abilities.

• The active player's abilities are always resolved first, and other players resolve their abilities in turn order.
• If a player has more than one simultaneous ability, the player chooses the order in which his or her own abilities resolve. After the player has resolved all of those abilities, the next player in turn order resolves his or her simultaneous abilities.

Related Topics: Abilities, Active Player, Turn Order

Skill Cards

Skill cards represent abilities and talents that a hero may learn over the course of the game. A hero can learn any number of skill cards from his or her hand before or after spending an action on his or her turn. A hero must learn a skill card before using its abilities.

A hero learns a skill card from his or her hand by spending trophies equal to the cost of the card. The cost is listed as orbs of various colors at the top of the card. The trophies spent to learn the skill must match the cost; gray orbs match any type of trophy.

Place the learned skill card faceup near the player's hero card. The abilities on the skill card can be used as instructed on the card.

• A hero can learn a skill card after resolving his or her last action, before his or her turn ends.
• A hero cannot learn a skill card while resolving an action.
• Whenever the skill deck is empty, shuffle the discard pile to create a new facedown deck.
• Skill cards are referred to as "skills" in abilities.
• A hero cannot have more skill cards in hand than his or her maximum hand size.
  • If a hero ever has more cards in hand, he or she discards down to his or her maximum hand size.
  • A hero cannot voluntarily choose to discard skill cards from his or her hand.
• A hero cannot have more skill cards learned of each type (mind, body, spirit) than his or her matching attribute values.
  • A hero must choose and discard learned skill cards if he or she ever has more than an attribute allows, until he or she has the correct number. This is the only way a hero can choose to discard a learned skill card.
  • A hero can learn a new skill to exceed his or her attributes, but, unless the skill increases the attribute, the hero must then discard one of his or her learned skills.
• There are six different skill sets in the base game, each labeled with a unique symbol. Six different sets are used to create the skill deck, and with future expansions, players can switch out skill sets during setup. The six skill sets are: Strength of the Wilds, Military Training, Thirst for Travel, Friends in Low Places, Rune Magic, and Favor of the Gods.

Related Topics: Exert, Maximum Hand Size, Trophies

Social Deck

The social deck is one of the three decks of adventure cards. Most of the cards in the social deck are events.

• The social deck is not reshuffled when it is empty.
• Social cards and trophies are represented by the social icon in text.
• Social cards taken as trophies are called social trophies.

Related Topics: Adventure Cards, Component Limitations, Discard, Events, Trophies

Speed

Each hero has a speed value. When moving or exploring, the hero rolls a number of terrain dice equal to his or her speed.

• Abilities that increase a hero's speed are written as "+X speed," where X is the amount of the increase.

Related Topics: Component Limitations, Move, Terrain Dice

Spend

Many abilities require players to spend actions, cards, dice, tokens, and trophies. A player can only spend his or her own actions, cards, tokens, and trophies.

• Spent combat tokens are set aside and cannot be spent again during that combat round. All other types of tokens are returned to the token bank when spent.
• Spent trophies are discarded. If the trophy type is not specified, a hero can spend any type of trophy.
• Spent terrain dice are set aside and cannot be spent again during the same action or ability.

Related Topics: Combat Pool, Move, Skill Cards, Shop, Trophies

Spirit

Each hero has a spirit attribute which represents willpower, magic, and other spiritual characteristics.

• A hero cannot have more spirit skill cards learned than his or her spirit attribute.
• Abilities that increase a hero's spirit are written as "+X spirit," where X is the amount of the increase.

Related Topics: Attributes, Body, Mind, Skill Cards

Sportsmanship

Players should respect the spirit of competition and play to win.

• Players should only barter in a mutually beneficial way; for example, a hero should not give a player all of his or her assets just to help the other player win the game.
• When playing as an enemy, a player should control the enemy to the best of his or her ability, to the detriment of his or her foe.

Related Topics: Bartering, Casting, Combat

Story Cards

Story cards are drawn whenever the time token enters a space with a story icon. There are 10 story cards for each scenario.

• The time token goes through the time track twice, which means that at least two story cards will not be used during each game.
• Story cards that are not story quest cards are immediately resolved and then discarded.
• If an enemy appears on a story card, that enemy is not taken as a trophy if it is defeated.

Related Topics: Scenario, Story Quests, Time Token and Time Track

Story Quests

Some story cards have a "Story Quest" label. When a story quest card is drawn, it is placed above the board, in the first empty space of the story quest track.

Story quest cards allow heroes to resolve the ability on the story card while in specific hexes on the board. After placing one of these cards on the story quest track, place the matching story quest token in the hex specified on the story card.

• If a story quest can be resolved in multiple hexes, such as any town, shrine, or stronghold, there are not enough story quest tokens to represent this. Players do not need to place the story quest token on the board for these cards.

Related Topics: Story Cards

Story Tokens

Story tokens are double-sided and their use is determined by the scenario card. Sometimes only one side is used, and sometimes both sides are used as distinct tokens.

Related Topics: Companions, Lore, Scenario, Story Cards, Zombies

Strongholds

Strongholds are hexes on the board that represent military installments. Stronghold hexes still have one of the five terrain types for movement and exploration; e.g., Sundergard is a plains.

• Stronghold hexes are not wilderness.
• When a hero rests in a stronghold, he or she heals all damage.

Related Topics: Rest, Shrines, Towns

Success Symbol

A success symbol is used during attribute tests and appears on the right-hand side of skill cards.

Related Topics: Attribute Tests, Skill Cards

Surge Abilities

Abilities that are preceded by a surge symbol are surge abilities. Surge abilities can be used as a combat action by spending the number of surges listed before the surge symbol from the player's combat pool.

• Each surge ability cannot be triggered more than once per combat round.
• A player can spend more surges for an ability than required. Any overspent surges have no effect.
• The cost of the surge ability is paid before the effect is resolved. This means that if a surge ability allows a hero to recast spent tokens, the surge tokens spent to trigger the ability are eligible to be recast.
• If an X surge ability is triggered by another ability, X is considered to be 1 unless otherwise noted.

Related Topics: Combat Actions, Surge Symbols, X (The Letter)

Surge Symbols

As a combat action, a player can spend surge symbols from his or her combat pool to trigger a surge ability.

Related Topics: Combat Actions, Combat Tokens, Surge Abilities

Terrain Dice

Terrain dice are used to move and explore. There are six different terrain symbols that appear on the terrain dice: forest, hills, mountain, plains, water, and wild.

• A hero rolls a number of terrain dice equal to his or her speed whenever he or she explores or performs a move action.
• Some sides of the dice have multiple terrain symbols. Only one terrain symbol can be matched from each die rolled.
• A wild symbol matches all terrain symbols.
• A player cannot choose to have the wild symbol not match all terrain symbols; e.g., if a player takes 3 damage if he or she rolls a mountain, then rolling a wild will deal the player 3 damage.

Related Topics: Exploring, Move, Speed

Tests

See "Attribute Tests."

Time Token and Time Track

The time token and time track show how many rounds have passed over the course of the game.

• At the end of each round, the first player moves the time token one space down the time track.
  • If the time token is on the last space of the track, it is instead flipped to its Act 2 side and moved to the starting space. If the token was already on its Act 2 side, then the token does not move and remains in the last space.
• When the time token enters a space with a story icon, draw and resolve the top card of the story deck.
• When the time token enters a gem refresh space, each adventure gem in a hex without a hero in it is refreshed and flipped to its faceup (colored) side.

Related Topics: Acts, First Player, Rounds

Towns

Towns are hexes on the board that represent settlements. Town hexes still have one of the five terrain types for movement and exploration; e.g., Burrow Town is still a mountain.

• Town hexes are not wilderness.
• When a hero rests in a town, he or she heals all damage.

Related Topics: Rest, Shrines, Strongholds

Trade

See "Goods."

Train

A hero can spend one action to train. The hero draws a number of skill cards equal to his or her maximum hand size, regardless of the number of cards in his or her hand. Then, the hero discards down to his or her maximum hand size.

• A hero cannot learn a skill card before discarding down to his or her maximum hand size.

Related Topics: Abilities, Actions, Maximum Hand Size, Skill Cards

Traits

See "Enemies."

Trophies

Trophies are facedown adventure cards that can be spent to learn skill cards.

• When a hero "takes" an adventure card as a trophy, he or she turns that adventure card facedown and places it next to his or her hero card. This trophy is also considered gained for the purposes of abilities: if an ability triggers when a player "gains" a trophy, the ability also triggers when he or she takes a trophy.
• When a hero "gains" an adventure card as a trophy, he or she takes the top card of the corresponding adventure deck and places it facedown next to his or her hero card.
  • If the type of trophy is not specified, the hero chooses what type of trophy to gain.
  • If there are no cards left in the adventure deck, the hero gains the top card of that deck's discard pile as a trophy instead.
• When a hero resolves an adventure card, he or she can take it as a trophy depending upon its type:
  • Enemy: When a hero defeats an enemy in combat, he or she gains the reward listed on the card and then takes the card as a trophy.
  • Quest: After a hero completes a quest, he or she takes the quest as a trophy, unless the card instructs the hero to discard it.
  • Event: A hero only takes an event as a trophy when instructed to by the card.
• A hero may look at the front side of his or her facedown trophies at any time and may show them to other heroes.
• Trophies from the exploration, social, and combat decks are exploration, social, and combat trophies, respectively.
• There is no limit to the number of trophies a hero can have.
• When a trophy is spent, it is discarded into its respective adventure deck discard pile.

Related Topics: Adventure Cards, Enemies, Events, Gain, Skill Cards, Quests

Turn Order

Whenever players need to resolve something in turn order, start with the first player and continue clockwise around the table.

Related Topics: First Player

Turns

A player's turn consists of spending three actions. After a player finishes spending three actions and the player finishes learning skill cards and/or using abilities, the game advances to the next player's turn.

Related Topics: Actions, Active Player, Rounds

Victory Conditions

See "Scenario Card."

Villain

Villains are enemies that appear on side B of scenario cards.

• Each villain has a special combat token that is cast in addition to the other six enemy tokens. This token is shown on the back of the scenario card, in the lower-left corner.
• When a villain is defeated, the hero who defeated it wins the game.
• When a hero is defeated in combat with a villain, the hero is eliminated from the game. Remove all damage from the villain and flip the scenario card back to the front side. The game continues until another hero defeats the final villain or all heroes lose the game.
• A hero cannot retreat from combat with the villain.
• If a villain's health is reduced by story tokens, the villain cannot heal past its starting health value.

Related Topics: Eliminated Heroes, Scenario, Scenario Card

Vorakesh

See "Villain."

Wilderness

The wilderness refers to all hexes that are not a city, town, shrine, or stronghold.

• When a hero rests in the wilderness, he or she rolls five terrain dice and heals one damage for each result that matches the hex that the hero occupies.

Related Topics: Cities, Rest, Shrines, Strongholds, Towns

Wild Symbols

See "Terrain Dice."

X (The Letter)

The letter X is used with abilities and card effects that have a variable result. X is always a numerical value and is established by paying a cost (e.g., X surge) or some other condition.

• X automatically updates based on the current state of the game.
• If an X surge ability is triggered by another ability, X is considered to be 1 unless otherwise noted.

Related Topics: Surge Abilities

Zombies

Black story tokens in The Corpse King scenario are called zombies. Zombies are placed on the board by story quests.

• Vorakesh has +1 health for each zombie on the board.
• Killed zombies are returned to the token bank.

Related Topics: Companions, Scenario, Story Cards, Story Tokens

Quick Reference

Combat Actions

• Physical damage (Hero only) — Deal physical damage. Spend any number of physical damage symbols to deal an equal amount of physical damage.
• Magic damage (Hero only) — Deal magic damage. Spend any number of magic damage symbols to deal an equal amount of magic damage.
• Enemy damage (Enemy only) — Deal enemy damage. Spend any number of enemy damage symbols to deal an equal amount of enemy damage.
• Double — Double a symbol. Stack another combat token in your combat pool on top of 1 double symbol. The symbols stacked on top of the double are considered to be doubled.
• Agility — Use agility. Spend 1 agility symbol to either flip one of your unspent tokens to its other side or force your foe to recast one of his unspent tokens (your choice).
• Surge — Trigger a surge ability. Spend X surge symbols and resolve an ability on your hero, asset, or skill card that requires X or fewer surges. Each surge ability can only be used once during each round of combat.
• Shield. Whenever you are about to take damage during combat, you can spend shield symbols to block an equal amount of damage. This does not take a combat action.

Terrain Symbols

Wild, Water, Forest, Mountain, Hills, Plains.

Other Symbols

Body, Mind, Spirit, Speed, Health, Max Hand Size, Combat, Exploration, Social, Action, Gold.

Hexes

Town, Shrine, Stronghold.

Miscellaneous

The Ascendance of Margath Scenario symbol, The Corpse King Scenario symbol, Success Symbol.