Shadows Upon Lassadar Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
• Play
  • If it is a City Quest card
  • If it is a Council of Wardens Quest card
  • If it is an Elders card
  • If it is a Warding City Quest card
• Expanded Battles
  • If you draw a Warding City Quest card
  • Expanded Battle Maps
• Winning or Losing the Game
• Last Stand Expansion
  • The Last Stand (card text)
  • Spell counter cards (Last Stand)

Setup

There are several type of cards in the game. These will be described in order and you can find a diagram of a suggested starting game layout on page 4.

Begin by placing the Character Stats card in front of you. This card tracks your Mana (energy needed to perform spells), Spirit (the amount you have been corrupted by the magic you use) and any Warding Keys you've found in your quest. Place markers on the highlighted [14] spaces on both the Mana and Spirit tracks. These will be your starting stats. You lose the game if your Spirit ever falls below [1]. Your mana may fall below [1] but you may not be able to cast spells.

Next place the three Spell Path cards in front of you.

During the game you learn your choice of spells of three different types:

• Oaken spells which change the outcome of events on the Battle Loss tables or remove events entirely.
• Flint spells which are attack spells used in battle.
• Ice spells which recharge your Mana and Spirit.

Each of the spell types can also offer additional attack dice when engaged in a battle with the Grayking's servants.

Each spell has a cost in Mana or Spirit when casting it. Spells that have a bracketed cost (example: [-3 Mana]) only need to have that cost paid once, when they are first learned. For the other spells you will subtract that cost in Mana or Spirit each time you use the spell. Each spell may be used only once during a battle unless recharged.

Additionally not all spells may be available to be learned. Each spell type has paths, designated by a set of arrows. At most you will only be able to learn 4 to 5 spells of each type. Each step along the path determines the next spells to choose from.

When you begin the game, choose two spells from among those at the top of the three types and place a marker on each. You may learn one spell on each of two types, or may choose two spells of one type along one spell path.

Card anatomy: learned spell path. The example diagram shows four learned Flint spells: Shield and Shard Knives cost Mana each time they are used. Hammer Plate and Forge Shock add extra dice to your attack roll and have a one time Mana cost when they are first learned but no additional cost thereafter. Arrows indicate the path of learning for these spells; because Hammer Plate was learned, the player may not go back and learn Brittle Knives. Each step along the path determines the next spells to choose from.

Next, lay out the two cards that make up the Grayking's Progress Track. This track shows how close the Grayking is to reaching Lassadar during the game. You lose the game if the marker ever reaches the last space (Lassadar) on the track. You may choose a level of difficulty for the game, placing a marker on one of the three numbered spaces on the track: (3) beginner game, (2) normal game, (1) advanced game. The diagram below shows a marker on the beginner game space.

Next, the Battle Win and Loss Table cards are laid out. These two cards are referenced after you win or lose a battle in a city during your quest. Each Quest card has an icon that will refer to the six numbered options on these cards.

Next, you will place the 3 Expanded Battle Maps to one side. Each Battle Map is made of 3 cards, placed adjacent to each other and each Battle Map has a corresponding color, Warding Key number and Eldritch Table. See the section "Expanded Battles" for more on these maps. For now, place the red, blue and yellow markers next to these maps.

Locate the 9 Servant cards, shuffle and place them face down to form a draw pile next to the Expanded Battle Maps. Each card shows a Grayking servant you will fight on a Battle Map. Color icons list the number of hit points each servant has. Each servant you draw will match one of the colored markers used on the Expanded Battle Maps. Place a marker on the leftmost hit point number and move the marker to the right as you score damage to the servants. The Grayking's servants have a range to their attacks and deal different types of damage. Refer to each card for those values.

Servant card example (Ghast): Hit Points 2 (red) and 1 (yellow). Range 2: Ghast strikes up to two hexes in distance away. Damage 1s: Ghast does one point of damage to your spirit on a successful hit.

Next, shuffle the remaining 22 Quest Cards, and place them face down forming a Quest draw pile. These cards will provide the narrative structure to the game. You will, through them, journey from city to city, trying to defeat the Grayking's servants, learning new spells, recharging your Mana or Spirit, and gaining valuable allies in your fight.

The four types of city cards are:

• City Quest cards showing the name of the city you've journeyed to, win and loss table reference icons and event instructions for the battle in that city. These cards always have a black border. As you win battles in these cities you will remove these cards from the game. If you lose a battle in this city you will place this card on the Quest discard pile to be shuffled back into the game.
• Council of Wardens Quest cards always have a white border. Their event instructions will help you gain spells and refresh your Mana and Spirit. These cards will always be placed on the Quest discard pile to be shuffled back into the game.
• Elders cards always have a brown border. These allies assist you in your quest for a limited time so you must use them with care. Each card will be rotated as it is used, up to three times (the large numbers to the left of the card are used as a memory aid), and then will be removed from the game.
• Warding City cards. Three Warding City Quest cards, each with a colored bottom band and a numbered Warding Key icon across the will signal when you use the Expanded Battle Maps. As you win the battles in these cities, and gain the Warding Keys, you will remove these cards from the game. If you lose a battle in this city you will place this card on the Quest discard pile, to be shuffled back into the game.

Lastly, you will begin the game with two dice for your attack strength. The Grayking and his servants will always roll one more die than you, so they begin with three dice. Place all nine 6-sided dice and remaining markers within reach. The diagram on the next page shows a suggested starting game layout.

Diagram on page 4 (Suggested Starting Game Layout) is a picture of the table setup and is not reproduced here; the components it shows are described in the Setup section above.

Play

Turn over the top card in the Quest draw pile and place it near the discard pile. Follow the event instructions on the card.

If it is a City Quest card

City Quest cards are simple battles, your task is to clear the city of the Grayking's servants. You may use any of your learned spells in the battle but you may only use each spell once (unless you recharge them using the Ice Spell: Calm). The exception are spells you've learned that gain you extra attack dice. These dice are always part of your attack strength in a battle.

The Grayking's servants will roll one more die than you will in an attack. When you first begin the game you start with two attack dice, roll these, applying any modifiers to your attack as listed in the event instructions. Then roll for the Grayking's servants. Your roll must be equal to or greater than the Grayking to win the battle.

Note: if you use Elder San in a battle, his extra attack die does not count towards the number rolled by the Grayking.

Some battles may be against specific types of Grayking servant: the Ghast or the Zhumbi; you may use specific Flint spells: Brittle Knives and Shard Knives against these servants for additional attack bonuses.

If you are successful and win the battle: turn over the next card in the Quest draw pile, placing it on the discard pile, and find the Battle Win Table number (listed on the white cross icon). Locate this number on the Battle Win table and follow the instructions. Winning a City Quest battle usually means a gain in your Mana or Spirit count, or forces the Grayking further back beyond the Barrier Plains.

Battle Win table:

1. raise mana count by one
2. raise spirit count by one
3. raise mana count by two
4. gain one path spell of your choice for a cost of one mana
5. move the Grayking marker one space away from Lassadar
6. move the Grayking marker two spaces away from Lassadar

Remove the City Quest card you just fought from the game, it will not be used again.

If you have lost the battle: place the Quest card on the discard pile and then turn over the next card in the Quest draw pile, placing it, as well, on the discard pile, and find the Battle Loss Table number (listed on the black circular icon). Locate this number on the Battle Loss table and follow the instructions. Losing a City Quest battle usually means a loss in your Mana or Spirit count, or allows the Grayking to draw nearer to Lassadar.

Battle Loss table:

1. lower mana count by two
2. lower spirit count by one
3. lower mana/spirit count each by one
4. move the Grayking marker two spaces toward Lassadar
5. move the Grayking marker three spaces toward Lassadar
6. move the Grayking marker four spaces toward Lassadar

You may use the Oaken Spells of Bind and Knot to lessen the outcome of your loss. They will allow you to lower the type of loss damage you receive.

Some battles will also tell you to refer to a 'next card value'. This value is found on the gray, square Mana/Spirit count icon, below the Win/Loss icons.

If it is a Council of Wardens Quest card

Council of Warden Quest cards will aid you in your quest. You may be able to learn new spells, gain Mana or cleanse your Spirit. Event instructions may tell you to refer to a 'next card value'. This value is found on the gray, square Mana/Spirit count icon. Turn over the next card in the Quest draw pile, placing it on the discard pile, and find the Mana/Spirit number for this value.

When you have finished, place the Council of Wardens Quest card on the discard pile.

If it is an Elders card

Lay the Elders card next to your Character Stat card. You may call on the power of each Elder three times, rotating the card each time. Once they have given you their aid, remove the card from the game. You may have more than one Elder aiding you at one time. Each Elder's power may only be used once in a battle.

If it is a Warding City Quest card

Refer to the "Expanded Battles" Section below.

Expanded Battles

If you draw a Warding City Quest card

1. Look at the Warding Key number at the bottom of the card and find the matching Expanded Battle Map.
2. Place a marker representing yourself on the white cross icon on the Expanded Battle Map with the matching Warding Key number.
3. Turn over cards in the Servant draw pile matching the number of servants you will fight (this is determined by the Expanded Battle Map event text). Place a marker on the largest, leftmost number on each of the servant's hit point tracks. For Expanded Battles, the Grayking's servants may not match in type; so you may need to continue to draw cards until you encounter the correct number of non-matching servants.
4. Roll 2d6 and place a color matched marker (red, blue or yellow) for each servant you will fight on the map on the matching numbered hex. Servants may share the same hex spaces.
5. The battle rounds begin...

Expanded Battle Maps

Each Expanded Battle Map is printed with its own event text and Eldritch Damage Table, identified by its Warding Key number.

Warding Key 1 map. Choose 2 cards from the servant deck for this battle (each must be a different type) and roll 2d6 to place the servants' markers on the city map. Place a marker on the numbered warden icon for your starting space. The blue warden icon is a spell recharge space. You may move on to this space to recharge each spell type once. After magic use by player, roll 2d6 for additional Eldritch damage.

Eldritch Damage Table (Key 1):

• 6, 7, 8: no additional damage
• 5, 9: active servant wounded additional -1
• 12: active servant wounded additional -2
• 4, 10: spirit loss additional -1
• 2, 3, 11: spirit/mana loss additional -1 each

Warding Key 2 map. Choose 2 cards from the servant deck for this battle (each must be a different type) and roll 2d6 to place the servants' markers on the city map. Place a marker on the numbered warden icon for your starting space. The blue warden icon is a spell recharge space. You may move on to this space to recharge each spell type once. After magic use by player, roll 2d6 for additional Eldritch damage.

Eldritch Damage Table (Key 2):

• 7, 9: no additional damage
• 6, 8: active servant wounded additional -1
• 2, 12: all servants wounded additional -1
• 5: active servant slain
• 4, 10: spirit loss additional -1
• 3, 11: spirit/mana loss additional -1 each

Warding Key 3 map. Choose 3 cards from the servant deck for this battle (each must be a different type) and roll 2d6 to place the servants' markers on the city map. Place a marker on the numbered warden icon for your starting space. The blue warden icon is a spell recharge space. You may move on to this space to recharge each spell type once. After magic use by player, roll 2d6 for additional Eldritch damage.

Eldritch Damage Table (Key 3):

• 7: active servant wounded additional -1
• 5, 6, 9: all servants wounded additional -1
• 12: active servant wounded additional -2
• 4, 10: spirit loss additional -2
• 2, 3, 8, 11: spirit/mana loss additional -2 each

Each round of the battle has three phases taken in order:

a. Movement. You may move two hexes in any direction each round. Each servant then moves one hex toward you. A servant may move no closer than a hex adjacent to your own position. Servants have ranged attacks and may begin attacking before they reach your position. During each battle round, you may also move on to the marked Warding location with the blue cross. While there you may completely recharge all spells of any one type. After doing this you must move away from this hex on your next turn. You may move back on a consecutive turn if you wish and recharge the spells of a different type.

b. Attack. Any adjacent servant will attack you if you are within their attack range. This servant is considered 'active'. Your own attack range is always one adjacent hex in distance. Attacks are simultaneous, you will roll for your attack strength as well as for the Grayking's servant. Resolve each servant attack in turn, one by one. A servant with a ranged attack further than one adjacent hex will do damage only if their roll is successful. You may not do any damage to them until you are one adjacent hex in distance away.

You may use any of your learned spells in the battles but you may only use each spell once each round, unless recharged. The exception are spells you've learned that gain you extra attack dice. These dice are always part of your attack strength in a battle. As you use spells in a battle, place the marker for that spell temporarily to the right of the spell icon to show you have used it in a given round. You may use the Warding location with the blue cross icon to recharge all spells of any one type once per battle round if you are on that hex.

The Grayking's servants will always roll one more die than you in an attack. Roll your attack dice. Then roll for the Grayking's servant. Your roll must be equal to or greater than the Grayking to do damage to the Grayking's servants when they are within range. Else, you will only be halting their attack.

Each successful attack will deal one point of damage to the 'active' servant or servants you are currently fighting.

A servant may do damage to either your Spirit or your Mana. Refer to the particular Servant card for the damage type and amount.

Note: the printed text reads "Spirt" here; it is read as "Spirit" in this transcription.

c. Eldritch Damage. If you used any magic spells during any single round, when you are within one hex range of a servant, (extra attack dice do not count), roll 2d6 and consult the Eldritch damage table on the right of the Expanded Battle Map card, finding the number rolled on the table. Using magic may do further damage to the 'active' servant of the Grayking your are attacking or to you. You may cast any re-roll Flint or Ice spells if you choose to alter this outcome. You must abide by the re-roll outcome.

If a servant's hit points are ever reduced to zero you have slain them and may remove their marker from the map.

Repeat these three phases for each round until you defeat the Grayking's servants (see 6a) or you wish to retreat (see 6b).

6a. If you are successful in defeating all of the Grayking's servants, place a marker on your Character Stats card under the Warding Key section, matching the key you've found in the Expanded Battle. Each key gives you a one time bonus in the game. Then remove the Warding City Quest card from the game.

6b. If at any time you decide to retreat from a battle, you may do so at a loss of -1 to your Spirit. Place the Warding City Quest card on the Quest discard pile.

7. In either case shuffle all Servant cards back into the Servant draw deck.

If at any time the Quest draw pile is exhausted, shuffle the discard pile to form a new draw pile.

Winning or Losing the Game

Draw cards one by one working your way through the quest. If you gain each of the 3 Warding keys you may cast the Oaken Spell: Barrier Lock and lock the gates of the Barrier Plains. The Grayking is instantly drawn back to the Tower of Ash and you have saved Lassadar and won the game.

If at any time your Spirit falls below [1] on the Character Stats card, or if the Grayking reaches Lassadar on the Progress Track, you have lost the game.

Last Stand Expansion

Four additional cards have been included in the game as an after game expansion. After locking all 3 gates of the Barrier Plains you may travel to the Ash Tower to defeat the Grayking in his Stronghold.

Beware! The Grayking has the ability to counter several of your Flint and Ice spells.

The Last Stand (card text)

The gates are closed and you stand before the Grayking. It is the time of endings, the time for the Last Stand.

For each spell you have learned during your quest, increase your mana and spirit by that amount before you begin the last battle.

The Grayking begins with 8 hit points. For any flint or ice spell you use during this battle, the Grayking will counter with one that positionally matches on the spell counter cards.

The Grayking will roll one more attack die than you will during each attack round. Roll for both his attack and yours.

If you are successful reduce his hit point count by one. If the Grayking is successful reduce your spirit count by two.

You may recharge all spells of one type when his damage marker is on a gray space.

Note: the card's last line reads "on a gray" as printed; the grey-shaded hit point numbers on the card are 6, 3, 2 and 1.

Hit Points track on the Last Stand card: 8, 7, 6, 5 (top row) and 4, 3, 2, 1 (bottom row).

Spell counter cards (Last Stand)

Flint counters

• 4 Unguard: re-roll any Grayking roll of 1 or 2.
• 7 Sullen Axe: remove any of your dice rolls showing 1 or 2.
• 8 Mourn Spear: change all Grayking rolls of 1 and 2 to show 3.

Ice counters

• 5 Sorrow: -1 mana.
• 6 Shatter: -2 mana.
• 9 Regret: -1 spirit.
• 10 Forget: roll 2d6, forget your spell of that matching number.
• 11 Mirror: re-roll any of your dice.