Spellcaster Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components
Overview of Spell Cards
2-Mage Rules
Keep in Mind
3-Mages Rules
4-Mages Rules
Spell Cards That Behave Differently with 3 or 4 Mages
Credits

Components

60 Spells (15 of each: Combat, Conjuring, Healing, Sorcery)
30 Sorcery Sapphires
30 Energy Crystals
4 Colored placards

Overview of Spell Cards

Incantations (no active-spell symbol): These spells cost one action to activate.

Note! Cards with the asterisk symbol indicate that the spell works slightly differently with 3 or 4 players (see Spell Cards That Behave Differently with 3 or 4 Mages).

Enchantments (with the active-spell symbol): Spells with this symbol automatically activate at the beginning of your turn.

Red Combat cards reduce your rival's Energy.
Yellow Healing cards restore your Energy.
Blue Sorcery cards get you Sapphires.
Green Conjuring cards allow you to alter the effects of other cards and to bend the rules.

2-Mage Rules

Set Up

Place the four color placards in a row centered between the Mages. Cards are played onto the placard of their color.

Shuffle the deck. Deal three cards to each Mage then place the deck in the center of the table. Give each Mage 10 Energy crystals and 2 Sapphires to start.

The Mage with the longest beard goes first, then turns alternate. If nobody has a beard, you are not permitted to play unless you have special dispensation from the current Grand Master Mage. Alternately, you can randomly choose a Mage to start.

During the game, spell cards will be played face up in four central piles on the placards, one for each color. The top card of each pile faces the Mage who played it. In general, Mages control and may use only the spells that face them.

Example: The two cards facing Stacey have been played by her. The two cards facing Dan have been played by him.

On Your Turn

Cards on the table facing you with the active-spell symbol are Active Spells and instantly take effect.
You draw 1 card.
You take two actions from the choices below. You may choose the same action twice but you may only activate a given card one time per turn.
- Draw 1 card (in addition to free card you already drew)
- Play 1 card from your hand to the table face up (facing you, atop the pile of its color)
- Activate a top card that is facing you (do what the text on the card says)

Once you have completed your two actions, the turn passes to your rival. The game continues in this manner until one Mage wins.

Winning

There are three ways a duel can end.

One Mage is sapped of all of his Energy crystals, in which case he loses.
One Mage acquires 15 or more Sorcery Sapphires, in which case he wins.
A Mage cannot draw a card to start his turn. The Mage with the most Sapphires wins. (Tiebreaker: Most Energy crystals.)

Keep in Mind

When you play a card you take over control of that color.
Don't forget about Active Spells marked with the active-spell symbol! They go off at the beginning of every turn and they do not cost an action.
Regarding spells, you control a color if the top card of that stack is facing you. Unless otherwise specified, if a spell requires a discard, it means from your hand.
The term "rival" refers to your opponent.
If a spell tells you to draw more cards than what remains in the deck, you only get the cards that are left if any. Then the game ends after your turn.
If a spell tells you to "lose" or "pay" Energy or Sapphires, this means return them to the supply.
If a spell tells you to "lose" cards, this means put them in the discard pile.

3-Mages Rules

When three Mages battle in the Arena, it's a two vs one duel.

One Mage plays by himself and starts with 6 cards, two Sapphires and 10 Energy crystals. On his turn he may only activate cards facing him.

The other two Mages play as a team against the solo Mage. Each of the Mages starts with 3 cards. Together as a team they share 2 Sapphires and 10 Energy crystals. They may not look at each others' cards. On their turns they may only activate cards facing their team.

Example: The first team Mage goes first, followed by the solo Mage, then the second team Mage, and then the solo Mage again. This order repeats until the duel ends.

The rest of the game plays exactly like the 2-Mage game, with a small number of exceptions associated with spells that involve card drawing and discarding. (See Spell Cards That Behave Differently with 3 or 4 Mages)

4-Mages Rules

The 4-Mages game is a team game, with teammates sitting side-by-side across from their rivals. Each team has a pool of Energy crystals and Sapphires, but teammates have separate hands of cards. Teammates may not share information regarding their hands.

Each team starts with 10 Energy crystals and 2 Sapphires. Each Mage starts with three Spell cards. On each Mage's turn, they may only activate cards that face their team.

The rest of the game plays exactly like the 2-Mage game, with Spell exceptions (below).

Spell Cards That Behave Differently with 3 or 4 Mages

"Draw 2 cards unless rival discards 1 card" becomes:

3 or 4 Mages: "Draw 2 cards unless next rival to play discards 1 card"

The choice of "Each Mage gains/loses 2 cards" becomes:

3 Mages: "Solo Mage draws/loses two cards, team draws/loses one each"
4 Mages: Unchanged

"Do three damage and rival draws one card" becomes:

3 or 4 Mages: "Do three damage and next rival to play draws one card"

"Gain one Energy for each card in rivals' hand" becomes:

3 Mages: Only the solo Mage use is different. "Gain one Energy for each card in both rivals' hands added together."
4 Mages: "Gain one Energy for each card in the biggest hand held by the opposing team"

"Do one damage for each card in rivals' hand" becomes:

3 Mages: Only the solo Mage use is different. "Do one damage for each card in both rivals' hands added together."
4 Mages: "Do one damage for each card in the biggest hand held by the opposing team"

Credits

Designers: Aaron Weissblum & Norman Woods Editor: Frank DiLorenzo, Russell Grieshop Graphic Designer: Jenn Vargas Art Director/Cover Artist: Kerem Beyit Card Artist: Suleyman Temiz

Visit RnRgames.com/Spellcaster to find out about the online version!