Thunderstone Quest: Barricades Mode

Expansions

Thunderstone Quest: Barricades Mode Rulebook

Table of Contents

Objective

"To the Barricades!"

In Barricades Mode, 1-6 players will collaborate to protect the Village, or else face the fate of its utter destruction. The players will improve their decks, form Parties, build Barricades, share cards, and gain levels in the all-new Prestige Classes in order to face the Guardian together.

Game End

If the players destroy the Guardian before the Village Locations are destroyed (based on your difficulty), the players win! If however, the Guardian destroys the Village Locations, the players lose. If the Guardian destroys the Village Locations on the turn the players destroy the Guardian, then it is a Pyrrhic Victory. The Guardian has been defeated, but at what cost?

Unpacking the Box

This box should include the following components. If it does not, please e-mail [email protected] for assistance. Please note this is an expansion to Thunderstone Quest, and not a stand-alone game.

2 Starter Decks (6 Adventurers, 2 Lanterns, 2 Daggers, and 2 Thunderstone Shards)
2 Player Boards
26 New Starter Cards (12 Thunderstone Pieces, 6 Bree Setim, 6 Joba, and 2 Thunderstone Staff)
6 Dividers
20 Adventurers
30 Curse Cards
120 Epic Cards
12 Prestige Class Boards
1 Wilderness Tile
1 Marketplace Overlay Tile (Epic and Campaign Modes)
8 Guardian Tiles
28 Guardian Guide Cards
16 Guardian Dice
28 Destruction Chits
5 Barricade Overlay Tiles
30 Frostbite Wound Tokens (see pg. 14)
20 Gray Tokens (1XP)
10 White Tokens (10XP)
1 Threat Token
1 Destruction Chit Bag
3 Sticker Sheets
2 Champion Figurines
1 Rulebook

Diseased Wounds are a new type of Wound card. Shuffle these together with the Festering Wounds. Together, they form the Wound card deck. Draw from this combined deck whenever required.

Curses are a new card type. When gained, they go directly in front of you, affecting you each turn. They cannot leave play by any means other than their own text. Baalok, the Flesh Weaver's form deals these Curses to the players.

The remaining Quest 6 and 7 cards are featured in the Questbook contents starting on pg. 20. The Prestige Class boards and the cards from Quest 6: What Lies Beneath and Quest 7: Frozen in Time can be used in any mode of Thunderstone Quest.

Stickers and the Marketplace Tile

Included in this box are 3 Sticker sheets. They contain lots of stickers on them: 38 Medals (see pg. 18), Gold Costs for the Token Tray (see pg. 4), 1 AEG, 1 Marketplace, and 1 Guilds' Quarter. These last 2 are permanent alterations to the Village Boards from the first Kickstarter and Retail copies, as well as the 1,000 expedited copies from the second Kickstarter. Village Boards from the second Kickstarter do not need these stickers.

Have fun with the AEG sticker, but please be respectful of other peoples' property.

Place both The Marketplace and Guilds' Quarter stickers on the side of the board without stack labels. Once carefully applied, your Village Board is ready for Barricades Mode, while the other side remains ready for other modes.

Also included in this box is a Marketplace overlay tile with two sides. One side has The Marketplace effect for Epic Mode (see TSQ Rulebook, pg. 17). The other side contains a brand new Marketplace effect for Campaign Mode! If playing one of these modes, overlay this tile on the Marketplace. Do not use this tile in Barricades Mode, even if playing Epic.

Setting Up For Barricades Mode

Playmat shown here is an optional add-on. Barricades mode can also be played with the standard Village Board from the base game (updated with stickers, if needed).

Barricades Mode setup is the same as normal Thunderstone Quest setup (see the TSQ Rulebook, p. 3-5), with a few changes:

Players each choose 1 Prestige Class, placing it to the right of their Player Board. Playing with Prestige Class boards is optional in other modes of Thunderstone Quest.
Place the Guardian, Lair (room) side face up, below the rooms in the Dungeon, and place the Threat token on the 1 space. This will advance forward 1 space at the end of each turn.
Place the 20 Destruction chits with which you are playing inside the Destruction chit bag and place the bag near the Village.
Place the 5 Barricades onto their respective Village Locations, inactive (red) side up.
Players may optionally use Guild Sponsorships, but there's no time for Side Quests, so they are not used in Barricades Mode. Guild Sponsorships will make the game a bit easier.
No players start with Iron Ration tokens.
Remove from your deck the 2x Lantern and 2x Thunderstone Shard Starter cards. Replace them as follows:
- 1 Player: 1x Bree Setim, 1x Joba, 2x Thunderstone Staff
- 2 or more players: 1x Bree Setim, 1x Joba, 2x Thunderstone Pieces
In 1 Player (Solo) Mode, use fewer stacks of cards in the Village:
- 2 Hero stacks
- 4 Marketplace stacks (of any variety)

Wound and Gear Token Tray. In this box is a tray which holds Wound and Gear tokens. This tray is designed to be removed from the box and put onto the Village each game. If you are using the Village Board, place the tray directly below The Bazaar. If you are using the Village Playmat, place the tray directly above The Bazaar. On the sticker sheet, there are three stickers: 2, 3, and 4. Carefully apply them to the tray, in the places marked on the tray, for the three tokens shown there. When the game is finished, place your tokens in the tray as appropriate, and return the Token Tray to the box.

Adjusting Difficulty

Different players may want to adjust the difficulty for various reasons, such as trying to earn Medals (see pg. 18). We recommend players use the FIRST TIME difficulty for their first game.

FIRST TIME: Replace 2 Heroes (Adventurers) in your starting deck with 2 Heroes from the Village. You lose the game when all FIVE Village Locations are destroyed (see "Destruction Chits" on pg. 9).
EASY: Replace 1 Hero (Adventurer) in your starting deck with 1 Hero from the Village. You lose the game when all FIVE Village Locations are destroyed.
MEDIUM: You lose the game when FIVE Village Locations are destroyed.
HARD: Play with the advanced Destruction chits. You lose the game when THREE Village Locations are destroyed.
LEGENDARY: Play with the advanced Destruction chits. You lose the game when even just ONE Village Location is destroyed.

New Wilderness and Monster

Barricades Mode includes a new Wilderness Tile. On one side are the same mechanics as always, and on the other side of the tile are the mechanics for Barricades Mode.

These tiles also have Monsters printed on them, including a new Arctic Mosquito Monster with similar, but different mechanics from the Giant Rat Monster. In any mode of Thunderstone Quest, you may play with a Monster printed on the Wilderness tile, or you may use any Monster from the back of any Guardian.

The Wilderness: The Monster here may never be removed, even when defeated, and it may be battled once per turn per player/Party.

Example Games

Throughout this Barricades Mode Rulebook, we are going to be following turns of Jordan's first game of Barricades Mode, as he tries to save the Village solo. We will also see turns from another, cooperative game of Barricades Mode featuring Kenneth, Toril, Ray, and Scott. They have all played before, and are playing on Hard difficulty. Jordan is playing on the First Time difficulty. These example turns, which contain useful play tips for new players, are written in these brown boxes. If you are familiar with Barricades Mode, you may wish to skip these boxes.

After setting up the player area, all of the players in our example games select a Prestige Class and discuss their deck-building strategies together. It is best to make sure they are not all competing for the same Hero. If Toril, Ray, and Scott are all planning on leveling up the same Wizard, there could be a problem. Jordan, playing Solo, only plays with 2 Hero stacks and 4 Marketplace stacks. He chooses the Town Guard Prestige Class. As Jordan is playing on the First Time difficulty, he removes 2 Adventurers from his starting deck, replacing them with 2 Heroes from the Village. He decides to battle the least difficult Guardian for his first play, Smorga the Queen.

New Rules

Barricades Mode comes with a few additional rules.

Both Village and Dungeon Phases, Taken Simultaneously

In Barricades Mode, the Monsters are attacking the Village each "night" (at the end of each turn), and thus they give the players no rest! This means that every turn players will be able to take both a Village Phase AND a Dungeon Phase during the turn (if they wish) even if they are at The Temple. If they prefer to only take one or the other as normal, that is fine, and players may remain in the same Dungeon Room turn after turn as normal.

Instead of taking their turns one-by-one, players take a single, simultaneous turn using the following structure.

First, all players take their Prep Phase as normal. All players will roll Guardian Dice (see p. 10), discuss their plans for the turn with each other, and place their Champions.

Next, all players who wish may take a Village Phase. Not many conflicts arise in the Village, and as this is a cooperative game, the players are assumed to be capable of handling any conflicts that may arise (such as buying the last card in a stack).

Next, all players who wish may take a Dungeon Phase. Players may resolve their battles simultaneously and/or one at a time, in any order they choose, clearing the path for others (see "Refill at Turn's End" on pg. 7).

The turn ends with all players resolving any lingering card effects, discarding, and drawing new hands simultaneously before advancing the Threat token 1 space on the Threat Level track.

Too Chaotic? Some players may find that simultaneous play interferes with their mojo and prefer taking turns one at a time. If you find this to be you, your table should follow the structure in this Rulebook, but allow the players to resolve their turns inside the Village and Dungeon Phases one at a time (first the Village Phase and then the Dungeon Phase). If players are part of a Party (see pg. 7), they will all battle their Monster that turn simultaneously.

Example turn (cooperative game, Turn 1). It is turn 1 of Kenneth, Toril, Ray, and Scott's game. They each roll 1 Guardian Die, because the Threat Level is currently at 1. Kenneth takes 1 Red Wound token, Toril draws a card (yay!), while Ray and Scott roll 1 Monster face each. We will discuss this in detail later in this book (pg. 10). For now the players discuss their plans for the turn, place their Champions in the Village, and simultaneously take a Village Phase each, buying cards. Kenneth heals the Red Wound token he just took. When they all finish, they will move on to their Dungeon Phase.

Toril drew a handful of attack cards, but no Light, so she is going to Party Up with Scott who has 2 Light. Together they move to a Dungeon Room and battle the Monster there. While they are resolving their battle, Kenneth and Ray are going to individually battle the Monster in The Wilderness, making sure to power up their decks. The Guardian isn't going to wait until your deck is ready. Kenneth has a Joba, so he will actually be able to level up 2 different Heroes for free: 1 from the Monster's ability and 1 from Joba's ability. Joba's a good boy.

Toril also has a Joba, so she will be able to level up 1 Hero, as well as split with Scott the Rewards from the Monster (4 Gold and a Treasure). First they get to see the Treasure card, a Hendrik the Brainless! Toril will take 1 Gold and Hendrik, since she is using a Fighter strategy. Scott takes the other 3 Gold. They each have to take the Monster's 2 Red Wound tokens. Scott uses the Spoils on his two Thunderstone Pieces, since he is in a Party: 1 to heal 1 Wound, and 1 to gain another 1 Gold. Scott and Toril are hurt, but they are ok. More importantly, because they defeated a level III Monster and only 2 Monster faces were attacking, the Village is safe... this turn.

Form or Join a Party

Barricades Mode also brings with it a new rule which allows players to Form/Join a Party, combining their efforts to battle Monsters. At any time during a turn before battling Monsters, players in the same Dungeon Room may Form or Join a Party. There are a few special rules and benefits for players in a Party, though they may not necessarily receive all of these benefits if they Form or Join a Party too late in the turn (e.g. players who Form a Party after moving do not receive the DUNGEON benefits of being in a Party, nor the benefits of combining Light values to move).

Each player in a Party may, as a DUNGEON ability, give any number of Gear tokens to another Party member. They may also lend (for the turn) or give (permanently) 1 of their non-Wound cards to that same Party member. Lent cards are returned when the turn ends.
Players in a Party move together through the Dungeon, combining their Light values.
Players in a Party combine their Attack values to form their Party Attack value, which is compared against a Monster's Health as normal.
Armor and Magic Resistance affect only the Party and the Party Attack value, and only once. They do not affect the players of the Party individually.
Each player in the Party suffers all other text (eg. before and after battle abilities) and Wounds of the Monsters individually.
Players in a Party split the Rewards and Spoils effects from the Monster and Dungeon Room however they see fit. If the Monster gives a Treasure card, they may look at the Treasure first before deciding how to split the rewards.

Forming a Party does NOT allow you to choose other players' cards with your effects unless explicitly stated. If you have a Cleric that heals a Wound, and your fellow Party member needs the healing, you will need to lend them your Cleric for that turn or give them a [blue gem] token. Likewise, your Partymember's high level Wizard will not help your Spell, nor does their Wizard count as you having a Wizard. You would need to borrow their Wizard for the turn, or lend them your Spell.

Once you join a Party, you may not leave the Party that turn.

Refill at Turn's End

When refilling Monsters in the Dungeon, do not refill Monsters for any room until the end of the turn. This allows the players to work in tandem. Players battling lower level Monsters may "clear the path" so that players battling higher level Monsters may move through unimpeded by Monster effects.

New Components

Barricades Mode brings several new components.

New Starter Cards

"Bree and Joba are inseparable."

Barricades Mode introduces 4 new Starter cards: Bree Setim, Joba, Thunderstone Pieces, and Thunderstone Staff. They replace 2x Lanterns and 2x Thunderstone Shards in your starting deck (see pg. 4).

New Village Abilities

"Visit the new merchant yet? She has intriguing wares, some all the way from Kerkenzen!"

The Marketplace is now a Village Location with 4 spots and an ability. Players at The Marketplace may, as a VILLAGE ability, draw 1 card OR lend, give, or borrow a card to/from another player.

The Guilds' Quarter has a different ability in Barricades Mode. Players who visit The Guilds' Quarter may level up their Hero that turn as a SPOILS, instead of in the Village. The Guilds' Quarter does not allow you to level up 2 Heroes in 1 turn while playing Barricades Mode.

In the box, there are stickers for both The Marketplace and The Guilds' Quarter. These stickers are permanent alterations to the Village Boards from the first Kickstarter and retail copies, as well as the 1,000 expedited copies from the second Kickstarter. Village Boards from the second Kickstarter do not need these stickers.

The stickers should both be placed on one side of the board (whichever side you prefer). Once carefully applied, your Village Board will be updated for playing in Barricades Mode, while the other side remains untouched for standard play.

Separately, there is also a dual-sided Marketplace overlay tile with the ability for Epic Mode on it, as well as a brand new ability for the Campaign Mode (see TSQ Rulebook, pgs. 17-18). This overlay should be used in Campaign Mode and Epic Mode (but not Barricades Mode).

Marketplace (Barricades Mode): Draw 1 card OR give/lend/borrow 1 card to/from another player.

The Guilds' Quarter (Barricades Mode): The Hero you level up in the Village this turn may instead be leveled up as a SPOILS.

Prestige Class Boards

"Over time I have developed a particular set of skills."

Barricades Mode introduces Prestige Classes to Thunderstone Quest. Prestige Classes are a new board that allows you to train in a specialized class, gaining new powers as you gain Ranks. The training section (top) of each Prestige Class board explains how to gain 1 Rank (up arrow) in your Prestige Class (1), or potentially 2 Ranks (two up arrows) at once (2). The Rank numbers (3) are to the right of the Gold cost. These Ranks cost Gold to gain, as listed on the left-hand side of the board within the Rank to which you are going (4). You must pay the Gold cost of each Rank you acquire. If the listed Gold cost cannot be paid that turn for the 1 or 2 Ranks you gained, the new Rank(s) are not gained. Ranks must be acquired in order, they cannot be skipped. When a Rank is gained, it will unlock new text for your benefit (5). Sometimes, this may give you a new ability ready to use that turn, such as a SPOILS ability. Some abilities will have an italicized descriptive word at their end, such as Diplomacy (6). This descriptive word will be referenced at other Ranks, increasing its power (7).

The top section of your Prestige Class (on the Barricades Mode side) also dictates what happens when you (8) roll a Heroic Opportunity (trophy) on your Guardian Dice (see pg. 10). As you gain Ranks in your Prestige Class, the value of your trophy may increase (9) and may even activate more often! (10)

The top section of your Prestige Class on the reverse side does not have a Heroic Opportunity, but instead reminds players how to gain Ranks.

Town Councilmember (Barricades Mode side), training section, as printed:

Gain 1 Rank (up arrow): Defeat a Monster with another Monster in the room or an adjacent room (including [0]).
Gain 1 Rank (up arrow) or 2 Ranks (two up arrows): Buy a card and defeat a Monster.
Heroic Opportunity (trophy): When building Barricades this turn, you may build 1 Barricade for 0 Gold.

Town Councilmember ranks (Barricades Mode side):

Rank 1: Cards at your Champion's Village Location have –2 Gold cost for all players there.
Rank 2: VILLAGE: Roll 1d6. On a 5+, remove 1 Monster face. Diplomacy.
Rank 3: Also, your Diplomacy die roll this turn is automatically a 6.
Rank 4: You build Barricades for –Gold cost equal to your Rank.
Rank 5: SPOILS: Gain 1 Gold. Put 1 Gold in the room as a Reward.
Rank 6: Each turn, each player may use 1 heal ability as a SPOILS (e.g. CLERIC or a blue gem token).
Rank 7: Your [grey icon] with [red Wound token] resolve your trophy instead.
Rank 8: SPOILS: Remove 1 Monster face or 1 Destruction chit.
Rank 9: When you gain this Rank, gain 1 level III Hero from the Village and put it on top of your deck.

Don't Forget Your Heroes! Barricades Mode brings new ways to utilize your XP tokens with Prestige Classes. This is great, but as with a standard game of Thunderstone Quest, it is important that players level up their Heroes too. You will need powerful Heroes to battle the brand new Level 7 Guardians.

Prestige Classes in Other Modes. Prestige Class boards are dual-sided: 1 side for Barricades Mode and 1 side which may be played (optionally) in competitive games. Starting with the first player and proceeding in player turn order, each player may choose 1 Prestige Class with which to play (a new 11b setup step, TSQ Rulebook pg. 4). Then players select their Guild Sponsorships and/or Side Quests. Keep in mind when picking your Side Quests that Prestige Classes also distribute Legendary cards. If your Side Quest competes with another player's Prestige Class for the same Legendary card, only 1 of you will earn it. Because of this, we do not recommend playing with both Prestige Classes and Side Quests in the same game.

If playing with both components in your game, make sure to select the Prestige Classes first so players may see what other players have chosen before selecting their own Side Quests.

Destruction Chits

"The entire location up in flames. All of it... gone."

As will be explained below, sometimes the Village gets attacked and Village spots are destroyed, measured by using Destruction chits (X). When the Village takes a Destruction chit, randomly take 1 of the 20 Destruction chits from the bag and place the chit in 1 of the 4 (undamaged) spots of the Village Location indicated on the chit. That spot is now destroyed and players can no longer place their Champions on that spot. This will restrict the number of players that can visit each location. Normally, up to 4 players can visit each location. If there is not enough room at 1 Village Location, players must place their Champions in a different Village Location. If there is inadequate room at any Village Location to place their Champion, players may still take Village Phases, though they don't put their Champion on any specific spot.

If all 4 spots at a Village Location are destroyed, that Village Location is destroyed. Destroyed Village Locations can no longer be visited. This prevents players from accessing that Village Location's text (e.g. buying Treasure at the Shop of Arcane Wonders, buying a Gear Token at the Bazaar, etc.). However, this does not prevent players from taking the Village Phase steps listed on their Player Board (e.g. buying 1 card in the Marketplace/Guilds' Quarter, leveling up 1 Hero, healing 1 Wound, etc.). A destroyed Village Location only prevents players from visiting that Location and accessing its text, nothing more.

There are two sets of Destruction chits included in Barricades Mode. One set of 20 chits is "blank"; these chits have no special effects on the game other than destroying spots. A second set of 8 chits is also included; these more advanced chits alter the way the Village Locations function. It is not recommended playing with these advanced chits on your first game.

When playing with them, replace 8 blank chits with these 8 advanced chits, matching Village Locations, making sure that there are always 4 chits for each Village Location in the game. The alterations of the 8 advanced chits are:

THE MARKETPLACE -1 Gold: To visit The Marketplace, you must destroy 1 Gold. If you do not have Gold, you cannot visit The Marketplace.
THE BAZAAR +1 Gold cost (2 CHITS): Increase the Gold Cost of all Gear tokens by 1. This only affects buying, not tokens gained in other ways (e.g. Rewards from battle).
THE GUILDS' QUARTER +1 Gold: Increase the Gold cost to level up Heroes by 1. This affects all leveling up that costs Gold, even if leveling up while not at The Guilds' Quarter (e.g. leveling up with a SPOILS).
THE TEMPLE -1 Gold: To visit The Temple, you must destroy 1 Gold. If you do not have Gold, you cannot visit The Temple.
SHOP OF ARCANE WONDERS +1 Gold cost (3 CHITS): Increase the Gold Cost to buy a Treasure card by 1. This only affects buying, not Treasure gained in other ways (e.g. Rewards from battle).

Barricades

"To the Barricades!"

Even a hastily-erected Barricade can save a life. Barricades are new overlay tiles for the Village in Barricades Mode. Barricades are placed on their respective Village Locations during setup, starting on their inactive side. Players at a Village Location with an inactive Barricade may combine together to pay 10 Gold (1) to build the Barricade at that Location, flipping the Barricade over to its active side, signified by the green border (2). All players who spent Gold and/or reduced the Gold Cost of a Barricade are considered to have "built" it. When a Village Location with an active Barricade takes a Destruction chit, flip the Barricade to its inactive side (3). This cancels that Destruction chit (4), which is immediately placed back into the bag, to be drawn again in the future, possibly even during the same turn.

Guardian Dice

In Barricades Mode, the Guardian assaults Thunderstone Keep each turn via Guardian Dice (white die). At the beginning of each Prep Phase, before placing Champions, each player rolls a number of Guardian Dice equal to the current Threat Level (see next page). The faces of the dice are:

Colored Guardian attacks (4 faces): The special attacks of the Guardian, as listed on their Guardian tile and the Guardian Guides. Some green effects will have a benefit to the player.
Red Wound token (1 face): You take 1 Red Wound token.
Monster face, single (2 faces): Add this die to the Monster Horde (see below). Adds 1 to the strength of the Monster Horde attacking the Village this turn.
Monster face, double (2 faces): Add this die to the Monster Horde. Adds 2 to the strength of the Monster Horde attacking the Village this turn.
Destruction chit (1 face): Add this die to the Monster Horde. This damage to the Village will be difficult to prevent.
+1 card (1 face): Draw 1 card.
Heroic Opportunity (trophy): Heroic Opportunities trigger all of the trophy effects listed on your Prestige Class board.

Players individually resolve their Guardian Dice (in any order they choose). Then, all players combine their single and double Monster faces, and Destruction chit dice together in a single pool. This is the strength of the Monster Horde that will be attacking the Village this turn. Before the turn ends, remove single Monster faces from the Monster Horde (double Monster faces count as 2) equal to the total Health (shield) of all defeated Monsters that turn. Destruction chit icons can not be removed from defeating Monsters. Then the Village takes 1 Destruction chit for each Monster face and Destruction chit left in the Monster Horde. Empty the Monster Horde at the end of each turn.

There are 16 Guardian Dice included in this box. That is the maximum number of Guardian Dice rolled on any 1 turn. If the Threat Level rises so that players would roll more than 16 Guardian Dice, divide the number of dice evenly among the players. Split the remainder dice evenly among some of the players, as the group chooses. Which players roll these extra dice can change each turn. The Threat Level will continue to rise, but no more than 16 dice are rolled.

Example (solo game, Jordan, Turn 2). We join Jordan's solo game on turn 2 where his 1 Guardian Die rolled 1 Monster face. Turn 1 was lucky as Jordan's Guardian Die rolled a trophy, allowing him to build a Barricade for 0 Gold, and he was even able to pick up 3 Gold in battle. Turn 2, Jordan is looking to level up his deck. He has an Adventurer in his hand, so battling the Monster would let him level it up. He also has a Hero in his hand (which started in his deck because of the First Time difficulty) which could be leveled up as a SPOILS by first visiting The Guilds' Quarter during the Village Phase. That would be good for leveling up his deck, but it means the Village will be undefended, as defeating the Monster removes 0 Monster faces from the Monster Horde. Jordan decides that on turn 2, the value of double-leveling his deck is worth 1 Monster face getting through, dealing the Village 1 Destruction chit. A little damage to the Village early is perfectly fine. If Jordan's deck is not powerful enough to repel the Guardian's onslaught later, the Village will be taking a lot more damage. With any luck, the Destruction chit will randomly come to the same place as the active Barricade. If not, the Barricade will remain for use later in the game.

Level VII Guardians

"Nobody is a villain in their own story."

Tired of adventuring parties coming to the Dungeon, the Guardians are defending their Lairs and pushing forth their minions to attack the Village. If villagers kept raiding your dungeon, what would you do? These Guardians are special Monsters, set to battle several Champions with multiple Hit Points (1), high Health values (2), Light Requirements to move into the room (3), and special attacks that they may perform each turn (4). On the reverse of the Guardian is its Lair, an inaccessible Dungeon Room where the Threat Level track begins.

At the beginning of the game, place the Lair side up with the Threat token on the 1 space of the Threat Level track (5). Advance the Threat token 1 space at the end of each turn, until it reaches the last space. As it advances along the track, the Threat Level increases, which increases the number of Guardian Dice rolled each turn.

When the Threat token needs to advance a space on the Lair but cannot, flip the tile over, revealing the Guardian. Put the Threat token on the first space of the Guardian side. When the Guardian is revealed, it resolves a one-time effect (6). Sometimes the Guardian may also have a permanent effect listed here.

Once flipped, the players may now enter the Dungeon Room and battle the Guardian; the Guardian must be defeated several times before it is destroyed. Multiple players may battle the Guardian each turn. Guardians have a number of Hit Points based on the number of players in the game, as indicated on their tile (1). Each time a Guardian is defeated, deal 1 Wound to the Guardian and resolve its text (7). Defeating a Guardian triggers effects as if you had defeated a Monster, such as Spoils and earning Rewards. When defeated, a Guardian deals Wounds and gives Rewards (8) as any other Monster.

If the players deal enough Wounds to the Guardian to cover up to the number of players on the Hit Point track, the Guardian is destroyed. Resolve the Guardian's text and the Monster Horde as normal on the turn it is destroyed.

Example (cooperative game, Hive Mind, Turn 8). We rejoin our cooperative game at the end of turn 8. When Toril advances the Threat token, she first needs to flip the Guardian Lair over to the other side, revealing the Hive Mind. She places the Threat token on the 9 space. When revealed, Guardians deal an immediate attack (6). Hive Mind deals 1 Destruction chit to each Village Location. After this, 2 Village Locations have 1 Destruction chit, 1 Village Locations has 2 Destruction chits, 1 Village Location has 3 Destruction chits, and the Guilds' Quarter was destroyed. Because they are playing on Hard difficulty, they will lose if 3 Village Locations are destroyed.

After rolling their 4 Guardian Dice each, they discuss among themselves their plan for the turn, because they are hurting. They are using the more advanced Destruction chits, so it will cost 1 Gold to visit the Marketplace or Temple this turn. All Gear tokens also have +1 Gold cost. With 15 Monster faces in the Monster Horde, Hive Mind has 22 Health. No one is strong enough to battle that on their own, but Toril has 15 Attack and Kenneth has 11 Attack, so by Partying Up they will deal 1 Red Wound token to it. Scott and Ray are wounded badly, so they need to spend this turn at the Temple. While there, they combine their Gold to build a Barricade. They are strong enough to still each defeat a Monster this turn. It is important they don't push too hard, taking extra Wounds. They need to be in fighting condition next turn for Hive Mind. Kenneth was also able to build 1 Barricade, and they still had 1 left from a previous turn.

After defeating 2 Monsters and 1 level III Monster this turn, they remove 9 Monster faces from the Monster Horde, meaning the Village takes 6 Destruction chits. Oof, good thing the 2 Barricades help protect them. After dealing 1 Red Wound token to Hive Mind this turn, in a 4 player game, they still need to deal 3 more to it. Will the Village be able to survive long enough? They better build some more Barricades.

Guardian Guide Cards

The Guardians below are reproduced with their names, types, and the text printed on their cards. Each Guardian's text is listed as printed. Icons that could not be recovered from the PDF's text layer are shown in brackets with a description. Card stat values (Light requirement, Attack, Health and Wound values) and the Threat Level numbers are printed on each Guardian's tile and card in the Guardian Guide and are not reproduced here.

Smorga, the Queen (Humanoid • Vermin • Guardian). Smorga, the Spider Queen attacks you with her web, gumming up your deck and making it hard to play your combos freely. She aims to load your deck with inefficient Wound cards. Difficulty: 1 hand(s).

When revealed, deal 1 Destruction chit to each Village Location with 2 or fewer Destruction chits.
SPIDERLINGS: You may take 2 [Wound]. If you do not, add 3 [Monster face].
WEB: Take 1 [Wound]. Add 1 [Monster face], or 2 [Monster face] if you have a DWARF or HALFLING.
LOOT THE BODIES: Gain 1 [Gold] or 1 [token]. Add 1 [Monster face], or 2 [Monster face] if you have an ELF or WIZARD.
If there are 2+ players in the game, Smorga has +1 Health (shield) for each [Monster face] in the Monster Horde. At the end of each turn, place all Champions here in the room.

Death Sentinel (Golem • Doomknight • Guardian). Leader of the Doomknights, the Death Sentinel learns your skill and how to counter it. It strikes you hard and never relents. It is an intelligent, ruthless, killing machine, never stopping until its enemies are terminated. Difficulty: 2 hand(s).

When revealed, deal 1 Destruction chit to each Village Location.
DOOMKNIGHTS, ADVANCE!: You may take 2 [Wound]. If you do not, add 3 [Monster face].
DOOMKNIGHTS, STRIKE!: Take 1 [Wound]. Add 1 [Monster face].
LOOT THE BODIES: Gain 1 Gear token. Add 1 [Monster face].
OPPORTUNITY ATTACK: Add 1 [Monster face].
If there are 2+ players in the game, Death Sentinel has +1 Health (shield) for each [Monster face] in the Monster Horde. At the end of each turn, players here destroy 1 FIGHTER or ROGUE, and place their Champions in the room.

Orgrum Coldthunder (Elemental • Giant • Humanoid • Bloodfrost Chieftain • Guardian). The Chieftain of the Bloodfrost Clan, Orgrum is bringing the entire crew with him. The Giant is a formidable foe with or without his backup around. When he has his whole clan there, no one can stop him. Difficulty: 3 hand(s).

When revealed, add 3 [Monster face], +1 per player.
GET THE GEAR: You may destroy 1 Gear token. Add 4 [Monster face], minus the Gear token's [Gold cost].
LOOT: Discard 1 non-WOUND card. Add 1 [Monster face], and also add 1 [Monster face] if it was an ITEM.
RAID & PILLAGE: Gain 1 Gear token. Add 2 [Monster face].
If 2+ tokens are destroyed to GET THE GEAR in a turn, Orgrum heals 1 [Wound].
If there are 2+ players in the game, Orgrum has +1 Health (shield) for each [Monster face] in the Monster Horde. At the end of each turn, players here destroy 1 ORC or FIGHTER, and place their Champions in the room.

Guardian of the Sun (Elemental • Golem • Guardian). This brainless automaton is not necessarily trying to destroy the Village as the other Guardians are, that is just an unfortunate side effect. Rather, the Guardian of the Sun has been programmed to protect its domain from intruders, and if you come into its domain, it will grind you into dust. While not as high damaging as the other Guardians (either to you or the Village), the Guardian of the Sun destroys cards in your deck turn after turn until you have nothing left with which to fight. Difficulty: 3 hand(s).

When revealed, deal 1 Destruction chit to each Village Location with 2 or fewer Destruction chits.
GRIND: You may destroy 1 card. Add 2 [Monster face] unless you destroyed the card at random, or add 3 [Monster face] if you did not destroy a card.
GRIND: Add 1 [Monster face]. Take 1 [Wound]. Destroy 1 WEAPON or 1 HERO.
MALFUNCTION: Draw 1 card. Add 1 [Monster face].
OPPORTUNITY GRIND: Destroy 1 card.
If there are 2+ players in the game, Guardian of the Sun has +1 Health (shield) for each [Monster face] in the Monster Horde. At the end of each turn, all players here destroy 1 card at random and place their Champions in the room.

Hive Mind (Aberration • Humanoid • Guardian). Hive Mind controls all that it sees, and the players are no different. It will scramble your decks up, discarding your cards into other players discard piles, making your decks too inefficient for battling. You might even find brainless, inexperienced Adventurers following you around, clogging up your deck. Against a solo opponent, it has a different bag of tricks. Difficulty: 4 hand(s).

When revealed, deal 1 Destruction chit to each Village Location. Heroes here do not contribute their Attack values.
MIND BLAST: You may discard 1 HERO. Add 1 [icon] unless you discarded your highest HERO, or add 3 if you did not discard a HERO.
DISARMED: Discard 1 non-[icon], non-WOUND card. Add 1 [Monster face], or add 2 if you discarded an ITEM or TRITON.
AWED DEVOTEE: Add 1 [Monster face]. Gain 1 HERO (into your discard pile).
If there are 2+ players in the game, Hive Mind has +1 Health (shield) for each [Monster face] in the Monster Horde. At the end of each turn, players here discard 1 random card (before drawing), gain 2 HEROES, and place their Champions in the room.

Miricelle, Scion Defender (Demon • Humanoid • Guardian). As the Scion Defender, Miricelle has many demonic powers available in her arsenal with which to attack you. She is unpredictable, using the powers of chaos to overwhelm almost all who come before her. Difficulty: 5 hands.

When revealed, deal 2 Destruction chits to each Village Location with 1 or fewer Destruction chits.
SCION'S DOMINATION: Add 3 [Monster face] or roll 1d6 for each HERO you have. On a 1, 2, or 3, add 1 [Monster face] and discard that HERO.
SCION'S DISEASE: You may discard 2 cards. If you do, add 1 [Monster face]. If you don't, add 2 and take 2 [Wound].
SCION'S DESTINY: Add 1 [Monster face]. Roll an extra 1 [Monster face] that will not resolve effects (this extra roll does not count towards the maximum of 16 [dice]).
If there are 2+ players in the game, Miricelle has +1 Health (shield) for each [Monster face] in the Monster Horde. At the end of each turn, all players here destroy 1 CELESTIAL, DEMON, or CLERIC, and place their Champions in the room.

Baalok, the Flesh Weaver (Undead • Lich • Guardian). Baalok the Lich is an ancient and powerful wizard. Its possessed hand has been known to squeeze the life out of lesser Guardians. Baalok's powerful magic will drain the life from your Heroes and cast powerful Curses on you. Difficulty: 5 hand(s).

When revealed, deal 2 Destruction chits to each Village Location with 1 or fewer Destruction chits.
Each turn you have a Baalok card, you may reroll 1 of your [Guardian Die] with [Guardian attack face], [Guardian attack face], [Guardian attack face], or [Guardian attack face].
SOUL SAP: You may take 1 [Wound] and place 1 CURSE in front of you. If you do, add 1 [Monster face]. If you do not, add 3 [Monster face].
CURSE SEEKERS: Add 1 [Monster face] if you have a CURSE. Then, add 1 [Monster face] and place 1 CURSE in front of you.
LEVEL DRAIN: Level down 1 HERO. Add 2 [Monster face], or 3 if the HERO was an ELF or WIZARD.
If there are 2+ players in the game, Baalok has +1 Health (shield) for each [Monster face] in the Monster Horde. At the end of each turn, all players here destroy 1 ELF or 1 WIZARD and place 1 CURSE in front of them and place their Champions in the room.

Difficulty (the brown hand icons printed on each card): Smorga 1, Death Sentinel 2, Orgrum Coldthunder 3, Guardian of the Sun 3, Hive Mind 4, Baalok 5, Miricelle 5.

Turn Order

Prep Phase. Roll and resolve Guardian Dice, adding all Monster faces and Destruction chits to the Monster Horde. Place your Champions and plan your turn as a group.

Village Phase. Players may take a Village Phase where they buy cards, heal Wounds, and level up Heroes.

Dungeon Phase. Players may also/instead take a Dungeon Phase. They may Form or Join a Party to battle strong Monsters.

End Phase. Remove Monster faces from the Monster Horde equal to the total Health (shield) of all Monsters defeated this turn. Deal 1 Destruction chit to the Village for each Monster face and Destruction chit left in the Monster Horde. Clear the Horde of dice and finish your turns.

Form or Join a Party (Summary)

At any time before battling Monsters, players in the same Dungeon Room may Form/Join a Party. There are a few special rules for Parties:

Each player in a Party may, as a DUNGEON ability, give any number of Gear tokens to another Party member. They may also lend (for the turn) or give (permanently) 1 of their non-Wound cards to that Party member. Lent cards are returned when the turn ends.
Players in a Party move together through the Dungeon, combining their Light values.
Players in a Party combine their Attack values to form their Party Attack value, which is compared against a Monster's Health as normal.
Armor and Magic Resistance affect only the Party and the Party Attack value, and only once. They do not affect the players of the Party individually.
Each player in the Party suffers all other text (eg. before and after battle abilities) and Wounds of the Monsters individually.
Players in a Party split the Rewards and Spoils effects from the Monster and Dungeon Room however they see fit. If the Monster gives a Treasure card, they may look at the Treasure first before deciding how to split the Rewards.

Lexicon

Alert! Effects. [Alert] effects are expanding in use, being featured on many Village cards. [Alert] effects trigger when the card's text normally would not. Uvina the Delver, for example, allows you to buy a Gear token when she is discarded directly from your deck. Some Prestige Classes and cards allow you to ignore [Alert] effects. If so, choose with each [Alert] effect whether to ignore that effect or not.

Before & After Battle. [Before & After Battle] abilities are a new type of ability that trigger both Before and After Battle. [Before & After Battle] abilities resolve twice per turn, once at each window. If this type of ability is affected by a card that turns a Before Battle ability into an After Battle ability, it effectively cancels the Before Battle part, resolving only once (see "FAQ" on pg. 15 for a full explanation).

Borrow. The opposite of lend, borrowing a card allows a player to receive a card from another player for one turn. If the lent card has not been destroyed, return it to the original player when the turn ends. If it was leveled up, return the new version.

Curse. The Curse is a new card type inflicted upon the players by Baalok, the Flesh Weaver. When gained, Curses go directly into play, affecting you each turn. Curses have the Static keyword, so they are not discarded at the end of each turn. Curses cannot be discarded, destroyed, or removed from play in any way except by their own text. When removed, destroy the Curse. If the Curse deck ever runs out of cards, re-shuffle the destroyed Curses to form a new deck.

Destroyed Pile. Whenever a card is destroyed, it is considered to be in a Destroyed Pile.

Discard. Discard the card into the discard pile of the player to your left or right. They now own the card.

Diseased Wounds. Diseases are a new type of Wound card. Permanently shuffle these together with the Festering Wounds to form the Wound card deck. Draw from this combined Wound deck whenever required in all modes of Thunderstone Quest.

Frostbite Wounds (blue Wound token). These are a new Blue Wound token. They act the same as Red Wound tokens, reducing your HP, but require an additional cost of 1 Light to heal, even if in the Village. When healing a Wound, you may spend 1 Light to heal 1 blue Wound token. The spent Light is gone for the turn. Effects that reference Red Wound tokens only affect Red Wound tokens, not blue Wound tokens, and vice versa.

Gain. Whenever you acquire a card through any means, you gain it to your discard pile, paying no costs.

Give. Some effects allow you to give a player a card or Gear token. Unlike lending, this is permanent.

In Play. Whenever you reveal your cards, they go in front of you, In Play. When you are forced to discard cards (e.g. a Monster's ability or the turn ends), discard cards from In Play or from your hand. Cards In Play are not part of your hand, and do not count towards your maximum hand size.

Lend. The opposite of borrow, lending a card allows a player to give a card to another player for one turn. If the lent card has not been destroyed, return it to the original player when the turn ends. If it was leveled up, return the new version.

Level Down. The opposite of leveling up, return 1 of your non-Legendary, non-Treasure Heroes to its stack. Take a version of the Hero, 1 level lower, from a Destroyed Pile, gaining it into your hand. You are not refunded for any XP spent. If there is no Hero 1 level lower, that Hero may not be leveled down.

Party Attack Value. The combined Attack values of the players in a Party. When battling a Monster with Armor or Magic Resistance, these values only reduce a Party's Attack value once; they do not reduce each individual player's Attack value.

Penalty. A negative consequence from a battle, such as a Monster destroying your Hero or dealing you a Red Wound token. Sometimes Red Wound tokens can be left in rooms as Penalties for the next battle there on a subsequent turn. Gain Penalties after battling Monsters. Parties split any cards or tokens left in the room.

Rank. Each Rank of a Prestige Class unlocks new powers when gained. The listed XP cost of each Rank must be paid the turn the Rank is gained, or the opportunity to gain the Rank is lost. The top section of Prestige Class boards explains how that class gains 1 Rank (up arrow) or 2 Ranks (two up arrows).

Reward. A positive consequence from a battle, such as the Gold from a Monster or a SPOILS. Sometimes Gear and Gold tokens can be left in rooms as Rewards for the next battle there on a subsequent turn. Gain Rewards after battling Monsters.

Static. Cards with the Static keyword are not discarded when the turn ends. While In Play, they do not count towards your maximum hand size.

Swarm. Swarm is a new Monster keyword. You can never predict the size of a swarm. Swarm Monsters gain additional +1d6 (dark green die) as stated on their card. Roll this whenever the dark green die value is needed. Once rolled for the turn, it is set for that turn.

The Box. Some effects allow you to gain a card from The Box. Take the specified card from the Thunderstone Quest game box. In essence, this is any card not already in the game. Destroyed cards are still in the game, and thus cannot be gained.

Use. When you discard/destroy a Gear token for a Village, Dungeon, or Spoils ability, you have "used" it. Gear tokens discarded or destroyed for other reasons have not been "used".

Wound Value. Several cards affect a Monster's Wound value. This is the numeral (if any) in the bottom left corner of the Monster. Wounds from a Monster's ability are not its Wound value.

FAQ

When a Village Location is destroyed, can I still buy cards from there? Can I still level up Heroes if The Guilds' Quarter has been destroyed? You may use all Village text on your Player Board, even if that Village Location is destroyed. So you may still buy 1 card, even if the Marketplace and/or Guilds' Quarter are destroyed. However, you would not be able to visit a destroyed Shop of Arcane Wonders to buy a Treasure card. None of this affects Rewards from Monsters, such as Treasure cards and Gear tokens.

Does the '+1 XP' Destruction chit at The Guilds' Quarter affect you even if you are not there? Yes, that Destruction chit increases the XP cost to level up all Heroes in the game, regardless of where you are when you are leveling up.

Can I join more than one Party in a turn? Can I join a Party to give Gear tokens or lend cards to someone and then leave that Party? No and no. You may Form/Join 1 Party each turn and you cannot leave the Party that turn.

What happens when multiple Parties reduce the Guardian's Health in the same turn? When a player/Party reduces a Monster's Health, Armor, or Magic Resistance, that reduction only counts for that player/Party. The Monster has full Health for other players/Parties.

How many battles happen in a Dungeon Room each turn? One. Multiple players in a room must form a Party if they all wish to battle the Monster in the room. The exception is the Guardian's Lair and Wilderness, which may have multiple battles happening in them each turn, though still only one per player/Party.

How does battling multiple Monsters work? If you are battling multiple Monsters at once (e.g. Spawning Pod or Vampire's Coven), you must have a high enough Attack value to defeat all Monsters' combined Health. You resolve the effects of all Monsters you battle. You suffer the penalties of all Monsters you are battling and, if you win, gain all of their rewards. If a room boosts their values, such as Health, XP, or Wounds, it boosts the values of each Monster in the room.

What happens to a [Before & After Battle] ability if I turn Before Battle abilities into After Battle abilities? Normally such abilities resolve twice, once in the Before Battle timing window and once in the After Battle timing window. However, since it is no longer a [Before & After Battle] ability, it no longer gains the special benefit of being able to resolve multiple times per turn. In effect, it becomes an After Battle ability that can resolve (only) once.

Do I roll a single 1d6 for all Heroes when the Rank 7 Bloodhound text (Barricades Mode side) triggers? Yes, roll 1d6 and give that value to each of your Heroes with a [gold disc icon] that turn.

Can Guardian abilities trigger on trophy and other Guardian Dice rolls? Most Guardian abilities trigger on the Guardian attack faces, but some also trigger on other faces, such as Guardian of the Sun's Opportunity Attack.

Does the Neverending Rope Spool give all the bonuses or just add to what Heroes all ready have? Neverending Rope Spool only increases values the Hero has printed on the card.

Does Studded Leather Shirt have a Skill Requirement? Yes. Some Items, such as Studded Leather Shirt and Tent, have a Skill Requirement to wield, taking away the Hero's available Skill for Weapons. Like Weapons, if they are not wielded, you cannot use their text or values, though they still produce Gold.

Does the Impish Follower make me lose 2 HP in one turn? Yes, it is very mean.

If I gain XP from a Treasure Cache, can I use that XP to pay the cost of gaining a Rank in my Prestige Class (such as Treasure Hunter)? Yes. Once you have triggered the requirement, you have the entire turn to pay the XP cost and gain the Rank.

Can I use Gold from a Monster to pay a Rank's cost, if the up arrow triggers from defeating that Monster? Can I use a Prestige Class effect the turn I gain the Rank? Yes and yes. Once you trigger gaining the Rank in your Prestige Class, you have the remainder of the turn to pay the Gold cost and gain the Rank. This may unlock text that can be used this turn, assuming that Phase of the turn has not passed yet. If the Rank you gain for defeating a Monster gives you a VILLAGE ability, it is probably too late to use that ability this turn. SPOILS abilities trigger after a Monster is defeated, and can usually be used the turn they are unlocked.

For the Necromancer Prestige Class, where is the Destroyed Pile(s)? To where do the Heroes return? There are many Destroyed Piles in each game. Each time a card is destroyed, such as Heroes being leveled up or destroyed by Monsters, it goes into a Destroyed Pile. It is from here the Necromancer finds its little buddies. The resurrected Heroes return to their corresponding Village stack at the end of the turn (not Destroyed Pile). This is usually a stack in the Guilds' Quarter, but it could require shuffling them into the Treasure deck.

For the Divine Oracle Prestige Class, when during the turn must I heal the Wound? How does the final Rank work? If at any time in a turn you have defeated a Monster and healed a Wound, you may gain 1 Rank. It does not matter when you healed the Wound. The last Rank lets you play with your deck face up. You may look through it at any time. It is still your deck, you just know its exact order.

Do the upgrades to your Heroic Opportunity given by your Prestige Class trigger once per turn? Upgrades usually do not affect the number of times per turn they can trigger. They usually only add additional effects.

Can other players in my Party help me meet the requirements for gaining a Rank in my Prestige Class? No. Cards they have would not count for you, though they could lend/give you a card which would then count.

Do any of the Guardian's "end of turn" effects apply in a Solo game? Yes, solo players resolve this end of turn text. They get to ignore the Health boost only.

Is Hive Mind immune to Weapons wielded by [icon] Heroes as well? Yes, Weapons usually boost the Hero's Attack value rather than provide their own value.

If I lend/give a Hero wielding a Weapon and with a Skill boost from an Item, do the Item and Weapon get lent/given as well? When a Hero is lent/given, their wielded cards are also lent/given. They retain their boosts from Items, though the Items do not change possession unless they are also wielded (e.g. Studded Leather Armor). Return all lent cards when the turn ends to their original owner(s).

What happens to a lent/borrowed card if it is not in play when the turn ends? If it is destroyed, it remains destroyed. Otherwise, return it to the owner (the leveled up version, if applicable), in the same place it is now. For example, if your Sladrek the Weretrog put a borrowed Hero on top of your deck, when the turn ends the borrowed Hero would return to the top of the owner's deck.

If I resolve my Heroic Opportunity on a Guardian Die roll other than trophy (e.g. Rank 5 of the Duelist Prestige Class), will that trigger Opportunity Attacks from Guardians (e.g. Death Sentinel)? No. Guardian Opportunity Attacks only trigger specifically when the trophy face of a die is rolled.

If my Player Board is full of Red Wound tokens, can I take more? Am I dead? You are now at 0 HP and thus draw 0 cards, better get to the Temple. While at 0 HP, you do not gain the benefits of your Prestige Class, or Guild Sponsorship, and you cannot use abilities. You cannot take more Wound tokens, but you can take Wound cards. This may mean you are unable to pay Red Wound token costs of abilities (e.g. Vampire Coven Prestige Class, Rank 3).

Does the Barricades Mode ability for The Guilds' Quarter allow me to level up two Heroes still? No, you only get to level up the 1 Hero, but instead of leveling in the Village, the Hero levels as a SPOILS (allowing it to battle that turn).

If there is only 1 Village spot left undestroyed, and that Location has an active Barricade, will the Barricade protect it from 4 damage that turn? No. The last chit would be stopped by the Barricade, but the Village would have 3 more damage to take that turn, and no protection. The chit would be immediately drawn again, and the Village would be destroyed.

If I can ignore the Orc Tribute Site effect, but another player in my Party cannot, how much Light is required to move through the room? 2. Since effects affect each member of a Party individually, each member of the Party would need to be able to overcome the effect. If they all could, the Party could ignore the effect.

If I spend Gold on a card, ability, etc., do I still "have" that Gold for effects like the Bloodhound Prestige Class? Yes, Bloodhound and cards such as Moonblades (from TSQ 4, Foundations of the World) do not care whether or not you have spent the Gold.

If a card is discarded from my deck, and then I immediately draw it, do I trigger effects as if it had been discarded? Yes, because it was first discarded, then drawn.

What does "add as a Reward/Penalty" mean? Some effects add tokens or cards to a room as a one-time Reward/Penalty. The next time a battle is fought there, give the battling player the extra Penalties and, if they won, the extra Rewards. Parties split these Rewards and Penalties.

When a borrowed card gets leveled up/destroyed, what happens? The new version of the Hero would return to its owner (and is placed in their discard pile). A destroyed card remains destroyed though.

If I have a Hero for just the turn (e.g. Mirror Image), and it gets leveled down, what happens? You would level it down, and then return the leveled down Hero, where and when appropriate.

What happens if you run out of the Treasure deck? Re-shuffle all destroyed Treasure cards to form a new Treasure deck.

What happens if we destroy every Monster in every Monster deck? Congratulations on earning a Medal (see Slugfest, pg. 24). Re-shuffle all destroyed Monsters and re-form the Monster decks as per game setup.

How does Frost Bow work? Frost Bow is good both for and against many types of Heroes and foes. Frost Bow has a – (red keyword icon) when wielded by a Celestial, Demon, Elemental, or Elf Hero. Frost Bow also has a + (purple keyword icon) when battling Monsters with those same keywords. Please note that Elf is not a Monster keyword, and so there are no Elven Monsters (only Humanoid Monsters).

Are Lilande Songweaver, Lilande Starcaller, and Lilande Steeldancer all the same Hero? Yes, Lilande is a well-traveled bard and is known by many names in many lands. All 3 versions of her are considered to be the same Hero and the same Title (i.e. for the Illusionist Prestige Class).

What is the difference between "Immune to unless you have" and "required"? There is no difference between these two. We switched to the latter wording in What Lies Beneath and Frozen in Time as we feel this is clearer.

Can I enter the Guardian's Lair before the Guardian is revealed? What if I use the Rod of Teleportation? No, the Guardian's Lair is inaccessible until it is flipped over, and the Guardian is revealed.

What does 5+ mean? Anytime something is written as X+, it means "X or higher/more". For example, "Immune to [icon] and [icon] unless you have 5+ Light" requires you to have 5 or more Light to defeat that Monster.

Can I use the Prestige Class Arcane Order's Teleport ability if I used a Lantern to enter the Dungeon? Yes, it is not movement. You cannot move out of the room you Teleport into.

What does Rank 6 of the Bloodhound Prestige Class count? It counts Gold spent on everything.

Do card effects such as a Cleric's healing ability or a Rod of Teleportation work on just me, or anyone in my Party? All effects of your cards only work on you and your cards. If you wish to give the effects to another player in your Party, you will need to lend/give them the card first. Rod of Teleportation is the lone exception, it teleports all players in your Party.

Medals

As you and your friends play Barricades Mode, the people of Thunderstone Keep will bestow Medals upon you as you defend them from certain ruin. The more difficult the task, the nicer the Medal. Collect as many Medals as you earn each game, applying the appropriate Medal sticker here when you do. There are more Medal stickers on the sticker sheet than listed here, so you have extras just in case. Pyrrhic Victories do not count towards earning Medals.

When you earn a Platinum Medal, post a picture of the game on Twitter with the hashtag #ThunderstoneQuest and #PlatinumMedal, tagging @alderac. We would love to see your successes!

Bronze Medals

Extra Gear: Beat Barricades Mode with each player having 5 or more Gear tokens left.
Fisticuffs: Beat Barricades Solo Mode without Weapons or Spells.
Big and Bad: Beat Barricades Mode with each players' deck containing 25 or more cards.
The Keep Needs Us!: Beat Barricades Mode on any difficulty.
We Are Legends: Beat Barricades Mode with every player, minimum 3 players, having a Legendary card in their deck when the game ends.

Silver Medals

Adoring Fans: Beat Barricades Mode with each players' deck containing 3 or more Adventurers.
Don't Need Help: Beat Barricades Solo Mode on at least Hard difficulty.
Full Party: Beat Barricades Mode with 6 players.
No Frills: Beat Barricades Solo Mode with no Treasure cards in your deck.
Save Them for Next Time: Beat Barricades Mode with each player having 10 or more Gear tokens left.
Slugfest: Kill every Monster in every Monster deck.
We've Got This: Beat Barricades Cooperative Mode on at least Hard difficulty.

Gold Medals

Legend: Beat Barricades Solo Mode on Legendary difficulty.
Not Even a Scratch: Beat Barricades Solo Mode with 6 or more HP when the game ends.
Saviors of the Keep: Beat Barricades Cooperative Mode on Legendary difficulty.
The Heart is Hidden: Win a game (any mode) having completed the Hide the Heart Side Quest.
The Underdogs: Beat Barricades Solo Mode with no level III Heroes in your deck.
Training Complete: Beat Barricades Cooperative Mode where all players reach the final Rank of their Prestige Class board.

Platinum Medals

Defeat the Bloodfrost Clan: Defeat Orgrum Coldthunder on Legendary difficulty with 4 or more players.
Finally Safe: Defeat all 7 Guardians on Legendary difficulty. (Track: 7 boxes.)
The B Team: Beat Barricades Mode on at least Hard difficulty with no players having level III or higher Heroes in their deck.
The Champions: Defeat Barricades Solo Mode with 4 or more level III or higher Heroes in your deck.
The Lich Threat: Defeat Baalok, the Flesh Weaver on Legendary difficulty without any Baalok cards in your deck.
The Scion Threat: Defeat Miricelle, Scion Defender on Legendary difficulty.
What Lies Beneath: Defeat Hive Mind on Legendary difficulty in both Cooperative and Solo Modes. (Track: 2 boxes.)

Questbook

The Questbook contains two Quests for Barricades Mode, each with a Quest Card List (the cards to add to the game) and an Adventure Card List. Each chapter opens with a short narrative, which is not transcribed here.

Transcription note. The Questbook's story text (the "By Brett Satkowiak" fiction for each chapter) is flavour and is omitted. The Quest Card Lists are reproduced as printed. The Adventure Card Lists are reproduced by card name as printed on the card pages. The printed text of individual Quest cards, room tiles and Guardian/Monster cards that are not reproduced above is not transcribed in this file; the Quest cards are printed with their own text in the physical box.

Chapter 6: What Lies Beneath

Quest Card List

Heroes: 14x Graeme Crawford; 14x Khomros; 14x Ophialyn the Tracker; 14x Runiva Highstone; 14x Uvina the Delver; 14x Wiltran Proudmore.
Items: 8x Bracers of Cleansing; 8x Neverending Rope Spool; 8x Studded Leather Shirt; 8x Wand of Illumination.
Spells: 8x Acid Burst; 8x Ascendance; 8x Cure Disease; 8x Haste.
Weapons: 8x Bastard Sword; 8x Battlepick; 8x Cleaner's Net; 8x The Five Points.
Legendaries: 1x Meteor Shower; 1x Sladrek the Weretrog.
Monsters:
- 10x Drain Dwellers: 2x Alligator, 2x Black Swine, 2x Mutated Frog, 2x Raccoon Ravager, 2x Sewer Snake.
- 10x Ghoulish Scavengers: 2x Elthrakk, 2x Ghoul Champion, 2x Ghoul Glutton, 2x Ghoul Scrounger, 2x Queen Nerrigogg.
- 10x Shapeless Spawns: 2x Aberrant Lurker, 2x Glom, 2x Mindless Trog, 2x Spawning Pod, 2x Tentacula.
- 10x Plague Rats.
- 10x Sewer Trogs: 2x Chief Gis'rozal, 2x Trog Berserker, 2x Trog Cleric, 2x Trog Scout, 2x Trog Weaponmaster.
- 10x Waste Wyrms: 2x Giant Centipede, 2x Muck Leeches, 2x Purple Worm, 2x Shocking Eel, 2x Spectral Worm.
Guardian: Hive Mind.
Treasures: 1x Hendrik the Brainless; 2x Treasure Cache; 1x Ward of Healing.

Adventure Card List (by card name, as printed on the card pages)

Heroes: Baharan (Found in Quest 3: Risen from the Mire); Khomros; Ophialyn the Tracker; Runiva Highstone; Silverhelm (Found in Quest 1: A Mirror in the Dark); Uvina the Delver; Wiltran Proudmore.
Items: Crystal of Scrying (Found in Quest 3: Risen from the Mire); Neverending Rope Spool; Studded Leather Shirt; Bracers of Cleansing.
Spells: Acid Burst; Ascendance; Charm Monster (Found in Quest 3: Risen from the Mire); Haste; Cure Disease (Quest 6 card list).
Weapons: Bastard Sword; Battlepick; Cleaner's Net; The Five Points; Boomerang (Found in Quest 3: Risen from the Mire).
Monsters: Plague Rats; Sewer Trogs; Waste Wyrms; Drain Dwellers; Ghoulish Scavengers.
Guardian: Hive Mind.
Room tiles: Junction; Rat Nest; Ghoul Nest; Trog Village; Catacombs; Arches; The Wilderness (Giant Rat); Hive Mind's Lair (Co-Op Mode and Solo Mode).

Room tile text is printed on each room tile and is not reproduced here.

Chapter 7: Frozen in Time

Quest Card List

Heroes: 14x Breezy; 14x Drulfal the Primordial; 14x Lefira; 14x Lilande; 14x Rugduhr Blackmane; 14x Samly Thrackson.
Items: 8x Eternal Flame; 8x Ice Climbing Gear; 8x Snow Trekking Tools; 8x Tent.
Spells: 8x Blizzard; 8x Cone of Cold; 8x Create Fire; 8x Inner Fire.
Weapons: 8x Fire Rod; 8x Flaming Hammer; 8x Frost Bow; 8x Mechanical Harpoon.
Treasures: 2x Gemini Daggers; 1x True Vision.
Legendaries: 1x Baalok's Heart; 1x Thunderstone Map; 1x Thunderstone Sands.
Monsters:
- 10x Arctic Animals: 2x Ice Fox, 2x Polar Bear, 2x Possessed Penguin, 2x Snow Leopard, 2x Walrus.
- 10x Bloodfrost Clan: 2x Beastmaster, 2x Goblin Assassin Squad, 2x Goblin Scouting Party, 2x Orc Harpooner, 2x Tundra Wolf Rider.
- 10x Frozen Natives: 2x Adlet Alpha, 2x Adlet Guardsman, 2x Adlet Hunter, 2x Adlet Mother, 2x Adlet Prowler.
- 10x Abyssal Servants: 2x Ice Mephit, 2x Impish Servant, 2x Lowly Dretch, 2x Shax, 2x Vrokolith.
- 10x Tundra Wolf Pack.
- 10x Ice Behemoths: 2x Frost Giant, 2x Gargantuan Ice Spider, 2x Ice Troll, 2x Winter Golem, 2x Yeti.
Guardian: Orgrum Coldthunder.
1x Avoiding Attention; 1x Food Storage; 1x Gloryseeker; 1x Hide the Heart; 1x Well-Rounded.

Adventure Card List (by card name, as printed on the card pages)

Heroes: Darameric (Found in Quest 3: Risen from the Mire); Lefira; Lilande; Breezy; Samly Thrackson; Gorlandor (Found in Quest 1: A Mirror in the Dark); Rugduhr Blackmane.
Spells: Cone of Cold; Create Fire; Inner Fire.
Items: Snow Trekking Tools; Ice Climbing Gear; Eternal Flame; Ring of Learning (Found in Quest 3: Risen from the Mire); Tent.
Weapons: Fire Rod; Mechanical Harpoon; Shortsword (Found in Quest 1: A Mirror in the Dark).
Guardian: Orgrum Coldthunder.
Monsters: Arctic Animals; Bloodfrost Clan; Frozen Natives.

Quest Side Quests (both Quests)

The Side Quests named in the Quest Card Lists above are Avoiding the Plague, Dominate the Weretrog, Plague Doctor, Research the Legend, and Treasure Hunter (Chapter 6), and Avoiding Attention, Food Storage, Gloryseeker, Hide the Heart, and Well-Rounded (Chapter 7). Side Quests are not used in Barricades Mode (see Setup step 5). The text of individual Side Quest cards is not transcribed in this file.