Thunderstone Quest: Darkness Rising Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Unpacking the Box
• Corruptions
  • Corruption Setup
  • Gaining Corruption
  • Using Corruption
  • Corruption Card Backs
• Prestige Class Boards
• Heroes
• Guardians
  • Count Leander Mortas
• Lexicon
  • Before & After Battle Abilities
  • Corruption
  • Destroyed Pile
  • Discard
• FAQ
• Questbook
  • Quest 10: Darkness Rising
  • Quest 10: Darkness Rising Quest Card List
  • Quest 10: Darkness Rising Quest Card List (continued)
• The Shadow Descends
  • The Shadow Descends: Adventure Card List
  • The Shadow Descends: Adventure Card List (continued)
  • Count Leander Mortas' Lair
• Temptation Comes
  • Temptation Comes: Adventure Card List
  • Temptation Comes: Adventure Card List (continued)
• The Master Revealed
  • The Master Revealed: Adventure Card List
  • The Master Revealed: Adventure Card List (continued)
• Iconography Reference Guide

Unpacking the Box

This box should include the following components. Please note that this is an expansion to Thunderstone Quest and is not a stand-alone game.

• 1 Quest 10 Darkness Rising, the full contents of which are featured in the Questbook.
• 1 copy of each Monster, Hero, Ally, Item, Spell, and Weapon from Darkness Rising, to be used in Epic Mode.
• 1 Darkness Rising Rulebook/Questbook.

Corruptions

Corruptions are a new card type in Darkness Rising. The anatomy of a Corruption is:

1. Gold Production Value. This is the amount of gold the card produces.
2. Hero Attack Boost Value. This is the amount of Attack a Hero is boosted. Boosts always have a + symbol preceding their value and can only be used to boost a Hero's value.
3. Monster Health Reduction Value. This is the amount the Health, Armor, and/or Magic Resistance of a Monster you face in the Dungeon is reduced. Reductions always have a - symbol preceding their value and only apply to Monsters that already have the stat listed.
4. Skill Adjustment Value. This is the amount of Skill a Hero is boosted by or reduced by. As with all boosts, they must be applied to a Hero's value, unless you have no Heroes in your hand.
5. Textbox. This contains the card's title (5a), keywords (formatted in Small Caps) (5b), and game text (5c). Each Corruption game text includes a way to destroy the card, returning it to the bottom of the Corruption deck.
6. VP Penalty. This is the amount of VP the card is worth at the end of the game. Corruptions will cost you VP at the end of the game if you cannot get rid of them by the end of the game.

Corruption Setup

The Corruption deck is made up of 30 cards (15 unique). The deck gets shuffled face down at the beginning of the game and is made available to all Champions.

Gaining Corruption

When a card or effect tells you to gain a Corruption, draw the top card of this deck and add it to your discard pile.

Using Corruption

Corruptions are Static cards. Once Static cards are revealed in your hand, they remain in play from turn to turn, not counting against your hand size. Each Corruption offers some advantage to you as a Champion, but some disadvantage in terms of VP and XP. Utilizing these Corruptions can make you a force to be reckoned with, but the more you have, the greater the penalties as well. You will need to find ways to mitigate those losses.

The primary way for managing with Corruptions takes place during battles in the Dungeon. The Dungeon Phase is detailed in the Thunderstone Quest Rulebook, and a summary is presented below for easy reference.

When you battle a monster in the Dungeon, you follow these steps:

1. Battle the Monster.
   • Before Battle abilities.
   • Armor/Magic Resistance reductions.
   • Compare Attack to Health (determine outcome).
   • Receive Wounds and resolve After Battle effects. Normally, After Battle effects are only found on Monsters and inflict a negative effect, like destroying a card for example. However, these abilities can now be found on some Heroes and Village cards, which can be used at this stage in the battle to mitigate some of the negative effects of Corruptions.
2. Defeat the Monster.
   • Gain XP and rewards. This may be affected by your Corruptions in some way unless you are able to mitigate the effects during the previous step.
   • Destroy the old Monster and reveal a new Monster in the room.
   • Spoils abilities.
   • Check Guardian keys.

Corruption Card Backs

Corruptions represent dark influences on Champions and their decks. You may have thought of yourself as a force for good before, but can you still say that when you start growing claws and thirsting for blood? Corruption card backs help represent this visually. As the Corruptions begin to take hold, the Champions' decks and hands don't look quite so heroic anymore; the darkness is beginning to show.

This makes it possible for Champions to see when Corruptions might see play again, but that's part of how Corruptions are used, giving opportunity for varying play styles and deck builds. Seeing Corruptions nearing the top of your deck might stir up feelings of dread, sending you searching for ways to deal with them. But it may also start getting you excited for what you might be able to do with the new dark powers. How you feel about Corruptions may change from turn to turn as well.

If your group is worried that the Corruptions' visibility might encourage Champions to cheat by shuffling until they get the cards where they want, you can use a rule like the Champion to your left must cut the deck after each shuffle, or all shuffling takes place under the table so Champions can't see their deck.

Prestige Class Boards

Prestige Class boards are dual-sided: One side for use in Barricades Mode (cooperative play) and one side which may be used (optionally) in competitive games. Rules for Barricades Mode are covered in the Barricades Mode expansion's Rulebook. When playing competitive games, a new 11b setup step for the Thunderstone Quest Rulebook is added to the end of step 11. Starting with the first Champion and proceeding in turn order, each Champion may choose 1 Prestige Class with which to play. Then Champions select their Side Quests and/or Guild Sponsorships as normal.

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 (Rank icon) in your Prestige Class (1) or potentially 2 Ranks (two Rank icons) at once (2). The Rank numbers (3) are to the right of the [gem-stone icon] cost. These Ranks cost [gem-stone icon] 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 cost of each Rank you gain. If the listed cost cannot be paid that turn for the 1 or 2 Ranks you earned, the new Rank(s) are not gained. You do not start with any Ranks in your Prestige Class, and Ranks must be gained in order; they cannot be skipped. When a Rank is gained, it will unlock new powers for your benefit (5). Sometimes, this may give you a new ability ready to use that turn, such as a SPOILS ability.

Example board: Nightstalker. Training text: [Rank icon]: Defeat 1 [monster-type icon]+ Monster that deals a Wound. [Rank icon] or [two Rank icons]: Defeat 1 [monster-type icon]+ Monster with a Corruption. (Once per turn, after you complete 1 of the above, pay the [gem-stone icon] cost listed below for each of the 1 or 2 new Ranks, or nothing is gained.)

Icon note: the glyphs in square brackets are described rather than named, because this transcription worked from the page image and could not confirm each icon's name. Check them against the base Thunderstone Quest Lexicon before relying on this board text.

Rank 1: Your Lycanthrope and Undead Heroes have +1 [gem-stone icon]. Rank 2: SPOILS. Gain 1 Wound to gain 1 Corruption. Rank 3: This Prestige Class is worth 6 [gem-stone icon] (when the game ends). Rank 4: When you gain this Rank, gain the Legendary Hero Lorturin Dragonblood. Rank 5: AFTER BATTLE. You may discard 1+ Corruptions. Rank 6: When you gain this Rank, gain the Legendary Item Mortas' Land. Rank 7: This Prestige Class is instead worth 3 [gem-stone icon] per Rank you have. Rank 8: Ignore AFTER BATTLE [gem-stone icon] penalties from Corruptions. Rank 9: BEFORE BATTLE. Add 1 Monster from an adjacent room to this room. Give it -4 [gray-stone icon] and -2 [red icon]. Battle all Monsters in the room.

Heroes

Heroes are an optional addition for Thunderstone Quest, giving you the opportunity to train your Heroes even further, making them even more powerful than ever before.

Even though Heroes are Legendary cards, they function in exactly the same way as other experienced Heroes. When you choose the cards you are going to play with during setup, place the Heroes at the bottom of their respective Hero stacks, below the 2 Heroes. Only play with 1 copy of each Hero. While not in use, store the Heroes in the box with their respective level 1-3 Heroes.

You can level your Heroes into Heroes in exactly the same way as you level other Heroes. This will usually cost 5 XP (the current Hero's printed level +2).

Guardians

The Barricades Mode expansion introduced Guardians, giving the Champions a cooperative challenge to overcome in order to save the Village and claim victory. The Guardian for the Darkness Rising Quest is included for use when playing the Barricades Mode expansion.

Count Leander Mortas

Count Leander Mortas is the ruler of Ebonwood, a pocket dimension of perpetual twilight, who preys on the life force of others and invites them to do the same. He will offer powerful Corruptions to your deck, but then punish you if you can't find ways to get rid of them.

Difficulty: two icons.

Card text (abilities MASTER'S THRALL, SAP STRENGTH, SUMMON MINIONS, DARK POWER, and the Threat Level and end-of-round lines) is printed at a size this transcription could not read reliably. It is intentionally not reproduced here; consult the printed card.

Lexicon

Before & After Battle Abilities

Before & After Battle abilities are a type of ability that triggers 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.

Corruption

Corruptions are a new Static card type (i.e., Item, Spell, Weapon, Hero, Monster) that can be gained by players during their adventures. They represent adjustments to players' hands which can be used to defeat Monsters in the Dungeon. However, they often involve some kind of XP/VP penalty.

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 Champion to your left or right. They now own the card.

FAQ

What happens to Before & After Battle abilities if I turn Before Battle abilities into After Battle abilities?

Normally Before & After Battle 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 benefit of being able to resolve multiple times per turn. In effect, it becomes an After Battle ability that can resolve (only) once.

If a card is discarded from my deck and I immediately draw it, do I trigger effects for it having been discarded?

Yes, because it was first discarded, then drawn.

How do I battle a face down Monster (e.g., in the Shallow Graves Dungeon Room)? What if it is a face down Guardian Key?

If a Champion battles a face down Monster, flip it face up before the battle, resolving all of the Monster's text and continuing the battle as normal. If the Champion finds a Guardian Key instead, set the Key aside and replace it with the top card of the Monster deck until a Monster is found, battling it as normal. Shuffle the revealed Key back into the Monster deck at the end of the turn.

If I need to discard cards but do not have enough cards in my deck, what do I do? What if I use a Dreamcatcher and my deck is empty?

Anytime you need to discard cards from your deck but your deck is empty, set aside any cards discarded to the effect thus far (as they wait for the effect to resolve), and then shuffle your discard pile to form a new deck and continue the discarding effect.

Does Lorturim Dragonblood keep the Weapons wielded by the Hero that is placed on top of the deck, even if Lorturim doesn't have enough Skill to wield them?

Yes. Normally a reduction in Skill could result in a Weapon being unwielded, but in this case, Lorturim's ability text specifically states that he gains that Hero's Weapons, so that trumps the normal rules.

Do Static cards in play count as "mine"? What cards do I "have"?

Whenever a card references "your" cards or cards that you "have," it is referencing cards in your hand, whether they are revealed already, still hidden, or already in play. Borrowed cards are yours, and they are part of your hand, but only temporarily. Static cards are in play, but are still part of your hand (though they do not count toward your maximum hand size).

How does Barmin Ironclaw's ability work in a room where the Monster is hidden (e.g., Shallow Graves)?

Barmin's Dungeon ability says to choose a Monster, which includes any "hidden" Monsters as well. However, the bonus to his [value icon] will be unknown until Barmin stops in that room to battle that Monster. When using the Barmin Hero card, you would reveal the hidden Monster just before battling that turn, even if you're not fighting the hidden Monster, in order to determine your [value icon] bonus.

Do I have to destroy Corruptions if I satisfy the requirements to do so?

No. The game text on Corruptions tells you what you need to do to get rid of them, but it is not required. Just keep in mind that the more Corruptions you have, the bigger price you may have to pay at the end of the game.

Can I use Mist Form or a similar card and Lantern in the same turn?

Mist Form and certain other cards allow you to place your Champion in a Dungeon Room as a Dungeon action. These cards usually specify that this is not considered movement. Since the Lantern specifies that if you take a Dungeon Phase after your Village Phase you cannot move out of the Wilderness, Mist Form wouldn't be under that restriction as it is not considered movement.

Can I destroy the same [token icon] tokens for more than one copy of Morning Dawn?

No. The token destruction is part of a single Dungeon ability on a single card. Once that ability has been resolved, having destroyed those tokens and increasing the [value icon] value of the card, you can choose to resolve another copy of the card with the same ability. But you'll have to destroy additional tokens to do so.

Icon note: in the FAQ and Prestige sections, glyphs shown in square brackets are described rather than named, because this transcription worked from the page image and could not confirm each icon's name. Check them against the base Thunderstone Quest Lexicon.

Questbook

Quest 10: Darkness Rising

The Questbook for Quest 10 opens with this cover page. The Quest's own card list follows.

Quest 10: Darkness Rising Quest Card List

Heroes

• 15x Barmin Ironclaw
• 15x Kaiya Winters
• 15x Karn Wulfric
• 15x Mirak Ilaskas
• 15x Stelias the Dark
• 15x Ursulette

Items/Allies

• 8x Black Cat
• 8x Dreamcatcher
• 8x Grimwood Wand
• 8x Torch

Spells

• 8x Dance with the Devil
• 8x Exorcise
• 8x Morning Dawn
• 8x Superior Mind

Weapons

• 8x Balanced Staff
• 8x Bow of the Beast
• 8x Pitchfork
• 8x Whip

Monsters (Tier I)

• 10x Bloodthirsty Beasts: 10x Vampire Bats
• 10x Possessed Objects: 2x Candelabra, 2x Chair, 2x Chest, 2x Dinnerware, 2x Living Doll

Monsters (Tier II)

• 10x Enthralled Villagers: 2x Baker, 2x Blacksmith, 2x Doomsayer, 2x Farmer, 2x Gravedigger
• 10x Fearsome Phantasms: 2x Bogeyman, 2x Creeping Mist, 2x Crone, 2x Haunted Tree, 2x Scarecrow

Monsters (Tier III)

• 10x Lost Lycanthropes: 2x Werebear, 2x Wereboar, 2x Werefish, 2x Weresnake, 2x Weretiger
• 10x Vicious Vampires: 2x Mortas' Brides, 2x Nospheratu, 2x Tortured Soul, 2x Vampiric Goblins, 2x Vampiric Orc

Quest 10: Darkness Rising Quest Card List (continued)

Guardian

• Count Leander Mortas

Legendaries

• 1x Lorturim Dragonblood
• 1x Mortas' Land

Treasures

• 1x Silver Blade
• 2x Treasure Cache

Corruptions

• 2x Bloodlust
• 2x Claws
• 2x Dark Nature
• 2x Enhanced Senses
• 2x Fangs
• 2x Fast Healing
• 2x Howl
• 2x Hypnotic Stare
• 2x Lord of the Horde
• 2x Mist Form
• 2x Nightvision
• 2x Primal Hunger
• 2x Savage Mind
• 2x Speed
• 2x Wall Crawl

Side Quests

• 1x Embrace the Dark Side
• 1x Harness the Dragon Blood

Prestige Class

• 1x Nightstalker

Other

• 6x Guardian Guides
• 25x Paper Dividers
• 25x Plastic Dividers
• 24x Randomizers

Dungeon Rooms

• Foggy Forest
• Village Square
• Great Hall
• The Pens
• Count's Quarters
• Shallow Graves

The Shadow Descends

Quest 10 opens with the story "The Shadow Descends" by Brett Satkowiak, which is narrative flavour text and is not reproduced here. The adventure card list for this Quest follows.

The Shadow Descends: Adventure Card List

Heroes

• Mirak Ilaskas
• Barmin Ironclaw
• Kaiya Winters
• Stelias the Dark

Items

• Dreamcatcher
• Torch

Weapons

• Balanced Staff
• Whip
• Bow of the Beast

The Shadow Descends: Adventure Card List (continued)

Spells

• Morning Dawn
• Dance with the Devil
• Superior Mind

Monsters

• Bloodthirsty Beasts
• Fearsome Phantasms
• Lost Lycanthropes

Guardian

• Count Leander Mortas

Room Tiles

• Village Square (Tier I)
• Great Hall (Tier II)
• Shallow Graves (Tier III)
• Foggy Forest
• The Pens
• Count's Quarters

Count Leander Mortas' Lair

Lair card, Tier IV. The Lair's Threat Level track runs from 1 to 8, with the Threat Level marked as 1, 2 and 3 along its top edge.

• Master's Thrall (purple and blue Monster-type icons). You may discard [icon] 1 Corruption. If you do not, add 1 [icon].
• Sap Strength (red icon). Reduce the [icon] of 1 Hero by 1. If you do so, add 2 [icon]. If you have a [icon], add 1 [icon] instead. (Partly illegible in the source image.)
• Summon Minions (green icon). If you have a Corruption, add 1 [icon], or 2 [icon] if you also have a [illegible] card. (Partly illegible in the source image.)

Lair footer, as legible: "Each time before placing Champions, each Champion rolls [die icon] as the Threat Level indicates. Advance the Threat token forward 1 space when each [illegible word] ends. When there are no more spaces to advance, flip this Lair over."

The Lair's card text is partly unreadable in the source image at this resolution. The bracketed icons and the illegible words are left unresolved rather than guessed. Check them against the printed card.

Temptation Comes

The "Temptation Comes" story by Brett Satkowiak is narrative flavour text and is not reproduced here. The adventure card list for this Quest follows.

Temptation Comes: Adventure Card List

Heroes

• Karn Wulfric
• Kaiya Winters
• Ursulette
• Mirak Ilaskas

Weapons

• Pitchfork
• Whip
• Bow of the Beast

Items/Allies

• Dreamcatcher
• Black Cat

Temptation Comes: Adventure Card List (continued)

Spells

• Exorcise
• Dance with the Devil
• Superior Mind

Monsters

• Bloodthirsty Beasts
• Enthralled Villagers
• Lost Lycanthropes

Guardian

• Count Leander Mortas

Room Tiles

• Village Square
• Great Hall
• Shallow Graves
• Foggy Forest
• The Pens
• Count's Quarters

Lair

• Count Leander Mortas' Lair (Tier IV). The Lair text is as printed on the Lair card described under "Count Leander Mortas' Lair" above.

The Master Revealed

The "The Master Revealed" story by Brett Satkowiak is narrative flavour text and is not reproduced here. The adventure card list for this Quest follows.

The Master Revealed: Adventure Card List

Heroes

• Karn Wulfric
• Barmin Ironclaw
• Kaiya Winters
• Stelias the Dark

Items/Allies

• Dreamcatcher
• Black Cat
• Grimwood Wand

Weapons

• Pitchfork
• Whip

The Master Revealed: Adventure Card List (continued)

Spells

• Exorcise
• Morning Dawn
• Superior Mind

Monsters

• Possessed Objects
• Fearsome Phantasms
• Vicious Vampires

Guardian

• Count Leander Mortas

Room Tiles

• Village Square
• Great Hall
• Shallow Graves
• Foggy Forest
• The Pens
• Count's Quarters

Lair

• Count Leander Mortas' Lair (Tier IV), as described under "Count Leander Mortas' Lair" above.

Iconography Reference Guide

Icons below are described in words; the source shows them as glyphs.

• Darkness Rising Quest: the Quest skull symbol.
• Heroic Opportunity: a trophy symbol.
• Guardian Attacks: four colored splatter marks (green, red, purple, blue).
• Wound Tokens: a red blood splatter.
• Gain 1 or 2 Ranks in Prestige Class (if Gem costs are paid): one arrow for 1 Rank, two arrows for 2 Ranks.
• Wound Cards (Disease or Festering Wounds): a red and green splatter.
• 1 or 2 Monsters in the Monster Horde (attacking Village): one or two Monster footprints.
• Guardian Dice: a silver die.
• Discard into discard pile of the Champion to your left/right: two yellow arrows, pointing left and right.
• Destruction Chit: a white chit with an X.
• Draw 1 Card: a "+1" card symbol.