Wizards of the Grimoire
Wizards of the Grimoire Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
By Cole Banning & Joe Banning
2 Players — 30 Minutes
Components
- 60 Spell Cards
- 60 Mana Cards
- 2 Health Counters
The two decks are the Spell Deck and the Mana Deck.
How to Win
Each turn you will be drawing mana and then using it to cast your available spells. Your primary goal is deal damage to your opponent and to stop them from damaging you. If a player's health reaches zero the opposing player wins the game and becomes the new Keeper of the Grimoire.
Setup
- Place both the mana deck and the spell deck face-down on the table between the two players.
- Shuffle the spell deck, and deal the top ten spells from the spell deck face-up and visible in between the two players. These 10 spells make up the spell pool.
Beginner Rules
For your first couple of games (until you feel comfortable), we strongly recommend modifying the spell deck to include only the beginner spells. These spells can be identified by the word "Beginner" written in the lower right hand corner of the card.
In addition, we recommend only placing eight spells in the spell pool (instead of the usual ten).
These changes will help to ease the learning curve and will remove particularly punishing spells from the game.
- Both players set their health counters to 60 health.
- Flip a coin to determine who will be choosing a spell first (player one); player two will be the first to complete a full turn.
Opening Phase
When choosing a spell, place it on the table face up in front of you. This spell and the others you choose will make up your spell list. Each time a spell is chosen, replace it so that there are always 10 spells available in the spell pool. Taking turns:
- Player One: Chooses a spell.
- Player Two: Chooses a spell.
- Player One: Chooses a second spell.
- Player Two: Begins following the "Turn Order" (page 4)
Turn Order
Following the opening phase, each player will take turns completing the 5 actions below in order. Once a player has completed these actions, the other player begins their turn.
- Choose a New Spell
- Spell Cool Down
- Gain 3 Mana
- Cast Spells
- Basic Attack
1. Choose a New Spell
The current player chooses one spell from the ten spell cards displayed on the table.
Spell Types
- Damage Spells: These spells have red circles in the upper area of the card. The primary function of these cards is to damage your opponent.
- Regeneration Spells: These spells have green circles in the upper area of the card. The primary function of these cards is to gain additional mana.
- Utility Spells: These spells have purple circles in the upper area of the card. The primary function of these cards is to manipulate mana.
The current player's new spell is placed face up on the table in front of them along with their other spells. Each time a spell is chosen, it should be replaced so that the spell pool always has 10 spells available.
Maximum Number of Spells
If a player has reached six spells, they may not add an additional spell. A player with six spells may choose to stay with their current spells, or they may replace one of their spells that is not use (no mana placed on it). If they replace one of their spells, the old spell is removed from the game.
2. Spell Cool Down
The current player discards the top mana off each of their spells that has mana on it. During the game this discard will allow players to free up spells that have been used on previous turns, in order to cast them again. If it is a player's first turn, they will not currently have mana on any of their spells.
3. Gain 3 Mana
The current player draws 3 mana from the mana deck, adding these mana to their hand. A player's hand should remain hidden from their opponent.
Each mana that is drawn will have a power level that ranges from 1 - 4.
If the mana deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to create a new mana deck.
4. Cast Spells
Using mana in their hand, players may cast any of their spells that are not in use (no mana is placed on them), one at a time. Each spell's cost is the number written in the top left of the spell card. To cast a spell, a player must place a number of individual mana cards equal to the spells cost facedown on the spell.
For example, if a spell costs 3, you must place 3 individual mana cards facedown on top of it.
IMPORTANT: Casting spells does not involve the power of your mana - all that matters is the quantity.
Mana vs. Power of Mana
Many spells use a mana's power as part of their spell effect. When a spell uses a mana's power it will very clearly state this. Otherwise, if a spell refers to mana, you should assume it is referring to a quantity of mana.
For example, the spell Shadow Fiend costs 1 mana. To cast it you must place a mana facedown on top of it.
After you cast it, you draw 1 mana from the mana deck. You then reveal that mana's power, and draw additional mana equal to that mana's power.
If the mana you drew was 3 power, you would draw 3 more mana cards from the mana deck.
5. Basic Attack
As a final action before a turn ends, a player is able to discard a single mana from their hand and deal damage equal to the power of that mana (the number from 1 to 4 written on it). That mana then immediately goes to the discard pile.
Once this is done (or the player has opted out of doing a basic attack) that player's turn immediately ends, and the other player may begin their turn.
Activating Spells
Not all spell effects happen at the moment a spell is cast. A symbol in the top right of each spell indicates its method of activation as either instant, delayed or ongoing.
- Instant: This is the most common spell type. These spells are activated immediately after placing mana on them.
- Delayed: These spells are activated each time a mana is discarded off of them. This may happen during the spell cool down phase, or as a result of another spells effect. Picking up a mana off a delayed spell does not activate it.
- Ongoing: This spell is always activated so long as there is a mana on the spell. If the mana is removed, the spell stops being active.
Example Turn
The current player has two spells in their spell list. They cast both of them last turn, so they are both currently in use.
The first action for each player's turn is choosing a new spell. The current player adds Time Steal to their spell list.
Now that the current player has chosen a new spell, they complete the second action: spell cool down. This means the current player discards one mana off each of their spells. The discarded mana goes directly to the discard pile.
After discarding one mana off each spell, Last Shot is now available for use! Living Wind remains covered, which means the spell is in use and not currently available to be cast.
Next, the current player gains 3 mana. The current player may now use that mana to cast their spells that are not in use. The cost of a spell is the number in the top left of the card. Spells are cast by placing the quantity of mana equal to that cost on top of them.
With 3 mana currently in their hand, the player places 1 mana on Last Shot to cast it. Last Shot does 1 damage.
Next, they place 2 mana on Time Steal. This allows them to pick up 1 mana off Last Shot and 1 mana off Living Wind. This makes those spells available for use again!
Having picked up mana from their spells, the current player has two mana in their hand. They use that mana to cast Last Shot a second time, this time dealing 2 damage.
At this point the player has only 1 mana left in their hand, which means they cannot afford to cast Living Wind. Instead, they will use their remaining mana for their basic attack. Your basic attack deals damage equal to the power of a single mana that you discard from your hand.
The current player discards a 4 power mana and deals 4 damage to the opposing player.
Having finished their basic attack, the current player has completed their turn.
Terminology / Clarifications
Spell List: As players choose new spells for themselves, they are placed face up beside each other on the table. Players can have a maximum of 6 spells in their spell list at any one time. Once a player has reached 6 spells, they must exchange a spell that is not in use in order to gain a new spell.
The Mana Deck: The mana deck includes mana that has varying power levels (ranging from 1-4). The mana deck contains 32 one power mana, 16 two power mana, 8 three power mana and 4 four power mana.
Cost: Listed in the top left corner of each spell, this number denotes the number of individual mana cards the spell requires to be cast. Paying the cost of a spell has nothing to do with the power of each mana.
Spells that are "not in use": These spells have no mana placed on them and are available to be cast. Each turn, a player may cast multiple spells as long as they are not in use. During the "Choose a New Spell" phase, if a player is looking to switch a spell it must be one that is not in use.
Discard: Mana that is discarded immediately goes to the discard pile face-up. When players are no longer able to draw from the Mana Deck, they may shuffle the discard pile and create a new Mana Deck. When discarding a mana from a spell, the top mana should always be the one that is discarded.
Cool Down: At the beginning of each turn, you discard one mana off each of your spells, this is called the "Cool Down" phase. If any delayed spells will activate during the cool down phase, discard all mana first, then activate the spell effects in the order of the current players choosing.
Reveal: When a spell requires players to reveal mana, the indicated player may look at the number of mana mentioned. Unless otherwise noted, the mana should be returned to where it was revealed from.
Pick Up a Mana: Some spell effects may allow you to pick up a mana off a spell. This means that you take the top mana off of a spell that is in cool down, and add it to your hand. This action will deactivate an ongoing spell if the last mana on it is being picked up. Picking up a mana from a delayed spell does not activate it.
Spell Interactions: Some spells may interact with others when used. If this happens, the initial spell that was cast should fully complete its effect. Once completed, the current player may choose the next effect that takes place. Continue this process until all spell effects have been resolved.
Confirming: Some spells have effects that can't be easily confirmed, as the other player's mana is hidden from your view. If a spell requires confirmation, the opposing player must reveal their hand.