Yashima: Legend of the Kami Masters Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Card Anatomy
• Game Objective
• Setting up the Game
  • Playing a Team Game
• Key Concepts
  • The Circle of Life
  • The Karmic Cycle
  • Other Keywords
• Master Deck Card Setup
• Status Tokens
• Round Overview
• Destiny Phase
  • 1. Destiny Step
  • 2. Reconcile Step
  • 3. Initiative Step
• Battle Phase
  • Tome Actions
  • Combat Actions
  • Attack Action
  • Move Action
  • Locked In Combat
  • Terrain
  • Attack Pattern Example
• Restoration and Winning the Game
• Example Two Player Game
• Masters
  • Akiko's Story
  • Hikaru's Story
  • Kenta's Story
  • Rosamu's Story
• Kami
  • Dragon
  • Tiger
  • Phoenix
  • Tortoise
• World of Yashima
• Glossary
• Expansions
  • Legend of the Deep Woods
  • Legend of the Icy Peaks

Game Components

1. (1) Double-sided relic board
2. (4) Double-sided terrain boards
3. (8) Double-sided action tokens
4. (20) Dragon kami battle cards
5. (23) Phoenix kami battle cards
6. (25) Tiger kami battle cards
7. (30) Tortoise kami battle cards
8. (10) Akiko battle cards
9. (5) Akiko double-sided tome cards
10. (1) Akiko status/ADAPT helper card
11. (1) Akiko double-sided avatar card
12. (1) Akiko miniature
13. (12) Burn status tokens
14. (10) Hikaru battle cards
15. (5) Hikaru double-sided tome cards
16. (1) Hikaru status/ADAPT helper card
17. (1) Hikaru double-sided avatar card
18. (1) Hikaru miniature
19. (8) Blind status tokens
20. (10) Kenta battle cards
21. (5) Kenta double-sided tome cards
22. (1) Kenta status/ADAPT helper card
23. (1) Kenta double-sided avatar card
24. (1) Kenta miniature
25. (6) Rancor status tokens
26. (10) Rosamu battle cards
27. (5) Rosamu double-sided tome cards
28. (1) Rosamu status/ADAPT helper card
29. (1) Rosamu double-sided avatar card
30. (1) Rosamu miniature
31. (6) Spirit status tokens

Card Anatomy

Avatar Card Details:

1. Master Name
2. Game Text
3. Starting Karma Value
4. Hand Size
5. Move Speed
6. Status Effects
7. Adapt Ability
8. Status Icon

Master & Kami Battle Card Details:

1. Card Name
2. Master/Kami Name
3. Karma Value
4. Attack Value
5. Attack Pattern
6. Game text
7. Defense, Quick Effect or Status Symbol

Tome Card Details:

1. Card Name
2. Karma Cost
3. Game Text
4. Torn-off Page Game Text (IMPRINT/EQUIP cards)
5. Page Number
6. EQUIP, IMPRINT, Quick Effect symbol (if any)

Game Objective

You are a kami master, an elite warrior with the ability to bind your soul to the kami, the spirit guardians of nature. You are locked in battle with opposing kami masters in a test of strength. The last one standing claims victory!

Setting up the Game

1. Starting with the oldest player and proceeding to the left, each player chooses a board, kami master, and a kami; gathering all cards, tokens and miniatures associated with that master and kami.

   Note: If you have more than one set of Yashima, or expansions, more players can be added! Any player may combine any master with any kami from any set! Try mixing and matching to taste.

2. Separate your master's avatar card, tome cards, and battle cards. Shuffle your kami's battle cards together with your master's battle cards and place them face down in front of you. This is your battle deck.

3. Arrange your tome cards in page-order (the helper card on left, page 1 on right, and when you turn page 1 over page 2 and 3 will be face up) next to your battle deck.

4. With the relic board in the center of the table, place your chosen board. Your board can be flipped or rotated any way you choose, as long as one of its sides is adjacent to the relic board. The next player must place their board adjacent to the previous player's board as well as the relic board.

5. If you were the last to place your board, you are the first to place your miniature. Place it on any blank space with any facing on the board you placed. Place miniatures in the opposite order than players placed boards.

6. Place a number of cards equal to your starting karma value (as seen on your avatar card) from the top of your battle deck, face-up in front of you. Ignore all FATE effects during the setup of the game. This is your karma pool.

7. From your battle deck, draw the number of cards equal to your hand size (as seen on their avatar card). With that, you're ready to play! Begin the game with the first Destiny phase.

Playing a Team Game

For a team-based game, make sure teams have the same number of players. During setup, players of the same team sit across from each other, not adjacent to each other.

Gameplay proceeds as normal, with the winning team being the last one with at least one player standing.

Be careful! Just as some of your own abilities and attacks can damage your master, you can damage your teammates with your attacks.

Key Concepts

In Yashima, card text supersedes game rules. In any instance where the rules and a card directly conflict, the card text should be followed. Before you begin playing for the first time, it's important to understand the following keywords.

The Circle of Life

In Yashima, a player's life total is the combined total of cards in their battle deck and hand. Cards in a player's discard pile and karma pool are NOT a part of their life total. The following keywords describe where these cards go when damage is taken or healed.

USE: Place this card on the bottom of your battle deck, face down. "USE" is a keyword, not to be confused with the common word, "use". When you USE cards it does not change your life total.

LOSE: Place cards, one at a time, from the top of your battle deck or hand equal to the amount you LOSE, face-up into your discard pile. Whenever you take damage, you LOSE cards equal to the damage.

DISCARD: Place cards from your hand into your discard pile in any order you choose. Unlike LOSE, you cannot DISCARD from your battle deck.

EXERT: Place the top card of your battle deck face up into your discard pile. Unlike LOSE, you cannot EXERT from your hand.

EXHAUSTED: If you have no cards in your battle deck, you are considered EXHAUSTED and you cannot EXERT. You are immune to any ability forcing you to EXERT, and are also unable use any actions or effects with EXERT costs (including combat movement).

HEAL: Place the top card of your discard pile on the bottom of your battle deck, face down. If you have no cards in your discard pile, you cannot HEAL.

The Karmic Cycle

Battle cards also represent karma, the power to influence the natural world. Karma is kept face-up in an area in front of you called your karma pool. You begin the game with cards in your karma pool, and you place at least one card into your karma pool each round. The only value that matters on the cards in your karma pool is karma; cards in your karma pool cannot be used for attacks, defense, or other abilities (except for FATE). Instead, you may USE cards in your karma pool to pay for karma abilities.

FATE: Indicated by a special karma icon, these battle cards have an effect that triggers when this card is placed into your karma pool. This effect is NOT optional.

Other Keywords

ADAPT: Found on kami battle cards, the ADAPT keyword means that the given card gains your master's ADAPT ability, seen on their helper card. In this way, kami battle decks adapt depending on the master they're paired with. Some effects reference cards with specific keywords. In the case of an ADAPT card that gains a keyword ability, it is treated as if that card had the keyword printed on it.

For example, Kenta's avatar ability refers to any card with the keyword FURY printed on it, and considers all his ADAPT cards as being "FURY cards".

DESTROY: A keyword found on equipment tome cards. When you DESTROY equipment, return it to its owner's tome.

EQUIP: Tome cards with this keyword can be converted into powerful artifacts, enhancing your master! To EQUIP a card, pay the karma cost, remove the card from your tome, and place it beneath your avatar card. Once you EQUIP, you can use the effect below the torn half of the page. You cannot play the effects below the torn half of the page until after it is equipped to your master.

IMPRINT: This is a keyword found on some tome cards. You may not play the effect listed below the torn half of the page until after you IMPRINT this tome card. To IMPRINT, pay the karma cost on the tome card, then place that card face-up at the bottom of your battle deck. When the imprinted card is revealed on top of your battle deck, first trigger its effect, then place the imprinted card face-up on the bottom of your battle deck. If there are no face-down battle cards beneath this card when revealed, its effects don't apply, and it instead returns to its owner's tome.

Multiple Effects: When multiple effects occur, or when one effect causes another effect to occur, proper attention must be used to ensure that all effects are resolved properly. The rule of thumb is "newest first" - when an effect causes another to trigger, the original effect is "paused" and the newest effect triggered resolves first. Once that new effect is completely resolved, the original effect is then completed.

For example, when losing 5 life, you might LOSE the top card of your battle deck and reveal an imprinted card with HEAL. In this example, you begin losing 1 life, next the imprinted HEAL card is revealed so you then HEAL, placing the card you just lost beneath your battle deck, place the imprinted HEAL card beneath your battle deck, and continue to lose the remaining 4 life.

Quick Effects: While most effects on battle cards happen after the attack resolves, some cards in Yashima have a star icon, which indicates that the card includes an effect that can be played outside of other actions you take. These effects may require a cost that is specified on the card to be paid, and you must be able to pay the cost to perform the effect.

Returning cards: When a tome card is returned to its owner, it is placed in their tome in the same spot where it started the game. Note that this will not cause pages to turn, but may cause a page to be hidden. When a battle card is returned to its owner, it is placed on the bottom of its owner's battle deck, face down.

Master Deck Card Setup

Player Setup (numbered areas on the play area):

1. Avatar card
2. EQUIP
3. Tome deck
4. Hand
5. Life total
6. Battle deck
7. Karma pool
8. Discard pile
9. Initiative/FOCUS
10. USE
11. IMPRINT
12. LOSE
13. DISCARD

Status Tokens

Status Effects: Each master has a status effect associated with them, as seen on their helper card. These effects are represented by tokens placed on spaces and/or avatar cards to keep track. When you remove a status, return the token to its owner. If the status doesn't state how or when it can be removed, then it will remain in play until removed by a separate effect. Likewise, if a status doesn't mention how to gain it, then it can only be given to a master or space by a separate effect.

For example, Rosamu's SPIRIT status doesn't include text on how it is removed, nor granted. Therefore it can only be gained or removed by a tome effect or his ADAPT ability.

When placing multiple instances of the same status, the owner of the status chooses which order the statuses are placed. When you run out of tokens for a status, you cannot use replacements. If a space or master would gain a status but there are no status tokens left, that space or master does not gain that status.

Your board: Some effects state "your board". This refers to the board your miniature is currently on, and is not to be confused with your chosen board that you placed on the table at the beginning of the game.

Token	Description
Blind	BLIND: Only masters may have BLIND status. A master cannot have more than one instance of BLIND status. During the initiative step, if a master with BLIND status reveals a karma of 5 or higher, they remove BLIND status. Masters with BLIND status have SPEED -1.
Burn	BURN: A master or space cannot have more than one instance of BURN status. During the initiative step, if a master with BURN status reveals a karma of 5 or higher, they remove BURN status. Otherwise they take 1 damage. When a master without BURN status enters a space that has the BURN status, remove the BURN status from that space and place it on that master.
Rancor	RANCOR: Only masters may have RANCOR status. A master cannot have more than one instance of RANCOR status. On your first turn of a round, if you have RANCOR status, remove RANCOR status.
Spirit	SPIRIT: Only masters can have SPIRIT status. A master cannot have more than one instance of SPIRIT status. Masters with SPIRIT status gain HAND +1 and SPEED +1.

Round Overview

Once setup is complete, the game begins! Gameplay consists of rounds. Rounds are split into two phases: the destiny phase and the battle phase.

Destiny Phase

In the destiny phase, players prepare their hands, action tokens, and karma pools for the next wave of combat. All players carry out the three steps of the destiny phase simultaneously.

1. Destiny Step

Plan which actions will be available to all players in the battle phase.

Action tokens have two sides: move and attack. Starting with a move action, followed by an attack action, place a token into the action pool for each player still in the game. Next, each player takes one unused action token, and selects a move or attack action in secret. Then all players simultaneously reveal their tokens by placing them into the action pool.

For example, in a three-player game, there are two default move tokens and one default attack token in every destiny step. Then each player adds one token by choice. So, there will be twice as many tokens in the action pool as there are players in the game.

Hint: If you chose a specific action during the destiny step, that doesn't guarantee that you will take that action during the battle phase. Learn to use this to your advantage!

2. Reconcile Step

Replace the cards in your hand.

In this step, you may place any number of cards from your hand face down beneath your battle deck, in any order you choose. Then draw cards, one at a time, up to or below your hand size value. Once you draw, you cannot place any more cards beneath your battle deck.

3. Initiative Step

Replenish your karma pool and determine who goes first in combat.

Place the top card of your battle deck face up into your karma pool. The player who reveals the card with the highest karma value wins the initiative, meaning they go first in the upcoming battle phase.

If there is a tie for the highest karma value, compare the attack values. If there is still a tie, the tied players reveal an additional card and once again compare karma values followed by attack values. This is repeated as necessary, until a single player wins initiative. The extra cards revealed during a tiebreaker are added to your karma pool, just like the first.

An EXHAUSTED player (a player with no battle deck remaining) has a karma value of 0. In the rare case that all players are EXHAUSTED, the player who won initiative last round wins the initiative by default.

Note: Look for any FATE cards - these cards have special effects that activate when they enter your karma pool!

Some statuses, like BLIND and BURN, might be removed from your master during the initiative step. When you meet the conditions for removing a status, you must remove that status from your master.

Battle Phase

The battle phase begins with the player who won initiative in the destiny phase. During your turn, you may take one tome action and one combat action. You may take your tome and combat actions in any order, however, you cannot do both at the same time - you must finish one before you start the other. Once you've completed your actions, play proceeds to the left. In a typical round, each player will take two turns, since there are two action tokens per player. Once the action pool is empty, the round is over and a new round begins starting with the destiny phase.

Tome Actions

You may perform only one of the following three things when you make a tome action on your turn:

FOCUS: Place the top card of your battle deck into your karma pool, face up. This action will also trigger relic and rejuvenating terrain effects.

DELVE: Turn one page in your tome. To turn forward, flip the right-hand tome card face down onto the left-hand card, just like reading a book. You may also turn backward. Note that the helper card for your tome also counts as a card in your tome, and may be used to open and close your tome. You cannot flip your tome from back to front (you can't go from page 8 to the cover) or vice versa.

Karma Ability: You may play one karma ability, indicated by the karma cost next to the game text. These abilities can be found on your tome cards, your avatar card, or on cards equipped to your master. Karma abilities are not to be confused with the karma value found at the top of battle cards or on your avatar card's stats, nor are they the same as attack effects.

To play a karma ability, pay the karma cost and then follow the instructions on the card. To pay the cost of a karma ability, USE the fewest number of cards from your karma pool with a combined karma value equal to or greater than the cost listed. Any karma spent beyond the cost of the effect is lost and cannot be applied to any other effect.

Note that some cards show a 0 cost - this indicates that you don't USE any cards in your karma pool to pay for it, however, it may have alternative costs associated with it, and it still uses your tome action.

When using a karma ability from your tome, you may only play an ability currently face up on your tome cards. (You may look at other pages in your tome at any time for reference, as long as you put them back.) Note that IMPRINT and EQUIP tome cards have a torn-off page. Any karma ability below the page tear cannot be activated while the card is in your tome.

Combat Actions

A combat action is either a move or an attack. To make a combat action, you must first take the appropriate action token from the action pool. This is where planning during the destiny step pays off. If you wanted to attack, but there are no attack tokens left in the action pool, you're out of luck.

You may choose not to use a combat action, however you must still remove an action token from the action pool before your turn is completed.

Attack Action

Take an attack action from the action pool. Choose a battle card from your hand as your attack, reveal it and USE it. There is no karma cost for making an attack. Before making an attack, you may rotate your miniature to face any direction.

Each battle card has an attack pattern indicating in red all the spaces it targets, relative to your miniature and the direction it faces. The green hex indicates where your master is, and the direction they face is always towards the top of the card.

Each master targeted by an attack may respond with one defensive card from their hand, in turn order. Look for cards in your hand with a shield icon to quickly find a defense card. Depending on the defense keyword, a successful defense may prevent some or all damage, or even inflict damage on the attacker! If the targeted master does not defend, the attack causes them to LOSE life equal to the ATK value. A master is considered hit by an attack if they take damage after defenses resolve.

Unless otherwise noted, you cannot play a defense card in response to an effect, whether it is an effect that resolves after an attack or from a karma ability. You may only play a defense card in response to being targeted by the attack pattern on a battle card.

Many battle cards include game text. Unless otherwise stated, these effects occur after the attack (and all defenses) completely resolve. If a card has multiple effects, they resolve (one at a time) in the order in which they appear on the card (starting at the top). You may also perform attacks even if they don't target another master, simply to perform the effects of the card. Unlike FATE effects, attack effects are optional.

Move Action

Take a move action from the action pool. You may move your master a number of spaces up to your speed value, or choose not to move. In addition, you may rotate your master to face any of the six directions of the hexagon grid. You may not move through or end in spaces occupied by another master.

Locked In Combat

If your master is in a space adjacent to an opposing master, to move to a space that is not adjacent to an opposing master, you must EXERT as an additional cost. This is called combat movement. You can be locked in combat with multiple masters, meaning you must EXERT for each master you move away from. When you are EXHAUSTED (no remaining cards in battle deck), you cannot move away from an opposing master. You may still move around them. Some abilities, like FEINT, mention "relocating" (distinct from DODGE which mentions "moving"). Relocating won't cause combat movement - allowing you to change location, even while EXHAUSTED.

Terrain

The board is marked with different terrain types that may affect movement or other actions.

ARDUOUS TERRAIN: Masters must spend two speed to enter arduous terrain. If a master has one or fewer speed remaining, they cannot enter arduous terrain.

DEADLY TERRAIN: Masters must EXERT to enter deadly terrain. If a master is unable to EXERT, they cannot enter deadly terrain.

RELIC TERRAIN: Relic terrain is solid terrain, with one additional rule – when you FOCUS adjacent to this terrain, you may turn any master's tome up to two pages.

ROAD TERRAIN: The first road terrain a master enters during their move action costs no speed to enter. If you have no movement left, you may still enter your first road terrain.

REJUVENATING TERRAIN: If a master uses their tome action to FOCUS while occupying rejuvenating terrain, they may HEAL.

SOLID TERRAIN: Masters cannot enter, be forced to enter, nor end their turn on solid terrain spaces. Solid terrain can have status.

Attack Pattern Example

An attack pattern example illustrates: 1. Attack Pattern Overlay, 2. the attacking master's Facing Position, 3. the Area of Effect (showing which masters are targeted), and 4. a master outside the pattern who is unaffected.

Restoration and Winning the Game

If you have no life remaining (no cards in hand AND battle deck) you will soon enter restoration. Skip each turn you would have for the remainder of the current round. Other players will take action tokens instead of you. Damage beyond what it took to bring you into restoration does not carry over. You cannot take any additional damage during the current round until after you restore. Note that while waiting to restore, your space is still occupied and adjacent opposing masters must still EXERT to move away from you and cannot move into your space.

At the end of the round, you must do the following, in order:

1. Discard all cards in your karma pool.
2. Remove any number of statuses from yourself.
3. Remove any number of equipment cards from yourself, returning them to their owner's tome and keep the remaining equipped.
4. Turn over your discard pile to create your new battle deck.
5. Flip your avatar card to the restored side.
6. Place a number of cards equal to your restored karma value from the top of your battle deck face-up into your karma pool.
7. Draw cards up to your restored hand size.

Do not turn any pages in your tome deck during restoration.

Once restored, you may continue playing as before, using the abilities and values on your restored avatar card. This is your opportunity to bring other players down with you!

Later in the game, if you again have no more remaining cards in your battle deck and hand, and have already entered restoration, you are killed! When this happens, you remove your miniature from the board. You are out of the game.

If at the end of any turn all of your opponents are restored (or have no life remaining and will soon restore), you or your team wins! If all masters have restored (or will soon) at the end of any turn, the game is a tie!

Example Two Player Game

Transcript of a two player game with Akiko + Tiger vs. Rosamu + Dragon.

ROUND 1: Rosamu wins initiative

• Turn 1: Rosamu takes a move action and moves 3 spaces. The tome action is used to FOCUS using the relic terrain to also turn two pages in the tome (but decides to only turn 1 page).
• Turn 2: Akiko takes a move action and moves 3 spaces. The tome action is used to pay 2 karma to use "Rain of Fire" to BURN two spaces on the board.
• Turn 3: Rosamu takes an attack action and does not use it; then uses tome action to pay 8 to IMPRINT "One With All" into his battle deck.
• Turn 4: Akiko takes an attack action and plays "Fireball" attacking Rosamu for 6. Rosamu does not play a defensive card in response. The BLAZE keyword on the card gives Rosamu BURN status & Akiko uses BURN on two blank spaces on the board.

ROUND 2: Rosamu wins initiative

• Turn 1: Rosamu takes a move action and moves 3 spaces, picking up BURN status, then uses the tome action to play "Beggar's Alms" to draw three cards and then place three cards on top of the deck.

• Turn 2: Akiko takes an attack action and plays "Bared Fangs", attacking Rosamu for 6. Rosamu responds by playing "Dragon Strike" to DODGE out of the attack. Akiko uses the tome action to DELVE and turn a page.

• Turn 3: Rosamu takes an attack action and plays "Coil Whip" attacking Akiko for 2. Akiko does not play a defense card in response.

  Since "Coil Whip" has the keyword CHAIN, Rosamu's master ability triggers allowing another attack that has karma of 6 or higher without using an attack action. Rosamu plays "Graceful Glance" attacking Akiko for 3. Akiko plays "Feline Grace" in response, which has the BLOCK keyword, to prevent 3 damage.

  For the tome action, Rosamu choses to DELVE and turns a page in his tome.

• Turn 4: Akiko takes a move action and moves one space. For the tome action, Akiko pays karma to play "Fire Whip", dealing 4 damage to Rosamu since he currently has BURN status.

ROUND 3: Rosamu wins initiative

• Turn 1: Rosamu pays karma to use the tome effect "Stupor", forcing damage dealt with his next attack this turn to be lost from the opponent's karma pool.

  Rosamu takes an attack action and plays "Dragon's Path", attacking Akiko for 3. Akiko responds with "Averting Swipe", which has the BLOCK keyword, to prevent 3 damage.

• Turn 2: Akiko uses the tome action to FOCUS utilizing the relic terrain to also turn two pages in the tome. Akiko takes an attack action and plays "Feral Roar", attacking Rosamu for 4. Rosamu responds by playing "Dragonfire", which has the DODGE keyword, to move out of the attack and prevent all damage.

• Turn 3: Rosamu pays karma to use the tome effect "Stupor", forcing damage dealt with his next attack this turn to be lost from the opponent's karma pool.

  Rosamu takes an attack action and plays "Great Wyrm", attacking Akiko for 5. Akiko does not play a defensive card in response.

ROUND 4: BEFORE INITIATIVE

Rosamu's "One With All" IMPRINT card comes to the top during the reconcile step, allowing a look at the top four cards of the battle deck and return them in any order chosen. Rosamu wins initiative.

• Turn 1: Rosamu takes an attack action and plays "Taming Vortex" attacking Akiko for 7. In response Akiko plays "Pounce", which has the keyword CLASH. Akiko's EXERT card was not higher than Rosamu's, so only 4 damage was prevented.

  For the tome action, Rosamu plays "Overwhelming Insight" to deal Akiko 3 damage.

  At this time Akiko should have taken the MOVE action and used EXERT to move to a ranged space that had greater tactical advantage. Then, Rosamu would have had less of a chance of being able to reach Akiko with an attack. If done correctly, Akiko would be able to attack using the final attack action. This misstep may cost Akiko the game.... We will see.

• Turn 2: Akiko's master ability is used as a quick effect: EXERT to give all adjacent masters BURN status. The tome action is skipped. Akiko uses the attack action to play "Hunting Scream" and attack for 3. Rosamu does not play a defensive card in response.

• Turn 3: Rosamu pays karma to use the tome effect "Stupor", forcing damage dealt with his next attack this turn to be lost from the opponent's karma pool.

  Rosamu takes an attack action and plays "Pierce the Sky" attacking Akiko for 3. In response Akiko plays "Bared Fangs", which has the keyword CLASH. Akiko's EXERT card was not higher than Rosamu's, so only 4 damage was prevented.

  Since "Pierce the Sky" has the keyword CHAIN, Rosamu's master ability triggers to play another attack that has karma of 6 or higher without using an attack action. Rosamu plays "Falling Tree", attacking for 1.

  Falling tree also has CHAIN, so Rosamu plays "Dragon's Path", attacking for 3.

• Turn 4: Akiko takes a move action and moves 2 spaces. For the tome action, Akiko decides to FOCUS using the relic terrain to also turn two pages in the tome.

ROUND 5: BEFORE INITIATIVE

Rosamu's "One With All" IMPRINT card comes to the top during the reconcile step, allowing him to look at the top four cards of the battle deck and return them in any order chosen. Rosamu wins initiative.

• Turn 1: For the tome action, Rosamu plays "Overwhelming Insight" to deal Akiko 4 damage.

  Rosamu takes an attack action and plays "Taming Vortex" attacking Akiko for 7. In response Akiko plays "Pounce", which has the keyword CLASH. Akiko's EXERT card was not higher than Rosamu's, so only 4 damage was prevented.

AKIKO IS DEFEATED.

Masters

Akiko's Story

Daughter of Grandmaster Takeshi of the Temple Wakahisa, Akiko had been groomed to be a kami master since birth. For generations her family had controlled the temple of Wakahisa and run its militant force. She could trace her lineage to every leader of the temple for the last two hundred years. In addition to might, the Wakahisa knew their ties to the land ran deep and defended the earth and its people with an earnest love. They were well loved and respected in return. It had been Akiko's parents' greatest hope that their daughter would carry on the family's glorious tradition. That was until the lord of Oshiro, Hikaru's house, encroached upon their land. When Akiko's mother went to settle the dispute, she was killed. Since that time Takeshi has been unapproachable and Akiko was left to re-piece her shattered life.

For a while she floated along, sad and anchorless, until the first time she gave herself to the Phoenix kami. From that time until now, Akiko has only become more and more obsessed with the immortality of the Phoenix, especially as she gets closer to the age her mother was at the time of her murder.

Akiko has gone too far, giving too much of herself to the kami spirits she binds with. Emotionless, heartless, callous, Akiko cares only for self-progression... the rest of the world could burn for all she cares. Akiko's power is fueled by rage and she enjoys setting things on fire. She leaves a trail of ash behind her as she battles through the land of Yashima alone.

Akiko's father, a man once dedicated to his people and the land, is rarely seen and always covered when in public. It's rumored that Takeshi is a leper or perhaps that he died long ago and the temple is hiding this fact. Darker whispers say that like his daughter, he has spent too much time with powerful and dangerous kami to get his revenge on Oshiro by overtaking them in the running to become Emperor.

Hikaru's Story

As a general's daughter she was brought into battle when she could first walk. Her father proudly escorted her to middle of the carnage, knowing that exposing her young mind this show of force would either shape her for the level of fighting he hoped for, or turn her to a pitiful boneless sack of tears and fear. Either way her path would be set as a military leader, or sold as a bride. He placed her on the blood soaked ground and sat back to let fate decide.

She waddled forward a few steps, her eyes somber, chubby cheeks no longer full of smiles and coos. Then she tilted her head to listen.

From a pile of corpses came a moan.

She walked forward to the mass, and peered into the pile of the dead. Somewhere in the middle a man was close to the end. Her eyes met his and she nearly fell climbing over corpses to reach him. Gently taking his hand she patted it as her mother often did for her at bedtime. She gently spoke, "Shhhhh.... cwose your eyes. Go to sweep. It's time for rest." And with those gentle words, the man died.

Then she calmly walked back to her father, caked in blood and gore, but none of it soaking into her soul. She looked up at her father and said, "You are a bad man. Take me home." There was nothing more to say, and so she never spoke to him again.

At the youngest age possible she joined House Oshiro. It had been a beacon of light since the cataclysm and provided the people peace and aid in humanitarian forms: medical treatment, food, water, and building shelters. Her calm demeanor and singular focus on helping others could have made her a target of petty jealousy, but strangely did not.

Over the years several people have taken her desire for love and peace as a weakness and have tried to control her. All of them have become her most ardent supporters. Hikaru set off into the world to restore order and balance and bring light to the people. She yields the power of light to heal herself, blind her enemies and purify the world around her. Some wonder if she instills a compulsion to love her as well.

Kenta's Story

In the grand scope of things, Kenta should never have been a master.

While the houses say the world has become civilized, he has seen the savagery due to the lawlessness of the land. Kenta was a metal worker. His affinity with kami was proficient enough that he could have become a master, but he had met Keira and knew no greater honor than becoming her husband.

They had lived happily, if simply, in their home surrounded by children and full of love for each other. The killers who took them away had worn masks, but he knew they were trained. Only one with knowledge of tome lore could keep him rooted to the floor watching helplessly while they tore his family apart and his humanity from him.

In a haze of rage Kenta fought seemingly for nothing other than to show that he was the strongest. No matter who the target, his rage obliterated everything, his sanity, his humanity, and his sorrow.

Eventually Kenta realized he would have to align with someone to avoid the same fate as his family. He would never be accepted to a house, with his skills learned so late in life and so raw in practice. Moreover, he thought of the day he discovered what house had been the root of the evil. It would seem a waste to kill every living thing of an organization he belonged to, so joined and is a member of House Akuto, a group of mercenaries and dilettantes.

Kenta takes trophies from the masters he defeats and uses artifacts of the old world in combat as he has possibly the loosest binding to the kami spirits. He is untrained, an unbalanced force seeking only to bring order to the land to prevent others from suffering as he has... and to eradicate those who would bring suffering.

Rosamu's Story

Rosamu was the fifth son in a family of poor farmers. He left his home at a young age to join the monastery of Temple Baku and devoted his life to bettering himself. The monks were men and women of quiet strength. They saw the ambition in the boy to rise above his beginnings, and tempered it with a sense of duty and love towards his brethren. The acceptance and security he felt left him with a deep sense of loyalty. As a young man he was given the knowledge of the monastery's tome which taught the art of stacking quick attacks. After becoming a kami master, he set off into the land of Yashima on a personal quest for enlightenment.

It is not publicly known what happened to Rosamu's temple, only that it was completely destroyed while he was on his journey. Without any answers, he was left the sole survivor of Temple Baku. Rosamu had forgotten the faces of the man and woman who had brought him into this world long before. A lesser man would have broken under the strain and sorrow, without any support and with such great loss. But Rosamu has become strong without support of a house or temple. He has wandered alone in meditation through the lawless lands developing a greater bond with the kami, seeking to understand them, and perhaps make them his new family.

As for his temple, there are rumors it was destroyed by a short-lived collaboration of the other houses & temples due to the fact that one of Baku was almost assured to rise to the position of Emperor or Empress. While that level of power is unimportant to him, Rosamu's ultimate goal is to bring back the glory of his temple. If taking the lone path to become leader will help him rebuild his family, that's a sacrifice he may be willing to make.

Rosamu is a man of little words and few possessions. Unable to afford a sword, he has mastered the ability to fight using a length of chain which he found during his journey.

Kami

Kami are the spirits of nature. Every first grown sprout and massive natural disaster has a kami that protects its nature. Some kami are as insubstantial as wisps of air. Others are powerful... but volatile. The kami masters have learned not only to align their own spirits with a kami, but to choose well which kami they use.

Dragon

The Dragon is a powerful spirit known for its magical abilities. The Dragon kami builds its attack power and evades attacks by dodging. When an opponent does attack a Dragon it counters with a quick riposte. The Dragon kami does not have high vitality but it is known for its luck, represented by the high karma on its battle cards.

• Abilities: DELVE, EMPOWER
• Defense: DODGE, RIPOSTE
• Deck: 20
• Average Karma/Attack: 6/3

Tiger

The Tiger is found stealthily hiding in the tall grass waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce. Using empower and draw, it can manipulate cards for the perfect combination of deck, hand, and karma pool. When in the fray of battle, it has a daunting and powerful block defense. Shows of strength via clash are the ways a Tiger stays alive.

• Abilities: DRAW, EMPOWER
• Defense: CLASH, BLOCK
• Deck: 25
• Average Karma/Attack: 4/5

Phoenix

Like the mythical beast, the Phoenix kami is brilliant, daring, and willing to risk it all for glorious success or a spectacular fiery crash. Whether snatching victory while dodging the jaws of defeat, or turning small opportunity into a tide-turning event with an ambush, the Phoenix is hard to catch and its attacks are difficult to avoid.

• Abilities: AMBUSH, DASH
• Defense: CLASH, DODGE
• Deck: 23
• Average Karma/Attack: 5/4

Tortoise

The Tortoise is slow and deliberate. With low karma, it may be the last to the fight, but that is because it knows the value of life. Much like a shell, Tortoise's blocks are some of the best and a continuous source of security. And, as the hare was surprised in tales of old, the Tortoise can feign lethargy and surprise opponents with bursts of speed using overrun, or a methodical progression using feint.

• Abilities: FEINT, OVERRUN, PATIENCE
• Defense: BLOCK, RIPOSTE
• Deck: 30
• Average Karma/Attack: 3/6

World of Yashima

A map of the world of Yashima marks the following locations:

1. Destroyed Temple Baku
2. House Oshiro / The Castle
3. Ise, Religious capital of Yashima and home of the House Akuto (House of Thugs)
4. Temple Wakahisa / The Temple of Ancestors
5. House Mori / Deepwood
6. Temple of Yukimura (Snow Temple)
7. Clan Arechi (The Wasteland Tribe)

Glossary

ACTION: Tome actions include FOCUS, DELVE, and karma ability. Combat actions include attack actions and move actions. Some actions, such as playing a karma ability or an attack action, may generate a separate effect. All other actions and effects must be fully resolved before beginning a new action.

ADAPT: This card gains all keywords and game text of your master's ADAPT ability. Your master's ADAPT ability can be found on their avatar abilities card. See Key Concepts for additional details.

AMBUSH: +1 ATK and SWIFT against each target that faces opposite to your master. Targets in the attack pattern that are not facing opposite treat this as a normal attack.

BLAZE: Each hit master and up to 2 unoccupied targeted spaces gain BURN status.

BLIND: Each hit master gains BLIND status.

BLOCK: USE this card, prevent 3 damage. See "Defense Effect" in the glossary for additional details.

CHAIN: Reveal the top card of your battle deck. If the karma is 6 or higher, draw it. Otherwise, place it face-down under the deck. Note: FATE - CHAIN cards only CHAIN when they enter your karma pool, and therefore don't trigger Rosamu's avatar ability.

CLASH: LOSE this card, attacker and you EXERT. If your card has higher karma than the attacker's, prevent all damage. Otherwise, prevent 4 damage. The karma values being compared are the cards that the attacker and you exerted as a part of this effect. If the attacking master is EXHAUSTED, their karma value is treated as zero. See "Defense Effect" in the glossary for additional details.

COMBAT MOVEMENT: If your master is in a space adjacent to an opposing master, to move to a space that is not adjacent to an opposing master, you must EXERT as an additional cost. Some cards have abilities that mention "relocating" (which is distinct from a "Move") and therefore won't cause combat movement rules to apply.

COMBO: +1 ATK for each card in your hand. Once played as an attack, the card is no longer a part of your hand and therefore will not count itself as being "in hand" at the time of determining this bonus.

DASH: During your turn, DISCARD this card to move up to your speed to a space adjacent to an opposing master. You must end this movement adjacent to an opposing master, and otherwise cannot perform this effect. You can play this quick effect during your own turn before or after performing other actions, but not while resolving an action (like during an attack action or in the middle of a move action).

DEFENSE EFFECT: This effect can only be played in response to an attack action, and not in response to another effect (unless stated otherwise). If you are EXHAUSTED, you may not play a defense effect that requires you to EXERT. This effect is only for yourself, and not for other masters being targeted by the same attack. If all damage from the attack is prevented, you are not considered hit by the attack.

DELVE: Turn a page in your tome. You may turn one page in your tome either forwards or backwards.

DESTROY: When you DESTROY equipment, you return it to its owner's tome. See Returning Cards in the Key Concepts section for details.

DODGE: LOSE this card and EXERT to move one space. If you move to a space not targeted, prevent all damage to you. Note that this is a "move", and will therefore cause combat movement rules to apply, possibly causing you to EXERT twice. See "Defense Effect" in the glossary for additional details.

DRAW: Draw a card from your battle deck.

EFFECT: Any game text on a card that is to be followed as instructions, outside of the typical rules of the game. If the text on a card contradicts a rule, the card text always takes precedence.

EMPOWER: Place this card into your karma pool or on top of your battle deck. After this attack resolves, instead of placing it on the bottom of your battle deck, you may place this card into your karma pool or on top of your battle deck.

EQUIP: Remove this card from your tome and attach it to yourself (unless otherwise specified). Equipped master gains abilities below the torn half of the page. See Key Concepts for additional details.

EXHAUSTED: A master having no cards remaining in their battle deck is considered EXHAUSTED. While EXHAUSTED you may not exert for any reason. If an effect would cause you to EXERT, you don't, but still perform all other effects. If an effect or movement requires you to EXERT as a cost, you cannot activate that effect or perform that movement.

EXPLODE: Remove a specified status from any space. All masters occupying or adjacent to that space take 4 damage. Masters two spaces away take 2 damage. There must be the specified status on a space to remove and perform this effect. All masters (including yourself) within range will take the damage.

FATE: This ability activates when this card enters your karma pool. See Key Concepts for additional details.

FEINT: Relocate to an adjacent space. You may relocate to an unoccupied legal space adjacent to you.

FOCUS: Place the top card of your battle deck into your karma pool, face up. This effect will also trigger relic and rejuvenating terrain effects if you are adjacent to an appropriate space.

FURY: Relocate each hit master one space in any direction. Relocate each hit master, in any order you choose, to any unoccupied legal space that is adjacent to them.

HIT: Dealt one or more damage by this attack. If all damage from the attack is prevented, you are not hit. If damage only comes from a separate effect, even those generated by the same attack, you are not considered hit by the attack.

IMPRINT: Remove this card from your tome and place it face-up beneath your battle deck. See Key Concepts for additional details.

KINDLE: This attack is +3 ATK against targets with BURN status. Other targets in the attack pattern that do not have BURN status treat this as a normal attack.

OVERRUN: Relocate adjacent to any target hit by this attack. You may relocate to any unoccupied legal space that is adjacent to any master dealt one or more damage by this attack.

OWNER: The owner of a card is the player who began the game with that card in their deck. The owner of a status is the player who generated the effect that gave that status.

PATIENCE: +2 ATK if you did not rotate during this attack. You may rotate before making this attack, as normal, but you will not receive this attack bonus.

PURIFY: Remove one status from a master or space targeted by this attack. You may only remove one status in total. You need not hit the master to remove their status, you need only target them.

RELOCATE: You may reposition your miniature without causing combat movement rules to apply.

RIPOSTE: LOSE this card, prevent 2 damage and deal 3 damage to the attacker. See "Defense Effect" in the glossary for additional details.

SWIFT: This attack cannot be responded to. No masters can respond with defenses or any other effects in reaction to this attack.

TARGET: All the red-shaded spaces on an attack pattern and masters occupying those spaces are targeted by the attack, relative to the green-shaded space that your master is occupying and the direction your miniature faces. If all damage is prevented, masters and spaces are still targets but are not considered hit.

UNOCCUPIED: A space that doesn't contain a master.

Expansions

Legend of the Deep Woods

This expansion has kami masters Dokubaba and Toru along with the Fox kami, forest tiles, and Insect and Plant status tokens.

Walk the world of Yashima with a member of the House Mori, found in the heart of the deep woods. Its masters' allegiances are bound more to the land than to their fellow humans. Dokubaba, the poison hag, will gleefully destroy her opponent with a deadly cough. Toru will smile as he lets his precious plants tear through a master. Choose them and roam the world of Yashima as a master of the forest.

Legend of the Icy Peaks

This expansion has masters Yuki and Mitsuo (along with his trusty monkey Saru). In addition, you will find the Yeti kami, 2 snow tiles, and FROST and SARU status tokens.

If one climbs up the mountains high enough, they may be lucky to find Yukimura, the snow temple, before dying of hypothermia. The people of this place, both masters and villagers, are a hearty lot, but as full of mystery and perseverance as the land they come from. Yuki, cold and calculating, will use the very ice around her as a beloved weapon. Mitsuo plays the role of harmless blind beggar with his comedic pet monkey Saru, but together they are frighteningly fierce. Pick one of these masters to join with the yeti in the battle for dominance of Yashima.