A.D.A.P.T.
A.D.A.P.T. Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Description
A.D.A.P.T. requires a full set of 7 polyhedral Dice, per player, to play, including a: d4, d6, d8, 2 d10s, a d12, and a d20. Dice are available separately for your convenience, as you may already own them. (Free dice rolling apps may also be used.)
Object
Spend experience to upgrade your Fish in whatever way necessary to survive, then Attack the other Fish, or trick them into destroying themselves. Play continues until there is only one, really strange and powerful, Master Fish alive in the Sea!
Winning & Losing
Win Condition: Defeat all other players by dealing more Damage than they have Health.
Loss Condition: Be defeated by taking more Damage than you have Health.
Setup
- Each player starts with a Guppy card (choice) and an Experience Die (d20). Place the Guppy card face up as your Body, and set each Experience Die to 1. Set aside unused Guppy cards.
- Shuffle the remaining cards into a deck, and set it in the Common Play Area (see chart below).
- Deal cards face up into the Gene Stream, starting at the highest numbered slot, with space for a Discard Pile at the end.
Beginning Play
Adapting by Random Selection
- Each player rolls their percentile dice (using both d10s combined for a 1-100 roll; note that 00 + 1 = 1; & 00 + 0 = 100).
- The player with the highest roll applies the result first (see Random Selection Chart below).
Random Selection Chart:
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1-20 | Gain 4 Experience |
| 26-45 | Gain the card in Gene Stream Slot #1; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
| 46-65 | Gain the card in Gene Stream Slot #2; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
| 66-85 | Gain the card in Gene Stream Slot #3; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
| 81-100 | Gain the card of your choice from the Gene Stream; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
Source note: the chart is reproduced as printed. Its ranges contain two apparent typographical gaps and overlaps: rolls 21-25 are not listed, and the Slot #3 range (66-85) overlaps the "choice" range (81-100). The source does not state a resolution, so none is applied here.
- The Player with the next highest roll applies their result next. Continue until all players have resolved their roll.
- The Player who rolled highest takes the first Player Turn.
Player Turns
- At the start of your turn you gain +3 Experience just for surviving this long.
- Reminder: Experience is tracked on the d20, which should be kept near your Personal Gene Pool (PGP).
- Take 1 Action from the list of Action Options (see list below).
- Cycle the Gene Stream (see Cycling the Gene Stream below).
- End turn. The next player, in clockwise order, takes the next Player Turn.
Action Options
- Adapt - Adapt a Body or Part from your PGP.
- Buy - Gain a new part from the Gene Stream by paying the listed Experience cost and immediately Adapting it (add it to your Fish). If the Body or Part bought is too high level to Adapt immediately, place it in your PGP for later use.
- Attack - See Attacking Rules below.
- Special Action - Use an acquired Special Action from an Adapted card.
- Wipe the Gene Stream - Place all cards in the GS onto the discard pile, face down, and gain a +3 Experience.
- If you cannot perform any of the above actions: you may Adapt by Random Selection (see "Can't Act" for details).
Adaptation & Buying Rules
- Your Body is the Core of your Fish and will restrict which Bodies and Parts you can and cannot Adapt, based on compared Body & Part Levels.
- You can only Adapt new Bodies by +1 level at a time. (Example: As a Level 1 ClownFish, you may buy any higher level Body, but you can't Adapt to a Level 3 Body until you have Adapted a Level 2 Body first.) Note: Gained but unAdaptable Bodies and Parts are stored away in your Personal Gene Pool (PGP).
- You can only Adapt Parts that are equal to or less than your Body's Level +2. (Example: As a Level 2 Body, you can equip any Level 1, 2, 3, or 4 Part, but not yet Level 5. Level 5 Parts can be Adapted only after a Level 3 Body is.)
- Guppies may always Adapt directly to a Level 1 or Level 2 Body.
- When you Adapt a Body or Part, place that Body or Part in its correct location on your Fish. You immediately gain all the listed benefits. If you already have a Body or Part at that location, Replace the old with the new by simply placing the new atop the old, and now use only the new Body or Part's bonuses; do not discard the replaced part.
- Auto Adapting - When your Experience total reaches 20 (the Max) for the first time in the game, you Auto Adapt your Body. Find the first available Body of the next higher Level than your currently equipped body, starting in your PGP, then in the GS at Slot (#4) #3, #2, #1, then in the deck by cycling the Gene Stream until you find one. Once the Body is found, Adapt it immediately. If the Body Card was not in your PGP at the time, you must pay Experience for this Auto Adaptation according to the Level of the Auto Adapted Body (see Auto Adaption cost chart). This may only be performed once per game, and is not optional. If this has not occurred until you have a Max Level body (Level 5), this will have no effect. Auto Adapting is a passive action; it does not take away from the rest of your turn.
Auto Adapting Cost Chart:
| New Body | Exp Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 4 | Guppies Auto Adapt to a Level 1 Body. |
| Level 2 | 8 | |
| Level 3 | 12 | |
| Level 4 | 16 | |
| Level 5 | 20 |
- You cannot lose as a result of Adapting. Therefore if, upon Adapting, your Total Health (TH) drops to below your Total Damage Taken (TDT), do not remove any Damage, rather you are treated as having 1 Health remaining until you Adapt more Health, or Heal accordingly.
Attacking
- Roll the die indicated on your Fish's body.
- Guppies can't attack unless they have at least +2 Ferocity Adapted; Guppy Attack die = any die; Odd = 1; Even = 2.
- Add your Total Ferocity score (totaling this value from your Body and all Adapted Parts) to the roll for your Attack Total.
- Compare your Attack Total vs. the Target Fish's Total Survival score (totaling this value from their Body and all Adapted Parts).
- If your Attack Total (AT) is greater than your Target's Total Survival (TS): you deal an amount of Damage equal to the amount you beat their Survival by PLUS your Total Lethality score (TL), up to a max of +4. Example: Your Attack Total = 12, while their TS = 10; you deal 2 Damage, plus any Lethality you may have, up to a max Lethality bonus of 4.
- Track your Damage Taken (Damage for short) using a d10 on your Body Card, when Damage exceeds 9, Damage should be kept track of with any unused die as the tens number, and the Damage d10 as the 1's (see dice diagram).
- If your Attack Total is less than your Target's Total Survival: always moving forward, you gain an amount of Experience equal to the amount you failed by, to a max of 5. (Example: Your Attack Total = 9, while their TS = 12; you gain 3 Experience).
- If your Attack Total is exactly equal to their TS, you deal 1 Damage, plus Lethality, and gain a flat +2 Experience.
Cycling the Gene Stream
- Cycling the Gene Stream involves performing the required actions in the following order:
- Remove any card(s) due to be removed (Bought, Randomly Selected, Wiped, or Expired).
- Slide any remaining card(s) down into higher numbered Slots, where applicable, maintaining their order.
- Shuffle the Discard Pile (only if the Deck is empty).
- Deal out the required new card(s), starting with the highest numbered empty slots first.
- In any Player Turn where the GS does not have at least 1 card removed from it, the card in the highest numbered Slot (closest to the Discard Pile) expires and is placed on the discard pile, the remaining cards slide down, and a new card is added to Slot #1.
Personal Gene Pool (PGP) Rules
- Your genetic holding cell for Bodies and Parts you gain but can't yet Adapt, through purchase or Random Selection.
- You can only have 3 Cards in your PGP at a time.
- You cannot buy a Body of equal or lower level than is currently in your Total Gene Pool (TGP), that is: your Fish plus your PGP combined, unless all other Players already have an equal or higher level Body. You can always buy lower level Parts.
- If, via Random Selection, you gain an un-Adaptable Body or Part, that would end up the 4th un-Adaptable Body or Part (PGP is already full), discard it. You do not select a new card.
Can't Act
You can't act if:
- You can't Adapt from your PGP - if you don't have any cards in it, or the ones you have are too high in Level for your Body.
- You can't wipe the GS if there is a Body in the GS that another Player could Adapt if bought (Example: Any other Player is Body Level 1, and there is Level 2 Body in the GS.)
- You can't buy any Body or Part from the Gene Stream - if you can't afford to pay the listed Experience Cost on a card; if the Body is one that prevents you from wiping the Gene Stream and you are already an equal or higher level Body than it; if the Body or Part would be the 4th part to add to your PGP.
- You can't Attack - if you are a Guppy with Total Ferocity of 2 or less; or the enemy has become unAttackable (Hide, jump, etc).
- You can't use a Special Action - if you don't have one or are not allowed to use it at this time.
If you can't act during your turn, you may choose to Adapt by Random Selection, as you did during Set Up. The Body or Part gained in this way will be Adapted if possible. If your Random Selection results in taking a Body that is equal or lower Level than one you already have, it is left in the Gene Stream and your Random Selection is over. If you Adapt by Random Selection and gain a card that you can't yet Adapt while your PGP is full, you must discard that part, you do not draw a replacement. Adapting by Random Selection, successfully or not, ends your turn.
Fish School - Definitions of Terms & Bonuses
- Adapt - Adding a Body or Part to your Fish. This can happen directly from the Gene Stream, from your Personal Gene Pool (PGP), or as a result of Random Selection. The new Body or Part should be put in the proper location in your playing area.
- Amphibious - Passive Bonus: Grants a +1 bonus to both Hide & Jump Scores, but does not grant either Special Action.
- Armor - Passive Bonus: Anytime Damage is taken Armor will reduce the Damage by the Total Armor (TA), with a max TA of 2. Armor can reduce Damage down to 0. Armor does not reduce Poison, School, or Shock Damage, but will reduce Counter Damage. Armor does not affect chance of poisoning, or other additional effects of an attack, even if Damage is reduced to 0.
- Bait - Special Action: You may spend 2 Experience to bait a Fish of your choice into attacking you on their next turn. The targeted Fish must roll a d10; if the # rolled is equal to or lower than your total Bait Score their Fish must Attack you as their Action on that Fish's next turn. After use of Bait, while it is still your turn, you may also use a Buy or Adapt action; or end your turn normally.
- Cooldown - At the moment you use an action with Cooldown, place any unused die showing the total Cooldown value next to your Experience d20. Actions in Cooldown can't be used. At the start of each of your turns, when you gain Experience, also lower the Cooldown timer die by 1; when it reaches zero remove it from play and you are free to use that Action again.
- Counter Attack - Passive Bonus: Anytime the Fish is Attacked and at least 1 Damage is Dealt to it, the Attacking Fish takes Damage equal to the Total Counter Attack score (TCA), with a max TCA of 3.
- Counter Poison - Passive Bonus: This ability works exactly as Venomous except the chance to Poison is only rolled after the Fish with this ability has been successfully attacked. Venomous and Counter Poison bonuses do not stack, though the poison Damage caused by them does, with the same max of 2.
Multi-Player Rules (3-5 Players)
The core game is designed for 2-3 players; and while play with 4 or more is possible it is best recommended after adding one or more of the Red (Octo), Blue (Fantasy), or Green (Reptile & Amphibian) expansion packs. Then we recommend up to 5 players; though 6 and 7 would be playable with 3 or more expansions included.
- For each Player beyond the 2nd, add 1 extra Slot to the Gene Stream.
- For each Player beyond the 2nd, all Fish gain an additional +1 Experience at the start of their turn just for surviving that long, to a max of 5.
- With 3 or more players, Wiping the GS grants +4 Experience.
- With 4 or more players Bodies up to 2 Levels higher than your current Body may be Adapted at all times; when doing so there is an additional cost in Experience equal to the level of the body Skipped x2. (Example: If your Fish currently has a Level 2 Body, and you would like to Adapt a Level 4 Body, at the time of Adapting you must pay 6 Experience [Level 3 x2].) If you do not have enough Experience, the Adaptation cannot yet occur. (This extra Experience cost does not apply when Adapting a Level 2 Body from a Guppy Body.)
Three Player Random Selection Chart
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1-10 | Gain 4 Experience |
| 11-30 | Gain the Card in Gene Stream Slot #1; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
| 31-50 | Gain the Card in Gene Stream Slot #2; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
| 51-70 | Gain the Card in Gene Stream Slot #3; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
| 71-90 | Gain the Card in Gene Stream Slot #4; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
| 91-100 | Gain the Card of your choice from the Gene Stream; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
Four Player Random Selection Chart
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1-10 | Gain 4 Experience |
| 11-25 | Gain the Card in Gene Stream Slot #1; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
| 26-40 | Gain the Card in Gene Stream Slot #2; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
| 41-55 | Gain the Card in Gene Stream Slot #3; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
| 56-70 | Gain the Card in Gene Stream Slot #4; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
| 71-85 | Gain the Card in Gene Stream Slot #5; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
| 86-100 | Gain the Card of your choice from the Gene Stream; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
Five Player Random Selection Chart
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1-5 | Gain 4 Experience |
| 6-20 | Gain the Card in Gene Stream Slot #1; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
| 21-35 | Gain the Card in Gene Stream Slot #2; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
| 36-50 | Gain the Card in Gene Stream Slot #3; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
| 51-65 | Gain the Card in Gene Stream Slot #4; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
| 66-80 | Gain the Card in Gene Stream Slot #5; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
| 81-95 | Gain the Card in Gene Stream Slot #6; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |
| 96-100 | Gain the Card of your choice from the Gene Stream; Adapt it if able, or add it to your Personal Gene Pool - Cycle the Gene Stream |