Ancient Blood: The Order of Vampire Hunters Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
  • Hunter Dashboard
  • Ability Cards
  • Item Cards
  • Parchment Cards / Weapon Cards
  • Ammunition Cards
  • Combined Attack Reference Cards
  • Vampire ID Cards
  • Terror Cards
  • Location Cards
  • Elder Dashboard
  • Elder Ability Card and Health Point
  • Map Tiles and Related Components
• Introduction
  • Narrative Components
  • Main Settings
  • Game Objective
  • The Hunters
• The Hunter Dashboard
  • Hunter Attributes
• Game Setup
  • Hunter Setup
  • General Setup
• How to Play
  • Time and the Four Environments
  • Activation Order
• Game Environments
  • The Village
  • The Path (Path Cards)
  • The Vampire Dens
  • The Elder's Lair
• Hunter Actions
  • MOVE Action
  • EVADE Action
  • RETREAT Action
  • TRADE Action
  • PICK UP Action
  • DROP Action
  • BUY and SELL Action
  • TRANSFORM Action
  • DIG FREE Action
  • ATTACK Action
    • Resolving Attacks
  • Ranged Attacks: Range and Line of Sight
• Special Abilities
  • Vampire Blood
  • Ability Activation
  • Organizing Ability Cards
  • Attributes
  • Using an Active Ability
• Item Cards
  • Items with Special Effects
  • Weight Limit and Carried Items
• The Clock
  • Sunset Phase
  • Awakening Phase
  • Sunrise Phase
• The Enemies
  • Vampires
  • Sleeping Vampires
  • The Gantz
  • Creatures
  • Enemy Activation
  • Enemy Activation Phases
    • 1) Resolve Instruction 1
    • 2) Attack on the Active Hunter
    • 3) Resolve Instruction 2
    • Restraining an Enemy's Movement
      • Performing an Agility test
• Let's Play
  • Game Modes
  • Standalone game
  • Campaign game
    • General Notes
    • Starting Coins and Shared Wallet
    • Saving the Game
    • Campaign Progress
• Time to Dive into the Adventure
  • Preparing the Path Deck
    • Core box
    • Unholy cloister
    • Wallakian
    • Kirninian
  • Stretch goals
    • Milleterre
    • Vlad
• Attribute Tests
  • How does it work
  • Token Attribute Bonus
  • Who Must Take the Test?
    • All-Test (Individual Effect)
    • All Test (Group Effect)
• The Village
  • Village Setup
    • Church
    • House
    • Emporium
    • Black Market
    • Inn
    • Blacksmith
  • How to Play in the Village
    • Location Events
  • Leaving the Village
• Path Cards
  • Encounter
  • Encounter Setup
• The Vampire Den
  • Den Setup
  • Let's dive into the details
    • Den Exploration
    • Let's start!
    • Resolving a Terror Card
    • Dead Body
    • Special Event
    • At the Awakening Phase
  • Interaction with Tokens
    • Barricades
    • Barrels and Crates
    • Debris
• The Elder
  • Setup
  • Health Points
• Victory Conditions
• Special Rules
  • Playing Turned Hunters
  • 0 Health Points
  • Transfusion
  • Playing with Two Hunters
    • Team Composition
    • Component Variants
    • Terror Cards
    • Creature ID Cards
    • Vampire Den Entrances
    • Elder
  • Easy Mode and Introductory Modes
    • Intro Mode
• Icon Reference
• Summary
  • Hunter Activations
  • Enemy Activations
  • The Awakening

Game Components

Hunter Dashboard

1. Attribute values. A. Faith B. Intelligence C. Agility D. Persuasion E. Diplomacy F. Occult
2. Class icon.
3. Name and image.
4. Health Points.
5. Injected Vials Area.
6. Maximum Weight Hunter can carry.
7. Melee Attack stats.
8. Range: measured in areas.
9. Boarded Window Icon: can destroy window barricades.
10. Melee Attack Bonus and dice.
11. Ranged Attack stats.
12. Noise icon: equipment is noisy and will wake all sleeping Vampires in the room.
13. Ranged Attack Bonus and dice.
14. Minimum Attack Speed Required (MASR).
15. Defense bonuses.
16. Defense dice.

Ability Cards

1. Starting Equipment.
2. Attribute icons.
3. Bonus.
4. Link icons.

Item Cards

1. Item icon.
2. Weight.
3. Image.

Parchment Cards / Weapon Cards

BACK "Parchment"

1. Name and image.
2. Icons of the items needed to assemble the Weapon.

FRONT "Weapon"

1. Class icon and Critical Hit icon.
2. Weight.
3. Noise icon.
4. Amount of ammunition that can be loaded.
5. Weapon image.
6. Ammunition icon.
7. Attack Bonus and dice.
8. Boarded Window icon: can destroy Window Barricades.
9. Fragile icon.
10. Weapon's range.

Ammunition Cards

1. Image.
2. Weight.
3. Ammunition icon.
4. Range: measured in Areas.

Combined Attack Reference Cards

1. Card name.
2. Unique description.
3. Cost: paid by the Hunters.
4. Reward: for the Hunters.

Vampire ID Cards

1. Night icon.
2. Vampire Movement.
3. Health Points.
4. Reward when killed.
5. Rampage.
6. Initiative.
7. Range: measured in Areas.
8. Critical Hit icon.
9. Attack Bonus and dice.
10. Minimum Attack Speed Required (MASR).
11. Defense Bonuses and dice.
12. Special Ability.
13. Day icon.

Terror Cards

1. Vampires or Tokens that come into play.
2. Location for placing miniatures or Tokens.
3. Number of players.

Location Cards

1. Event description.
2. Number of items available in this location.
3. Type of items available in this location.
4. Cost for purchase of that item.
5. Proceeds/value for sale of that item.
6. Event book entry number.

Elder Dashboard

1. Day icon.
2. Elder Movement.
3. Name and image.
4. Reward when killed.
5. Rampage.
6. Initiative.
7. Range: measured in Areas.
8. Attack Bonus and dice.
9. Minimum Attack Speed Required (MASR).
10. Defense Bonuses and dice.
11. Night icon.

Elder Ability Card and Health Point

1. Attack-related Special Ability.
2. Card effect.
3. Health points.
4. Defense-related Special Ability.

Map Tiles and Related Components

1. Map tile.
2. Room. Note that Rooms have Spawn Locations.
3. Area. Smaller sections inside Rooms, defined by pale white lines.
4. Numbered Spawn Locations.
5. Line-of-sight icon.
6. Open Door Token.
7. Unexplored Room Token.
8. Boarded Window Token.
9. Objective Token.

Introduction

Narrative Components

Your experience will unfold through the pages of two essential books:

• The Story Book, which will guide you step by step through the main narrative, made up of branching paragraphs and choices that shape your destiny.
• The Event Book, where you'll find encounters, surprises, and additional challenges tied to cards, random events, and travel moments.

The story will conclude with either your victory or the fall of your group, but every step of the journey will test your courage and determination.

Main Settings

The Hunters' journey will lead them through various environments, each with its own dangers and opportunities, where your actions truly come to life:

Villages. Safe havens where you can explore, gather resources, uncover information, and prepare for your next mission.

The Path. Your journey from one location to another, rife with unpredictable events and dangerous encounters.

Dens. Dark, infested lairs where you must hone your skills, eliminate creatures of the night, and recover key objectives for your cause.

The Elder's Lair. The final, and most decisive, confrontation against the powerful Elder threatening everything you hold dear.

Game Objective

Your mission is clear but ruthless: survive the challenges, join forces, and reach the final showdown with the Elder. Only by standing together can you hope to defeat it and put an end to the ancient evil.

The story will conclude with either your victory or the fall of your group, but every step of the journey will test your courage and determination.

The Hunters

At the heart of Ancient Blood are the Hunters, fearless and determined heroes trained to face and destroy the creatures of the night. They are the last line of defense against the ancient evil, ready to sacrifice themselves to stop the Elders and save the world. Each Hunter of the core box belongs to one of the four classes available in the game, each with its own combat style, strengths, and role within the group.

At the beginning of each game, players choose which Hunter class to play. Your chosen class will define how you confront threats, the tactics you rely on, and the abilities you'll develop throughout the game.

Class	Role	Key Traits
Warrior (Kurt)	Melee fighter	Strong against slow and tough enemies, less agile
Assassin (Giselle)	Ranged attacker	Effective against fast and agile vampires
Healer (Ellie)	Support and fast attacks	Can heal and strike, very versatile
Tank (Otto)	Durable and powerful defender	Absorbs damage, ideal against slow and strong enemies

Expansions add new Hunters, allowing you to mix and match to create your ideal party and customize your playstyle. When forming a team, always check the Hunter's attack stats to ensure a good balance between speed and power.

For your first game, start with the four Hunters included in the core box. Once you're familiar with the game mechanics, you can experiment by choosing different Hunters and combining them to create a well-balanced combat team.

Note: From this point on, the rules assume a game with four Hunters in play. For games with two or three Hunters, refer to the special rules section: Playing with Two Hunters.

The Hunter Dashboard

The Hunter Dashboard is the core of your character, the central hub where you'll find all the essential information needed to survive the horrors ahead. It displays your Hunter's identity, class, attributes, and combat statistics, as well as tracks health, blood vial usage, and carried weight. Each Dashboard is uniquely tailored to its Class, reflecting that Hunter's strengths, weaknesses, and combat style.

From the Dashboard, you'll know how many dice to roll during tests, how much damage you can endure before being defeated, and the strength of your weapons. Think of it as your command center, keep it close, and keep it updated as the battle against darkness unfolds.

Hunter Attributes

Attributes are divided into three categories: Core Traits, Physical Traits, Combat stats.

Core Traits (1). These attributes are used to take tests that you will encounter throughout the story and various events. Passing or failing these tests will influence the outcome of the narrative, often changing the course of your adventure.

• Faith: Represents spiritual strength, conviction, and resistance to fear or corruption.
• Intelligence: Measures reasoning, memory, and problem-solving ability.
• Agility: Reflects balance, reflexes, and finesse.
• Persuasion: Determines charm and the ability to influence others.
• Diplomacy: Governs empathy, tact, and conflict resolution.
• Occult: Indicates knowledge of forbidden, mystical, or hidden forces.

Physical Traits (2). These statistics define the Hunter's resilience in battle, how much gear they can carry, and how much Vampire Blood they can endure before suffering harm.

• Health Points (HP): The amount of damage your Hunter can endure before being defeated.
• Maximum Weight: The total weight of items your Hunter can carry.
• Broken Vials: The number of Vampire Blood vials you can inject before suffering a wound.

Combat Stats (3). Combat stats are used to resolve both melee and ranged attacks with your Hunter's built-in weapons, as well as to resist or dodge incoming attacks. These stats combine icon values with dice rolls.

Icons:

• Speed: How fast and precise your attacks are.
• Hit: The raw power and impact of your strikes.
• Dodge: Your ability to evade incoming attacks.
• Shield: Represents your physical resilience and ability to absorb damage.

Dice:

Dice introduce an element of randomness to both attacks and defenses.

• Attack Dice:
  • Blue Die: Focused on strength (more Hit, less Speed).
  • Green Die: Focused on agility (more Speed, less Hit).
• Defense Dice:
  • Red Die: Focused on resilience (Contains a Shield).
  • Yellow Die: Focused on evasiveness (more Dodge).

Use these tools wisely; the combination of icons and dice defines your fighting style and survivability in the face of the ever-growing darkness.

Some Enemies are slow but powerful, requiring strength and heavy weapons to bring them down. Others are fast and agile, making it difficult to hit them with large, heavy gear. In those cases, a quick and precise weapon like a crossbow is far more effective.

Game Setup

Before beginning your adventure, it's important to set up the play area and distribute components to each player. Follow these steps for a quick and organized setup.

Hunter Setup

Each player chooses one of the four classes and sets up their personal play area by following these steps:

• Place the Hunter dashboard with the "Hunter" side face up.
• Select and place the 2 starting Ability cards for the chosen class, identified by the red corner. Then, take any Vial of Vampire Blood or Attribute Bonus Token shown at the top of those cards.
• Take your Hunter miniature, attach the blue identification ring to its base, and place it next to your Dashboard.

General Setup

Proceed with setting up the shared play area:

• Keep the Enemy ID Cards within easy reach.
• Place the Clock and the Item Deck on the table.
• Shuffle separately and prepare the following decks:
  • Path Deck.
  • Terror Deck.
  • Elder Ability Deck.
  • Parchment Deck.
• Shuffle the 6 Location decks separately and place them on the table:
  • House.
  • Blacksmith.
  • Inn.
  • Emporium.
  • Black Market.
  • Church.
• Shuffle the Combined Attack deck and draw 4 cards, place them next to the play area, they will be immediately available to the Hunters during the game.
• Place the dice within reach of all players.
• Separate and organize all tokens by type.
• Keep the Event Book within easy reach, and take the Storybook in hand, it's time to begin your journey.

How to Play

The game begins with the reading of the story's introductory paragraph. One player reads aloud, drawing everyone into the atmosphere of the adventure.

At the end of this introduction, a numbered entry will be indicated. Entries are the fragments that make up the story, each one describing a moment, a place, or an event.

As you progress through the reading, each entry will either lead to the next or present you with choices. In such cases, players will discuss together which path to follow. The story unfolds step by step, following the thread laid out by the entries.

But before diving into gameplay, let's go over the core rules of the game.

Time and the Four Environments

Throughout the game, the Hunters will explore four main environments: the Village, the Path, the Vampire Dens, and the Elder's Lair. These environments are explained later on, but first, it's important to introduce a key element of the game, Time, which is tracked using the Clock.

During the reading of narrative scenes in the Story Book, time flows freely, and the Clock is not used. However, when the action shifts to one of the four main environments, time becomes a concrete and measurable element. The Clock comes into play, marking turns and regulating the activation of Hunters and Enemies.

In these action phases, the game uses the Clock to track the passing of rounds. Each round represents a cycle during which the Characters perform their actions.

The Clock is divided into two main periods: Day, when Hunters act first and the shadows are less threatening, and Night, when the vampires awaken and the fight becomes more intense.

The transition from Day to Night, and vice versa, marks the beginning of special phases called Sunset and Sunrise, moments when the world shifts and the rules adapt to the new balance of power.

In the following chapters, you will discover how this rhythm sets the pace of every battle and influences every tactical decision.

When the Clock comes into play in the four main environments, each round unfolds through the alternating actions of Hunters and enemies.

The setup of each scenario instructs players to prepare the clock by placing the clock marker at the time specified in the setup instructions. When the current round ends, advance the clock marker one position clockwise and begin the next round.

The cycle is divided into Day and night.

• During the Day, the light guides the Hunters, who activate first. Only after them do the enemies act, still asleep or hiding in the shadows.
• During the Night, the balance shifts. The enemies act first, launching ferocious attacks. The Hunters must move carefully, responding to enemy actions and preparing their counterattack.

During each round, players decide together in which order to activate their Hunters. Each Hunter performs 3 actions once per round. After a Hunter finishes their activation, the Enemies activate.

This rhythm of activation creates a dangerous dance between light and shadow, where every decision can change the course of the battle.

Activation Order

As mentioned, the game unfolds in a series of structured rounds, where Hunters and Enemies take turns activating.

An exception is made for phases set in the Villages, where no enemies are present. In this case, only the Hunters take actions.

The activation proceeds as follows:

Day

During the day, the activation follows this pattern:

1. Players choose one Hunter to activate.
2. After that Hunter completes their turn, all enemies activate.
3. Players choose the second Hunter to activate.
4. Again, after that Hunter completes their turn, all enemies activate.
5. The process continues until all Hunters have taken their turn once.

The activation order of the Hunters is freely decided by the group at the beginning of each round.

Night

At night, the activation is reversed:

1. Players choose one Hunter to activate.
2. Before that Hunter acts, all enemies activate specifically in response to them. Enemies move, attack, or react in relation to that Hunter.
3. After the enemy activation, the chosen Hunter takes their turn.
4. Players choose the next Hunter to activate.
5. Enemies activate again, this time in response to the second Hunter.
6. After the enemy activation, the second Hunter takes their turn.
7. This alternating pattern continues until all Hunters have taken their turn once.

Even at night, the activation order of the Hunters is freely decided by the group at the beginning of the round.

Game Environments

During the adventure, the Hunters will operate within different environments, each with its own layout. It's important to understand how the game space is structured in each setting, as many actions, such as moving, attacking, or interacting, depend on this configuration.

The Village

In the Village, the map is made up of a series of Location cards laid out on the table. Each card represents a place that Hunters can visit, such as the House, Blacksmith, Inn, Church, and so on.

• Hunters explore the Village by moving from one location to another.
• There are no tiles and no divisions into areas.
• There are no enemies present; the Village is a safe zone dedicated to management, exploration, and preparation.

The Path (Path Cards)

During the reading of the story, some entries will instruct you to draw a Path Card. Paths represent events, obstacles, or encounters the Hunters face while traveling from one place to another.

• In many cases, a Path is resolved simply by reading the text on the card.
• However, some Paths contain an encounter, in which case a tile is placed on the table to physically represent the location of the event.

Path Cards can therefore be simple narrative events or trigger full tactical encounters on the map.

The Vampire Dens

The Dens are dark and dangerous places, where Vampires sleep during the day and plot from the shadows at night. These environments are the beating heart of horror, ruined manors, haunted crypts, or abandoned houses where silence is broken only by the breath of the undead.

Each Den is made up of a set of interconnected tiles, forming a maze of rooms.

Hunters must move carefully through the interior areas, explore unrevealed rooms, confront Vampires, and reach their objective.

The Elder's Lair

The Elder's Lair is the heart of Evil. This is where the dark intelligence behind everything hides, the place where ancient blood still pulses beneath the surface of the world.

The lair is usually made up of a single tile. Its architecture is minimal, as if space itself bends to the Elder's will. Here too, the battlefield is divided into Areas, and movement and line of sight follow the same rules as in other locations.

But every step into the Lair is a step into the unknown... and toward the final, dreadful battle.

Hunter Actions

During their turn, each Hunter may perform up to 3 Actions. The player is free to choose which actions to perform and in which order. The same action may be repeated multiple times during the same turn, unless stated otherwise.

The available actions are:

• Move
• Evade
• Retreat
• Trade
• Pick Up
• Drop
• Buy and Sell
• Transform
• Dig Free
• Attack

Let's take a closer look at them in detail.

MOVE Action

During their turn, a Hunter may move by spending 1 Action.

Movement in the Village. In the Village, Hunters move between locations (cards) placed on the table.

• By spending 1 Action, a Hunter may move from one location to another.
• A Hunter may enter a location that contains other Hunters.
• There are no Enemies in the Village, so movement is always free and does not require any tests or restrictions.

Movement in Other Settings (See also Encounters, Dens, Elder's Lair). In the other game environments, Hunters move between adjacent areas on a tile.

• By spending 1 Action, a Hunter may move to an adjacent area.
• In the Dens, to move from one room to another, there must be an open door connecting the two areas.
• Walls block movement and cannot be crossed.
• A Hunter may enter an area that contains other Hunters or Enemies.

However, if a Hunter tries to leave their current area while one or more Enemies are present, they must attempt to Evade.

EVADE Action

When a Hunter attempts to leave an area occupied by one or more Enemies, they must perform an evade action to avoid being blocked.

There are three ways to evade:

1. Agility Test: Hunters may leave an Area containing Enemies by attempting an Agility test.

   The target value to beat in the Agility test is the highest Rampage value among all enemies in the area.

   If the Hunter fails the test, they cannot move, but one of their three Actions is still spent.

2. Using Garlic: As an Evade action, the Hunter may discard a Garlic Item card to move into an adjacent Area. (See also "Item Cards" below)

3. Evade at a Price: There is a third way to Evade, though it is the most costly. By spending 1 Action, the Hunter suffers 1 Wound for each Enemy in the Area, then moves to an adjacent Area.

Let's look at an example of the Move and Evade actions.

Figure 5. Here in Figure 5, Kurt can move into the two Areas marked with the green arrows. Both moves are to open adjacent Areas and the presence of the Gantz does not prevent Kurt entering that Area at the bottom.

However, he cannot move into the next Room, because there is no door separating the two Areas: it is a solid wall. The situation is different for Giselle, as she is near an open door, which allows her to enter the Room.

However, there are two enemy characters in her starting Area, so she cannot simply move, she must evade.

Figure 6. In the example shown in Figure 6, Giselle attempts to Evade by rolling two dice for her Agility test, as indicated on her Dashboard. The value to beat is the Shibas' Rampage Value, which is higher than the Vasha's. So, in order to move, Giselle needs a 5+. If she passes, she can move; otherwise, she cannot, and the Action is lost.

RETREAT Action

Sometimes a battle can become too difficult to sustain, and the Hunters may decide to retreat to reorganize their strategy. This action is available in the Den and Elder Lair scenarios.

To perform the Retreat Action, the following conditions must be met:

• The active Hunter must be in an Area that contains an open door or a broken window.
• The Hunter spends 1 Action to retreat.

As soon as one Hunter performs this action, the group ends the encounter and immediately returns to the Story Book, following the narrative instruction of the Entry to read to continue after the retreat.

Note: Retreat ends the encounter for all Hunters, not just the active one.

TRADE Action

An active Hunter may spend 1 Action to exchange Items with another Hunter in the same Area.

• Both Hunters may freely swap any number of cards and tokens, respecting weight limits.
• Ability cards cannot be traded.

Each Trade Action involves only two Hunters. If the active Hunter wants to trade with a third companion, they must spend another Action.

PICK UP Action

If the active Hunter is in an Area with one or more tokens or cards, they may spend one Action to pick up all of them and add them to their Inventory.

DROP Action

The active Hunter may spend 1 Action to drop cards or tokens from their Inventory; they may drop any number of cards or tokens.

Dropped items are placed in the Hunter's current Area, and can be picked up later by other Hunters.

• Ability cards cannot be dropped.

BUY and SELL Action

In some situations, such as during the Village scenario, Hunters may buy and sell Items.

Wallet. Hunters share a single wallet to store all coins gained during the adventure. They can spend these coins to purchase Items or perform other Actions.

Whenever coins are earned or spent, update the wallet's total. Players may take note of their wallet contents on a piece of paper.

Buy. When a Hunter buys something, decrease their Wallet by the value of the Item, then draw the Item card or take the Token you just bought. One Action = buy one card or one Token.

Here is the list of items in the game:

Figure 8. The first column (a) indicates the number of available items. The second column (b) indicates the type of items. The third column (c) indicates the cost to buy that item, while the last column (d) indicates the reward to sell that item.

On this location, there are: 1 Silver, 2 Black Powders, 1 Metal, 3 Herbs, and 1 Wood. Kurt uses an Action to buy some Black Powder. He spends 15 coins. The Wallet value was 40 – 15 = 25 coins.

Note: If the price of the Item is "0", just spend one Action to take the Item without spending any money.

Sell. Hunters may sell Items. When an Item or Token is sold, add the respective value to their wallet and discard the card or the Token. One Action = sell one card or one Token.

Usually, Hunters may sell items in the village, and they have to be in a Location that allows Hunters to sell that particular Item. Hunters may only sell items indicated on that location card.

Figure 7.

Figure 9. Kurt spends one Action to sell the Black Powder. The wallet, which contained 40 coins, gains 10 coins from the sale, bringing the total to 50 coins.

Figure 10.

TRANSFORM Action

During the game, Hunters can obtain Parchment Cards. These cards represent blueprints for forging powerful weapons.

When you draw a Parchment Card, you always draw it from the bottom of the deck.

These cards can be transformed into powerful weapons.

Requirements. To craft a weapon from a Parchment, the Hunter must meet all of the following conditions:

1. Possess all the materials listed on the Parchment (e.g., Wood, Silver).
2. Be at the Blacksmith location in a Village.
3. Be able to pay the "Transform Coin Cost" shown on the Blacksmith card.

Transform. Once all requirements are met, the Hunter may spend 1 Action to transform the Parchment into a weapon by performing these steps:

• Discard the required materials.
• Pay the listed coin cost.
• Flip the Parchment from the blueprint side to the weapon side.

The weapon is now ready to be used.

Note: When attacking with a Weapon crafted from a Parchment, its statistics replace those on the Hunter Dashboard. You may still apply any bonuses from Ability cards.

There are 2 types of weapons you can craft: Melee weapons and Ranged weapons.

Melee Weapons and the Fragile Icon. Melee weapons are used against enemies in the same Area as the Hunter.

These weapons feature the Fragile icon, indicating that the weapon may break with use.

How it works (Fragile icon). Each weapon with the Fragile icon has 3 Integrity Points.

• Each time the weapon is used to attack, the player must roll the Breakage Die.
• If the Break symbol appears on the die, place 1 Wound token on the weapon card.
• When a weapon accumulates 3 Wound tokens, it breaks. The damage from the current attack is applied as normal, then the card is discarded and removed from the game, and cannot be used for the rest of the Story.

Ranged Weapons and Ammunition. Unlike melee weapons, Ranged weapons cannot be used immediately after crafting, as they require ammunition to function.

Hunters can purchase ammunition such as Silver Bullets or Wooden Stakes from the Blacksmith.

Each weapon type uses a specific ammunition type, indicated by an icon at the bottom of the weapon card.

When a Hunter crafts a ranged weapon, it is initially unloaded. To make it usable, the player must load it by placing one or more compatible ammunition cards beneath it, up to the maximum allowed, also indicated by an icon on the weapon card.

Loading does not consume an Action.

The weapon's Range is not printed on the weapon card but on the ammunition card itself.

When performing an attack with a ranged weapon, the player must discard one loaded ammunition card. If the weapon is unloaded, it cannot be used until it is reloaded. A weapon's ammunition capacity is indicated by the number shown next to the small ammo icon.

Figure 11 shows how to load a weapon and how many ammunition cards it can load.

DIG FREE Action

During encounters in the Vampire Dens, crumbling structures may collapse, trapping Hunters beneath the Debris. (See also Vampire Dens)

A Hunter trapped under Debris must free themselves. To do so, there are two options:

• The trapped Hunter may spend 1 Action to dig themselves free.
• Another Active Hunter in the same Area may spend 1 Action to free them.

Once the Hunter is freed, the Debris token is removed from the game.

Note: A Hunter trapped under debris cannot defend. If attacked, they suffer all hits as wounds.

ATTACK Action

Combat is a two-step process where the active character makes an Attack and the target defends themselves. Both steps involve dice rolls and applicable bonuses. If the Attack succeeds, it inflicts a certain number of Wounds.

Melee and Ranged Attacks. Each Hunter has two basic weapons built into their dashboard: one for melee attacks and one for ranged attacks. As the game progresses, Hunters can craft new weapons by using Parchment cards (see also "Transform action").

Melee Attack and Ranged Attack built-in weapons are indicated separately on the Hero Dashboard and have different bonuses and dice.

• Melee Attacks (1)
  • Can only be made against other characters in the same Area as the Attacker.
• Ranged Attacks (2)
  • Some characters have Weapons or Abilities that can make Ranged Attacks.
  • The procedure is the same as for Melee Attacks, with the only difference being the use of Range and Line of Sight to select a valid target.

Resolving Attacks

The steps of a combat are:

• Pre-Attack Options.
• Roll for the Attack.
• Add any bonuses and special Abilities to the Attack roll.
• Check the MASR of the Defender to see if the Attack is valid.
• If the Attack is valid, the Defender rolls for Defense.
• Add any bonuses and special Abilities to the Defense roll.
• Compare the final Attack and Defense values.
• If the Attack succeeds, deal the Wounds.

Here is the explanation of each phase.

Pre-Attack Options

• Before the Attack, the Hunter may discard any number of "Holy Water" Item cards to enhance their strikes. Each card discarded provides a +1 Hit bonus. (See Item Card below.)
• Before the attack, a Hunter may push their body to the limit, suffering 1 Wound to gain +1 Speed on their attack. This can be done only once per attack.

Roll for Attack

Roll the number and type of dice indicated on the Hunter Dashboard if you are attacking with a Hunter, or on the ID Card if you are attacking with a Creature or Vampire.

Dice are shown by colored gems (blue or green) in the Melee or Ranged section. Roll one die of the corresponding color for each gem. For example:

• One blue gem = roll one blue die.
• One blue and one green gem = roll one blue and one green die.

Attack dice do not have numbers, but symbols for two different Attack values:

• Speed represents the speed of the attack.
• Hit represents the strength of the attack.

Add Attack Bonuses

Bonuses are indicated by the Speed and Hit symbols displayed on the Attacker's ID card or on Ability cards. For each symbol, add +1 to the corresponding result of the dice roll.

Example: If the Attacker has one Speed icon and two Hit icons, add +1 Speed and +2 Hits to the dice roll.

Check the MASR

Every character (Hunter or Enemy) has a MASR value, which stands for Minimum Attack Speed Required. This value represents the minimum Speed needed to successfully land a hit on that character.

It is represented by a number next to a speed symbol, shown inside a shield icon.

To be valid, the Speed generated by the Attack must be equal to or higher than the target's MASR.

If the Speed is lower than the Defender's MASR, the Attack automatically fails and the Action is wasted.

Example: MASR 3 means the attack must score 3 or more Speed icons.

Roll for Defense

If the attack is valid, the Defender rolls the dice indicated in the Defense Area of the Dashboard (for Hunters) or on the Creature/Vampire ID Card, using the same color gem system described for the Attack roll:

• Red gem: Red die
• Yellow gem: Yellow die

Like Attack dice, Defense dice do not have numbers. Instead, they show two different Defense symbols:

• Dodge: represents agility and the ability to avoid attacks.
• Shield: represents Toughness and resistance to direct hits.

Add Defense Bonuses

Add any bonuses shown on the Defender's card (ID, Dashboard, or Ability cards), just as in the Attack roll.

For example, if the Defender has one Dodge icon and two Shield icons, add +1 Dodge and +2 Shields to the result of the dice roll.

Compare Values

Once both Attack and Defense have been resolved, you will have the following:

• Speed and Hit values (from the Attacker)
• Dodge and Shield values (from the Defender)

Then resolve the comparison in this exact order:

1. For each Speed, the Defender discards one Dodge.
2. For each Dodge remaining, the Attacker discards one Hit.
3. For each Shield, the Attacker discards one Hit.
4. Any remaining Hits become Wounds.

Deal Wounds

Deal 1 Wound to the Defender for each remaining Hit. If no Hits remain, the Defender does not suffer any Wounds.

NOTE: If the Attack succeeds, it causes a certain number of Wounds. If a hit causes a Wound, give the target one Wound Token per Hit, until they have as many Wound Tokens as their Health Points. For unique miniatures, such as Hunters and Elders, you can place the Wound Tokens on the ID Card. For non-unique miniatures, it is best to place the Wound Tokens beside the actual miniature.

Figure 15. In Figure 15, the MASR of the Defender is 1. The Attack roll generated two Speeds, so the Attack is valid. The Attacker rolls two Hits and two Speeds and has two Hits as Bonus, as indicated on his dashboard. The value of their Attack is two Speeds and four Hits. The Defender rolls two Dodges, and has two Shields as a bonus. The value of their defense is two Dodges and two Shields.

• The two Speeds cancel the two Dodges.
• The two Shields block two Hits.
• The remaining two Hits cause two wounds to the Defender.

Ranged Attacks: Range and Line of Sight

To perform a Ranged Attack, two conditions must be met:

1. The target must be within the weapon's range.
2. There must be line of sight between the attacker and the target.

Range. Each ranged weapon shows a minimum and maximum distance, measured in Areas. The distance is calculated along the shortest path, not counting the Area where the attacker is located.

For example, if the target is in an adjacent Area, the distance is 1. If the weapon has a range of "1–2", it can hit targets at distances 1 or 2, but cannot hit an enemy in the same Area as the Hunter.

If the weapon has a single number, such as "3", it means it can only hit a target exactly 3 Areas away.

Figure 16. In Figure 16, Otto is surrounded by Vampires. He has two weapons, the Melee weapon with a Range of 0 and the Ranged weapon with a Range of 1. The Shibas (a) is in the same Area as Otto, so the Range is 0: he can attack it with his Melee weapon. Both the Vasha (b) and the Rukan (c) are at a Range of 1, so Otto can attack them with his Ranged weapon. The Gantz (d), however, is at a Range of two Areas, too far for Otto's Ranged weapon. He cannot attack the Gantz (d).

Line of Sight (LOS). The Attacker must be able to see the target. However, in the chaos of the Hunt, the Hunters and Vampires are in constant motion, and it is hard to hide. Only walls block LOS: No other objects block LOS, including other miniatures and Tokens. Draw a straight line between the LOS icons near the center of the Areas containing the Attacker and the target. If that line crosses a wall, then there is no LOS and that target cannot be attacked. If the line is unbroken, the Attacker has LOS.

Open Doors: Open Doors restrict LOS. LOS only extends to the Area immediately on the other side of an Open Door.

Door Tokens can move slightly during the game. Make sure the Token is centered on the wall section before checking LOS.

Figure 17. Figure 17 shows lines drawn between LOS markers for all Areas containing the Vampires that Otto might want to attack. The Attacker always has LOS to targets in their Area, so Otto definitely has LOS to the Shibas (a) beside him. Inside his Room, he also has LOS to the Vasha (b). There are clearly no obstructions on the horizontal green line drawn between the LOS Markers. Otto can shoot through the Open Door to the Rukan (c) in the next Room. The vertical green line goes through the Open Door. However, the Shibas (d) in the next Room and the Gantz (e) on the stairs cannot be targeted. The red line clearly crosses a wall. (Remember that LOS only extends to one Area immediately on the other side of an Open Door. Even if the line between LOS markers were unbroken and the Range was enough, Otto would not have LOS to the final Shibas (d) in the adjacent Room because it is too far through the Door.)

Critical Hits

A Critical Hit represents a particularly successful attack that always causes Wounds and cannot be defended against. The way it is handled differs slightly depending on whether the attacker is a Hunter or an Enemy.

Hunters. Critical hits always cause one Wound to the Defender. It is rolled by the blue die, but there are some conditions to respect in order to activate it:

A Hunter can score a Critical Hit only when attacking with a Weapon (Parchment) card that matches their class. Rolling the Critical Hit symbol with the basic weapon on the ID card, or with any weapon from a different class, has no effect.

Figure 18. In Figure 18, Kurt is equipped with a weapon card that matches his class. Therefore, any Critical Hit rolled when attacking with this weapon is valid.

Enemies. An Enemy can inflict a Critical Hit only if:

• Their ID card displays the Critical Hit symbol (1), or
• A Special Ability grants the Critical Hit (2).

In either case, rolling the Critical Hit symbol counts as a valid Critical Hit.

Note: The Critical Hit symbol may also appear in the Attack statistics of certain enemies (3). In this case, that enemy automatically inflicts 1 wound without needing to roll any dice.

Figure 19.

Special Attacks

Some weapons feature special icons that modify the behavior of an attack or produce environmental effects.

Noise Icon. Weapons with this icon generate noise and automatically awaken all Vampires in the Room when used.

• If the attack is made through an Open Door, Vampires in the adjacent Room are also awakened (See also Sleeping Vampires).
• The attack has no immediate effect, but the Vampires are now awake and ready to react on the next turn.

Boarded Window. Weapons with this icon can be used to destroy barricades on windows, flooding the room with sunlight. Windows have 1 Shield and 1 Wound, as indicated on their token, so they require at least 2 Hits to be destroyed.

• When an attack destroys a boarded window, flip its token to the sunlit side.
• During the Day, all Vampires in the room are destroyed by sunlight, but no Vials of Vampire Blood are gained for these Vampires.
• Leave the token on the board. During the Day Vampires cannot move into sun-lit rooms.

Note: If an attempt to destroy a Boarded Window fails, any sleeping Vampires in that room awaken.

Attacking Sleeping Vampires

During the day, Vampires are sleeping (see also the Vampire Den).

When Hunters manage to sneak up on a sleeping Vampire, they gain a strategic advantage.

A sleeping Vampire cannot defend itself; it does not roll defense dice and does not apply bonuses. However, its hearing remains active, and it can wake up if disturbed.

To eliminate a sleeping Vampire in a single blow, the attack must satisfy both of the following conditions.

1. The attack's Speed value must be equal to or greater than the Vampire's MASR.
2. The number of Hits rolled must be equal to or greater than its Health Points.

If both conditions are met, the Vampire is killed without any chance to defend.

If either condition is not met, the Vampire wakes up, and all Vampires in the room awaken.

• In that case, place Wound tokens next to the miniature to record the damage suffered.

Combined Attacks

Hunters can join forces to strike an enemy with a devastating blow. These attacks are represented by Combined Attack cards, each with its own conditions and effects.

Figure 20: example Combined Attack card. The card in Figure 20 is named DISTRACT. Its text reads: "A Hunter shoots an Enemy while another Hunter distracts it." Its effect reads: "The active Hunter makes a ranged attack on an Enemy when an inactive Hunter is in the same area as the Enemy. The active Hunter rolls +1 [Attack icon]." Its cost reads: "The active Hunter injects 2 [Vial icon]." Its reward reads: "Both Hunters get the full reward if the Enemy is Destroyed."

1. Each Combined Attack card describes the conditions required to perform the attack, in particular, the positions of the Hunters and the target. For example, some attacks require all participating Hunters to be in the same Area, while others require them to be in different Areas. If the specified conditions are not met, the card cannot be used.
   • The Active Hunter spends 1 Action to initiate the Combined Attack.
   • All other participating Hunters do not spend Actions, but must declare their participation and meet the card's requirements.
   • The attack follows the normal combat rules, but may have restrictions (for example, melee only or ranged only).
2. The card specifies how many Vial tokens or Items must be spent and by which Hunters. If any participant cannot or does not wish to pay the required cost, the attack cannot be executed.
3. Some Combined Attacks grant better rewards than a normal attack. Rewards are specified in the "Reward" section of the card.

Unconscious Hunters, Death and Turned Hunters

As previously stated, the consequence of attacks can be Wounds. When a character has wound tokens equal to their Health Points, they're defeated.

Resolve as follows:

• Enemies:
  • Remove their miniature from the board.
• Hunters:
  • Basic rules: A Hunter who reaches 0 Health Points loses consciousness and is removed from the encounter. They are rescued and revived when the party returns to a Church, but must remain there for the entire duration of the group's stay in the Village while the others explore its locations.
  • Advanced rules: A Hunter at 0 Health Points instead turns into a Vampire (see "Play as a Vampire").

Hunters can heal Wounds by using Item cards such as Herbs, Wine, or Food, or through certain Events.

Each Hunter has a personal deck of 10 Ability cards, tied to their class.

At the start of the game, each Hunter takes the two cards marked with a red corner from the deck whose class symbol matches the one on their ID card.

These are their starting Abilities.

These cards also indicate the starting equipment, which must be taken during Setup. This equipment usually includes Vials of Vampire Blood and Attribute test bonuses. The starting equipment is shown at the top of the card and is used only during Setup. (see Figure 21)

Figure 21.

At the end of each Story, after defeating the Elder, Hunters gain a new random Ability card from their deck.

Note: A Hunter can have a maximum of 5 Ability cards in their stack. Before starting a new Story, each player must choose up to 5 Ability cards from all those they own. Any cards not selected are set aside and cannot be used during that Story.

To activate these Abilities, the Hunter must inject a Vial of Vampire Blood.

Note: Each Ability may be activated only once per action. This means you cannot spend multiple Vials to activate the same Ability more than once during a single action.

Special Abilities

Special Ability cards enhance your Hunter's power, representing unique skills and traits developed through their battle against Vampires. These cards play a key role in gameplay and will be used frequently. Make sure to read the following rules carefully, as they are an essential part of your Hunter's toolkit.

Vampire Blood

Vampire Blood is a powerful but dangerous substance. When injected, it can trigger extraordinary abilities... but excessive use may transform the Hunter into the very thing they are fighting.

During the game, Hunters collect and use Vials of Vampire Blood.

NOTE: Use the dedicated tokens to track how many Vials each Hunter possesses.

Hunters can gain Vials in two main ways:

1. Defeating Enemies: They gain the number of Vials indicated on the ID card of the defeated enemy.
2. Events or Locations: Some Event or Location cards allow Hunters to obtain or purchase Vials.

Ability Activation

During a Hunter's activation, before performing their first Action, the player may organize their Ability cards. This step does not consume any Actions.

Note: During the Story Phase, when a Hunter must perform an attribute test, they become activated and may organize their Special Abilities, choosing one to use before rolling the dice.

Organizing Ability Cards

Organization consists of moving and combining Ability cards to connect the symbols on their edges.

Figure 22.

When two symbols match perfectly, the cards are considered connected, and the Attribute icons in the two or more connected slots become active.

Figure 23.

Only Abilities with at least one connected symbol are considered active. The two active Abilities are those directly adjacent to the connected symbol, one on the left and one on the right. Any other Abilities, including isolated cards, provide no bonuses.

Figure 24.

Attributes

Each Ability card displays a set of Attribute icons, such as Hit, Shield, Dodge, Reroll, and others.

When the Ability is active, all visible icons in those slots are considered available bonuses and can be used by the Hunter.

Figure 25. The image above shows a stack of five abilities. Arranged this way, three valid connections emerge, activating five different abilities. On the first line, it shows +1 Dodge, +1 Speed, and +1 on an Occult test; on the lower line, it shows +1 on a Diplomacy test and +1 Hit.

Using an Active Ability

To use an active Ability, the Hunter must inject 1 Vial of Vampire Blood for each Ability they wish to activate.

To do so:

1. Choose an active Ability whose bonuses you want to use.
2. Before performing the action to which you want to apply the bonuses (for example, an attack), inject 1 Vial by placing the token on the corresponding Ability (1).
3. At the end of the action, flip the used Vial token and place it in the "Injected Vial" space on the Hunter's dashboard (2).

Figure 26.

When the number of injected Vial tokens reaches the threshold shown on the dashboard, all tokens are discarded and the Hunter suffers 1 Wound.

Figure 27.

Note: The Vial token must be injected before the Action. The only exception is the Reroll bonus, which may be activated after the roll.

Let's see an example.

Figure 28. Giselle starts her activation, and she wants to attack the Vasha in her Room with her Crossbow. The Crossbow's Range is 1–2, so the target is within Range. Line of Sight is also valid.

Figure 29. Giselle wants to use her Ability for Ranged Attack "+1 hit".

Figure 30. At the moment, her Abilities are active on the top part, while the connection is on the top. She needs to activate the bottom part.

Figure 31. Since it is the start of her Activation, she can organize her Special Ability cards.

Figure 32. She organizes the cards so the two triangles on the bottom line match. Now she can use her "+1 hit" Ability.

Figure 33. She injects one Vial of Vampire blood, placing the Token on the Ability.

Figure 34. She performs the attack and rolls the die as indicated. She rolls one hit. She adds her attack bonuses and the Ability bonus. Her final Attack value is 3 Speeds and 3 Hits. The Vasha's MASR is 3. Giselle's attack has three Speed bonuses, so the attack is valid.

Figure 35. The Vasha rolls for defense. His final defense value is four Dodges.

Figure 36. 3 Speeds cancel three Dodges. The remaining Dodge cancels one of the three Hits. The Vasha suffers two Wounds.

Figure 37. Two Wound Tokens are placed beside the Vasha miniature, and one empty Vial Token is placed on Giselle's Dashboard.

Item Cards

During the adventure, Hunters collect and use various Item Cards, essential for survival and success in the fight against Vampires. Some items are used to assemble weapons, others provide immediate special effects during movement, combat, or healing, and others are essential for ranged weapons such as ammunition.

Items with Special Effects

Garlic. Garlic is a trusted defense against the creatures of the night. Its pungent presence repels Vampires, helping Hunters slip past them and evade Areas under their watch. If a Hunter is in an Area with enemies and wants to evade, they may discard one Garlic card. This allows them to automatically Evade the Area.

Holy Water. Holy Water is a powerful ally in combat. It can be splashed at close range or used to bless weapons and projectiles, empowering both melee and ranged attacks against Vampires.

Before rolling for an Attack action, a Hunter may discard any number of Holy Water cards, gaining +1 Hit for each card discarded. This bonus applies only to that Attack.

Herb. Herb is used to heal Hunters' Wounds.

By discarding 1 Herb card, a Hunter may heal 2 Wounds. This effect does not require an Action and can be activated at any time during their turn.

Healer class Hunters gain an enhanced benefit: by discarding 1 Herb card, they may choose to either heal 3 Wounds on themselves, or heal 3 Wounds on another Hunter in the same Area.

Wine and Food. Wine and Food cards may each be used individually to heal 1 Wound. However, if used together at the same time, they heal 4 Wounds. This effect does not require an Action and may be activated freely during the Hunter's turn.

Figure 38.

Note: If a certain Item runs out of cards, and none of that type remain in the deck, stop placing that Item.

Weight Limit and Carried Items

Each Hunter has a maximum carrying capacity shown on their personal dashboard. This value represents the weight limit they can carry during the hunt.

Many items found during the game, such as weapons or Item cards, have a weight value. Players must keep track of the total weight of items they carry, which can never exceed the limit shown on their dashboard.

This total includes all cards currently carried.

Important: If a Hunter exceeds their weight limit, they must immediately discard enough cards to return within the limit. This can be done at any time during the turn and does not require an Action.

The Clock

The Day/Night Cycle: Special phases of the Clock.

Figure 39.

As already explained in the "Time and the Four Environments" section, during the Village, Encounter (Path), Den, and Elder's Lair scenarios, time advances via the Clock, which tracks the passing of rounds.

The Clock is divided into two, Day (rounds 1 to 6) and Night (rounds 7 to 12). At the end of round 6, the Sunset phase occurs, introducing Night and radically changing Vampire behavior. At the end of round 12, the Sunrise phase returns the game to daylight and restores apparent calm. This is important in the Dens and in the Elder's Lair.

Sunset Phase

When round 6 ends, the Sunset Phase begins. Vampires are nocturnal creatures, and as the sun sets, they become more aggressive and dangerous.

All Vampire ID Cards are flipped to their Night side, showing modified values and often special abilities, while Creatures remain unchanged.

If an encounter includes unexplored rooms or sleeping Vampires, the Awakening also takes place.

Awakening Phase

Immediately after Sunset, the Awakening phase is triggered; it's a crucial moment where the entire game dynamic can change. Proceed as follows:

• Remove all "Unexplored Room" tokens from the map, and for each removed token, draw and resolve one Terror card; these cards introduce new awake enemies.
• Wake all sleeping Vampires, stand their miniatures upright, ready to act.

Once awakened, they remain active until the end of the encounter and will not return to sleep (See also Resolving a Terror Card).

• From round 7 onward, the turn structure changes, and enemies activate before the active Hunter (see also Activation Order).

Note: During the Awakening, if a Terror card reveals a Gantz icon with an exclamation mark, place the Gantz on the spawn location indicated by the number next to the exclamation mark (see also Resolving a Terror Card).

Sunrise Phase

At the end of round 12, the Sunrise Phase begins as the sun rises once more. All Vampire ID cards are flipped back to their Day side, and the Clock resets to round 1. Although sunlight weakens Vampires, it does not send them back to sleep, they remain active.

All surviving Vampires move in the encounter's Objective area, however, sunlight can impede them. If the Objective area is in a sunlit room (a room with a broken window), Vampires stop in the nearest dark room. If the encounter does not specify a particular Objective area, for example, if the Objective is to eliminate all Vampires, the game continues normally without altering enemy behavior.

The Enemies

Vampires

Vampires are nocturnal creatures, powerful and cunning, with varying levels of threat.

During the Day, Vampires sleep and are more vulnerable; during the Night, they awaken thirsty for blood, becoming much stronger. Their ID cards are double-sided, one side for Day and the other for Night, indicated by the corresponding icons.

• Day Symbol
• Night Symbol

Sleeping Vampires

During the Day, Vampires are asleep, represented by placing their miniature lying on its side. A sleeping Vampire:

• Does not block Hunters' movement in its Area.
• Does not activate, move, or attack in any way.
• Can be attacked using special rules (see "Attacking Sleeping Vampires").

A sleeping Vampire wakes immediately if:

• An attack against it fails, all Vampires in the room awaken.
• A noisy weapon or an item with the Noise icon is used, all Vampires in the room awaken.
• A Vampire moves into a room containing sleeping Vampires, all Vampires in the room awaken.

Once awakened, a Vampire never sleeps again.

The Gantz

The Gantz is a guardian, and is a special case; it never sleeps but is still vulnerable to sunlight like other Vampires. Its ID card also has two sides, Day and Night, showing different statistics depending on the Clock phase.

Creatures

Creatures are monstrous entities that, unlike Vampires, never sleep, are not affected by sunlight, and are always active regardless of the time.

Day/Night Symbol. The same icon is present on both sides of their ID card, indicating that the enemy is a Creature. ID cards aren't flipped during the Sunrise or Sunset phases. However, Creature ID cards do have two sides: use one side when there are two Hunters in play, and the other side when there are three or four. (See also PLAYING WITH 2 HUNTERS)

Enemy Activation

Enemies are controlled by the game's AI and activate in Initiative order indicated on their ID cards, with the lowest number activating first. Players must then arrange all Enemies involved in the encounter in that order and activate them one by one.

Each awake Enemy follows its behavior, which includes up to two instructions shown on its ID card. Enemies do not have a Movement value; they move only if the conditions of Instruction 1 or 2 are met.

Enemy Activation Phases

Figure 40: Rukan ID card, showing Instruction 1 and Instruction 2.

1) Resolve Instruction 1

Instruction 1 indicates the maximum distance at which an Enemy can detect the Active Hunter. If an Enemy is within that distance, it moves into the Active Hunter's Area.

When calculating distance, do not count the Area containing the Hunter. For example, if a Vampire is in an adjacent Area, the distance is 1.

Figure 41. Example: Giselle is the Active Hunter, and it's time to activate the Vampires. The Rukan (B) is in an adjacent Area and moves toward Giselle, because Instruction 1 on its ID card indicates that if it is 1 Area away from the Active Hunter, it must move into their Area.

The Shibas (A), on the other hand, has the same Instruction 1, but is 3 Areas away from Giselle, therefore does not meet the condition and remains in place.

2) Attack on the Active Hunter

After Instruction 1 for all Enemies has resolved, each Enemy in its Area attacks the Active Hunter following the initiative order (lowest to highest).

Enemy attacks follow the same rules as Hunter attacks, with one exception: some enemies have special abilities printed at the bottom of their ID cards that apply to an attack's result when a specific condition is met. The left side shows the requirement, and the right side shows the bonus granted.

In the example above, if Rukan's attack has three or more Speed symbols, the attack gains one extra Speed.

3) Resolve Instruction 2

Once the attack is resolved, apply Instruction 2. This affects all Enemies that are alone in their Area (no Hunters present) and whose distance from the nearest Hunter is equal to or greater than the number indicated. These Enemies each move 1 Area toward the nearest Hunter.

Note that there may be multiple Hunters that all count as the "Closest Hunter". Select one of them using the following rules:

• Select the Hunter with the most Wounds.
• If there is still a tie, select the Hunter with the least Vials.
• If there is still a tie, select at random.

Restraining an Enemy's Movement

If one or more Hunters are in the starting Area of an Enemy that must move into the Active Hunter's Area (as per Instruction 1), they may attempt to prevent its movement by either performing an Agility test or discarding a Garlic item card.

Note: The player must discard one Garlic Item Card for each Vampire they wish to prevent from moving.

Performing an Agility test

• The dice result must be equal to or greater than the Enemy's Rampage value.
• All Hunters in that Enemy area may attempt the test, one at a time.
• If at least one succeeds, the Enemy does not move.
• If all fail, the Enemy reaches the Active Hunter.

Hunters may also choose not to oppose, in which case the Enemy moves automatically.

Figure 42. In Figure 42, Giselle just finished her turn, and now it is time to activate the Enemies. The Shibas is one Area away from Giselle, so, as stated in Instruction 1 on its ID card, the Shibas may move into her Area. Kurt and Otto are in the Shibas Area, so they can attempt to restrain its movement. Kurt and Otto will each roll an Agility test. The Shibas Rampage value is 5+. Otto rolls one die and gets a 3. He fails. Kurt rolls one die and gets a 5. Kurt's test is successful. The Shibas will not move.

Now let's look at a detailed example of the enemy's activation using the previous situation.

Figure 43. Let's look at an example.

A new round has just begun, and Giselle is ready to take her turn. It is night, so Enemies activate first. The Shibas (A), located on the stairs, is too far away to reach Giselle. Instruction 1 on its ID Card states that if it is up to one Area away from the active Hunter, it moves into the active Hunter's Area. Since it is three Areas away, the Shibas does not move.

The Rukan (B), however, is only one Area away from Giselle. Instruction 1 on the Rukan's ID Card also states that if it is up to one Area away from the active Hunter, it moves into the active Hunter's Area. The Rukan moves into Giselle's Area and attacks her.

Figure 44.

Giselle's MASR is two, so the Rukan needs at least two Speeds for this Attack to be valid. It has one Speed as bonus and can roll two blue dice.

Figure 45.

The Rukan rolls two Hits and two Speeds. Including the bonuses on its ID card, 1 Speed and 1 Hit, the total result is three Speeds and three Hits. Three Speeds activate its special ability, which states that if the Rukan rolls three or more Speeds, its attack adds one additional Speed to its value. This brings its final attack value to four Speeds and three Hits.

Figure 46.

Giselle has 3 Dodges as Bonus, plus she rolls two yellow dice. Her final defense value is five Dodges.

Figure 47.

Four Speeds cancel four Dodges. Giselle's last Dodge cancels one of the three Hits. The remaining two Hits wound Giselle. Two Wound Tokens are placed on Giselle's ID Card. Instruction 1 of Enemy Activation and Enemy attack are accomplished.

It is time to follow instruction 2.

Figure 48. The Shibas (a) is two Areas away from Otto, the closest Hunter. Giselle instead is 3 areas away. Instruction 2 on the Shibas ID Card says that if the Shibas is two or more Areas away from the closest Hunter, in this case Otto, the Shibas moves one Area towards that Hunter.

Figure 49. The Shibas (a) moves one Area towards Otto. The Vampire Activation is over.

Let's Play

Now that you know the core rules for activating Hunters and Enemies, it's time to dive into the heart of the adventure.

In this chapter, we'll guide you step by step through your first Game. You'll discover how exploration works, how to face Vampires in their Dens, and how to progress through the Campaign. Don't worry: each rule is introduced when you need it, to ease learning and maintain narrative tension.

Game Modes

Ancient Blood: The Order of Vampire Hunters offers two game modes:

• Single Adventures, if you prefer to jump straight into the action, you can choose any adventure and play it as a self-contained mission, without following the campaign's narrative progression.
• Campaign, a series of linked adventures from Story 1 to Story 9, where decisions made and resources gathered affect subsequent missions. Each Story introduces new challenges, enemies, and secrets to uncover.

Standalone game

If you prefer a self-contained game:

1. Perform the setup as described at the beginning of the rulebook.
2. Each Hunter also receives one random Weapon card (fully loaded if it's a ranged weapon) and 3 Vials of Vampire Blood.
3. Choose one of the available encounters in the Story Book (a Den or an Elder) and follow the setup instructions.

Single Adventures are ideal for learning the game or tackling a quick challenge without a campaign commitment.

Campaign game

General Notes

To begin your adventure, perform the initial Setup as described in the dedicated section of the rulebook.

NOTE: Record common resources, such as the shared wallet on a sheet of paper. You can also use this sheet to track progress or save your game.

Starting Coins and Shared Wallet

At the start of the Campaign, the group has 300 coins available in a shared wallet. Players use these coins to purchase items, transform materials into new weapons, etc.

Saving the Game

Each illustration in the Story Book has a unique identifier number. You can use it to save your campaign position: simply note the number on your campaign sheet to resume from there at any time.

Alternatively, you may use the ENTRY number associated with a story paragraph to achieve the same result.

Campaign Progress

At the end of each Story, after defeating the Elder:

• Each Hunter adds one new Ability card, drawn randomly from their personal deck,
• The group draws a new Combined Attack card to add to their resources.

In this way, characters grow stronger and more versatile, ready to face increasingly complex challenges.

Time to Dive into the Adventure

Preparing the Path Deck

Before beginning a Story, you must prepare the Path deck by removing specific cards from the deck. To do this, locate each card by its PATH number printed at the bottom of the card.

Figure 50.

Since Ancient Blood lets players mix Path cards from the Core Box with any expansions, below is a list of cards to remove for each story, organized by box name:

Core box

Cold

• Core Box 11, 2, 20, 24, 25, 29, 4, 6
• VLAD 104
• Unholy Cloister 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 41, 42, 43, 44
• Wallakian 52, 53, 56
• Khirnanian 51
• Landolfo 67, 68, 69

The plague

• Core Box 4, 6
• Unholy Cloister 34, 37
• LANDOLFO 67

The Fortress City

• Core Box 4, 25
• Unholy Cloister 34, 37

Unholy cloister

Sand and Blood

• Core Box 1, 2, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 2, 20, 21, 22, 24, 26, 29, 5, 8
• VLAD 104
• Unholy Cloister 35, 36, 38, 41, 42, 44
• Wallakian 52, 53, 55, 56, 58
• Khirnanian 46, 47, 48, 50, 51
• BARKUGUS 59, 60, 61, 63
• LANDOLFO 66, 67, 68, 69

The Hundred Towers

• Core Box 25, 4
• Unholy Cloister 33, 34, 37

Wallakian

The First Breach

• Core Box 1, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 2, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 29, 3, 30, 4, 6, 15
• Vlad 104
• Unholy Cloister 34, 35, 36, 37, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44

Kirninian

Arcane Alloy

• Core Box 25, 4
• Unholy Cloister 34, 37

Stretch goals

Milleterre

• Core Box 1, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 21, 22, 25, 26, 3, 30, 4, 5, 6
• Unholy Cloister 34, 35, 36, 37, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44
• Wallakian 55, 56, 58
• Khirnanian 47, 48, 50
• BARKUGUS 59, 60, 61, 63
• LANDOLFO 66, 67, 68, 69
• Vlad 101, 102, 103, 104

Vlad

• Core Box 4, 6, 34, 37

With the Path cards removed for your chosen story, it's time to dive into the narrative. For your first session, open the Story Book to Story 1 and follow the ENTRY numbers as you make your choices.

Without spoiling anything, we will guide you through resolving the main mechanics you'll encounter throughout the narrative.

Let's start with Tests, one of the most recurring elements during the adventure.

Attribute Tests

During the adventure, Hunters will often face situations that challenge their attributes. In these cases, an Attribute Test is required. An Attribute Test is resolved by rolling a number of D6 dice equal to the value shown on the corresponding attribute icon.

As we saw before, each Hunter has six Core Attributes shown on their dashboard:

• Faith.
• Intelligence.
• Agility.
• Persuasion.
• Diplomacy.
• Occult.

Next to each Attribute is the number of dice (D6) the Hunter may roll for that type of test.

How does it work

An attribute test is written as the attribute icon and a target number (1). Hunters roll the number of dice for their attribute (2) and pass if at least one die meets or exceeds the target number. The test will have pass/fail instructions that must be resolved immediately.

Taking an attribute test is not an Action. Some tests have only one instruction, like the one in the example. This means that if the Hunter fails the test, they suffer 1 Wound. If they pass, nothing happens; they simply avoid the penalty.

Figure 51.

In the example in Figure 52, the Hunter is asked to make an Agility test 4+ (1). The ID card states that for the Agility test, they may roll 2 dice (2). If at least one of their dice is 4 or more, the test succeeds. If the test fails, they suffer 1 wound.

Token Attribute Bonus

Bonus Attribute Token.

During Setup, or later in the game, you may gain Bonus Attribute Tokens. When you perform a test, you may spend a Bonus Attribute Token to increase the result of one of your dice by the value shown on the token. Spending a Bonus Attribute Token is not an Action. You may spend the token after rolling for the test.

Who Must Take the Test?

There are four different test modes, indicated by specific icons:

Individual Test (Individual Effect). Only one Hunter performs the test. The effect applies only to that Hunter. The group decides who will take it.

Individual Test (Group Effect). Only one Hunter performs the test, but the result affects all Hunters. The group chooses who faces it.

All-Test (Individual Effect)

Each Hunter performs the test individually, and each suffers the consequences based on their own result.

All Test (Group Effect)

All Hunters perform the test. If even one fails, the entire group suffers the consequences.

The Village

During their adventures, Hunters will come across various villages, each with different features and sizes. Villages represent key stops on the Hunters' journey, where they can replenish resources, find clues, forge weapons, or heal the effects of Vampire Blood.

Village Setup

Each time the group reaches a village, the Story Book will specify exactly which Location cards to use and how many copies of each. To do this, it provides a layout composed of:

1. Location, for example, Church, Black Market, Tavern, and so on.
2. Card Quantity: The number of cards of the above location to place.
3. Identifier number, useful for saving your current game position.

Figure 52.

NOTE: If the Story Book instructs you to place multiple cards of the same Location type (for example, 3 Houses), place them on the table as separate Locations, spaced apart and not overlapping; each represents a different building to explore.

When setting up the Village, place all Location cards face-down on the table.

Once setup is complete, flip the Church card and place the Hunter miniatures and any available items next to it, as indicated on the card.

Exploration of the Village begins there.

Let's break down the locations for a quick overview:

Church

Your starting point in every village. Serving as your home base, you'll always find allies here. It's also where Hunters turned into Vampires undergo the transfusion to return to their normal appearance (see "Play Turned Hunters").

House

Explore houses to scavenge food, gather assistance, and uncover other valuable items, but beware: you never know who, or what, you might encounter inside.

Emporium

Buy and sell essential supplies for your journey; everything from provisions to special equipment can be found here.

Black Market

Purchase rare or illicit goods at discounted prices…if you're willing to face the added risks that come with dealings in the shadows.

Inn

After a long day of travel, rest here. Enjoy warm meals, strong drinks, and a safe place to regain your strength, but stay alert. Not all patrons are friendly, and trouble has a way of finding you.

Blacksmith

One of the most crucial stops for any fighter: transform your collected materials into a powerful new weapon.

How to Play in the Village

Location Events

First, set the Clock to Round 1 to begin Village exploration.

Some locations may contain events to resolve. These events offer several options for the player to choose from, and each choice leads to a different outcome on the card. (See Figure 54).

In the Village, Hunters act following the normal turn structure: each Hunter has 3 Actions per round, and at the end of each round, the Clock marker advances by one.

Note on the Clock: In the Village, the Clock has no purpose other than tracking rounds and ensuring that each Hunter activates once per round.

During their turn, Hunters may explore new locations by moving to them and flipping the corresponding card (see also "Moving in the Village"). The player simply moves their Hunter miniature to the location they wish to explore and then flips the card.

Each revealed card enables the Hunter to perform various activities, buying or selling items, crafting weapons, resolving events, and more.

Figure 53.

Figure 54.

When a Hunter moves onto a Location card, they flip the card. If an event is present, it must be resolved immediately by reading the corresponding ENTRY in the Event Book. Each entry in the Event Book corresponds to the name and number printed on the card.

You will find an encounter diagram (see figure), which serves to correctly set up the combat.

Example: In the image above, you must look up entry 'House 5' in the Event Book.

Once the event is resolved, the player may continue their turn as normal. If another player moves to the same location, do not repeat the event, as it has already been resolved.

Leaving the Village

Hunters may leave the Village at any time when they feel ready to continue the adventure, at which point they consult the Story Book and move on to the next ENTRY as indicated.

Path Cards

During your journey, as you move from one place to another, the Story Book will instruct you to draw and resolve a Path Card. One player draws a card from the appropriate deck and reads it aloud.

Path Cards may contain two types of situations:

• Narrative events, to be read and resolved immediately following the text
• Encounters with Creatures, ambushes that trigger immediate combat.

Encounter

When you draw a Path Card featuring a Creature encounter, after reading the introductory text on the card, consult the Event Book and go to the corresponding PATH (number) indicated.

Figure 55.

Figure 56.

Each diagram contains the following information:

1. Path Number: the identifier of the encounter. When a Path card instructs you to read a PATH (number), locate that number in the second part of the Event Book under the 'Path' section. There you'll find the setup instructions and other relevant details.
2. Minimap: shows how to arrange miniatures and tokens on the board.
3. Clock: indicates how to set the encounter's Clock and its duration. The first number is the starting round, the second is the final round. If both numbers are the same, the encounter lasts only one round. At the end of the last round, the encounter ends.
4. Objective: describes the goal of the encounter.
5. Resolution: explains how to determine the encounter's outcome.
6. Special Abilities: some Creatures have additional abilities described here. Not all Creatures have them.

Encounter Setup

1. Place the tile face-up in the center of the table and position all miniatures as shown on the encounter minimap.
2. Set up the clock marker according to the scenario instructions.
3. Draw the related Creature ID card.
4. Determine the time of day:
   • Day: Hunters activate first.
   • Night: Creature activates first.
5. Resolve the encounter by following the standard activation and combat rules.

If the Creature is defeated before the final round indicated in the encounter diagram, remove it from the board and immediately resolve the victory effect as described in the Resolution section. Then, remove from the Path deck all encounter cards related to that Creature; it cannot appear again in the rest of the story.

Note: In combat against a Creature, Hunters cannot retreat.

The Vampire Den

During the story, Hunters will face the Vampire Dens, dark and terrifying places where Vampires sleep and hide. They are dangerous environments, but also the only opportunity to strike before the Vampires fully awaken.

Each Den is represented by a diagram in the Story Book, showing the encounter setup. Here's how to read it:

1. Figure Number: Each diagram has an identifier number, you can use it to save the game.
2. Entrances: These symbols show the entrances through which Hunters can access the Den. In games with 3 or 4 Hunters, both entrances must be used; in games with two Hunters, you can choose one or two entrances, but using only one is recommended.
3. Clock: Indicates the starting round to set on the Clock.
4. Tiles Layout: Shows how to place and orient the tiles on the table.
5. Tile Numbers: Indicates the identifier code of the tiles to use for that encounter. Each Tile has a code printed on it.
6. Door Tokens: Place the door tokens exactly as shown on the map.
7. Boarded Window Tokens: Place the Boarded Window tokens with the intact side face up.
8. Barricade Type: The map also indicates the position and type of barricades.
9. Objective Token Position: Shows where to place the mission's objective token, if present.
10. Mission Objective: Describes what the Hunters must do to complete the encounter.
11. Number and Type of Tokens: Indicates how many tokens of each type are present on the map.
12. Mission Reward: If the Hunters complete the objective, they receive the listed reward and add it to their wallet.

NOTE: In the Den scenario, the Hunters may use the Retreat Action. Upon returning to the Den, reset the entire scenario.

Den Setup

• Arrange the tiles according to the diagram.
• Place all Door, Window, and Barricade tokens in their indicated locations.
• If the scenario calls for one, place the Objective token.
• Shuffle the Terror deck and place it within easy reach of all players.
• Lay out the four Vampire ID cards (Gantz, Vasha, Rukan, Shibas) nearby.
• Set the clock marker as specified.
• Position all Hunters at the chosen entrance, and place Brenoir nearby.
• Put an Unexplored Room token on every room tile.

Figure 57.

Let's dive into the details

Den Exploration

As we said in the Setup, players place one Unexplored Room token in each room of the Den. It doesn't matter which Area of the room the token occupies; it simply indicates that the room has not yet been explored.

Figure 58.

Let's start!

At this point, players choose the first Hunter to activate, who enters the Den through one of the designated entrances.

During the day, all rooms are infested with sleeping Vampires. As soon as a Hunter enters an Area of a room containing an Unexplored Room token, they immediately pause their turn, remove the Unexplored Room token, and draw and resolve a Terror card.

Resolving a Terror Card

Figure 59.

Terror cards represent sudden threats. When drawn, they spawn Vampires in the current room.

1. Draw a Terror card from the deck.
2. Each card shows multiple rows, with the types of Vampires to spawn in the center and the spawn points indicated in the right-hand column. Place each Vampire in the same Area as the spawn point number. If an Area contains multiple spawn points, simply place the Vampire anywhere within that Area, the exact spot does not matter.

Note: if you are playing with two Hunters, refer to the PLAYING WITH 2 HUNTERS section in the special rules.

NOTE: During the Day, when you resolve a Terror Card, the new Vampires are placed on the board asleep. Place Sleeping Vampires miniatures lying on their side. During the Night, Vampires are awake, stand the Vampires miniatures upright.

Dead Body

Some Terror cards may spawn a Dead Body Token, see Figure 60. Just place the Token near the relative spawn Location. When a Hunter is in its Area, they may pick it up. Then flip the Token, get the reward written, and add it to the Wallet.

Figure 60.

Special Event

Some Terror cards contain a special event. When there is an exclamation mark, proceed as follows:

During the Day

1. Spawn all the Vampires normally.
2. Place the Vampire from the line with the exclamation mark in the same Area as the Active Hunter. This Vampire is not asleep.
3. The Active Hunter immediately performs a free Attack against this Vampire and must kill it.
4. If the Attack fails, wake up all the Vampires in the Room, then continue with the Hunter's Activation.

At the Awakening Phase

If you draw a Terror card with this special event during the awakening phase, place the Vampire in the Area indicated by the number next to the exclamation mark instead.

Once the Terror card is resolved, the Hunter may continue their turn as normal.

Interaction with Tokens

During Den exploration, Hunters can interact with various tokens on the map. Some interactions have already been described (such as boarded windows, which can be destroyed by attacking them with a weapon showing the Boarded Window icon), while others are described here:

Barricades

Barricade Tokens (Crate, Wall, Barrel) are placed on tiles during setup and offer Hunters the opportunity to take cover from attacks.

• A Hunter in the same Area as a Barricade Token can take cover simply by placing their miniature on the token. This is not an Action.
• Leaving cover is not an Action.
• Only one Hunter at a time can use a Barricade Token as cover.
• Vampires never use Barricades for cover.

When a Vampire activates, it still moves toward Hunters hiding behind a Barricade. However, it must destroy the Barricade Token before it can attack them. Vampires attack the Barricade token until its Health Points are reduced to zero. When an attack hits and brings its Health Points to zero, the token is removed from the game, leaving the Hunter exposed.

Barrels and Crates

Some Barricade Tokens represent containers and can be searched.

To search a Barrel or Crate, a Hunter must attack its token and reduce its Health Points to zero.

• Barrel: Once destroyed, you may draw a random Item or directly search the Item Deck for a Wine card.
• Crate: Once destroyed, draw 2 random cards from the Item Deck.

Note: When using plastic tokens, refer to the corresponding cardboard tokens for their statistics.

Debris

Dens are unstable and dilapidated. When a Debris icon appears on a Terror card, it indicates a sudden collapse (1).

Figure 61.

• Debris is noisy, so spawn the Vampires indicated on the card as Awakened.
• The active Hunter must perform an Agility test. The test difficulty is shown on the card (2).
• If they fail, place a Debris token beneath the Hunter's miniature and assign 1 Wound.
• A Hunter trapped by Debris can only take the Dig Free Action.
• Another Hunter, on their turn and in the same Area, may use the Dig Free action to free them.
• Once freed, the Debris token is discarded (see also Dig Free Action).

Note: A Hunter trapped under Debris cannot defend when attacked, and their MASR is zero, so every attack against them is automatically valid.

The Extractor

When you find yourselves inside the Dens during the Day, you have a powerful ally on your side: Brenoir and his lethal Extractor.

The extractor is a mobile winch moved around outside the den by Brenoir, a retired Hunter. A harpoon may be carried by one of the Hunters, attached to the winch by a sturdy cable. When a Vampire is snagged by the harpoon, the winch winds the cable, dragging the Vampire outdoors to be destroyed by the burning sunlight.

Although the extractor destroys powerful Vampires easily, there are some restrictions applied to its use:

• The extractor can only be used during the Day.
• The Hunter must have an equipped harpoon.
• The harpoon is a Melee Weapon, so the Vampire must be in the same Area as the Hunter.
• The cable is only four Areas long. The Vampire must be no more than four Areas from the entrance with Brenoir. If a Hunter moves five or more Areas from the entrance, they must discard their Harpoon Token. Place it beside Brenoir, to show that the Hunters can come and take it.

Brenoir can move between the entrances, again with restrictions:

• Brenoir can be positioned at any open entrance/exit or at any Unboarded Window.
• Brenoir can only move when no Hunter is equipped with a harpoon. The cable between Brenoir and the Hunters prevents him from moving.

There is a new Action specific to using the extractor: Activate Extractor.

If a Hunter satisfies all the restrictions above, they can use an Action to snag a Vampire with the harpoon and call Brenoir to drag the Vampire outside. The Vampire is immediately destroyed in the sunlight.

Place the Harpoon Token beside Brenoir to show that any Hunter can come and take it.

Figure 62. Figure 62 shows two Hunters interacting with Brenoir during one round. In this example, only extractor-related Actions are discussed. Kurt is in a perfect position to use the extractor. He has a harpoon, is only three Areas from Brenoir, and is in the same Area as a powerful Shibas that would normally be hard to kill. He spends an Action to jab the harpoon into its fleshy thigh and calls to Brenoir to drag it outside to a fiery death. If there were any Sleeping Vampires in the yellow path, this noisy Action would wake them up.

The extractor is a Noisy Weapon. The screaming Vampire will wake all Sleeping Vampires in the starting Room and every Room that it passes through on the way to the exit.

There are also two tasks the Hunters can perform as free Actions:

• Relocate Brenoir: If no Hunters are carrying the harpoon, a Hunter can relocate Brenoir to any entrance or Unboarded Window.
• Take a Harpoon: When a Hunter is in an Area adjacent to Brenoir, the Hunter can take a harpoon, so long as no other Hunter has one. Since Hunters don't start with a loaded Harpoon, you can perform this step at the very beginning of the game.

Only one Hunter can carry a harpoon. Place the Harpoon Token in your playing Area to show that the harpoon is loaded. Note that Hunters can take the harpoon from each other as part of normal Trade action.

If the Hunter equipping the Harpoon moves more than 4 areas from Brenoir, they drop the Harpoon token and place it back next to Brenoir.

Figure 63. Otto goes last in this example. He started the turn without a Harpoon Token, but is in a position to take one from Brenoir. He grabs a harpoon and is now ready to run back into the Den. Since taking a harpoon from Brenoir is a free Action, Otto still has three Actions available.

NOTE: Vampires killed using the Harpoon do not grant any reward to the active Hunter, as they burn in the sunlight, leaving no chance to collect their blood.

Note: The extractor is ineffective against the Elder and its Adepts, as these Vampires possess unparalleled strength and advancement, rendering them impervious to the harpoon's attempt to drag them outside.

The Elder

Each campaign culminates in an encounter with an extraordinarily powerful enemy, the Elder.

The Elder represents the final and greatest threat faced by the Hunters in a given story. It is an ancient creature often worshipped as a dark deity by the Vampires themselves.

Destroying the Elder is not only a tactical victory, but also a decisive blow against the forces that plague the world.

Unlike common enemies, the Elder features unique mechanics, devastating abilities, and an extremely high challenge level. To face it, Hunters must make the most of every resource they have accumulated throughout the campaign.

Now let's see how combat against the Elder works.

The Elder is the final objective. Players must locate and destroy it to put an end to its Clan's legacy.

When Hunters reach the Elder's Nest, they will always find two Adepts there. They are activated in the same way as the other enemies. The Elder instead works differently. Its Dashboard shows many similarities with the other Enemy ID Cards, except for Health Points and Special Ability, which are written on the Elder ability cards. The Elder ability cards are placed on the Elder Ability sheet.

Setup

• Place the tile in the center of the playing area.
• Place all miniatures and tokens as shown in the Diagram (Storybook).
• Shuffle the 4 Elder Ability decks separately, keeping them divided by Roman numerals.

On the Elder Ability sheet, there are four slots for four different cards, numbered from 1 to 4. Draw four cards from the Elder Ability Deck, one for each Roman numeral, and place them face down in the corresponding slots.

Figure 64.

Then, before starting the encounter with the Elder, flip the four cards to reveal their statistics.

Figure 65.

The front of the cards shows the Elder's Health Points and, in some cases, a Special Ability the Elder can use. Each time the Elder attacks or defends, it applies the effects of all available Special Abilities.

During an attack, you sum all attack-related bonuses; likewise, during defense, you sum all defense-related bonuses.

The cards in slots 1 and 2 are dedicated to attack, as indicated by the attack icon on the card, while those in slots 3 and 4 refer to defense, marked by the defense icon.

Some cards may also specify special behaviors, which are resolved during the attack or defense phase as appropriate.

Note: not all cards feature Special Abilities; some only increase the Elder's Health Points.

Figure 66. In Figure 66, the two Abilities on the left are used for Attack, as indicated by the Attack icon. The two Abilities on the right are used for Defense, as indicated by the Defense icon.

Health Points

There are square holes on the Elder Ability sheet. On the card instead, there is an icon that defines the card's Health Points.

Figure 67. The card shown in Figure 67 has three Health Points on it.

The Elder's total Health Points are given by the sum of the Health Points on the four cards. To defeat the Elder, the Hunters must destroy every single card.

When a Hunter attacks the Elder, they must declare which card they are attacking. If the Attack scores a hit, put a cube on the black square beside that card equal to the number of wounds the Attacker has inflicted. Start counting the holes from number 1 on the top of the card.

Let's see an example.

Figure 68.

Figure 69. Otto decides to attack card number 2.

Otto and the Elder roll for their combat, and Otto inflicts two wounds on the Elder. A cube is placed on the second square of card number 2. In his second Attack against the Elder, Otto targets the same card. This time, the result of the Attack is very good for the Hunter. Otto inflicts three wounds on the Elder. One wound is enough to reach the spot with the icon and reduce the card's Health Points to zero. The remaining wounds are wasted.

Figure 70.

Once a card gets a number of wounds equal to its Health Points, flip the card. That card is no longer available. When all four cards are flipped, the Elder is defeated.

NOTE: In the Elder scenario, the Hunters may use the Retreat Action.

Victory Conditions

The main objective of each Story is to defeat the Elder. When the Hunters eliminate the Elder, as specified in the Story Book, they win the game.

If you are playing in Campaign mode, continue with the next Story, carrying over all resources and progress you've gained: coins, Item cards, Abilities, etc.

Additionally, each Hunter draws a new Ability card from their deck, and the group draws a new Combined Attack card.

The Campaign is only considered won after successfully completing the final Story in the series, facing and defeating the ultimate evil that threatens the world, Vlad.

Special Rules

Playing Turned Hunters

No good Vampire story lacks a central character turning into a Vampire. When your Health Points first reach 0, instead of being unconscious, you will begin to turn into a Vampire and continue to play as a Turned Hunter. We will explain the general changes and how this affects the game.

Turning: When you are down to 0 Health Points, interrupt the game while you turn into a Vampire. Your Hunter Dashboard is double-sided, flip it to the Vampire side. Switch your blue Hunter Identification Ring to red, so that all players can see clearly that you have turned. Place all your Items, Weapons, and Parchment cards in the Area with the Turned Hunter. Turned Hunters still keep their Vial Tokens.

Figure 71.

As a Turned Hunter, you will not be able to use Special Abilities, Combined Attack, Weapons, or other objects. Other Hunters can use the Pick Up Action to retrieve these cards later. Place your Special Ability aside. You can use them later, after you are cured. Remove all Wound Tokens. Draw a Compulsion Card (see below). If a Vampire is currently attacking you, stop the Attack and take no further Wounds from it. If you are the Active Player, play out your remaining Actions as a Turned Hunter.

Play as a Vampire: You are now a Vampire, and your 3 Actions are influenced by the Compulsion card.

During Enemy Activation, Enemies completely ignore all Turned Hunters. Play Enemy Actions as if Turned Hunters were not even on the game board.

Compulsion: As your mind warps, you must give in to strange new compulsions. Are these remnants of your human mind or bloodthirsty cravings from your new dark side? Your unique compulsion is described on your Compulsion Card.

Figure 72. Example Compulsion card, Sanguine Imperative.

Each card describes the tasks you must complete for every turn (1) and the penalty you suffer at the end of your Activation if you do not complete them (2). Once the task is completed, your turn is over. Your Compulsion may force you to Attack Hunters or Vampires. If this is the case, you only act to satisfy your Compulsion. If your Compulsion is to destroy Rukans, you cannot attack Shibas. If your Compulsion is to wound a Vampire, once you wound a Vampire, you cannot attack another, etc.

Turn Order: During the Day, Hunters activate before the Turned Hunters. At Night, Turned Hunters activate before the Hunters. Turned Hunters do not get any Vial Tokens for destroying a Vampire. Remember, Turned Hunters are forced to accomplish the task indicated in their Compulsion card.

0 Health Points

If the Turned Hunter is down to 0 Health Points, they lose consciousness and are out of the game. Discard any Vial of Blood tokens and all special ability cards, except for the two starting abilities.

Transfusion

Turned Hunters must be cured in a Church as soon as the party reaches a Village. Until then, after the current encounter ends, they cannot participate in any further encounters until the transfusion is complete. Players must spend coins for the transfusion. During the transfusion, the Turned Hunter may not perform any Action in the village. The transfusion will last for the entire round that the Hunters remain in the village. As soon as they decide to leave the Village, the transfusion is complete, and the Hunter rejoins the group. Flip their ID Cars to the normal side.

Playing with Two Hunters

Ancient Blood includes specific rules to accommodate a two-player game. Although playing with all four Hunters is recommended, here are the adjustments for two players:

Team Composition

• Aim for complementary roles, such as one fast Hunter and one powerful Hunter, to avoid tactical disadvantages; for example, an Assassin and a Tank, or an Assassin and a Warrior. Note: Use Magenta from Spike and Fangs only in advanced games.
• Carefully review each Hunter's stats to ensure your duo can handle both fast enemies and tough foes.

Component Variants

Some game elements feature icons differentiating layouts and values for 2 versus 4 Hunters:

• Icon 1, for 2 Hunters
• Icon 2, for 3-4 Hunters

Whenever you see these icons, always use the version marked for 2 Hunters.

Terror Cards

When drawing a Terror Card to spawn Vampires, resolve only the line marked with the "2 Hunters" icon.

Figure 73.

Creature ID Cards

Each Creature's ID Card has two sides with different stats. Use the side indicated by the "2 Hunters" icon.

Figure 74.

Vampire Den Entrances

When entering a Den, both Hunters may enter through the same entrance.

Elder

For 2 Hunters game, during the Elder battle, place only two cards on the Elder Ability sheet, one on the left and one on the right. Players can choose between the card numbers: 1 or 2 for the left side, and 3 or 4 for the right side. Deploy only one of the two Adepts, positioning it in the area farthest from the Hunters.

For a 3-Hunter game, place three Ability cards in slots 1, 2, and 3.

Easy Mode and Introductory Modes

Some players have requested simplified rules to make the game more accessible during their first games. For this reason, two optional modes have been introduced: Intro Mode and Easy Mode, designed to ease the learning curve without sacrificing fun.

Intro Mode

(recommended for the first game or a more relaxed experience)

• Gantz and Vasha: Reduce their MSRP by 1 (it becomes 2). [Transcribed as printed: "MSRP". The stat named elsewhere in this rulebook is the MASR, Minimum Attack Speed Required.]
• Rukan and Shibas: Ignore 1 Shield when defending.
• Entry Rule: When playing with 2 or 3 Hunters, you can ignore the rule requiring entry from separate points. All Hunters may enter from the same point.
• Simplified Escape: To leave an area with enemies, you do not need to pass an Agility test. Just spend 2 actions.

Easy Mode

(for a lighter challenge while learning)

• When Hunters attack an enemy with at least 1 Shield, they ignore 1 Shield (i.e., treat the enemy as if it has one less Shield).
• If the enemy has no Shields, Hunters instead ignore 1 Dodge symbol when resolving the attack.

Icon Reference

• Faith Attribute – Used for Faith tests.
• Intelligence Attribute – Used for Intelligence tests.
• Agility Attribute – Used for Agility tests.
• Persuasion Attribute – Used for Persuasion tests.
• Diplomacy Attribute – Used for Diplomacy tests.
• Occult Attribute – Used for Occult tests.
• Range Icon – Followed by a number; determines attack range.
• Warrior Class Icon.
• Assassin Class Icon.
• Healer Class Icon.
• Tank Class Icon.
• Defense Icon – Includes the MASR value; used to check if an attack is valid.
• Hit Icon.
• Shield Icon.
• Speed Icon.
• Dodge Icon.
• Blue Attack Die.
• Green Attack Die.
• Red Defense Die.
• Yellow Defense Die.
• Hunter Melee Attack – Close combat attack.
• Hunter Ranged Attack – Attack from a distance.
• Life Point – The number indicates the amount of health a character has.
• Elder Life Point – No number shown; health amount is detailed on the ability cards.
• Day Symbol – Card Stats to apply during daytime.
• Night Symbol – Card Stats to apply during nighttime.

Summary

Day phase (Hunters play before Turned Hunters): Activate a Hunter – Take 3 Actions. Activate the Enemies.

Night phase (Turned Hunters play before Hunters): Activate the Enemies. Activate a Hunter – Take 3 Actions.

Hunter Activations

Village

• Move: The Hunter moves to a different location.
• Trade: The Hunter exchanges Items with another Hunter.
• Buy: The Hunter buys an Item/Token from a shop.
• Sell: The Hunter sells an Item/Token to a shop for money.
• Transform: The Hunter may build weapons.

Encounters

• Move: The Hunter moves to a different area.
• Attack: The Hunter attacks an Enemy.
• Retreat: The Hunters leave the fight.
• Trade: The Hunter exchanges Items with another Hunter.
• Pick Up: The Hunter picks up a card/Token.
• Drop: The Hunter discards a card/Token.
• Dig Free: Get free from debris.
• Activate Extractor

Free Hunter Actions

• Relocate Brenoir
• Take Harpoon

Enemy Activations

Each enemy will move and/or attack.

• Move Enemies toward the Active Hunter (instruction 1).
• All Enemies in the Area attack the Active Hunter in Initiative order (lowest Initiative goes first).
• Move more distant Enemies closer to any/all of the Hunters (instruction 2).

The Awakening

• Resolve all remaining Unexplored room tokens.
• Wake up all Vampires.

The printed Index (pages 54–55) is omitted from this transcription; it is a page-number lookup of the printed book and not rules text.