Arena: The Contest Rulebook

Table of Contents

I - This Rulebook
II - The Game
- II.I - Setting
- II.II - Game Modes
  - II.II.I - Introduction to PvP (Competitive)
  - II.II.II - Introduction to PvE (Cooperative)
    - II.II.II.I - Epic Campaign
General Rules & Competitive Mode
Cooperative Mode

I - This Rulebook

I.II - Structure

This Rulebook is divided into specific segments because it's intended for episodic consultations.

Since ATC comes with two heavily independent game modes (Competitive and Cooperative), each has its own Chapter.

A Section is every single identifiable segment of a chapter. They all have a keyword in their name and a reference number that places it in the Rulebook.

Topics are the most specific units of information. They generally contain a single rule. Most sections have several topics and subtopics (rules closely related, or deriving from the rule contained in a topic).

I.II.I - References

Sometimes the Rulebook repeats rules because they relate to more than one section and this rulebook is meant for topical consultation instead of back-to-back reading; other times, we recommend getting acquainted with another set of rules to better understand a topic.

Whenever a topic relates to another section or implies specific knowledge of another set of rules, the page number where you can find such section comes within parenthesis (E.g., "You must roll a die for every target you attack (Striking Phase - p. 20).").

I.II.II - Cooperative Mode

ATC's battle system is the same in both game modes, which means most rules are universally applicable.

However, the Cooperative Mode has:

(i) a few distinct rules. Whenever a section or rule is followed by ⊗ it means it only applies to PvP. Another rule addresses that same situation in the Co-op Title;

(ii) exclusive rules. Co-op mode brings to the table some mechanics and situations that never surface in PvP (E.g., Automation of enemies, Experience Points, Level UP, purchasing items, Campaign Cards). Find their rules in the cooperative chapter.

In other words, any doubts about rules that are not exclusive to PvE (nor exclusive to PvP) are solved in Chapter One, even if you are playing the cooperative mode of the game.

I.III - Language and Formatting

Words in dark green are introductions that explain the name or concept featured in the section, making them easier to understand.

Words in dark blue are examples, always introduced by "E.g.," and written within parentheses.

The first time a concept or keyword comes up in a section, its first letter is Capitalized. If you don't understand the capitalized concept, you should search and read its section in the Rulebook.

When we (the rules) are not referencing you (the player), we will use the genderless pronoun "it" to reference heroes, villains, allies, etc., because using a "singular they" would, in some cases, create ambiguous rules. You may also apply the following concepts, sometimes found in attack cards:

You: the combatant who owns the attack card. Combatant: any character (Hero or foe) fighting on the Battlegrid. Enemy: any combatant from the opposing team. Ally: any combatant on your team that is not you.

I.IV - Special symbols

⊗ indicates PvP-Exclusive rules. They are not applicable in the Cooperative Mode of the game.

» indicates advanced rules you may ignore while you get acquainted with the game. You should feel the game is only complete when you use these, but they may be left out in the first couple of matches to allow easier grasping of the essential rules.

⊕ indicates optional increments to the game. The game is entirely playable without them. Use them to enrich your experience, especially when you feel familiarized with the game.

📘 you will find this symbol only in the Cooperative Title of this Rulebook, and in the Quest Guide. It quickly identifies components, rules, and sections that are exclusive to the Epic Campaign, in which you play quests in sequence, following a background story.

II - The Game

II.I - Setting

Tanares is a fantasy world under a divine curse. Many centuries ago, the Gods decreed: massive bloodshed will be punished with natural catastrophes.

Mankind disobeyed and waged war. Every major conflict ended with a cataclysm that killed all armies involved and forever changed the world's landscape.

The most historically significant punishment upon Tanares created a power vacuum through which the Emperor took charge. His unprecedented alliances with tanarian nobility and the Church alike paved way for the new Law of the Land: There can be no more War!

But conflict is inevitable. Nations get in the way of others, cities and races dispute the same things. Sometimes, only violence can solve a situation.

In this context, the Empire created the ARENA: a place where minimal bloodshed solves large conflicts.

In the Arena, a single battle is as important as a war, deciding the fate of entire nations. A combatant is as important as an entire army, which means only the cream of the crop fight in Arenas: the strongest, the fiercest, the most reliable and well-paid fighters. These fighters, with good reason, are called HEROES.

II.II - Game Modes

II.II.I - Introduction to PvP (Competitive)

In ATC – Competitive Mode, two Teams must recruit three or four Heroes each and fight to the death in the Arena. Synergy, teamwork, and sound strategies are essential.

Victory condition: all heroes of the opposing team are dead.

Number of players: Minimum of 2 (each controlling an entire team), maximum of 8 (each controlling a single hero).

Single match duration: ~45-90min.

Obs.: The Quest Guide booklet contains special scenarios where you can play PvP fights under slightly different rules. See Capture the Orb (p. 34) and the Gold Dragon One x All PvP fight (p. 36).

II.II.II - Introduction to PvE (Cooperative)

In ATC – Cooperative Mode, assemble a single synergistic Team of four Heroes and select an adventure (Quest) with automated enemies in the Quest Guide. Each quest comes with several challenges and requires tough strategic decisions – you will have little room for error.

Victory condition: Accomplish the Quest's Primary Objective.

Number of players: Minimum of 1 (controlling the entire team), maximum of 4 (each controlling a single hero).

Single quest duration: ~45-90min.

II.II.II.I - Epic Campaign

You may play cooperative quests as individual scenarios, each with a different team, according to the players' desires.

However, for the ultimate cooperative experience, you may play the Epic Campaign, in which a single Team travels the world on a journey to accomplish a major goal, following an immersive background story developed in between sequential missions.

In the Campaign Tome, hints, clues and puzzle pieces help the party determine the path they want to follow through a story with multiple branchings and endings.

Good performance on quests (measured by secondary goals you accomplish) grants the party additional Experience Points, which may be spent to purchase Level UP cards and other special items that you can use in future quests.

Victory condition: Achieve one of the endings.

General Rules & Competitive Mode

1 - Table set-up. Starting a PvP Match.

Step A) Define Teams

Divide players into two teams.
There is no method of division. If four people are going to play, the match should be 2x2, but it could also be 3x1, according to players' wishes.
Determine how many Heroes each team will recruit: three or four.
- Both teams play with the same number of heroes.

Step B) Assemble the Arena (place Tiles)

Obs.: you may skip this step if you decide to use the back of the board, which contains an illustrated preassembled Arena.

Both teams pick any number of Tiles (p. 25) and freely place them in the Arena (in "freestyle placement", tiles may be adjacent to others).
- In "freestyle placement", players may put any number of tiles anywhere on the board (including adjacently to each other), but both teams must agree upon the final position of all tiles.

If no agreement can be reached, any player can enforce the "Competitive placement":

Both teams roll a die (repeat, if the result is a tie).
If your team rolled the higher number, grab any tile and place it anywhere on the grid.
Then, the opposing team picks any tile and places it anywhere (observing step 4).
You cannot place a new tile on squares that overlap or are adjacent to other tiles.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 until each team has placed five tiles each (ten total tiles on the battlegrid).

Step C) Recruit Heroes

Both teams roll a die (repeat, if the result is a tie).
If your team rolled the higher number, recruit any Hero. Grab the recruited hero's Token, Heropad and Attack Cards.
Then, the opposing team does the same. Teams alternate, until six (or eight) total heroes are recruited.
Your team cannot recruit two heroes of the same Combat Role (p. 10).

Step D) Deploy Heroes

Both teams roll a die (repeat, if the result is a tie).
If your team rolled the higher number, select the left or right half of the battlegrid, where your team's heroes will start the match.
Then, deploy any of your recruited heroes, placing its figure in any valid square of the chosen half.
- Any square not occupied by another combatant or tile (except Terrains, p. 26) are valid initial squares.
Place the deployed hero's token and heropad on the table.
The deployment order determines the Turn Order for the entire match. The first deployed hero will also be the first to act when the match starts, and so forth (Turn Order, p. 12).
The opposing team then places its first hero to act (second overall) in any valid square on the opposing half of the battlegrid.
Both teams place their Team Token (Special Ready side up) next to the first deployed heropad, indicating the first hero taking a turn for the team.
Each team organizes their heropads on opposite sides of the battlegrid, from left to right, in the order of deployment, to allow visualization of the turn orders.
Teams alternate, each on its half of the battlegrid, until all heroes are deployed and tokens/heropads placed.

Step E) Pick Heroic Actions (p. 14)

Divide the Heroic Action cards into two equal decks and give one to each team.
Each team secretly picks two heroic action cards.
- Reveal your cards only when you use them.

⊕ Step F) Pick Aid Tokens

Each team picks two Aid Tokens (First Aid, p. 14)

⊕ There are also steps G (Scrolls) and H (Artifacts), related to optional increments to the game. Skip to Sections 7.1-7.2 (p. 27) if you wish to implement them.

Remove all unpicked cards from the table, as well as anything else you will not use (like figures and cards of heroes that were not recruited).

When you conclude all the steps, the match is ready to start. The first hero's turn starts.

PvP Table Components Overview

This small dot in the corner of a square means that it is affected by the nearest "painted tile" (E.g.: Lava, Altar, etc.). This is important in prepainted boards, where the edge of tiles is not easy to determine.

Battlegrid: where the fight happens. Position miniatures and place tiles on it. Size: 24x16 squares.
HP Track: place and move tokens to keep track of heroes' current Hit Points (HP).
Midpoint: this small circle indicates the horizontal half of the battlegrid, to ease the deployment of heroes (Step D, above).
Tiles: they customize the battlegrid, changing the dynamics of combat. They are categorized as barriers (wall and closed door), obstacles (statue, chest, lever and orb), or terrains (lava, altar, portal, stairs and ruins) (Tiles, p. 25).
2x Player Aid: briefing pad with frequently-used game rules – conditions, turn actions, reaction attack, tiles.
2x Twenty-sided Dice: rolled in prematch procedures (Table set-up) and to determine if attacks hit (Striking Phase, p. 20).
Heropad: the main card with all essential information about a hero – name, combat role, passive power, attacks and stats (HP, Defense, Basic Attack and Movement). Each team organizes their heropads on opposite sides of the battlegrid, from left to right, in the order of deployment (Step D).
Attack Cards (4 per hero): each describes, in detail, one of the Hero's attacks. If one of the attacks produces a lasting effect, place the corresponding card over the heropad of the affected hero, to track the effect while it's active.
Hero Figure: a unique miniature to indicate the hero's identity and position on the grid. Its color matches the hero's Combat Role.
Hero Token: Tokens whose background colors and symbols match a Hero's Combat Role. Placed on the HP Track to control such Hero's current HP. One of the teams must use round tokens with white symbols and the other must use hexagonal tokens with black symbols.
Team Token: one for each team, it tracks three things – its position on the table indicates the next hero to take a turn; which side is up indicates if that team's hero can perform a special action (First Aid, Scroll, Special Attack, Heroic Action); finally, its shape matches the shape of the team's Hero Tokens on the HP Track (see 10, above).
Heroic Actions: two secret cards for each team. Each can be used only once in the match, producing dramatic combat results.
⊕ Scroll and Artifact Cards: meant for experienced players wishing to enrich their game, these cards describe powers of artifacts and scrolls (p. 27).
Aid Tokens (2 per team): meant for larger groups of players, a hero must spend one token and transfer its own HP to revive a dead ally (First Aid, p. 14).
Condition Token: a visual help for players' memories, it tracks Conditions affecting combatants.

2 - Heroes

The game is played controlling Heroes, and the main source of information about each hero is the Heropad.

2.1 - Reading a Heropad

On the Heropad, you find all Hero-related information:

Stats: Hit Points (HP), Basic Attack, Defense and Movement;
4 Attacks (2 Primary and 2 Special);
Passive Power.

A) Name and Combat Role B) Combat Role icon C) Hit Points (HP) D) Basic Attack E) Defense F) Movement G) Primary Attacks H) Special Attacks I) Passive Power

B) Combat Role

Combat Role is a classification that determines the fighter's tendencies, stats and attacks, indicating the optimal function a hero would perform in combat.

There are seven combat roles, each with its own color and symbol. Heroes of the same Role share identical Stats and Passive Power.

Although the combat role gives a clue about how a hero would fight, keep in mind that heroes are vastly diverse because all attacks in the game are unique.

Your team cannot recruit more than one hero of the same combat role.

Melee Roles

Brute — Essentially, a close combat role with high damage power, but inflexible. Stats indicate they are easy to strike, but have lots of HP. Passively tends to cause extra damage to targets distant from its allies. Ideal in a group that wants a powerful source of melee damage.

Tactician — Essentially, a versatile close combat role that causes harmful effects to enemies. Stats indicate they have moderate defense and HP. Passively tends to cause extra damage to targets close to its allies. Ideal in a group that wants to tactically control the game in close combat situations.

Bruiser — Essentially, a close combat, reliable role, often alive by the end of the fight. Stats indicate they have high HP and moderate defense, but low damage power. Passively tends to ward off enemy attacks, staying alive longer. Ideal in a group that wants to create lasting havoc on the front lines.

Tank — Essentially, a close combat, die-hard role. Stats indicate they have high defense and many hit points, but low damage power. Passively tends to draw attacks, punishing enemies that focus other targets. Ideal in a group that wants the perfect bait to protect strategically important Heroes.

Ranged Roles

Healer — Essentially, a ranged role, effective in recovering HP and buffing its team. Stats indicate they have moderate defense and HP, and low damage power. Passively tends to recover HP of allies with each successful attack. Ideal in a group that wants its heroes to last longer and fight in better conditions.

Shooter — Essentially, a ranged combat role; deadly, but the easiest to kill. Stats indicate they are very high-powered, but with low defense and hit points. Passively tends to easily cause extra damage to far away enemies. Ideal in a group that wants a powerful source of damage from distance.

Controller — Essentially, a versatile ranged role that causes the most powerful adverse effects to enemies. Stats indicate they are easy to hit, and have moderate HP. Passively tends to cause extra damage to a secondary target near whom they attack. Ideal in a group that wants to tactically control the game through ranged combat.

Special — A special category of characters with their own characteristics, including new Statistics and Passive Powers.

C) Hit Points (HP)

Your Hit Points Stat indicates how much punishment you can take. Let your HP get to zero and you die.

Place your hero's Token on the HP Track according to this stat.
Damage taken reduces HP by the same amount. When damaged, move your token to a lower position.
When you receive a Healing Effect, move your token to a higher position, never exceeding the Hero's Hit Points Stat (any exceeding points regained are lost).
When your HP drops to zero (or less), you are considered Dead after the attack that killed you is completely resolved (Death, p. 22).

D) Basic Attack (p. 15)

The number on this Stat indicates the damage you deal when you make a Basic Attack or Reaction Attack (p. 15).

The icon next to the damage value indicates the Range (p. 16) of a Basic Attack:

1 square (Melee Attack).
8 squares (Ranged Attack).

E) Defense

The Defense value indicates how likely an attack targeting you will miss. A high defense means your hero is good at dodging or blocking.

You must roll a die for every strike of your attack.
Your attack is a Hit (p. 22) only if the result of the roll equals or exceeds the target's Defense stat.

F) Movement

How many Movement Points you are allowed to spend in a Move Action (p. 12)

G) Primary Attacks (p. 15)

They have silver borders and are your most used resource in combat, as there are no special conditions or limits to how many times you can make them in a match. Each Hero owns two Primary Attacks.

H) Special Attacks (p. 15)

They have golden borders and are your deadliest resources. You should time them well, because you can make each of them only once per match, and only if your Team Token is "Special Ready" (meaning your team spent its last Prime Action on a non-special action). Each Hero owns two Special Attacks.

I) Passive Power

A special ability directly related to your Hero's Combat Role. It produces a certain automatic Effect when a condition is met in combat.

Trigger: the condition that you must meet to produce the passive power's effect.

Effect: The automatic combat consequence of meeting the trigger.

Even if you meet the trigger several times, the passive power's effect only applies once per turn, immediately after you meet the trigger for the first time.

Circles: The passive power of Tanks and Bruisers. They follow special rules that do not apply to other passive powers (p. 20).

3 - Turns

A Turn is the moment when a Hero (and thus, its owner) can perform its main actions, like moving and attacking. Arena: the Contest is a turn-based game, and it is through taking a turn that teams move closer to victory.

⊗ 3.1 - Turn Order

Turn Order rules, listed below, allow you to foresee the next Hero to take a turn, and the hero following the next one, and which hero would take a turn if one of them dies before their turn comes.

There is one Turn Order per team, each followed independently. They correspond to the order in which teams deployed heroes on the Battlegrid.
- Arrange your Heropads to reflect your team's turn order and use your Team Token to track whose turn is coming up (Table Set-up, 1D).
Nothing can alter turn orders during the match, not even Interrupt Attacks (extra action made outside of the attacker's turn) (p. 15).
Teams always alternate taking turns. Two heroes from the same team can never act in consecutive turns.

Example turn order: A(white) A(black) B(white) B(black) C(white) C(black) D(white) D(black) A(white) A(black) ...

If a hero dies, teams still alternate, following each team's turn order independently. For instance, if hero B (black) dies, the sequence continues skipping it while otherwise preserving each team's own order.

3.2 - Phases of a Turn

Each turn breaks down into three phases, resolved in this exact sequence:

A) Start of turn; B) Action phase; C) End of turn.

A. Start of turn

Temporary Effects you applied on your previous turn expire (take back the Primary Attack Card that applied it – it should have been placed on the Heropad of the affected Hero to track the duration of the effect).
Check if you are under any Effects (p. 23) or Circles (p. 20).
Check if your Team Token is "Special Ready" or "No Special". If it's "No Special", you can't make a Special Attack (p. 15), perform a Heroic Action (p. 14) or First Aid (p. 14), or use a Scroll (p. 27) this turn.

B. Action phase

In the action phase, you can take one Move Action and one Prime Action, in any order. You may also "pass", choosing not to perform one – or both – actions:

Take a prime action, and then move;
Move, and then take a prime action;
Only take a prime action, and pass without moving;
Only move, and pass the turn; or
Do nothing, and pass the turn.

Move Action	Prime Action
Spend Movement Points to: Move / Sidestep / Provide First Aid / Pick up (or transfer) items	Extra Move Action / Heroic Action / Basic Attack / Primary Attack / Special Attack

C. End of turn

If your Team Token read "No Special" when the turn began, flip it to "Special Ready".
Place the team token close to the Heropad of your team's next hero to act. This act declares that you are passing the turn.

3.3 - Move Action

Move Action is the primary way of repositioning combatants during the match. It intimately connects with good performance in combat, as all attacks require Range and Vision (p. 19) of your target.

See the Movement Stat on your Heropad. You have that number of Movement Points to spend on your Turn.
Once you start your Move Action, you may spend your movement points in any number of different actions, explained in the subsections below (E.g., you may move, provide First Aid, transfer a scroll to an adjacent ally, and then move again).
Once you end your move action, you lose all movement points you did not spend (E.g., if you move only one square and end your move action to attack (which is a Prime Action), you cannot move again afterwards, nor take any other action that requires spending movement points).
Using a single Move Action, you cannot pick up an item or provide First Aid and then Sidestep because you will not have enough movement points to Sidestep.

3.3.1 - Move

For each movement point you spend, your figure may leave the square it currently occupies and enter a valid adjacent square.
- Any square to the diagonal or sides of a square is considered adjacent. Each square on the center of the Battlegrid (not on the edges or corners) has eight adjacent squares.
  - Your entire move action may combine orthogonal and diagonal moves (consuming 1 movement point per square).
- You can only step on squares occupied by allies freely; you cannot end your move action on them.
When you move to leave a square that is adjacent to an enemy, you incite a Reaction Attack (p. 15).

» 3.3.2 - Sidestep

Sidestep is a special movement through which the combatant swiftly enters an adjacent square to avoid inciting reaction attacks.

You can spend a number of movement points equal to your Movement Stat to sidestep to a single adjacent square.
You may choose to sidestep to a square occupied by an ally. If you do, switch places with that ally.
Sidestep never incites Reaction Attacks (p. 15).
You cannot sidestep if you are Slowed.

Movement Restrictions

Diagonal movement is not allowed through corners of Barriers (like walls), but it is allowed through Obstacles and Combatants (Tiles, p. 25).
- You can only Sidestep to a square you could get to by spending a single movement point (E.g., you cannot sidestep through the corners of Barriers or to Ruins/Swamp Tiles).
If you move diagonally through a corner shared with a Terrain Tile (p. 26), you will suffer its effects, as if you had just entered and then left it a single time (E.g., you take damage by passing through the corner of a Lava Tile, or you have to spend an extra movement point to go through a corner shared with Ruins).
You cannot end your movement on a square already occupied by another combatant, Barrier or Obstacle.
You cannot step on squares occupied by enemies, Barriers or Obstacles, but you can freely move through squares occupied by allies and Terrains.

3.3.3 - Item transfer / pick up

To pick up an item from the ground (E.g., an artifact dropped by a dead ally), you must be adjacent to or on top of such square.
- The token of the combatant who dropped the item marks that square on the battlegrid.
To transfer an item to an ally, you must be adjacent to it.
Each item picked-up or transferred spends one movement point.
These actions do not incite Reaction Attacks.

⊕ 3.3.4 - First Aid

First Aid is the transference of 20 HP from a hero to an adjacent dead ally. We recommend it to large groups (3 or 4 players in a team) in order to eliminate the chances of players sitting aside for too long if the heroes they control die quickly. This is not an attack (there is no die roll) and it has no impact on your Prime Action. This is a mandatory feature on Co-op Mode and optional to PvP.

To provide first aid, you must:
- Be adjacent to the dead ally's square of death;
- Spend 1 movement point;
- Have a "Special Ready" Team Token. Flip it when you declare this action;
- Spend 1 Aid Token; and
- Have 21 HP or more, and then take 20 damage.
The target of the First Aid revives:
- On the square of death (or nearest possible square of choice, if the square of death is occupied)
- With 20 HP; and
- With all unspent Special Attacks available.
This action does not incite Reaction Attacks.

3.4 - Prime Action

You may spend your Prime Action doing one of the three options below:

A) Second Move Action B) Heroic Action C) Attack (Basic, Primary or Special) - p. 15.

A) Take another Move Action

This choice effectively allows you to Move twice in one turn, covering great distances. While useful to avoid unfavorable situations, like harmful Terrain Tiles or Reaction Attacks, bear in mind that you won't be able to attack this Turn. Read the Move Action's rules on Section 3.3.

B) Heroic Action

True Heroes sometimes need to perform an extreme action that does not fall into their particular skillset, surprising witnesses and changing the odds of the fight. Heroic Actions are concealed team cards that allow any hero in the team to perform such an extreme action in its Turn.

Example Heroic Action cards: Heroic Defense (Usage: Spend a Prime Action, ignoring vision and range. No roll is required. Effects: ➊ You or an ally regains 8 HP. ➋ You are immune to damage. Temporary: ends at the start of your next turn.); Heroic Revival (Usage: Spend a Prime Action, ignoring vision and range. No roll is required. Effect: ➊ Revive a dead ally and place it within 5 squares of you with 20 HP and no Special Attacks.); Heroic Ambush (Usage: Spend a Prime Action, ignoring vision and range. No roll is required. Effect: ➊ You may move to a square adjacent to an enemy. Then, this enemy takes 20 damage.)

You can use each heroic action card only once per match.
- The card does not return to your hand. If it produces a temporary effect, place it over the affected Heropad, to track it. When the effect ends, remove the card from the game.
You must perform heroic actions on your own turn, at the expense of a Prime Action.
Heroic actions are not Attacks. Their effects happen automatically (there is no die roll).
You must have the Team Token "Special Ready" side up. Flip it when you declare this action.

C) Attack (Basic, Primary, or Special)

Attack is the most frequent action you will perform in a Turn. It harms the enemy team while helping your own, being the most direct way to get you closer to victory.

Example attack cards — Basic Attack (1 square melee / 8 squares ranged, 1 enemy. Deals damage equal to Basic Attack stat.); Tide of Blades (1 square, 1 enemy. Effect: ➊ You may move the target up to 2 squares. Then increase damage dealt to the target by 3 damage. 8 damage + effect. Miss: The target takes 5 residual damage.); Spring Seeds (8 squares, 1 ally. Effect: ➊ The target regains 32 HP or you. Then increase damage dealt to the target by 18 HP each. ➋ You may remove 1 Permanent effect from a combatant within range. Miss: The target regains 15 HP (no residual damage).)

There are four types of attacks (Basic, Reaction, Primary, Special), and three of them you make on your own turn, at the expense of a Prime Action (Basic, Primary, Special). Keep reading, as the following section lists the rules that govern attacks.

4 - Attacks

One feature makes attacks different from Heroic Actions, Effects, Passive Powers and other "non-attack actions": in order to hit their target, they require a successful die roll against its Defense. If it requires rolling, it is an attack. If it doesn't, it is not.

4.1 - Types of Attacks

There are 4 types of Attacks:

4.1.1 - Basic Attack

Basic attack is a Hero's simplest form of aggression. It is rarely the optimal way to spend your Prime Action (p. 14), as there are no restrictions to performing the much stronger Primary Attacks.

Spends a Prime Action.
See the Stat's damage value on your Heropad. The symbol beside it indicates its Range:
- 1 square (melee)
- 8 squares (ranged)

Basic Attack — 1 square / 8 squares, 1 enemy. Benefit: Gain a +1 bonus to your roll. Deals damage equal to Basic Attack stat. Miss: No residual damage.

4.1.2 - Primary Attack (silver border)

Spends a Prime Action.
There is no limit to how many times you can repeat the same Primary Attack in a match (respecting the limit of one Prime Action per turn).
If it misses, the target takes 5 Residual Damage, unless the Attack Card states otherwise (p. 22).
- If the attack deals multiple strikes, you must miss all rolls to deal residual damage.

4.1.3 - Special Attack (gold border)

Spends a Prime Action (except if it is an Interrupt).
You can make each of your Special Attacks only once per match.
- To track the special attacks you made, remove their attack cards from the game, or put them over a combatant's Heropad. Do not return the cards to your hand after such effects end.
To make a Special Attack, your Team Token must be "Special Ready" side up. Flip it to "No Special" when you declare that a Special Attack will be made (Attack Timeline, p. 17).
- The next hero of your team won't be able to make a special attack. When its Turn ends, your team token will be flipped to the "Special Ready" side (End of Turn, p. 12). Then, your team will be able to make special attacks again.
If you miss, the target takes 15 Residual Damage, unless the Attack Card states otherwise.
- If there are multiple targets, you must miss all strikes to apply residual damage to the target the attack card indicates (usually the last missed target).

4.1.3.1 - Interrupts

Interrupt is a special category of Special Attack that falls into its own set of rules. The major point of difference to other special attacks is that you make it on enemies' turns, as a response to a declaration of attack (p. 17).

You can only make them when another combatant declares an attack (before its benefits apply and the die rolls) (Attack Timeline, p. 17).
- This means that, if you negate a special attack, such attack is spent and the enemy Team Token stays "No Special" side up.
Like any attack, you must roll a die to determine if it hits the target.
It completely resolves before the enemy attack can continue.
- If your interrupt kills the attacking enemy or changes the circumstances of battle in such a way that the declared attack is no longer possible, the opponent can no longer attack this turn, because, with the declaration of attack, the enemy's Prime Action was spent (Declaration of Attack, p. 17).
Like any special attack, making an interrupt requires a "Special Ready" Team Token which then flips it to "No Special" side.
- This action doesn't change your team's Turn Order (the team token only flips, not changing its original position to another heropad).
They never incite Reaction Attacks (because they can only be incited on one's own turn, and you make interrupt attacks on turns that belong to others).

» 4.1.4 - Reaction Attack

Despite having to wait for their Turn to act, all combatants are always aware of their immediate surroundings. If you make a careless action on your own turn while adjacent to an enemy, you incite a Reaction Attack.

Conditions for you to make a reaction attack:

A) Being adjacent to an enemy; AND B) The turn belongs to this enemy; AND C) This enemy does an inciting action:

Inciting Actions:

C.1) Declaration of Movement (not Sidestep) to another square on a Move Action (even if this square is also adjacent to you); OR

C.2) Declaration of Target in a Ranged Attack.

Observe that all conditions must already exist at the exact moment the enemy makes the inciting action (Eg., Entering a square adjacent to you does not incite a reaction, only leaving a square while already adjacent to you does).

Reaction Attack — Made during the target's turn. 1 square, 1 enemy inciting a Reaction Attack. Deals damage equal to Basic Attack stat + effect. Effect: ➊ The target loses 1 movement point this turn. Miss: No residual damage.

You may incite – and suffer – reaction attacks from different enemies on the same turn. (E.g., If you are adjacent to enemies 1 and 2 and declare a valid target to your ranged attack, you incite reaction attacks by both enemies.)
Each combatant can make only one reaction attack per turn. (E.g., in the situation above, if you decide to move away from enemies 1 and 2 after attacking, they cannot make another reaction attack because you already left a square while adjacent to them, as they already have when you made your ranged attack.)
Making reaction attacks is optional (You may be incited and choose not to attack). (E.g., in the situation above, if you decide not to attack your target; then, when you leave your square, enemy 2 regains the option of attacking you, and may yet again decide not to.)
You cannot target allies, only enemies.
Like any other attack, you must roll a die to check if it hits, and observe applicable modifiers (E.g., Mobs, Effects, Conditions) (Result Modifiers, p. 20 to p. 21).
Reaction attacks resolve before the attack or movement that incited them.
- If an enemy dies as a result of your attack, all of its future actions are forfeited.
- The declaration that incited the attack resets (E.g., if your enemy declared it would leave to square C12, after your reaction attack it may now choose to leave to square C13, or stop moving altogether) (E.g., after your reaction attack, the target declared by the enemy that incited you may change).
Even if your Basic Attack is Ranged, your Reaction Attack has 1 square of reach and you can make it as usual if an enemy incites it.

4.2 - Reading an Attack Card

Attack Card is the complete source of information about each of the attacks you see in each Heropad. Its purpose is consultation (by yourself and the opposing team), and tracking both the duration of Effects produced by the attack and which Hero is affected (by placing it over a heropad). Each Attack Card has its identifying name and the symbol of the Hero's Combat Role.

Example — Twin Shot: A) Border B) Range: 8 squares C) Target: up to 2 enemies D) Benefit/Drawback: You may strike 2 targets once or 1 target twice. E) Hit: 7 damage per hit + effect F) Effect: ➊ The last target hit is Exposed (ends if used). G) Miss all: The last missed target takes 5 residual damage. Temporary: ends at the start of Niary's next turn.

A) Border

Primary Attacks have a silver border, while Special Attacks have a golden one. This distinction is important because special attack cards do not return to their owner's hand and are instead removed from the game after the attack is made (Special Attacks, p. 15).

B) Range (p. 19)

The upper section of the card defines two significant requirements of every attack, starting with range. Range is the maximum distance (in number of squares) you can be from your target in order to attack.

C) Target (p. 18)

Attack Targets are the combatants you declare you want to strike with your attack. They must match the description of valid targets stated in this section of the attack card, which informs you how many combatants you can strike and who they are.

D) Benefit / Drawback (p. 18)

Some Attack Cards come with this field, which describes additional rules about the execution of the attack and its consequences. Read and follow the instructions (if any).

E) Hit (p. 22)

The Hit field shows you what happens when you successfully strike a target (in other words, when the die result is equal to, or higher than, the target's Defense).

Some attacks only deal Damage, others deal damage and apply Effects (described on the following entry), and some deal 0 damage, but apply Effects.

F) Effects (p. 23)

Effects are additional consequences of attacks you hit. Apply them in the order they are listed. Because of their diversity, effects have their own Section.

G) Miss (p. 22)

If you roll lower than your target's Defense Stat, you miss your target. When you miss all the strikes the Attack allows you to make, skip the "Hit" and "Effects" fields and follow this field's instructions instead.

4.3 - Making an Attack

To defeat your enemies, you should attack them as hard, accurately and fast as possible. Plan ahead! Anticipate what your enemies might do, because they will try the same!

In most cases, this is the simple way you will spend your Prime Action:

A) Choose an attack from your Heropad. B) Select a suitable target within Range. C) Roll a die and compare the result to the target's Defense.

C1) Lower: you Miss and deal Residual Damage (if it's a Primary or Special Attack). A "natural 1" on the die is always a Miss (p. 22).

C2) Equal or higher: you Hit and get to apply damage to your target, as well as all Effects described on the Attack Card. A "natural 20" on the die is always a Critical Hit (p. 22).

Sometimes, however, complex situations may arise to demand exact knowledge of the order of steps you and your opponents have to follow when you attack. For that, follow the Timeline and sections below:

Attack Timeline

Preparation Phase:

Declaration of Attack (p. 17) — ►► Combatant may Interrupt ◄◄
Benefit / Drawback (p. 18)
Declaration of Target (p. 18) — Check legitimacy; Check Range; Check Vision — ►► Enemy may Reaction Attack ◄◄

Striking Phase (p. 20):

Roll the die
Apply result modifiers: Circles, Focus, Mob, Other modifiers
Determine if you hit or missed*

Execution Phase:

Hit (p. 22): Apply Passive Power Effect; Apply Attack Damage; Apply Effects in the order they are listed — OR — Miss (p. 22): Apply residual
Both paths lead to: Death (p. 22); Verify dead combatants
Attack resolves

**If the attack has multiple strikes, return to the Declaration of Target step, until all strikes resolve.

4.3.1 - Declaration of Attack

Simply state the name of the attack you will make and give your opponent the chance to make an Interrupt Attack (p. 15).

If you declare a Special Attack, flip your Team Token to "No Special".
- This declaration spends your Prime Action. (E.g., if your enemy's interruption prevents the attack from going forward, you cannot declare another attack.)
Declaring a Ranged Attack does not incite Reaction Attacks (p. 15). Only the declaration of target to a Ranged Attack does. (E.g. Your attack might have a Benefit that allows moving to another square, making you leave the square you occupied when the attack was declared. In other words, if you declare an attack while adjacent to an enemy, move as the result of a benefit, and land adjacent to another enemy, you incite the second enemy, not the first.)

4.3.2 - Benefit / Drawback

Some attacks have a particular way of executing that brings the attacker a Benefit or Drawback. Read the Attack Card instructions. This is not an Effect.

Examples:

"You may move up to X squares."

During this movement, you may pass through squares occupied by allies, but not occupied by enemies. Other movement restrictions apply as usual.
Since this happens before declaring your target, you may execute the Benefit even if the attack, before or after moving, has no valid targets (E.g., If your attack has a Range of one square, you may execute this Benefit while three squares away from all enemies, and use it to get farther away from them. You won't be able to strike them, as you fail the Validation of Target step, but that does not stop you from executing the Benefit).
- You cannot end this movement on an occupied square.
This movement occurs independently of the Move Action you can spend before or after attacking.
Since you are on your Prime Action, this movement does not incite Reaction Attacks. Only declaration of movement on a Move Action does (p. 15).

"Meanwhile, you may strike each target at any time."

Resolve the attack until the end of the Striking Phase, determining if it hits the target or not, and then reset the Attack Timeline to the "benefit" step, until you make all strikes.

"Ignores all Effects applied on the Target by Enemies."

Effects produced by enemy attacks (including self-inflicted effects) and currently affecting the target are ignored as if they didn't exist.
The ignored effects are not lost as a result of this benefit and continue to affect the target after the attack resolves, even if the effect's text implies it should end after the next attack (E.g., "Reduce the next attack's damage to zero"). (E.g., "ends if used".)

"Take 10 nonlethal damage before striking."

Since this applies before the striking phase, the future result of the die roll is not relevant (you take the damage even if you miss the attack);
You cannot avoid it with effects that reduce or negate damage;
This damage cannot kill you. (E.g., If at the time of this drawback you have 1 HP, you will remain with 1 HP. You can still attack.)

4.3.3 - Declaration of Target

After you have declared your attack and possibly executed its Benefit (or Drawback), you must declare who you will attack, and verify if it is a valid target.

A target is valid when you can see it (vision) within a proper distance (range), and it matches the description on the attack card (legitimacy).

If you declare an invalid target, you forfeit that strike.
- If the attack can have only one target, you lose all subsequent action on the Attack Timeline.
Incited enemies may make a Reaction Attack (p. 15) before you proceed to the Striking Phase.
Validation of target comes before the reaction attack (E.g., if you are making a Ranged Attack and you are adjacent to an enemy, you may declare invalid targets on purpose, forfeiting your entire action, to avoid suffering the reaction attack).

4.3.3.1 - Legitimacy

A Target is considered legitimate when it matches the description on the declared attack's Card. For instance, you cannot target an ally if the attack card's target description states "1 enemy". It is one of the three conditions to a valid target, alongside proper distance and vision.

Examples:

1 enemy: choose any enemy.

1 ally: choose any combatant on your team, except yourself.

Up to 2 enemies: choose one or two enemies. You can Strike each of them once.

Up to 3 enemies: pick one, two or three enemies.

It's not possible to attack the same target three times; if there is only one available target, you can only attack it once.
Before rolling, you must declare the order in which you will attack the targets.
- Make all rolls and determine which targets get hit before moving on to the next steps.

All combatants in a 3x3 square area: all combatants occupying a determined area of attack, including yourself and allies.

To determine the area of attack, you must point to any square in the grid within range and vision (even walls and corner squares). That is the central square (CS). You will attack all figures within range positioned on that square, and squares adjacent to that one.
- You cannot attack fragments of the area outside of range.
All strikes against targets within range are made as if they were on the central square. (E.g., if a combatant in the area of attack is off your vision, but you can see the central square, you must strike this combatant).

Enemies in a straight line: all Enemies in one orthogonal or diagonal line from the square you occupy (Rook or Bishop movement). You can choose any one (but not all) of the lines seen above.

Like any other attack with multiple targets, you must roll a die for each strike, and choose the order in which you will strike the targets.
The attack's point of origin is the attacking combatant. All enemies within range, in a straight line starting on the attacker's square, are a target.

Enemy making an attack: related to Interrupt Attacks (p. 15).

4.3.3.2 - Range

Range is how far your attack can go. If the number of squares between yourself and your target is equal or below the range of your attack, the target is valid in the distance prerequisite.

In counting squares, you must exclude the square you're occupying, and include the square your target occupies. (Eg., if two figures are in adjacent squares, the distance between them is one square. If there is one vacant square between them, their distance is two squares.)

Range 1 (Melee Attack icon): Melee Attack. You must be adjacent to the target.

Range 2 (diagonal Melee icon): Melee Attack (never incites Reaction Attacks).

Range 8 (Ranged Attack icon): Ranged Attack. Incites a Reaction Attack if you make it while adjacent to enemies (p. 15).

4.3.3.3 - Vision

The third prerequisite for validating a Target, alongside its legitimacy and proper distance (Range), is vision. Vision means you can see something on the Battlefield, because you can trace an uninterrupted straight line between your square and the target's square.

Check if Barriers block the way between your square and that of your target. If they don't, you have vision.
- Obstacles, Terrains and combatants do not block Vision.

Vision is often easy to determine:

A) Trace imaginary straight lines from the corners of your target's square.

B) If at least one line reaches any of the corners of the square you occupy (no Barriers in the way) you have Vision (if you find it hard to determine, you may use a ruler, string or any other straight object to link corners).

If a line crosses (that is, neither starts nor ends at) the vertex or edge of a square occupied by a barrier, it is blocked.

4.3.4 - Striking Phase

A Strike is the attempt to Hit a Target with an Attack. The roll of a die, which gets compared to the target's Defense Stat, characterizes it.

Most often you will simply roll a high (or low) number and quickly know that the attack has hit (or missed); nevertheless, it is important to be aware about roll modifiers, all of which are applied in this phase.

All attacks in the game require rolling a die, even if you target an ally or a dead combatant.
Roll the die after validating your target (p. 18) and giving your opponent the chance to make reaction attacks (p. 15), if you incited any.
- Then, apply all result modifiers (if any), listed in the sections that follow.
If the final result of the roll equals or exceeds the target's defense stat, the strike is successful, and the attack produces damage and effect. Rolling a "natural 20" is a Critical Hit (Hit, p. 22).
If the final result of the roll is lower than the target's defense, the strike misses. Rolling a "natural 1" is always a miss.
- If that was the Primary or Special attack's only strike, or if you missed all strikes of an attack, you won't produce the attack's damage and effects, but you might apply Residual damage (Miss, p. 22).

4.3.4.1 - Circles

Circles are Passive Powers that can only trigger in the Striking Phase, after the target is validated.
Circles can only trigger on enemies' turns, if they start them adjacently to your Tank and/or Bruiser (Combat Role, p. 10).
- Like any other passive power, circles' effects happen immediately after the trigger is met for the first time (p. 11).
Circles do not require Vision (p. 19) to affect their targets (E.g., You control a tank, and an enemy starts its turn adjacent to you. It's subject to being affected by the Circle of Protection if the first target of its attack is not you. Suppose this enemy moves behind a wall and attacks one of your allies. Before this enemy rolls the die to check if the attack hits, you apply your tank's passive power, even if such tank cannot see the enemy anymore).

» 4.3.4.2 - Focus

With no distractions around them, ranged combatants can Focus and make an extra careful attack that is more likely to hit its targets.

Targets of focused attacks are considered Exposed.
To focus, you must:
- Start your turn with no other combatants (allies or enemies) within 3 squares of you;
- Forfeit your Move Action, which in this Turn is spent focusing; and
- Roll the dice at the same square where you started your turn (E.g., if your attack's Benefit allows you to move prior to rolling the die, you must forfeit it alongside your Move Action) (E.g., If, after hitting your targets, an Effect of your attack allows you to move yourself, you may do so, as the focused attack was already made – But you can't take a Move Action after you attack, because it's considered already spent focusing).
If you are the target of an interrupt attack, you lose Focus, even if such attack misses.
You cannot focus on interrupt attacks because on other combatant's turns you have no Move Action to spend focusing.
Focus applies to all targets of a Ranged Attack, including allies.

» 4.3.4.3 - Mob

You're Mobbed when a group of two or more enemies surrounds you from multiple angles. When that happens, your ability to defend yourself is impaired, because you have to divide your attention between multiple imminent threats.

You avoid mobs by having an ally close to you, to fight numbers with numbers.

Mobbed combatants are considered Exposed.
- This condition only applies to attacks made by mobbers.
You are mobbed when:
- There are no allies adjacent to you;
- There are at least two enemies adjacent to you; and
- Such enemies are not adjacent to each other.
You cannot Mob allies.
You are never mobbed if you are adjacent to an ally.

(Example: three enemies A, B, C adjacent in a row, all adjacent to combatant 1 below them: combatant 1 is "Not Mobbed by B" because a square separates allies A and C, which means they are mobbing enemy 1; however there are no squares separating ally B from another ally adjacent to enemy 1, which means B is not a mobber. In other words, enemy 1 is Exposed to attacks made by A and C, but not to attacks made by B.)

4.3.4.4 - Other result modifiers

You must pay attention to other – much rarer – game elements that might change the result of your strike from Hit to Miss, or from miss to hit. Some Conditions (p. 23) increase or decrease your target's Defense, or make you roll twice and apply the best – or worst – result. Pay attention to your attack's Benefit. Scrolls and Artifacts might also influence the final result of the roll.

4.3.5 - Miss (Residual Damage)

You Miss an entire Attack when all its Strikes are unsuccessful (you rolled a natural 1, or the dice numbers, plus modifiers, were lower than the targets' Defense Stats). If that happens your Attack Card's instructions.

Residual damage applies to only one target per turn.
If your Attack has more than one Target, you must miss all of them to apply residual damage only to the last missed target.
Basic Attacks and Reaction Attacks (p. 15) do not deal residual.
Residual damage applies nonlethal damage: it cannot lower the target's HP below 1.
Residual ignores all effects on yourself and the target (except if their text mentions the residual damage explicitly). (E.g., if you are Empowered and miss an attack against a Vulnerable target, your Residual Damage does not get +3 damage bonus from your Empowered Condition, nor does your target suffer +3 residual damage for being Vulnerable.)
Some attacks do not deal residual damage. Always follow the text on the attack card.

Nonlethal damage: any damage that cannot lower its target's HP below 1.

4.3.6 - Hit

You Hit a Target when the result of your Strike is successful (your die roll, plus modifiers, results in a number equal or above your target's Defense Stat). If that happens, you get to apply the attack's Damage and Effects.

A) If you hit a target, your hero's Passive Power may have triggered. Check if it was, and apply its Effect (p. 11).

You must have Vision (p. 19) over the target of your passive power's effect (except Circles, p. 20).

B) Then, the target of your strike takes damage; move its Token to a new position on the HP Track.

C) Finally, apply the Effects of the attack in the order they appear in the Attack Card's description;

If one of the effects will last beyond the end of this turn, place the attack card over the affected hero's Heropad.

D) Critical Hit: Happens when you roll a natural 20 (that is, ignoring all modifiers).

Effect: the target may take +5 damage.
You may choose not to apply it.
You can apply the damage before or after resolving the attack's Effects.
Critical Hit does not apply more than once per turn.

4.3.7 - Death

After applying the consequences of the Miss or Hit steps of the Attack Timeline, the attack is considered resolved. Heroes with less than one HP, at this point, are considered Dead.

A combatant is only considered dead after the entire attack (Damage and Effects) resolves (E.g., your attack, Tide of Blades, deals 11 damage to a target with 2 HP. After dealing damage, you may still apply the attack's effect on this target – moving it to deal damage to other nearby enemies).
Dead combatants cannot receive healing. End all active Effects on them.
- Effects applied by a dead combatant remain as if it lived (E.g., You are Blessed and apply a Temporary Curse on an enemy. If you die, the Blessed status is removed, but the Curse should remain until the start of the turn that would be yours if you lived, Duration of Effects, p. 23.)
Remove the dead hero's figure from the Battlegrid and put its Token on the square the figure occupied.
- Combatants may freely occupy and step on this square; the token does not influence the combat rules.
- Attacks that target "a dead combatant" must consider that the dead combatant is in this square, for purposes of Range and Vision (p. 19).
⊗ Flip the dead hero's heropad upside down and ignore it on the Turn Order (p. 12).
- Remember to keep alternating teams, as two teammates can never take consecutive turns (E.g., Hero #2 on your team's turn order is dead. After hero #1 acts, pass your Team Token to hero #3, who will be the next to take a turn (after the opposing team passes). However, if hero #3 dies on the opposing team's turn, the next hero to take a turn in the match will be hero #1 of your team (again). The same team can never take two turns in a row in a PvP match.)
- If revived, flip the Heropad again, in the position it had before. The turn order does not change (E.g., in the example above, if hero #3 revives hero #2, the next to take a turn on your team will be hero #1, as the Team Token cannot go back in the turn order).
⊗ When all enemy Heroes are dead at the same time, you win the match.

5 - Effects

Damage dealer. Lifesaver. Gamechanger. Effects are special modifications to the circumstances of the match. Not always directly related to the loss and gain of Hit Points, they bring the combat to a new layer of strategic depth and richness.

5.1 - Targets

Most Effects are a result of Attacks you Hit (p. 22). They can affect the target of your attack, other combatants, or even yourself, according to the effect's description.

Do not mistake the target of an attack with the target of an effect. The target of your attack has its own field on the Attack Card and must be validated before you roll against its Defense. But you don't have to roll a die to apply effects, regardless of whom they target.
Since there is no roll required, ignore all combat situations related to the Striking Phase (p. 20) (E.g., Focus).
You can only affect valid targets, which means you need:
- Your target to match the description in the "Effect" field (Legitimacy, p. 18);
- Proper distance to the target (Range, p. 19); and
- Vision of the Target (p. 19).
If there are no valid targets, the effect is lost and the action that would have produced it resumes as if the effect did not exist.

5.2 - Duration

Effects are produced, affect a target, and then end. Knowing their Duration allows you to plan your moves around how long they will last.

A) Instantaneous: resolves completely on the same Turn it was activated (E.g., Healing, moving a combatant, Reviving a dead ally, removing an attack or effect).

B) Temporary (hourglass icon): lasts until the start of the next turn of the combatant that applied it.

To track who was affected and remember the effect, place the Attack Card that describes it on the Heropad of the affected combatant.
- Take the card back (or remove it from the game, if it's not a Primary Attack card) when the effect ends.
The start of the next turn of the attack card's owner is the maximum duration of a temporary effect. Some might end sooner (E.g., the effect states "reduce your next damage to zero". When you receive damage, the effect ignores it, and then ends. If you never receive damage, it will end when the hero that applied the effect starts its turn).
If the target of the effect dies, the effect ends.
If the owner of the attack card dies, the effect remains active until the turn that would belong to such owner, if alive, starts.

C) Permanent: lasts until the affected combatant dies or another effect removes it.

Track the effect with the attack card that applied it.
There is no limit to the number of Effects (either Permanent and/or Temporary) that can affect the same combatant at the same time.

5.3 - Conditions

Condition is a categorized combat status caused by an Effect. Five Harmful conditions reduce a combatant's performance, each with a Helpful counterpart that improves a combatant's performance in the same proportion.

If opposite conditions are active on a combatant, they cancel each other out until one of them ends (E.g., if you are Cursed once and then Blessed twice, you are neither Blessed nor Cursed).
Conditions do not stack. Extra conditions of the same kind are considered non-existent. (E.g., if there are two active Protected conditions granting +3 Defense to an enemy with a Defense Stat of 6, it has 9 total defense, not 12 (6+3+3).)
They apply at the first opportunity. (E.g., your attack has 3 targets. Conditions only affect the 1st strike.)
Ends if used means you lose the Condition after it is considered for the first time (E.g., you are Protected and a Weakened enemy rolls a '2' on a strike against you (both conditions end if used). Your Defense had a necessary "+3" bonus on that strike, so you lose your Condition even if that did not impact the result of the roll. But your enemy did not hit you, so its -3 damage penalty was not considered. Its Weakened condition remains.)
Condition Token: You may put it close to a combatant's figure while it is affected by an effect, as a visual help for players' memories. Consult the Player Aid for a quick reference on Condition symbols, and use the star token to track other effects.

Harmful Conditions:

Cursed — Roll twice and use the worst result. Apply only on Primary Attacks. Apply once per turn, even if the attack has multiple strikes.

Exposed — Take -3 to Defense against enemy attacks. Do not apply on attacks by allies. Apply once per turn, even if the attack has multiple strikes.

Slowed — You cannot Sidestep or move due to Benefits. Apply on Move Actions (Sidestep) and Prime Actions (Benefits that allow you to move). You can still move due to Effects by any combatant.

Vulnerable — Take +3 damage when hit by an enemy attack. Do not apply on attacks by allies. Apply once per turn, even if the attack has multiple strikes.

Weakened — Deal -3 damage when your attack hits an enemy. Do not apply when attacking allies. Apply once per turn, even if the attack has multiple strikes.

Helpful Conditions:

Blessed — Roll twice and use the best result. Apply only on Primary Attacks. Apply once per turn, even if the attack has multiple strikes.

Protected — Gain +3 to Defense against enemy attacks. Do not apply on attacks by allies. Apply once per turn, even if the attack has multiple strikes.

Hastened — You do not incite Reaction Attacks. Apply when leaving a square, or declaring the target of a Ranged Attack, while adjacent to enemies.

Toughened — Take -3 damage when hit by an enemy attack. Do not apply on attacks by allies. Apply once per turn, even if the attack has multiple strikes.

Empowered — Deal +3 damage when your attack hits an enemy. Do not apply when attacking allies. Apply once per turn, even if the attack has multiple strikes.

Effect Tokens: use these if you need to track good or bad effects that are not a Condition (E.g., the target cannot regain HP).

5.4 - Explanation of specific effects

5.4.1 - Cannot regain HP

Healing Effects may still target you, they just do not recover your HP.

5.4.2 - Reviving a dead combatant

If this Effect is coming from an attack, you must roll a die against the dead target's Defense Stat and consider all applicable result modifiers, as if the target were alive (p. 20).
The figure of the target you revive must be placed within 5 squares of you and in a square to which you have Vision.
The target revives affected by no effects (all effects had ended with the death of the combatant – p. 22).
If the target beared any items (E.g., artifacts, scrolls), they all return to the target, except if an ally picked such items from the ground.
This is not a healing effect.

5.4.3 - Forcing movement

Forced movements ignore their target's Slowed Condition (p. 23).
- This means you may freely force movement of combatants on Swamp/Ruins Tiles (p. 26).
They do not incite Reaction Attacks (p. 15), as they occur outside of the target's Move Action.
The target cannot move past squares occupied by enemies of the combatant forcing the movement.
The movement can never end on a square occupied by Barriers, combatants or Obstacles.

5.4.4 - Negating an attack

Produced only by Interrupt Attacks (p. 15).
If your target cannot receive Effects applied by enemies (E.g., Sanctuary), you cannot negate its attack.

5.4.5 - Copying an attack

A copied attack must be repeated exactly like its original description.
Use the Attack Card that did the copying to track Temporary or Permanent Effects, if any (do not use the copied hero's attack card).

5.4.6 - Controlling a combatant

Controlling happens and is resolved during the controller's Turn. The controller (and controlled) combatants never lose their turns as a result of this effect.
Since Reaction Attacks can only target the turn's owner, the controlled combatant's actions do not incite them (p. 15).
If you control an enemy, invert that combatant's reference of enemies and allies when applying rules (E.g. Mob, p. 21) or following its attack cards (E.g., "Effect: one ally within range regains 6 HP").
All effects on the controlled combatant remain active.
The controlled combatant can only make a Special Attack if it is available, and if its Team Token is "Special Ready".
- The controlled combatant's Team Token does not flip to "No Special" if it makes a Special Attack while under control.

5.4.7 - Removing attacks or effects

This is an Instantaneous Effect, which means there is no automatic regaining of what was removed (this effect does not "expire").
- Revived Heroes regain Primary Attacks lost.

5.4.8 - Immunity to new effects from enemies

Enemies cannot apply effects on you. If you are their target, the effects are lost.
- This includes effects that remove other effects and "Negating an attack" (p. 24).
This effect only protects you against new effects.
- Do not remove enemy effects already active on you by the time you receive immunity. They function normally.

5.4.9 - Can't make Special Attacks

While active, you cannot declare Special Attacks.
You do not lose your Special Attacks. After this effect ends, they return to their previous availability status.

5.4.10 - Regain 1 spent Special Attack

Regain one of your own Special Attacks, even if it had been negated or removed.
Permanent Effects from the same Special Attack do not stack (E.g., if you apply Divine Grace's Permanent effect twice on a hero, it will regain 4 HP when attacking, not 8 HP).
To track this regained attack's Permanent effect, we suggest you use the card or chest that was used to regain it.

6 - Tiles

Tiles are neutral elements that represent the scenario where the battle takes place. From the moment you decide your Heroes' initial position, they directly impact the game's strategy by interacting with combatants (dealing damage, blocking vision, impairing movement, and more).

There are three categories of tiles:

Barrier: wall, closed door (p. 25)
Obstacle: statue, chest, lever, orb (p. 25)
Terrain: lava/spikes, altar, portal, swamp/ruins, stairs (p. 26)

6.1 - Barriers

Barrier is a complete obstruction on the Battlegrid. It's not possible to move through or occupy the same square as its tile. It blocks Vision (p. 19).

6.1.1 - Wall

Wall is a tile that separates rooms and blocks combatants' vision of what's on the other side.

You cannot move through squares occupied by walls.
You cannot move diagonally through the vertices of squares occupied by walls.
You cannot attack or move walls.
Walls block Vision.

6.1.2 - Door

Door is a removable tile that separates rooms. Once opened or destroyed, such rooms become accessible.

Doors come in different colors, each with its own Token. The edges of tokens follow the color of the tiles, allowing you to track and distinguish their HP.

You may put locked or unlocked doors on the grid, according to the side of the tile.
To open an unlocked door, you need to be adjacent to it, spend 1 Movement Point, and declare that you are opening that door.
- After that, you may resume your Move Action and spend your remaining movement points (if any).
To open locked doors, you must destroy them.
- Only Basic Attacks can target doors;
- Doors cannot receive Effects (except from Passive Powers);
- 1x1 tiles have 15 HP; 2x1 tiles have 25 HP;
- They are immune to Focus and Mob.
Once you open or destroy a door, remove its tile. You cannot close the door again.

6.2 - Obstacles

Obstacles are 1x1 tiles that assume a more prominent role in Cooperative Mode, where Levers, Chests, Statues, and Orbs, aside from their own specific rules, can receive additional meaning on a Quest description.

Regarding positioning and vision, Obstacles work like an enemy combatant:
- You cannot occupy or step on their squares;
- They do not block Vision.

6.2.1 - Statue

Statue tiles represent some humanoid figure (prisoners, statues, etc.). Like doors, they have different colors and tokens on the HP Track. Their backside portrays a prisoner with a color that matches the statue.

They may represent a breakable object, something to be released, or other stuff.
- Spend a Prime Action to release prisoners.

6.2.2 - Chest

Chests contain something that shows up as soon as you open them.

To open a chest, you need to be adjacent to it, spend 1 Movement point, and declare that you are opening the chest.
- After that, you immediately retrieve the Item it contains. Remove the chest tile from the Battlegrid.
You cannot attack chests (if a Quest says it is locked, you cannot destroy the chest to hoard its contents).

6.2.3 - Lever

Levers are tiles that might activate Events.

To activate a Lever, you need to be adjacent to it and spend a Prime Action (p. 14);
If activated, remove it from the Battlegrid;
You cannot attack levers.

6.2.4 - Orb

Orbs are tiles that might be activated to produce special effects during combat or events, according to the Quest. Orbs are either red or blue.

To activate an Orb, you need to be adjacent to it and spend a Prime Action (p. 14).
If activated, the orb will produce different effects according to the Quest.
Orbs may or may not be removed after the activation (follow the Quest's instructions).
Capture the Orb game mode has different rules for Orbs. See Quest Guide, p. 34.

6.3 - Terrains

Terrains are tiles that represent special features of the ground upon where combatants step. They are the only tiles that can occupy the same square as a combatant. Movement over and through their tiles is possible and they don't block the combatants' vision.

There cannot be more than one terrain tile on the same square, and they do not block Vision.
Adjacent tiles of the same kind are considered one.

6.3.1 - Lava/Spikes

These terrains represent dangerous squares on the Battlegrid. They cause damage to heroes that enter them or finish their turns on them. NEVER treat Lava and Spikes differently, unless a Quest instructs otherwise.

You take 4 damage when entering a lava tile (voluntarily or forced by some Effect).
- If you are already on a square with lava, entering another square with lava has no consequence. (E.g., if you can move an enemy 2 squares, and such enemy is on a lava tile, moving it to an adjacent tile with spikes causes no damage, but taking it OUTSIDE the lava tile and then forcing it to enter the tile again causes 4 damage.)
If you end your Turn on lava, you take 4 damage.
If you move diagonally through a lava tile, you take 4 damage as if you had entered it.
You can take lava damage only once per turn (E.g., if you move diagonally through the vertex of a square with spikes (1), then, further ahead, you step entirely on a lava tile (2), and finish your turn on this lava tile (3), even though you have met the conditions for taking lava damage three times, you only lose 4 HP).

6.3.2 - Altar

Altars are 2x2 terrain tiles that provide a combat advantage to whoever is on them. They are also an essential part of various Cooperative Quests.

If you are on an altar on the Striking Phase (p. 20) of your attack, you are considered Blessed (Helpful Condition: on Primary Attacks, roll the die twice and pick the best result).
- If you start your turn on an altar, but then move away, you instantly lose the Blessed condition.
If your Primary Attack hits, take 3 nonlethal damage.

6.3.3 - Portal

Portals are 2x2 tiles that allow teleportation of your figure to another portal tile on the Battlegrid.

Whenever your figure is on a portal tile, you may spend 1 Movement Point to teleport to any square of another portal tile.
Declaring a teleport incites the Reaction Attack of adjacent enemies (p. 15).
You cannot teleport through Sidestep (p. 13).
You cannot teleport a combatant with an effect that forces movement.
You cannot teleport if all possible destination squares are occupied.

6.3.4 - Ruins/Swamp

These are tiles that represent a difficult terrain to enter and move around, forcing you to spend two Movement Points for each time you enter one of its squares. NEVER treat Ruins and Swamp differently, unless a Quest instructs otherwise.

Heroes on swamp tiles are Slowed (Harmful Condition, p. 23).
- Forced movement ignores swamp (p. 24).
You must spend two movement points every time you enter a swamp square, regardless if the square you left was already a swamp or not.
If you have only one movement point left and you want to enter a swamp square, you may declare you will spend your pending Prime Action to Move again (p. 14). If you do, the last point of your first move action "joins" the first point of your second move action (such point is not lost).
You must spend two movement points to move diagonally between two "normal" squares if the movement crosses the vertex of a swamp square.
- You also cannot do it with Sidestep using a single Move Action.

⊕ 7 - Magic Items

There are two types of Magic Items: Scrolls and Artifacts. You can purchase both in Cooperative Mode's Epic Campaign, as customization for Heroes and Teams. They are also an optional feature of PvP Mode, especially for experienced players that want to enrich their game.

7.1 - Artifacts

Artifact is a Magic Item that Heroes can equip to receive a power. According to the magnitude of its power, it is classified as an artifact level 1, 2 or 3.

Example artifacts — Dragon Shield (Level 3. Usage: at all moments. Effect: ➊ You are immune to residual damage if your original Defense Stat is 6, gain +1 to Defense.); Amulet of Will (Level 1. Usage: any time, including after an attack roll. Effect: ➊ You may make Special Attacks, Heroic Actions and First Aid even if your Team Token is "No Special" side. If you do, it does not flip to "Special Ready" side this turn.); Sun Orb (Level 2. Usage: any time, including after an attack roll. Effect: ➊ Remove any number of Temporary effects from the target, you may strike a Special Attack and apply the best result.)

If you want to use artifacts in your PvP match, follow the step G below on your prematch procedures (p. 7):

⊗ Step G) Pick and equip Artifacts

Both teams roll a die (repeat, if the result is a tie).
If your team rolled the higher number, pick any available artifact and choose a Hero to equip it, then put the card over its Heropad image.
Alternate with the opposing team. You cannot pick an artifact if the sum of levels of all your artifacts will exceed six.
Stop picking when your levels add up to six. The opposing team may continue picking until their levels add up to six (E.g., You start picking, and pick a level 3 artifact. Your opponent picks a level 3 artifact. You pick another level 3 artifact. Both artifacts you picked add up to six, so you must stop. Your opponent may then pick three level 1 artifacts in a row. They won't alternate with you because you can't pick artifacts anymore).
Each hero can equip only one artifact.
You can only unequip an artifact at the end of the match, or when the equipped hero dies.
- If you die, the artifact drops on the last square you occupied. Only your unequipped teammates can then take it;
To pick up and equip an artifact, you must spend 1 Movement Point. This action does not incite Reaction Attacks;
- The artifact is equipped and produces its powers immediately after being picked (p. 14).
- Artifacts' powers are not Effects (E.g., if an enemy would ignore an effect on the bearer, it will not ignore the artifact's power).

7.2 - Scrolls

Scroll is a Magic Item that produces Instantaneous Effects (p. 23). Scrolls are elements of surprise that utilize bluffing and can only be revealed to opponents upon use.

Example scrolls — Earthquake, Dispel, Haste.

If you want to use scrolls in your PvP match, follow the Step H below during your prematch procedures (p. 7):

⊗ Step H) Pick Scrolls

Put all scroll cards face up on the table.
Each team rolls a die (reroll ties). The winner (higher number) picks a card.
Teams alternate picks until both have picked twelve cards each.
Both teams shuffle their 12-card decks and put them face down.
Both teams draw three scroll cards and assign them to one or more heroes in the team.
- You must keep the cards a secret, revealing them only upon use.
- ⊗ Every time a Hero dies, its Team can draw two additional scroll cards from its deck and assign them to heroes in any combination.
Your team can have a maximum of three drawn scrolls in hand.
- If your team already has three scrolls and draws more, you must discard scroll cards until you're back to three. Then, the match continues.
- If the bearer of scrolls dies, the dropped scrolls do not count towards the maximum a team can carry, until an ally picks them up from the ground.
Scrolls are not limited by Range or Vision. They do not require rolling a die. Their effects automatically affect the targets chosen.
Scrolls are not bound to a particular Turn or moment. To use them, you just need to obey its card's text and the following Team Token rule:
- To use a scroll, your team token must be "Special Ready"; when you use it, flip it to "No Special".
Scroll effects are never temporary or Permanent;
Remove any scroll from the game immediately after use. It cannot be used again in the match.

Cooperative Mode

8 - Table set-up. Starting a PvE Match.

Step A) Determine the Game Mode

If you want to play a Quest, choose any individual Mission or Boss in the Quest Guide.
If you want to play a Campaign, grab the Campaign Tome and start reading it. The Tome will determine the quests you must play.

Step B) Assemble your Team

Choose freely among all Heroes at your disposal. Restrictions:
- The Party must have precisely four heroes;
- There cannot be two heroes of the same Combat Role (p. 10).

Step C) Make common preparations

Regardless of your choice in Step A, follow these procedures:

Put the board on the table with its empty side facing up.
Grab the Heropad, Attack Cards, Token and hero figures and place them in front of you.
- 📘 Equip the Artifacts you own (max level: 6) by placing them over heropads (max artifacts per hero: 1), and assign the Scrolls you own.
- 📘 Grab other items your team owns, such as Blue (Improved) Aid Tokens and extra attack cards
Grab two red Aid Tokens, a Team Token and a die.
Pick two different Heroic Action cards for your Team.

📘 According to the difficulty level you choose, some of the above might change (See p. 39).

Step D) Make specific preparations

This step depends on the Quest you are about to play. Follow the Quest Guide instructions.

D.1) Mission

Grab and position all components listed in the mission instructions.
Assemble the board according to the Quest Guide's mission map (E.g., Tokens, Tiles, figures).
Set aside all components that won't be used right away, but might appear during the mission (E.g., villains' cards, tokens and figures).
Grab all Evil Power cards, shuffle them and make a deck facing down.
- Do the same with Flask and Fate Cards, if the quest uses them.
Put the XP Token on slot "Zero" of the HP Track.
- 📘 Missions you play after the first one might begin with this token at another number, as you must move it according to the Experience Points you gain and spend.

D.2) Boss

Grab and position all components listed on the quest's instructions (E.g., orbs).
Grab the Bosspad and the Boss' Attack Cards, Tokens and miniature.
- Bosses usually start the fight with 280 HP. To track them, put the Boss Token on slot "70" of the HP Track and three Life Tokens on the slot "0" when the fight starts. When the Boss loses its 70th Hit Point, jump the token from slot "1" back to slot "70", remove one Life Token from the track, and continue to track the rest of the damage as usual (E.g., if the Boss' token is on slot "5" and it takes 15 damage, remove one Life Token and place the Boss' token on Slot "60"). Repeat this whenever the Boss Token completes a full lap around the HP track. When there are no Life Tokens on the HP Track and the Boss' Token moves below 1 HP, it means the Boss has lost 280 HP (70x4), and you win the fight.
- Some Bosses might have different HP. Change the number of Life Tokens accordingly.
Grab the appropriate Boss Spell cards, shuffle them and make a deck facing down (they are the equivalent of Evil Power cards for Boss quests).

Step E) Determine the Heroes' starting positions

You must place the hero figures on any square of the "Stairs Tile".
- If there is more than one tile of this kind on the grid, you may freely divide figures among them, placing your heroes on any squares of the existing stairs tiles.

(Stairs do not affect the combat in any way.)

Place all hero tokens on the appropriate slot of the HP Track.
- Flip all combatants' tokens on the HP Track to their white border side. You may use them to track who has already acted in the Round (p. 32).

When you conclude all steps, the quest is ready to start. The first hero's turn begins.

Cooperative Mode's Table Components Overview

Battlegrid: where the fight happens. Position miniatures and place tiles on it. Size: 24x16 squares.
HP Track: in Co-op, this not only tracks the HP of combatants but the HP of doors, prisoners and other elements. Also used to track the passage of time and Experience Points gained or spent.
Coordinates: this will help you determine the position of elements in the Battlegrid, which is a requirement not only when you assemble it, but in events within missions (E.g., a vampire spawns adjacent to the hero on the highest number coordinate.)
Tiles: they customize the battlegrid, changing the dynamics of combat. Place them in the exact positions described on the quest map. Observe that, according to the quest instructions, statue, orb and door tiles may have their own HP Token, because they may be attacked and destroyed.
2x Player Aid: briefing pad with frequently used game rules – conditions, turn actions, reaction attacks and tiles.
Twenty-sided Die: rolled to determine if attacks hit (Striking Phase, p. 20).
Heropad (p. 10): main card with all essential information about a hero. Arrange them according to the hero you control and your seat at the table, as in PvE there is no exact Turn Order to follow (p. 32).
Attack Cards (4x/hero): each describes, in detail, one of the hero's attacks. If one of the attacks produces a lasting effect, place the corresponding card over the Heropad/Bosspad/Villain Card of the affected combatant to track the effect while it's active.
Figures: miniatures that indicate a combatant's position and identity on the grid. Colored Rings attached to villains' figures are used to identify their colors for tracking HP and effects.
Combatant Tokens: placed on the HP Track to control the hero's/boss's/villain's current HP;
Life Tokens: sometimes combatants' max HP will exceed the size of the HP Track (E.g., Bosses have 280 HP and require three +70 life tokens). You should put these life tokens on "slot 0" to indicate that the HP Track is extended (E.g., if a Hero with 70 max HP levels up and now has 80 max HP, put the hero's token on slot 10 and a +70 token below it, indicating it has not 10, but 80 HP. Once the hero suffers enough damage to have 70 HP or less, remove the life token from the HP track).
XP Token: it tracks how many Experience Points the Team has. Move it around as you accomplish objectives and purchase items.
Time Token: occasionally used, according to the quest instructions, to count time (E.g., You must survive for six Rounds. Move this token one slot every time a round ends).
Team Token: in PvE, as there's no fixed Turn Order, it only tracks the availability of Special Attacks (p. 15). Use the Red Team Tokens to track if your team is "Special Ready", and put the Blue Team Tokens over Heropads to track effects applied by foes with no attack cards.
Evil Power Cards (p. 34): they determine the powers and behavior of villains in a Mission. Keep the shuffled deck face down and draw a new card every time a villain takes a turn for the first time in a Round (p. 32).
Fate Cards: shuffle the number required by the quest before it begins and leave them face down. You must draw one of them to determine the occurrence of a random event.
Villain Cards (p. 33): each represents a villain figure on the grid. They may be used to track turns and effects.
Boss Spells Cards (p. 36): the equivalent of Evil Power cards, used only in Boss fights.
Bosspad (p. 35): showing all information related to a boss (attacks, stats, and more), it's the equivalent of a heropad.
Quest Guide: essential booklet with all instructions you need to play a quest (E.g., position of tiles and enemies, events, stats of foes, etc.).
Heroic Action Cards: two for the team. Each can be used only once per match, producing dramatic combat results.
Aid Tokens: they track how many First Aid (p. 14) actions your team can perform.
Flask Cards (p. 35): when an enemy dies, a hero chosen by the Team gets a random flask. It gives this hero a new ability that can only be performed once.
📘 Campaign Tome: a booklet with the story of the Campaign, to be read before and after playing the quests on the board. It contains pieces of information that guide your choices.
📘 Campaign Cards: these may be kept off the table, as you must read them only in-between quests. The choices you make when reading them determine what will happen on your journey.
Level UP Cards: they should be over the heropad of the leveled-up hero, to indicate its acquired power. Purchasable with XP inbetween quests.
📘 Scroll / Artifact Cards: items purchasable with XP, or obtained in campaign events or during quests.

9 - Rounds

A Round is a single cycle of Turns taken by combatants on a Quest. It begins with each Hero taking a turn, and ends after each living foe has taken a turn.

In cooperative quests, rounds control the order of action. There is no Turn Order (p. 12). This is the single significant difference between the combat rules of PvP and PvE.
In a round, Heroes always act first.
- After all living heroes have each taken one turn, all living foes take one turn each. Then, this round ends and another one begins.
In every round, players can choose any order of action, provided that heroes come first and foes come second (E.g., In the first round, your Tank can act first and your Healer fourth; in the second round, your Healer could act first and your Tank third, according to players' wishes).
- The order does not have to be predetermined before the round begins. Players may choose who will be the next to take a turn at each combatant's end of turn.
- Foes also act in any order the players choose.
Given the possibility to instantly choose who will take the next turn, each round could be different from the next. If you pause the game for any reason, there's a chance you will forget which combatants have already taken a turn on the round because the Team Token can no longer track the Turn Order. For that reason, we recommend tracking who has already acted.
- The easiest, but most inaccurate way, is to elect one of the players to be especially aware of that.
- If you want to be thorough, rotate sideways a card that represents the combatant at each end of turn. For heroes, rotate the Heropad 45º; for villains, rotate the card that represents them. Return all cards to the correct angle when the round ends.
Despite the alterable sequence of turns, Team Token, Special Attack (p. 15) and Temporary Effect (p. 23) rules remain the same.

10 - Quests

Quest is the generic name for a "PvE Match". Its subdivisions are Missions and Boss Fights. The main differences between a mission and a boss fight are their objectives and the kind of Foe you encounter.

The quest immediately ends when one of the following situations happens:

If all Heroes are dead, the party LOSES.
If Heroes meet the quest's Primary Objective, the party WINS.

All quests also have Secondary Objectives, which you may (or may not) meet for a higher degree of success in the quest, and to earn more Experience Points (XP). Since the quest immediately ends in one of the above conditions, you should try to balance your performance to complete as many Secondary Objectives as possible before meeting the Primary Objective (but also before all your heroes die!).

You can play any quest in the Quest Guide as a one-shot adventure, or start an Epic Campaign with the immersive story found in the Campaign Tome, which determines the sequence of quests.

Foe is the generic name for any enemy of Heroes found in quests. Its subdivisions are Villains (generic enemies found in every mission) and Bosses (the main enemy found in boss fights).

Combatant is any figure capable of taking a Turn. In PvP, the only combatants are the Heroes. However, as most PvP rules also apply to the game's Co-op Mode, you will many times read rules or text descriptions that use this generic concept because they are including the foes.

10.1 - Reading a Quest

A) Introduction — A brief description of the quest's background and purpose. It also contains the list of goals you must/can accomplish and how many Experience Points each is worth. The quest is instantly over when you meet the Primary Objective.

B) Quest Description — Further detailed explanation of the scenario's special features, rooms, Villains, Tiles and/or Events.

B.1) Events — To make progress in a mission, sometimes you must trigger certain Events. If you consider yourself a true dungeon crawler and enjoy being surprised, you may read this section and follow its rules only when the Event happens; bear in mind, however, that not reading in advance makes the quests much harder to beat.

B.2) Villains — The Stats, Attacks and Special Features of the quest's enemies.

C) 📘 Epic Campaign Modifier — A very short text box with the rules you must add or modify when playing the quest within a campaign. It factors in the party's increased power due to Experience Points gained in previous quests.

D) List of Components — As the title states, it contains every single component you must use in the quest. Use it as guidance in the table set-up stage (p. 29).

E) Map — The grid layout you must consult when assembling the board. It shows the position of every single tile and foe you must place. Use it alongside the list of components for a fast table set-up.

QUESTS' GOLDEN RULE:

Whenever more than one enemy behavior or quest situation is possible within the rules, the Players must choose which one happens.

10.2 - Missions

Mission is a quest with several objectives, in which Villains are the Heroes' enemies.

10.2.1 - Villains

You will encounter four types of Villains in Quests:

Sentinels: melee fighters.
Soldiers: melee fighters with an extended reach.
Snipers: ranged fighters.
Warlord: the most powerful villain in a mission.

Overlord Perks

Bosses and other unique Villains have this Special Feature. Apply the following rules whenever you fight Overlord foes:

When the Overlord attacks, ignore all effects applied by Heroes or Scrolls (on itself and its targets). Bosses cannot ignore Talismans.
If any power or effect would control them or copy, negate, or remove one of their attacks, they take 12 damage instead (damage reduction applies).
They are immune to Mob and Focus.
Reroll a die the first time they miss a strike on their turn. If the strike now hits, it deals -3 damage.

(E.g., an Evil Power card commands that the villains attack the nearest hero with lowest HP. If there are two heroes adjacent to a villain, and both have exactly 10 HP, the players must choose the hero they want to get attacked, as both are tied in the criteria.)

You must use the following components when there's a villain in combat:

Villain Card: each represents a living villain.
- There is no information on the villain cards, because their powers vary according to the mission (p. 33).
- The instructions also state to which type of villain the mission's enemy corresponds (E.g., Orcs from Lava Citadel are sentinels).
- You may rotate it 90º to track if the corresponding villain has already taken a turn this round.
- Place heroes' attack cards with lasting effects next to the affected villain's card to track the effect's duration.
Colored Rings: Attach to each villain before placing them on the board. Match the colors of the colored ring, card and token.
Villain figure: Use it to indicate the position of a villain on the board.
- There are four different miniature sculpts – one for each type of villain.
Villain Token: Place it on the HP Track to keep track of a villain's current HP.
You must match the colors of different villains (E.g., If you attack a green sentinel, move the green token on the HP Track. If the green token reaches the 0 HP slot of the track, remove the green sentinel figure and green sentinel villain card from the table. If, further on a mission, the instructions say another sentinel spawns, you may reuse these green components).
Whenever new villains spawn, they do so with full HP and can take their turns on that same Round, unless stated otherwise. If the instructions do not determine their spawning squares, you cannot place them adjacent to one another.

10.2.2 - Evil Power

Evil Power Cards automate and empower villains. Each card comes with a Power field, which gives a certain benefit to all living villains (or drawback to all heroes), and a Command field that determines their behavior.

Example Evil Power cards — Malicious Justice (Power: Villains are Hastened. Command: Basic Strategy. Temporary: ends on the next round, after the last hero's turn.); Baleful Devastation (Power: Villains are Empowered (once per turn) and their attack damage can't be reduced by effects (including Toughened). Command: Basic Strategy. Temporary: ends on the next round, after the last hero's turn.); Profanation (Power: Heroes are Cursed (once per turn). Command: Basic Strategy. Temporary: ends on the next round, after the last hero's turn.)

Before the mission starts, shuffle all Evil Power cards and make a deck with their faces down.
Draw and apply the card at the top of the deck every time the first villain to act on a Round starts its Turn.
- If you have already drawn every card in the deck, reshuffle all of them, make a new deck, and draw a new card when the first villain to act on a round starts its turn.
- If there are no villains alive, a new Round starts and no card is drawn.

10.2.3 - Villain Behavior

10.2.3.1 - Basic Strategy

Unless the card commands otherwise, villains act according to the Basic Strategy:

Attack the nearest reachable hero.
- If there is a tie, attack the hero with lowest HP.
If all heroes are out of reach, spend this turn's Prime Action on a second move action and move as close and safely as possible to the nearest hero, prioritizing safety (E.g., the villain would rather move 10 squares and stop 3 squares away from its target, than move 12 squares and step on lava to stop adjacent to the target).

10.2.3.2 - Villains' thinking steps

1) Determine the attack's target by verifying if the hero that most meets the Evil Power's description is reachable. If not (E.g., the villain's attack is 1 square range, and there are walls and other villains occupying all squares around such hero), verify if the second-most reachable is, and so on, until a target is determined.

1.1) If a low-HP villain needs to step on a harmful tile to get to a potential target, but doing so would cause its instant and certain death, the hero is not reachable. The villain will move towards another reachable target, if possible (inciting Reaction Attacks do not fall in this category, since the damage is not certain).

1.2) If there is a tie, the villain will choose the safest hero to reach (E.g., getting to one of the heroes requires stepping on lava).

1.2.1) If the tie remains, the villain will choose the hero that requires fewer movement points to reach (E.g., getting to one of the heroes requires moving around a larger pool of lava).

1.3) If no heroes are reachable, apply the Basic Strategy, regarding moving towards the nearest hero.

2) Take the safest possible path to get within reach of the determined target (E.g., if the villain has to step on lava to reach a hero within 3 squares, and there is another hero within 4 squares that is safe to reach, the villain will step on lava, because the target was already determined in the first step - The exception is rule number three, below).

2.1) If a ranged villain is adjacent to its target, "the safest possible path" could be to sidestep away and avoid inciting a Reaction Attack.

2.2) The villain will take longer routes to avoid unsafe paths (E.g., if reaching a hero within 3 squares requires spending 6 movement points to move around a pool of lava, the villain will do it. Another hero within 4 squares that requires only 3 movement points to reach safely does not become the target because of it. The target was already determined on the first step).

3) Avoid unnecessary damage, as long as the rules above are followed (E.g., if the villain started its turn on lava and does not need to move to reach its target, the villain will attack and then sidestep or move the safest and shortest possible path away from lava).

10.2.4 - Flasks

Flasks are consumable items dropped by killed foes. Its bearer can make one specific attack, as described on the card.

Example flasks — Potion of Rage (2 squares, all enemies. 5 damage per hit. Miss: The last moved target takes 5 residual damage.); Angelic Tears (8 squares, all combatants in a 3x3 area. 0 damage + effect. Effect: ➊ The target regains 8 HP if it's an ally, or takes 5 damage if it's an enemy. Miss: No residual damage.); Phantom Essence (8 squares, 1 enemy. 0 damage + effect. Effect: ➊ Transfer HP from the target to you or take 5 damage if it's an enemy any ally within range. Miss: The target takes 5 residual damage.)

10.2.4.1 – Getting flasks

Before the match starts, shuffle all flask cards and put their deck face down on the table.
When a villain dies, the Team must choose a Hero. This Hero may draw a card from the top of the flask deck.
You may spend 1 Movement Point to transfer a flask to an adjacent ally.

10.2.4.2 – Using flasks

Each hero can bear up to 2 flasks at the same time.
- If you want to draw a third flask, first remove one of the other two cards you are bearing.
To use a flask, you must flip a "Special Ready" Team Token.
Treat a flask like any other attack: You must spend a Prime Action; roll to check if the strike hits; apply damage and effects just as you would during a regular attack.
Consider flasks as Primary Attacks for bonuses and penalties that affect attacks (E.g., Conditions, Mob, Focus, negating attacks).

10.2.4.3 – Losing flasks

When the flask deck ends, enemies stop dropping flasks.
When the quest ends, heroes lose all flask cards. They will compose a new deck before the next quest starts.

10.2.5 - Other interactions

10.2.5.1 – Object Traits

Only Basic Attacks can target objects, such as doors and orbs.
They are immune to all Effects, except Passive Power.
They are immune to Focus and Mob.

Doors Stats

Big Doors - 25 HP and 4 Defense, Object Traits

Single Doors - 15 HP and 4 Defense, Object Traits

10.2.5.2 – Quest Items

Sometimes you will find special items during quests. Each has its specific distinctive color and unique effects that the instructions describe. Use these tiles to track which hero bears them.

10.3 - Boss Fights

Boss Fights are Quests with a single major enemy (the boss) and objective (killing the boss).

10.3.1 - The Turn of a Boss

Follow the table set-up procedures (especially the ones described at p. 29, D2 - Boss)
The rules regarding Rounds (p. 32) remain the same, but usually, the only foe taking a Turn in the round is the boss.

A Boss' turn has 5 phases:

Phase 1) Refresh

All Temporary Effects the boss applied on the last round end.
- Grab the Attack Card that was tracking the effect and put it back on the boss' attack cards pile.
Remove from the boss all effects applied by heroes.
- The boss takes 5 damage for every Permanent Effect removed this way.

Phase 2) Special Power

What happens in this phase varies according to the boss. It is usually related to other elements on the Battlegrid, such as Tiles and Villains. Read and follow the instructions in the Quest Guide and Bosspad.

Phase 3) Aura

Aura is a power that affects Heroes that are close to the Boss. Read and apply what's described in this field to the heroes within reach.

Phase 4) Boss Spell

Example Boss Spell cards — Lava Blast (Power: ➊ Heroes are Exposed and Vulnerable, same damage dealt by such skills. Command: Attack the nearest hero with the lowest HP. Temporary: ends on the next round, after the last hero's turn.); Lightning Barrier (Power: ➊ The first hero that hits the boss takes the same damage dealt by such attack. Command: Attack the farthest hero with the highest HP. Temporary: ends on the next round, after the last hero's turn.); Ancient Curse (Power: ➊ Heroes are Cursed and can't make Special Attacks. Command: Attack the farthest hero with the lowest HP. Temporary: ends on the next round, after the last hero's turn.)

Draw a card from the top of the Boss Spell deck and immediately apply what's described in the Power field (no roll required).
- If all boss spell cards were drawn, shuffle them all and make a new deck.
- The Command field determines the boss' behavior on the next phase.
Shuffle the Attack Cards, draw one at random and then make that attack.
- The Attack Card drawn on the last round does not participate in this shuffling. If it is a Primary Attack card, it returns to the shuffle on the next round.
The Command field of the Boss Spell card you drew during phase 4 indicates the targets of the attacks.
- The boss always moves the shortest number of squares required to reach its target.
- If even after moving the indicated target would be invalid, the boss moves to attack another valid target that best fits the Command description. (E.g., The boss spell commands "Attack the farthest hero with lowest HP". If Hero A is twenty squares to the west with 5 HP, Hero B is eight squares to the south with 70 HP, and Hero C is seven squares to the southwest with 5 HP, the Boss will move the shortest possible distance to Hero B (Hero A would be outside of reach even after moving to the west) and attack Hero B, because it's the farthest target with lowest HP (distance beats health) that the boss could attack after moving. Observe that, if this were not a boss, but a Villain, the villain would spend its prime action moving twice to the west, trying to reach Hero A, following the Basic Strategy - p. 34.)
- If the Boss cannot attack a valid target, it spends its Prime Action moving as close as possible to the nearest hero.

Phase 5) Action Phase

In this phase, the boss takes a Move Action and a Prime Action, like any other foe.

Components Legend:

Heroes: the background colors represent the Combat Roles while the round and hexagonal shapes distinguish teams on the HP Track, according to the Team Token's shape.
Sentinels: melee villains that use red, orange, green, and gray snap-on bases and round tokens.
Soldiers: melee villains that use red, orange, and gray snap-on bases and hexagonal tokens.
Snipers: ranged villains that use purple, blue, and green snap-on bases and hexagonal tokens.
Boss: Huge Bosses that may use a red or blue token, often alongside "Extra 70 HP" tokens.
Warlord: special villains that do not wear snap-on bases.
Team Tokens: with two shapes (round and hexagonal), to distinguish between player teams. They have two sides: "Special Ready" (bright) and "No Special" (dark).
Orbs: used to represent multiple objects, they come in red or blue colors.
Prisoners: for multiple uses and three color variations: purple, green, and orange.
XP: tracks the experience points earned in Quests.
Timer: for different ways to control the passage of time in Quests: rounds, turns, etc.
Extra 70 HP: Placed on the slot "0" of the HP Track when a Hero or foe has more than 70 HP.
Small and Big Doors: small doors are red, yellow, gray, or purple, and big doors are either red or yellow.
Living Walls: used when wall tiles are also enemies or have reducible HP.

📘 11 - The Epic Campaign

Epic Campaign is the complete cooperative experience. Face sequential Quests with a branching background story and earn Experience Points based on your performance. In between quests, you may spend XP on items that improve your team's combat prowess, while also acquiring information that will guide the decisions you make and get your team closer to the endgame and your ultimate objective: saving the world.

11.1 - Structure

In the Epic Campaign, the Campaign Tome and Campaign Cards guide the action. The Quest Guide still informs the rules required to play the quests on the board, but which quest will be played, and everything inbetween, is the Campaign Cards' and Campaign Tome's job.

The Campaign Tome will tell you the story behind your journey. You will also find clues, information and puzzle pieces that should guide your party's decisions.

The Campaign Cards will also help move the story forward by introducing events and situations that will require you to make tough decisions.

The Campaign Deck comes in a specific order that you must not change. Immediately after you beat a quest, draw the deck's first card (it must have the quest's art on its back).

This is the only thing you must remember: draw the card at the top of the Campaign Deck after beating a quest on the board, before reading the Campaign Tome. The instructions on the Cards/Tome will guide you all the way to the next quest.

Start with the Introduction to the story. It will give you the setting and your party's ultimate goal. Every time you're required to do something (E.g., read a Campaign Card; assemble your team; go to Page 21), the instructions will be written clearly, in red bold italics. If you don't know what to do next, you've missed one of these instructions.

Register your progress (E.g., XP gained, items owned, etc.) on the Campaign Log (back of the Campaign Tome). Whenever you read a text in bold green italics, register this Achievement in the Log's appropriate section.

11.2 - Quest rewards

When you win a Mission or a Boss Fight, your party gets the following rewards:

Experience Points (XP). They represent monetary loot found throughout the dungeon (which you spend to purchase items) and authentic experience earned by accomplishing specific feats in the quest (which provides the necessary inspiration to become stronger and perform new actions in combat). Experience Points are collective, meaning only the party earns XP (never a single hero); and variable, because the amount earned relates directly to the party's performance.

Special combat-related rewards (bonus attacks and Level UP cards). They represent the result of combat lessons the heroes learned while fighting during the quest. Each hero receives them individually and they are limited to the description below.

Spend your experience points wisely and choose your special rewards well, because enemies shall get stronger as you progress!

11.2.1 – Special Rewards

If you are playing the Epic Campaign, get the following rewards according to how many quests you have played before. All heroes in the group must choose their specific rewards immediately before drawing the quest's Campaign Card:

First Quest: Free Primary Attack Card

Each hero chooses any Primary Attack that belongs to another Hero of the same Combat Role. It becomes part of its arsenal until the end of the campaign.

Second Quest: Free Level UP card

Each hero chooses a Level UP card it doesn't already own.
- If a hero already owns a copy of each of the four Level UP cards, the party gains 2 XP instead.

Third Quest: Free Artifact (Level 1)

Each hero chooses one artifact, selected from the six available Level 1 artifacts.
- If there are not enough artifacts available, the party gains 2 XP for each hero that does not get one.

Fourth Quest: Free Special Attack card

The card each hero chooses must belong to a Combat Role that is absent in the party.
Each hero must choose a different Special Attack.
These are consumables. You lose them at the end of the next quest.

Fifth Quest: Free Level UP card

Each hero chooses one Level UP Card of a type it doesn't own, or owns only one copy.
- If a hero already owns the maximum number of cards allowed, the party gains 4 XP instead.

11.2.2 – Experience Points: gaining

You can earn Experience Points (XP) in a variety of ways:

Accomplishing a quest's Primary Objective;
Accomplishing a quest's Secondary Objectives;
Rewarded by the Campaign Tome/Cards;
Selling artifacts or scrolls at half their original XP cost (rounded down).
Experience Points always belong to the Team, never to a specific Hero/Player (E.g., If you acquire 1 extra XP for every hero alive at the end of a quest, these points go to the team and may be spent to level up a hero that was dead at the end of such quest).
- Track how many points you already have and gain by placing the XP Token on the corresponding slot of the HP Track.
Experience Points are awarded only after the quest ends successfully (E.g., if you have zero XP, complete a secondary objective, and then fail the quest, you cannot spend the XP of the secondary objective before trying again).
- Take note whenever you accomplish a secondary objective during a quest in order not to forget about it.
When selling artifacts and scrolls, you may group the items in a single sale (E.g., if you sell a single scroll, you get 0 XP, since you must round down. However, if you sell two scrolls at the same time, you get 1XP back).

11.2.3 – Experience Points: spending

You cannot spend XP at any time, such as in the middle of a quest. You may spend XP only when the Campaign Tome/Cards allow, through instructions in bold red italics.

The following sections represent items you may acquire with your party's XP.

11.2.3.1 – Level UP

Level UP Cards are boosts you permanently attach to a specific Hero of the Team, making it a better fighter.

Example Level UP cards — Health (+10 Health); Protection (+1 Protection); Power (+1 Power).

You must attach the level up card to a hero as soon as you purchase it.
You cannot detach or transfer Level UP cards.
Apply them only when it benefits you (E.g.: you may not deal +1 damage when attacking an ally).
"Power" applies once per attack. "Precision" and "Protection" apply in all attack rolls.
You can attach a maximum of three equal level up cards and up to six total level up cards per hero.
- Your team cannot own more than 5 copies of the same type of Level UP card.
There are several types of level up cards. Attaching more than one card of the same type to the same hero increases its cost:

1st Card: 4 XP 2nd Card: 8 XP 3rd Card: 12 XP

11.2.3.2 – Primary Attack Card (permanent)

Cost: 3 XP each.
Choose one Primary Attack card from any other hero that shares a Combat Role with the card's recipient.
The card remains with the same hero until the campaign ends. You do not lose any of your other primary attacks. You cannot sell, change or transfer this card.
Each hero can own a maximum of two extra Primary Attacks.

11.2.3.3 – Special Attack Card (consumable)

Cost: 2XP each.
Choose one Special Attack card from any other hero that shares a Combat Role with the card's recipient.
You permanently lose the card after making its attack or at the end of the following quest. No Hero in the party can acquire this same consumable again.
Each hero can own a maximum of one extra Special Attack at a given time.

11.2.3.4 – Improved First Aid (consumable)

Cost: 1 Token = 3XP; 2 Tokens = 7XP.
Improved First Aids do not have a drawback (you do not take 20 damage).
Use the Red Tokens to track your regular First Aid uses, and the Blue Tokens to represent the Improved First Aid.
You do not lose any of your two regular First Aid uses when acquiring an Improved First Aid.
The party can own a maximum of two Blue Aid Tokens at the same time. They are lost when used, or at the end of the next quest.

11.2.3.5 – Scrolls (consumable)

Cost: 1 XP each.
Your party can own any number of scrolls at the same time, but before each quest begins, the party must select a maximum of three scrolls and assign them to one or more heroes.
You permanently lose a scroll card after using it. You can only own it a second time if the campaign specifically rewards it.

11.2.3.6 – Artifacts (permanent)

Cost: Level 1 = 4XP; Level 2 = 8XP.
You cannot purchase or sell Level 3 artifacts.
Before each quest begins, choose among your purchased artifacts which will be equipped. The total level of artifacts equipped by your team cannot exceed 6.
- Artifacts must be equipped on different Heroes.
- When the mission ends, artifacts are automatically un-equipped. You may equip them on other heroes before the next quest starts.
If a hero equipping an artifact dies during the quest, you do not need to pick its artifact up. Both the hero and the artifact automatically return to the team when the quest ends.
There is no limit to the number of artifacts you may purchase.

11.3 - Adjusting the difficulty

You can adjust the difficulty of quests to your group's needs and preferences. The Normal difficulty level is already challenging, requiring good strategy and understanding of the game to overcome the missions and bosses.

Easy Mode is a good way to introduce the game to casual players, or get a "feeling" for how difficult the game actually is before starting an Epic Campaign. If you feel like you are failing too much and it is harming your overall experience, try Easy Mode's modifications.

Hard Mode is suited for players who need to shatter some of their love for their game. If you feel like you are an expert, or if you have already beaten the Epic Campaign and want a new level of challenge, try Hard Mode's modifications.

Easy

Chests and Events: Heroes regain 30 HP instead of 20 HP, except Boss Fights.

XP: The Primary Objective grants 20 XP; Secondary Objectives do not grant XP.

First Aid: Performing it requires losing 10 HP.

Flasks: Heroes can bear up to 3 flasks at a time.

Heroic Actions: The team may perform up to 3 Heroic Actions per quest. They can select any Heroic Action during the quest, not needing to select them at the start of the match, but each must be different.

Team Token: Special Attacks, Heroic Action, Scrolls, Flasks and First Aid do not flip your Team Token.

Lava/Spikes Tiles: Deal 3 damage, instead of 4.

Hard

Chests and Events: Heroes regain 10 HP, instead of 20 HP, except Boss Fights.

XP: Surviving heroes grant 3 XP each, Primary Objective grants -8 XP.

First Aid: Performing it requires losing 25 HP.

Flasks: Heroes cannot bear more than 1 flask at a time.

Heroic Actions: Heroes can perform only one per quest and cannot repeat the same Heroic Action again until the campaign ends.

Team Token: When flipped to "No Special", it will flip again to "Special Ready" only at the start of the next round.

Lava/Spikes Tiles: Deal 5 damage, instead of 4.

Difficulty Comparison Table

	Easy	Normal	Hard
Chests/events (HP gained)	30***	20***	10***
Primary Objective (XP)	20	N (varies)	(N-8)
Secondary Objectives	0	N (varies)	N*
First Aid (drawback)	Take 10 damage	Take 20 damage	Take 25 damage
Flasks a hero can bear	3	2	1
Heroic Actions/quest	3**	2	1
Heroic Actions/campaign	Follow rules	Follow rules	1 of each
Team Token (when to flip to "No Special")	No limit	Follow rules	Follow rules
Team Token (when to flip back to "Special Ready")	Follow rules	Follow rules	Start of next round
Lava/Spikes Tiles (damage)	3	4	5

N = Normal XP earned as indicated in Quest Guide. * Earn 3 XP for each hero living when the quest ends. ** You can select the Heroic Actions cards during the quest, right before you perform them. There is no need to select them before the match starts. *** Except Boss Fights.

Arena: The Contest Rulebook

Table of Contents

I - This Rulebook
II - The Game
- II.I - Setting
- II.II - Game Modes
  - II.II.I - Introduction to PvP (Competitive)
  - II.II.II - Introduction to PvE (Cooperative)
    - II.II.II.I - Epic Campaign
General Rules & Competitive Mode
Cooperative Mode

I - This Rulebook

I.II - Structure

This Rulebook is divided into specific segments because it's intended for episodic consultations.

Since ATC comes with two heavily independent game modes (Competitive and Cooperative), each has its own Chapter.

A Section is every single identifiable segment of a chapter. They all have a keyword in their name and a reference number that places it in the Rulebook.

I.II.I - References

I.II.II - Cooperative Mode

ATC's battle system is the same in both game modes, which means most rules are universally applicable.

However, the Cooperative Mode has:

(i) a few distinct rules. Whenever a section or rule is followed by ⊗ it means it only applies to PvP. Another rule addresses that same situation in the Co-op Title;

In other words, any doubts about rules that are not exclusive to PvE (nor exclusive to PvP) are solved in Chapter One, even if you are playing the cooperative mode of the game.

I.III - Language and Formatting

Words in dark green are introductions that explain the name or concept featured in the section, making them easier to understand.

Words in dark blue are examples, always introduced by "E.g.," and written within parentheses.

The first time a concept or keyword comes up in a section, its first letter is Capitalized. If you don't understand the capitalized concept, you should search and read its section in the Rulebook.

I.IV - Special symbols

⊗ indicates PvP-Exclusive rules. They are not applicable in the Cooperative Mode of the game.

⊕ indicates optional increments to the game. The game is entirely playable without them. Use them to enrich your experience, especially when you feel familiarized with the game.

II - The Game

II.I - Setting

Tanares is a fantasy world under a divine curse. Many centuries ago, the Gods decreed: massive bloodshed will be punished with natural catastrophes.

Mankind disobeyed and waged war. Every major conflict ended with a cataclysm that killed all armies involved and forever changed the world's landscape.

But conflict is inevitable. Nations get in the way of others, cities and races dispute the same things. Sometimes, only violence can solve a situation.

In this context, the Empire created the ARENA: a place where minimal bloodshed solves large conflicts.

II.II - Game Modes

II.II.I - Introduction to PvP (Competitive)

In ATC – Competitive Mode, two Teams must recruit three or four Heroes each and fight to the death in the Arena. Synergy, teamwork, and sound strategies are essential.

Victory condition: all heroes of the opposing team are dead.

Number of players: Minimum of 2 (each controlling an entire team), maximum of 8 (each controlling a single hero).

Single match duration: ~45-90min.

Obs.: The Quest Guide booklet contains special scenarios where you can play PvP fights under slightly different rules. See Capture the Orb (p. 34) and the Gold Dragon One x All PvP fight (p. 36).

II.II.II - Introduction to PvE (Cooperative)

Victory condition: Accomplish the Quest's Primary Objective.

Number of players: Minimum of 1 (controlling the entire team), maximum of 4 (each controlling a single hero).

Single quest duration: ~45-90min.

II.II.II.I - Epic Campaign

You may play cooperative quests as individual scenarios, each with a different team, according to the players' desires.

In the Campaign Tome, hints, clues and puzzle pieces help the party determine the path they want to follow through a story with multiple branchings and endings.

Victory condition: Achieve one of the endings.

General Rules & Competitive Mode

1 - Table set-up. Starting a PvP Match.

Step A) Define Teams

Divide players into two teams.
There is no method of division. If four people are going to play, the match should be 2x2, but it could also be 3x1, according to players' wishes.
Determine how many Heroes each team will recruit: three or four.
- Both teams play with the same number of heroes.

Step B) Assemble the Arena (place Tiles)

Obs.: you may skip this step if you decide to use the back of the board, which contains an illustrated preassembled Arena.

Both teams pick any number of Tiles (p. 25) and freely place them in the Arena (in "freestyle placement", tiles may be adjacent to others).
- In "freestyle placement", players may put any number of tiles anywhere on the board (including adjacently to each other), but both teams must agree upon the final position of all tiles.

If no agreement can be reached, any player can enforce the "Competitive placement":

Both teams roll a die (repeat, if the result is a tie).
If your team rolled the higher number, grab any tile and place it anywhere on the grid.
Then, the opposing team picks any tile and places it anywhere (observing step 4).
You cannot place a new tile on squares that overlap or are adjacent to other tiles.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 until each team has placed five tiles each (ten total tiles on the battlegrid).

Step C) Recruit Heroes

Both teams roll a die (repeat, if the result is a tie).
If your team rolled the higher number, recruit any Hero. Grab the recruited hero's Token, Heropad and Attack Cards.
Then, the opposing team does the same. Teams alternate, until six (or eight) total heroes are recruited.
Your team cannot recruit two heroes of the same Combat Role (p. 10).

Step D) Deploy Heroes

Both teams roll a die (repeat, if the result is a tie).
If your team rolled the higher number, select the left or right half of the battlegrid, where your team's heroes will start the match.
Then, deploy any of your recruited heroes, placing its figure in any valid square of the chosen half.
- Any square not occupied by another combatant or tile (except Terrains, p. 26) are valid initial squares.
Place the deployed hero's token and heropad on the table.
The deployment order determines the Turn Order for the entire match. The first deployed hero will also be the first to act when the match starts, and so forth (Turn Order, p. 12).
The opposing team then places its first hero to act (second overall) in any valid square on the opposing half of the battlegrid.
Both teams place their Team Token (Special Ready side up) next to the first deployed heropad, indicating the first hero taking a turn for the team.
Each team organizes their heropads on opposite sides of the battlegrid, from left to right, in the order of deployment, to allow visualization of the turn orders.
Teams alternate, each on its half of the battlegrid, until all heroes are deployed and tokens/heropads placed.

Step E) Pick Heroic Actions (p. 14)

Divide the Heroic Action cards into two equal decks and give one to each team.
Each team secretly picks two heroic action cards.
- Reveal your cards only when you use them.

⊕ Step F) Pick Aid Tokens

Each team picks two Aid Tokens (First Aid, p. 14)

⊕ There are also steps G (Scrolls) and H (Artifacts), related to optional increments to the game. Skip to Sections 7.1-7.2 (p. 27) if you wish to implement them.

Remove all unpicked cards from the table, as well as anything else you will not use (like figures and cards of heroes that were not recruited).

When you conclude all the steps, the match is ready to start. The first hero's turn starts.

PvP Table Components Overview

Battlegrid: where the fight happens. Position miniatures and place tiles on it. Size: 24x16 squares.
HP Track: place and move tokens to keep track of heroes' current Hit Points (HP).
Midpoint: this small circle indicates the horizontal half of the battlegrid, to ease the deployment of heroes (Step D, above).
Tiles: they customize the battlegrid, changing the dynamics of combat. They are categorized as barriers (wall and closed door), obstacles (statue, chest, lever and orb), or terrains (lava, altar, portal, stairs and ruins) (Tiles, p. 25).
2x Player Aid: briefing pad with frequently-used game rules – conditions, turn actions, reaction attack, tiles.
2x Twenty-sided Dice: rolled in prematch procedures (Table set-up) and to determine if attacks hit (Striking Phase, p. 20).
Heropad: the main card with all essential information about a hero – name, combat role, passive power, attacks and stats (HP, Defense, Basic Attack and Movement). Each team organizes their heropads on opposite sides of the battlegrid, from left to right, in the order of deployment (Step D).
Attack Cards (4 per hero): each describes, in detail, one of the Hero's attacks. If one of the attacks produces a lasting effect, place the corresponding card over the heropad of the affected hero, to track the effect while it's active.
Hero Figure: a unique miniature to indicate the hero's identity and position on the grid. Its color matches the hero's Combat Role.
Hero Token: Tokens whose background colors and symbols match a Hero's Combat Role. Placed on the HP Track to control such Hero's current HP. One of the teams must use round tokens with white symbols and the other must use hexagonal tokens with black symbols.
Team Token: one for each team, it tracks three things – its position on the table indicates the next hero to take a turn; which side is up indicates if that team's hero can perform a special action (First Aid, Scroll, Special Attack, Heroic Action); finally, its shape matches the shape of the team's Hero Tokens on the HP Track (see 10, above).
Heroic Actions: two secret cards for each team. Each can be used only once in the match, producing dramatic combat results.
⊕ Scroll and Artifact Cards: meant for experienced players wishing to enrich their game, these cards describe powers of artifacts and scrolls (p. 27).
Aid Tokens (2 per team): meant for larger groups of players, a hero must spend one token and transfer its own HP to revive a dead ally (First Aid, p. 14).
Condition Token: a visual help for players' memories, it tracks Conditions affecting combatants.

2 - Heroes

The game is played controlling Heroes, and the main source of information about each hero is the Heropad.

2.1 - Reading a Heropad

On the Heropad, you find all Hero-related information:

Stats: Hit Points (HP), Basic Attack, Defense and Movement;
4 Attacks (2 Primary and 2 Special);
Passive Power.

A) Name and Combat Role B) Combat Role icon C) Hit Points (HP) D) Basic Attack E) Defense F) Movement G) Primary Attacks H) Special Attacks I) Passive Power

B) Combat Role

Combat Role is a classification that determines the fighter's tendencies, stats and attacks, indicating the optimal function a hero would perform in combat.

There are seven combat roles, each with its own color and symbol. Heroes of the same Role share identical Stats and Passive Power.

Although the combat role gives a clue about how a hero would fight, keep in mind that heroes are vastly diverse because all attacks in the game are unique.

Your team cannot recruit more than one hero of the same combat role.

Melee Roles

Ranged Roles

Special — A special category of characters with their own characteristics, including new Statistics and Passive Powers.

C) Hit Points (HP)

Your Hit Points Stat indicates how much punishment you can take. Let your HP get to zero and you die.

Place your hero's Token on the HP Track according to this stat.
Damage taken reduces HP by the same amount. When damaged, move your token to a lower position.
When you receive a Healing Effect, move your token to a higher position, never exceeding the Hero's Hit Points Stat (any exceeding points regained are lost).
When your HP drops to zero (or less), you are considered Dead after the attack that killed you is completely resolved (Death, p. 22).

D) Basic Attack (p. 15)

The number on this Stat indicates the damage you deal when you make a Basic Attack or Reaction Attack (p. 15).

The icon next to the damage value indicates the Range (p. 16) of a Basic Attack:

1 square (Melee Attack).
8 squares (Ranged Attack).

E) Defense

The Defense value indicates how likely an attack targeting you will miss. A high defense means your hero is good at dodging or blocking.

You must roll a die for every strike of your attack.
Your attack is a Hit (p. 22) only if the result of the roll equals or exceeds the target's Defense stat.

F) Movement

How many Movement Points you are allowed to spend in a Move Action (p. 12)

G) Primary Attacks (p. 15)

They have silver borders and are your most used resource in combat, as there are no special conditions or limits to how many times you can make them in a match. Each Hero owns two Primary Attacks.

H) Special Attacks (p. 15)

I) Passive Power

A special ability directly related to your Hero's Combat Role. It produces a certain automatic Effect when a condition is met in combat.

Trigger: the condition that you must meet to produce the passive power's effect.

Effect: The automatic combat consequence of meeting the trigger.

Even if you meet the trigger several times, the passive power's effect only applies once per turn, immediately after you meet the trigger for the first time.

Circles: The passive power of Tanks and Bruisers. They follow special rules that do not apply to other passive powers (p. 20).

3 - Turns

⊗ 3.1 - Turn Order

There is one Turn Order per team, each followed independently. They correspond to the order in which teams deployed heroes on the Battlegrid.
- Arrange your Heropads to reflect your team's turn order and use your Team Token to track whose turn is coming up (Table Set-up, 1D).
Nothing can alter turn orders during the match, not even Interrupt Attacks (extra action made outside of the attacker's turn) (p. 15).
Teams always alternate taking turns. Two heroes from the same team can never act in consecutive turns.

Example turn order: A(white) A(black) B(white) B(black) C(white) C(black) D(white) D(black) A(white) A(black) ...

3.2 - Phases of a Turn

Each turn breaks down into three phases, resolved in this exact sequence:

A) Start of turn; B) Action phase; C) End of turn.

A. Start of turn

Temporary Effects you applied on your previous turn expire (take back the Primary Attack Card that applied it – it should have been placed on the Heropad of the affected Hero to track the duration of the effect).
Check if you are under any Effects (p. 23) or Circles (p. 20).
Check if your Team Token is "Special Ready" or "No Special". If it's "No Special", you can't make a Special Attack (p. 15), perform a Heroic Action (p. 14) or First Aid (p. 14), or use a Scroll (p. 27) this turn.

B. Action phase

In the action phase, you can take one Move Action and one Prime Action, in any order. You may also "pass", choosing not to perform one – or both – actions:

Take a prime action, and then move;
Move, and then take a prime action;
Only take a prime action, and pass without moving;
Only move, and pass the turn; or
Do nothing, and pass the turn.

Move Action	Prime Action
Spend Movement Points to: Move / Sidestep / Provide First Aid / Pick up (or transfer) items	Extra Move Action / Heroic Action / Basic Attack / Primary Attack / Special Attack

C. End of turn

If your Team Token read "No Special" when the turn began, flip it to "Special Ready".
Place the team token close to the Heropad of your team's next hero to act. This act declares that you are passing the turn.

3.3 - Move Action

Move Action is the primary way of repositioning combatants during the match. It intimately connects with good performance in combat, as all attacks require Range and Vision (p. 19) of your target.

See the Movement Stat on your Heropad. You have that number of Movement Points to spend on your Turn.
Once you start your Move Action, you may spend your movement points in any number of different actions, explained in the subsections below (E.g., you may move, provide First Aid, transfer a scroll to an adjacent ally, and then move again).
Once you end your move action, you lose all movement points you did not spend (E.g., if you move only one square and end your move action to attack (which is a Prime Action), you cannot move again afterwards, nor take any other action that requires spending movement points).
Using a single Move Action, you cannot pick up an item or provide First Aid and then Sidestep because you will not have enough movement points to Sidestep.

3.3.1 - Move

For each movement point you spend, your figure may leave the square it currently occupies and enter a valid adjacent square.
- Any square to the diagonal or sides of a square is considered adjacent. Each square on the center of the Battlegrid (not on the edges or corners) has eight adjacent squares.
  - Your entire move action may combine orthogonal and diagonal moves (consuming 1 movement point per square).
- You can only step on squares occupied by allies freely; you cannot end your move action on them.
When you move to leave a square that is adjacent to an enemy, you incite a Reaction Attack (p. 15).

» 3.3.2 - Sidestep

Sidestep is a special movement through which the combatant swiftly enters an adjacent square to avoid inciting reaction attacks.

You can spend a number of movement points equal to your Movement Stat to sidestep to a single adjacent square.
You may choose to sidestep to a square occupied by an ally. If you do, switch places with that ally.
Sidestep never incites Reaction Attacks (p. 15).
You cannot sidestep if you are Slowed.

Movement Restrictions

Diagonal movement is not allowed through corners of Barriers (like walls), but it is allowed through Obstacles and Combatants (Tiles, p. 25).
- You can only Sidestep to a square you could get to by spending a single movement point (E.g., you cannot sidestep through the corners of Barriers or to Ruins/Swamp Tiles).
If you move diagonally through a corner shared with a Terrain Tile (p. 26), you will suffer its effects, as if you had just entered and then left it a single time (E.g., you take damage by passing through the corner of a Lava Tile, or you have to spend an extra movement point to go through a corner shared with Ruins).
You cannot end your movement on a square already occupied by another combatant, Barrier or Obstacle.
You cannot step on squares occupied by enemies, Barriers or Obstacles, but you can freely move through squares occupied by allies and Terrains.

3.3.3 - Item transfer / pick up

To pick up an item from the ground (E.g., an artifact dropped by a dead ally), you must be adjacent to or on top of such square.
- The token of the combatant who dropped the item marks that square on the battlegrid.
To transfer an item to an ally, you must be adjacent to it.
Each item picked-up or transferred spends one movement point.
These actions do not incite Reaction Attacks.

⊕ 3.3.4 - First Aid

To provide first aid, you must:
- Be adjacent to the dead ally's square of death;
- Spend 1 movement point;
- Have a "Special Ready" Team Token. Flip it when you declare this action;
- Spend 1 Aid Token; and
- Have 21 HP or more, and then take 20 damage.
The target of the First Aid revives:
- On the square of death (or nearest possible square of choice, if the square of death is occupied)
- With 20 HP; and
- With all unspent Special Attacks available.
This action does not incite Reaction Attacks.

3.4 - Prime Action

You may spend your Prime Action doing one of the three options below:

A) Second Move Action B) Heroic Action C) Attack (Basic, Primary or Special) - p. 15.

A) Take another Move Action

B) Heroic Action

You can use each heroic action card only once per match.
- The card does not return to your hand. If it produces a temporary effect, place it over the affected Heropad, to track it. When the effect ends, remove the card from the game.
You must perform heroic actions on your own turn, at the expense of a Prime Action.
Heroic actions are not Attacks. Their effects happen automatically (there is no die roll).
You must have the Team Token "Special Ready" side up. Flip it when you declare this action.

C) Attack (Basic, Primary, or Special)

Attack is the most frequent action you will perform in a Turn. It harms the enemy team while helping your own, being the most direct way to get you closer to victory.

4 - Attacks

4.1 - Types of Attacks

There are 4 types of Attacks:

4.1.1 - Basic Attack

Basic attack is a Hero's simplest form of aggression. It is rarely the optimal way to spend your Prime Action (p. 14), as there are no restrictions to performing the much stronger Primary Attacks.

Spends a Prime Action.
See the Stat's damage value on your Heropad. The symbol beside it indicates its Range:
- 1 square (melee)
- 8 squares (ranged)

Basic Attack — 1 square / 8 squares, 1 enemy. Benefit: Gain a +1 bonus to your roll. Deals damage equal to Basic Attack stat. Miss: No residual damage.

4.1.2 - Primary Attack (silver border)

Spends a Prime Action.
There is no limit to how many times you can repeat the same Primary Attack in a match (respecting the limit of one Prime Action per turn).
If it misses, the target takes 5 Residual Damage, unless the Attack Card states otherwise (p. 22).
- If the attack deals multiple strikes, you must miss all rolls to deal residual damage.

4.1.3 - Special Attack (gold border)

Spends a Prime Action (except if it is an Interrupt).
You can make each of your Special Attacks only once per match.
- To track the special attacks you made, remove their attack cards from the game, or put them over a combatant's Heropad. Do not return the cards to your hand after such effects end.
To make a Special Attack, your Team Token must be "Special Ready" side up. Flip it to "No Special" when you declare that a Special Attack will be made (Attack Timeline, p. 17).
- The next hero of your team won't be able to make a special attack. When its Turn ends, your team token will be flipped to the "Special Ready" side (End of Turn, p. 12). Then, your team will be able to make special attacks again.
If you miss, the target takes 15 Residual Damage, unless the Attack Card states otherwise.
- If there are multiple targets, you must miss all strikes to apply residual damage to the target the attack card indicates (usually the last missed target).

4.1.3.1 - Interrupts

You can only make them when another combatant declares an attack (before its benefits apply and the die rolls) (Attack Timeline, p. 17).
- This means that, if you negate a special attack, such attack is spent and the enemy Team Token stays "No Special" side up.
Like any attack, you must roll a die to determine if it hits the target.
It completely resolves before the enemy attack can continue.
- If your interrupt kills the attacking enemy or changes the circumstances of battle in such a way that the declared attack is no longer possible, the opponent can no longer attack this turn, because, with the declaration of attack, the enemy's Prime Action was spent (Declaration of Attack, p. 17).
Like any special attack, making an interrupt requires a "Special Ready" Team Token which then flips it to "No Special" side.
- This action doesn't change your team's Turn Order (the team token only flips, not changing its original position to another heropad).
They never incite Reaction Attacks (because they can only be incited on one's own turn, and you make interrupt attacks on turns that belong to others).

» 4.1.4 - Reaction Attack

Conditions for you to make a reaction attack:

A) Being adjacent to an enemy; AND B) The turn belongs to this enemy; AND C) This enemy does an inciting action:

Inciting Actions:

C.1) Declaration of Movement (not Sidestep) to another square on a Move Action (even if this square is also adjacent to you); OR

C.2) Declaration of Target in a Ranged Attack.

You may incite – and suffer – reaction attacks from different enemies on the same turn. (E.g., If you are adjacent to enemies 1 and 2 and declare a valid target to your ranged attack, you incite reaction attacks by both enemies.)
Each combatant can make only one reaction attack per turn. (E.g., in the situation above, if you decide to move away from enemies 1 and 2 after attacking, they cannot make another reaction attack because you already left a square while adjacent to them, as they already have when you made your ranged attack.)
Making reaction attacks is optional (You may be incited and choose not to attack). (E.g., in the situation above, if you decide not to attack your target; then, when you leave your square, enemy 2 regains the option of attacking you, and may yet again decide not to.)
You cannot target allies, only enemies.
Like any other attack, you must roll a die to check if it hits, and observe applicable modifiers (E.g., Mobs, Effects, Conditions) (Result Modifiers, p. 20 to p. 21).
Reaction attacks resolve before the attack or movement that incited them.
- If an enemy dies as a result of your attack, all of its future actions are forfeited.
- The declaration that incited the attack resets (E.g., if your enemy declared it would leave to square C12, after your reaction attack it may now choose to leave to square C13, or stop moving altogether) (E.g., after your reaction attack, the target declared by the enemy that incited you may change).
Even if your Basic Attack is Ranged, your Reaction Attack has 1 square of reach and you can make it as usual if an enemy incites it.

4.2 - Reading an Attack Card

A) Border

B) Range (p. 19)

C) Target (p. 18)

D) Benefit / Drawback (p. 18)

Some Attack Cards come with this field, which describes additional rules about the execution of the attack and its consequences. Read and follow the instructions (if any).

E) Hit (p. 22)

The Hit field shows you what happens when you successfully strike a target (in other words, when the die result is equal to, or higher than, the target's Defense).

Some attacks only deal Damage, others deal damage and apply Effects (described on the following entry), and some deal 0 damage, but apply Effects.

F) Effects (p. 23)

Effects are additional consequences of attacks you hit. Apply them in the order they are listed. Because of their diversity, effects have their own Section.

G) Miss (p. 22)

4.3 - Making an Attack

To defeat your enemies, you should attack them as hard, accurately and fast as possible. Plan ahead! Anticipate what your enemies might do, because they will try the same!

In most cases, this is the simple way you will spend your Prime Action:

A) Choose an attack from your Heropad. B) Select a suitable target within Range. C) Roll a die and compare the result to the target's Defense.

C1) Lower: you Miss and deal Residual Damage (if it's a Primary or Special Attack). A "natural 1" on the die is always a Miss (p. 22).

C2) Equal or higher: you Hit and get to apply damage to your target, as well as all Effects described on the Attack Card. A "natural 20" on the die is always a Critical Hit (p. 22).

Attack Timeline

Preparation Phase:

Declaration of Attack (p. 17) — ►► Combatant may Interrupt ◄◄
Benefit / Drawback (p. 18)
Declaration of Target (p. 18) — Check legitimacy; Check Range; Check Vision — ►► Enemy may Reaction Attack ◄◄

Striking Phase (p. 20):

Roll the die
Apply result modifiers: Circles, Focus, Mob, Other modifiers
Determine if you hit or missed*

Execution Phase:

Hit (p. 22): Apply Passive Power Effect; Apply Attack Damage; Apply Effects in the order they are listed — OR — Miss (p. 22): Apply residual
Both paths lead to: Death (p. 22); Verify dead combatants
Attack resolves

**If the attack has multiple strikes, return to the Declaration of Target step, until all strikes resolve.

4.3.1 - Declaration of Attack

Simply state the name of the attack you will make and give your opponent the chance to make an Interrupt Attack (p. 15).

If you declare a Special Attack, flip your Team Token to "No Special".
- This declaration spends your Prime Action. (E.g., if your enemy's interruption prevents the attack from going forward, you cannot declare another attack.)
Declaring a Ranged Attack does not incite Reaction Attacks (p. 15). Only the declaration of target to a Ranged Attack does. (E.g. Your attack might have a Benefit that allows moving to another square, making you leave the square you occupied when the attack was declared. In other words, if you declare an attack while adjacent to an enemy, move as the result of a benefit, and land adjacent to another enemy, you incite the second enemy, not the first.)

4.3.2 - Benefit / Drawback

Some attacks have a particular way of executing that brings the attacker a Benefit or Drawback. Read the Attack Card instructions. This is not an Effect.

Examples:

"You may move up to X squares."

During this movement, you may pass through squares occupied by allies, but not occupied by enemies. Other movement restrictions apply as usual.
Since this happens before declaring your target, you may execute the Benefit even if the attack, before or after moving, has no valid targets (E.g., If your attack has a Range of one square, you may execute this Benefit while three squares away from all enemies, and use it to get farther away from them. You won't be able to strike them, as you fail the Validation of Target step, but that does not stop you from executing the Benefit).
- You cannot end this movement on an occupied square.
This movement occurs independently of the Move Action you can spend before or after attacking.
Since you are on your Prime Action, this movement does not incite Reaction Attacks. Only declaration of movement on a Move Action does (p. 15).

"Meanwhile, you may strike each target at any time."

Resolve the attack until the end of the Striking Phase, determining if it hits the target or not, and then reset the Attack Timeline to the "benefit" step, until you make all strikes.

"Ignores all Effects applied on the Target by Enemies."

Effects produced by enemy attacks (including self-inflicted effects) and currently affecting the target are ignored as if they didn't exist.
The ignored effects are not lost as a result of this benefit and continue to affect the target after the attack resolves, even if the effect's text implies it should end after the next attack (E.g., "Reduce the next attack's damage to zero"). (E.g., "ends if used".)

"Take 10 nonlethal damage before striking."

Since this applies before the striking phase, the future result of the die roll is not relevant (you take the damage even if you miss the attack);
You cannot avoid it with effects that reduce or negate damage;
This damage cannot kill you. (E.g., If at the time of this drawback you have 1 HP, you will remain with 1 HP. You can still attack.)

4.3.3 - Declaration of Target

After you have declared your attack and possibly executed its Benefit (or Drawback), you must declare who you will attack, and verify if it is a valid target.

A target is valid when you can see it (vision) within a proper distance (range), and it matches the description on the attack card (legitimacy).

If you declare an invalid target, you forfeit that strike.
- If the attack can have only one target, you lose all subsequent action on the Attack Timeline.
Incited enemies may make a Reaction Attack (p. 15) before you proceed to the Striking Phase.
Validation of target comes before the reaction attack (E.g., if you are making a Ranged Attack and you are adjacent to an enemy, you may declare invalid targets on purpose, forfeiting your entire action, to avoid suffering the reaction attack).

4.3.3.1 - Legitimacy

Examples:

1 enemy: choose any enemy.

1 ally: choose any combatant on your team, except yourself.

Up to 2 enemies: choose one or two enemies. You can Strike each of them once.

Up to 3 enemies: pick one, two or three enemies.

It's not possible to attack the same target three times; if there is only one available target, you can only attack it once.
Before rolling, you must declare the order in which you will attack the targets.
- Make all rolls and determine which targets get hit before moving on to the next steps.

All combatants in a 3x3 square area: all combatants occupying a determined area of attack, including yourself and allies.

To determine the area of attack, you must point to any square in the grid within range and vision (even walls and corner squares). That is the central square (CS). You will attack all figures within range positioned on that square, and squares adjacent to that one.
- You cannot attack fragments of the area outside of range.
All strikes against targets within range are made as if they were on the central square. (E.g., if a combatant in the area of attack is off your vision, but you can see the central square, you must strike this combatant).

Enemies in a straight line: all Enemies in one orthogonal or diagonal line from the square you occupy (Rook or Bishop movement). You can choose any one (but not all) of the lines seen above.

Like any other attack with multiple targets, you must roll a die for each strike, and choose the order in which you will strike the targets.
The attack's point of origin is the attacking combatant. All enemies within range, in a straight line starting on the attacker's square, are a target.

Enemy making an attack: related to Interrupt Attacks (p. 15).

4.3.3.2 - Range

Range is how far your attack can go. If the number of squares between yourself and your target is equal or below the range of your attack, the target is valid in the distance prerequisite.

In counting squares, you must exclude the square you're occupying, and include the square your target occupies. (Eg., if two figures are in adjacent squares, the distance between them is one square. If there is one vacant square between them, their distance is two squares.)

Range 1 (Melee Attack icon): Melee Attack. You must be adjacent to the target.

Range 2 (diagonal Melee icon): Melee Attack (never incites Reaction Attacks).

Range 8 (Ranged Attack icon): Ranged Attack. Incites a Reaction Attack if you make it while adjacent to enemies (p. 15).

4.3.3.3 - Vision

Check if Barriers block the way between your square and that of your target. If they don't, you have vision.
- Obstacles, Terrains and combatants do not block Vision.

Vision is often easy to determine:

A) Trace imaginary straight lines from the corners of your target's square.

If a line crosses (that is, neither starts nor ends at) the vertex or edge of a square occupied by a barrier, it is blocked.

4.3.4 - Striking Phase

A Strike is the attempt to Hit a Target with an Attack. The roll of a die, which gets compared to the target's Defense Stat, characterizes it.

All attacks in the game require rolling a die, even if you target an ally or a dead combatant.
Roll the die after validating your target (p. 18) and giving your opponent the chance to make reaction attacks (p. 15), if you incited any.
- Then, apply all result modifiers (if any), listed in the sections that follow.
If the final result of the roll equals or exceeds the target's defense stat, the strike is successful, and the attack produces damage and effect. Rolling a "natural 20" is a Critical Hit (Hit, p. 22).
If the final result of the roll is lower than the target's defense, the strike misses. Rolling a "natural 1" is always a miss.
- If that was the Primary or Special attack's only strike, or if you missed all strikes of an attack, you won't produce the attack's damage and effects, but you might apply Residual damage (Miss, p. 22).

4.3.4.1 - Circles

Circles are Passive Powers that can only trigger in the Striking Phase, after the target is validated.
Circles can only trigger on enemies' turns, if they start them adjacently to your Tank and/or Bruiser (Combat Role, p. 10).
- Like any other passive power, circles' effects happen immediately after the trigger is met for the first time (p. 11).
Circles do not require Vision (p. 19) to affect their targets (E.g., You control a tank, and an enemy starts its turn adjacent to you. It's subject to being affected by the Circle of Protection if the first target of its attack is not you. Suppose this enemy moves behind a wall and attacks one of your allies. Before this enemy rolls the die to check if the attack hits, you apply your tank's passive power, even if such tank cannot see the enemy anymore).

» 4.3.4.2 - Focus

With no distractions around them, ranged combatants can Focus and make an extra careful attack that is more likely to hit its targets.

Targets of focused attacks are considered Exposed.
To focus, you must:
- Start your turn with no other combatants (allies or enemies) within 3 squares of you;
- Forfeit your Move Action, which in this Turn is spent focusing; and
- Roll the dice at the same square where you started your turn (E.g., if your attack's Benefit allows you to move prior to rolling the die, you must forfeit it alongside your Move Action) (E.g., If, after hitting your targets, an Effect of your attack allows you to move yourself, you may do so, as the focused attack was already made – But you can't take a Move Action after you attack, because it's considered already spent focusing).
If you are the target of an interrupt attack, you lose Focus, even if such attack misses.
You cannot focus on interrupt attacks because on other combatant's turns you have no Move Action to spend focusing.
Focus applies to all targets of a Ranged Attack, including allies.

» 4.3.4.3 - Mob

You avoid mobs by having an ally close to you, to fight numbers with numbers.

Mobbed combatants are considered Exposed.
- This condition only applies to attacks made by mobbers.
You are mobbed when:
- There are no allies adjacent to you;
- There are at least two enemies adjacent to you; and
- Such enemies are not adjacent to each other.
You cannot Mob allies.
You are never mobbed if you are adjacent to an ally.

4.3.4.4 - Other result modifiers

4.3.5 - Miss (Residual Damage)

Residual damage applies to only one target per turn.
If your Attack has more than one Target, you must miss all of them to apply residual damage only to the last missed target.
Basic Attacks and Reaction Attacks (p. 15) do not deal residual.
Residual damage applies nonlethal damage: it cannot lower the target's HP below 1.
Residual ignores all effects on yourself and the target (except if their text mentions the residual damage explicitly). (E.g., if you are Empowered and miss an attack against a Vulnerable target, your Residual Damage does not get +3 damage bonus from your Empowered Condition, nor does your target suffer +3 residual damage for being Vulnerable.)
Some attacks do not deal residual damage. Always follow the text on the attack card.

Nonlethal damage: any damage that cannot lower its target's HP below 1.

4.3.6 - Hit

A) If you hit a target, your hero's Passive Power may have triggered. Check if it was, and apply its Effect (p. 11).

You must have Vision (p. 19) over the target of your passive power's effect (except Circles, p. 20).

B) Then, the target of your strike takes damage; move its Token to a new position on the HP Track.

C) Finally, apply the Effects of the attack in the order they appear in the Attack Card's description;

If one of the effects will last beyond the end of this turn, place the attack card over the affected hero's Heropad.

D) Critical Hit: Happens when you roll a natural 20 (that is, ignoring all modifiers).

Effect: the target may take +5 damage.
You may choose not to apply it.
You can apply the damage before or after resolving the attack's Effects.
Critical Hit does not apply more than once per turn.

4.3.7 - Death

After applying the consequences of the Miss or Hit steps of the Attack Timeline, the attack is considered resolved. Heroes with less than one HP, at this point, are considered Dead.

A combatant is only considered dead after the entire attack (Damage and Effects) resolves (E.g., your attack, Tide of Blades, deals 11 damage to a target with 2 HP. After dealing damage, you may still apply the attack's effect on this target – moving it to deal damage to other nearby enemies).
Dead combatants cannot receive healing. End all active Effects on them.
- Effects applied by a dead combatant remain as if it lived (E.g., You are Blessed and apply a Temporary Curse on an enemy. If you die, the Blessed status is removed, but the Curse should remain until the start of the turn that would be yours if you lived, Duration of Effects, p. 23.)
Remove the dead hero's figure from the Battlegrid and put its Token on the square the figure occupied.
- Combatants may freely occupy and step on this square; the token does not influence the combat rules.
- Attacks that target "a dead combatant" must consider that the dead combatant is in this square, for purposes of Range and Vision (p. 19).
⊗ Flip the dead hero's heropad upside down and ignore it on the Turn Order (p. 12).
- Remember to keep alternating teams, as two teammates can never take consecutive turns (E.g., Hero #2 on your team's turn order is dead. After hero #1 acts, pass your Team Token to hero #3, who will be the next to take a turn (after the opposing team passes). However, if hero #3 dies on the opposing team's turn, the next hero to take a turn in the match will be hero #1 of your team (again). The same team can never take two turns in a row in a PvP match.)
- If revived, flip the Heropad again, in the position it had before. The turn order does not change (E.g., in the example above, if hero #3 revives hero #2, the next to take a turn on your team will be hero #1, as the Team Token cannot go back in the turn order).
⊗ When all enemy Heroes are dead at the same time, you win the match.

5 - Effects

5.1 - Targets

Most Effects are a result of Attacks you Hit (p. 22). They can affect the target of your attack, other combatants, or even yourself, according to the effect's description.

Do not mistake the target of an attack with the target of an effect. The target of your attack has its own field on the Attack Card and must be validated before you roll against its Defense. But you don't have to roll a die to apply effects, regardless of whom they target.
Since there is no roll required, ignore all combat situations related to the Striking Phase (p. 20) (E.g., Focus).
You can only affect valid targets, which means you need:
- Your target to match the description in the "Effect" field (Legitimacy, p. 18);
- Proper distance to the target (Range, p. 19); and
- Vision of the Target (p. 19).
If there are no valid targets, the effect is lost and the action that would have produced it resumes as if the effect did not exist.

5.2 - Duration

Effects are produced, affect a target, and then end. Knowing their Duration allows you to plan your moves around how long they will last.

A) Instantaneous: resolves completely on the same Turn it was activated (E.g., Healing, moving a combatant, Reviving a dead ally, removing an attack or effect).

B) Temporary (hourglass icon): lasts until the start of the next turn of the combatant that applied it.

To track who was affected and remember the effect, place the Attack Card that describes it on the Heropad of the affected combatant.
- Take the card back (or remove it from the game, if it's not a Primary Attack card) when the effect ends.
The start of the next turn of the attack card's owner is the maximum duration of a temporary effect. Some might end sooner (E.g., the effect states "reduce your next damage to zero". When you receive damage, the effect ignores it, and then ends. If you never receive damage, it will end when the hero that applied the effect starts its turn).
If the target of the effect dies, the effect ends.
If the owner of the attack card dies, the effect remains active until the turn that would belong to such owner, if alive, starts.

C) Permanent: lasts until the affected combatant dies or another effect removes it.

Track the effect with the attack card that applied it.
There is no limit to the number of Effects (either Permanent and/or Temporary) that can affect the same combatant at the same time.

5.3 - Conditions

If opposite conditions are active on a combatant, they cancel each other out until one of them ends (E.g., if you are Cursed once and then Blessed twice, you are neither Blessed nor Cursed).
Conditions do not stack. Extra conditions of the same kind are considered non-existent. (E.g., if there are two active Protected conditions granting +3 Defense to an enemy with a Defense Stat of 6, it has 9 total defense, not 12 (6+3+3).)
They apply at the first opportunity. (E.g., your attack has 3 targets. Conditions only affect the 1st strike.)
Ends if used means you lose the Condition after it is considered for the first time (E.g., you are Protected and a Weakened enemy rolls a '2' on a strike against you (both conditions end if used). Your Defense had a necessary "+3" bonus on that strike, so you lose your Condition even if that did not impact the result of the roll. But your enemy did not hit you, so its -3 damage penalty was not considered. Its Weakened condition remains.)
Condition Token: You may put it close to a combatant's figure while it is affected by an effect, as a visual help for players' memories. Consult the Player Aid for a quick reference on Condition symbols, and use the star token to track other effects.

Harmful Conditions:

Cursed — Roll twice and use the worst result. Apply only on Primary Attacks. Apply once per turn, even if the attack has multiple strikes.

Exposed — Take -3 to Defense against enemy attacks. Do not apply on attacks by allies. Apply once per turn, even if the attack has multiple strikes.

Slowed — You cannot Sidestep or move due to Benefits. Apply on Move Actions (Sidestep) and Prime Actions (Benefits that allow you to move). You can still move due to Effects by any combatant.

Vulnerable — Take +3 damage when hit by an enemy attack. Do not apply on attacks by allies. Apply once per turn, even if the attack has multiple strikes.

Weakened — Deal -3 damage when your attack hits an enemy. Do not apply when attacking allies. Apply once per turn, even if the attack has multiple strikes.

Helpful Conditions:

Blessed — Roll twice and use the best result. Apply only on Primary Attacks. Apply once per turn, even if the attack has multiple strikes.

Protected — Gain +3 to Defense against enemy attacks. Do not apply on attacks by allies. Apply once per turn, even if the attack has multiple strikes.

Hastened — You do not incite Reaction Attacks. Apply when leaving a square, or declaring the target of a Ranged Attack, while adjacent to enemies.

Toughened — Take -3 damage when hit by an enemy attack. Do not apply on attacks by allies. Apply once per turn, even if the attack has multiple strikes.

Empowered — Deal +3 damage when your attack hits an enemy. Do not apply when attacking allies. Apply once per turn, even if the attack has multiple strikes.

Effect Tokens: use these if you need to track good or bad effects that are not a Condition (E.g., the target cannot regain HP).

5.4 - Explanation of specific effects

5.4.1 - Cannot regain HP

Healing Effects may still target you, they just do not recover your HP.

5.4.2 - Reviving a dead combatant

If this Effect is coming from an attack, you must roll a die against the dead target's Defense Stat and consider all applicable result modifiers, as if the target were alive (p. 20).
The figure of the target you revive must be placed within 5 squares of you and in a square to which you have Vision.
The target revives affected by no effects (all effects had ended with the death of the combatant – p. 22).
If the target beared any items (E.g., artifacts, scrolls), they all return to the target, except if an ally picked such items from the ground.
This is not a healing effect.

5.4.3 - Forcing movement

Forced movements ignore their target's Slowed Condition (p. 23).
- This means you may freely force movement of combatants on Swamp/Ruins Tiles (p. 26).
They do not incite Reaction Attacks (p. 15), as they occur outside of the target's Move Action.
The target cannot move past squares occupied by enemies of the combatant forcing the movement.
The movement can never end on a square occupied by Barriers, combatants or Obstacles.

5.4.4 - Negating an attack

Produced only by Interrupt Attacks (p. 15).
If your target cannot receive Effects applied by enemies (E.g., Sanctuary), you cannot negate its attack.

5.4.5 - Copying an attack

A copied attack must be repeated exactly like its original description.
Use the Attack Card that did the copying to track Temporary or Permanent Effects, if any (do not use the copied hero's attack card).

5.4.6 - Controlling a combatant

Controlling happens and is resolved during the controller's Turn. The controller (and controlled) combatants never lose their turns as a result of this effect.
Since Reaction Attacks can only target the turn's owner, the controlled combatant's actions do not incite them (p. 15).
If you control an enemy, invert that combatant's reference of enemies and allies when applying rules (E.g. Mob, p. 21) or following its attack cards (E.g., "Effect: one ally within range regains 6 HP").
All effects on the controlled combatant remain active.
The controlled combatant can only make a Special Attack if it is available, and if its Team Token is "Special Ready".
- The controlled combatant's Team Token does not flip to "No Special" if it makes a Special Attack while under control.

5.4.7 - Removing attacks or effects

This is an Instantaneous Effect, which means there is no automatic regaining of what was removed (this effect does not "expire").
- Revived Heroes regain Primary Attacks lost.

5.4.8 - Immunity to new effects from enemies

Enemies cannot apply effects on you. If you are their target, the effects are lost.
- This includes effects that remove other effects and "Negating an attack" (p. 24).
This effect only protects you against new effects.
- Do not remove enemy effects already active on you by the time you receive immunity. They function normally.

5.4.9 - Can't make Special Attacks

While active, you cannot declare Special Attacks.
You do not lose your Special Attacks. After this effect ends, they return to their previous availability status.

5.4.10 - Regain 1 spent Special Attack

Regain one of your own Special Attacks, even if it had been negated or removed.
Permanent Effects from the same Special Attack do not stack (E.g., if you apply Divine Grace's Permanent effect twice on a hero, it will regain 4 HP when attacking, not 8 HP).
To track this regained attack's Permanent effect, we suggest you use the card or chest that was used to regain it.

6 - Tiles

There are three categories of tiles:

Barrier: wall, closed door (p. 25)
Obstacle: statue, chest, lever, orb (p. 25)
Terrain: lava/spikes, altar, portal, swamp/ruins, stairs (p. 26)

6.1 - Barriers

Barrier is a complete obstruction on the Battlegrid. It's not possible to move through or occupy the same square as its tile. It blocks Vision (p. 19).

6.1.1 - Wall

Wall is a tile that separates rooms and blocks combatants' vision of what's on the other side.

You cannot move through squares occupied by walls.
You cannot move diagonally through the vertices of squares occupied by walls.
You cannot attack or move walls.
Walls block Vision.

6.1.2 - Door

Door is a removable tile that separates rooms. Once opened or destroyed, such rooms become accessible.

Doors come in different colors, each with its own Token. The edges of tokens follow the color of the tiles, allowing you to track and distinguish their HP.

You may put locked or unlocked doors on the grid, according to the side of the tile.
To open an unlocked door, you need to be adjacent to it, spend 1 Movement Point, and declare that you are opening that door.
- After that, you may resume your Move Action and spend your remaining movement points (if any).
To open locked doors, you must destroy them.
- Only Basic Attacks can target doors;
- Doors cannot receive Effects (except from Passive Powers);
- 1x1 tiles have 15 HP; 2x1 tiles have 25 HP;
- They are immune to Focus and Mob.
Once you open or destroy a door, remove its tile. You cannot close the door again.

6.2 - Obstacles

Regarding positioning and vision, Obstacles work like an enemy combatant:
- You cannot occupy or step on their squares;
- They do not block Vision.

6.2.1 - Statue

They may represent a breakable object, something to be released, or other stuff.
- Spend a Prime Action to release prisoners.

6.2.2 - Chest

Chests contain something that shows up as soon as you open them.

To open a chest, you need to be adjacent to it, spend 1 Movement point, and declare that you are opening the chest.
- After that, you immediately retrieve the Item it contains. Remove the chest tile from the Battlegrid.
You cannot attack chests (if a Quest says it is locked, you cannot destroy the chest to hoard its contents).

6.2.3 - Lever

Levers are tiles that might activate Events.

To activate a Lever, you need to be adjacent to it and spend a Prime Action (p. 14);
If activated, remove it from the Battlegrid;
You cannot attack levers.

6.2.4 - Orb

Orbs are tiles that might be activated to produce special effects during combat or events, according to the Quest. Orbs are either red or blue.

To activate an Orb, you need to be adjacent to it and spend a Prime Action (p. 14).
If activated, the orb will produce different effects according to the Quest.
Orbs may or may not be removed after the activation (follow the Quest's instructions).
Capture the Orb game mode has different rules for Orbs. See Quest Guide, p. 34.

6.3 - Terrains

There cannot be more than one terrain tile on the same square, and they do not block Vision.
Adjacent tiles of the same kind are considered one.

6.3.1 - Lava/Spikes

You take 4 damage when entering a lava tile (voluntarily or forced by some Effect).
- If you are already on a square with lava, entering another square with lava has no consequence. (E.g., if you can move an enemy 2 squares, and such enemy is on a lava tile, moving it to an adjacent tile with spikes causes no damage, but taking it OUTSIDE the lava tile and then forcing it to enter the tile again causes 4 damage.)
If you end your Turn on lava, you take 4 damage.
If you move diagonally through a lava tile, you take 4 damage as if you had entered it.
You can take lava damage only once per turn (E.g., if you move diagonally through the vertex of a square with spikes (1), then, further ahead, you step entirely on a lava tile (2), and finish your turn on this lava tile (3), even though you have met the conditions for taking lava damage three times, you only lose 4 HP).

6.3.2 - Altar

Altars are 2x2 terrain tiles that provide a combat advantage to whoever is on them. They are also an essential part of various Cooperative Quests.

If you are on an altar on the Striking Phase (p. 20) of your attack, you are considered Blessed (Helpful Condition: on Primary Attacks, roll the die twice and pick the best result).
- If you start your turn on an altar, but then move away, you instantly lose the Blessed condition.
If your Primary Attack hits, take 3 nonlethal damage.

6.3.3 - Portal

Portals are 2x2 tiles that allow teleportation of your figure to another portal tile on the Battlegrid.

Whenever your figure is on a portal tile, you may spend 1 Movement Point to teleport to any square of another portal tile.
Declaring a teleport incites the Reaction Attack of adjacent enemies (p. 15).
You cannot teleport through Sidestep (p. 13).
You cannot teleport a combatant with an effect that forces movement.
You cannot teleport if all possible destination squares are occupied.

6.3.4 - Ruins/Swamp

Heroes on swamp tiles are Slowed (Harmful Condition, p. 23).
- Forced movement ignores swamp (p. 24).
You must spend two movement points every time you enter a swamp square, regardless if the square you left was already a swamp or not.
If you have only one movement point left and you want to enter a swamp square, you may declare you will spend your pending Prime Action to Move again (p. 14). If you do, the last point of your first move action "joins" the first point of your second move action (such point is not lost).
You must spend two movement points to move diagonally between two "normal" squares if the movement crosses the vertex of a swamp square.
- You also cannot do it with Sidestep using a single Move Action.

⊕ 7 - Magic Items

7.1 - Artifacts

Artifact is a Magic Item that Heroes can equip to receive a power. According to the magnitude of its power, it is classified as an artifact level 1, 2 or 3.

If you want to use artifacts in your PvP match, follow the step G below on your prematch procedures (p. 7):

⊗ Step G) Pick and equip Artifacts

Both teams roll a die (repeat, if the result is a tie).
If your team rolled the higher number, pick any available artifact and choose a Hero to equip it, then put the card over its Heropad image.
Alternate with the opposing team. You cannot pick an artifact if the sum of levels of all your artifacts will exceed six.
Stop picking when your levels add up to six. The opposing team may continue picking until their levels add up to six (E.g., You start picking, and pick a level 3 artifact. Your opponent picks a level 3 artifact. You pick another level 3 artifact. Both artifacts you picked add up to six, so you must stop. Your opponent may then pick three level 1 artifacts in a row. They won't alternate with you because you can't pick artifacts anymore).
Each hero can equip only one artifact.
You can only unequip an artifact at the end of the match, or when the equipped hero dies.
- If you die, the artifact drops on the last square you occupied. Only your unequipped teammates can then take it;
To pick up and equip an artifact, you must spend 1 Movement Point. This action does not incite Reaction Attacks;
- The artifact is equipped and produces its powers immediately after being picked (p. 14).
- Artifacts' powers are not Effects (E.g., if an enemy would ignore an effect on the bearer, it will not ignore the artifact's power).

7.2 - Scrolls

Scroll is a Magic Item that produces Instantaneous Effects (p. 23). Scrolls are elements of surprise that utilize bluffing and can only be revealed to opponents upon use.

Example scrolls — Earthquake, Dispel, Haste.

If you want to use scrolls in your PvP match, follow the Step H below during your prematch procedures (p. 7):

⊗ Step H) Pick Scrolls

Put all scroll cards face up on the table.
Each team rolls a die (reroll ties). The winner (higher number) picks a card.
Teams alternate picks until both have picked twelve cards each.
Both teams shuffle their 12-card decks and put them face down.
Both teams draw three scroll cards and assign them to one or more heroes in the team.
- You must keep the cards a secret, revealing them only upon use.
- ⊗ Every time a Hero dies, its Team can draw two additional scroll cards from its deck and assign them to heroes in any combination.
Your team can have a maximum of three drawn scrolls in hand.
- If your team already has three scrolls and draws more, you must discard scroll cards until you're back to three. Then, the match continues.
- If the bearer of scrolls dies, the dropped scrolls do not count towards the maximum a team can carry, until an ally picks them up from the ground.
Scrolls are not limited by Range or Vision. They do not require rolling a die. Their effects automatically affect the targets chosen.
Scrolls are not bound to a particular Turn or moment. To use them, you just need to obey its card's text and the following Team Token rule:
- To use a scroll, your team token must be "Special Ready"; when you use it, flip it to "No Special".
Scroll effects are never temporary or Permanent;
Remove any scroll from the game immediately after use. It cannot be used again in the match.

Cooperative Mode

8 - Table set-up. Starting a PvE Match.

Step A) Determine the Game Mode

If you want to play a Quest, choose any individual Mission or Boss in the Quest Guide.
If you want to play a Campaign, grab the Campaign Tome and start reading it. The Tome will determine the quests you must play.

Step B) Assemble your Team

Choose freely among all Heroes at your disposal. Restrictions:
- The Party must have precisely four heroes;
- There cannot be two heroes of the same Combat Role (p. 10).

Step C) Make common preparations

Regardless of your choice in Step A, follow these procedures:

Put the board on the table with its empty side facing up.
Grab the Heropad, Attack Cards, Token and hero figures and place them in front of you.
- 📘 Equip the Artifacts you own (max level: 6) by placing them over heropads (max artifacts per hero: 1), and assign the Scrolls you own.
- 📘 Grab other items your team owns, such as Blue (Improved) Aid Tokens and extra attack cards
Grab two red Aid Tokens, a Team Token and a die.
Pick two different Heroic Action cards for your Team.

📘 According to the difficulty level you choose, some of the above might change (See p. 39).

Step D) Make specific preparations

This step depends on the Quest you are about to play. Follow the Quest Guide instructions.

D.1) Mission

Grab and position all components listed in the mission instructions.
Assemble the board according to the Quest Guide's mission map (E.g., Tokens, Tiles, figures).
Set aside all components that won't be used right away, but might appear during the mission (E.g., villains' cards, tokens and figures).
Grab all Evil Power cards, shuffle them and make a deck facing down.
- Do the same with Flask and Fate Cards, if the quest uses them.
Put the XP Token on slot "Zero" of the HP Track.
- 📘 Missions you play after the first one might begin with this token at another number, as you must move it according to the Experience Points you gain and spend.

D.2) Boss

Grab and position all components listed on the quest's instructions (E.g., orbs).
Grab the Bosspad and the Boss' Attack Cards, Tokens and miniature.
- Bosses usually start the fight with 280 HP. To track them, put the Boss Token on slot "70" of the HP Track and three Life Tokens on the slot "0" when the fight starts. When the Boss loses its 70th Hit Point, jump the token from slot "1" back to slot "70", remove one Life Token from the track, and continue to track the rest of the damage as usual (E.g., if the Boss' token is on slot "5" and it takes 15 damage, remove one Life Token and place the Boss' token on Slot "60"). Repeat this whenever the Boss Token completes a full lap around the HP track. When there are no Life Tokens on the HP Track and the Boss' Token moves below 1 HP, it means the Boss has lost 280 HP (70x4), and you win the fight.
- Some Bosses might have different HP. Change the number of Life Tokens accordingly.
Grab the appropriate Boss Spell cards, shuffle them and make a deck facing down (they are the equivalent of Evil Power cards for Boss quests).

Step E) Determine the Heroes' starting positions

You must place the hero figures on any square of the "Stairs Tile".
- If there is more than one tile of this kind on the grid, you may freely divide figures among them, placing your heroes on any squares of the existing stairs tiles.

(Stairs do not affect the combat in any way.)

Place all hero tokens on the appropriate slot of the HP Track.
- Flip all combatants' tokens on the HP Track to their white border side. You may use them to track who has already acted in the Round (p. 32).

When you conclude all steps, the quest is ready to start. The first hero's turn begins.

Cooperative Mode's Table Components Overview

Battlegrid: where the fight happens. Position miniatures and place tiles on it. Size: 24x16 squares.
HP Track: in Co-op, this not only tracks the HP of combatants but the HP of doors, prisoners and other elements. Also used to track the passage of time and Experience Points gained or spent.
Coordinates: this will help you determine the position of elements in the Battlegrid, which is a requirement not only when you assemble it, but in events within missions (E.g., a vampire spawns adjacent to the hero on the highest number coordinate.)
Tiles: they customize the battlegrid, changing the dynamics of combat. Place them in the exact positions described on the quest map. Observe that, according to the quest instructions, statue, orb and door tiles may have their own HP Token, because they may be attacked and destroyed.
2x Player Aid: briefing pad with frequently used game rules – conditions, turn actions, reaction attacks and tiles.
Twenty-sided Die: rolled to determine if attacks hit (Striking Phase, p. 20).
Heropad (p. 10): main card with all essential information about a hero. Arrange them according to the hero you control and your seat at the table, as in PvE there is no exact Turn Order to follow (p. 32).
Attack Cards (4x/hero): each describes, in detail, one of the hero's attacks. If one of the attacks produces a lasting effect, place the corresponding card over the Heropad/Bosspad/Villain Card of the affected combatant to track the effect while it's active.
Figures: miniatures that indicate a combatant's position and identity on the grid. Colored Rings attached to villains' figures are used to identify their colors for tracking HP and effects.
Combatant Tokens: placed on the HP Track to control the hero's/boss's/villain's current HP;
Life Tokens: sometimes combatants' max HP will exceed the size of the HP Track (E.g., Bosses have 280 HP and require three +70 life tokens). You should put these life tokens on "slot 0" to indicate that the HP Track is extended (E.g., if a Hero with 70 max HP levels up and now has 80 max HP, put the hero's token on slot 10 and a +70 token below it, indicating it has not 10, but 80 HP. Once the hero suffers enough damage to have 70 HP or less, remove the life token from the HP track).
XP Token: it tracks how many Experience Points the Team has. Move it around as you accomplish objectives and purchase items.
Time Token: occasionally used, according to the quest instructions, to count time (E.g., You must survive for six Rounds. Move this token one slot every time a round ends).
Team Token: in PvE, as there's no fixed Turn Order, it only tracks the availability of Special Attacks (p. 15). Use the Red Team Tokens to track if your team is "Special Ready", and put the Blue Team Tokens over Heropads to track effects applied by foes with no attack cards.
Evil Power Cards (p. 34): they determine the powers and behavior of villains in a Mission. Keep the shuffled deck face down and draw a new card every time a villain takes a turn for the first time in a Round (p. 32).
Fate Cards: shuffle the number required by the quest before it begins and leave them face down. You must draw one of them to determine the occurrence of a random event.
Villain Cards (p. 33): each represents a villain figure on the grid. They may be used to track turns and effects.
Boss Spells Cards (p. 36): the equivalent of Evil Power cards, used only in Boss fights.
Bosspad (p. 35): showing all information related to a boss (attacks, stats, and more), it's the equivalent of a heropad.
Quest Guide: essential booklet with all instructions you need to play a quest (E.g., position of tiles and enemies, events, stats of foes, etc.).
Heroic Action Cards: two for the team. Each can be used only once per match, producing dramatic combat results.
Aid Tokens: they track how many First Aid (p. 14) actions your team can perform.
Flask Cards (p. 35): when an enemy dies, a hero chosen by the Team gets a random flask. It gives this hero a new ability that can only be performed once.
📘 Campaign Tome: a booklet with the story of the Campaign, to be read before and after playing the quests on the board. It contains pieces of information that guide your choices.
📘 Campaign Cards: these may be kept off the table, as you must read them only in-between quests. The choices you make when reading them determine what will happen on your journey.
Level UP Cards: they should be over the heropad of the leveled-up hero, to indicate its acquired power. Purchasable with XP inbetween quests.
📘 Scroll / Artifact Cards: items purchasable with XP, or obtained in campaign events or during quests.

9 - Rounds

A Round is a single cycle of Turns taken by combatants on a Quest. It begins with each Hero taking a turn, and ends after each living foe has taken a turn.

In cooperative quests, rounds control the order of action. There is no Turn Order (p. 12). This is the single significant difference between the combat rules of PvP and PvE.
In a round, Heroes always act first.
- After all living heroes have each taken one turn, all living foes take one turn each. Then, this round ends and another one begins.
In every round, players can choose any order of action, provided that heroes come first and foes come second (E.g., In the first round, your Tank can act first and your Healer fourth; in the second round, your Healer could act first and your Tank third, according to players' wishes).
- The order does not have to be predetermined before the round begins. Players may choose who will be the next to take a turn at each combatant's end of turn.
- Foes also act in any order the players choose.
Given the possibility to instantly choose who will take the next turn, each round could be different from the next. If you pause the game for any reason, there's a chance you will forget which combatants have already taken a turn on the round because the Team Token can no longer track the Turn Order. For that reason, we recommend tracking who has already acted.
- The easiest, but most inaccurate way, is to elect one of the players to be especially aware of that.
- If you want to be thorough, rotate sideways a card that represents the combatant at each end of turn. For heroes, rotate the Heropad 45º; for villains, rotate the card that represents them. Return all cards to the correct angle when the round ends.
Despite the alterable sequence of turns, Team Token, Special Attack (p. 15) and Temporary Effect (p. 23) rules remain the same.

10 - Quests

The quest immediately ends when one of the following situations happens:

If all Heroes are dead, the party LOSES.
If Heroes meet the quest's Primary Objective, the party WINS.

You can play any quest in the Quest Guide as a one-shot adventure, or start an Epic Campaign with the immersive story found in the Campaign Tome, which determines the sequence of quests.

Foe is the generic name for any enemy of Heroes found in quests. Its subdivisions are Villains (generic enemies found in every mission) and Bosses (the main enemy found in boss fights).

10.1 - Reading a Quest

B) Quest Description — Further detailed explanation of the scenario's special features, rooms, Villains, Tiles and/or Events.

B.2) Villains — The Stats, Attacks and Special Features of the quest's enemies.

D) List of Components — As the title states, it contains every single component you must use in the quest. Use it as guidance in the table set-up stage (p. 29).

QUESTS' GOLDEN RULE:

Whenever more than one enemy behavior or quest situation is possible within the rules, the Players must choose which one happens.

10.2 - Missions

Mission is a quest with several objectives, in which Villains are the Heroes' enemies.

10.2.1 - Villains

You will encounter four types of Villains in Quests:

Sentinels: melee fighters.
Soldiers: melee fighters with an extended reach.
Snipers: ranged fighters.
Warlord: the most powerful villain in a mission.

Overlord Perks

Bosses and other unique Villains have this Special Feature. Apply the following rules whenever you fight Overlord foes:

When the Overlord attacks, ignore all effects applied by Heroes or Scrolls (on itself and its targets). Bosses cannot ignore Talismans.
If any power or effect would control them or copy, negate, or remove one of their attacks, they take 12 damage instead (damage reduction applies).
They are immune to Mob and Focus.
Reroll a die the first time they miss a strike on their turn. If the strike now hits, it deals -3 damage.

You must use the following components when there's a villain in combat:

Villain Card: each represents a living villain.
- There is no information on the villain cards, because their powers vary according to the mission (p. 33).
- The instructions also state to which type of villain the mission's enemy corresponds (E.g., Orcs from Lava Citadel are sentinels).
- You may rotate it 90º to track if the corresponding villain has already taken a turn this round.
- Place heroes' attack cards with lasting effects next to the affected villain's card to track the effect's duration.
Colored Rings: Attach to each villain before placing them on the board. Match the colors of the colored ring, card and token.
Villain figure: Use it to indicate the position of a villain on the board.
- There are four different miniature sculpts – one for each type of villain.
Villain Token: Place it on the HP Track to keep track of a villain's current HP.
You must match the colors of different villains (E.g., If you attack a green sentinel, move the green token on the HP Track. If the green token reaches the 0 HP slot of the track, remove the green sentinel figure and green sentinel villain card from the table. If, further on a mission, the instructions say another sentinel spawns, you may reuse these green components).
Whenever new villains spawn, they do so with full HP and can take their turns on that same Round, unless stated otherwise. If the instructions do not determine their spawning squares, you cannot place them adjacent to one another.

10.2.2 - Evil Power

Before the mission starts, shuffle all Evil Power cards and make a deck with their faces down.
Draw and apply the card at the top of the deck every time the first villain to act on a Round starts its Turn.
- If you have already drawn every card in the deck, reshuffle all of them, make a new deck, and draw a new card when the first villain to act on a round starts its turn.
- If there are no villains alive, a new Round starts and no card is drawn.

10.2.3 - Villain Behavior

10.2.3.1 - Basic Strategy

Unless the card commands otherwise, villains act according to the Basic Strategy:

Attack the nearest reachable hero.
- If there is a tie, attack the hero with lowest HP.
If all heroes are out of reach, spend this turn's Prime Action on a second move action and move as close and safely as possible to the nearest hero, prioritizing safety (E.g., the villain would rather move 10 squares and stop 3 squares away from its target, than move 12 squares and step on lava to stop adjacent to the target).

10.2.3.2 - Villains' thinking steps

1.2) If there is a tie, the villain will choose the safest hero to reach (E.g., getting to one of the heroes requires stepping on lava).

1.2.1) If the tie remains, the villain will choose the hero that requires fewer movement points to reach (E.g., getting to one of the heroes requires moving around a larger pool of lava).

1.3) If no heroes are reachable, apply the Basic Strategy, regarding moving towards the nearest hero.

2.1) If a ranged villain is adjacent to its target, "the safest possible path" could be to sidestep away and avoid inciting a Reaction Attack.

10.2.4 - Flasks

Flasks are consumable items dropped by killed foes. Its bearer can make one specific attack, as described on the card.

10.2.4.1 – Getting flasks

Before the match starts, shuffle all flask cards and put their deck face down on the table.
When a villain dies, the Team must choose a Hero. This Hero may draw a card from the top of the flask deck.
You may spend 1 Movement Point to transfer a flask to an adjacent ally.

10.2.4.2 – Using flasks

Each hero can bear up to 2 flasks at the same time.
- If you want to draw a third flask, first remove one of the other two cards you are bearing.
To use a flask, you must flip a "Special Ready" Team Token.
Treat a flask like any other attack: You must spend a Prime Action; roll to check if the strike hits; apply damage and effects just as you would during a regular attack.
Consider flasks as Primary Attacks for bonuses and penalties that affect attacks (E.g., Conditions, Mob, Focus, negating attacks).

10.2.4.3 – Losing flasks

When the flask deck ends, enemies stop dropping flasks.
When the quest ends, heroes lose all flask cards. They will compose a new deck before the next quest starts.

10.2.5 - Other interactions

10.2.5.1 – Object Traits

Only Basic Attacks can target objects, such as doors and orbs.
They are immune to all Effects, except Passive Power.
They are immune to Focus and Mob.

Doors Stats

Big Doors - 25 HP and 4 Defense, Object Traits

Single Doors - 15 HP and 4 Defense, Object Traits

10.2.5.2 – Quest Items

Sometimes you will find special items during quests. Each has its specific distinctive color and unique effects that the instructions describe. Use these tiles to track which hero bears them.

10.3 - Boss Fights

Boss Fights are Quests with a single major enemy (the boss) and objective (killing the boss).

10.3.1 - The Turn of a Boss

Follow the table set-up procedures (especially the ones described at p. 29, D2 - Boss)
The rules regarding Rounds (p. 32) remain the same, but usually, the only foe taking a Turn in the round is the boss.

A Boss' turn has 5 phases:

Phase 1) Refresh

All Temporary Effects the boss applied on the last round end.
- Grab the Attack Card that was tracking the effect and put it back on the boss' attack cards pile.
Remove from the boss all effects applied by heroes.
- The boss takes 5 damage for every Permanent Effect removed this way.

Phase 2) Special Power

What happens in this phase varies according to the boss. It is usually related to other elements on the Battlegrid, such as Tiles and Villains. Read and follow the instructions in the Quest Guide and Bosspad.

Phase 3) Aura

Aura is a power that affects Heroes that are close to the Boss. Read and apply what's described in this field to the heroes within reach.

Phase 4) Boss Spell

Draw a card from the top of the Boss Spell deck and immediately apply what's described in the Power field (no roll required).
- If all boss spell cards were drawn, shuffle them all and make a new deck.
- The Command field determines the boss' behavior on the next phase.
Shuffle the Attack Cards, draw one at random and then make that attack.
- The Attack Card drawn on the last round does not participate in this shuffling. If it is a Primary Attack card, it returns to the shuffle on the next round.
The Command field of the Boss Spell card you drew during phase 4 indicates the targets of the attacks.
- The boss always moves the shortest number of squares required to reach its target.
- If even after moving the indicated target would be invalid, the boss moves to attack another valid target that best fits the Command description. (E.g., The boss spell commands "Attack the farthest hero with lowest HP". If Hero A is twenty squares to the west with 5 HP, Hero B is eight squares to the south with 70 HP, and Hero C is seven squares to the southwest with 5 HP, the Boss will move the shortest possible distance to Hero B (Hero A would be outside of reach even after moving to the west) and attack Hero B, because it's the farthest target with lowest HP (distance beats health) that the boss could attack after moving. Observe that, if this were not a boss, but a Villain, the villain would spend its prime action moving twice to the west, trying to reach Hero A, following the Basic Strategy - p. 34.)
- If the Boss cannot attack a valid target, it spends its Prime Action moving as close as possible to the nearest hero.

Phase 5) Action Phase

In this phase, the boss takes a Move Action and a Prime Action, like any other foe.

Components Legend:

Heroes: the background colors represent the Combat Roles while the round and hexagonal shapes distinguish teams on the HP Track, according to the Team Token's shape.
Sentinels: melee villains that use red, orange, green, and gray snap-on bases and round tokens.
Soldiers: melee villains that use red, orange, and gray snap-on bases and hexagonal tokens.
Snipers: ranged villains that use purple, blue, and green snap-on bases and hexagonal tokens.
Boss: Huge Bosses that may use a red or blue token, often alongside "Extra 70 HP" tokens.
Warlord: special villains that do not wear snap-on bases.
Team Tokens: with two shapes (round and hexagonal), to distinguish between player teams. They have two sides: "Special Ready" (bright) and "No Special" (dark).
Orbs: used to represent multiple objects, they come in red or blue colors.
Prisoners: for multiple uses and three color variations: purple, green, and orange.
XP: tracks the experience points earned in Quests.
Timer: for different ways to control the passage of time in Quests: rounds, turns, etc.
Extra 70 HP: Placed on the slot "0" of the HP Track when a Hero or foe has more than 70 HP.
Small and Big Doors: small doors are red, yellow, gray, or purple, and big doors are either red or yellow.
Living Walls: used when wall tiles are also enemies or have reducible HP.

📘 11 - The Epic Campaign

11.1 - Structure

The Campaign Tome will tell you the story behind your journey. You will also find clues, information and puzzle pieces that should guide your party's decisions.

The Campaign Cards will also help move the story forward by introducing events and situations that will require you to make tough decisions.

The Campaign Deck comes in a specific order that you must not change. Immediately after you beat a quest, draw the deck's first card (it must have the quest's art on its back).

11.2 - Quest rewards

When you win a Mission or a Boss Fight, your party gets the following rewards:

Spend your experience points wisely and choose your special rewards well, because enemies shall get stronger as you progress!

11.2.1 – Special Rewards

First Quest: Free Primary Attack Card

Each hero chooses any Primary Attack that belongs to another Hero of the same Combat Role. It becomes part of its arsenal until the end of the campaign.

Second Quest: Free Level UP card

Each hero chooses a Level UP card it doesn't already own.
- If a hero already owns a copy of each of the four Level UP cards, the party gains 2 XP instead.

Third Quest: Free Artifact (Level 1)

Each hero chooses one artifact, selected from the six available Level 1 artifacts.
- If there are not enough artifacts available, the party gains 2 XP for each hero that does not get one.

Fourth Quest: Free Special Attack card

The card each hero chooses must belong to a Combat Role that is absent in the party.
Each hero must choose a different Special Attack.
These are consumables. You lose them at the end of the next quest.

Fifth Quest: Free Level UP card

Each hero chooses one Level UP Card of a type it doesn't own, or owns only one copy.
- If a hero already owns the maximum number of cards allowed, the party gains 4 XP instead.

11.2.2 – Experience Points: gaining

You can earn Experience Points (XP) in a variety of ways:

Accomplishing a quest's Primary Objective;
Accomplishing a quest's Secondary Objectives;
Rewarded by the Campaign Tome/Cards;
Selling artifacts or scrolls at half their original XP cost (rounded down).
Experience Points always belong to the Team, never to a specific Hero/Player (E.g., If you acquire 1 extra XP for every hero alive at the end of a quest, these points go to the team and may be spent to level up a hero that was dead at the end of such quest).
- Track how many points you already have and gain by placing the XP Token on the corresponding slot of the HP Track.
Experience Points are awarded only after the quest ends successfully (E.g., if you have zero XP, complete a secondary objective, and then fail the quest, you cannot spend the XP of the secondary objective before trying again).
- Take note whenever you accomplish a secondary objective during a quest in order not to forget about it.
When selling artifacts and scrolls, you may group the items in a single sale (E.g., if you sell a single scroll, you get 0 XP, since you must round down. However, if you sell two scrolls at the same time, you get 1XP back).

11.2.3 – Experience Points: spending

You cannot spend XP at any time, such as in the middle of a quest. You may spend XP only when the Campaign Tome/Cards allow, through instructions in bold red italics.

The following sections represent items you may acquire with your party's XP.

11.2.3.1 – Level UP

Level UP Cards are boosts you permanently attach to a specific Hero of the Team, making it a better fighter.

Example Level UP cards — Health (+10 Health); Protection (+1 Protection); Power (+1 Power).

You must attach the level up card to a hero as soon as you purchase it.
You cannot detach or transfer Level UP cards.
Apply them only when it benefits you (E.g.: you may not deal +1 damage when attacking an ally).
"Power" applies once per attack. "Precision" and "Protection" apply in all attack rolls.
You can attach a maximum of three equal level up cards and up to six total level up cards per hero.
- Your team cannot own more than 5 copies of the same type of Level UP card.
There are several types of level up cards. Attaching more than one card of the same type to the same hero increases its cost:

1st Card: 4 XP 2nd Card: 8 XP 3rd Card: 12 XP

11.2.3.2 – Primary Attack Card (permanent)

Cost: 3 XP each.
Choose one Primary Attack card from any other hero that shares a Combat Role with the card's recipient.
The card remains with the same hero until the campaign ends. You do not lose any of your other primary attacks. You cannot sell, change or transfer this card.
Each hero can own a maximum of two extra Primary Attacks.

11.2.3.3 – Special Attack Card (consumable)

Cost: 2XP each.
Choose one Special Attack card from any other hero that shares a Combat Role with the card's recipient.
You permanently lose the card after making its attack or at the end of the following quest. No Hero in the party can acquire this same consumable again.
Each hero can own a maximum of one extra Special Attack at a given time.

11.2.3.4 – Improved First Aid (consumable)

Cost: 1 Token = 3XP; 2 Tokens = 7XP.
Improved First Aids do not have a drawback (you do not take 20 damage).
Use the Red Tokens to track your regular First Aid uses, and the Blue Tokens to represent the Improved First Aid.
You do not lose any of your two regular First Aid uses when acquiring an Improved First Aid.
The party can own a maximum of two Blue Aid Tokens at the same time. They are lost when used, or at the end of the next quest.

11.2.3.5 – Scrolls (consumable)

Cost: 1 XP each.
Your party can own any number of scrolls at the same time, but before each quest begins, the party must select a maximum of three scrolls and assign them to one or more heroes.
You permanently lose a scroll card after using it. You can only own it a second time if the campaign specifically rewards it.

11.2.3.6 – Artifacts (permanent)

Cost: Level 1 = 4XP; Level 2 = 8XP.
You cannot purchase or sell Level 3 artifacts.
Before each quest begins, choose among your purchased artifacts which will be equipped. The total level of artifacts equipped by your team cannot exceed 6.
- Artifacts must be equipped on different Heroes.
- When the mission ends, artifacts are automatically un-equipped. You may equip them on other heroes before the next quest starts.
If a hero equipping an artifact dies during the quest, you do not need to pick its artifact up. Both the hero and the artifact automatically return to the team when the quest ends.
There is no limit to the number of artifacts you may purchase.

11.3 - Adjusting the difficulty

Easy

Chests and Events: Heroes regain 30 HP instead of 20 HP, except Boss Fights.

XP: The Primary Objective grants 20 XP; Secondary Objectives do not grant XP.

First Aid: Performing it requires losing 10 HP.

Flasks: Heroes can bear up to 3 flasks at a time.

Team Token: Special Attacks, Heroic Action, Scrolls, Flasks and First Aid do not flip your Team Token.

Lava/Spikes Tiles: Deal 3 damage, instead of 4.

Hard

Chests and Events: Heroes regain 10 HP, instead of 20 HP, except Boss Fights.

XP: Surviving heroes grant 3 XP each, Primary Objective grants -8 XP.

First Aid: Performing it requires losing 25 HP.

Flasks: Heroes cannot bear more than 1 flask at a time.

Heroic Actions: Heroes can perform only one per quest and cannot repeat the same Heroic Action again until the campaign ends.

Team Token: When flipped to "No Special", it will flip again to "Special Ready" only at the start of the next round.

Lava/Spikes Tiles: Deal 5 damage, instead of 4.

Difficulty Comparison Table

	Easy	Normal	Hard
Chests/events (HP gained)	30***	20***	10***
Primary Objective (XP)	20	N (varies)	(N-8)
Secondary Objectives	0	N (varies)	N*
First Aid (drawback)	Take 10 damage	Take 20 damage	Take 25 damage
Flasks a hero can bear	3	2	1
Heroic Actions/quest	3**	2	1
Heroic Actions/campaign	Follow rules	Follow rules	1 of each
Team Token (when to flip to "No Special")	No limit	Follow rules	Follow rules
Team Token (when to flip back to "Special Ready")	Follow rules	Follow rules	Start of next round
Lava/Spikes Tiles (damage)	3	4	5