Chroma Arcana Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
• How to Use This Rulebook
• Colours of Magic
  • Red
  • Orange
  • Green
  • Blue
  • Void
  • Gold
  • Harmony
  • Fortune
• Components
• Game Setup
  • Starting Deck Combinations
  • 1. Initial Setup
  • 2. Select Egos
  • 3. Choose Colours
  • 4. Assemble the Decks
  • 5. Assemble the Token Pool
  • 6. Draw Opening Hands
  • 7. Start the Game!
• Turn Sequence
  • 1. Focus Step
  • 2. Prepare Step
  • 3. Cast Magic Step
  • 4. Refresh Step
  • Example Turn
• Areas of Play
• Key Concepts
  • The Golden Rule
  • Objective
  • Prestige: Three Duels
  • Damage and Healing
  • Sacrifice Health
  • Game Complexity
  • Tokens
  • Simultaneous Timings
• Ego Cards
• Spell Cards
• Card Types (Spells)
  • Burst
  • Edict
  • Minion
  • Ward
• Special Spell Types
  • Chromatic Spells
  • Rote Spells
  • Sigil Spells
• Item Cards
• Card Types (Items)
  • Arcana
  • Potion
• Glossary
  • Abilities
  • Damage
  • Targeting
• Symbols and Turn Reminders

Game Overview

During the game, mages take turns to place spells in their spellbook, charge them up, and cast them for devastating effects.

You win a duel by reducing your rival to zero health (heart) before they do the same to you.

In Chroma Arcana, each player is called a mage, and your opponent is called your rival.

Good luck, and may the best mage prevail!

How to Use This Rulebook

We have a recommended setup for your first game. You can find the rules for this in the Game Setup section, starting each player with a pre-selected deck.

When you have played your first game, you can play another and this time choose your Ego and colours, as per the Game Setup section.

If you have any questions about how cards might interact with each other, there is an updated FAQ found in the Chroma Arcana forums on Board Game Geek: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3150807/official-rules-faq

If you cannot find the answer you are looking for, agree on a solution with your rival. Afterwards, reach out to the publisher on social media or via email at [email protected].

There is also an accessible web version of the rules on the publisher's website: https://chromaarcana.rocnest.uk/

Colours of Magic

Red

Red magic focuses a mage's fury into physical destruction. Pick this colour to deal damage quickly, with little regard for your own defences.

Orange

Manipulative court mages often use Orange magic to distort their rivals' memories. Pick this colour to control the way your rival casts and uses their spells.

Green

Green magic links to nature, drawing strength from it to help mages endure tough environments. Pick this colour to empower your Minions, who offer diverse abilities.

Blue

Mages who channel Blue magic do so to enhance their defences and reactions. Pick this colour to cast defensive spells that prevent your rival dealing damage.

Void

Void magic is like a leech, drawing strength away from a rival mage to empower its caster's magic. Pick this colour to sap your rival's power and stop them from casting spells.

Gold

Gold mages use wealth to supplement their power. The guilds use it to negotiate better deals and intimidate their rivals. Pick this colour to help charge your other spells, no matter their colour.

Harmony

Those who weave Harmony magic are able to draw on other colours, even those they have not yet learned. Pick this colour to diversify your playstyle with a wide range of spells.

Fortune

Mages who learn Fortune magic soon find that it favours the bold, the lucky, and those who know how to fix the odds. Pick this colour to gain cheap spells with powerful effects (so long as you are lucky).

Components

• 2 Player Boards
• 2 Double-Sided Reference Cards
• 8 Chromatic Spells (2 copies of each)
• 26 Ego Cards
• 40 Gemstone Tokens:
  • 20 x Charge (Blue)
  • 8 x Ego (White)
  • 10 x Sand (Yellow)
  • 2 x Health (Red)
• 8 Colour Sets. Each set includes:
  • 1 x Rote Spell
  • 1 x Sigil Spell
  • 10 x Basic Spells (2 copies of each)
  • 2 x Arcana Items (2 copies of each)
  • 2 x Potion Items (2 copies of each)

There are also 10 tuck boxes included to help you keep the Egos, Chromatic spells, and the 8 different colours separate.

Game Setup

If this is your first game, you should play with the Starting Deck Combinations (see the sidebar below). This is the best way to introduce yourself to the rules of the game.

Setup covers selecting your Ego, your Major Colour, and your 2 Minor Colours.

Starting Deck Combinations

Assemble the decks:

Nuri's Deck - 1 x of each Red card:

• The Red Rote: From the Ashes
• Searing Sigil
• Red Arcana
• Snapfire
• Obliterate
• Shared Agony
• Volatile Efreet
• Unfettered Flame

Zaria's Deck - 1 x of each Green card:

• The Green Rote: Nature's Fury
• Sigil of Rebirth
• Green Arcana
• Help the Wounded
• Wall of Thorns
• Life Tree
• Quilled Manticore
• Cycle of Renewal

Additionally, both decks contain:

1 x of each Blue card:

• Blue Arcana
• Aether Pulse
• Preservation
• Crafted Horror
• Barrier
• Control the Flow

1 x of each Orange card:

• Orange Arcana
• Immolation
• Lethargy
• Paralysis
• Brain Slug
• Mind Shackle

1 x of each Chromatic card:

• Chroma Blast
• Marked for Death
• Mimic Infiltrator
• Consume Essence

Note: For your first game, do not include any Potion cards.

Perform the following steps in order:

1. Initial Setup

• Randomly choose which mage will take the first turn, known as the Attacker. The other mage is the Defender.
• Place a player board in front of each mage.

2. Select Egos

First Game: Instead of shuffling Egos, give Nuri to the Attacker, and Zaria to the Defender.

• Shuffle the Ego cards and deal 3 to each mage.
• Choose 1 to keep and place it on your player board, in your Ego Slot.

3. Choose Colours

First Game: Nuri's Major Colour is Red, Zaria's Major Colour is Green. Give both mages Blue and Orange as Minor Colours.

• You each take 1 copy of each of the 4 Chromatic spells.
• Starting with the Defender, you each choose your Major Colour. Take 1 copy of each card from that colour's set (Colour Sets sidebar, page 5) and remove the rest of that set from the game:
  • 5 x Basic spells
  • 1 x Arcana
  • 1 x Potion (given to your rival)
  • 1 x Sigil
  • 1 x Rote
• Place your Rote on your player board, in your Rote Slot.

Once a Major Colour has been selected, that colour cannot be selected again during this duel.

• Starting with the Attacker, you each choose 2 different Minor Colours. The Attacker chooses both colours first, followed by the Defender. Take 1 copy of each card from each colour set, but do not remove that set from the game:
  • 5 x Basic spells
  • 1 x Arcana
  • 1 x Potion (given to your rival)

Your own Minor Colours must be different, but both mages may share the same Minor Colours.

4. Assemble the Decks

• Shuffle together the cards you gained in Step 3 (except your Rote) to form your deck, and place it face-down in the deck area of your player board. This should contain:
  • 1 x Sigil of your Major Colour
  • 4 x Chromatic spells
  • 15 x Basic Spells (5 of each of your selected colours)
  • 3 x Arcana (1 of each of your selected colours)
  • 3 x Potions (1 of each of your rival's selected colours)

5. Assemble the Token Pool

• Place all tokens within easy reach of both mages.

6. Draw Opening Hands

• The Attacker draws 4 cards.
• The Defender draws 5 cards.
• You are each allowed 1 free redraw. To do this, you must:
  • Discard your entire hand.
  • Draw a fresh starting hand.
  • Shuffle your discard pile back into your deck.

7. Start the Game!

• Place a health token on the 9 value of your health wheel.
• Read aloud your Ego and Rote cards to your rival.
• Begin play with the Attacker's first turn (Turn Sequence, page 8).

Turn Sequence

Each turn is divided into the following steps:

1. FOCUS (active spells perform effects)
2. PREPARE (place and charge spells)
3. CAST MAGIC (cast spells)
4. REFRESH (discard and draw cards)

Once you complete all of these steps, your rival begins their turn. Play continues with this cycle until the Objective (page 11) is met.

1. Focus Step

You may skip this step if you have no active Edicts or Minions.

You must perform the following in order:

1. Perform the action of your active Minion.
2. Remove 1 sand token from your active Minion.
3. Discard your active Edicts.

2. Prepare Step

First, place up to 1 charge token on each non-Rote spell in your spellbook. Then, perform any of the following in any order, repeating as often as you want:

• Place a spell into your spellbook from your hand.
  • You may discard spells from your spellbook to make space for new ones.
• Discard any card from your hand to add a charge token to a spell of a matching colour in your spellbook.
  • Some cards, such as Items, count as multiple colours (pages 15-18).

3. Cast Magic Step

You must perform the following:

• For each fully-charged spell in your spellbook, either cast it or remove all charge tokens from that spell.

A fully-charged spell is one that has a number of charge tokens on it equal to or greater than the cost displayed in the top left corner.

When you cast a spell, follow these steps:

1. Resolve the spell's effect, based on its type (Card Types (Spells), page 14).
2. Remove all charge tokens from the spell.

4. Refresh Step

You must perform the following in order:

1. Select up to 2 cards to keep from your hand, then discard the rest.
2. Draw until you reach your hand size (usually 5). If you need to draw and your deck is empty, you must:
   • Sacrifice 1 health.
   • Shuffle your discard pile to form your new deck.
   • Continue drawing.

Your turn now ends.

Example Turn

Begin with Nuri's turn in the following setup: (Nuri has an active Minion, Brain Slug; Obliterate, Paralysis and others in the spellbook; Zaria has no Minion active.)

1. Focus Step

• A. Nuri's Minion (Brain Slug) forces their rival to discard 1 card, due to its ability.
• B. That Minion loses 1 sand token and is discarded due to running out of sand.

2. Prepare Step

• A. Nuri adds 1 charge token to both spells in their spellbook (Obliterate and Paralysis).
• B. Nuri places Barrier into their spellbook, from their hand, and discards their Blue Arcana to add 2 charge tokens to it.
• C. Nuri discards the 2 Red cards and 1 Chromatic card in their hand to add 3 charge tokens to their Obliterate spell.

3. Cast Magic Step

Nuri's spellbook should now look like this: (Obliterate, Barrier, Paralysis, all fully charged.)

• A. Nuri chooses to cast Obliterate first. They deal 3 damage, remove all charge tokens from it, and then they discard it.
• B. Nuri casts Barrier. They place it in their active area, then they remove all charge tokens from it.
• C. Nuri decides not to cast Paralysis, as Zaria does not have a Minion active. They just remove all charge tokens from it and leave Paralysis in their spellbook.

4. Refresh Step

• A. Nuri has no cards remaining in their hand, so they must draw back up to 5 cards.
• B. As they only have 3 cards left in their deck, they draw those 3 cards, then sacrifice 1 health.
• C. They then shuffle their discard pile to form a new deck, and draw their remaining 2 cards.

Nuri's turn now ends, and Zaria's turn begins.

Areas of Play

• A. Deck: The collection of cards that you draw your hand from. Starts with 26 cards.
• B. Discard Pile: Your spells and items get discarded into this pile face-up.
• C. Hand: Your hand of cards. Usually 5 cards.
• D. Spellbook: The area that contains all of your spells, before you cast them. Note that your Rote slot (H) counts as part of your spellbook.
• E. Ego Slot: Place your Ego here.
• F. Active Area: The area that your spells are placed in after they are cast (except for Bursts, see Card Types (Spells), page 14). Note that there is no limit to the amount of spells allowed in your active area, except for active Minions (see Minion Slot (G)).
• G. Minion Slot: A part of your active area (F). If you cast a Minion spell, place it here. Note that you are limited to 1 active Minion.
• H. Rote Slot: A part of your spellbook (D). Place your Rote here.
• I. Health Wheel: Used to indicate your current health.

Key Concepts

The Golden Rule

If the text of a card contradicts any rule found in this rulebook, the text of the card takes priority.

Objective

During the game, each mage takes turns deciding which spells to place in their spellbook, which cards to discard to charge those spells, and in what order to cast them. The duel ends the moment a mage is reduced to zero health, with the winner being the mage with health remaining. Ties are possible, though very unlikely.

Tokens are meant to be unlimited! If you need to place a token and find there are none left in the supply, use other tokens.

Prestige: Three Duels

If you want to play multiple duels of Chroma Arcana, the recommended way is to use a point system called Prestige.

After a duel, each mage gains Prestige equal to the amount of health they had remaining. This amount is tallied over three duels in a session, and is how the winner of multiple duels is decided. After each duel, remove the Egos played from the available selection for the remainder of this session.

Whichever mage has the highest Prestige at the end of a session is declared the winner!

Damage and Healing

Some actions deal damage, and others heal health. When this happens, the mage being damaged or healed should adjust their health wheel by decreasing or increasing their health respectively. No amount of damage or healing can make you go above 10 health or below 0 health.

When damaged, a mage may choose to instead discard their active Minion and block all damage (Glossary, page 18).

Sacrifice Health

Sometimes you are required to sacrifice health. When you do this, adjust your health wheel as if you were taking damage.

The most common cause of sacrificing health is by running out of cards while drawing during the Refresh step.

Note that this type of damage cannot be prevented by any means.

Game Complexity

Chroma Arcana is designed to have some flexibility in its setup. When playing with mages who are unfamiliar with duelling card games, you can reduce the game complexity by removing Egos and Rotes.

This makes it easier for first-time mages and will put more of a focus on the basic spell mechanics. You can always add the unique abilities from Egos and Rotes back in when you are ready!

Tokens

There are four different types of tokens that can appear on cards. These indicate tokens that are added to or removed from cards using the coloured gemstone tokens.

If an action involving tokens does not state a target, the card targets itself.

• Ego Tokens (white): Placed on some (but not all) Egos to power their actions.
• Charge Tokens (blue): Placed on cards to charge them and ready them to be cast.
• Sand Tokens (yellow): How much time an active Minion has left in the active area. Discard your active Minion when it loses its last sand token.
• Health Tokens (red): Placed on the health wheel (Areas of Play, page 10) to indicate the health of a mage. Note unlike other tokens, these are never added to or removed from cards.

Simultaneous Timings

If 2 or more effects occur at the same time (for example, 2 spells that occur "before any damage is dealt"), the mage not taking their turn resolves their effects first, in any order they choose. Then, the mage whose turn it is resolves their effects, also in any order they choose.

Ego Cards

Each mage is represented by their Ego card. These cards:

• Always have a special ability and a timing for when to use that ability.
• Occasionally have a way of generating and using ego tokens, which power the above ability.

Parts of an Ego card (example: Zaria, The Archdruid):

• A. Name and Title: Name (and Title) of the Ego.
• B. Card Type: Depicts the Ego symbol.
• C. Artwork: The artwork of the Ego.
• D. Artist: The artist responsible for the artwork.
• E. Ability Description: What the Ego does, including any timings of effects (written in bold text).
• F. Lore Text: Usually a quote from another character, which gives insight into the Ego.

Spell Cards

• A. Banner: Shows the name and colour of the spell.
• B. Spell Type (page 15): Burst, Edict, Minion, or Ward.
• C. Charge Cost: The cost (in charge tokens) to cast the spell.
• D. Spell Colour Symbol: The symbol for the spell colour set.
• E. Other Colour Symbols: Some (but not all) spells have smaller symbols to remind you about any other colours they count as.
• F. Artist: The artist responsible for the artwork.
• G. Artwork: The artwork of the spell.
• H. Passive Keyword (page 18): Some (but not all) spells have keywords to remind you of the rules that they have.
• I. Action Timing: While a spell is active, this is when you must trigger the action ability of the spell. Note that Burst spells trigger when cast.
• J. Action Ability: What the spell does when the action timing occurs.

Some spell abilities refer to being overcharged. If a card that lists this has more charge tokens on it than are required to cast, it applies the overcharged effect when cast (Glossary, page 18).

• K. Discard Reminder: Short reminder text about when to discard a spell. Note that Rotes do not have this because they are never discarded.

Card Types (Spells)

There are 4 types of spell available to each mage. Types are depicted by the icon in the top right diamond of each card.

Burst

Instant-effect magic.

• Perform your Burst's action after casting it.
• Discard your Burst after casting it.

Edict

Active spells that last for a single turn, usually with powerful effects.

• Place it in your active area after casting it.
• Discard your Edict during your Focus step.

Minion

Active spells that are powerful allies. They only last for a limited amount of time before disappearing.

• Place it in your active area, in your Minion Slot, after casting it. Then place 3 sand tokens on it.
• Remove 1 sand token from it after it performs its action in your Focus step.
• Can be discarded to block (Glossary, page 18) all damage from a single source.
• Discard your Minion after it runs out of sand tokens.

Ward

Active spells that remain until triggered by other spells or effects.

• Place it in your active area after casting it.
• The timing in bold text on the Ward tells you when it triggers its action.
• Discard your Ward after performing its action.

Special Spell Types

Chromatic Spells

The 4 spells available to every mage.

• Count as any colour of card, and therefore may charge or be charged by any other colour of card.
• Depicted with a grey banner and the Chromatic symbol.

Rote Spells

A mage's most practised spell.

• You gain the Rote of your Major Colour, which is placed in your Rote Slot at the start of a duel.
• They are always Bursts.
• Keep your Rote in your Rote Slot after casting it.
• They must still be charged, like any other spell, in order to be cast.

Sigil Spells

The most iconic spell of each colour.

• You gain the Sigil of your Major Colour, which is shuffled into your deck at the start of a duel.
• Follow the rules of the spell of its type (Burst, Edict, Minion, or Ward).
• Identified by the word 'Sigil' in the title. The artwork on the card depicts the symbol of the colour set.

Item Cards

While Chroma Arcana is mainly about spellcasting, there are other cards that you can play during a duel that can greatly support your spells. These are called Items.

Item cards look similar to spells. An easy way to identify the difference is to look in the top left corner. Spell cards have a charge cost, while items do not.

• A. Banner: Shows the name and colour of the item.
• B. Item Type (page 17): Arcana or Potion.
• C. Item Colour Set: The symbol for the item colour set.
• D. Chromatic Symbol: A reminder that all items are Chromatic cards in addition to their colour set.
• E. Artist: The artist responsible for the artwork.
• F. Artwork: The artwork of the item.
• G. Chromatic Keyword (page 18): All items have the Chromatic keyword to remind you of that rule.
• H. Action Timing: When an item can be used. Usually, items can only be used from your hand.
• I. Action Ability: What the item does when used.

Card Types (Items)

There are 2 types of items available to each mage. Types are depicted by the icon in the top right diamond of each card.

Arcana

Each colour set has 1 Arcana of that colour included. These items help to charge spells during your Prepare step.

You may discard an Arcana from your hand to add 2 charge tokens to a spell of the same colour as the Arcana in your spellbook.

For example, you may discard your Green Arcana to add 2 charge tokens to any Green spell in your spellbook. If you were to discard the same Arcana to charge a Blue spell in your spellbook, it would only add 1 charge token to that spell.

All item cards are considered Chromatic cards, so you can discard them during your Prepare step to add 1 charge token to any colour spell.

Potion

Each colour set has 1 Potion of that colour included. You must give these cards to your rival, as they may use them to block your spells.

Before your rival casts a spell of the same colour as your Potion, you may remove the Potion from the game to stop the spell from being cast and remove all of its charge tokens.

For example, when your rival declares that they are casting an Orange spell, you may remove your Philter of Denial (the Orange Potion) from your hand (and the game) to prevent that spell from being cast and to remove all charge tokens from it.

Glossary

Abilities

Chromatic: Counts as any colour of card.

Multi-Chroma (X): Counts as a card of colour [X] in addition to its own colour.

Overcharged: A spell is considered overcharged if it has more charge tokens on it than are required to cast it. If this is the case, it applies any overcharged effects that might be listed on the card.

Predict: Name a colour, then reveal the top card of your own deck. If the revealed card matches the colour you named, your prediction is correct. Regardless, place that card on the bottom of that deck.

Reveal: Flip a face-down card face-up to show both mages what it is.

Damage

Block: Prevent damage from being dealt from a single source.

Deal X: Reduce rival's health by [X] amount.

Heal X: Increase your health by [X] amount.

Health: How much damage a mage can take before losing a duel. Starts at 9 and cannot go above 10.

Sacrifice: Reduce your health by the listed amount. This cannot be prevented by any means.

Targeting

Active: A card in your active area.

Rival: Your opponent, or any components that they control.

Symbols and Turn Reminders

• Ego Cards (page 12): Ego
• Item Cards (pages 16-17): Arcana, Potion
• Spell Cards (pages 13-15): Burst, Edict, Minion, Ward
• Tokens (page 12): Charge, Ego, Sand
• Damage and Healing (page 11): Deal damage, Heal health
• Card Colours (page 4): Red, Orange, Green, Blue, Void, Gold, Harmony, Fortune

1. Focus Step - In order:

1. Perform the action of your active Minion.
2. Remove 1 sand token from your active Minion.
3. Discard each of your active Edicts.

2. Prepare Step First:

• Add up to 1 charge token to each non-Rote spell in your spellbook.

Then:

• Place spells in your spellbook.
• Discard cards from your hand to charge spells in your spellbook.

3. Cast Magic Step - For each fully-charged spell in your spellbook, either:

• Cast the spell.
• Discard all charge tokens from the spell.

4. Refresh Step - In order:

1. Keep up to 2 cards in your hand and discard the rest.
2. Draw until you reach your hand size. If you cannot:
   • Sacrifice 1 health.
   • Shuffle your discard pile to form your new deck.
   • Continue drawing.

Your rival now takes their turn.