Darklight: Memento Mori Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
  • Rulebook, Quest Book, Settlement Booklet
  • Miniatures
  • Map Tiles
  • Archways
  • Doors
  • Dice
  • Dashboards
  • Equipment Boards
  • Cards
  • Darkness/Dread Wheel
  • Tokens
• Set Up a Quest
• The Round
  • In or Out of Combat
  • Darkness Roll
  • Exploration
  • Events
  • Turns
  • Monster Information
  • Monster Turns
• Combat
  • Line of Sight
  • Spawning Monsters
  • Melee Attacks
  • Ranged Attacks
  • Damage Reduction
  • Critical Misses and Critical Hits
  • Wounds and Trophies
  • Resistances
  • Cleave
  • Unarmed Attack
  • Dual Wielding Attacks
  • Invoking a Miracle
  • Cast a Spell
  • Insanity
  • Evasion
  • Tumble
  • Conditions
  • Accursed Death
  • Using the Cursed Heart
  • Combat Rewards
  • Using Consumables
  • Attribute Tests
  • Escaping the Dungeon
  • Optional Rules
• Advanced Rules
  • Character Sheet
  • Hazard Chart
  • Journeys
  • Settlements
  • Levelling Up
• Expansions
• Roleplaying Rules
  • Roles of a Dark Master
  • Advanced Dark Master — Additional Mechanics
  • Custom Dungeons
  • Additional Mechanics (Survival)
  • Credits

Components

The following is a list of all the components needed to play the game and a brief explanation of how to set them up and use them.

Rulebook, Quest Book, Settlement Booklet

The Rulebook is required to learn how to play Darklight. Only read the Quest Book when instructed by the rules found within this manual. The Settlement Booklet contains rules for each location found within Settlements (Advanced Rules).

Miniatures

The term 'Accursed' always refers to the characters controlled by players while 'Monster' always refers to any hostile character trying to kill the Accursed. If the game uses the term 'Miniature' or 'Character' it refers to both Accursed and Monsters. Each player picks one of the 4 available Accursed miniatures: Black Knight, Outcast, Exorcist, Blood Witch.

The Monster miniatures include Crawlers, Crawler Eggs, Seekers, Lurkers, Lurker Scouts, Deviants, Devourers, Skorn Savages, Skorn Hunters, Grim Cultists, Skorn Shaman, Skorn Brutes, and the Dreadworm.

Map Tiles

To represent the corridors and rooms where the action takes place, the game uses Map Tiles, each sub-divided into a square grid. A single miniature may only take up 1 square (with the exception of large Monsters which take up 4). A square is considered adjacent to another if they share a side or corner; this is important for Movement or when counting distances between squares.

The Map Tile set includes rooms such as the Idol Room, Arcane Room, Storage Room, Torture Room, Sacrificial Room, Dweller's Room, Necrostream, Sanctuary, Hall, Arena, Crypt and Chapel, along with connecting Corridor, Long Corridor, Junction, Intersection and L-Corridor pieces, and Stairway Up / Stairway Down tiles.

Archways

Archways are used to join 2 Map Tiles together. Each Archway has 2 squares which are considered to belong to both Map Tiles, so whenever a rule affects the room an Accursed is currently in, and they are currently on an Archway, they must decide which of the 2 adjoining rooms the rule will affect.

Doors

There are 6 regular Doors, 2 Broken Doors, 2 Portcullis, 1 Guillotine and 1 Wailing Wall. Whenever a new Archway is placed down, always slot in a regular Door and keep it there until it is opened. The rules governing each type of Door will be found on the cards which create them.

Dice

The game comes with 10 six-sided dice, also known as 'd6', and a translucent red die called the 'Darkness Dice'. If the rules ever say to roll 2 or more d6 together, it will be written as 2d6, 3d6 and so on. If the rules ask for a d3, roll a d6 and halve the result (rounding up).

Whenever a rule says a specific number or better is needed to achieve success, it will be followed by the '+' sign; so 3+ means a roll of 3, 4, 5 or 6, while 5+ means a roll of 5 or 6.

A numeric modifier to a dice roll is shown by a '+' or '-' followed by a number; so 1d6+1 means adding 1 to the dice roll (giving a possible result between 2 and 7).

If a rule allows a re-roll of one or more dice, take whatever dice were just rolled and roll again, accepting the second result instead. Dice can never be re-rolled more than once, regardless of multiple rules offering the option.

As a general rule, any time a dice roll must be halved, round up where necessary (unless otherwise stated).

Dashboards

Dashboards contain all the information about an Accursed; each player takes the one matching their miniature. Dashboards have a male and female side, though there are no rule differences — it's purely a matter of preference. A Dashboard shows:

1. The generic name given to the Accursed.
2. The Accursed Class, which defines what Skills they may learn.
3. A list of starting items for the Accursed.
4. Health, which determines how many Wounds the Accursed can take before they die.
5. Sanity, which determines how much Insanity the Accursed can suffer before they lose their mind.
6. Movement value, which determines how many squares an Accursed can move across Map Tiles each round.
7. Initiative, which determines the turn order while in combat, with the highest score going first. If two or more Accursed have an equal Initiative score they may decide between them who goes first each round. If their score is equal to that of a Monster, the Monster always goes first. Monster Initiative scores are found on their cards.
8. Some Accursed have unique rules written here, which always take priority over any rule found in this Rulebook.
9. Melee and Ranged Attack values. The first number shows how many attacks can be made per round. The second number is the score that must be rolled with a d6 to successfully hit an opponent (the 'To Hit' value). Example: a Melee value of 1/4+ means 1 attack per round, hitting on a roll of 4 or better.
10. Belt size, which tells how many Consumable items the Accursed can carry within their Belt Slot.
11. Attributes, which measure a character's abilities in specific situations; for example, Strength measures physical might and therefore how damaging Melee attacks will be.

Equipment Boards

Each Accursed takes 1 Equipment Board and places it next to their Dashboard; these are used to keep track of the player's currently Equipped items and resources.

1. Equipment Slots: place Equipment cards with matching icons in these spaces whenever they are Equipped. Only one item can occupy each Slot (with the exception of the Exorcist's Censer item). Items Equipped in the Hand Slots can go in either hand, unless the Equipment card displays the 2-Hands icon, in which case it requires both Hand Slots (and is therefore the only item which can be Equipped in either hand). Items not currently Equipped are held in the 'Inventory', placed face down beside the Equipment Board.
2. Whenever a character acquires Source, needed to cast spells, the Source tokens are placed in this area. (The Exorcist cannot acquire Source, so uses this area to keep track of Faith instead.)
3. This area tracks a character's Stamina, required to perform exceptional feats.
4. This area tracks the current number of Wounds, with one token representing the 'tens' and the other the 'units'. Start by placing a red cube on '0' and another on '00' and move these along as the Accursed suffers Wounds throughout the game. Example: 12 Wounds means one cube on '2' and the other on '10'. A character may never suffer more Wounds than their Health value.
5. This shows the Accursed's Insanity level; it works just like the Wounds tracker — place a blue cube on both rows at the start of the game and update as Insanity is gained or lost.

Note: As per the rules on their Dashboard, the Exorcist is the only character which may equip Censers. These are placed within the Belt Slot but are not considered to take up that Slot.

Cards

There are several decks within the game, each identified by a different card back.

Cursed Heart (1): Nominate any of the current players as the 'Group Leader' and give them this card. The Group Leader lays down the Map Tiles, moves the Monsters according to their rules, reads the text whenever the rules do not specify who should do so, and makes final decisions on disputes or where rules might be unclear. The Group Leader may only be changed before the start of a Quest.

Item Card Breakdown:

1. Item name.
2. Keywords pertaining to the item, often referenced by the rules.
3. Item weight. An Accursed may only carry items totalling 10 + their Strength value in weight points (this includes both Equipped items and those in Inventory). Example: an Accursed with Strength 3 may carry up to 13 weight points of items. If they go over this limit they must immediately discard items until back inside the limit.
4. Attribute Requirement. If an item has an Attribute Requirement, the Accursed must meet the requirement to equip it. If not met, the Accursed may still carry the item in Inventory, but cannot equip it. If an Accursed is using an Equipped item and the required Attribute is temporarily lowered below the value shown, the item must immediately be unequipped and returned to Inventory.
5. The Equipment Slot into which the item is placed when Equipped.
6. Value of the item, used if the Accursed wishes to sell it (see Advanced Rules).
7. Properties and rules pertaining to the item when Equipped.

Starting Equipment (8): The items the Accursed begin with. The card backs show which Accursed the items belong to. Each player takes all of the cards matching their Accursed at the start of the game.

Heirlooms (10): These items are somehow tied to the characters' past. Players are encouraged to come up with a story explaining why they are in possession of their item, perhaps tying it to a lost fragment of their memory. Each Accursed draws one random Heirloom card at character creation and keeps it Equipped in the appropriate Slot, where it grants minor, unique perks. Unused Heirloom cards go back in the box.

Encounters (23), Bosses (13): Used to generate random Monster encounters which pose a deadly threat to the Accursed. Both decks are shuffled individually at the start of each Quest. Each card shows 4 different possible encounters, varying by the number of Accursed in the party — simply choose the correct encounter for the number of players. Each card also specifies the type of reward gained for defeating its encounter, showing either Loot or Rare Loot icons. Encounter cards also have a unique ID number.

Dungeon (28): Dungeon Cards are used to generate the Dungeon Deck. Each card corresponds to a Map Tile and contains any special rules regarding that tile. There are also 4 Objective cards used by specific quests.

Cards bearing a skull icon along with their name are only used when specified by Quest rules, so place these along with any unused cards back in the game box after Quest Set Up is complete.

Spells (20): All Accursed can eventually learn spells under the Advanced rules, but at the start of the game only the Blood Witch starts with Spells (as specified on their Dashboard). Once all required Spell cards have been picked, the rest go back in the game box. All Spell cards feature a symbol and a name showing the 'Branch' (or 'type') of Magic they belong to.

Miracles (20): The Exorcist is the only Accursed who can use Miracles (detailed on their Dashboard). Miracles are divided into three groups with differing card backs: Offensive, Defensive and Healing. The Exorcist shuffles these decks individually before the game starts, then takes the top card from each category. All unused Miracles are returned to the game box.

Monsters (19): Each Monster has an associated Monster card with information on both sides — one side showing an illustration and a short description of the Monster, the other containing all the rules and information needed to play (much like the player Dashboards). These do not need to be shuffled, just keep them nearby for easy reference.

Journey (40): These come into play while traveling the dangerous lands of Intermundis when using the Advanced Rules.

Reference Charts (4): New players should take one of these as a handy reference to many of the basic rules, avoiding the need to continually refer back to this Rulebook. Once players become familiar with the rules, these become less necessary.

Darkness/Dread Wheel

This wheel is double sided. The Darkness Wheel is used during Quests, while the Dread Wheel is used when the Accursed are travelling outside of dungeons under the Advanced Rules. Each space of the Darkness Wheel is numbered from 1 (the Start) to 12. Move the Darkness Marker token clockwise around the Wheel when instructed to by cards or rules. The position of the Darkness Marker controls various aspects of the adventure while playing. Place the Darkness Wheel beside the Group Leader along with the following decks: Events, Encounters, Boss, Monsters, Loot and Rare Loot.

1. Whenever the Darkness Marker lands on the first space of the Darkness Wheel, players regain 1 use of the Cursed Heart (covered in more detail later).
2. These are Encounter spaces. When the Darkness Marker lands on one of these, an Event or an Encounter takes place.

Tokens

The game comes with several cardboard tokens to help track various aspects of play.

• Darkness Marker (1): Placed at the start of the Darkness Wheel to keep track of the current level of threat.
• Accursed Tokens (4): One token for each Accursed, used when instructed to pick one or more Accursed at random. Shuffle together the tokens for those involved in a given situation and draw one at random to determine who has been chosen. (Alternatively, all concerned may roll a d6, the lowest score being selected.)
• Cursed Heart Uses (6): Represent how full the Cursed Heart currently is. Take the correct number of tokens for the number of current players, as specified on the Cursed Heart card. Place the tokens on the card, and put the rest back in the box. Each token has a full and an empty side; all tokens start on the full side at the start of the game, turned over as they are spent.
• Stamina (20): Double sided, showing full or spent, used to perform various physical feats. At the start of each dungeon, players place a number of full Stamina tokens on their Equipment board equal to their Endurance Attribute value.
• Chests (10): Four different illustrations on the reverse of these tokens: Loot, Rare Loot, Locked and Possessed! Remove the Possessed! tokens if not using the 'Exploration Pack Supplement', then shuffle the remaining tokens face down next to the Darkness Wheel. (Possessed chests are discussed later in the Rulebook.)
• Wound Tokens (26): Whenever Wounds are inflicted on Monsters, place these tokens next to their associated miniature. To reduce clutter the tokens have 2 sides, one featuring a single Wound and the other 5 Wounds (flip them as required to keep track). For Monsters which can endure a large number of Wounds (e.g. high level Boss Monsters with lots of Health), it might be more convenient to keep track of the number of Wounds inflicted on a piece of paper instead.
• Survivors (4): Used by specific Quests and can remain in the box until needed.
• Consumables (30): Include Serum, Bandages, Lockpicks, Oil Flasks and Blessed Water. The Starting Equipment section of each Accursed Dashboard specifies how many Consumables they begin the game with. Choose the correct number and place them within the Belt Slot on the Equipment board. Remaining tokens go back in the box for now.
• Source Tokens (24): Each character with an Equipped item featuring the Catalyst Keyword (for example, the Blood Witch's Cursed Skull) takes a number of Source tokens equal to their Mind Attribute score and places them near their Equipment Board, to be used as Source is gained throughout the game. Like Stamina tokens, they have an unspent and a spent side. (Source is explained in more detail later.)
• Faith Tokens (9): Exorcists gain Faith as they play, so take enough Faith tokens to represent double the Exorcist's Charisma Attribute score and keep them handy. As the Exorcist gains Faith during the game, place the appropriate number of tokens on their Equipment board. The tokens have two different values to reduce clutter.
• Fire Tokens (10): Used to keep track of when a character is Ignited (set on fire) and are placed beside their miniature when this happens. One side features a full flame, the other a half flame as the effects wane.
• Poison Tokens (10): Help keep track of how many Poison points a character is suffering from and are placed beside their miniature. The tokens have two different values to reduce clutter.
• Boss Tokens (5): There are 5 rare Bosses in the game, each with their own cardboard token. These are treated like miniatures and feature an arrow on one side to help keep track of which Accursed is currently being targeted. The other side features the silhouette of a man which should be turned up to represent that the Boss is Prone (if there is no Prone side to the token, that Boss does not need it). Note: with the 'Boss Pack Supplement' the miniature counterparts can be used instead and these discarded.
• Special Locations (12): Used to create Settlements when using the Advanced Rules.
• Assorted Furniture: Can be used by the Dark Master (see Roleplaying Rules) to help create reference points during custom adventures.
• Boulder Markers (2): Some Events and Spells make use of these. They fit within a 2x2 space just like Large miniatures and feature a small arrow which points in the direction that they will roll.
• Character/Settlement Pad: Used to keep a record of an Accursed and/or the Settlements visited when using the Advanced Rules. Additional copies can be downloaded from the publisher's website.

Set Up a Quest

Instructions for setting up Quests can be found in the Quest Book. There you will find specific rules regarding the setup of the introductory Quest as well as the other 36 Quests found within its pages.

Introductory Quest: If this is the first time playing Darklight, or all of the Accursed are newly created, it is strongly advised to begin with the introductory Quest entitled 'Awakening', found on page 3 of the Quest Book.

Random Quest: If doing the 'Awakening' Quest, skip to the paragraph 'Read the Prologue' for now. If 'Awakening' has already been completed and the group is ready to take on new Quests, follow these instructions: take the six Quest Room dungeon cards, shuffle them and draw one at random, then roll a d6. Find the group of Quests in the Quest Book matching the room name just drawn and then find the Quest number matching the die roll. Example: drawing the 'Sanctuary' room card and rolling a 5 means undertaking the fifth Sanctuary quest, entitled 'Lost Are We'.

Read the Prologue: The Group Leader now reads the prologue to all players to set the mood for the Quest about to be undertaken.

Dungeon Deck: Prepare the Dungeon deck. Remove any Dungeon cards showing the Skull icon, apart from those specified in the Quest rules (if any). Shuffle the remaining cards and then deal out cards into two piles to make the First Half and Second Half decks — the Quest Rules specify how many cards to include in each deck. Add any specified Quest Room cards to the decks (some Quests include more than one Quest Room), then shuffle the two individual decks. Finally, place the First Half deck on top of the Second Half deck. The Dungeon Deck is now ready for play.

Example: To prepare the Awakening Quest, 4 cards are needed for the First Half and 4 cards plus the Necrostream for the Second Half. Shuffle all the Dungeon cards (after removing the Skulls) and deal out two decks of 4 cards. Add the Necrostream card to one of the decks — this becomes the Second Half Deck. Shuffle the two decks separately and place the 4-card deck (First Half) on top of the 5-card deck (Second Half) without any further shuffling. The result is a 9-card Dungeon Deck, ready to play.

Quest Rules: Here can be found any unique rules specific to each Quest. Be sure to read them carefully and follow each step. Most Quests require finding the Quest Room to proceed past a certain point. This is the case in the Awakening Quest, where the Necrostream must be found before reading to discover what happens when it is revealed.

Stairway Down: Place the Stairway Down Map Tile with an Archway directly opposite the 4 stairway squares (known as the Dungeon Exit squares) and place the Dungeon Deck beside the closed Archway. The players should now place their Accursed miniatures within any of the 4 Exit squares.

Quest Room: Read and resolve all instructions in the Quest Room section of the Quest Rules once the Quest Room has been revealed (no peeking before then!).

Completing the Quest: Once the Quest has been successfully completed, read the Rewards and Epilogue sections of the Quest Rules and enjoy the spoils of the hard work.

The Round

The game takes place in Rounds, each divided into 4 stages: the Darkness Roll, Exploration, Events, and then Turns. Once these stages have all been resolved the Round is complete and a new one begins.

In or Out of Combat

The Accursed will be engaged in combat from time to time, which limits their ability to perform certain actions requiring specific focus, so it matters whether the Accursed are 'In Combat' or 'Out of Combat'. If there are currently any Monsters at all present within the dungeon, the Accursed are considered to be In Combat. If no Monsters are present the Accursed are Out of Combat.

Darkness Roll

At the start of each Round, the Group Leader rolls the Darkness Dice and places it in the middle of the Darkness Wheel for everyone to see the result. If the roll is a 1, the Darkness Marker is moved along the Wheel by 1 space; otherwise nothing happens and the Round continues.

When the Darkness Marker moves, look at the space it has landed on:

• Blank Space: Nothing happens — carry on with the Round.
• +1 Uses: Replenish 1 spent Use of the Cursed Heart (flip one empty Use token back to the full side). This cannot go above the starting limit, so if there are no empty Use tokens nothing happens.
• Encounter Space: Roll a d6. On a 4, 5 or 6, take an Event card and choose an Accursed at random; place the Event card face down beside the map tile containing the chosen Accursed (if the room already has Events present, place any new Events below the previous ones). On a 1, 2 or 3, draw an Encounter card and Spawn the Monsters indicated for the number of players as Ambushing (Spawning is covered later).

Faith Points: As detailed on their Dashboard, the Exorcist gains a Faith point if the Darkness Roll is a 1, 2, 3 or 4.

Exploration

Exploration only happens if the Accursed are Out of Combat. If they are In Combat (or if no Doors were opened in the previous round), skip to the next stage. If one or more Doors are currently open, one Explore must happen this round (only one, even if multiple Doors are open).

To Explore a room, take the top card from the Dungeon deck nearest the Archway (there can be multiple Dungeon decks, explained later), look at the illustration, then find the corresponding Map Tile. Slot the Map Tile into the existing Archway so that it matches one of the Archway positions shown on the card; this becomes the tile Entrance. Take a new closed Archway and slot it in the farthest Archway position from the Entrance as shown on the card; this is the tile Exit. If multiple Archways are the same distance from the Entrance, or the farthest Archway would cause the next map tile to intersect with an existing one, the Group Leader may choose which Archway to use as the Exit. Any special instructions on how to place the map tile, or any unique rules associated with it, are written on the Dungeon Card. Discard the card once all the needed information has been noted. Next, move the Dungeon deck drawn from to the newly revealed Exit.

Finally, move the Darkness Marker along the Wheel by 1. If it lands on an Encounter Space, follow the same instructions as the Darkness Roll stage, but with the following differences: any Events revealed are placed beside the new map tile rather than beside a randomly chosen Accursed, and any Encounters revealed Spawn as Prepared within the new map tile (explained soon). Do not move the Darkness Marker when Exploring the Quest Room.

Note: when laying Map Tiles, try to minimise the likelihood of tiles intersecting each other as the map expands. If this still happens, either change the position of an unexplored Exit (regardless of its Dungeon Card) or alter the existing Dungeon layout a little to make it all fit.

Multiple Exits: If a Dungeon Card calls for 2 or more Exits, the potential path to the Quest Room is split (with one or more paths leading to a dead end). When this happens, place the Map Tile and add the number of new Archways specified on the card (so 2 new Archways if the card says to place 2 Exits). Deal the bottom card of the current Dungeon deck face down next to one of the new Exits, then the new bottom card to the next Exit, and so on until all exits have 1 card; then repeat this process until all the cards from the original deck have been dealt into a deck for each Exit. Use these new decks when Exploring the Archways they belong to. If no more cards are available, or the Quest Room has been found, do not place any new Archways.

Treasure Chests: Whenever a Dungeon card calls for a treasure token, take 1 Chest token and place it face down beside that room. The Accursed can Search for the treasure, explained later.

Events

If there is an Accursed present in a map tile containing an Event card, the Event is activated at the start of the Events stage. Once there are no more Events that can be Activated, the Events stage ends.

Activating Events: To Activate an Event, the Accursed responsible for Activation (pick one at random if multiple Accursed are present in the tile) takes the Event card and reads it aloud. The players then follow the card's instructions to resolve it. Unless stated otherwise, discard the Event once it has been resolved. If there are multiple Events to be activated within the same map tile, start at the top of the pile and work to the bottom (decide randomly each time which Accursed is responsible for Activation).

Turns

In Combat, characters take their turns in Initiative order, from highest to lowest. Example: if an Exorcist (Initiative 5), Black Knight (Initiative 3) and a group of Skorn Savages (Initiative 4) are present, the Exorcist goes first, followed by the Skorn Savages and finally the Black Knight. Out of Combat, the Accursed can take their turns in any order, but if combat begins during an Accursed's turn, Initiative order starts with them.

Before the Turns stage begins, the Accursed can adjust their equipment and perform any Channelling if desired.

Trade and Change Equipment: Before anyone takes their turn, the Accursed have an opportunity to exchange any number of equipment cards or Consumable tokens between themselves, provided they have the space to carry them and are no further than 1 Map Tile from each other. They may also Equip or Unequip items, but if In Combat only Hand Slot items can be changed.

Channelling: Any character with an Equipped item featuring the Catalyst Keyword now Channels Source (the mystical energy required to cast spells) into their bodies. This happens automatically, whether the player wishes to or not. Any unspent Source Tokens from previous Rounds are discarded, as the act of Channelling always replaces any previous results.

The Channelling character gains a number of Source tokens based on the current Darkness Roll: on a 1, no Source is gained; on 2-5, half the Accursed's Mind Attribute value (rounded up); on 6, the Accursed's full Mind Attribute value.

Example: the Witch's Mind value is 5 and she is carrying the Cursed Skull, which has the Catalyst Keyword. If the Darkness Roll is between 2 and 5, she gains 3 Source tokens. If the Darkness Roll is 6, she gains 5 Source Tokens. If the Darkness Roll is 1, she has 0 Source tokens (even if some were left from the previous Round).

The Accursed's Turn: The Accursed's Turn is divided into two Phases: a Movement Phase then an Attack Phase. Once both phases have been resolved the turn is over. Any number of available Spells or Miracles, and the use of a single Consumable, may be resolved before or after either Phase, as explained in the Combat section of the rules.

During the Movement Phase an Accursed may move their miniature by a number of squares up to their Movement value, but may not move through squares occupied by other characters. If the Accursed has any Spent Stamina tokens from a previous turn, they can refill 1 by giving up their entire Movement Phase, or they can just skip the Movement Phase entirely if they do not wish to move.

Threat Area: Whenever a Character begins their Turn adjacent to an enemy (this applies to Monsters adjacent to Accursed as well as the other way round), they are 'Threatened' by them, meaning they are under pressure and cannot move freely. The only way for an Accursed to break Threat is to Tumble away from their current square by spending 2 Stamina points before their Movement Phase and moving their miniature to any adjacent square (even one directly adjacent to the same Monster or another Monster). Monsters cannot escape Threatened squares this way. Any exceptions to the Threat rules for Monsters are clearly stated on their Monster Card.

In the Attack Phase an Accursed can use any number of Melee and Ranged Attacks available to them, provided they have weapons Equipped with the requisite Keywords; so if they have 1 Ranged and 2 Melee Attacks and at least one Equipped item with each Keyword, they may deal all 3 Attacks per Turn. Attacks are explained in the Combat section. Accursed can give up their Attack Phase entirely to Move or to take a Search Action, explained below.

Elevation: Some Map Tiles have different levels of elevation (pointed out on their cards). The illustration on the Map Tile usually shows the elevation change clearly, with stairs connecting the different elevation levels. Characters cannot climb to a higher elevation except by moving onto the adjacent stairs, but can step down from a higher elevation to a lower one without using stairs. Characters on different elevations do not Threaten one another and are not considered to be adjacent. Large Monsters with a 2x2 base ignore the elevation rules completely (they are treated as being on the same elevation level as all other characters).

Search Action: A Search Action can be taken if an Accursed gives up their Attack Phase completely. Some Events require the Accursed to take a Search Action to resolve them, clearly specified on the Event card. A Search Action can also be used to open Treasure Chests, provided the Accursed is in the same Map Tile as the chest. Discard the Treasure Chest token once it has been opened.

When Searching a Chest, flip the token over to reveal what lies within. Take a Loot Card if the Loot icon is revealed, or a Rare Loot Card for the Rare Loot icon; distribute these using the Round Loot rule below. For a Locked chest, a Lockpick consumable must be discarded to open it, otherwise the Search Action is wasted and the token remains in place until someone successfully Searches and opens it with Lockpicks. Opening a Locked chest awards 1 Loot card (distributed via the Round Loot rules), plus a Rare Loot card which goes to the Accursed who opened the chest (without counting toward their Round Loot).

Round Loot: To keep things fair, the game uses a rule to ensure everyone gets some loot during their adventure, called the Round Loot rule. When gaining a Loot or Rare Loot card, the Accursed who found it (or the Group Leader where this is not applicable) decides which Accursed receives that item; however, no player can receive a second loot item until everybody else in the group has received at least 1 item through the Round Loot rules, nobody can receive a third item until everyone has received at least 2, and so on.

Monster Information

Each Monster card shows:

1. Monster's Name.
2. Monster's Initiative value, used to determine their place in the Turn order.
3. Movement value, showing how many squares the Monster can move each turn.
4. Keywords, providing important information about the Monster, e.g. whether they are 'Large'.
5. Combat information, telling of any unique behaviour or important information to be aware of during the Monster's attack phase.
6. Behaviour: if the Monster does not follow standard rules, this section explains how they behave.
7. Perks: these come into play once Monsters gain levels, and are only used when playing with the Advanced Rules.
8. Attributes: when playing with the Basic Rules only Level 1 needs to be referenced.

Monster Turns

Monster turns are resolved according to the Behaviour shown on their card. All Monsters with the same name act at the same time, first moving then attacking. Move the Monsters in the same manner as the Accursed, then once all Monsters have moved, those with valid targets will attack. Always check the Monster's Behaviour section for any unique or custom behaviours and follow those rules ahead of any general rules found in this Rulebook.

Monsters can have both Melee and Ranged attacks; if the Accursed within range cannot be divided exactly evenly, randomly choose who gets the additional Monster. Each Monster type is treated separately, so if there is already a group of Skorn Savages targeting the Accursed and then a group of Lurkers approaches, the new group does not take into consideration how many Savages are already attacking each Accursed — they simply spread their own numbers evenly between the available Targets. Monsters who cannot reach an Accursed in their current movement phase always move toward the nearest Accursed, regardless of the distribution of other Monsters.

When moving Large Melee Monsters (with a 2x2 base), select any one of the 4 squares of their base and move it as if it was a single miniature; however, the Monster must finish its movement at a location where all 4 of the base squares are clear of obstacles.

Ranged Monsters are not required to Target an Accursed unless forced adjacent to one; all they need is Line of Sight to at least one Accursed (Line of Sight is explained in the Combat section). If a Ranged Monster does not have Line of Sight to at least one Accursed, they will move until they do (up to the limits of their Movement value), even if this brings them adjacent to an Accursed. When a Ranged Monster is adjacent to an Accursed they must use Melee Behaviour and deal Melee Attacks only, returning to their Ranged Behaviour once no longer adjacent to any Accursed.

Melee Monsters will spend their entire Melee Attack allowance on their current Target until they are dead or out of range. Successful Ranged Attacks by Monsters must be distributed evenly among all Accursed in Line of Sight; make all of the ranged To Hit rolls, then distribute the successful hits evenly between all Accursed in Line of Sight. Example: with 6 ranged Monsters having 1 ranged attack each and 4 Accursed who can be attacked, roll for all 6 attacks and assign the hits as evenly as possible between the 4 Accursed (if this is not possible because of a custom attack behaviour, assign the attacks evenly before rolling).

Monsters being Threatened will never move unless their card specifically says otherwise.

Melee Monsters must move adjacent to an Accursed to Target them (turn the Monster miniature to face their Target to help keep track of who is attacking who). Monsters will always have a Target if there is an Accursed adjacent to them, so if their current Target moves out of range and there is another Accursed adjacent, turn the Monster miniature immediately to face them to show that they are the new Target (even if it isn't the Monster's turn).

Monsters of the same type should always be distributed evenly between all Accursed in their movement range — e.g. with 4 Monsters and 4 Accursed within their movement range, each Monster moves and Targets a different Accursed. If the number of Monsters and Accursed within range cannot be divided exactly evenly, randomly choose who gets the additional Monster. Each Monster type is treated separately, so if there is already a group of Skorn Savages targeting the Accursed and then a group of Lurkers approaches, the new group does not take into consideration how many Savages are already attacking each Accursed; they simply spread their own numbers evenly between the available Targets. Monsters who cannot reach an Accursed in their current movement phase always move toward the nearest Accursed, regardless of the distribution of other Monsters.

Combat

Attacking works the same for both Monsters and Accursed, with the Group Leader rolling for the Monsters unless the group has agreed otherwise before the game starts.

Line of Sight

Line of Sight (or LoS) determines whether one character can see another, which is necessary for any kind of interaction, including attacking. To decide if a character has LoS to another, trace an imaginary line from the centre of that character's square to the centre of the square they are looking at. Provided the line is not interrupted by thick, black walls or Doors, they have LoS to the target.

Unlike Monsters, Accursed are limited to natural eyesight, so the darkness of a Dungeon can be a limiting factor to LoS. An Accursed only has LoS within Map Tiles which are currently lit. The Cursed Heart lights the Map Tile it is currently in, as well as any adjacent tiles. Equipped items with the Light Keyword also light the Map Tile they are in (but not adjacent tiles).

Spawning Monsters

This section explains how to 'Spawn' (place down miniatures for) Monsters generated by Encounters or Boss cards. Monsters can Spawn as either Ambushing or Prepared, depending on whether they were caused by the Darkness Roll (Ambushing) or the Exploration of a new Map Tile or Quest Room (Prepared within the room).

Before placing Monsters, always read the Behaviour section of the Monster Card in case they have a unique Spawning rule which takes priority over the regular rules.

The first steps are the same for both Ambushing and Prepared Monsters. Determine how many and what type of Monsters are required by looking at the card which is spawning them (in some cases a dice roll is required to determine the numbers). Gather the miniatures and Monster Cards for each Monster type being spawned.

Always Spawn Ranged Monsters first, starting with those with the lowest Initiative value. If Spawning them as Prepared, place them in the newly revealed room as far as possible from the Entrance, stacking them up adjacent to one another. If spawning as Ambushing, still stack them together, but place them as far as possible from the Accursed's current location, making sure they are in LoS and no more than 2 Map Tiles away.

Once there are no more Ranged Monsters to place, begin spawning Melee Monsters. If spawning them as Prepared, begin with the lowest Initiative value. Prepared Melee Monsters are placed in the newly explored room as far as possible from the Entrance, and arranged in a diagonal pattern (as if placing them all on the black squares of a Chessboard). If the room fills up and there are still miniatures to place, start filling in the gaps, starting with those furthest from the Entrance.

When placing Ambushing Melee Monsters, start with those with the highest Initiative value and distribute them as evenly as possible, adjacent (or as close as possible) to each Accursed in the Dungeon.

If during the placement of Prepared Monsters there is no more room in the newly revealed Map Tile, they will 'spill' into adjoining Map Tiles. Continue placing them in the same manner in the other tiles. If there are not enough miniatures to place newly spawned Monsters, or there is no free space anywhere in the dungeon to place them, they simply do not spawn (the Accursed clearly have enough on their plate already!)

When placing Large Monsters ignore the diagonal pattern rule; they can be placed adjacent to one another. If there is not a large enough space to spawn them because of other Monsters, nearby regular-sized Monsters can be moved by 1 space to make enough space for the Large ones to fit.

Melee Attacks

To deal a Melee Attack a character must be adjacent to their Target and be in LoS. If these requirements are met they can attack by rolling a d6 and comparing it to their To Hit value. If the roll is equal to or higher than the To Hit value, the character scores a Hit, otherwise the attack misses. Always take into account any modifiers (positive or negative) which affect the dice roll (such as '+1 To Hit' on an Equipped item).

If an attack Hits, work out how much Damage it has caused by looking at the card for the weapon used to deal the attack (for Accursed) or in the Combat section of the Monster Card (for Monsters). Take this base value and add the Attacker's Strength value to determine the total amount of Damage caused.

Example: the Black Knight has Strength 4, and is attacking with a Broken Sword which deals 1d6 Damage and has a Melee value of '2/4+' (2 attacks requiring a roll of 4 or more to hit). He rolls a d6 and gets a 3, meaning his first attack has missed. He rolls for the second attack and gets a 4, scoring a hit. He rolls 1d6 for damage (from his Broken Sword) and scores 3, dealing a total of 7 Damage once his Strength value has been added.

Ranged Attacks

Ranged Attacks cannot be performed if the Character is adjacent to an enemy (hence Ranged Monsters switch to Melee behaviour if adjacent to an Accursed). Monsters are always considered to be in range as long as their target is within LoS. Accursed, on the other hand, are restricted by the Range value shown on the Item Card for the weapon they are using (e.g. a weapon with Range 4 cannot be used if the target is 5 or more squares away).

Like Melee Attacks, Ranged Attacks require the character to roll a d6 and achieve a number equal to or better than their Ranged To Hit value. Damage is calculated by adding Perception to the base Damage rather than Strength.

Example: the Outcast has Perception 4, and is using a Shortbow (Range 12) which deals 2d6+2 Damage and has a Ranged value of 2/4+. She rolls a d6 and scores a 5, so the attack is a Hit. Then she rolls a total of 7 with 2d6 and adds 2 to the result, making a base damage of 9. Finally she adds her Perception value of 4, making a grand total of 13 points of Damage dealt to her enemy.

Damage Reduction

Damage becomes Wounds if not mitigated by Armour. A character's Armour value is equal to their Endurance plus any bonus from Equipped items (for Accursed only). The victim of an attack subtracts their full Armour value from the Damage an enemy has caused. Any remaining Damage points become Wounds.

Example: the Black Knight scores 9 Damage points against a Lurker which has 5 Endurance. The number of Wounds inflicted on the Lurker is 4 (9 minus 5).

Critical Misses and Critical Hits

Whenever the To Hit die roll is a 1 (regardless of any modifiers) it always results in a Critical Miss and the attack automatically fails. Conversely, if the die roll is a 6 (again, ignoring modifiers) it is always a Critical Hit.

On scoring a Critical Hit, the character does not roll for Damage; instead they use the maximum possible Damage value for the weapon used and add the appropriate Attribute value. For example, if the Damage caused would normally be 1d6 plus their Strength of 4, they automatically cause 10 Damage on a Critical Hit. When receiving a Critical Hit, Accursed cannot add Equipped items to their Armour value — they must mitigate Damage using their Endurance Attribute value alone.

Wounds and Trophies

When an Accursed suffers Wounds, note them using the red cubes on their Equipment board. When a Monster suffers Wounds, place the appropriate value of Wound Tokens beside their miniature. If a Monster suffers a total number of Wounds equal to its Health value it is killed and the Accursed who killed it takes the Miniature as a 'trophy' and places it beside their Equipment board. In the event that the rules require spawning new Monsters but they are all currently being used as trophies, make a note of the trophies on paper and re-use the miniatures for the new Monsters. If a Monster is killed by an event or there is no clear way to know who caused its death, distribute this trophy randomly. (See the 'Combat Rewards' section for more information on trophies.) Dealing with the Death of an Accursed is covered a little later.

Resistances

When an Accursed gains items which grant resistance to Fire or Poison, they become less likely to suffer those effects. For Fire Resistance, total up the values of all relevant items; when Fire Based Wounds should be taken roll a d6 and if the roll is equal to or less than the Resistance value, no Wounds are taken. Likewise when an Accursed is about to be Poisoned, roll a d6 and if the result is equal to or less than the total value of their Equipped Poison Resistance items they do not become poisoned.

Cleave

Some weapons have the Cleave keyword in their Attack specification. These weapons are capable of continuing in an arc after a killing blow has been dealt, potentially hitting additional targets.

If a weapon has Cleave and the initial Attack deals enough Damage to kill an opponent, the player can choose to deal a Cleave Attack. Decide whether the weapon will swing Clockwise or Anticlockwise from the square of the first victim and deal a new attack to the next victim in line. If the Cleave Attack kills the next opponent, the Cleave attack can continue to the next enemy in line and so on. A Cleave Attack ends if the Attack roll misses or if the Hit does not cause enough Damage to kill the target. If a wall or another Accursed is in the path of the Cleave arc, that will also cause it to stop.

Example: the Black Knight kills a Lurker with his Melee Attack. The player decides the Cleave will swing Clockwise, skipping an empty space and hitting the next Lurker in line, killing it. The Cleave attack continues to a further enemy, killing that too. The attack cannot continue further if another Accursed blocks the path of the weapon.

Unarmed Attack

At any point an Accursed can deal an unarmed attack, using their body instead of their Equipped weapon (or if they have no weapons Equipped at all). An unarmed Melee Attack can be made against any adjacent character, dealing 1d3 Damage (plus their Strength value) and suffering -1 To Hit.

Dual Wielding Attacks

If an Accursed has a one-handed weapon of the same category Equipped in each hand (either both Melee, or both Ranged), they can perform a Dual Wielding attack, using both weapons simultaneously as a single Attack action. When performing a Dual Wield attack, roll a single d6 To Hit, and if successful sum the Damage values of both weapons, adding the Strength (for Melee) or Perception (for Ranged) value only once.

Dual Wield attacks suffer -1 To Hit, cannot use any extra attacks granted by either weapon, cannot Cleave, and must still roll for Damage on Critical Hits.

Invoking a Miracle

During their Turn, the Exorcist can use any number of available Miracles before or after either their Move or Attack Phase, provided they have enough Faith Points to cover the Faith Cost of the miracle (found on the top right corner of the card). Discard an amount of Faith tokens equal to the Miracle's Faith Cost, then read the instructions on the card and carry out the effects.

Cast a Spell

If an Accursed has one or more available spells they may choose to cast any number of them before or after either their Movement or Attack Phase, provided they have enough unspent Source tokens. To cast a spell, the caster must match or surpass the Source Cost found at the top right corner of the spell card by using Source tokens as follows: first, decide how many Source tokens to spend (one, several, or even all), then take an equivalent number of d6 and roll them together. If the resulting total is equal to or greater than the Source Cost of the Spell, it is cast successfully and the player resolves the effects as written on the card. If the total is not high enough to meet the Source Cost, the spell has failed and the Source Tokens are simply lost.

Channelling Penalty: Some materials interfere with use of the Source, particularly metals, decreasing the chances of successfully casting a spell. For each item the caster has Equipped with the Medium Armour Keyword, subtract 2 from the spellcasting dice roll. For each Equipped item with the Heavy Armour Keyword, subtract 3 from the roll.

Source Burns: The Source is a wild and dangerous form of energy; the more power that is channelled into a spell, the greater the risk to the caster. For each 'double' rolled during the casting of a spell, the Accursed receives 1 Source Burn, and for each 'triple' rolled they receive 2 Source Burns. After casting a spell (whether successful or not) add up the number of Source Burns received, then consult the 'Source Burns' chart at the back of the Rulebook. Find the Spell Branch matching the one used (e.g. Odinash) to discover the effects the Source Burns will have on the Afflicted.

Example: the Blood Witch casts a Blood spell and rolls 3, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5. As a result she receives a Level 3 Source Burn (1 for the double 3 and 2 for the triple 5). After resolving the spell effects she consults the Source Burns chart to find the effects of a Level 3 Source Burn for a Blood spell, and discovers that she has suffered a Heart Attack.

Insanity

When an Accursed suffers Insanity, keep track of it using the blue cubes on the Equipment board. If the Accursed accumulates an amount of Insanity equal to their Sanity Attribute value, they become Distressed, which lowers all Attribute values by 1 point until their Insanity score is lowered. If they accumulate Insanity equal to twice their Sanity Attribute they go permanently Insane and are out of the game forever. Insanity can be removed by certain items or in a Settlement when using the Advanced Rules.

Evasion

Each Accursed has an Evasion value which can be used to mitigate damage (separate from Damage mitigation through Armour). An Accursed's Evasion value is equal to their Agility Attribute value, plus any bonuses from Equipped items granting Evasion points. So an Accursed with 5 Agility and no bonuses from items has an Evasion value of 5. An Accursed may Evade a Melee or Ranged Attack by spending 1 Stamina, declaring it after an attack has been rolled against them but before rolling Damage. If an attack is Evaded, subtract half the Accursed's Evasion value (rounded up) from the Damage rolled. Any remaining Damage can then be mitigated by Armour as normal. Evasion cannot be used if the Accursed is Prone.

Tumble

A Tumble can be used to avoid the effects of a Melee or Ranged Attack completely. The player may declare that they will Tumble away from an Attack after it has been rolled against them but before the Damage is rolled. The Accursed must spend 2 Stamina tokens then move their miniature to a free adjacent square. If the new location is out of range or out of LoS from the attacker, the attack is avoided and no damage is taken.

Conditions

There are several Conditions that can affect all types of characters (unless their individual rules specifically state that they are Immune).

Ignited: When a character is Ignited, place a Fire Token next to their miniature with the Full Flame side facing up. At the start of their turn the affected character takes 1d3 Fire based Wounds then flips the token to the Half Flame side. At the start of the following turn the character suffers another 1d3 Fire based Wounds, then the token is removed and the effect ends. The effects of Ignite do not stack; if a character already has a Fire Token showing the Half Flame side, simply flip it back to the Full Flame side if the Ignite effect is applied again.

Poisoned: For each point of poison applied to a character, place a Poison Token next to their miniature. At the start of their turn, the poisoned character rolls a number of d6 equal to their Endurance Attribute value and removes a Poison Token for every 6 rolled. Each remaining Poison Token causes 2 Wounds. The poison continues to cause Damage until it is all removed. There is no limit to the number of Poison Tokens a character can be affected by.

Prone: When a character is made Prone by the effects of an Attack or Spell, place their miniature on its side within the same square. An Accursed must skip their entire Movement Phase to get back on their feet. If they choose not to do this, no further action is possible and their turn is skipped. Monsters must also use their entire Movement Phase to get back up and always do this on their turn. Prone characters give +1 To Hit to anyone attacking them and do not cause Threat.

Accursed Death

When an Accursed dies it is not necessarily the end of their journey; there is still a chance that they can be returned to life (unless all the Accursed currently in the game are dead, in which case they are all forever lost).

When an Accursed dies, swap their miniature for the corresponding Accursed token (the square the token is in is now considered free) and remove any Conditions they might have been suffering from, such as Poison or Ignited. All of their Equipment immediately ceases to have an effect (e.g. the Exorcist's Censer or items with healing properties) and they no longer cause Threat. Any Souls accumulated are forever lost and no further damage can be inflicted on them (Monsters will completely ignore their presence).

The deceased Accursed rolls 2d6 on the Injuries chart at the end of this Rulebook and makes a note of any injury sustained. This takes effect when (if) they are resurrected. This can happen three times. If the Accursed gains a fourth Injury they suffer Permanent Death. Permanent Death offers no possibility of resurrection, so the character is out of the game forever and the player's only option is to create a new Accursed at the start of the next Quest. If the deceased Accursed was carrying the Cursed Heart, it is immediately passed to another Accursed willing to take it.

Other Accursed can apply healing to the dead character in the same way they would if they were still alive, with each Wound healed increasing the chance of resurrection. At the start of their turn, provided they have been healed by at least 2 Wounds, the Accursed's soul will attempt to re-enter their body. The player rolls 2d6 and if the score is equal to or less than the number of Wounds that have been healed since the character died, they are successfully resurrected. If the roll fails or less than 2 Wounds have been healed, the character simply skips their turn and must try again on a subsequent turn.

When the Accursed comes back to life, swap their reference token for their miniature again and place them Prone in the same square (or the nearest available free square if theirs is now obstructed). The Accursed begins taking their turns as normal, starting with the round in which they were resurrected.

Example: an Accursed heals their dead comrade of 3 Wounds. The dead Accursed rolls 2d6 at the start of their turn, scoring a 4, which is above the target score of 3; the resurrection attempt fails. The dead Accursed receives further healing of 4 Wounds, bringing the total to 7. On their next turn the dead Accursed rolls 2d6 and scores 7, allowing them to re-enter their body and come back to life.

Any Accursed who is dead at the end of a Quest is automatically resurrected.

Using the Cursed Heart

The Cursed Heart is a very powerful healing tool and it can often make the difference between life and death. At any point during the round, provided it does not interrupt the resolution of a dice roll, the Cursed Heart can be used to heal the entire group as many times as the Group Leader wishes as long as there are unspent uses left. Each time a single use of the heart is spent, each Accursed in the group is healed by a number of Wounds equal to the current Darkness Roll.

Example: the current Darkness Roll is 3, and the group is badly Wounded. The Group Leader decides to spend 2 uses of the Cursed Heart, healing 6 Wounds from each Accursed.

A single use of the Cursed Heart may also be used to immediately resurrect a dead Accursed. Remove a number of Wounds from the dead character equal to the current Darkness Roll, then resurrect them, replacing their miniature in the Prone position as described previously.

The Heart is fully replenished at the start of each quest.

Combat Rewards

Once there are no more Monsters left alive in the Dungeon (for the time being at least), combat ends and the Accursed can claim their rewards for surviving the fight. First, each Accursed counts how many trophies of each type they have earned during combat, and totals the Soul values shown on the respective Monster cards; so if an Accursed has killed 5 Crawlers, each with a Soul value of 1, they gain 5 Souls. Once the trophies have been converted into Souls they can be returned, ready to be used again if more Monsters spawn. If players forget to claim their Souls, the Grim Warden takes them away and the rewards are forever lost.

Souls and Crowns are both currencies which should be noted on a piece of paper for now (or on a Character Sheet if playing with the Advanced Rules).

Next, look at the Encounter/Boss card(s) which spawned the Monsters and take a Loot or Rare Loot card for each icon shown in the Rewards section. Draw cards one at a time, assigning them according to the Round Loot rules.

Using Consumables

An Accursed may use one Consumable each turn, before or after their Move or Attack Phase. Discard the appropriate Consumable token then follow the rules for that Consumable.

• Bandages: Remove 1d6 Wounds from your Accursed or another adjacent to them.
• Lockpicks: Discard to open a Locked Chest. Gain 1 Loot card for the group and 1 Rare Loot card for yourself.
• Blessed Water: Target an area of 2x2 squares with at least one of those squares in LoS and no further than 6 squares from your current position. Deal 1d6+2 Wounds to each Demon within it (roll Damage separately for each).
• Oil Flask: Target an area of 3x3 squares with the central square in LoS and no further than 6 squares from your current position. Deal 2d6 Damage plus your Perception Attribute value to all characters in the area of effect (roll Damage separately for each).
• Serum: Remove all Poison Tokens from yourself.

Attribute Tests

From time to time the rules will require a Character to take an Attribute Test. When this happens the Attribute name and difficulty of the test will be specified; so a Strength 1 Test means this is an Attribute Test against the character's Strength and the difficulty level is 1.

To take an Attribute test, the player involved rolls a number of d6 equal to the Attribute value that is being tested. To pass the test they must roll at least one 6 for each level of the test (e.g. to pass a level 2 test, at least two 6's must be rolled). Anything less and the test has failed. The consequences of success or failure will be detailed along with the test requirements.

Example: the Black Knight has Strength 4 and must pass a Strength 2 Test to succeed in his attempt to climb up a perilous wall. The Black Knight rolls 4d6 and scores 1, 4, 5 and 6. The single 6 rolled is not enough to pass the test; at least two were needed.

Escaping the Dungeon

In the event that a Quest is proving too difficult, the Accursed may flee the Dungeon using the Exit squares found in the Stairway Down starting Map Tile. An Accursed successfully escapes if they step onto a stairway square and spend 1 Movement Point to 'step off' the Map Tile.

Once all the Accursed have left the Dungeon, the Quest ends in Failure and no Quest reward is given. If the quest is successfully completed by those who remain in the Dungeon, no reward is given to those who have fled.

Note: some Quests do not allow the Accursed to escape the Dungeon early. Check the individual Quest rules.

Optional Rules

The following are optional rules that can be used if all players agree before starting the game.

• Fair and Square: At the end of combat, instead of calculating each Accursed's trophies individually, pool them all together and divide the total number of Souls gained equally between all the Accursed.
• Need or Greed: Instead of using the Round Loot rules, when the group must decide who gets a treasure card, each Accursed declares either "Need", "Greed" or "Pass". If one or more players have said "Need" they get the item (decide randomly between the "Need" players if there is more than one). If no players say "Need", randomly choose one Accursed from those who have said "Greed" and assign them the treasure card. If everybody said "Pass", assign the treasure to someone at random.
• Hard Mode: If more difficult Monsters are wanted, add 1d6 to each of their Damage rolls. When playing with this rule all Encounters/Boss Cards award 2d6 more souls at the end of Combat. This bonus is distributed amongst all Accursed as evenly as possible.

That concludes the basic rules on how to play Darklight. It is strongly recommended to play a few games to get thoroughly familiar with the mechanics before moving on to the Advanced Rules.

Advanced Rules

The Advanced rules allow further exploration of Darklight: Memento Mori — travelling through the dangerous lands of Intermundis discovering new Settlements, increasing in power, trading, taking part in competitions, or completing activities. These rules provide information on developing characters, journeying through Intermundis, playing through the narrative and more.

Character Sheet

In the Advanced rules, each Accursed requires the use of a Character Sheet. This allows Accursed to track their Attributes, Souls, Injuries, and any other important information. Players may use the Character Sheet as a replacement for the Character Dashboard if they wish, or use the two in conjunction.

Filling in the Character Sheet:

1. Character Name: the character's name. Accursed do not remember much of their former lives and must choose a new name for themselves; perhaps something that fits their fragmented memories or personality.
2. Accursed/Class: the type of Accursed being played, along with their class. E.g. Black Knight/Warrior.
3. Level: the Accursed's current Level. Each new character starts at Level 1.
4. Dark Bounty: how many Quests have been undertaken, counting both Successful and Failed Quests.
5. Souls: the number of Souls currently held by the Accursed.
6. Crowns: the number of Crowns currently held by the Accursed.
7. Movement: the character's Movement value.
8. Initiative: the character's Initiative value.
9. Attributes: Base Attributes are those the character starts with, found on the appropriate Accursed Character Card. Modifiers (Mod.) are any numbers that may affect the Base Attribute. The sum of the Attribute scores should be written in the Total column and updated as play progresses.
10. Evasion: recorded from Equipment. Damage Reduction refers to the amount of Damage that can be mitigated via Evasion, equal to half the Evasion value (rounded up).
11. (continued from Evasion above.)
12. Armour: the total of Endurance Attribute plus any Defence bonuses granted by Equipment.
13. Resistances: record the values of Poison and Fire Resistances from Equipped items or Skills.
14. Source or Faith: keep track of current Source or Faith with one of the wooden cubes — useful when running low on Source or Faith tokens.
15. Belt: record the number of items the character can hold within their Belt. The default value can be found on their Accursed Dashboard.
16. Consumables: write a list of the Consumables owned.
17. Sanity: record the character's Sanity value.
18. Insanity: record the number of points of Insanity inflicted on the character. The Equipment board can still be used to track this, but it may be useful to note it here in case of interrupted play.
19. Health: record the character's Health value.
20. Wounds: record the number of Wounds the character is carrying. The Equipment board can still be used to track this, but again it may be useful to keep a note here as well.
21. Severe Wounds: record Severe Wounds. During play with the Advanced Rules, a character may suffer Severe Wounds. For each Severe Wound suffered, total Health value is reduced by 1. If the number of Severe Wounds suffered is equal to or more than the character's Health value, they die permanently. A Healer within a Settlement can help recover from Severe Wounds.
22. Skills/Spells: record the names of any Skills/Spells the character knows — especially useful in case of interrupted play.
23. Injuries: record any Injuries the Accursed has suffered. If a character receives 4 Injuries in total, they are permanently dead.
24. Inventory/Notes: record any items the character currently owns — especially useful in case of interrupted play.

Additional fields: Attacks record the number of Ranged and Melee Attacks the Accursed can attempt each round. Evasion is the total of the Agility Attribute plus any Evasion bonuses gained from Equipment; Damage Reduction is the amount of Damage that can be mitigated via Evasion, equal to half the Evasion value (rounded up).

Designer's Note — Blank Cards: occasionally players will want to duplicate certain cards; use the Blank Cards provided with the game, recording any necessary information on them for further reference (e.g. if two players wish to play as a Black Knight, both need copies of the Black Knight's Skill cards). Blank Cards may also be used to duplicate an item, allowing several players to own rare items, or allowing the original card to be returned to the deck so it can be found again by another player. Items bearing the 'Unique' Keyword and a purple background cannot be duplicated, as only one of these items exists in Intermundis. Blank Cards are double sided so they can be used as any other card; one side is designed for an Inventory or Equippable item, the other for any other purpose. More Blank Cards are available to download and print for free from the publisher's website.

Hazard Chart

The Hazard Chart, found at the end of the Rulebook, is a reference guide for use with the Advanced Rules and contains information on various aspects of the game.

Editorial note: the publisher's "Base RuleBook Public" PDF (the only English rulebook edition reachable outside BGG's login-gated file section) ends at its Credits page without the physical Hazard/Injuries/Source Burns/Settlement Naming chart pages the text repeatedly cross-references. Every page of that PDF was checked (via both text extraction and page-image rendering) and the chart is not present; nor is it on the publisher's site, in BGG's file listing for third-party mirrors, on 1jour-1jeu, or on Tesera. The specific dice-roll-to-effect values for these charts are therefore not transcribed below — only the rules text that describes when and how to use them, which is confirmed complete. The die-roll procedures for consulting each chart (e.g. "roll 1d6 on the Journey Hazard chart", "roll 2d6 on the Injuries chart") are documented at their point of use elsewhere in this file.

Severe Wounds: during play with the Advanced Rules, characters may suffer from Severe Wounds. For each Severe Wound a character suffers, their total Health value is reduced by 1. If the number of Severe Wounds suffered is equal to or more than the character's Health value, they die permanently. A Healer within a Settlement can help characters recover from Severe Wounds.

Fatigue: when a character becomes Fatigued, all of their Attribute value totals are reduced by half (round up). To remove Fatigue, a character must perform the Rest action at a Settlement's Tavern or their home. A character can only be Fatigued once; if they are already Fatigued or suffer multiple bouts of Fatigue, they suffer a Severe Wound instead for each additional time they are Fatigued.

Illness: characters suffering from the effects of being Ill are only healed by half the normal amount (rounded up). E.g. to remove 1 Wound from a character who is Ill, they must be healed by 2 points. A character may become Ill multiple times; for each additional Illness, the number any healing received is divided by increases by 1. E.g. a character who is Ill twice must be healed by 3 points to remove a single Wound. Keep a note of how many times a character is Ill by writing 'Ill' followed by the number of times, e.g. Ill (2). Illness can be removed by visiting a Settlement's Healer.

Settlement Chart: on the bottom of the Hazard Chart is the Settlement Chart, detailing everything needed to reference Settlement Reputation as well as randomly generate Settlement names.

Journeys

Once a Dungeon has been completed (whether the Quest succeeded or failed), the Accursed must leave the relative safety of the Quest area and travel through the world of Intermundis. Players should remove all Wounds, replenish all Stamina, and remove effects such as Poison and Ignited before continuing.

If the players are not currently following Narrative play, they must now choose whether to travel to a Settlement or begin another Quest.

Another Quest: to begin a new Quest, simply follow the rules for rolling a random Quest and begin the Dungeon with all items and Souls gained from any previous sessions. Beginning a new Quest always advances the in-game time by 1 day — important for tracking effects or events that resolve after a certain length of time. Players may wish to keep a note of how many days have passed to track how long their Accursed manage to survive in this harsh world.

The Journey — Set Up: flip the Darkness Wheel so that the Dread Wheel is face up and place the Darkness Marker at the centre of the Pentagram illustration. Players must first decide what level of Settlement they wish to visit; there are 3 levels that increase in size along with the level. A level 1 Settlement provides basic items, places to explore, cheaper prices, and a quicker stopping or resting point. A level 3 Settlement provides many more goods, services and locations to visit.

Each level of Settlement requires a different number of days Journey for the Accursed to reach it (also on the Settlement Chart):

• Level 1 — Hamlet — 3 Days Journey.
• Level 2 — Village — 5 Days Journey.
• Level 3 — Town — 8 Days Journey.

If the players have travelled to this Settlement before, it is a Known Settlement and the Journey takes 1 day less than normal. E.g. travelling to a previously visited Village takes 4 days instead of 5.

Before setting off, shuffle all the Journey cards into a Journey Deck. After shuffling, draw a card face down for each day the Journey will last. Place the drawn cards in the centre of the play area and place the Journey Deck to the side. The Journey set up is now complete.

Journey Rounds: much like Dungeons, play during a Journey progresses through a number of Rounds, each Round representing a day of in-game time. Each Round consists of the following Phases:

1. Trade and Equip: at the beginning of each Round, all players may trade items, Souls and Crowns without penalty, and may Equip or Unequip items as they see fit during this Phase (this may not be done during any other part of the Journey Round). Once Trades and Equipment changes have taken place (if any), play moves to the next Phase.
2. Resolve a Journey Card: draw the top Journey card from the centre of the play area and read it. No additional rules are required to resolve Journey Cards; the information is all contained on the card. Many cards provide players with a choice — some made by the whole group, others that can differ between each individual player; any choices to be made are highlighted on the card in red. Once a choice has been made, resolve the effects as detailed on the card. Take care not to read too far before making the decision, as it could affect the outcome of the choice. If a Journey Card instructs that the day is over, or there are no more instructions to read, resolution is finished and play moves on to the next Phase.
3. Dread Roll: after the Journey Card has been resolved, make a Dread Roll: roll 2d6. If the result is not a double, play continues to the next Phase. If a double is rolled, the players must move the Darkness Marker clockwise around the Dread Wheel the number of spaces shown on one of the dice. E.g. a double 3 moves the Darkness Marker forward by 3 spaces. If this is the first Dread Roll to score a double, the Darkness Marker begins at number 1. If the Darkness Marker lands on an empty space, nothing happens and play continues to the next Phase. If the Darkness Marker lands on the Grim Warden space (number 7), the group must roll 1d6 and resolve the effects of the result shown on the Journey Hazard chart. Note: any Journey Cards that specifically affect the Dread Roll cannot be resolved until this Phase — resolution and the Dread Roll occur at the same time. The Darkness Marker's current position resets at the start of every Quest, so it does not need to be tracked when the Dread Wheel is not in use.
4. Day End: after the Dread Roll, the current Round (and therefore the Day) is officially over. Any effects that require waiting for the end of a Day can now be resolved. Continue performing Rounds until there are no more Journey Cards in the centre of the play area. Once all the cards are gone, the players have arrived at their chosen Settlement.

Adding or Subtracting days from a Journey: some Journey Cards instruct players to add or subtract days to or from their Journey. If told to add days, draw additional face down Journey Cards from the Journey Deck and add them to the top of the Journey Cards at the centre of the play area. If told to subtract days, remove this number of cards face down from the centre of the play area and return them to the Journey Deck.

Settlements

If this is the first time the players have visited a Settlement, they need to create it; if not, this section is not required.

When a new Settlement is created, its information is recorded in order to keep track of things such as Reputation during further gameplay, using a Settlement Sheet (more can be downloaded from the publisher's website if needed).

Note: it is suggested that one player read through the Settlement Book before the beginning of the game, giving them a better grasp on proceedings and helping the other players, avoiding unnecessary delays.

Name: record the name of the Settlement. If the group does not wish to name it themselves, use the Settlement Naming Chart at the end of the Rulebook. To generate a name, roll for the Prefix (the first part) and then the Suffix (the second part), either as two words (e.g. Old Creek) or one word if the Suffix begins with '-' (e.g. Darkend). Roll 1d6 to find which row to consult, then roll another 1d6 for which column, doing this on both the Prefix and Suffix tables.

Type: record what type of Settlement this is by ticking the appropriate box and leaving the others blank. This section also contains information on how many Crowns each Accursed must pay in Living Expenses per day spent in the Settlement, how long it usually takes to make a Journey there (not counting the 'Known Settlement' bonus), and a list of available Locations and how many Special Locations may be on offer. Settlement Type also indicates the Settlement's Level, important for referencing other rules.

Reputation: each individual Accursed has the chance to increase or damage their Reputation with a Settlement. The Settlement Sheet contains 4 boxes, one for each possible Accursed who can play; record the names of the Accursed and their current Reputation with this Settlement in these areas. All Accursed start with a Reputation of 0 with each new Settlement. Accursed can gain or lose Reputation (gaining advantages or disadvantages) in a range from -10 to 10. When an Accursed's Reputation changes with a Settlement, check for any rules that may take effect.

Settlement Map: at the back of the Quest book is a map representing a Settlement, split into 3 versions to help keep track of the Settlement Type: Above the River (the Locations above the River make up a Hamlet), Above the Hill (the Locations above the Hill and River make up a Village), and Everything (all Locations on the map make up a Town). The group should place the map at the centre of the play area during a visit to a Settlement and use it to mark discovered Locations with the provided Location Markers. Each Location Marker corresponds to an illustration at the bottom of the pages in the Settlement booklet. Players can place their miniatures on or near the Location they are currently visiting to help keep track of where everyone is.

Locations within a Settlement vary based on its size: a Hamlet offers the Tavern, the Marketplace, a Church, and 1 Special Location; a Village offers the Tavern, the Marketplace, a Church, and 3 Special Locations; a Town offers the Tavern, the Marketplace, a Church, the Stables, and 5 Special Locations.

The Accursed may also choose to wait outside the Settlement once they have completed their business there; once they do this they may not re-enter the Settlement until they have made a Journey to a different location. Once all the Accursed leave the Settlement, a new Journey or Quest can be undertaken. The Accursed may never separate from the group any further than this; each is linked to the Cursed Heart on pain of death and must therefore always travel together.

Special Locations: each Settlement has a number of Special Locations based on its size, marked with a subtitle under their name in the Settlement Book. To visit a new Special Location, players must visit a free Special Location space and declare which Special Location they are looking for, then roll a number of d6 equal to the Level of that Settlement; if the result matches or exceeds the Special Location's Rarity number, it has been discovered. The Rarity number is found to the left of the Settlement Location's title in the Settlement Book, inside a gold ring. Record the Special Location on the Settlement Sheet and add the corresponding Location Marker to the Settlement Map in place of the free Special Location space. This Special Location remains in this position, in this Settlement, permanently. Players may now visit this Location as normal.

Buying Crowns with Souls: at any point during a stay within a Settlement, an Accursed may exchange Souls for Crowns at a rate of 10 Crowns for every 1 Soul. Souls cannot be bought with Crowns and the exchange is not reversible once conducted.

Optional Rule: Players may choose to exchange Souls for Crowns at a rate more realistic to the world of Intermundis. With this rule, the exchange rate for Souls varies with the size of the Settlement and the desperation of its inhabitants. When entering a Settlement, roll a number of d6 equal to the Settlement level; this is the number of Crowns that each Soul is worth. E.g. a party visiting a Village (Level 2) rolls 2d6 and the result is 12, meaning they may sell Souls for 12 Crowns each.

A Day in the Settlement: much like Journeys, play in a Settlement progresses through the use of Rounds, where each Round represents a day of in-game time. Each player may conduct their business as they wish; they are not required to perform the same activities or visit the same locations as each other, though each player should conduct their day's activities in turn to avoid confusion (following Initiative order is not essential).

Each Round consists of the following Phases:

1. Trade and Equip: at the beginning of each Round, all players may trade items, Souls, and Crowns without penalty, and Equip or Unequip items as they see fit (not permitted during any other part of the day).
2. Choose a Location: each Accursed now has the chance to visit a location. In turn, each player declares which Location they are going to visit and places their miniature on the Settlement Map beside it. If there are no more free Special Location spaces available, no more Special Locations can be discovered within this Settlement; if more than 1 Accursed wishes to roll for a Special Location, only the first to discover it may do so (subsequent attempts automatically fail); if an Accursed fails the roll, another may attempt to find a different Special Location at this space instead.
3. Choose an Activity: the player whose turn it is chooses an Activity from the Location's page in the Settlement Book. Each activity has full instructions provided. Unless specified otherwise, each player may only perform one Activity per day. Optional Rule: for a more realistic experience, players may instead shuffle all Special Location tokens and assign one at random to each available slot.
4. Location Events: after performing an activity, each player must roll for Events, using the Event Chart for the Location visited (found next to that Location's page in the Settlement Book) — roll 2d6 and resolve the effects according to the roll. If an Accursed visits a Location but does not perform any Activities, they must perform an additional Dread roll at the end of this Round. (Some activities specify not to roll for an Event.)
5. Pay Living Expenses: after all Accursed have resolved their Events, each must individually choose to Remain within the Settlement or Leave. Leaving means waiting outside the Settlement's confines for allies to join them, without paying Living Expenses, but they cannot return to the Settlement until they have made a Journey elsewhere. Those who Remain must pay their Living Expenses according to the type of Settlement currently visited (found on the Settlement Sheet); an Accursed who cannot afford the required Living Expenses must choose Leave instead. Note: gaining or losing Reputation with a Settlement, owning a Horse, or caring for an Orphan can affect how much the Accursed must pay in Living Expenses.
6. The Dread Roll: as the day is now almost over, resolve the Dread Roll. If the Darkness Marker lands on the Grim Warden space, resolve the consequences by rolling 1d6 on the Settlement Hazard Chart.
7. Day End: after the Dread Roll, the current Round (and therefore the Day) is officially over. Any effects that require waiting for the end of a Day can now be resolved.

Continue performing Rounds until all Accursed have left the Settlement; then it is time to move on to the next Journey or Quest.

Settlement Quests: Settlement Quests allow players to quickly increase their Reputation with a specific Settlement. To begin one, the group must declare their intention at the point where they would otherwise be choosing to visit a Settlement or pursue a Quest. Prepare a random Quest and complete it as normal. If the Quest is successful, each Accursed gains 1 Reputation with the Settlement they have visited most recently; if the Quest is failed, each Accursed loses 2 Reputation with that Settlement.

Levelling Up

Group Level: Darklight: Memento Mori is designed so that the challenges within the game evolve along with the increased Skills and Levels of the Accursed — Monsters become tougher and give greater rewards, according to the current Group Level.

To calculate the Group Level, add all of the Accursed's levels together then divide that total by the number of Accursed playing (rounding up). Use this number when consulting a Monster's Card to determine its Attributes.

Example: 4 Accursed at levels 2, 3, 3, and 4: (2+3+3+4)÷4 = 3, so the Group Level is 3.

Dark Bounty: this value represents how much of a threat the Accursed are perceived to be in the eyes of their enemies. Each Accursed increases their Dark Bounty by 1 at the end of every Quest. When calculating Group Level, add 1 to each Accursed's Level value for every 3 Dark Bounty points they have (e.g. a Level 4 Accursed with 3 points of Dark Bounty counts as Level 5 when calculating Group Level). Whenever the Accursed Level Up at the Accursed Guild, their Dark Bounty returns to 0.

Perks: Monsters of Level 4 or higher gain Perks as detailed on their Monster Card (the exact number of Perks is shown on the Monster Attributes table on the Monster Card). When new Monsters spawn, roll 1d6 and consult the Perks chart on the Monster Card; use these rules until this Monster (or group of Monsters) has been defeated. If a Monster gains multiple Perks, roll on the chart the required number of times — no Monster can have the same Perk twice, so re-roll any duplicates. Each time a new pack of Monsters spawns, the Perks are rolled fresh, regardless of which Perks previous Monsters of the same type might have had. An easy way to track a Monster's Perk(s) is to leave dice showing the rolled numbers next to its Monster Card.

Expansions

Possessed Chests: when shuffling the Chest Tokens at the beginning of a Quest, include the 2 Possessed Chest Tokens face down. When a Search action uncovers a Possessed Chest, the player discards that Treasure Token and places the Possessed Chest Monster Miniature as Ambushing, as close as possible to the Accursed who performed the Search action. Take the corresponding Possessed Chest Monster Card for reference, making sure to read the Behaviour section of the card.

Environment Cards: represent items and environments that may be found whilst adventuring. Shuffle the Environment Cards at the start of a Quest and place them face down next to the other card piles. At the end of the Exploration phase, if one of the 6 rooms with dimensions of 4x4 has been revealed, draw an Environment Card and place it face up next to the Map Tile. All effects on the card come into play immediately upon being revealed; the information needed to use an Environment Card is written on the card.

Roleplaying Rules

The third part of the Rulebook covers the Roleplaying Rules, which allow the Basic and Advanced versions of the game to become a full Roleplaying experience. These rules require one player to take on the mantle of the Dark Master (DM), who does not control an Accursed but instead controls non-player characters and Monsters, creates stories, and keeps oversight of the game as a whole. Darklight: Memento Mori does not require a DM — groups with no interest in this style of play can skip this section entirely. The rules act only as a guideline for prospective DMs and can be altered to suit a group's story and preferences.

Light vs. heavy Roleplaying: groups can choose how much they want to stay "in character." In light Roleplaying, players describe actions in the third person and are aware they are playing a game (e.g. "My character will roll an agility test to climb that wall"). In heavy Roleplaying, players speak and act as their character directly (e.g. "I am going to climb over that wall and see if I can find anything useful"). It is best to agree on an approach at the start of the game so everyone follows the same style. The DM's own narration can be light or heavy in the same way, describing events plainly or immersively.

The 3-step process a DM can use to keep a session moving: (1) the DM lays out the current situation — where the characters are and what is happening; (2) the players tell the DM what they want to do and make any dice rolls as instructed; (3) the DM describes the outcome of the players' actions according to the results.

DM screen: none is included with the game; a commercial DM screen or the game box lid can serve the same purpose for hiding information from players.

Selecting Quests as a DM: instead of rolling for a random Quest, a DM may hand-pick one of the 36 base Quests appropriate to the story (hiding the Dungeon Deck behind a screen to avoid giving away its size), offer players an in-fiction choice between two possible Quests, or reuse the structure of an existing Quest with a custom prologue and epilogue. A DM may also design entirely custom Dungeons, using the "Roles of a Dark Master (Before the Dungeon)" section as a guide, or run an original ongoing narrative set in Intermundis instead of the story provided with the base game.

Running an open narrative: players will often pursue their own whims rather than the planned plot — a DM should try to weave these into the story (moving the next Dungeon, turning a random search into a clue) rather than forcing the group back onto a fixed path ("railroading"). The guiding principle offered to DMs is to say yes whenever possible, and to use unplanned player interest (like a minor NPC's backstory) as fresh Story Hooks — small events or pieces of information — that lead back toward the intended adventure. A d12 table of sample Story Hooks is provided for inspiration (mysterious packages, witnessed murders, occult deaths, noble requests, sinkholes, refugees, rift-born settlements, Skorn Warlord challenges, identity-revealing artefacts, and rare appearances by the Grim Warden himself), alongside general guidance on drawing a Narrative Play Map and on setting a story in an alternate version of Intermundis if desired.

Roles of a Dark Master

When a DM is present, several jobs normally handled by the Group Leader move to the DM instead, with some procedural differences:

• Set up: the DM sets up the Quest as normal but may keep the Event, Environment, Monster Encounter, and Dungeon Decks behind their screen, drawing from them and revealing information as needed. Objectives and Special Rules are still shared with the players at the start of the Quest, and the Quest Room Rules are still read out when the Quest Room is found.
• Inside the Dungeon: the DM handles fetching and placing Map Tiles and explaining rules that come up during Exploration. The Cursed Heart and Darkness Wheel remain in the Group's hands (the Group Leader may still roll Darkness, optionally keeping the Wheel hidden behind the DM screen for tension). The DM draws and resolves Event Cards, and may pose any in-card choices to the Group without revealing the card's full text in advance.
• Encounters and Spawning: the DM may place Prepared and Ambushing Monsters in whatever order they like, but must still follow the normal placement rules (correct positioning for Prepared Monsters; an even spread across Accursed for Ambushing Monsters).
• Monster Behaviour: the DM must still follow the standard Melee/Ranged attack rules for any Monster they control, but is otherwise free to decide movement, Targeting, and other behaviour choices, including which of several conditional Behaviours a Monster uses (e.g. choosing between a Devourer's Eye of Terror or a Melee Attack, rather than basing it on the Darkness Roll).
• Total Control (optional): an experienced DM may trigger Events or spawn Encounters outside their normal conditions, letting them build themed Dungeons (e.g. Skorn-only, or trap-heavy). Owning several copies of the game can help stock a themed Dungeon with one Monster type.
• Journeys: the DM sets up the Journey Deck as normal, optionally hidden behind the screen so the Group doesn't know how long the Journey will last. The DM chooses or randomises the Destination, and draws and resolves Journey Cards, again able to pose in-card choices without revealing outcomes early. The DM may keep track of the Dread Wheel openly or behind the screen. Under Total Control, the DM may change the number of Journey Cards or restrict travel to particular terrain types, but may never change the outcome of a Dread Roll or skip a rule that would move (or not move) the Dread Marker.
• Settlements: the DM sets up and names the Settlement (or rolls on the Settlement Name Generator), manages the Settlement Map and Special Locations, and guides each player through choosing a Location, an Activity, and rolling for Location Events during a visit. Special Locations are still found using the normal Advanced Rules procedure unless the DM's narrative requires a specific one.

Advanced Dark Master — Additional Mechanics

These optional rules give an experienced DM finer control:

• Playing Order: the DM may decide when and in what order players take their turns, rather than following the normal Initiative/any-order rules.
• Darkness: the DM can take direct control of the Dungeon's Darkness level, deciding when to trigger Events or Monster Ambushes instead of relying on the Darkness Roll (though Faith Points and Channelling still depend on an actual Darkness Roll, so the roll cannot be dropped entirely).
• Exploration: the DM may change what triggers the Exploration of a new room (a Door, a lever, a solved puzzle, or simply LoS to the room), and controls what is placed when Exploration spawns Monsters or Objects.
• Events: the DM gains control over when Events are spawned and may adapt or extend/shorten Event Cards from the base game to suit a custom Dungeon.
• Map Tiles: the Dungeon Tiles are double-sided, with one side left blank; the DM may use the blank side to represent rooms that don't fit the printed art when building a Custom Dungeon.
• DM Tokens: blank tokens can be used to mark custom Dungeon features such as secret doors, barrels, or levers.

Custom Dungeons

Guidance for building an original Dungeon as a DM, covering: a Prologue (a short scene-setting narration read to the players at the start); the Dungeon Entrance (traditionally the Stairway Down Tile, but any tile or fictional entry point works); the Dungeon Objective (the task or set of tasks the Accursed must accomplish, traditionally resolved in a Quest Room); the Dungeon Deck, whose length controls how long the Dungeon takes to complete (the Group generally plays through the whole First Half, while the more variable Second Half can be used to make a Dungeon of changeable length); the option of drawing a Dungeon by hand on squared paper instead of using the printed Deck and Tiles; freely choosing or randomly generating Dungeon Dangers (Events and Encounters); and an Epilogue — a closing piece of narrative that resolves the Dungeon and can lead into the next part of the story.

The Rulebook illustrates all of this with a full worked example (a hand-drawn 4-room cellar Dungeon built around a Demon-cult investigation, complete with sample prologue, room-by-room DM notes, and a Boss Encounter climax) narrated as a sample DM turn.

Additional Mechanics (Survival)

Further optional mechanics for a DM running a Roleplaying-heavy game:

• Passage of Time: for reference, a Combat Round within a Dungeon represents roughly 6 seconds of in-fiction time, while a Round outside of Combat can represent anywhere from 10 seconds to 30 minutes depending on what the Accursed are doing. Tracking real time-scale can matter for time-limited items, spell durations, and a changing world.
• Mortality: the DM may impose consequences on Accursed who neglect ordinary needs like sleeping, eating, or resting.
• Abilities: the DM may optionally give Accursed a deeper set of specialised Abilities (gained at character creation, or 1d3 Ability points per Level gained thereafter) that can replace a normal Attribute Test for a specific task. An Ability Test rolls 1d6 for every Ability point the Accursed has in that Ability — the number of points/dice is derived from an Attribute Bonus value on the game's Ability Chart, applied to the relevant Attribute(s) and rounded down (e.g. an Ability with an Attribute Bonus of 1x Agility uses the Accursed's full Agility score in dice; an Ability drawing 0.5 Strength + 0.5 Agility sums those and rounds down). A roll of 6 is a success, with each additional 6 increasing the degree of success. The DM may optionally let a player add 1d6 by spending a Stamina Token (replenishing at a rate of 1 per 10 minutes), and may choose to roll Ability tests secretly on the Accursed's behalf to preserve tension (e.g. for spotting traps). A suggested (non-exhaustive) Ability list is provided for DMs to draw from or extend.
• Common Items: a supplementary list of items not included in the base game, with suggested weights and Crown costs, for a DM to offer players; items can be sold back to a vendor for 1/3 of their listed price, and the DM may optionally give new characters a starting budget of 3d6×10 Crowns to spend on the item list or the base game Marketplace.
• Non-Player Characters (NPCs): characters controlled by the DM rather than the players. There is no fixed rule for NPC Attributes or combat stats — a DM can borrow from existing Monster cards for inspiration. Guidance is given for building memorable NPCs quickly (a name, appearance, personality, and fear are usually enough), including one fully worked sample NPC with a name, description, and suggested Test-driven interactions, plus a downloadable NPC tracking sheet from the publisher's website.

Credits

Darklight: Memento Mori was created and designed by Mauro Pane (Dark Ice Games), with 2D art by Mauro Pane, sculptures by Dario Pane, writing and narrative by Rhuadrhi Oliver, and production by Dario Pane. Rulebook version 1.0. © Dark Ice Games Ltd. 2017.