Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) – Verminous Lieutenant Pack
Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) – Verminous Lieutenant Pack Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Lieutenant Pack Rules
Introduction
Lieutenant packs expand Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition by providing unique plastic figures that can be used to replace lieutenant tokens in quests. In addition, these packs introduce a new layer of strategy and progression for overlord players with the introduction of Plot and Agent cards.
Plot Cards
After hero players choose their classes at the start of a campaign, the overlord may choose one Plot deck. He will use his chosen deck for the duration of the campaign. After the overlord chooses his Plot deck, he takes the basic card (the Plot card with no purchase cost) and places it faceup in his play area. Then, he takes all remaining Plot cards that have the same deck name and places them facedown in his play area. He may look at his facedown Plot cards at any time.
Plot cards are upgrades the overlord player may purchase throughout the course of a campaign. They provide the overlord with special abilities that are available to him when the card is faceup in his play area. Plot cards are different from Overlord cards; the overlord does not add them to his Overlord deck, and he purchases them in a different way.
Important: The overlord player can only use Plot and Agent cards when playing a campaign.
Gaining Threat Tokens
Each time a hero is defeated during an encounter, instead of drawing one Overlord card, the overlord may choose to gain one threat token. The overlord can only gain threat tokens in this way once per hero per quest. If he chooses to gain a threat token, the overlord takes one hero token belonging to the hero and places it near his Plot deck as a reminder that he has gained a threat token for defeating that hero. In addition, there are a number of other ways in which the overlord may gain threat tokens:
- At the end of each quest, the overlord receives one threat token. If the overlord wins the quest, he receives one additional threat token.
- During the Spend Experience Points step of any Campaign phase, the overlord may spend any number of his experience points to gain three threat tokens for each experience point he spends.
- Each time the overlord plays a Rumor card featuring a quest, he gains one threat token. Rumor cards and applicable rules are included in some Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition expansions.
Each time the overlord gains one threat token, he takes one token from the threat and fortune supply and places it in his play area with the threat side faceup. Each threat token the overlord gains during a campaign remains in his play area until he spends it. Between quests, the overlord player records the amount of unspent threat tokens in the Campaign log. He may spend this threat at a future point during the campaign.
Purchasing and Triggering Plot Cards
Each Plot card has a purchase cost that indicates the number of threat tokens the overlord must spend to purchase the card. During the Spend Experience Points step of each Campaign phase, the overlord player may purchase any of his facedown Plot cards by spending threat tokens equal to the Plot card's purchase cost (see "Plot Card Anatomy"). He places purchased Plot cards faceup in his play area and can use them in all future quests during the campaign.
The overlord can trigger abilities on a faceup Plot card as specified on the card. Each time he triggers a Plot card ability that requires him to "exhaust this card" or "use this card", he must spend a number of threat tokens equal to the Plot card's trigger cost (see "Plot Card Anatomy").
Plot Card Anatomy
- Name: This area displays the name of the Plot card.
- Purchase Cost: This area displays the number of threat tokens it costs to purchase the card. The overlord begins play with his basic Plot card. These basic cards have no purchase cost.
- Ability: This area describes all rules for the Plot card, including when the card can be triggered.
- Deck Name: This area displays the Plot deck to which the card belongs.
- Trigger Cost: This area displays the number of threat tokens it costs to trigger this card's effect.
Threat and Fortune
Threat and fortune are represented by different sides of the same token. The red side of the token represents threat, and the white side represents fortune. During setup, place these tokens in a supply within easy reach of all players.
The overlord player may spend threat tokens he has gained (see "Gaining Threat Tokens") to purchase or trigger abilities described on Plot cards. A hero may spend fortune tokens to receive certain benefits (see "Spending Fortune Tokens").
Spending Threat Tokens
When the overlord spends threat tokens, they are either returned to the supply or placed on Hero sheets as follows:
- Purchasing Plot cards: During the Spend Experience Points step of the Campaign phase, each threat token spent to purchase Plot cards is returned to the supply.
- Triggering Plot cards: Each time the overlord spends a threat token to trigger a Plot card, he must flip the token to its fortune side and place it on the Hero sheet which currently possesses the lowest number of fortune tokens.
If there is a tie, the heroes choose which hero among the tied heroes gains the token. If the overlord spends more than one threat token, he follows this process once for each token spent.
Spending Fortune Tokens
Heroes may spend fortune tokens to trigger any of the following abilities:
- 1 fortune token: During his turn, a hero may recover 1 [black drop icon].
- 1 fortune token: After dice are rolled, a hero may reroll 1 of his dice.
- 2 fortune tokens: After performing his two normal actions, a hero may immediately perform one additional action. Limit once per round per hero.
- 2 fortune tokens: During the Shopping step of the Campaign phase, heroes may collectively spend their fortune tokens to draw 1 additional Shop Item card.
When a hero spends a fortune token, he returns it to the threat and fortune supply. Heroes cannot trade their fortune tokens to other heroes. After the Shopping step of each Campaign phase, heroes return all fortune tokens on their Hero sheets to the threat and fortune supply.
Transcription note: The leaflet's text layer contains a glyph that does not extract as text. Rendered from the printed page, it is a single solid black drop icon with no name printed beside it, so it is shown above as "[black drop icon]". Check the printed leaflet if the exact icon name is needed.
Agents
Some Plot cards allow the overlord to use a lieutenant figure as an agent in an open monster group. The Agent card corresponding to the current act lists the agent's characteristics, abilities, and attack dice. An agent is treated as a master monster within its open monster group with the following exceptions:
- Regardless of quest rules, an agent cannot be placed as a reinforcement.
- When an agent is defeated, the overlord must return the Plot card that summoned the agent back to his Plot deck. The card may be purchased again.
- As described on the Plot card, the overlord cannot use an agent in any quest that features the lieutenant version of that agent. Additionally, the overlord cannot use some agents in specific campaigns. For example, the overlord cannot use Baron Zachareth as an agent while playing "The Shadow Rune" campaign because it features Baron Zachareth as an important lieutenant in that campaign.
Plot cards that allow the overlord to summon an agent often require him to replace master and minion monsters of an open group after setup of an encounter. If the overlord cannot meet the replacement requirements, he replaces the entire open group.
When an agent is placed in a monster group, that agent and the monsters in that group are treated as if they are part of the same monster group. While the agent is on the map, the overlord cannot use the monster figures it replaced as reinforcements, regardless of quest rules.
The overlord cannot summon an agent during an Interlude or a Finale. Unlike lieutenants, an agent cannot wield a relic.
Agent Card Anatomy
Agent card front and back.
- Name: This area displays the name of the agent.
- Abilities: This area lists all the abilities for the agent.
- Characteristics: This area lists the characteristics (Speed, Health, and Defense) of the agent. The agent's characteristics differ depending on the number of heroes playing (represented by the gray silhouettes).
- Attack Type Icon: This icon shows the type of attack (Melee or Ranged) the agent has.
- Dice: This area lists the dice used by the agent when performing an attack.
- Ability Rules: This area explains the full details of the agent's abilities.
- Deck Name: This area displays the Plot deck to which the Agent card belongs.
Monster Sizes and Traits
Many Plot cards have effects that interact with monsters that have specific monster traits or sizes. Monster size is defined by the number of spaces the monster's base occupies:
- Small monsters occupy one space (e.g., goblin archers and zombies).
- Medium monsters occupy two spaces (e.g., barghests).
- Huge monsters occupy four spaces (e.g., ettins and merriods).
- Massive monsters occupy six spaces (e.g., shadow dragons).
Note: medium, huge, and massive monsters are still large monsters for the purposes of movement and quest rules.
Verminous Lieutenant Pack Cards
The pack contains the Verminous lieutenant figure, Agent cards for both acts, and ten Unseen Legions Plot cards. Verminous is used as an agent by purchasing the Summon Verminous Plot card.
Transcription note (fan card scans): The card text below is read from community card images (any2cards/d2e), not from official card files. The Plot cards show their purchase cost as the red number at the top right of the card face and their trigger cost as the red number at the bottom right (see Plot Card Anatomy above). Icons are rendered as words, following the convention used in the other lieutenant pack transcriptions: the heart icon as damage, the lightning-wedge icon as surge, the black drop icon as "[black drop icon]" (as in the leaflet's Spending Fortune Tokens section), and the shield icon as shield. The arrow icon on Envious Swarm and the test icon on In Every Shadow are shown in brackets because the scan does not name them. The card numbers ("1/12" and so on) are printed in the card footers.
Unseen Legions Plot Cards
The Unseen Legions deck's cards are numbered 1/12 to 10/12 in the card footer. They are listed here in that order.
Mouths to Feed
Unseen Legions 1/12 · Purchase cost: none shown on the card · Trigger cost: 0
Exhaust this card when a monster with 4 or less Health defeats a hero. Gain 1 threat token.
This card does not refresh as normal. Refresh this card at the end of each encounter.
After transitioning to Act II, Plot cards that require monsters with 4 or less Health require monsters with 6 or less Health instead (even while this card is exhausted).
Infestation
Unseen Legions 2/12 · Purchase cost: 2 · Trigger cost: 1
Exhaust this card when you place a monster as a reinforcement. Place 1 minion monster with 4 or less Health from the same monster group in an empty space adjacent to that monster, respecting group limits.
In Every Shadow
Unseen Legions 3/12 · Purchase cost: 2 · Trigger cost: 0
Exhaust this card and discard 1 Trap Overlord card from your hand when a hero declares an open door or search action. That hero tests [test icon]. If he fails, perform an attack that targets that hero with 1 monster with 4 or less Health that is on the map, ignoring range and line of sight.
Gap: The characteristic shown by the test icon ("[test icon]") is a small black symbol on the scan and cannot be identified with confidence at the scan's resolution. It is left as a bracketed placeholder rather than guessed. Check a higher-resolution card image before relying on this card.
Envious Swarm
Unseen Legions 4/12 · Purchase cost: 2 · Trigger cost: 1
Exhaust this card at the start of your turn. While this card is exhausted, each monster with 4 or less Health gains:
- [arrow icon]: Perform an attack that targets 1 hero with 1 or more Relic cards equipped. This attack gains +1 damage.
Flee the Light
Unseen Legions 5/12 · Purchase cost: 2 · Trigger cost: 1
Exhaust this card at the end of your turn. Until the start of your next turn, each monster with 4 or less Health gains:
Skittish: Each time a hero within 3 spaces of this monster suffers 1 [black drop icon] to gain 1 movement point, this monster may immediately move 1 space.
This card does not refresh as normal. Refresh this card at the end of each encounter.
Ignoble Sacrifice
Unseen Legions 6/12 · Purchase cost: 2 · Trigger cost: 1
Use this card when more than 1 monster in a monster group is affected by an attack. Before damage is dealt, choose 1 monster affected by that attack. That monster suffers all damage all other monsters in its group would suffer from that attack.
Initiation
Unseen Legions 7/12 · Purchase cost: 3 · Trigger cost: 1
Use this card when a minion monster with 4 or less Health knocks out a hero. Until that monster is defeated, it uses the characteristics, abilities, and dice of the master monster (not including an agent) in its group. Place 1 threat token on that monster's base as a reminder.
Into the Shadows
Unseen Legions 8/12 · Purchase cost: 3 · Trigger cost: 1
Use this card when you activate a monster with 4 or less Health. Instead of performing actions, remove that monster from the map and place it on this card. Each monster on this card still counts toward the group limit of its monster group.
When a hero declares a rest action, you must place each monster on this card in an empty space adjacent to that hero. Then, each of those monsters may perform an attack that targets that hero.
Always Watching
Unseen Legions 9/12 · Purchase cost: 4 · Trigger cost: 1
Exhaust this card at the start of an encounter. While this card is exhausted, at the start of each overlord turn, you may look at the top card of the Overlord deck. Then, place that card on the top or bottom of the Overlord deck.
This card does not refresh as normal. Refresh this card at the end of each quest.
Summon Verminous
Unseen Legions 10/12 · Purchase cost: 3 · Trigger cost: 2
Exhaust this card after setup of an encounter and choose 1 open monster group. Replace 1 master monster in that group with the Verminous agent.
If the Verminous agent is defeated, return this card to your Plot deck.
You cannot use this card in any quest that uses the Verminous lieutenant.
Verminous Agent Cards
The Verminous agent has two Agent cards, one for each act. Each card shows its name, its abilities, its attack bar, its attack type (axe icon, melee), its dice (shown at the bottom of the card face), and a Speed, Health and Defense grid by hero count. The grid rows are read from the silhouettes printed beside them (two, three and four heroes, top to bottom). The Speed of 3 is the same on every row for both acts.
Transcription note: Defense faces are read from the coloured hexagons on the card face. The card names the colours "white", "black" and "brown" only by colour, so they are given here by colour as printed. The lightning-wedge icon is rendered as surge. The attack bar lists two surge icons followed by a heart icon; it is rendered here as "surge surge: +N damage".
Verminous Agent, Act I
Agent card, Unseen Legions 11/12 · Attack type: melee · Dice: blue and yellow
- Stealthy: Each attack that targets Verminous must roll 3 additional range beyond the normally required amount or the attack is a miss.
- Surge: Scheme: Discard 1 Overlord card from your hand to draw 1 Overlord card.
- Attack bar: surge surge: +2 damage.
| Heroes | Speed | Health | Defense |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 | 8 | one white |
| 3 | 3 | 10 | one white and one brown |
| 4 | 3 | 13 | one white and one brown |
Verminous Agent, Act II
Agent card, Unseen Legions 12/12 · Attack type: melee · Dice: blue, yellow and yellow
- Master Plan: Each time you play an Overlord card, choose one hero within 3 spaces of Verminous. That hero suffers 1 damage.
- Stealthy: Each attack that targets Verminous must roll 3 additional range beyond the normally required amount or the attack is a miss.
- Surge: Scheme: Discard 1 Overlord card from your hand to draw 1 Overlord card.
- Attack bar: surge surge: +3 damage.
| Heroes | Speed | Health | Defense |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 | 11 | one white and one brown |
| 3 | 3 | 13 | one black and one brown |
| 4 | 3 | 17 | one black and one white |
Verminous Lieutenant Cards
The lieutenant card for each act carries the same abilities, attack bar, dice and Speed, Health and Defense grid as the Agent card for that act, with the same wording. It also shows a row of four characteristic icons, each with a number. The card prints no names beside those icons, so the row is recorded here as the icon followed by its number, in the order printed: fist 2, book 3, wheel 2, eye 5. The same row appears on both lieutenant cards.
Verminous Lieutenant, Act I
Lieutenant card front and back · Attack type: melee · Dice: blue, yellow and green
- Stealthy: Each attack that targets Verminous must roll 3 additional range beyond the normally required amount or the attack is a miss.
- Surge: Scheme: Discard 1 Overlord card from your hand to draw 1 Overlord card.
- Attack bar: surge surge: +2 damage.
| Heroes | Speed | Health | Defense |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 | 8 | one white |
| 3 | 3 | 10 | one white and one brown |
| 4 | 3 | 13 | one white and one brown |
Verminous Lieutenant, Act II
Lieutenant card front and back · Attack type: melee · Dice: blue, yellow, green and green
- Master Plan: Each time you play an Overlord card, choose one hero within 3 spaces of Verminous. That hero suffers 1 damage.
- Stealthy: Each attack that targets Verminous must roll 3 additional range beyond the normally required amount or the attack is a miss.
- Surge: Scheme: Discard 1 Overlord card from your hand to draw 1 Overlord card.
- Attack bar: surge surge: +3 damage.
| Heroes | Speed | Health | Defense |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 | 11 | one white and one brown |
| 3 | 3 | 13 | one black and one brown |
| 4 | 3 | 17 | one black and one white |
Note on the lieutenant card: The lieutenant card's ability text is the same as the Agent card's for each act, as printed on the lieutenant card faces and backs. The four characteristic icons are not named on the card and are not used as agent stats.