Dungeon Twister: Forces of Darkness

Dungeon Twister: Forces of Darkness Rulebook

Table of Contents

8 room cards
30 corridor tiles
2 sets of tokens (one per player), each including 8 characters and 7 objects
2 sets of tokens (one per player), each including 4 additional characters
2 sets of 8 figures (two colours) with characters
2 starting lines
1 rule book
5 neutral objects (on a white background)
5 blood tokens
18 markers with an open and a broken grille

How to Play the Forces of Darkness Expansion

Warning: Forces of Darkness offers 7 objects of each colour. If you want to play with this expansion alone, you must choose only 6 objects out of the 7 available. For your first games we recommend choosing: the Key, the Torch, the Holy Cross, the Inversion Scroll, the Ring of Light and the Rope from the basic set.

Regardless of the variant you choose, if you use at least one pair of rooms with squares of darkness, you must divide the corridor tiles into three piles, one for each size. Place them face down next to each other. You may mix characters, rooms and objects of this expansion with those of other expansions. Each player chooses two pairs of rooms (for a total of 8), 8 characters and 6 objects (unless specified otherwise).

You can play only with Forces of Darkness, or mix rooms, objects and characters with other Dungeon Twister expansions. In that case each player chooses two pairs of rooms, 8 characters and 6 objects. If you choose to play this way, there are three variants:

Free Secret Choice

Each player chooses a colour and takes all the characters and objects of that colour that are available. Each player secretly chooses the 8 characters and 6 objects he will use in the game. Put the unused characters and objects back into their boxes. Then each player secretly chooses 2 pairs of rooms. The 8 rooms are shuffled and placed face down on the table as usual. Then follow the basic rules. This is the most common variant, in which each player can assemble the team he wishes.

Mutual Choice (Equal Forces)

Each player chooses a colour and takes all the characters and objects from all the expansions that are available. Determine at random who will be first. The first player chooses a pair of rooms, then the opponent chooses a pair of rooms. The first player then chooses another pair of rooms, and so on until four pairs of rooms have been chosen. Build the labyrinth as usual.

Both players place all their characters and objects behind their screens. The first player chooses one of his characters and places it openly in front of his screen so that the opponent can see it. The opponent in turn places the same character in front of his own screen, after which he chooses another of his characters and places it in front of the screen. The first player then finds the same character among his own and likewise places it in front of his screen. This continues until all eight characters have been chosen. Objects are chosen too. In the end, both players must have the same 8 characters and 6 objects. Put the unused characters and objects back into the boxes. Then follow the usual rules.

If you play with a handicap, one of the players secretly removes a certain number of characters behind the screen during team building. Alternatively, you may allow your opponent to block one or several of your characters.

By Scenario

Scenarios invite you to play with specific teams and rooms, and sometimes add special rules or specific elements.

Descriptions of the New Characters

Angel of Light

Speed: 5 · Strength: 1

Light-bearer: Can light up squares of darkness as if it had a torch. Can fly.

Undead Dragon

Speed: 2 · Strength: 6 · Undead

Regeneration: A wounded Undead Dragon can heal itself for 1 action. It cannot regenerate during the turn in which it was wounded. During a turn in which the dragon regenerates, it cannot use any additional actions. The Undead Dragon (surprise!) is an undead character.

Prestige: A player who destroys any dragon earns 2 victory points instead of 1.

Ghoul

Speed: 6 · Strength: 2 · Undead

Flesh Eater: Can carry a friendly or enemy wounded character. If the Ghoul leaves the labyrinth carrying a friendly or enemy wounded character, it earns an additional victory point. If the Ghoul is wounded while carrying an enemy wounded character, the carried character dies and the Ghoul earns one victory point. A wounded character cannot regenerate while in the Ghoul's hands, and it cannot be healed or turned into a zombie.

The Ghoul is undead.

Mummy

Speed: 3 · Strength: 4 · Undead

Flammable: When the Mummy is drawn into combat, it must play combat card 0 if all opponents adjacent to it that take part in the battle carry torches. This also applies during group combat, when the Mummy is wounded. A Mummy carrying the Fire Shield is not subject to the penalty described above. A Mummy may carry a torch (it holds it at arm's length, as it were, on the tips of its fingers!).

A Mummy can break grilles in one action.

The Mummy is undead.

Necromancer

Speed: 4 · Strength: 2 · Magic

Reanimation: A Necromancer can turn an adjacent wounded character (its own or an enemy's) into a Zombie in one action. Remove the wounded character from the game and place in its position a Zombie of the same colour as the Necromancer. The removed wounded character scores no points for anyone. The Zombie can attack and move immediately. A Necromancer may also raise a Zombie if it is adjacent to a grave. A Necromancer can create only three zombies per game.

If your Zombie leaves the labyrinth, you earn a victory point. If it is killed, the victory point goes to your opponent, who also takes your Zombie token. This means you cannot get it back. For example, you could have at most two zombies alive, or wounded, and one outside the game as a victory point you have already earned.

A Zombie is an undead character without any special abilities. It still has a "wounded" stage, and it can act like all other characters: turn room levers, carry and use objects. If a wounded character in the Holy Sepulchre is turned into a Zombie, it dies immediately.

The player controlling the Necromancer earns a victory point if he kills an opponent's character in this way. If bad luck strikes and one of his own characters dies, the victory points go to the opponent.

The Necromancer is a magic character. It can use scrolls. Its ability to create zombies is magical.

Shadow

Speed: 4 · Strength: 2 · Undead

Hiding in Darkness: A Shadow can enter squares of darkness as if they were normal squares. In darkness, the Shadow can act as normal. That is, the Shadow can initiate a battle when it stands on squares of darkness (its opponent may be in darkness or not). The Shadow can pick up objects in darkness, move with them, drop them, or use them in darkness. The Shadow cannot declare a character as a target in darkness (for example, when using an object). The Shadow can only initiate melee combat. A Shadow cannot be seen in darkness, and while it is there it cannot be made a target, like any other character.

During group combat, if the Shadow is in darkness, it may decide whether or not to take part in the battle. Even if the Shadow takes part in the battle, the battle spreads to it only from the character it attacks (see example).

Example: The yellow Mummy declares battle on the blue Vampire. The blue Shadow may take part or not. If blue decides to take part in the group combat through the Shadow, the yellow Angel of Light cannot take part, because it cannot see the Shadow in darkness. (It first needs to light up the corridor.)

Fear of Light: A Shadow cannot enter or pass through squares with a torch. However, the Shadow may enter or stand on a square with a torch holder (it does not matter whether the torch has been removed or not). The Shadow cannot carry a torch. The Shadow cannot initiate a battle or take part in group combat if all adjacent enemy characters carry a torch.

The Shadow is undead.

Specter

Speed: 4 · Strength: 0 · Undead

Reincarnation: A player does not earn victory points when his Specter leaves the labyrinth. The Specter must first reincarnate in order to give a victory point on exit. The Specter moves and interacts with objects in the same way as the Ghost; both are incorporeal. The Specter can pass through all objects, but it cannot stop on 3D obstacles, pit traps, lava, the falling-rocks trap or the illusion of rubble. The Specter cannot carry or use objects, and cannot carry wounded characters. The Specter can activate a rotating mechanism.

A Specter may end its movement on a wounded enemy character and reincarnate into it. The Specter becomes this character. Replace the wounded enemy character with the same character, but of the same colour as the Specter. Remove the Specter card from the game. Remove the enemy character. Removal earns no victory points for anyone.

Example: The blue Specter ends its movement on the yellow wounded Warrior. The yellow wounded Warrior is replaced by the blue healed Warrior, but the blue Specter is also removed from the game. No one earns victory points during this process. The blues may immediately act with their new fresh Warrior.

If you do not have a suitable token to replace (for example, because you have already used it somewhere), turn the wounded character token of the opponent face up and place the Specter card on top of it. However, the Specter card is now considered simply a marker. The Specter, as a character, no longer exists. The Specter marker simply shows which player the reincarnated character belongs to.

After reincarnation, the player may act with this character as usual, as if it were his own. Its movement, combat and abilities are taken from the reincarnated character and are no longer connected to the Specter at all.

When the reincarnated character leaves the labyrinth, it earns one victory point. If it is killed, the opponent receives 1 victory point for the kill. The reincarnated character is always considered a character of the same colour as the Specter for all rules.

The Specter is undead, but after reincarnation this property is lost, unless it reincarnates into an undead character.

Vampire

Speed: 4 · Strength: 2 · Undead

Bloodthirst: When a Vampire kills an opponent in melee, it drinks the blood of its victim and earns a permanent +1 bonus in combat, both for attack and for defence. This bonus accumulates and remains until the end of the game. Use blood markers to show the current strength of your Vampire. This ability may also be used in group combat, but the Vampire receives the bonus only for victims killed adjacent to it.

Polymorph: A Vampire can transform into a Bat in one action. Replace the Vampire figure with a Bat of the same colour. The Bat is a flying character and can perform all basic actions in Dungeon Twister, but, like the Ghost, it cannot carry and use objects. In one action the Bat can change back into a Vampire. The Vampire always starts the game in Vampire form, whether it begins on the starting line or is revealed in a room. When the Vampire is wounded, or is in Bat form, it does not receive bonuses for blood markers. When it is healed, it always returns to life in Vampire form, and the bonuses from blood markers count again.

In whatever form the Vampire takes, it is undead.

Zombie

Speed: 3 · Strength: 2 · Undead

The Zombie is undead.

Descriptions of the New Objects

Ring of Light

A character adjacent to a square of darkness may use the Ring of Light for 0 action points (discard it after use) to open up to 5 corridor tiles on adjacent squares of darkness. The corridor is chosen blindly and must be placed before the next one is drawn. The player using the ring does not need to describe where he wants to place the corridor, but he must announce the size of the corridor he wants to draw (1, 2 or 3 squares long). He must choose a size that can be placed. Each corridor tile must satisfy these rules:

All corridors must be placed entirely on squares of darkness.
The first corridor must be adjacent to the character using the Ring of Light.
Subsequent corridors must be adjacent either to the character using the ring, or to a corridor that has just been placed by means of the ring. Walls block the path of light.
One corridor tile cannot be placed across two different rooms. Corridor tiles may be placed on squares of darkness in one room, and the opening process may continue on squares in another room. But no tile may be placed over room boundaries.

Key

A character carrying a Key can open or close an adjacent grille for 1 action. Place (or remove) the "open grille" marker. The Key is a normal object; you may take more than one Key for your starting team if you wish (and have that many Key tokens). The same Key may be used many times during the game.

Holy Cross

A non-flying undead character that enters a square with the Holy Cross dies instantly, and its opponent receives the corresponding victory points. If, for whatever reason, an undead character ends its action on the same square as the Holy Cross, it dies instantly. For example, if the Holy Cross is thrown by a flying character onto an undead character standing without an object, the undead character dies at the end of the current action.

Inversion Scroll

This scroll allows you, for 1 action, to swap the room in which your character reading the incantation from this scroll stands with any adjacent room (not diagonally). These two rooms are not rotated; they only change places, and all tokens in these rooms remain in their places. The scroll can be used only by magic users, although it may be carried by any character. Each scroll may be used only once and is discarded after use.

Torch

When a room is opened, the Torch is always placed by the player who opened the room, regardless of the colour of the Torch. A Torch cannot be placed in darkness. A character adjacent to a square of darkness may use the Torch for 0 actions to light up the darkness and place a corridor tile (see the "Darkness" section). The Torch is a normal object; before the start of the game you may choose more than one Torch if you wish. The same Torch may be used many times.

Cursed Objects

When a room is opened, cursed objects are always placed by the player whose colour they are. The current player places them first, then the cursed objects of his colour are placed by his opponent. Like other objects, cursed objects may be placed on floor squares, rotating mechanisms or squares of darkness.

Any character entering a square with a cursed object must take it and carry it until its death. If the moving character is already carrying something, it must drop that before stepping onto a square with a cursed object. If a character is killed while carrying a cursed object, one of the winners must take the cursed object. This is not an action. If the winner already has an object, he must exchange it for the cursed object.

A character carrying a cursed object cannot enter water, since entering water while carrying an object is forbidden. For the same reason, a character carrying a cursed object cannot be pushed into water in any way.

Cursed objects are magical; their effects are cancelled by the Magofag (Магофаг) and by the anti-magic room. A character adjacent to the Magofag may drop a cursed object. The Magofag may carry and throw cursed objects as it wishes.

Ring of Weakness

The Ring of Weakness is a cursed object. A character carrying the ring suffers a -1 penalty in battle (both in attack and in assault). This value cannot fall below zero.

Ball & Chain

The Ball & Chain is a cursed object. A character carrying this object loses one point of movement speed.

Neutral Objects

Two-Handed Sword

This Two-Handed Sword can be obtained only from the hands of a statue (see the location description). Therefore no player has it at the start of the game. To attack with the Two-Handed Sword, the player must spend one action above the usual. The Two-Handed Sword gives a +2 bonus in melee combat when the sword's holder attacks. This bonus also applies in group combat, but you must still spend 1 more action. For example, a Paladin could attack with a Two-Handed Sword for 2 actions and receive +2 in battle. A Paladin may also attack with two Two-Handed Swords (one in each hand) for three actions and receive a +4 bonus.

Description of the New Locations

Fountain of Youth

A wounded character adjacent to the Fountain of Youth may drink from it for one action and be healed. You must respect the 2nd Golden Rule after drinking from the fountain. The healed character may act in the same turn, immediately after it has drunk from the fountain. The Fountain of Healing is a 3D obstacle.

Statue

The statue holds a Two-Handed Sword in its hands. A character standing in front of it (see picture) may take the sword for 1 action, but only if this action satisfies the 2nd Golden Rule. Ghosts and Specters cannot perform this action. The statue has only one sword per game. Place the corresponding neutral Two-Handed Sword token under the character that took the sword from the statue. Then place a broken grille marker on the statue to show that the sword has been taken. The statue is a 3D obstacle.

Torch Holders

A character adjacent to a torch holder may take one neutral Torch from the wall for 1 action, if this does not violate the 2nd Golden Rule. To take a Torch from the wall, the character must stand on the same square as the holder and on the same side of the wall (see example below). Place the neutral white Torch under the character. Then place a broken grille marker on the torch holder.

Example: In this example, only the Necromancer can take a Torch from the wall for 1 action.

If a Golem breaks the wall with a torch holder, it is no longer possible to take the Torch. Neither the Specter nor the Ghost can take a Torch, since they can neither take nor carry objects.

Darkness

A menacing and supernatural darkness has spread through the corridors of the dungeon. Characters cannot enter a square of darkness during their movement action (the Shadow, the Ghost and the Specter are the exceptions). Squares of darkness are considered neither floor squares nor obstacle squares, and therefore cannot be crossed by jumping or by rope. A character on a square of darkness may only try to leave the darkness or open an adjacent room. Leaving darkness is possible only with a movement action, and only if the character is adjacent to an available, correct square. A character or object in darkness cannot be a target under any circumstances. You cannot attack a character in darkness. A character may be pushed into darkness. Line of sight cannot enter or pass through darkness.

When a player opens a room with darkness, only objects may be placed in darkness (except Torches). During his turn, if the player has a character carrying a Torch and that character is adjacent to a square of darkness, the character may light up a corridor for 0 actions. The player declares the length of the corridor he wants to place (1, 2 or 3) and draws the first tile from the corresponding pile. The length must be declared for a corridor that will be laid only on squares of darkness. After the corridor is drawn, it is placed according to these rules:

it must cover only squares of darkness;
it must be adjacent to the character carrying the Torch;
it must be placed in only one room (a corridor card cannot cover two rooms).

Once a corridor has been drawn, it must be laid out regardless of whether this is advantageous to the player or not. There are no restrictions on how corridor tiles connect, except for rule 3 above. Only the current player may light up darkness during his turn, and he may do so as many times as he wishes. Although it costs 0 actions, it is still considered an action, and the 1st Golden Rule must not be forgotten. This action may be taken only after the player has played his action card for the current turn, not before. You may also light up squares at the end of your turn, before your opponent begins moving, even if you have no actions left.

The Angel of Light can light up darkness as if it had a Torch.

Note: If a corridor is placed over an object, or over a character standing on a square of darkness, the object or character is placed on the corresponding square of the corridor. If an object or character ends up on a trap, it is removed from the game (except the Thief or the rope). The opponent earns a victory point.

Example: When this room was opened, the Angel of Light was placed on a rotating mechanism, and a Torch was placed on a floor square opposite square "1". The Necromancer came over and took the Torch. Now let us see what each character can light up in this room. The Necromancer may light up a square of darkness adjacent to it (marked "1") for 0 actions. It may choose a corridor 1, 2 or 3 squares long. But whatever size it chooses, the corridor card must cover at least square "1" and only squares of darkness. For example, it could place a three-square corridor as marked by the blue line, or a one-square tile as shown by the yellow line. The Mummy cannot light up darkness, as it has no Torch. The Angel of Light may light up darkness 4 times, for 0 actions each time, since it is adjacent to 4 squares of darkness. It may also draw a corridor card of any length without deciding in advance exactly where it will place it. The player declares that the Angel of Light will light up darkness, draws a tile of his choice, and must place it according to the rules before lighting up another corridor. Each coloured rectangle in the illustration shows a possible placement of corridors if the Angel of Light wanted to light up squares. Of course, not all possible variants are shown.

Holy Sepulchre

Undead cannot enter the Holy Sepulchre. It consists of 12 squares (see picture). The sarcophagus occupies two squares and counts as a 3D obstacle. The remaining 10 squares count as floor squares, but undead cannot enter these squares. Undead cannot be placed on these squares when the room is opened. Undead cannot attack a character standing on the squares of the Holy Sepulchre. During an attack, an undead character cannot take part in a group combat if one of its adjacent opponents stands on the squares of the Holy Sepulchre.

If, for whatever reason, an undead character ends up on the squares of the Holy Sepulchre, it is destroyed instantly, and the opponent earns victory points for its death.

Grave

Some rooms, called cemeteries, contain one or more graves. A grave does not hinder movement, but it blocks line of sight. This means that line of sight cannot pass through a grave, but a target, or a character attacking at range, may stand on a grave. A Necromancer adjacent to a square with a grave may raise a Zombie from it for 1 action. Place a broken grille marker on this grave to show that a Zombie has already been raised from it. A Zombie may act in the same turn in which it was raised.

Glossary

Mage. A character who can use magic scrolls: the Wizard, the Illusionist, the Prophet, the Telekinetic, and now also the Necromancer.

Magic. Supernatural elements: all scrolls, all rings, the fireball, all potions, all special abilities of mages, the fountain of healing, and cursed objects. The Red Dragon's breath is not magical. Nor is the Cleric's ability to heal the wounded, which was given to him by his God.

Markers. A marker is anything that is not a character or an object. For example: a marker for an open or broken grille, a rockfall (cave-in), or an illusionist's pit trap; the Specter marker after reincarnation; a broken-wall marker, and so on. The 2nd Golden Rule does not apply to markers.

Undead. Certain objects (the Holy Cross) and locations (the Holy Sepulchre) affect undead characters.

3D objects. Certain elements count as 3D obstacles, which block line of sight. Characters cannot cross them or stop on them. Flying characters, or the Ghost and the Specter, may move through a 3D object but cannot stop on it.

Ordinary objects. During team creation, ordinary objects may be chosen more than once if the player has the tokens for them. The Torch, the rope and the Key are ordinary objects.

Clarifications

Suicide. In the basic set, in most cases voluntarily killing one of your own characters was impossible. Today, as expansions come out regularly, certain combinations or tactics allow you to commit suicide so that your opponent does not receive a victory point. We call it suicide when a player spends actions to destroy one of his own characters. In a two-player game, the victory point (or points) go to your opponent. In a game of more than two players, each opponent receives the corresponding victory points for the suicide.

Forces of Darkness in Free Choice Play

When playing a mix of several expansions, if you choose one (or more) room with darkness, you must also take the corresponding additional component from this expansion: 30 corridor tiles.

To surprise your opponent, you may keep the corridors hidden in the box until the corresponding room is opened. After this, you may make three piles of tiles during the game. If you use a timer, stop it while you are laying out the piles.