Dungeons & Dragons: Onslaught
Dungeons & Dragons: Onslaught Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 Double-Sided Map
- 1 Rulebook
- 1 Scenario Guide
- 1 Token Bag
- 4 Twenty-Sided Dice
- 4 Plastic Standees
- 21 Miniatures
- 12 Characters
- 4 Kobolds
- 2 Gnolls
- 1 Ettin
- 1 Troll
- 1 Young Black Dragon
- 16 Combat Dial Cards
- 12 Character Cards
- 3 Champion Cards
- 1 Tracker Card
- 26 Standard Cards
- 10 Character Initiative cards
- 10 Monster Initiative cards
- 4 Monster Cards
- 2 Reference Cards
- 44 Mini Cards
- 24 Level Up Cards
- 20 Item Cards
- 71 Tokens
- 24 Loot Tokens
- 22 Condition Tokens
- 12 Character Tokens
- 7 Wound Tokens
- 4 Chest Tokens
- 2 Escaped Prisoner Tokens
- 14 Terrain Elements
- 2 Doors
- 2 Long Doors
- 2 Barriers
- 2 Long Barriers
- 2 Control Points
- 2 Portals
- 2 End Zones
Learning the Game
New players are encouraged to begin their quests with the first scenario in the Scenario Guide.
To start, players should follow the setup instructions in "Clash at the Keep" to gather the components they will be using. Then, they should read this rulebook to gain a grasp of the core rules. Finally, they should play the scenario, a short skirmish that walks both players through a full round of play to teach them the fundamentals of the game.
After players complete the scenario, they will be ready to assemble their own parties and dive into the rest of the campaign!
Golden Rules
The golden rules are the fundamental principles upon which the game is built:
- If an effect on a card or another component contradicts the rules in this rulebook, that component's rule takes precedence.
- If an effect on a card or another component uses the word "cannot," that effect is absolute and cannot be overridden by other game effects.
- When a game effect instructs a player to round something, it is always rounded down.
- Players can count range and determine line of sight and cover at any time.
Parties
A player's party is the collection of characters that player controls during the game. In the "Clash at the Keep" scenario, each player's party is composed of three specific characters. In a standard game, players construct a party by choosing five characters from their faction, each with a different role.
Characters
A player's friendly characters are the characters they control. The characters controlled by their opponent are enemy characters. Each character is represented by a miniature mounted on a round base, an accompanying character card, and two level up cards.
Character cards contain all of the information a player needs to control that character in battle. They are comprised of the following information:
- Name: Only one character with this name can be included in a player's party.
- Class: A character's class has no intrinsic effect but does offer additional insight into their capabilities on the battlefield.
- Faction Symbol: This symbol is located on the back of the character card. Each character in a player's party must be from the same faction.
- Melee Basic Attack: A character can use a standard action to make a melee basic attack against an enemy character or monster in an adjacent space.
- Ranged Basic Attack: A character can use a standard action to make a ranged basic attack against an enemy character or monster in range.
- Critical Effect: When a character makes an attack or uses an ability that involves a die roll, if the result is a "20" the ability automatically succeeds and the character applies this additional effect.
- Passive Effect: A general effect that is always in play.
- Battle Wheel: Displays a character's current speed, armor class, and hit points. Speed is how fast a character can move, armor class is how hard it is to hit a character with an attack, and hit points is how much damage it takes to defeat a character.
- Cooldown Abilities & Cooldown Dials: Cooldown abilities are powerful effects that are limited in use by a cooldown dial.
- Reaction & Cooldown Dial: Each character has a special cooldown ability called a reaction that can be taken in response to specific game effects.
- Bonus Experience Gain & Experience Dial: When characters earn 5 experience points, they level up and acquire a level up card with a new ability.
- Roles: Characters each have a specific role to play. These roles are designated by a symbol on their character card:
- Vanguard: Durable frontliners that lead the way in battle and protect other characters.
- Ranged Damage: Deadly backliners that deal high damage from a distance.
- Healer: Vital medics that keep your other party members in the fight.
- Tactician: Flexible operatives that influence other characters and even the map itself.
- Melee Damage: Aggressive characters that get up close to deliver high damage.
- Hybrid: Multi-purpose characters that can fulfill multiple roles.
Cooldown Dials
Characters have two cooldown abilities and one special cooldown ability called a reaction, each paired with a cooldown dial. To use an effect that is paired with a cooldown dial, its dial must be set to ready. After the effect is declared, set the dial to the number that appears after the cooldown symbol.
Some cooldown dials have only two settings: ready and exhausted. When one of these abilities is used, the dial is set to exhausted and the ability cannot be used again unless the dial is refreshed (turned back to the ready position). Game effects that reduce cooldown dials cannot be used on dials that are exhausted.
Playing the Game
The Game Round
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Onslaught is typically played over eight rounds. Each game round consists of the following phases:
- Initiative Phase
- Action Phase
- End Phase
Initiative Phase
During the Initiative Phase, players determine the order in which characters will activate over the course of the current game round by following these steps:
Deal Cards
- The active player (the player with the Initiative 1 card, as determined by the scenario) shuffles the Initiative 2–6 cards and deals three cards to their opponent and two cards to themselves.
- The active player shuffles the Initiative 7–10 cards and deals two cards to their opponent and two cards to themselves.
Over the course of the game, some characters may be defeated and removed from the map (see "Defeated" below). Players are still dealt the same number of initiative cards regardless of the number of defeated characters they control. All initiative cards continue to be assigned as normal, but cards assigned to defeated characters are skipped during the Action Phase.
Assign Initiative
- The active player chooses one of their character cards and places the Initiative 1 card on it faceup.
- Both players secretly assign the remaining initiative cards by placing one card facedown on each of their character cards.
Action Phase
During the Action Phase, characters and monsters activate in the order determined by their assigned initiative cards, starting with the Initiative 1 card.
Characters activate on the numbers 1–10, while monsters always activate between these numbers, such as at Initiative 5.5.
Activating a Character
When a character is activated, the player who controls that character performs the following steps:
- Reveal that character's initiative card.
- Take actions with that character. Actions are described in more detail in the "Actions" section below.
- Remove all fading condition tokens assigned to that character that were not assigned during the current activation.
Activating a Monster
When a monster (or monster group) is activated, it acts according to a set of behaviors defined by the scenario. Monster behavior is described in more detail in the "Monsters" section below.
End Phase
During the End Phase, players prepare for the next round by performing the following steps:
- Any effects that trigger at the end of the round are resolved. The active player resolves each of their End Phase effects first in an order that they choose. Then, the non-active player resolves each of their End Phase effects in an order that they choose.
- Reduce each cooldown dial by 1, turning each cooldown dial one position to the next lowest number. Dials set to ready or exhausted remain unchanged.
- Advance the round counter on the tracker card. The active player passes the Initiative 1 card to their opponent. That player will be the active player in the next round.
Winning the Game
If all of a player's characters are defeated, their opponent wins. At the end of the game, if neither player is eliminated, the player with the most victory points wins. If players have an equal number of victory points, the player with the fewest defeated characters wins.
Tokens
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Onslaught utilizes several types of tokens to track different game effects.
Condition Tokens
A number of game effects apply condition tokens. There are two types of condition tokens: Enduring and Fading.
- Enduring condition tokens remain until removed by a specific game effect and are marked with a white border.
- Fading condition tokens that are applied to a character last until the end of the affected character's next activation. Tokens placed on the map last until the end of the placing character's next activation. Both are marked with a scalloped edge.
Loot Tokens
Loot tokens represent valuable treasures, deadly weapons, and mysterious artifacts. During setup, players form a loot pool by taking the loot tokens listed in the scenario they are playing and placing in a bag or facedown on the table.
During a scenario, loot tokens are typically acquired when a character loots a chest. Looting chests is described in more detail in the "Items" section below.
The rules for revealing and using loot tokens are also described in the "Items" section below.
Character Tokens
Character tokens are chiefly used to mark the location of characters who have been defeated during a game and removed from the map and are also used to track information in certain scenarios.
Actions
Most game effects on each character card require the expenditure of a specific type of action.
During their activation, a character can take each of the following actions in any order:
- 1 standard action.
- 1 move action.
- 1 bonus action.
- Any number of free actions.
A character can exchange their standard action for any other action and/or their move action for a bonus action. Each action must be fully resolved before another action is taken.
Standard Actions
Standard actions are among the most impactful actions in the game, and characters can take only a single standard action each round. Most attacks are standard actions.
Move Actions
The move action allows characters to traverse the map. A character may forgo their standard action to take an additional move action during their activation instead. Most movement effects are move actions.
Bonus Actions
The bonus action covers a wide variety of activities, most notably the acquisition of loot! A character may forgo their standard action and/or move action to take additional bonus actions during their activation instead.
Free Actions
Characters can take any number of free actions during their activation.
Combined Actions
On rare occasions, a character will have a game effect that requires two or more specific actions to perform. This is indicated on the character card with a "+" symbol. For example, Jeevika the Flowing Maple's Stun ability is labeled (Standard + Move), indicating that it costs both a standard action and a move action to use.
- Abilities that are performed using a combination of actions do only what the ability instructs. For example, the Stun ability does not allow Jeevika to make a move, even though it requires both a standard action and a move action.
Movement
Each character can take a basic move action. In addition, some characters have special movement abilities. Any ability that moves a character from one part of the map to another is considered a move.
Basic Move
All characters can take a move action by performing the following steps:
- Gain Move Points: Gain a number of move points equal to the character's speed.
- Spend Move Points: In general, each move point can be used to move one space orthogonally in any direction (characters cannot move diagonally). At the end of the move action, any unspent move points are lost; they cannot be used later in the character's activation.
Move points are also subject to the following rules:
- A character can move through friendly characters but cannot move through enemies (opposing characters or monsters).
- A character must spend additional move points to change elevation and to move into hindering terrain and cannot move into a space that contains blocking terrain. Terrain is described in detail in the "Terrain" section below.
- A character can move into a space that has one or more character, chest, control point, end zone, or loot tokens in it. A character is overlapping a token while they share their space with that token.
- A character cannot end their movement on the same space as another miniature.
Exchange Places
When a miniature exchanges places with another mini, both minis are removed from the map and placed in the other mini's position. Reactions cannot be taken after this movement.
Teleport
If a game effect has the teleport symbol, it is a teleport move. When a character uses a teleport move, remove its miniature from the map and place it a number of squares away from its original position up to the number after the teleport symbol, ignoring all minis and terrain elements. The teleporting character's final position cannot be on blocking terrain or the same space as another mini. Reactions cannot be taken after this movement.
Attacks
Each character has a basic attack, either a melee basic attack, ranged basic attack, or both. In addition, some characters have cooldown ability attacks paired with cooldown dials. Any ability that targets a mini with a "to hit" roll is an attack, even if that ability doesn't do damage (such as Sedonna Sparklebang's Twitch ability).
Making an Attack
- Declare Attack: Choose one of the character's available attacks.
- Set Cooldown Dial: If the attack has a cooldown number, set its cooldown dial to that number by turning the dial counter-clockwise. Basic attacks do not have cooldown dials.
- Choose Target(s): Choose one (or more) targets that are in range and line of sight, according to the attack's instructions. Attacks that target an enemy can be used against opposing characters or monsters. Attacks that allow multiple targets to be chosen indicate this in their description.
- Determine Cover: Check to see if the targets have cover from the attacker.
- Roll Dice: Roll two twenty-sided dice and choose the die with the highest number. If the target has cover, roll only one die.
- Compare Results: Add any applicable modifiers to the roll, starting with attack modifiers, then compare the final number to the armor class of each target. If the final number is equal to or greater than the target's armor class, the target is hit. If it is not, the target is missed.
- Deal Damage: Each target hit by the attack suffers damage equal to the damage of the attack, if any. If a monster is defeated by the attack, remove its mini from the map. If a character is defeated, replace its mini with its defeated character token.
- Apply Effect: If the attack has an additional effect, resolve it.
Example: Grabbleshanks chooses his Shortbow ranged basic attack and considers which enemy to target. Barachiel cannot be chosen because the range of Shortbow is 2–6, Mistral cannot be chosen because line of sight is blocked, Bedlam will have cover from the attack, and Jeevika is open.
Area of Effect Attacks
If an attack has the area of effect symbol, it is an area of effect attack. When a mini chooses an area of effect attack during the "Declare Attack" step of an attack, instead of choosing an enemy miniature as the target, the attacking mini chooses a space within range and line of sight that is not occupied by blocking terrain.
Then, the attack roll is made and is applied to all minis in a radius equal to the number after the area of effect symbol—friend and foe alike! For example, an area of effect 1 attack is applied to every mini in the chosen space and each space adjacent to it. An area of effect 2 attack is applied to minis in the chosen space, each adjacent space, and each space adjacent to those spaces.
Cover does not protect against area of effect attacks; the only way for a mini within the area of effect radius to avoid the attack is to be protected by blocking terrain or elevation. If an uninterrupted line cannot be drawn from at least one corner of the origin space of the attack to at least three corners of a mini's space without passing through blocking terrain and/or an elevation difference of two or more between both the origin space and the mini, the mini is not affected by the area of effect attack.
Example: The Young Black Dragon chooses a space at range 4 as the target of its area of effect 2 Acid Splash ranged basic attack. Bedlam and Grabbleshanks are unaffected because an uninterrupted line cannot be drawn from any corner of the origin space to three corners of those characters' spaces without passing through blocking terrain.
Cone Attacks
If an attack has the cone symbol, it is a cone attack. When a mini chooses a cone attack during the "Declare Attacks" step of an attack, instead of choosing an enemy mini as the target, the attacking mini chooses one orthogonally adjacent space not occupied by blocking terrain as the origin point for the attack. Then, the attack roll is made and applied to all minis in a cone pattern according to the number after the cone symbol. For example, a cone 1 attack would affect only a mini in the chosen space. A cone 2 attack is applied to every mini in the chosen space and the three spaces adjacent to that space in position 2. A cone 3 attack is applied to minis in the chosen space, each space adjacent to that space in position 2, and each space in position 3 that is adjacent to the three spaces in position 2.
Cover does not protect against cone attacks; the only way for a mini within the cone to avoid the attack is to be protected by blocking terrain or elevation. If an uninterrupted line cannot be drawn from at least one corner of the origin space of the attack to at least three corners of a mini's space without passing through blocking terrain and/or an elevation difference of two or more between both the origin space and the mini, the mini is not affected by the cone attack.
Example: Rokpyratrix casts Burning Hands, choosing the space to her right as the origin point of the attack. This cone 3 attack affects each mini in the diagram, save for the Kobold, because an uninterrupted line cannot be drawn from any corner of the origin space to three corners of the Kobold's space without passing through blocking terrain.
Range, Line of Sight, and Cover
Players can count range and determine line of sight and cover at any time.
Counting Range
To count range, count the minimum distance between the attacking character and the target in spaces, counting diagonally when applicable (as opposed to movement, which is exclusively orthogonal).
- If a character's ability has a minimum range of 0, it can be used on themselves.
- All spaces at range 1 of a character, and everything in those spaces, are adjacent to that character.
- If a character's ability has a minimum range of 2 or greater, that ability can choose only targets that are at least that number of spaces away.
Example: These enemy characters can be targeted by Grabbleshanks' range 2–6 Shortbow ranged basic attack.
Determining Line of Sight
Attacks and some abilities require a character to have line of sight to a target. To determine line of sight, attempt to draw an invisible line from any corner of the attacker's space to each corner of the target space. If an uninterrupted line can be drawn from at least one corner of the attacker's space to at least three corners of the target space without passing through other enemy miniatures or blocking terrain, the attacker has line of sight and that attack or ability can be used against that target.
- A line drawn through elevation that is two or more levels higher than both the attacker's space and the target space counts as passing through blocking terrain.
- The attacker's space and the target space do not interrupt these invisible lines.
- Lines drawn along the edge of a space are not interrupted by minis or terrain in that space.
Example: Grabbleshanks does not have line of sight to Rokpyratrix because the lines drawn to two corners of her space are interrupted by blocking terrain (the dragon statue) and another enemy miniature (Bedlam). Grabbleshanks does not have line of sight to Lasaelle because the throne at elevation 3 is two levels of elevation higher than both of their elevation 1 spaces, and therefore blocks two corners of her space from Grabbleshanks.
Determining Cover
After declaring the target of an attack, check to see if hindering terrain lies between the character and the target space. If an uninterrupted line cannot be drawn from at least one corner of the attacker's space to at least three corners of the target space without passing through hindering terrain, the target has cover from the attack.
- If the target has cover, only one die is rolled when performing the attack.
- If a line drawn from a corner of the attacker's space to a corner of the target space passes through elevation that is exactly one level higher than the highest space involved in the attack (either the attacker's space or the target space), it counts as passing through hindering terrain.
- The attacker's space and the target space do not interrupt these invisible lines.
- Lines drawn along the edge of a space are not interrupted by minis or terrain in that space.
- Cover does not protect a miniature from an area of effect or cone attack.
Example: Barachiel at elevation 0 has cover from Grabbleshanks' Shortbow because Grabbleshanks occupies the space with the highest elevation in the attack at elevation 1, the throne platform at elevation 2 is exactly one level of elevation higher than Grabbleshanks' space, and a line drawn from any corner of Grabbleshanks' space to at least two corners of Barachiel's space is interrupted by the throne platform. Mistral also has cover from Grabbleshanks because her space is the highest elevation in the attack at elevation 2, the throne at elevation 3 is exactly one level of elevation higher than her space, and a line drawn from any corner of Grabbleshanks' space to at least two corners of Mistral's space is interrupted by the throne.
Critical Success and Failure
Sometimes a character is particularly lucky (or unlucky!). The following rules govern specific die results:
- If a character rolls at least one natural "20" on a d20, the roll automatically succeeds, and the character that made the roll applies a Critical bonus to the ability as indicated on their character or item card.
- If a character rolls a natural "1" without rolling a "20" on their other die, the roll automatically fails, even if the other die would otherwise be a non-critical success.
- If a game effect adds a modifier to hit, it does not affect the result rolled on the die. For example, Bedlam's Arcane Strike ability adds +2 to hit on their next attack roll. If they roll an 18, it does not count as a natural "20" and is not a critical success.
- If a game effect adds a modifier to a die roll itself, it does affect the result rolled on the die! For example, Lightning-Dancer performs an attack against an enemy character and rolls a "14" and a "18." Sedonna Sparklebang is at range 5 of Lightning-Dancer, and decides to use Guided Strike, adding +3 to the highest die roll. Dice cannot be modified above "20" or below "1," so the roll is now a natural "20" and counts as a Critical Success.
- Some critical effects are more likely to succeed and will be indicated by a range of numbers in parenthesis. For example, when attacking with the Vicious Longbow item card, a natural "19" or a natural "20" is considered a critical success.
Damage
When a character suffers damage, they subtract the amount of damage suffered from their hit points, then turn their battle wheel to that number.
Bloodied
When a character has lost a certain number of hit points, they are bloodied. This is indicated by the background of the battle wheel display becoming red as the wheel is turned to its new hit point value. Different characters respond to being bloodied in different ways, as indicated on their character cards. In general, a bloodied character undergoes an automatic adjustment to their armor class and speed as the battle wheel is turned to its bloodied state.
Defeated
When a character's hit points reach 0, they are defeated, and their battle wheel will display the defeated icon. When a character is defeated:
- Replace that character's miniature with a character token flipped to the defeated side. That character can no longer be the target of any game effects unless those effects specifically target defeated characters.
- Place any facedown loot tokens the character is carrying facedown in the character's space. Then, set aside any item cards the character is equipped with and place the corresponding loot tokens faceup in the character's space.
Healing
Some characters are able to restore a character's hit points through a healing ability. To heal a character, follow these steps:
- Set Cooldown Dial: If the ability has a cooldown symbol, set its cooldown dial to the number after that symbol.
- Choose Target: Choose one (or more) targets in range. Healing abilities that allow multiple targets to be chosen indicate this in their description.
- Heal Target: Add the number after the heal symbol to each character's current hit points, then turn the character's battle wheel to that number.
- A character can heal themselves.
- Healing abilities cannot raise a character's hit points above the maximum hit points on their battle wheel.
- Healing abilities can bring a character out of the bloodied state but cannot be used on a character that is defeated. If a character is brought out of the bloodied state, their speed and armor class are automatically adjusted by the battle wheel to their original levels when it is rotated to the new hit point number.
Reactions
Each character has a reaction that they can perform during the Action Phase. Reactions are subject to the following rules:
- Reactions are performed in response to a specific trigger, as defined by the reaction itself.
- Each reaction has an accompanying cooldown dial and can be performed only if its dial is set to ready.
- Reactions are not actions and can be used whether or not that character has activated.
- A character's reactions are typically performed during another character's (or monster's) activation.
Leveling Up
During each game, characters have the potential to level up by gaining experience points. When a character gains their fifth experience point, they level up and gain one of two powerful new abilities. Characters can level up only once during each scenario, unless otherwise noted by the scenario itself.
Gaining Experience Points
When a character gains one or more experience points, add those points to the number on their experience dial and turn that dial to the new number. All characters gain experience points for the following:
- Gain 1 experience point for performing an attack that hits one or more targets.
- Gain 1 experience point for healing themselves or another target.
- Gain 1 experience point for looting a chest.
- Gain the indicated number of experience points each time that character fulfills the requirement listed on the bonus experience section of their character card.
- Gain the indicated number of experience points for a scenario achievement. Many scenarios provide additional ways to gain experience points, such as by defeating powerful monsters or achieving certain objectives.
Example: If Mistral uses Cure Wounds to heal Barachiel from 8 to 13 hit points, she gains 1 experience point for healing a target and an additional 1 experience point for healing the target to its maximum hit points, as specified by the bonus experience section of her character card.
Leveling Up
After a character turns their experience dial, if the window displays the level up symbol, they have gained a level! When a character levels up, choose one of that character's level up cards and place it faceup near their character card. The character gains access to that ability and can use it immediately.
Some level up cards have the exhausted symbol, indicating that they can be used only once. When a character uses a level up card with the exhausted symbol, they flip it facedown to indicate that it has been used.
Items
Valuable treasures await adventurers bold enough to seek them! Some items provide characters with a passive bonus, other items provide an additional action that character can perform, and others are an integral part of a scenario. Items obey the following rules:
Loot a Chest
The most common way to acquire items is by looting a chest. If a character is adjacent to or overlapping a chest token, they may take a bonus action to loot that chest by performing the following steps:
- Draw tokens from the loot pool one at a time until either a red event token, three yellow item tokens, or all remaining tokens are drawn. These tokens are secret and are not revealed to other players.
- If an event token is drawn, reveal that token, return any drawn loot tokens to the pool, and follow the instructions in the scenario that correspond to that event token.
- If item tokens and no event tokens are revealed, the character chooses one token to keep, places it facedown near their character card, and returns the other two tokens to the loot pool.
- Remove the chest token from the map.
Equip Item
A character with a facedown loot token can take a free action to flip that token faceup and equip the corresponding item card. When a loot token is revealed in this manner, search the item deck for an item card whose symbol matches the loot token. Place that item card near the character's character card and apply its effects immediately.
- A character cannot equip an item card if they already have an item card of that type (weapon, armor, accessory, etc.) equipped.
- Characters may spend a free action to unequip an item card by turning it and its corresponding loot token facedown.
Trade Item
As a free action, a character can give one facedown loot token to an adjacent friendly character.
Pick Up Loot Token
As a free action, a character can pick up one loot token on the map that they are adjacent to or overlapping.
Terrain
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Onslaught features a number of terrain elements that impact movement and attacks in a variety of ways. Terrain elements come in two varieties, those printed on the map directly and those that are placed on the map when a scenario is set up. Refer to the back of this rulebook for a guide to the maps included in this core set.
Blocking Terrain
Blocking terrain represents thick walls, large statues, or other massive obstructions. Blocking terrain has the following effects:
- Miniatures cannot move into a space containing blocking terrain.
- Miniatures cannot draw line of sight through a space containing blocking terrain.
Barriers
A barrier is a type of blocking terrain that exists between spaces on the map. It has the same effect as blocking terrain but does not occupy any space on the map. Instead, it is placed between map spaces.
Hindering Terrain
Hindering terrain represents rough ground or other obstructions that make movement and ranged combat more challenging. Hindering terrain has the following effects:
- It costs a miniature two move points to enter a space containing hindering terrain.
- While performing an attack, if line of sight is drawn through a space containing hindering terrain, the defender has cover from the attack.
Elevation
Elevation represents the topography of the map, from a gentle slope to a steep ridge. Elevation has the following effects:
- It costs a miniature two move points to enter a space with an elevation that is one level higher than the mini's original space.
- Minis cannot enter spaces with elevation that is more than one level higher or lower than the mini's current space.
- If a line drawn from a corner of the attacker's space to a corner of the target space passes through elevation that is exactly one level higher than the highest space involved in the attack (either the attacker's space or the target space), it counts as passing through hindering terrain.
- If a line drawn from a corner of the attacker's space to a corner of the target space passes through elevation that is two or more levels higher than the highest space involved in the attack, it counts as passing through blocking terrain.
- When drawing line of sight to a target, ignore intervening enemy characters and hindering terrain if either the attacker's space or the target space is at higher elevation than those enemy characters or hindering terrain.
Doors
Doors are a type of Barrier that can be manipulated by characters. A character that is adjacent to a door can open or close that door by taking a free action.
To open a door, remove it from the map. To close a door, return it to its original position.
Portals
Portals are mystical doorways that connect disparate parts of the map. Like barriers, they are placed between spaces on the map. However, portals are not treated as blocking terrain.
Portals come in matched pairs. Spaces that are adjacent to one portal are also considered adjacent to the matching portal, and characters can move into one portal and out of the other. Additionally, characters can count range and draw line of sight through one portal and out of the other to perform attacks and use abilities.
Attach the four plastic standees to the two portal tokens before use.
Note: The Young Black Dragon is mounted on a 75mm clear base, but only occupies four spaces on the map. This is marked on the base by a 50mm inner "threat ring." While playing with the Young Black Dragon, miniatures can overlap the portions of the Young Black Dragon's base that are outside this demarcated threat ring.
Monsters
The warrens, catacombs, mazes, and dungeons of the Forgotten Realms are teeming with all manner of dangerous foes. While a monster is on the map, follow the instructions in the scenario as well as the following rules:
Monster Initiative
Each monster group in a scenario is assigned an initiative card by that scenario. This initiative card always includes a decimal and occurs before or after a character's activation. For example, a group of kobolds with Initiative 5.5 activate after the character with the Initiative 5 card and before the character with the Initiative 6 card.
Monster Spawning
Monsters spawn and are placed on the map according to the scenario's instructions. If there is a choice between different legal placement options, the non-active player decides.
Monster Activation
Monsters obey the same general rules, including terrain rules, as characters. When a monster group is activated, perform the following steps:
- Choose Monster: If there is more than one monster in the monster group, activate the monster closest to the northwestern corner of the map.
- Move Monster: The scenario describes when and how each monster moves. If there is a tie between possible movement routes, the monster is moved toward the closest character of the active player's party first. "Closest" is defined as the character it will take the least amount of move points to reach. If there is still ambiguity, the non-active player decides exactly how the monster moves.
- Choose Target: Determine all targets that are in range of the monster's attack. Then, refer to the scenario to determine which of these targets the monster will attack.
- If there is a tie between possible targets, the closest character of the active player's party is targeted first. If there is still ambiguity, the non-active player decides which target the monster attacks.
- If the monster has an attack that automatically hits, proceed to the "Deal Damage" step. If not, proceed to the "Roll Dice" step.
- Roll Dice: The player whose character is not being attacked rolls the appropriate number of dice and chooses the die with the highest number. If both players have characters that are being attacked, the non-active player rolls the dice.
- Compare Results: Add any applicable attack modifiers to the roll, then compare the final number to the armor class of each target. If the final number is equal to or greater than the target's armor class, the target is hit.
- Deal Damage: Each target hit by the attack suffers damage equal to the value of the attack.
Repeat steps 1–6 until all of the monsters in the group have been activated. Each monster activates only once.
Example: Kobold Cultists — Initiative 10.5: Each time a Kobold Cultist activates, it moves toward the closest character as directly as possible, stopping immediately if it becomes adjacent. Then, it attacks the closest character, if able. The Kobold Cultist closest to the northwestern corner of the map activates. Each character on the map is equidistant to the Kobold because each requires 5 move points to reach. Therefore, the non-active player chooses to move the Kobold adjacent to Bedlam and Chloe. Both characters are at range 1 of the Kobold so the non-active player chooses to attack Chloe. Chloe is the active player's character, so the non-active player rolls attack dice.
Monstrous Champions
Some monsters are truly terrifying foes. These monsters are known as champions and feature an associated champion card with a number of dials that allow players to track its abilities and behaviors. To prepare a champion card for play, set its dials to match the speed, armor class, and hit points on its card. Champions that have a large number of hit points can become bloodied; these champions have a red bloodied section on the bottom of their champion card indicating their bloodied threshold. When a champion has a number of hit points remaining that is equal to or less than this threshold, they become bloodied, often changing their armor class, speed, and behavior. Set the champion's dials to reflect these changes.
Champions are also typically much larger than characters and other monsters and occupy multiple spaces. These large minis obey the following rules:
- When a miniature whose base occupies more than one space moves, choose one of the spaces it occupies as the origin point for the move.
- The path the mini takes and its final position must be able to accommodate the mini's full size in spaces. Large minis cannot "squeeze" through tight spaces or past other minis.
- It does not cost a large mini additional move points to enter a space with an elevation that is one level higher than the mini's original space.
- When determining line of sight and cover, choose one of the spaces the large mini occupies as the target space.
- A large mini has cover if the space it occupies that was used to draw line of sight has cover from the attack.
Condition Tokens Reference
Common Condition Tokens
The following condition tokens are not specific to any character, and can be applied by a variety of game effects:
- Dazed: Fading. Dazed minis cannot take standard actions or reactions.
- Slowed: Fading. A Slowed mini has a speed of 2 (instead of the speed on their battle wheel).
- Invisible: Fading. Monsters ignore Invisible characters while resolving their activations. Invisible characters cannot be the target of attacks that are not area of effect or cone attacks.
- Stunned: Fading. Stunned minis cannot take any actions or reactions.
- Rooted: Fading. Rooted minis cannot take move actions.
- Weakened: Fading. When a Weakened mini hits with an attack, that attack deals half its base damage, rounded down, before adding any additional damage modifiers.
Character Condition Tokens
The following condition tokens are each unique to a specific character, and are applied following the game effects on that character's card:
- Cursed: Enduring. Bedlam adds 1 to the damage of each of their attacks that target the bearer of Cursed. After the bearer of Cursed is defeated, Bedlam heals 3 hit points.
- Marked: Enduring. Grabbleshanks adds 1 to the damage of each of their attacks that target the bearer of Marked.
- Magic Weapon: Fading. Barachiel adds +1 to hit and +1 damage to his melee basic attack.
- Enraged: Fading. Drakmau Rockbiter adds 1 to the damage of each of their attacks. After they are hit by an attack, reduce the damage of that attack by 1.
- Reckless: Fading. Drakmau Rockbiter adds +3 to hit with their attacks and –2 to their armor class.
- Taunted: Enduring. While a mini is Taunted, they roll only a single die instead of two dice while attacking targets other than Lightning-Dancer. If a mini gains a Taunted token while another mini is Taunted, move the taunted token from the original bearer to the new mini.
- Inspiring: Fading. Friendly characters at range 0–5 of Chloe Amasnodel gain +2 to die rolls while attacking and +1 to the damage of their basic attacks.
- Spike Growth: Fading. The Spike Growth token is blocking terrain. It lasts from the time it is applied until the end of Abelio Mac Gabhann's next activation.
- Stealth: Fading. Lasaelle Du'Arathmierre cannot become the target of an attack if they have cover from that attack.
- Wolf: Fading. Abelio Mac Gabhann gains +2 speed, +2 armor class, and cannot use his ranged basic attack, item cards, or cooldown abilities.
Effect Icons
Most effects in the game have one of three icons associated with it:
- Martial effects encompass physical feats such as striking a blow with a sword or deflecting an arrow with a practiced chop of the hand.
- Arcane effects derive their power from a magical source, such as a wizard hurling a magic missile or hypnotizing a foe with a mystical gaze.
- Divine effects come from the very power of the gods themselves, channeled through the prayers and invocations of their mortal servants.
These keywords have no intrinsic purpose but are referenced by other game effects. For example, Rokpyratrix the Clanless has the Elemental Affinity ability on her level up card, which grants +1 damage to each of her arcane attacks.
Map Terrain Reference
The back of the rulebook provides a legend identifying each terrain type printed on the included maps: Blocking Terrain, Hindering Terrain, and Elevation 1, 2, and 3.