Elementalis

Elementalis Rulebook

Table of Contents

How to Win

Prove your elemental mastery by gaining the most Mana by the end of the 6th round.

Components

From the original game:

Five Dice. One is a yellow die known as the "Sun" die.
4 Major Arcana Element Cards
8 Minor Arcana Element Cards
1 Round Marker (standard 6 sided die)
80 Mana Counters (20 of each color: Red, Blue, Green, White)

From Creationists and Elitists:

1 Major Ether Arcana
2 Minor Ether Arcana

From Chaotica and Cultists:

1 Major Sun Arcana
2 Minor Sun Arcana

From Creationists and Elitists:

1 Major Moon Arcana
2 Minor Moon Arcana

The Elemental Cycle

Earth blocks Air
Air evaporates Water
Water extinguishes Fire
Fire scorches Earth

Glossary

The Flux – The constant and chaotic flow of Mana.
The Channel – A staging ground between the Flux and an Elemental Mage's Mana Pool.
Mana Pool – An Elemental Mage's personal store of Mana.
Turn – A turn starts as soon as a player begins to roll the dice, and ends when the dice pass to the next player.
Round – Each round starts when the starting player begins his turn, and ends just before he takes his next turn.

Starting the Game

To start, each player must decide what type of Mage they'd like to play. Each player does not need to play the same type of Mage. The type of Mage you play is dictated by your Major and Minor Arcana.

The types of Mages are as follows:

Elementalists use a Major Arcana and a supportive Minor Arcana. They use Ether to boost the power of their chosen elements.

Harmonists use a Major Arcana and a non-supportive Minor Arcana. They use Ether to bind the elements together. Harmonists potentially earn more Mana, but their magic is less potent and all spells cost an extra Mana point to cast.

Purists use a matching Major and Minor Arcana. Like Elementalists, they use Ether to boost their elements. Purist's Mana is extremely potent. Second and Third level spells cost 1 less Mana to cast.

Creationists choose Ether as their Major Arcana and any other Minor Arcana. They use the power of Ether to cast a plethora of elemental spells.

Elitists use a Major Arcana and an Ether Minor Arcana. They harness the raw power of an element and cannot be harmed by spells of that element or cast spells against another Mage with that element as their Major. (Note that Elitists may cast any spell on themselves.)

Chaotica choose Sun as their Major Arcana and any other Minor Arcana. They use the power of Chaos to Choose a new Major every round.

Cultists use a Major Arcana and a Sun Minor Arcana. They can re roll the Sun die once per Power, Chance, and Cosmic roll.

Guardians choose the Moon as their Major Arcana and any other Minor Arcana. They live by structure, pattern, and order.

Luminaries use a Major Arcana and a Moon Minor Arcana. Ether is twice as potent to them, but being less experienced, they can only use level 1 Moon spells.

The valid Major / Minor combinations are listed below (Major first, then Minor):

Mage type	Combinations
Elementalists	Earth / Water, Water / Earth, Air / Fire, Fire / Air
Harmonists	Any combination not used by other mages.
Purists	Earth / Earth, Air / Air, Water / Water, Fire / Fire
Creationists	Ether / Water, Ether / Earth, Ether / Fire, Ether / Air
Elitists	Water / Ether, Earth / Ether, Fire / Ether, Air / Ether
Gods of Chaotica	Sun / Water, Sun / Earth, Sun / Fire, Sun / Air
Chaotica Cultists	Water / Sun, Earth / Sun, Fire / Sun, Air / Sun
Guardians	Moon / Water, Moon / Earth, Moon / Fire, Moon / Air
Luminaries	Water / Moon, Earth / Moon, Fire / Moon, Air / Moon

Players take turns choosing Arcana in a clockwise fashion, with the youngest player choosing first. Going around the table, each player chooses a Major Arcana first; then, going around again, each player chooses a Minor Arcana.

The youngest player now takes the Round Marker, sets it to 1, and places the die in front of him or her. All other players choose two Mana of their choice to place in their Mana Pool.

Structure of a Turn

Power Roll a. Spell Casting Phase
Chance Rolls b. Spell Casting Phase
Cosmic Roll c. Spell Casting Phase
End of Turn

Earning Mana

Whenever you roll the dice, you can score depending on the die faces showing and your type of mage. Each Mage scores their rolls in different ways. Make sure to keep track of what type of Mage you are playing so you may score correctly.

An Elementalist adds the number of element symbols that show his Major Arcana and add this type of Mana to the Channel. He now adds up the symbols showing their Minor Arcana and add this type of Mana to the Channel. Each Ether rolled may increase either element by 1. Now the player must reduce his Major element for each symbol he rolled showing a conflicting element. He must then do this for his Minor element. If the Sun is rolled on the Sun die then all opposing elements are ignored.

A Purist works similarly, however she ignores two elements (the supportive element and the element it trumps). Only one element reduces the amount of Mana earned (the element which conflicts with hers). Ether and Sun rolls work exactly like they do with Elementalists.

A Harmonist adds the number of element symbols that match his Major and Minor Arcana and adds these types of Mana to the Channel. He ignores Ether, the Sun, and other elements.

A Creationist adds the number of Ether symbols rolled and moves this Mana to the Channel. She also adds up Minor Arcana symbols rolled and does the same. Any Ether rolled may also increase a Minor Arcana roll by 1. Now the player must reduce Ether for each Sun rolled and do the same with the Minor Arcana with its opposing element.

Since Chaotica choose a new Major every round, they take into account their current chosen Major element and their Minor Arcana and score as if they were that type of Mage.

An Elitist or Cultist scores the exact same way as a Purist.

Guardians do not score on any particular Element. They thrive off order and pattern, and score on any 2, 3, or 4 of a kind rolled. Ether rolls are considered wild and add 1 Elemental symbol of choice to a roll. Guardians do not score off their Minor Arcana.

Luminaries score the exact same way as Guardians do, except Ether rolls add 2 Elemental symbols of choice instead of 1.

Rolls

There are three different types of rolls a player may take on his or her turn, each building off the one before it. If certain criteria are met, a player may be eligible to make further rolls. Elemental Opposition may also occur with more unfortunate rolls.

The Power Roll is the first roll, that all players must take.

The Chance Roll is optional and may be taken if conditions of the Power Roll are right.

The Cosmic Roll is optional and may be taken if conditions of the Chance Roll are right.

1. The Power Roll

The Power Roll is the standard first roll that all players must take.

The active player rolls all five dice.

The results of the roll can be determined as follows:

If there is no Mana in the Channel, Elemental Opposition occurs. See Elemental Opposition later in the rules.

If there is Mana in the Channel then the player may continue on to the Chance Roll. If the player chooses not to take the Chance Roll, then he places all the Mana from the Channel into his Mana Pool. The player's turn is now over and he passes the Round Marker to his left.

2. The Chance Roll

The Chance Roll is a second opportunity to earn more Mana, but entails additional risks. It is handled in the exact same was as the Power Roll except that if the Sun is rolled (no matter which type of mage you are playing) then all the Mana in the Channel is returned to the Flux. Chance Roll results are as follows:

If the Sun is rolled then all the Mana from the Channel is returned to the Flux and the player's turn ends. The Round Marker is now handed to the player on his left.

If the Sun is not rolled and there is no Mana in the Channel then Elemental Opposition occurs. See Elemental Opposition later in the rules.

If there is Mana in the Channel then the player may continue on to the Cosmic Roll. If the player chooses not to take the Cosmic Roll then she places all the Mana from the Channel into her Mana Pool. The player's turn is now over and she passes the Round Marker to her left.

3. The Cosmic Roll

The Cosmic Roll is a chaotic roll where the player only rolls the Sun die. The outcomes of this roll are as follows:

If the roll comes up as the active player's Major element then 3 Mana of this type are added to the Channel. The player's turn ends and all Mana from the Channel is added to the player's Mana Pool. The Round Marker passes to the player on the left.

If the roll comes up as another player's Major element then the active player moves 1 Mana from the Channel to that player's Mana Pool. The player's turn ends, adding all Mana from the Channel to his Mana Pool. The Round Marker passes to the player on his left.

If the roll comes up as no one's Major element then the active player's turn ends and he moves all Mana from the Channel into his Mana Pool.

If the roll comes up as the Sun then all Mana in the Channel is returned to the flux. The turn ends and the Round Marker passes to the left.

If the roll comes up Ether then the 1 Mana of any type is added to the Channel. The player's turns ends and all Mana from the Channel is added to the player's Mana Pool.

End of Turn / Round

At the end of a player's turn, all Mana from the Channel (if any) is moved from the Channel to the player's Mana Pool. The Round Marker moves to the player on the left. If all players have taken a turn then the Round Marker is advanced to the next round.

Flux Tapping

If ever a player starts his turn with no Mana in his Mana Pool, he may declare a Flux Tap and move one Mana of his Major Arcana into his Mana Pool. If the player does not declare a Tap before his roll, then he loses this advantage.

Flux Taps can be used by any Mage. Those Mages without a specific matching Major can take any type of Mana they choose.

Negative Scoring Rolls

Mana from your Mana Pool is always protected from your rolls. The only way to lose Mana from the Mana Pool is by paying for spells or having the Mana affected by spells.

Mana from your Channel can only be affected by rolls that would cause you to lose your turn and return it to the Flux. You cannot lose Mana from the Channel by rolling more opposing elements than your Major or Minor.

Elemental Opposition

When a Power or Chance roll ends in a "No Mana" situation, Elemental Opposition occurs. Leaving the dice as they were after the roll, the other players may choose to pick up any die showing their Major element. They have the choice to roll all, some, or none of these dice. Mages who do not have a Major that matches the symbols on the dice cannot participate in Elemental Opposition.

If the other players choose to roll, they do so and proceed as follows:

If a player rolls her own Major element then she make take as many Mana from the active player's Mana Pool as matching symbols on the dice. The active player chooses which Mana to give up.
If a player rolls the active player's Major element, then she must pay as many Mana to the active player as matching symbols on the dice. The opposing player (not the active player) chooses which type of Mana to give.

If more than one player can roll Opposition, then they each take turns going clockwise from the active player.

Once Elemental Opposition is over, the active player's turn ends.

Ending the Game

After the last player has finished his turn during the 6th round, the game ends. The player with the most Mana is declared the winner. If there is a tie, then the player with the most Mana in a majority of one element wins.

Spell Casting

Spell casting is one of the most important aspects of ElementaliS. During the game the players will have the opportunity to cast spells after a roll has been made. Spells are cast using Mana from players' Mana Pools to either better their own rolls, or hinder an opponent.

On the back of each Arcana card is a list of spells. Major Arcana have 3 spells listed while Minor Arcana only have 1.

The spells range in value from 1 to 3 Mana, usually equal to the spell's level. When a player casts a spell, he returns the required amount of Mana to the Flux. The Mana must all be of the element of the spell being cast, and a spell cannot be cast with Mana from the Channel. For example: a second level Fire spell costs 2 Fire Mana to cast, which he must give up from his own Mana pool. Remember that Harmonists must pay 1 extra Mana to cast a spell, and Purists pay 1 less for 2nd and 3rd level spells.

Spells may be cast by any player, on any player, after any roll and before scoring. Many have specific conditions regarding when their effects take place. The spell descriptions later in the rules will explain this explicitly.

Each instance of a spell may only be cast once per turn. If several players wish to cast a spell during a turn, then the active player casts first and casting continues clockwise around the table.

Players must declare they are going to cast a spell before a spell is actually cast. A player may not cast a spell if she has not made a declaration beforehand. A player does not have to say what spell she is going to cast until the spell casting takes place. After all declarations are made, players cast their spells in the order explained above. Note that players do not have to pay for a spell until it is cast. If you declare that you are going to cast a spell and then decide upon your casting turn to forfeit that declaration, you do not lose any Mana.

Many of the spells target a die. The only restriction is that the Sun die can never be targeted and cannot be affected by spells.

Appendix A: The Spells

Water

Mirror Pool: Duplicate a die. Treat the duplicate as if a new die were in play.
Ether Leak: All players must pay 1 extra Mana this turn to cast spells.
Counter Spell: This spell costs X, where X is the cost of a spell being cast on you. The spell being cast on you is now void.

Fire

Char: A die is scorched. Its result is ignored.
Burn: Destroy a die. It will not be used for the rest of this turn. Or Destroy an Earth Link.
Incinerate: Up to 3 target Mana are returned to the Flux. They can come from any combination of players.

Earth

Petrify: Target die is petrified. Its face is held for the rest of the turn.
Tremor: Target die is changed to a symbol of your choice. It holds this face for the rest of the turn.
Earth Link: Choose another player. You may score like you normally score from their rolls. This lasts until the link is destroyed or the end of the round.

Air

Breeze: Target die must be re-rolled.
Gust: Re-roll all dice (Sun die excluded.)
Tornado: Up to 5 target Mana become permanently colorless and elementless, and may not be used for normal spell casting. Set them aside to denote this.

Moon

Insight: Choose a first level spell of the active player and cast it.
Strength: Re-roll the Sun die (this is the only spell that may target the Sun die).
Fortitude: Negate any spell cast on you. This spell also destroys an Earth Link.

Appendix B: Roll Examples

The example dice faces were shown as symbol pictures in the original; they are listed here in words.

Example 1

Dice shown: Fire, Earth, Air, Water, Fire.

Elementalist – Major: Fire. Minor: Air. This roll would start out giving the player 2 Fire Mana and 2 Air Mana. The Fire would then be reduced by 1 due to the Water rolled and the Air would be reduced by 1 because of the Earth rolled. The player would then move 1 Fire Mana and 1 Air Mana to their Channel.

Purist – Major: Earth. Minor: Earth. This roll would start by giving the player 1 Earth Mana. This would decrease by 2 because of the 2 Fire rolled. The player would score no Mana and possibly lose 1 Mana from the Channel if any where there.

Harmonist – Major: Fire. Minor: Water. This roll would score a Harmonist 2 Fire Mana and 1 Water Mana.

Creationist – Major: Ether. Minor: Fire. This roll would start by giving the player 2 Fire Mana, but that would be reduced by one because of the Water rolled.

Elitist / Cultist – Major: Air. Minor: Ether or Sun. This roll would start by giving the player 2 Air Mana, but that would be reduced by 1 because of the Earth rolled.

Guardian / Luminary – Major: Moon. Minor: Fire. A Guardian or Luminary would score 2 Fire and 2 Air off this roll.

Example 2

Dice shown: Fire, Earth, Air, Ether, Water.

Elementalist – Major: Fire. Minor: Air. This roll would yield 1 Fire Mana and 2 Air Mana initially. The Water would cancel 1 Fire and the Earth would cancel 1 Air leaving the player with no Fire Mana and 1 Air Mana. The Ether lets the player add 1 to any die he/she chose, so the player could end up with 1 Fire and 1 Air or no Fire Mana and 2 Air Mana.

Purist – Major: Earth. Minor: Earth. This roll would score the Earth Purist 2 Earth Mana since the Ether can add 1 to any die. This would then be reduced by the 1 Fire rolled to give the player 1 Earth Mana to put into the Channel.

Harmonist – Major: Fire. Minor: Water. This roll would score a Harmonist 2 Fire Mana and 1 Water Mana. The Ether has no effect on a Harmonist.

Creationist – Major: Ether. Minor: Water. This roll would start by giving the player 1 Mana of their choice and 1 Water Mana. The Ether Mana would increase the Water by 1, which would then be reduced by the Fire rolled.

Elitist / Cultist – Major: Air. Minor: Ether or Sun. This roll would start by giving the player 2 Air Mana, but that would be reduced by 1 because of the Earth rolled. 1 could be added to the Air because of the Ether rolled.

Guardian / Luminary – Major: Moon. Minor: Earth. A Guardian or Luminary would score 2 Air off this roll. The Ether could be counted as another Air, for 3 total Mana (4 in the case of a Luminary) or as any other element for 2 Mana of that type (or 3 in the case of a Luminary.)

Example 3

Dice shown: Water, Fire, Water, Water, Sun.

Elementalist – Major: Fire. Minor: Air. Normally this role would produce no Mana, and maybe even drain some from the Channel. The roll includes a Sun which negates all opposing elements, thus allowing for 1 Fire Mana to be placed in the Channel.

Purist – Major: Fire. Minor: Fire. Normally this role would produce no Mana, and maybe even drain some from the Channel. The roll includes a Sun which negates all opposing elements, thus allowing for 1 Fire Mana to be placed in the Channel.

Harmonist – Major: Fire. Minor: Water. This roll would produce 4 Water Mana and 1 Fire Mana. The Sun has no effect on a Harmonist.

Creationist – Major: Ether. Minor: Fire. This roll would start by giving the player 1 Fire Mana. The 4 Water would cancel that, and take Mana out of the Channel if there was any there.

Elitist / Cultist – Major: Fire. Minor: Ether or Sun. This roll would give the player 1 Fire Mana. The Sun cancels out any opposing elements, so the Water do not decrease the fire.

Guardian / Luminary – Major: Moon. Minor: Earth. A Guardian or Luminary would score 4 Water off this roll.

Appendix C: Elemental Opposition Example

Player A: Harmonist. Major: Fire. Minor: Water.
Player B: Purist. Major: Earth. Minor: Earth.
Player C: Elementalist. Major: Air. Minor: Fire.
Player D: Purist. Major: Water. Minor: Water.

Player A rolls: Earth, Air, Ether, Earth, Sun.

This roll score no Mana for Player A and their Channel is currently empty. Elemental Opposition occurs.

Player B takes both dice showing the Earth symbol. Player C takes the die showing the Air symbol.

Player B rolls: Fire, Earth.

Player B would take 1 Mana from Player A, but also rolled Player A's Major element. No Mana is exchanged since it would balance out.

Player C rolls: Air.

Player A has to give up one Mana of his/her choice to Player C.

Changes Since Last Update

[CLARIFICATION] Flux Taps
[CLARIFICATION] Elemental Opposition
[ADDITION] Negative Scoring Rolls