Final War Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Elements Key
  • Warlord Cards
• Section I: Setup
  • Ways to Play
  • Best of 3 Games
  • Quick Kill Setup
• Section II: Play Sequence
• Section III: Player Cards
  • 1. The Warlord
  • 2. Heroes
  • 3. Units
  • 4. Fortifications
  • 5. Powers
  • 6. Spells
  • 7. Items
  • 8. Gold
  • Warlord, Hero & Unit Card Layouts
  • 9. Abilities
  • 10. Rarity
  • 11. Special Body Type
  • 6. Major Ability Stars
• Section IV: The Fate Deck Draw
  • Events
  • Add to Hand Events
  • Instant Events
  • Mercenaries
  • Wandering Monsters
  • Bandits
  • Combat Cards
  • Advanced Fate Deck Bidding
• Section V: Timing
  • Start of Turn
  • Play Before Combat
  • Combat
  • End of Round
  • End of Turn
  • Special
• Section VI: Combat
  • 5. "Play Before Combat" Cards
  • 6. Place Markers
  • Phases of Combat
  • Combat Rounds
  • Combat Actions
  • Melee Attacks
  • Important Notes
  • Critical Hits
  • Instant Kill
  • Damage
  • Hit Column (Ability)
  • Follow Through (Ability)
• Section VII: Quests & Campaigns
  • Quest Setup (Variation from Quick Kill)
  • Campaign (Variation from Quick Kill)
• Section VIII: 3 & 4-Player Games
  • 3-Player Games
  • 4-Player Games
• Section IX: Creating Custom Decks
  • Booster Packs!
  • Creating a Custom Deck
  • Upcoming Expansion Packs
• Quick Play Guide
  • Setup
  • Turn Sequence
  • Pre-Combat
  • Combat Round Sequence
  • End of Combat

Components

• TCG Rule Book
• Ability Guide
• 3 Game Boards
• 45 Action Markers (10 First Strike, 20 Normal, 15 Attack Last)
• 80 Health Tokens
• 16 Healing Tokens
• 8 Dark Healing Tokens
• 6 Paralyze Markers
• 6 Undead Markers
• 12 Roaming Card Markers
• 10 Item Charge Tokens
• 6 Were Markers
• 6 Poisoned Markers
• 15 PR Bonus Markers
• 7 12-Sided Dice
• Warlord cards, Player Decks (50 cards each) and the Fate Deck (54 cards)

Game Elements Key

1. Units Row
2. Heroes and Warlord Row
3. Fortifications Row
4. Warlord Tile
5. Columns
6. Discard Pile
7. Player Deck Area
8. Common/Bandit Area
9. Fate Deck
10. Fate Deck Discards
11. Fate Deck in Play
12. Bandit Cards
13. PR Bonus Markers
14. Health Tokens
15. Dice

Warlord Cards

The three Warlords in the starter set are printed on the Components page as follows.

Fangrist the Terrible (Werewolf Warlord; PR 7; Health 4; Chaotic; Were)

• Attack Twice
• Lycanthropy (1-9): Roll 1-9 when Fangrist slays an enemy in Melee, to raise them as a Chaotic Were and add them to your army (Warlords, Demon, Elemental, Ethereal and Undead immune). Restore to full Health, remove cards and join a combatant column if possible (or join vacant column, discard otherwise).
• +1 PR to Werewolf or Were Unit

Tharas the Forest Lord (Elf Warlord; PR 7; Health 3; Good)

• First Strike
• Attack Twice
• Ranged Attack
• Immune to: Reprisal
• Void a Skirmish or Battle: Tharas may void one Skirmish or Battle card per game, after the declaration of combatants (this does not count as a victory to either side).
• +1 PR to Elf Unit

Shadrack the Unseen (Guildmaster Warlord; PR 6; Health 3; Neutral)

• First Strike
• Attack Thrice in 1st Round
• Steal Enemy Item (1/combat, 1-9): Roll 1-9 to steal an enemy Item (only action that round).
• Mastery (vs each Bandit, 1-4): Roll 1-4 before Initiative to acquire each Bandit encountered. Shadrack must be a combatant to make the attempt (this does not count as a victory over the Bandit).
• +1 PR to Guildmaster or Bandit Unit

Section I: Setup

Ways to Play

There are several ways to play Final War, based on the number of players and the size of the Fate Deck.

Type of Game	Fate Deck	2-player Duration	3-player Duration	4-player Duration^
Quick Kill	12 cards	10-20 minutes	15-30 minutes	20-30 minutes
Quest*	25 cards	20-40 minutes	30-60 minutes	40-60 minutes
Campaign*	50 cards**	40-90 minutes	60-120 minutes	60-120 minutes

* Refer to Section VII, page 26, for details on Quest and Campaign setup and gameplay.

** Plus the Mid-Deck Card. Alliance and Break Alliance cards are also added for a 3-player game.

^ Requires a second Onslaught Starter Set. Alliance, Late Alliance and 2 Break Alliance cards are added for a 4-player game, other than in team play.

We recommend that new players start with a 2-player Quick Kill session!

Best of 3 Games

Quick Kill and Quest games are designed to be played as a 'Best of 3 Games' contest. The Fate Deck is shuffled at the start of each game, but Player Decks are only shuffled at the start of the first game.

At the end of each game, hands are discarded and the game boards are cleared, which means that it's important to have a balanced deck.

It's no good drawing out all of your best cards in the first game if it means you win the battle, but lose the war!

Quick Kill Setup

There are 3 Warlords in this starter set, one Good, one Neutral and one Chaotic. Upcoming expansions add further Warlords, including the Wizard, Witch and Necromancer in the Arcane Expansion Set, and the Knight, Dwarf and Orc in the Carnage Expansion Set.

Step 1: Warlord Selection. Each player chooses one of the 3 Warlords (Werewolf, Elf or Guildmaster) and takes the corresponding Player Deck and Game Board. The Game Board is used to lay out a player's army. Lay the boards out so that they are touching each other, with players opposite one another in a 2-player game. In a 3-player game, the boards are laid out with two players facing one another and the third on one end.

Step 2: Place Warlord. Each player places their Warlord card in the middle position of their board.

Step 3: Shuffle & Place Player Deck. Each player shuffles their Player Deck and places it on the Player Deck area to the left of their Game Board. The opponent may cut the deck if desired.

Step 4: Form the Fate Deck. Look for 1 segment in the Fate Deck Indicators located in the middle of these cards (the Indicators help when sorting the Fate Deck). Use only the following 12 cards to form the Quick Kill Fate Deck:

• Automatic Hit
• Break Item
• Critical Hit
• Double Damage
• The Besiegers
• Shengra the Insane
• Minotaurs
• Marauders
• Gorgons
• Giant Trolls
• Skirmish
• Final War

These 12 cards are used in all 2, 3 and 4-player Quick Kill games.

Step 5: Shuffle & Place Fate Deck. Shuffle the Fate Deck until one of the "Add to Hand" cards is the topmost card (as indicated by the icon on the card back). Place the Fate Deck in the Common Area on the space adjoining the Game Boards.

Step 6: Draw Starting Cards. If this is a 2-player game, each player now draws 8 cards from the top of their Player Deck (without revealing them to the other player). See below for 3 and 4-player games.

8 cards usually provides you with at least a couple of Units and Heroes at the start of a 2-player Quick Kill game. Other Final War modes increase lethality by reducing the initial number of cards drawn!

Type of Game	Player Deck Cards Drawn: 2 Players	3 Players	4 Players
Quick Kill	8	6	6
Quest	6	5	5
Campaign	4	4	4

Step 7: Form an Army (optional). Each player may lay down Hero, Unit, Fortification and Item cards, if they have drawn any from their Player Deck, into columns on their Game Board. Players do not have to deploy any or all such cards, which may alternately be retained in hand.

• Units may be placed in any of the 5 positions in the front row of the player's army.
• Heroes may be placed in any of the 4 positions in the middle row adjoining the Warlord.
• Fortifications may be placed in any of the 5 positions in the rear row, as long as there is a Unit, Hero or Warlord in the column.
• Items may be equipped by Warlords and Heroes. Items are placed face down on the Warlord or the Hero, unless otherwise stated. A maximum of 2 Items may be placed on each Warlord or Hero (overlapping the card on a slant). Items are revealed once the character that bears them is placed into combat.

Hint: It's often a good idea to deploy everything you can, as soon as you can, when playing a Quick Kill game, unless you pick up cards that allow you to reinforce mid-combat. Take care when laying out your army. Once Initiative is rolled to start the game no cards can be moved from where they have been placed!

Hint: Having a Unit and a Hero/Warlord in the same column provides a combat advantage, particularly where the creatures are of the same race (such as an Elf Unit with an Elf Warlord). However, it's also dangerous to put all your eggs in one basket. Having an expendable Unit or Hero in a column by itself is a sound strategy, in case you run into something too big to handle!

You are allowed to have gaps in your army (where a vacant column lies in between your Warlord column and an outlying column). This can prove useful when you come up against an enemy that has Spells or Items that can hit adjacent columns, but also forfeits the benefits of some defensive cards that can protect adjoining columns.

Step 8: Place Health Tokens. Place green Health Tokens on your Warlord, Hero and Unit cards. The number shown in the upper right of each of these cards is the character or creature's Health. Stack the indicated number of Health Tokens on top of this Health number.

Step 9: Roll for Initiative & Start the Game! Initiative decides which player goes first. Play proceeds in alternating turns, but the player going first has the advantage of knowing that they will pick up an Add to Hand card straight away.

Each player takes one 12-sided die and rolls it, with the lowest roller winning. Ties are rerolled until there is a result.

Dice Rolls: In Final War, lower rolls are better! Rolling a "1" is a cause for celebration on your part, often accompanied by groans from your opponent!

Section II: Play Sequence

Each player completes their turn in the following sequence, before play moves on to the opponent's turn.

Hint: Read through the text description on any Power cards drawn. Some may be played at the start of your turn, to provide advantages such as drawing extra Player Deck cards.

Step 1: Player Deck Draw. The player draws the topmost card from their Player Deck. Note that the player may optionally play cards that are marked "Start of Turn" from their hand, before or after drawing from their Player Deck (refer to "Timing" in Section V below).

Step 2: Deploy. The player has the option to lay down Hero, Unit, Item and Fortification cards from their hand, including the card just drawn.

If a player draws an illegal card from their deck (such as a card from a race that they are not entitled to include in their Player Deck), the card is immediately discarded and no replacement card is drawn.

Step 3: Fate Deck Draw. The player draws the topmost card from the Fate Deck.

• If the card has a gold "Add to Hand" icon, it is placed into the player's hand and is not revealed to the opponent.
• If the card has a red "Instant" icon, it is turned over and placed alongside the Fate Deck for all players to see.

Resolve Instant Cards. Resolve any "Instant" Fate Deck card action that has been revealed. In a Quick Kill game, there are five types of Fate Deck cards that require resolution:

1. "Instant" Events
2. Mercenaries
3. Wandering Monsters
4. Bandits
5. Combat

Refer to Section IV, The Fate Deck Draw, for details.

Step 4: End of Turn. The player again has the option to lay down Hero, Unit, Item and Fortification cards from their hand. The player may also optionally play any "End of Turn" cards they have in their hand or have deployed in their army.

Play then proceeds in the same sequence for the opponent's turn (proceeding in clockwise order in a 3 or 4-player game).

Section III: Player Cards

The Player Deck contains the following card types.

1. The Warlord

The Warlords are among the most powerful characters in the game, and as the leader of the army, they are the most important.

A player loses the game as soon as their Warlord is slain, even if they still have Units and Heroes left standing!

Warlords are immune to many types of attacks and powers, including Enthral, Pestilence, Fear and Mortal Terror.

Warlords cannot be directly targeted by most enemy attacks until their army has been slain.

2. Heroes

Heroes are potent warriors, spell casters or creatures that have pledged allegiance to a Warlord. They provide leadership and bonuses to lesser units under their command.

3. Units

Units are the rank and file that serve a Warlord. They range in power from mediocre to monstrous, and form the front line of the army.

4. Fortifications

Fortifications are strongholds that protect a single column. They impose penalties on attacks made against the creatures in that column.

5. Powers

Powers may be played to gain advantages for one combat, or to produce an instant one-off effect, including interfering with opponents. Only one 'Ongoing' Power may be placed on any combatant at a time.

6. Spells

Spells may be used to enhance a player's army or devastate enemy forces. Unlike Powers, some Spells last for an entire game, rather than just one combat. Only one 'Ongoing' Spell may be placed on a character or creature at a time.

7. Items

Items of various types may be equipped by Warlords and Heroes, conferring bonuses once they are equipped. An optional rule prohibits more than one of the same type of Item from being equipped by a character.

8. Gold

Gold is used to hire Mercenaries from the Fate Deck. Mercenary Units may be hired with any gold card, while Heroes require a card of at least 2,000 gold in value.

Warlord, Hero & Unit Card Layouts

Warlords, Heroes, Units, Mercenaries, Bandits and Wandering Monsters all have the following card layout elements:

1. Power Rating ("PR"). A character or creature's PR indicates their attack strength. PR can be modified by some Abilities, Items, Spells and Powers. PR is the number that needs to be thrown (or less) on a 12-sided die in order to score a hit on an enemy, when in combat. Higher PR values are found on rarer Heroes and Units, and range up to PR 11, but even with a high PR there is always a chance to miss. Any throw of a "12" on an attack die is an automatic miss, irrespective of the attacker's PR. A natural "12" cannot be adjusted by most Powers, Items or Spells.
2. Title & Type. This shows the card type (for example, "Warlord") and the name of the character or creature.
3. Health. Health indicates how much damage a character or creature can absorb before being slain.
4. Spell Fields. Spell casting icons show the different forms of magic that a character may cast. Refer to Cards: Spells on page 11 for more details.
5. Race Icon. Race icons are used to mark cards belonging to the three Warlords, or to identify Wandering Monsters, Bandits or Mercenaries from the Fate Deck. The icons are: Elf, Werewolf, Bandit, Guildmaster, Wandering Monster and Mercenaries. Cards displaying a "Generic" Race Icon are available to all races. These cards include Items, Spells and Powers.

Hero/Warlord Bonus to Unit Power Rating: If a Hero or Warlord card is commanding (in the same column) a Unit of the same race as themselves, they confer a PR bonus to the Unit (e.g. an Elf Hero or Warlord will confer bonuses to any Elf Unit that they command). The bonus applied is normally +1 to Unit PR, and is stated on the Hero or Warlord card in the ability section. Place a PR Marker alongside the Unit PR. The Guildmaster and his Heroes also provide a bonus to Bandit Units. The Werewolf and his Heroes also provide a bonus to any Were Unit. Mercenary Heroes provide a bonus to any Unit.

9. Abilities

A creature's abilities are displayed in the description field. A short description may be included in this field, but for the full ability description refer to the "Ability Guide".

Where there is a discrepancy between the text on a card and the Ability Guide, the Ability Guide takes priority.

10. Rarity

Final War uses a card rarity system, with rarer cards being more powerful than those that are easier to acquire. Booster Packs allow players to enhance their Player Decks.

Rarity ratings are: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Very Rare, Heroic, Legendary and Elder.

Hint: Rarity is a good indicator of the relative power of a card, but even the most common card can be useful for particular strategies. "Cannon Fodder" is an ability found on some of the weakest cards, but it can throw an enemy attack in disarray by forcing them to target a much weaker creature first.

11. Special Body Type

Special Body Types provide defensive bonuses. If the creature has a Special Body Type it is shown at the base of the card. If there is nothing displayed in the field then the creature is a normal body type.

Special Body Types are: Conjured, Demon, Dragon, Elemental, Ethereal, Undead and Were.

6. Major Ability Stars

Certain Abilities in the game are referred to as "Major Abilities". There is a restriction on the number of Major Abilities a single creature may possess (either inherently or temporarily). Warlords, Legendary and Elder Heroes and Units all have 3 star fields, as do some Wandering Monsters. All other creatures have 2.

Major Abilities that a creature already has are indicated by the filled (gold) stars on the card. Blank stars may be filled by Items, Powers and Spells that confer Major Abilities (displayed as stars on the Item, Power or Spell card).

7. Alignment

All characters and creatures in the game accord to one of three Alignments: Good, Neutral or Chaotic.

8. Weaknesses

Weaknesses are shown in red in the description field. They can include modifiers that make the creature easier to strike in combat, Attack Last, Fearful and Vulnerabilities. They are described in detail in the "Ability Guide".

Spells

Powerful magic in the form of Spells may be used by various characters and creatures in the game.

Spells have diverse effects and are separated into 7 types of magic, called Spell Fields:

• Conjuration Spells create illusions that can confuse and even destroy an enemy.
• Elemental Magic Spells call upon the forces of nature to come to the aid of the caster.
• Enchantment Spells can enhance an ally or inflict terrible curses on an adversary.
• Evocation Spells summon mystic energies that can smash foes or counter enemy magic.
• Mentalism Spells provide psychic protection, or may be used to strike at an opponent's mind.
• Death Magic Spells harness dark power to defend the Chaotic and slay their enemies.
• Healing Spells use divine power to cure and heal, as well as to devastate evildoers.

Only Neutral and Good creatures may have Healing. Only Chaotic creatures may have Death Magic.

Spell cards are laid out with a title & type field as described above (2), as well as race icons (5) and rarity (10).

12. Spell Field. The Spell Field icon is shown in this zone. Spell casters must have the corresponding Spell Field casting ability to be able to cast a Spell.

13. Bonuses & Penalties. These cards may confer any of the following bonuses or penalties, which will be displayed in this zone:

• A bonus to the recipient's PR.
• A bonus to the recipient's Melee attack rolls.
• A bonus to the recipient's Ranged attack rolls.
• A penalty imposed on enemy Melee and Ranged attack rolls to hit the recipient.

14. Bonus Health & Major Ability Stars. This zone indicates any bonus points of Health conferred by a Spell, or if the card confers a Major Ability (denoted by 1 or 2 stars in this zone). Spells that confer a Major Ability may only be played on a character or creature that has an equivalent number of available blank Major Ability stars.

15. Timing. These cards may be played at specific moments during the game, as indicated on the card. Refer to Section V, Timing, for details.

16. Effect. The Spell card describes its effect in this zone. Where a Spell assigns an Ability, the Ability Guide should be consulted for full details.

17. Ongoing or Curse. A Spell that lasts indefinitely is marked either "Ongoing" or "Curse" at the base of the card. Ongoing Spells are beneficial Spells cast on a player's Warlord, or a Hero or Unit in their army. Curses are cast on an enemy to weaken them. They are placed on the enemy card and marked with a Roaming Card Marker. Only one Ongoing Spell and one Curse may be placed on any given creature at a time. Ongoing Spells and Curses last until the creature they are on is slain, or the Spell is dispelled.

Powers

Powers are extraordinary effects that may be brought to bear in certain situations, to provide benefits to the player that uses them, or to impose a penalty on an opponent.

Powers share card layout attributes as per Spells, other than Spell Field (12) and the Ongoing or Curse marker (17).

Items

Magical Items may be equipped by Warlords and Heroes.

Items share card layout attributes as described above under Powers, though only some have a Timing field.

Items that do not have a Timing field confer a constant effect on the bearer.

18. Item Type. There are 12 different types of Items, including Weapons, Armor, Clothing, Potions, Staffs, Wands and Gauntlets.

Fortifications

19. Defense Bonus. Fortifications impose a penalty on enemy Melee and Ranged attacks made against the column. The defense bonus value modifies the die roll required to hit defenders.

20. Fortification Abilities. Rarer Fortifications also provide abilities to the column, such as healing or immunities.

Fate Deck Cards

The Fate Deck moderates play throughout the game. Players may acquire random benefits when drawing from the deck, or calamities or war may befall them.

The Fate Deck is made up of:

• Add to Hand Events
• Instant Events
• Mercenaries
• Bandits
• Wandering Monsters
• Combat Cards

21. Fate Deck Indicator. For ease of sorting, an indicator field shows which deck or decks a Fate Deck card belongs in.

• For a Quick Kill setup, use only the 12 cards that have 1 segment shown in the field.
• For a Quest, use cards that have 1 or 2 segments shown in the field.
• For a Campaign, use all cards (1, 2 or 3 segments shown in the field).

Alliance, Late Alliance and Break Alliance cards have no markers, and are added to 3 and 4-player Quests and Campaigns only.

22. Victory Cards. Any player winning a combat receives at least one Victory Card (drawn from their Player Deck). The number of cards drawn is shown in this field.

23. Bandit Tag. Bandits are roving bands of villains that will attack the player that draws them. Unlike Wandering Monsters, Bandits are organized, and the Bandit Pool will join the Bandit in the attack (refer to the Bandit Pool in Combat, page 15). All Mercenaries are Bandits, the only difference being that they think they can make more gold by occasionally hiring out their services.

24. Mercenary Title. Mercenary Units and Heroes are titled as such.

25. Mercenary Hiring Cost. Mercenaries may be hired using a Gold card of at least 1,000 Gold value. Mercenary Heroes may be hired using a Gold card of at least 2,000 Gold value. Refer to Section IV for details.

Advanced Fate Decks

The Fate Deck may be adjusted to accommodate stronger Player Decks. Included in the upcoming Arcane and Carnage expansion sets are cards that replace some of the existing Events, Mercenaries, Bandits and Wandering Monsters with more powerful and lethal cards. The invulnerable Ruby Golem, the Ancient Hydra and the Demon War Pack are more than a challenge for even the strongest players!

Section IV: The Fate Deck Draw

Events

Add to Hand cards are placed in the drawing player's hand without being revealed to other players, whereas Instant cards are revealed for all players to see.

Unlike most Powers, some Add to Hand Events may be played to effect combats in which a player does not have any of their own combatants present, such as when an opponent is facing a Wandering Monster, or when two other players are facing off in a Skirmish or Battle!

Beneficial Events may be played at critical moments in combat to devastate an enemy or save a player's forces from destruction. There are 4 Add to Hand Events in each Quick Kill game, 10 in each Quest and 19 in each Campaign.

Note on Advanced Fate Decks: Double Damage is changed to Triple Damage in Advanced Fate Decks, which also include more powerful versions of Automatic Hit and Shield. The Earthquake, Famine and Pestilence Instant Events become deadlier in these decks, being replaced by Severe Earthquake, Dire Famine and Plague.

Add to Hand Events

Quick Kill Add to Hand Events (the 4 Events shown in Section I, Step 4):

• Automatic Hit (Event, Special; Play Before Combat or End of Round). Turn a failed Melee or Ranged attack into an instant hit (this may be used on a natural "12"), then re-roll for chance of a Critical Hit. May play on a combat you are not involved in.
• Break Item (Event, Special). Instantly break an Item equipped by a Hero or Warlord. May play on a combat you are not involved in.
• Critical Hit (Event, Special). Turn an attack roll into a "1". Play after a creature makes their Melee or Ranged attacks, converting the worst die roll into a natural "1". This can be used to adjust a roll of "12". May play on a combat you are not involved in.
• Double Damage (Event, Special). Double Melee or Ranged damage. Play upon a Melee or Ranged hit, to double the damage inflicted by the attack (cannot be played on a Critical Hit, or in conjunction with Double Damage or Triple Damage abilities). May play on a combat you are not involved in.

Quest Add to Hand Events (added to the 4 Quick Kill Events):

• Enhance Spell (Event, Special). Add 1 damage to a Spell. Adds 1 point to the damage inflicted by a damaging Spell. May play on a combat you are not involved in.
• Heal Monster (Event, Special). Play after attacks are made on a Wandering Monster (it must have at least 1 Health left. The creature may have Restricted Healing). The monster is restored to full Health. This Event can be used on a monster that has joined a player's army.
• Misdirection (Event, Special). Redirect a Bandit or Wandering Monster (may also redirect the Bandit Pool), after combatants are declared. The drawer may redirect onto their own army, or onto a different player, or onto different enemy column(s), other than an enemy Warlord column.
• Negate Power (Event, Special). Void an enemy Power. Void any Power card at the time that it is used by an opponent.
• Shield (Event, Special). Take no damage from an attack. Play after a creature is hit with one set of Melee or Ranged attacks (including Attack Twice or Attack Thrice), a Breath Weapon or a damaging Spell. The shielded creature takes no damage (does not shield any others struck by the attack). May play on a combat you are not involved in.
• Wandering Healer (Event, Special). Heal your army or an allied army. Play to negate Pestilence, or at the start or end of a combat round. Paralyze, Poison and Deadly Poison effects are voided (before damage occurs if used at the End of Round) and the army is restored to full Health (including creatures with Restricted Healing, but excluding Conjured).

Campaign Add to Hand Events (added to Quick Kill and Quest Events):

• Counter Ability (Event, Special). Void an Ability. Void a use of an enemy Breath Weapon, Deadly Poison, Enthral, Lycanthropy, Mastery, Mortal Terror, Paralyze, Poison, Raise Dead, Steal Enemy Item or Turn to Stone ability. May play on a combat you are not involved in.
• Forewarning (Event, Special). Void a Fate Deck card. Play after any player draws and reveals an Instant Fate Deck card, other than Final War. The Fate Deck card is instantly discarded.
• Grand Intervention (Event, Special). Void an enemy Add to Hand Event. Void any Add to Hand Fate Deck card at the time that it is played by an opponent. The enemy Event is instantly discarded.
• Counter Spell (Event, Special). Void an enemy Spell. Void a Spell at the time that it is cast by another player, Bandit or Wandering Monster.
• Destroy Fortification (Event, Play Before Combat). Destroy a Fortification. Instantly destroy a selected Fortification (other than a Conjured Fortification). May play on a combat you are not involved in.
• Taxation! (Event, End of Turn). 1-11 to steal an Add to Hand. This Event allows the player to roll 1-11 to seize an Add to Hand card from an opponent's hand. An Add to Hand card is chosen at random if the opponent has more than one.
• Treasure! (Event, Special). A horde of gold! This card is worth 10,000 Gold and functions as a Gold card in every respect.
• Citadel (Fortification, Event). Defense (-2): 2 penalty on Melee/Ranged rolls against this column. Immune to: Breath Weapons.

Note: The rulebook states that there are 19 Add to Hand Events in each Campaign. The Campaign Add to Hand Events shown in the rulebook, added to the 4 Quick Kill and 6 Quest Events, total 18 cards; the rulebook's count of 19 is transcribed as printed.

Instant Events

There are both harmful and beneficial Instant Events. These are resolved according to the card text, once the card is revealed. No Instant Events are used in Quick Kill games and only Pestilence is used in Quests.

Pestilence (Event, Instant). 1-10 to save each follower! All Units and Heroes in the drawer's army must roll or be struck down by disease. Any creature or character rolling an 11 or 12 is slain (Warlord and all Special Body Types are immune).

Hint: Some creatures, such as Wererats or the Werewolf Hero Darkling, are Plague Bearers. This Ability can turn Pestilence into a particularly deadly Event for an unlucky foe!

Campaign Instant Events (added to Pestilence):

• Earthquake (Event, Instant). 1-8 to save each Fortification! The drawer must immediately roll to save each Fortification in their army from an earthquake. Any Fortification that rolls a 9 or higher is instantly destroyed (other than Conjured Fortifications).
• Armory (Event, Instant). 1-4 extra cards! Roll a die and immediately draw extra cards from your Player Deck: 1-3 roll = 4 cards, 4-6 roll = 3 cards, 7-9 roll = 2 cards, 10+ roll = 1 card.
• Famine (Event, Instant). Army suffers 1 damage! All creatures in the drawer's army instantly take 1 damage (Conjured, Demon, Elemental, Ethereal and Undead are immune). Cannot be blocked by Items, Powers or Spells that diminish damage.
• Fortitude (Event, Instant). Heal & gain 2 Health. This card is immediately played on the drawer's Warlord, or a Hero or Unit in their army (except Conjured, or one with Restricted Healing). Heal the recipient and add 2 extra Health, then discard the Event. The extra Health cannot be restored once lost.
• Resurrection (Event, Instant or End of Round). Recover a discarded Unit or Hero. The drawer immediately takes a slain Unit or Hero from their discard pile and adds it to their hand or army. If there are no slain creatures, the Event becomes an Add to Hand and may be played at an End of Round.
• Theft! (Event, Instant). Lose an Item! The drawer must immediately discard an Item from their Warlord or a Hero in their army, if they have any Items equipped.

Mercenaries

Mercenaries are rogues that offer their services for gold. If Mercenaries are not hired, they revert to their old ways and become lawless bandits.

• Shengra the Insane (Mercenary Hero; PR 7; Health 5; Bandit; Chaotic). Double Damage in 1st Round. Raise Dead (1-6): Roll 1-6 upon slaying an enemy in Melee, to raise as a Chaotic Undead (see Ability Guide). Dark Healing (1/combat). +1 PR to Shengra's Unit.
• Theena the Cunning (Mercenary Hero; PR 7; Health 3; Bandit; Neutral). First Strike. Steal Enemy Item (1/combat, 1-6): Roll 1-6 to steal an Item on an enemy combatant, as Theena's only action that round. The Item may be equipped or discarded. +1 PR to Theena's Unit.
• Kilop, Horselord (Mercenary Hero; PR 7; Health 3; Bandit; Neutral). First Strike. Scout: All cards in enemy armies are revealed and new cards are placed face-up. Roll 1-4 to view any Add to Hand cards drawn by opponents. +2 PR to Kilop's Unit.
• The Besiegers (Mercenary Unit; PR 7; Health 4; Bandit; Neutral). Vulnerable to Fire (take x2 Fire Damage). Ranged Attack. Immune to: Reprisal. Counter Fortifications: Fortifications are powerless against The Besiegers' army (including immunities conferred by a Fort).
• Frenzied Magi (Mercenary Unit; PR 7; Health 3; Bandit; Chaotic). Spell: Death Bolts (1/combat). Target an enemy to inflict 1 damage on the column (Conjured and Undead are immune). Dark Healing (1/combat).
• Berserkers (Mercenary Unit; PR 5; Health 2; Bandit; Chaotic). Enemy Bonus to Hit (4). Attack Twice. Double Damage. Immune to: Fear & Mortal Terror.

Hiring a Mercenary: The drawing player has the first option to hire the Mercenary, if they have Gold available. A Mercenary Unit may be hired by discarding a Gold card of at least 1,000 Gold value. A Mercenary Hero may be hired by discarding a Gold card of at least 2,000 Gold value.

Drawing Player Does Not Hire: If the drawing player does not hire the Mercenary, the opponent has the option to do so. In a 3 or 4-player game, the next clockwise player has the option (the option proceeding in order, until the Mercenary is hired or all players have declined). If no player hires the Mercenary, the Mercenary joins the Bandit Pool.

Hint: Mercenaries can be a very useful to bolster an army, but they can be a two-edged sword. There are various Powers that can force a Mercenary to switch sides in the heat of battle.

Wandering Monsters

Wandering Monsters occasionally enter a player's realm, savagely attacking until they are slain or until they gorge themselves on a hapless victim and depart.

• Gorgons (Wandering Monster; PR 8; Health 3; Chaotic; Victory 2). Turn to Stone: A damaging attack by the Gorgons instantly slays the victim. Ethereal creatures and those of a higher PR than the Gorgons are immune.
• Fire Dragon (Wandering Monster; PR 9; Health 5; Dragon; Chaotic; Victory 3). Attack Last. Melee/Breath Weapon. Breath Weapon (Fire): Used in 1st & 3rd rounds (unless in army, then 1/combat). Roll, 1-6 = 2 Fire Damage to column, 7+ = 1 Fire Damage. Immune to: Breath Weapons & Fire Damage.
• Minotaurs (Wandering Monster; PR 8; Health 4). Triple Damage.
• Giant Trolls (Wandering Monster; PR 9; Health 4; Chaotic; Victory 2). Enemy Bonus to Hit (2). Vulnerable to Fire & Acid (take double). Restricted Healing. Attack Twice. Regenerate: Heal at End of Round, unless taking Poison, Fire or Acid damage in this combat.

Fighting a Monster: The player that draws a Wandering Monster must fight it. There are 4 Wandering Monsters used in Quick Kill games, rising to 8 in Quests and 12 in Campaigns.

The player being attacked by the Wandering Monster selects one of their columns to enter battle against the monster (unless the Monster is joined by the Bandit Pool). Whenever there are multiple columns of Wandering Monsters, the player selects one of their own columns for each Monster column (if possible).

Monster Control: Wandering Monsters are controlled by an opposing player in combat. In a 3 or 4-player game, the next clockwise player controls the Wandering Monster, unless that player is formally allied to the drawing player (in which case another player is selected).

Quick Kill Substitutions (recommended): One or more substitutions or alterations are recommended, if players are finding that the Fate Deck monsters are becoming less challenging in a Quick Kill game:

1. Replace the Gorgons with the Fire Dragon or the Deathdrake, and/or
2. Place the Fire Dragon or the Deathdrake in the Bandit Pool at the start of the game, and/or
3. Add 1 Health to each of the Wandering Monsters and Bandits.

Bandits

Bandit Pool: The Bandit Pool is composed of any Mercenaries that have not been hired, and any Bandits that have survived a previous combat.

If a Bandit is drawn, the Bandit Pool joins the attack against the drawing player.

Bandit Heroes: Mercenary Heroes may form columns with Bandit Units. The Mercenary Hero will confer their PR bonus to the Bandit Unit.

• Marauders (Bandit Unit; PR 8; Health 4; Victory 2). Enemy Bonus to Hit (2). Attack Twice. Hit Column.

Combat Cards

Drawing a Skirmish, Battle or the Final War card pits players against one another in direct combat. Skirmishes and Battles are one-on-one combats, but the Final War involves all players (in 3 or 4-player games).

• Skirmish (Combat, Instant). 1 column vs 1 column! Each player selects 1 column in their army to do battle. Neither side may choose their Warlord column unless no other option exists. The player that did not draw the Skirmish chooses first.
• Battle (Combat, Instant). 2 columns vs 2 columns! Each player selects 2 columns in their army to do battle. Players may include their Warlord column. The player that did not draw the Battle chooses 1 column, then the drawer chooses a column. Repeat for the second column.
• Final War (Combat, Instant). Army vs Army! The time has come to battle to the death! All armies enter the fray, from which only one will emerge!

Skirmish: In a 2-player game, the defender (player that did not draw the Skirmish card) selects one of their columns to enter combat, and then the drawing player chooses one of their own columns to attack with. In a 3 or 4-player game, the drawing player chooses the two players that will fight (which may or may not include themself), as well as which player selects a column first. A Skirmish may not involve a Warlord column unless there is no other option available.

Battle: A battle operates as per the Skirmish, above, except that a second column is chosen by each side after the first (in sequence, the defender chooses a second combat column before the attacker names their second). Battles may involve Warlord columns. If one side only has one column (i.e.: the Warlord column) then the fight can be two columns on one.

Final War: The "fight to the death" begins, from which only one player shall emerge victorious!

Advanced Fate Deck Bidding

An advanced rule allows other players to try to outbid the drawing player. The previous bid must be advanced by at least 1,000 Gold, with bidding proceeding until there is one clear winner.

Section V: Timing

Timing is listed on cards that may be activated or played at specific points during the game (Spell and Power cards, as well as on some Events and Items).

All cards that are played according to their timing are placed or turned face-up for all players to see, when they are played.

Timing is divided into 6 categories: Start of Turn, Play Before Combat, Combat, End of Round, End of Turn and Special.

Start of Turn

May be played prior to, or directly after, the Player Deck draw (they must be played prior to deploying any cards to the army, or drawing from the Fate Deck). For example, the "Bolster Army" Power card, which allows a player to draw 2 extra Player Deck cards.

Hint: It's often worthwhile saving Powers, Spells, Add to Hand Events and activated Items until Final War (though using them to win an encounter against a Wandering Monster is tempting, and sometimes necessary to save your Warlord or a powerful follower!)

Hint: Throwing down a Critical Hit onto an enemy Warlord's column, coupled with additional damage and a Follow Through, may slay your opponent outright and win the game!

Play Before Combat

May be played after rolling Initiative, upon entering a combat. For example, playing the "First Strike" Power card, which confers the First Strike Ability on a combatant for one combat.

These cards are played in alternating turns with opponents (one at a time per player), with the player that won Initative [sic] acting first.

"Play Before Combat" Items: Items that have "Play Before Combat" timing, such as the Potion of Strength or Amulet of Anger, must already be equipped before they can be activated in the "Play Before Combat" phase. The player declares that the Item is being used as a "Play Before Combat" action, in the same way in which they would play a "Play Before Combat" card from their hand. If unused, the Item remains equipped and may be activated before a subsequent combat.

Combat

These cards can be played in specific circumstances during combat. For example, "Combat" Spells may be played as a Spell action by a combatant. The text of "Combat" Powers identifies when they may be played.

End of Round

May be played at the end of a combat round (thus after all combatants have performed an action in a combat round). For example, the "Reinforce" Power card, which allows a player to add a combatant to the fight.

End of Turn

These cards may be played at the end of a player's turn (after the Fate Deck draw has been resolved). For example, the "Spy" Power card, which allows a player to view an opponent's cards and view the top 3 cards of the Fate Deck.

Special

These cards may be used in specific circumstances, as outlined in the card text. For example, the "Pickpocket" Power card allows a player to steal a Gold card when it is played by an opponent.

Die Rolls are used to break any Timing tie that occurs, such as when two players each have an Item that grants automatic Initiative.

All "Play Before Combat" Items and Powers last only for the combat in which they are used (discarded afterwards, except for Items that have 2 charges of this type).

Section VI: Combat

Combat is initiated by drawing any Bandit, Wandering Monster, Skirmish or Battle, or the Final War card.

Players that are engaged in combat use one or more of their columns against the enemy, fighting until only one side remains.

5. "Play Before Combat" Cards

The winner of Initiative has the option to play a single pre-combat card, listed as "Play Before Combat" in the timing field. The opponent may then use a single pre-combat card (in clockwise order in 3 or 4-player games). Repeat this alternating process, until all players have played any pre-combat cards that they wish to play.

To cast a "Play Before Combat" Spell, one of the combatants must be a spell caster with that Spell field.

No More Cards Can Be Deployed! Once a combat card is drawn (Skirmish, Battle, Final War, Bandit or a Wandering Monster), no Units, Heroes, Items or Fortifications that are in a player's hand can be placed into the army, unless the player has a Late Deployment or similar card.

6. Place Markers

Action Markers, Healing Tokens and Item Charge Tokens are placed before combat commences.

Action Markers are used to track which combatants have acted in a given round and which are still to act (a combatant's Action Marker is turned over once it acts in a given round).

Healing and Dark Healing may be used a certain number of times per combat, as indicated by the corresponding tokens. Similarly, Items that have charges may be used a given number of times before they are discarded.

• First Strike Action Marker: Placed on each combatant that has the First Strike Ability, unless they have been inflicted with Attack Last.
• Normal Action Marker: Placed on each combatant that has neither the First Strike Ability nor the Attack Last penalty.
• Attack Last Action Marker: Placed on each combatant that has the Attack Last penalty (including those afflicted with Attack Last temporarily).
• Healing Token: Add token(s) to each combatant that has the Healing Ability (1 token per time Healing may be used per combat).
• Dark Healing Token: Add token(s) to each combatant that has the Dark Healing Ability (1 token per time Dark Healing may be used per combat).
• Item Charge Token: Add token(s) to each Item that has charges (1 token per charge). Discard any charged Item that falls to 0 tokens.

Phases of Combat

Pre-Combat

1. Declare combatants.
2. Mastery check (if applicable).
3. Reveal all hidden cards.
4. Roll Initiative.
5. Use "Play Before Combat" Events, Powers, Items and Spells.
6. Place Action Markers, Healing/Dark Healing Tokens and Item Charge Tokens.

1. Declare Combatants. The player or players that are involved in combat choose their combatant columns, as described on Pages 15 and 16 (where applicable, as all columns are automatically involved for all players once Final War is drawn).

2. Mastery Check (if applicable). If the Guildmaster Warlord is declared as a combatant against one or more Bandits, the player makes Mastery Ability rolls, before entering the next phase. One roll is made to take over each Bandit (1-4 needed).

3. Reveal All Hidden Cards. Once all combatants are declared, both players reveal any facedown Items or other cards that are on the columns in combat. Any card played in combat is placed face up unless otherwise stated.

4. Roll Initiative. Both combatants roll a die for Initiative, with the lowest roller winning. Ties are re-rolled until there is a result. The winner of Initiative will go first in each phase of this and subsequent combat rounds.

"Fear" is a potent Ability that causes all enemy combatants of less power (PR) to Attack Last. This can even affect an entire enemy army, with the exception of the Warlord! If a creature is susceptible to Fear and suffers Attack Last, they remain that way for the rest of that combat round, even if the Fear-inducing enemy is slain.

Hint: Initiative is very important, particularly in Final War, and especially if the enemy has Potions that can be shattered before they can be used. Striking first is often the path to victory!

Combat Rounds

Combatants cannot elect to do nothing in a round. Combat is conducted in combat rounds. A combat round ends once all combatants have performed an action (or been slain or otherwise incapacitated).

In the absence of an alternative, a combatant must make a Melee attack upon an enemy.

Combat Round Order:

1. First Strike. All creatures with the First Strike Ability will attack first in each combat round.
2. Normal Phase. All other combatants act after First Strike, except those afflicted with Attack Last.
3. Attack Last. All creatures with the Attack Last penalty only act after First Strike and Normal Phase.

First Strike. The player that won Initiative acts first. If they have one or more creatures with First Strike, they now resolve an action for one of their First Strike combatants. The opponent then performs an action for one of their First Strike creatures, if they have one (proceeds in clockwise order in a 3 or 4-player game). Combat continues alternately where possible, with the actions of one Unit, Hero or Warlord resolved at a time by each player, until all First Strike combatants have acted.

Normal Phase. The player that won Initiative acts first, after all First Strike combatants have acted. If they have one or more creatures that do not have either First Strike or Attack Last, they now resolve an action for one of these combatants. The opponent then performs an action for a similar creature, if they have one. Combat continues alternately where possible, with the actions of one Unit, Hero or Warlord resolved at a time by each player, until all combatants that have neither First Strike nor Attack Last have acted.

Attack Last. The player that won Initiative acts first, after all First Strike and Normal Phase combatants have acted. If they have one or more creatures that have Attack Last, they now resolve an action for one of these combatants. The opponent then performs an action for a similar creature, if they have one. Combat continues alternately where possible, with the actions of one Unit, Hero or Warlord resolved at a time by each player, until all Attack Last combatants have acted.

Hint: If the player winning Initiative does not have a creature with First Strike, but an opponent does, the opponent acts for their First Strike combatant(s) first. Similarly, in each phase of combat, if a player does not have applicable combatants for that phase, the opponent(s) resolves actions for all such creatures before play moves to the next phase.

Combat Actions

Each combatant may perform one action per combat round. Possible actions are:

• Melee attack
• Ranged attack
• Use an Ability
• Cast a Spell
• Use a charged Item that may be activated in place of other actions for a round.

The attacking player declares which of their remaining combatants will now act (one of their combatants that is still to perform an action in their applicable phase (such as First Strike), and as tracked by the Action Markers set out above).

Note: Some creatures can conduct both a Melee Attack and perform another action, such as combatants that have Melee/Spell or Melee/Breath Weapon Abilities. If both actions involve attacking the enemy, the attacks may be directed against different targets.

Hint: The enemy Warlord can still be killed by attacking their Unit, if the attacker has Abilities such as Hit Column or Follow Through, or with Spells or Breath Weapons that target the Unit, but hit the entire column.

Hint: It is very important to look at an enemy army carefully. Players are not required to inform their opponents of the Weaknesses or Abilities of their forces, unless directly asked. This is particularly pertinent in regards to the "Fearful" Weakness. Refer to the "Ability Guide" for details!

Melee Attacks

Attacking the enemy in close quarters (Melee) is the default action if a combatant has no alternative.

The attacking player declares which enemy is being targeted, which may be in any combat column. The target may be a:

• Unit (or Wandering Monster), or
• Hero that does not have a Unit in front of them (an "Unprotected Hero"), or
• Warlord, but only if the Warlord is the last remaining enemy.

The attacker rolls equal to or less than their PR on a die to score a hit, adding any bonuses and subtracting any penalties.

• A natural roll of "12" is always a miss. Unless otherwise stated, the roll cannot be modified in order to become a hit.
• A natural roll of "1" is always a hit. Unless otherwise stated, the roll cannot be modified in order to become a miss.

Important Notes

• One die is rolled for each attack.
• "Attack Twice", roll 2 dice at the same time.
• "Attack Thrice", roll 3 dice at the same time.
• Each roll is a separate attack.
• All attacks must be directed against the same enemy, unless the attacker has the "Hit Multiple" Ability, which allows them to split their attacks.

Critical Hits

A natural (unmodified) roll of a "1" in combat is a Critical Hit and inflicts an extra point of damage. The exception is when a roll of 1 is required to hit the enemy, in which case normal damage is inflicted.

Any Critical Hit allows the attacker to roll again for an Instant Kill (see below).

Instant Kill

Any natural (unmodified) roll of 1 with this second throw instantly slays the victim, irrespective of their Health. The die roll cannot be modified in any way to become a "1" (for example, the Critical Hit Event cannot be played).

A successful Instant Kill roll will slay both the Unit and Hero if the attacker has Follow Through or Hit Column Ability.

Damage

• Each hit inflicts 1 point of damage on the target, unless otherwise stated (for example, if the attacker has "Double Damage" then each hit will inflict a base of 2 damage).
• Damage from an attacker is pooled for the purposes of inflicting Follow Through (see "Ability Guide").
• Any hit that takes a target to zero Health is a killing blow, and the victim is discarded.

Damage may be adjusted. Certain Items, Powers, Spells and Abilities may all adjust the amount of damage inflicted (either adding to the damage or reducing the damage sustained). One Health Token is removed for each point of damage sustained.

Hit Column (Ability)

Attackers with this Ability cause damage to the entire target column. The attack is carried out against the Unit only, with any hit automatically damaging the Hero or Warlord for the same amount of damage that the Unit sustains. Refer to the "Ability Guide" for more details.

Follow Through (Ability)

This Ability may come into play when an enemy Unit is slain, if the Unit has a Hero or Warlord behind them. 1 damage, plus surplus damage remaining from the hit that slew the Unit, is transferred to the Hero/Warlord in that column. Refer to the "Ability Guide" for more details.

Hint: It's often very dangerous to place a Unit in front of your Warlord, even if the Unit is quite powerful. Beware placing a Unit with your Warlord if the enemy has Hit Column or Follow Through, unless you've picked up some good defensive cards!

Ranged Attacks

This Ability allows combatants to target protected enemy Heroes (those with a Unit in front of them). The attacker may therefore target an enemy:

• Unit (or Wandering Monster), or
• Hero, or
• Warlord, but only if the Warlord is the last remaining enemy.

Attacks are otherwise made in the same manner that Melee attacks are carried out. Damage is also calculated in the same way, including Critical Hits, Instant Kill, Hit Column and Follow Through.

Hint: Ranged Attacks are great for picking off Heroes that are protected by a high-Health Unit. They are also very useful when facing an enemy that has the "Reprisal" Ability. Reprisal causes damage to the attacker, if they strike the creature with a Melee attack.

Combat Example

The attacker rolls equal to or less than their PR on a die to score a hit, + any bonuses, – any penalties.

• PR + Bonuses: Tharas' PR = 7 (I). Nature's Gift provides a +1 PR bonus (II). Gauntlet's of Smiting is adding an attack bonus of +1 (III). The PR and bonuses are summed.
• Penalties: The targeted enemy is a Hero, Darkling, who is wearing Bone Armor, which imposes a penalty of 2 points on the attack roll (IV). Darkling's column is protected by a Fortification, which adds a further 2 point penalty (V). The penalties are both imposed on the attack.

Tharas therefore needs to roll a 9 or less on each of his attack die to hit (Tharas has two attacks per round, rolling one die for each), modified by any penalties the enemy is imposing on the roll. Tharas therefore needs to roll a 5 or less on each of his attack die to score a hit.

Use an Ability in Combat

The following activated Abilities may be used in combat, in lieu of other actions unless otherwise stated (refer to the "Ability Guide" for full details).

• Breath Weapon. Target as per a Ranged Attack. Inflicts the damage described on the card on an entire enemy column.
• Crush Fortification. Attempt to destroy an enemy Fortification.
• Dark Healing. Counts as a Spell action (allowing combatants with Melee/Spell to attack and use Dark Healing in the same round). Fully heals a Chaotic combatant (other than one with Restricted Healing), or cures a Chaotic of Poison.
• Healing. Counts as a Spell action (allowing combatants with Melee/Spell to attack and use Healing in the same round). Fully heals a Neutral or Good combatant (other than one with Restricted Healing). Cures a Neutral or Good of Poison.
• Steal Enemy Item. Target an enemy Hero or Warlord (normal restrictions on targeting a Warlord do not apply). Roll to steal an equipped Item of the thief's choice (other than a charged Item that has already been activated, such as a "Play Before Combat" Potion).

Cast a Spell

Spells that have "Combat" timing may be played as a combat action. Refer to the Spell card for details on the use and effect.

The following overriding rules apply to Spells:

• Target as per a Ranged Attack.
• Offensive Spells may not be cast on a player's own army, unless the Warlord is Chaotic.
• Curse Spells are played on an enemy and marked with a Roaming Card Marker (returned at the end of combat, or when the creature is discarded, or at the end of game).

Note: Conjured or Summoned Units that are created from an Item or Spell are placed in a combatant column. An Item that summons a Unit is no longer treated as an Item once used, but is instead a Unit.

Use a Charged Item

Items that have charges that may be expended in combat ("Combat" timing) may be used as an action, if they state that they may be used in lieu of other actions for a round.

• If the Item casts a Spell (such as a Scroll Item), it is treated as a Spell action (thus a Melee/Spell caster may attack in Melee and make use of a scroll).
• Refer to the card text for the Item effect.

Items that have multiple charges cannot make use of more than one charge per combat round, unless otherwise stated on the card. Any Item of this type that has no Charge Tokens remaining is discarded.

Paralyze, Poison, Deadly Poison and Turn to Stone (Abilities)

A creature with one of these Abilities must inflict a damaging Melee or Ranged hit, in order to Paralyze, Poison or petrify an enemy.

• Deadly Poison: Slays the victim at the End of Round.
• Paralyze: Stuns victim for up to 2 rounds.
• Poison: Inflicts 1 damage at each End of Round (including at the end of a combat), after any End of Round cards are played.
• Turn to Stone: Victim is instantly slain.

Refer to the "Ability Guide" for more details.

Hint: Automatic Hit, Break Item, Critical Hit, Double Damage and other "Add to Hand" Events may all be used on combats that a player is not directly involved in as a combatant, such as:

• playing the Event to advantage a Wandering Monster against an opponent, or
• playing the Event to advantage one opposing player over another, in a 3 or 4-player game.

Many games have been won by playing a timely Critical Hit on the part of a Wandering Monster that is attacking an opponent!

Combat Notes & Hints

Guildmaster. The Guildmaster gains Attack Thrice, but only in the first round of combat... the benefits of being sneaky and striking before the enemy is ready! If he chooses to use his Steal Enemy Item Ability in the first round, he does not gain Attack Thrice next round.

Reinforcements. Some Powers and Items allow a player to bring in additional combatants to a fight.

• Reinforcements may join existing combat columns or form new ones (requiring a vacant column in the army).
• In 4-player team games, reinforcements may be sent to aid a teammate (column remains in the owning player's army). Allied reinforcements roll their own Initiative when joining combat.
• Reinforcements do not get to use "1st round" Abilities, such as "Automatic Hit in 1st Round".

Discard Pile. Each player has their own discard pile. At no time are any cards from another player placed in an opponent's hand or discard pile. If a card is acquired and cannot be immediately placed into the army, it is discarded.

• Fate Deck cards in a player's hand (such as Add to Hand Events) or in a player's army (such as Mercenaries) are placed in the Fate Deck discard pile once used/slain.
• Any cards stolen from a player (for example by Steal Enemy Item, Lycanthropy or Raise Dead) are placed in the owning player's discard pile once the card is used/destroyed/slain.

Raising Undead & Were

Raise Dead and Lycanthropy brings a slain enemy to life as an Undead or Were creature and makes them join the attacker's army.

• The Undead and Were must be added to the army, or are discarded otherwise. If added to a combat, the creature must be placed in a combatant column, or a vacant column (they cannot join a partially-filled army column that is not in the combat).
• The creature cannot act until the next combat round.
• Good and Neutral creatures turned in this way become Chaotic.
• Chaotic Undead and Were lose any Healing casting Ability and Healing Ability they possess. Such spell casters gain Death Magic casting (but not Dark Healing).
• An Undead Marker is added to any creature raised as an Undead, along with a Roaming Card Marker (reminding the player to return it when the creature is discarded, or at the end of game).
• A Were Marker is added to any creature raised as a Were, along with a Roaming Card Marker (reminding the player to return it when the creature is discarded, or at the end of game).

Resurrection Event

Creatures can be raised from the dead to rejoin combat via Resurrection. This restores a creature to full Health from the discard pile, and the creature may act in the next combat round.

Interfering in Combat

Various Powers and Events may be used to interfere in a combat that a player is not directly involved in (a combat in which none of their combatants are involved).

Powers that adjust another player's die rolls may be used in this fashion unless the card specifically says otherwise.

Automatic Hit and Critical Hit Events. Neutral and Chaotic Warlords may use these Events against their own Unit or Hero, following an enemy attack. This is sometimes performed to prevent a Unit or Hero from subsequently being targeted by a creature that can raise them from the dead using Lycanthropy or Raise Dead.

Hint: Games are often won by choosing to intervene in an enemy's combat at a crucial time. For example, when your opponent has foolishly put (or been forced to place) their Warlord in combat with a Wandering Monster, the timely use of the Critical Hit, Automatic Hit or Double Damage Events can often crush your foe before you ever reach Final War!

Shield Event. This Event blocks all damage from the attack or set of attacks, including Paralyze, Poison and Turn to Stone.

Break Item Event. Break Item may be used on an Item equipped by a player's own Warlord, or one of their own Heroes. This is sometimes performed to free up space for a different Item.

Wandering Healer. If the Wandering Healer is played at the End of Round, he voids poison before any Poison or Deadly Poison damage is applied.

Ranged Attack. Combatants with this Ability may still elect to make a Melee attack (for example, to inflict Lycanthropy). Also note that with regard to the Crossbow of Power, if the Hero or Warlord has more than one attack, two die are rolled separately for each attack in the first round of combat (they are not rolled as a group).

End of Combat

Victory. Combat ends when only one side remains. At least one combatant must remain on the field of battle to claim victory. If both sides in a combat eliminate each other at the same time, the result is a victory to neither party.

Note: Getting poisoned and dying after seeing off the last of your enemies can be quite annoying, but it's difficult to claim victory if you're dead!

Warlord Slain. As soon as a player's Warlord dies, any remaining forces that they have disband and they are out of the game. If this is a 2-player game, the opposing player is the winner.

Stalemate. A fight sometimes takes place where the combatants struggle to slay each other, such as when two powerful Heroes that both have the Regenerate Ability face each other.

• Any combat in which 5 combat rounds pass without a single creature being slain from either side results in a stalemate.
• The combat ends and both sides retreat, with neither side claiming a victory.
• If this was the Final War, then the Final War card is replaced at the end of the Fate Deck.
• If this was the end of the Fate Deck, all cards are discarded except for the player's Warlords cards, then fight to the death one-on-one with no army to support them.

Post-Combat Healing. Victorious combatants that have any remaining Healing or Dark Healing Tokens may use them at the end of combat, but only on themselves or other surviving combatants. Any victorious Hero or Warlord that has an Item that allows for Healing in lieu of actions may use it at the completion of the combat.

Victory Cards

• Victory in combat confers immediate benefits, in the form of extra cards drawn from the winner's Player Deck following the fight.
• Defeating a Wandering Monster or Bandit awards 1 Player Deck card for each Monster defeated (or more, as stated on the more powerful Monster cards). Mercenaries count as Bandits if they are in the Bandit Pool.
• Winning a Skirmish awards 2 Player Deck cards.
• Winning a Battle awards 3 Player Deck cards.

Bandit Victory

Victorious Bandits (and any reinforcements they received from the Bandit Pool) are healed to full and added to the Bandit Pool at the end of combat.

Remove Cards & Tokens

• Remove Action Markers and other markers or tokens that were added during combat, except for permanent markers such as Undead or Were.
• Poisoned markers are removed, remembering that the creature takes 1 damage in the final combat round before combat is considered complete.
• Surviving combatants remain on the Health they finished the combat with, unless healed at the end of combat.

All "Play Before Combat" Power and Item cards only last one combat and are discarded at the end of combat.

Section VII: Quests & Campaigns

Quests and Campaigns use a larger Fate Deck and a different number of starting cards, but otherwise follow the same rules as the Quick Kill version of Final War. Campaigns are the longest and most strategic form of the game.

Quest Setup (Variation from Quick Kill)

Form a Fate Deck composed of the 12 cards from the Quick Kill version, plus the 13 cards below.

• Counter Ability
• Enhance Spell
• Heal Monster
• Misdirection
• Negate Power
• Shield
• Wandering Healer
• Pestilence
• Frenzied Magi
• Theena the Cunning
• Rogues
• Fire Dragon
• Battle

Fate Deck Indicator: For a Quest, use cards that have 1 or 2 segments shown in the field.

Quest Card Details (new to the Quest Fate Deck):

• Frenzied Magi (Mercenary Unit; PR 7; Health 3; Bandit; Chaotic). Spell: Death Bolts (1/combat). Target an enemy to inflict 1 damage on the column (Conjured & Undead are immune). Dark Healing (1/combat).
• Theena the Cunning (Mercenary Hero; PR 7; Health 3; Bandit; Neutral). First Strike. Steal Enemy Item (1/combat, 1-6): Roll 1-6 to steal an Item on an enemy combatant, as Theena's only action that round. The Item may be equipped or discarded. +1 PR to Theena's Unit.
• Rogues (Bandit Unit; PR 7; Health 3; Chaotic). First Strike. Hit & Run (10+). Steal Enemy Item (1/combat, 1-9): Roll 1-9 to steal an Item on an enemy combatant. If the Rogues have a Hero in their column, the Item is passed to the Hero (discard otherwise).
• Fire Dragon (Wandering Monster; PR 9; Health 5; Dragon; Chaotic). Attack Last. Melee/Breath Weapon. Breath Weapon (Fire): Used in 1st & 3rd rounds (unless in army, then 1/combat). Roll, 1-6 = 2 Fire Damage to column, 7+ = 1 Fire Damage. Immune to: Breath Weapons & Fire Damage.
• Battle (Combat, Instant). 2 columns vs 2 columns! Each player selects 2 columns in their army to do battle. Players may include their Warlord column. The player that did not draw the Battle chooses 1 column, then the drawer chooses a column. Repeat for the second column.
• Pestilence (Event, Instant). 1-10 to save each follower! All Units and Heroes in the drawer's army must roll or be struck down by disease. Any creature or character rolling an 11 or 12 is slain (Warlord and all Special Body Types are immune).

Campaign (Variation from Quick Kill)

All 50 cards are used in the Fate Deck. For a Campaign, use all cards (1, 2 or 3 segments shown in the Fate Deck Indicator).

The Mid Deck Card. Campaigns use a "Mid Deck" card to divide the Fate Deck into two roughly equal parts:

Form the bottom half of the deck:

1. Remove the Final War card and 1 Battle card, then shuffle the Fate Deck and divide in half.
2. Add the Final War and the Battle card to one half, and then shuffle that pile until an "Add to Hand" card is on top.
3. Place the "Mid Deck" marker card on top of that pile.

Form the rest of the deck and combine:

4. Shuffle the other half of the deck until an "Add to Hand" card is the topmost card.
5. Place this pile on top of the bottom pile.

In a Campaign, the Final War therefore cannot be drawn until after passing the Mid Deck point of the Fate Deck.

The player drawing the Mid Deck card discards it and draws the next card (the "Add to Hand" atop the bottom half of the Fate Deck).

Section VIII: 3 & 4-Player Games

3-Player Games

Alliances. All rules are the same as the 2-player version, except:

• Play proceeds in clockwise order.
• When a player draws a Skirmish or Battle card they may elect to fight an opponent, or make the other 2 players fight.
• When the Final War is drawn, all players fight to the death.
• As with 2-player combat, the player that wins Initiative will go first in each phase of combat (First Strike, Normal and Attack Last), with play then proceeding in clockwise order for each phase distinctly.
• In the Campaign version of the game, one "Alliance" and one "Break Alliance" card are added to the Fate Deck (these are "Add to Hand" cards).

A formal Alliance is marked by an "Alliance" card, which stays on the board between 2 Allied players. An Alliance card cannot be formed between Good and Chaotic Warlords.

Alliances function as follows:

• Allied players cannot be made to fight each other.
• The Alliance stays in place until broken by a "Break Alliance" card, or until the Final War card is drawn.
• Allied players may use "Reinforcements" and similar Powers to send assistance to their ally, if their ally is in combat against a Bandit, Wandering Monster or another player. Reinforcing Units and/or Heroes remain in the allied player's army, but join the combat and function accordingly.

4-Player Games

All rules are the same as the 3-player version, except:

• Players may optionally form teams before the start of play, with teamed players in an unbreakable alliance. The team that eliminates the other 2 players is the winner. Teamed players must be positioned such that they do not have consecutive turns.
• In the Campaign version of the game, one "Late Alliance" and a second "Break Alliance" card are added to the Fate Deck (these are "Add to Hand" cards).

Formal Alliances are formed by playing the Alliance card, but there's nothing to stop 2 players from cooperating informally!

Chaotic and Good Warlords are not permitted to formally ally, but can still work together during a game towards the mutual destruction of an enemy!

Section IX: Creating Custom Decks

Booster Packs!

Final War is a collectible card game that uses randomised 12-card Boosters to allow you to enhance your army.

Boosters have cards from all races (with rarity ranging from Common to Elder), and generic Items, Powers and Spells (with rarity ranging from Common to Heroic).

There are over 300 unique cards available in the Onslaught Starter Set and Onslaught Boosters!

Creating a Custom Deck

Once the Arcane and Carnage Expansions are released, you can build decks using some cards from Warlords of the same alignment. For example, an Elf Warlord will be able to use up to Heroic Knight and Wizard cards, as these are all "Good" Warlords.

Deck building uses the following rules:

• Each Player Deck must always contain 50 cards.
• Player Decks may include race cards from the Warlord only (except when Expansion Packs are available), and any generic cards.
• No duplicate cards are allowed, except for Common and Uncommon Units.
• Legendary and Elder cards may only be used by the Warlord of the same race (for example, an Elder Elf card may only be included in an Elf Warlord's deck).

Upcoming Expansion Packs

The rulebook lists the following expansion packs:

• Arcane Expansion Pack (coming 2017): Wizard Warlord, Witch Warlord, Necromancer Warlord.
• Carnage Expansion Pack (coming 2017): Knight Warlord, Dwarf Warlord, Orc Warlord.
• Havoc Expansion Pack (coming 2018): Monk Warlord, Shogun Warlord, Dragonlord Warlord.

Quick Play Guide

The rulebook closes with a Quick Play Guide, transcribed below as printed.

Setup

1. Select Warlords and place them on the game boards.
2. Shuffle and place the Player Decks.
3. Form the Fate Deck (12, 25 or 50+ cards).
4. Shuffle and place the Fate Deck (with an "Add to Hand" at top).
5. Draw your starting cards (8, 6 or 4 cards).
6. Place Hero, Unit, Item and Fortification cards (optional).
7. Place Health Tokens.
8. Roll for Initiative and start the game!

Turn Sequence

1. Play Items, Powers or Spells that have "Start of Turn" timing (optional), before or after Player Deck draw.
2. Draw a card from your Player Deck.
3. Place Hero, Unit, Item and Fortification cards (optional).
4. Draw a Fate Deck card.
5. Resolve "Instant" Fate Deck card, if applicable.
6. Play Items, Powers or Spells that have "End of Turn" timing (optional).
7. End of Turn (proceed to next player, clockwise order for 3 or 4-player games).

Pre-Combat

Bandit, Wandering Monster, Skirmish, Battle or Final War:

1. Declare combatants (not required in Final War).
2. Option for the Elf Warlord to void any Skirmish or Battle, once per game.
3. Reveal all hidden cards (cards that are face down in the army).
4. Roll Initiative (this will determine the player that acts first in each phase of combat for the entire duration of combat).
5. Use Events, Items, Powers and Spells that have "Play Before Combat" timing (optional). These cards are played one at a time, in alternating turns with other players.
6. Place Action Markers, Healing/Dark Healing Tokens and Item Charge Tokens.

Combat Round Sequence

1. Play Events, Items, Powers or Spells that have "Start of Round" timing (optional).
2. First Strike phase (all First Strike combatants, in alternating turns, where possible).
3. Normal phase (all combatants other than those with First Strike or Attack Last, in alternating turns, where possible).
4. Attack Last phase (all combatants that have the Attack Last weakness, in alternating turns, where possible).
5. Play Events, Items, Powers or Spells that have "End of Round" timing (optional).
6. Repeat steps 1-5, above, until only one side has remaining combatants.

End of Combat

1. At least one surviving combatant must remain in order to claim victory.
   • If both sides in a combat eliminate each other at the same time, the result is a victory to neither party.
   • If the Elf Warlord voids a combat, it does not count as a victory to either party.
   • If the Guildmaster uses Mastery to take over all Bandits facing him, it is not a combat victory.
2. Claim Victory Cards.
   • 1 card from the Player Deck per enemy defeated, if facing Bandits or a Wandering Monster.
   • Extra cards as indicated if defeating a powerful Wandering Monster.
   • 2 cards if winning a Skirmish, 3 cards if winning a Battle.
3. Post-Combat Healing.
   • Victorious combatants that have any remaining Healing or Dark Healing tokens (including on Items) may use them at the end of combat, but only on themselves or other surviving combatants.
4. Bandit Victory.
   • Victorious Bandits (and any reinforcements they received from the Bandit Pool) are healed to full and added to the Bandit Pool at the end of combat.
5. Best of 3 Games.
   • If playing a best of 3 Quick Kill or Quest, return Fate Deck cards and discard all other cards from hands and the game boards.
   • Place Warlords, shuffle and place the Fate Deck, draw new starting cards and start the next round!
6. If you've just won the Final War, glory in the destruction of your enemies!