Hell: Legends
Hell: Legends Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- General Components
- Hero Components
- Monster Components
- Game Overview
- Game Modes
- Heroes
- Setup Preparation
- General Concepts
- Round Sequence
- Playerboard
- Skillboard
- Hero Actions
- Free Actions
- Dice Explained
- Hero Booklet
- Hero Level & XP
- Hero Death
- Shrines
- Tainted Blood Cards
- Portal Scrolls
- Gems
- Potions
- Item Cards
- Skill Tokens
- Neutral Skills
- Hero Phase Example
- Monster
- Encounter Cards
- Spawn Zone Tokens
- Monster Phase in Detail
- Activation Example
- Threat Track
- Round Track
- Terrain Tiles
- Other Terrain Tiles
- Barricades
- Ending The Game
- Special Cases
- Solo Mode
- Status Effect Tokens
- Tokens In Detail
- Set Tokens
- Threat Tokens
- Portal Scroll Tokens
- Dice Upgrade Tokens
- Zone Effect Tokens
- Keywords
- Symbols & Triggers
General Components
- 1 Threat Track
- 1 Round Track
- 1 Boss Board
- 1 Threat Marker
- 1 Round Marker
- Player Aid Cards
- 20 Tainted Blood Cards
- 16 Attack Dice
- 4 Fire Dice
- 4 Frost Dice
- 1 Chance Die
- 8 Barricade Standees
- 8 Sacrificed Souls Standees
- 3 Shrine Standees
- 3 Abyss/River Terrain Tiles
- Big Terrain Tiles
- Small Terrain Tiles
- 3 Bridge Terrain Tiles
- 3 River/Lava Terrain Tiles
- 4 Big Elevation Bases (4 parts put together for each base)
- 4 Small Elevation Bases (4 parts put together for each base)
- 6 Legend Tokens
- 4 Whisper Tokens
- 4 Story Tokens
- 15 Chest Tokens
- 11 Threat Tokens
- 3 Spawn Zone Tokens
- 2 Fountain Tokens
- 24 Cadaver Tokens
Hero Components
- 4 Playerboards
- 40 HP Cubes
- 40 Mana Cubes
- 4 Focus Marker (1 per player)
- 4 Skillpoint Marker (1 per player)
- 4 Skillboards
- 4 Hero Dials
- 12 Hero Action Tokens (3 per player)
- 24 Attribute Dice (6 per player)
- 4x 36 Skill Tokens (36 per Hero)
- 4 Hero Booklets (1 per Hero)
- 4 Hero Miniatures
- 4 Hero Cards (1 per Hero)
- Neutral Skill Tokens
- Hero Specific Tokens
- 4 Hero Solo Cards (1 per Hero) — not included
- 40 Hero Legacy Cards (10 per Hero) — not included
- Item Cards: Starting Items, Level 1+, Level 5+, Level 10+, Level 15+
Monster Components
- 4 Champion Tokens
- Monster Spawn Tokens (3 per Monster)
- 20 Encounter Cards
- Monster Cards (2 per Monster)
- 3 Lost Shaman Standees
- 5 Lost Child Standees
- 3 Undead Runner Standees
- 3 Burning Corpse Standees
- 3 Hellhound Standees
- 3 Frost Maiden Standees
- 3 Giant Spider Standees
- 3 Spider Standees
- 1 Dark Priest Standee
- 8 Maiden Standees
- Spawn Bag
Game Overview
Hell: Legends is a cooperative game for 1–4 players in a grimdark phantasy world. It centers on intense battles against monstrous foes and deep Hero development. Players embark on scenarios known as Legends, each designed as a standalone experience that can be played repeatedly.
As you explore a Legend, you will face tough, immersive choices that shape the story and carve unique paths through the game. Every decision has lasting consequences, influencing the outcome of the Legend and testing the Heroes' will to survive.
The accompanying WebApp guides players through these choices, ensuring a seamless gameplay experience.
The WebApp
To set up and play Hell: Legends, one player must open the website (referred to as the WebApp) by scanning the provided QR code or visiting www.Hell-Legends.com.
The WebApp runs directly in any browser on any device — no downloads or installations required — and is designed to support your gameplay, not to replace the board game experience.
WebApp vs Gameplay
The WebApp is your digital storybook, guiding you through the setup of any Legend while seamlessly enhancing your gameplay experience.
During the game, it allows you to interact with tokens (e.g., Legend Tokens) at the press of a button, instantly revealing hidden information without the need to search through vast text sections.
The WebApp is only needed in a few situations throughout the game so you can fully immerse yourself in the board game experience, while it quietly manages the story in the background.
Game Modes
Hell: Legends offers three distinct game modes for you to choose from.
Legend Mode
Play the game in the main Game Mode. Follow a story in a chosen Legend and see where it will lead you and your party of Heroes.
Hunt Mode
- In Development -
The Hunt Mode does not feature any story parts. It is a fun mode to jump straight into action and fight for your lifes.
Defense Mode
- In Development -
The Defense Mode is a Tower Defense version of the game, where the Heroes try to defend their camp/village/castle against a number of Monster Hordes.
This Mode is lost when 1 Monster has entered the defended Structure.
Fun Fact: The development for this game began way back in 2017. Back then it started out as a Tower Defense game.
Rules on Components
If there is a conflict, game component text takes priority over the written rules in this rulebook.
Heroes
Before setting up the game, each player must choose a Hero to play. Each Hero has a unique playstyle with 20 unique Skills. Every Hero also comes with a Hero Booklet, detailing their individual setup, components, skills and starting gear.
Their complexity is indicated by red dots on the Hero Card. For your first game, we strongly recommend selecting a Hero with a lower complexity to familiarize yourself with the game mechanics.
Available Heroes
- Barbarian — A strong and fearless melee fighter.
- Ranger — A versatile and fast ranged Fighter.
- Sorceress — Wielding the raw power of nature, she is a warrior to be feared.
- Necromancer — She has embraced the forbidden arts of raising the dead.
- To Be Announced — A little surprise.
- To Be Announced — She is a shy one.
Note: For a smoother gameplay experience, remove all weapon cards that your Hero classes are not allowed to equip.
Setup Preparation
By setting up these components, you'll be well-prepared for the individual setup of each Legend and Hero.
General Setup
- Threat & Round Track — Place their respective markers on the first position each.
- Encounter Deck — Shuffle it.
- Standard Deck: Cards 1-10
- Token Tray
- Tainted Blood Deck — Shuffle it
- Card Tray — Shuffle all Decks individually
- Dice — Attack Dice, Special Dice and Chance Die
- Neutral Skills — Shuffle stack & reveal 4 Neutral Skills.
- Hero Setup — Follow the Hero Booklet for individual setup.
- Playerboard — See page XXX.
- Skillboard — See page XXX.
- Player Aids — Game related information
Starting the Game
- Open the WebApp and select Play.
- Choose a Legend to play or select a different Game Mode.
- Follow the individual setup instructions provided in the WebApp to finalize the setup.
- Start playing immediately—the WebApp will guide you through any remaining steps needed to begin the game.
- Good Luck!
Hell Variant
For those seeking a true challenge, this variant introduces tougher optional rules:
- The game is instantly lost if a Hero dies once.
- Start with the Threat Marker on space 2 instead of 0.
- Standard Encounter Deck: Cards 1-14
- Follow any setup instructions labeled 'Hell Variant'.
General Concepts
Legends
A Legend represents a standalone scenario. Exploring each Legend will result in rich, intriguing and hard choices for the Heroes, which will determine the course of their story and lead them on a different path each time a Legend is played.
The main story of each Legend is indicated by Legend Tokens during play and refer to the WebApp.
If you want to interact with a Legend Token or any of the following tokens, click the corresponding button in the WebApp.
Stories
Each Legend may provide smaller sidestories. These are randomly chosen stories that you can indulge in or completely ignore. They offer fun and adventure but also take time to complete.
Stories are indicated by Story Tokens during play and refer to the WebApp.
Whispers
Each Legend may provide multiple Whispers. Whispers are tiny events taking place everywhere in the world of Hell: Legends. You may find rewards, things of value or run into an enemy. They are quickly resolved and should not be ignored.
Whispers are indicated by Whisper Tokens during play and refer to the WebApp.
Skill Checks
When you are prompted to perform a Skill Check (e.g., for Accuracy), roll a number of white Action Dice equal to the value of the Basic Attribute specified in the check. Sum up the values on your rolled dice to determine your Skill Check result.
Example: You must perform an Accuracy Skill Check and need a result of 3 to succeed.
- Your Accuracy is 3, so you roll 3 white Attack Dice.
- You roll 1, 2, and Regeneration — totaling 3.
- You succeed in the Skill Check.
Skill Check Difficulty
Some checks include 'for each success' instead of a simple pass/fail outcome. In these cases, you gain one success for each multiple of the difficulty value you meet or exceed.
Example: You perform an Accuracy Skill Check with a difficulty of 2.
- Your Accuracy is 3, so you roll 3 white Attack Dice — totaling in 3.
- Since the difficulty is 2, you achieve 1 success (as 3 meets the first threshold but not the next multiple of 2).
Placement Rule
If there is ever a choice or conflict regarding where to spawn, place, or move a figure, follow these rules:
- Spawning: If the targeted space is occupied, place the figure in the next unoccupied space in a clockwise direction, starting north, as defined during setup.
- Monster Zone Movement: Monsters move into the center of a Zone. If no clear center exists, they would move north-east first, then continue clockwise until they reach an unoccupied space.
Crit
Some Attack Dice feature a Crit symbol around one of their values. This indicates a Critical Hit, short Crit. Each Crit automatically inflicts 1 Wound, regardless of the shown value or the target's Defense.
Zone Attacks
Some attacks are defined as Zone Attacks and target all figures within the specified Zone. These attacks don't differentiate between allies and enemies. The attack is rolled once and applied to all figures present.
Zone Plus Attacks
Zone Plus Attacks target the selected Zone as well as all adjacent Zones. The attack is rolled once and applied to all figures present in all Zones.
Rounded Down Rule
Whenever a result includes a decimal value, always round it down.
Example: A bonus shows +Damage/2 and Damage is 3. This results is the following: 3 + 3/2 = 4,5, which is rounded down to 4.
Effect Resolution Rule
If multiple effects are listed in a single line of an attack, they only trigger if the attack was successful. Effects listed separately or with a trigger icon activate regardless of whether the attack hits or misses.
Example: Damage 2+ — Push 2 and Stun will only take effect if the two Attack Dice inflict at least 1 Wound.
Line of Sight
Some actions and game effects require Line of Sight (e.g., ranged attacks or Monster movement).
Line of Sight (LoS) is determined by drawing an imaginary straight line connecting the center of a space to the center of another space, without being obstructed by an obstacle, enemy figure or an outer border of a Terrain Tile.
- An abyss enables LoS.
- Obstacles like barricades break LoS.
- Elevated terrain tiles break LoS.
- The outer border of tiles breaks LoS.
Round Sequence
The game alternates between Hero and Monster Phases until all Hero and Monster Actions have been completed. Once finished, the current round ends, and you proceed to the Clean-Up Phase. This Round Sequence is repeated until the game is won or lost.
Hero Phase
- Heroes take actions by spending Hero Action Tokens in any chosen order. Each used Hero Action Token is placed on a designated space on the Round Track.
- Heroes may perform unlimited Free Actions (p. XXX) without spending a Hero Action Token in any Phase.
The Hero Phase ends after three Hero Actions have been completed, followed by the Monster Phase.
Poison & Bleed are resolved.
Monster Phase
- Draw an Encounter Card and follow its instructions (p. XXX).
- Activate the indicated Monsters based on their characteristics in ascending initiative order, following the listed Monster actions on the Encounter Card (p. XXX).
The Monster Phase ends when all Monsters indicated by the Encounter Card have been activated and the Encounter Card has been fully resolved.
Check for Hero Phase or End of Round Phase: Does any Hero have remaining Hero Action Tokens? If yes, return to the Hero Phase. If no, proceed to the End of Round Phase.
End of Round Phase
Resolve the following effects in this order:
- Resolve Zone Effects, such as Fire.
- Resolve "End of Round" effects in any order.
- Each Hero retrieves 3 Hero Action Tokens.
- Advance the Round Marker by one space.
Check for Hero Phase or Clean-Up Phase: Was the Round Marker placed on a space containing the Clean-Up icon? If yes, proceed to the Clean-Up Phase. If no, return to the Hero Phase.
Clean-Up Phase
Resolve the following effects in this order:
- Return all Spawn Tokens from cooldown to Spawn Bag.
- Remove all Zone Effect Tokens.
- Discard Item Cards to backpack limit of 5.
- Renew all Neutral Skills in the display.
- Advance the Round Marker to space 1 of the Round Track, starting a new cycle with the next Hero Phase. Check the WebApp for your Legends Resolution.
Check for Victory or Defeat: Does the gameplay continue? If yes, continue with the next Hero Phase. If no, the game ends.
Playerboard
The Playerboard is essential for each Hero. It displays Health, Mana and Focus, but also the Heroes Talent, current equipment with Skills, Potions, Item Cards and everything else the Hero carries in storage, e.g. Portal Scrolls or Gems. It shows the Hero Card, Equipped Skill Token, Focus Marker, Potion Storage, Health Cubes, Token Storage, Mana Cubes, Equipped Item Cards, and Item Card Slots.
Health Points (HP)
Each red cube in your health sphere represents 1 Health Point (HP). You lose 1 HP for each Wound you receive. You will die when you drop to 0 HP. See Hero Death on p. XXX. You may never exceed your maximum Health set by your Attribute Die.
Mana Points (MP)
Each blue cube in your mana sphere represents 1 Mana Point (MP). Mana is used to activate Skills. You may never exceed your maximum Mana set by your Attribute Die.
Hero Card
Your chosen Hero Card shows the Heroes class, class icon, portrait, complexity, weapon restriction and current Talent.
Focus
The Focus Marker displays your currently available Focus Points.
Item Card Slots
Each Playerboard features 5 Item Card Slots at the bottom. Each slot is assigned to one or more Item Categories and can be equipped with exactly one Item Card. Item Cards may only be equipped in an Item Card Slot if the Item shows the corresponding Item Category.
Example: This Sword may be equipped in the first or second Item Card Slot. This armor may only be equipped in the armor slot.
Shields
You are allowed to equip your shield on the left hand as the only exception to make better use of possible Set Bonuses.
Two Handed Weapons
Some weapons use '2 Hands' showing an icon in the top right corner and therefore occupy both weapon slots.
Full Storage Rule
If your Token or Potion Storage is full when gaining a new token, you may drop any excess tokens into your figure's current space. Tokens in spaces can be picked up by moving over that space as a Free Action during movement.
Token Storage
You may carry up to 6 small tokens, like Portal Scrolls, Dice Upgrade Tokens or Gems in your Token Storage (left).
Potion Storage
You may carry up to 4 Potion Tokens, like Healing Potions, Mana Potions, Regeneration Potions or Antidote Potions in your Potion Storage (right).
Skill Tokens
Each Playerboard features 5 Skill Token Slots at the top. Each slot can be equipped with 1 Skill Token. Heroes may only equip Skill Tokens of their Hero Class or Neutral Skills.
Coins
You may store any coins you carry on your Hero Card or next to your Playerboard. Coins don't need space in your Token Storage.
Skillboard
The Skillboard features two very important areas: your Heroes Basic Attributes and your Heroes Skilltree with available Skills (Skill Token) to learn. It also saves available Skill Points and displays any Basic Attribute Bonuses for easy accessibility.
The Skillboard shows Basic Attributes & Attribute Dice, Hero Name, Required Level, Available Skill Points, and Available Skill Tokens.
Basic Attributes
Each Hero has 6 Basic Attributes. An Attribute Die displays the current Attribute Level of each Basic Attribute with its position.
- Strength defines how many Dice you may roll for your Basic Attack, before possibly adding Dice with Additive Skills.
- Accuracy defines how many Dice you may resolve after rolling all Dice including additional Dice added with Skills.
- Defense defines your armor class which is used to determine Wounds suffered from attacks.
- Speed defines the maximum of movement points you can use per Move Action.
- Health defines how many Health Points (HP) you have, which are represented by red cubes in your health sphere.
- Mana defines how many Mana Points (MP) you have, which are represented by blue cubes in your mana sphere.
Defense Exception Rule: Defense 0 is always treated as 1.
Example: The Necromancer starts with Defense 0. When attacked, their Defense is considered 1, as Damage cannot be divided by 0.
Upgrading Basic Attributes
Basic Attributes can be upgraded using available Skill Points (p. XXX). Each step up uses 1 Skill Point, improving the Basic Attribute every 3 steps.
Attribute Dice
Attribute Dice display the current level of each Hero's Basic Attributes. They also show any Attribute Bonuses provided by equipment such as Items, Skills, Gems, and Sets, for easy reference. The maximum Attribute Bonus is +5—any bonuses beyond this limit are ignored and do not apply.
Example: This Hero has a Defense of 1 with an Item Bonus of +2 resulting in a Defense of 3 and a Speed of 3. This armor offers a defense bonus of +2. The Speed Attribute was upgraded 3 times, resulting in a Speed of 3.
Skill Tokens
Each Hero features 20 unique Skills that are available to be learned. 16 Skills with 4 levels and 4 Skills with 2 levels, where each level enhances the Skill further.
Skill Rows & Linearity
Skill Tokens are ordered in Skill Rows A to D (top to bottom) and from 1 to 5 (left to right). Each row is linear, meaning that Skill A2 may only be learned when Skill A1 is already learned at Level 1 at least and so on.
Required Hero Level
Each Skill has a required minimum Hero Level assigned to it, which is displayed at the top of the coloumn. Skills in coloumn 1-2 may be learned with Level 1+, Skills in coloumn 3 with Level 5+, Skills in coloumn 4 with Level 10+ and Skills in coloumn 5 with Level 15+.
Learning Skills
A Skill can be learned by using available Skill Points starting with Skill Level 1. Each Skill Level uses 1 Skill Point, so a Skill at Level 4 used up 4 Skill Points.
Learned Skills may be equipped instantly after using up the needed Skill Points. It can also be placed near the Skillboard to equip later.
Hero Actions
Each Hero Action requires the use of a Hero Action Token during the Hero Phase. The Hero Action Token is placed on the Round Track.
Move
Your Speed defines the amount of movement points available to you. For each movement point you may move to any adjacent space - orthoganally or diagonally - that is not occupied or blocked. Friendly Heroes or allies do not block movement, as long as you don't end your movement in their space.
Example: The Barbarian has a total of 3 movement points available. He wants to move past the Ranger. He cannot pass through the Barricade, the Chest Token or the enemy, but he can pass through the Ranger.
Climb
Overcome any elevation difference (p. XXX) and place your figure on any adjacent space of the desired terrain tile. Climb can also be achieved during a move action by using 3 movement points. Excess movement points may be used after climbing during a move action.
Interact
Interact with an adjacent token or figure (e.g. a Legend Token, Chest Token, Sacrificed Soul). Some tokens, such as Legend Tokens, are interacted with by clicking the corresponding button in the WebApp.
Loot
Flip all adjacent Cadavre Tokens (p. XXX) and gain their bonuses.
Meditate
Roll 4 white Attack Dice. For each Regenerate Icon rolled, you may restore 1 HP or 1 MP. You may reroll all Action Dice that show a number once.
Equip
Equip, unequip and/or exchange any equipped Item Cards with Item Cards from your backpack and any equipped Skills with other learned Skills.
Use Active Skill
Activate an equipped Active Skill (see p. XXX), indicated by an icon, pay its cost and perform its effect. You can only activate 1 Active Skill for each Hero Action Token. If this skill is an attack showing a + symbol, create your Basic Attack first. Please refer to the Hero Booklet for your Heroes unique Skills.
Attack
Attack an enemy in Range of your weapon (or Skill).
1. Create Basic Attack. Your Weapon Stat defines your available Dice. Your Strength defines how many Dice you may count towards your Basic Attack.
- If your Strength is higher than the number of Dice from your Weapon Stat, gain White Attack Dice to reach your Strength value.
- If your Strength is lower than the number of Dice from your Weapon Stat, pick the Dice you want to roll.
2. Activate Additive Skills. You may activate any combination of Additive Skills (see p. XXX), indicated by +, to enhance the attack. Dice added this way are not limited by your Strength value.
3. Roll Your Attack. Roll all Dice you have gathered in steps 1 and 2.
4. Apply Accuracy. Your Accuracy defines how many of your rolled Dice you can resolve to inflict Wounds. Choose Dice up to the value of your Accuracy.
5. Inflict Wounds.
- Add up all values from Attack Dice you may resolve as Damage, add any bonus Damage and divide it by the enemies Defense value. The enemy suffers that many Wounds rounded down.
- Each Crit automatically counts as 1 Wound.
- Each symbol on a Special Die (e.g. Fire or Frost Die) automatically inflicts 1 Wound.
Note: Damage / Defense = Wounds (rounded down)
6. Attack Bonuses. While you assign inflicted Wounds to your target, any bonuses from Item Cards or activated Skills take place in any order you choose.
7. Miss Bonus. If your Attack results in no Wounds at all, you gain a Dice Upgrade Token.
Example:
- Your Sword has a Weapon Stat of 1 White Die and your Strength is at 2, so you gain another White Die as you do not reach your Strength limit.
- You activate an Additive Skill which grants you a Frost Die.
- You roll a 1 on one White Die, a 4 with a Crit on another, and a blank on the Frost Die.
- Your Accuracy is 2, so you may resolve two Dice.
- The 1 and the 4 add up to 5 Damage and 1 Crit. The enemy has a Defense of 2 and 4 HP. 5 Damage divided by 2 Defense is 2.5, thus you inflict 2 Wounds and an additional Wound with the Crit, resulting in 3 Wounds total.
- Your sword grants you Damage +1, which brings you to 6 Damage plus 1 Crit in total.
Finally you inflict 4 Wounds, kill the enemy and receive its Kill Bonus (p. XXX).
Free Actions
Free Actions can be performed during any Phase at any time by any Hero without using a Hero Action Token.
Spend Skill Points
Spend any amount of available Skill Points to:
- learn a new Skill (may be equipped instantly)
- learn a Neutral Skill (may be equipped instantly)
- upgrade a learned Skill
- upgrade a Basic Attribute
Use Talent
Use the Talent on your Hero Card. Refer to your individual Hero Booklet for further information.
Consume a Potion
Flip and discard a Potion Token from your Potion Storage to regenerate the indicated amount of HP and/or MP or lose the indicated amount of poison with an Antidote Potion.
You can never regenerate HP or MP beyond your current level of that Basic Attribute.
Use Portal Scroll
Discard a Portal Scroll Token to pause the game and visit the Town Market (see p. XXX).
Trade
Exchange any number of Item Cards, Gems, Potions, Portal Scrolls, Coins or any other token in your storage with an adjacent Hero once. Traded Item Cards may be equipped instantly.
You may not trade Status Effect Tokens, Tainted Blood Cards or Skills.
Note: Each Item Card may only be traded once.
Solve Tainted Blood Card
Pay the costs indicated on the Tainted Blood Card to solve and flip it to its unactive side. Do not discard the card!
Use Focus
Focus is a very versatile and limited ressource. You may spend as many Focus as you want at any time.
-
Spend 1 Focus to temporarily enhance one of your Basic Attributes by 1 (Strength / Accuracy / Defense / Speed / Health / Mana).
Note: You cannot regenerate or move solely by spending Focus.
Strength example: Your Strength is 2 and your Basic Attack is 2 Dice. You also have 2 Dice Upgrade Tokens. This Attack is the one that counts, so you spend 1 Focus to boost your Strength to 3, gaining another Die. Spending both, your Attack now includes 3 Dice plus the upgrades.
Accuracy example: Your Attack Roll shows 3 Attack Dice with Crits. Your Accuracy is 2 so you may only resolve 2 Attack Dice. Spending 1 Focus to boost your Accuracy to 3 will allow you to resolve all 3 Attack Dice.
Defense example: You receive 8 Damage. With 2 Defense you will suffer 4 Wounds (8 / 2 = 4). Spending 1 Focus to boost your Defense to 3 will result in only 2 Wounds instead (8 / 3 = 2,67 = 2). To really push it, you could spend 7 Focus to boost your Defense to 9 and receive no Wounds.
-
Spend 1 Focus to reroll one Die you just rolled.
-
Spend 1 Focus to add 1 Damage to your Attack.
Damage example: Your attack deals 5 Damage. With 3 Defense, the enemy will suffer 1 Wound (5 / 3 = 1,67). Spending 1 Focus to add 1 Damage will result in 2 Wounds total instead (6 / 3 = 2).
-
Spend 1 Focus to add 1 Range to your Attack.
-
Spend 1 Focus to refresh the temporary market display. Discard all Item Cards and draw new Item Cards.
-
Once per Legend, a Hero may spend 1 Focus to search the Item Deck, selecting 1 Item Card to buy and shuffle the deck afterwards.
Dice Explained
Attack Dice
Attack Dice are white, yellow, red or black. They become stronger in this order as well with white being the weakest. They show numeric values, Crits and Regeneration symbols. They have no blank side to them.
- The numeric value will be added to the total Damage. They will also be used for Skill Checks (see p. XXX).
- A Crit inflicts an automatic Wound (see p. XXX). The numeric value will also be added to the total Damage.
- For each Regeneration symbol you may regenerate 1 HP or 1 Mana. Monsters will heal 1 HP this way.
Hero Specific Dice
These will be detailed in the corresponding Hero Booklet.
Special Dice
Special Dice are Fire Dice or Frost Dice. They don't show numeric values but Fire or Frost symbols. Each of these symbols inflicts an elemental Wound. They have blank sides as well.
- Each Fire symbol inflicts one elemental Wound, also called Fire-Wound.
- Each Frost symbol inflicts one elemental Wound, also called Frost-Wound.
Chance Die
The Chance Die is rolled to check a 50% Chance.
- Success: The effect takes place.
- Fail: The effect does not take place.
Hero Booklet
Each Hero comes with a Hero Booklet that provides a unique Setup and essential information about their Hero Class. It also includes a breakdown of all available Skills and an overview of their progression, showing all Skills at Level 1 and 4 so you can see how each Skill develops, especially in terms of its costs.
Hero Level & XP
Each Hero starts the game at Level 1. You can level up by earning Experience Points (XP), which are gained by defeating enemies or through story-driven events.
You will track your Hero Level (left) and accumulated XP (right) on your personal XP Dial by adjusting the corresponding wheels.
By reaching a set amount of XP, your Hero will Level Up by spending those XP. Each Level Up grants you 2 Skill Points, which you can spend to upgrade your Basic Attributes, learn new Skills, or store on your Skillboard (see p. XXX) for future use.
Level Up
The amount of XP required to Level Up increases every few Levels:
- Levels 1 – 4: 5 XP needed for Level Up
- Levels 5 – 9: 10 XP needed for Level Up
- Levels 10 – 14: 15 XP needed for Level Up
- Levels 15+: 20 XP needed for Level Up
Example: A Hero needs 15 XP to reach Level 10, but 20 XP to reach Level 15 or higher.
Hero Death
If your Hero's Health reaches 0, they die. Pause the game and follow these steps:
- Remove your Hero Miniature and place a Cadavre Token in its space.
- Draw a Tainted Blood Card.
- Restore all your Health and Mana.
- Restore 2 Focus Points.
- Lose all Status Effect Tokens (Poison, Bleed, Stun, ...)
- Reappear in a space adjacent to any Shrine.
Once these steps are completed, the game continues.
Note: A Legend is lost when a single Hero has died 3 times and thus accumulated 3 Tainted Blood Cards, or when the Hero Party collectively has 3 unresolved Tainted Blood Cards.
Shrines
Shrines provide spaces for Heroes to reappear after death.
Example: The Hero Spawn Points in this example show possible spaces where Heroes could reappear after death.
Tainted Blood Cards
Draw a Tainted Blood Card each time your Hero dies and place it near your Playerboard. Each Card displays a cost to resolve and flip it, deactivating its effect. Until resolved, the card's effect remains active for you.
Once you have received a Tainted Blood Card you will never discard it. The card stays with your Hero even after it was resolved and flipped.
Each Tainted Blood Card shows a Title, a Cost to Resolve, an Active Effect (in place until resolved), and a Card Number.
Portal Scrolls
Portal Scrolls are discarded to virtually travel to the Town Market, allowing for restoration and item trading.
Town Market
The Town Market is a fictional location where Heroes can virtually travel via a Portal Scroll, without moving their Hero figure. Here, they are fully healed and can buy or sell equipment to aid them in their battle against the hordes of hell.
When a Hero travels to Town the game pauses and the following steps take place:
- Restore all your Health and Mana.
- Lose all Status Effect Tokens (Poison, Bleed, Stun, ...)
- Draw 5 Item Cards based on your Hero's Level to create a temporary Market Display.
- Trade: Buy/Sell equipment.
- Manage Equipment with a free equip action.
Once these steps are completed, and the Hero has finished their trade, the game continues.
Heroes may buy and sell the following items while in town:
Item Cards. Each Item Card costs their printed value +2 Coins in Town. Heroes receive the value printed on the card when selling it. When buying: Value Printed at the bottom of Item Card + 2 Coins.
Gems & Portal Scrolls. Any Gem or Portal Scroll may be bought/sold in the Town Market.
Potions. Small Potions and Big Potions, plus Small and Big Regeneration Potions, may be bought/sold in the Town Market.
Multiple Heroes in Town Market
Multiple Heroes may travel to the Town Market at the same time, using a Portal Scroll each. They may trade with each other and the Town's Market simultaneously.
Gems
The game features eight distinct Gemstones, each capable of enhancing your Hero's Item Cards. Add any Attribute Bonuses to the corresponding Attribute Die for easy reference.
Gems can be slotted into designated Gem Slots on Item Cards as a Free Action, permanently embedding their effects. Once placed, a Gem can't be removed.
- Amethyst — +1 Speed
- Topaz — +2 Mana
- Onyx — +1 Defense
- Sapphire — +2 Health
- Ruby — +1 Damage (for Attacks)
- Opal — +1 Bleed (for Attacks)
- Emerald — +1 Range
- Diamond — +1 Reroll (for Attacks)
Potions
Potions are discarded to restore Health, Mana, or reduce Poison. The exact restoration value is indicated on the back of each Potion Token. As a general rule, small Potions restore 2 points, while big Potions restore 4 points.
- Healing Potion — Restores Health by 2 or 4 HP.
- Mana Potion — Restores Mana by 2 or 4 MP.
- Regeneration Potion — Restores Health & Mana by 2 or 4 HP/MP.
- Antidote Potion — Reduces Poison by 2 or 4 points.
Item Cards
Item Card Levels
Item Cards are categorized into five levels: 0+, 1+, 5+, 10+, and 15+. The level displayed on the card represents the minimum Hero Level required to equip the item. To enhance visual clarity, each level is distinguished by a unique background color. At the beginning of each Legend, every Hero starts with Level 0+ Starting Item Cards.
Architecture of Item Cards
Each Item Card shows an Item Category, Name, Keywords, Required Hero Level, a Gem Slot, Item Bonus or Weapon Stat, Item Effect, Value, Attack Range, Equipment Bonus, Set Bonus, and a Card Number.
Weapon Stat
Most weapons show their Weapon Stat, which enhances your Basic Attack with powerful Attack Dice. This can also show a very specific bonus to your Hero, like the Lanterns for the Necromancer.
Weapons also show an Attack Range in spaces. An Attack Range of 1 is any adjacent space.
Item Categories
Item Cards are assigned to one of five Item Categories, indicating where the item may be equipped: Weapon, Shield, Armor, Accessoires, Gear.
Name & Keywords
Each item has a name and is assigned specific keywords. Weapons, for example, may be labeled as 'Single-Handed' or 'Double-Handed'.
Gem Slot
Items with one or more Gem Slots may be enhanced by slotting in one Gem per Gem Slot.
Set Bonus
Two Items equipped next to each other showing the same Symbol will grant you a Set Bonus (see p. XXX).
Item Bonus
Item Cards enhance your Heroes abilities as long as they are equipped. Most items boost one of your Basic Attributes.
Example: The armor in this example increases your Defense by +2, which you can track on your Attribute Die for Defense.
Equipment Bonus
Some Item Cards, like Swords or Shields, show an equipment bonus below their Range. These bonuses apply when wielding, for example, two Swords or a Sword in combination with a Shield.
- If combined with another weapon of same type: +2
- If combined with a Shield: bonus added to the Weapon Stat before Strength is applied
Item Effect
Items offer a wide range of effects, ranging from static and passive bonuses to situational abilities that activate under specific conditions.
Static effects or bonuses are always applied and could, just like Item Bonuses, enhance Basic Attributes.
Passive bonuses may offer free Rerolls, let you carry more Skills or Potions or e.g. ignore Wounds from being pushed.
Situational abilities activate when specific conditions are met. To improve visual clarity, these triggers are highlighted in colored rectangles. You may apply the corresponding bonus each time the condition is fulfilled, but only once per trigger.
Abilities with an Once-per-Round trigger can be activated once per Round. To track activation, tilt the card slightly or place a spare Health or Mana cube on it after activation.
Examples:
- If at least one of your Attack Dice shows a Crit during your Attack you will gain +2 XP and a Dice Upgrade Token. You only gain this effect once, even if you roll multiple Crits.
- Each time you kill a monster, you have a 50% Chance to Regenerate 1 HP or 1 Mana. Roll the Chance-Die to determine whether you receive the bonus or if you do not.
Skill Tokens
Each Hero features a unique set of Skills, carefully tailored to their playstyle. These Skills are detailed in the respective Hero Booklet.
Architecture of Skill Tokens
Each Skill Token shows a Type, Name & Level, Activation Cost, Range, Skill Effect, Row on Skillboard, Coloumn on Skillboard, and Hero Class.
Skill Types
Skills are categorized into 4 types: Active Skills, Reactive Skills, Additive Skills, Curse Skills.
No matter what Skill type: All activated Skills must be paid in full before performing and resolving the Hero Action.
Active Skills
You may activate only one Active Skill per Hero Action, but you can enhance it with any number of Additive Skills.
Additive Skills
Additive Skills enhance an Active Skill or Basic Attack and cannot be activated on their own. The Attack Dice gained are not limited by the Hero's Strength. However, they must be resolved using the Hero's available Accuracy.
Reactive Skills
Reactive Skills activate when specific conditions are met. To improve visual clarity, these triggers are highlighted in colored rectangles. You may apply the corresponding bonus each time the condition is fulfilled.
Curse Skills
Curses are unique Skills only available to certain Hero Classes, primarily used to weaken enemies. Each Monster can only be affected by one Curse at a time, meaning multiple Curses cannot be stacked.
Example: A Barbarian has learned and equipped several Skills.
As his Hero Action, he activates the Active Skill 'Stampede' at Level 4, which costs 3 Mana and requires him to suffer 1 Wound.
The symbol on the Skill indicates that his current Weapon Stat is ignored, and he uses the Attack Dice shown instead. He has a Strength of 3 so he is able to roll all 3 Attack Dice. The Skill allows him to first move 5 spaces toward a Monster and then attack, adding +4 to the total rolled Damage. However, if the attack misses (failing to inflict at least 1 Wound), he suffers 3 Wounds instead.
To enhance this attack, he also activates the Additive Skill 'Battle Mastery' at Level 3, which costs an additional 2 Mana, increasing his total Damage by +3.
Additionally, he benefits from any bonuses granted by his equipment, though these are ignored for this example.
The attack successfully kills the targeted Monster, triggering his Reactive Skills with the On-Kill trigger:
- He spends 1 Mana to activate 'Potionfinder' at Level 4, granting him a 50% chance to gain a Big Regeneration Potion.
- He also activates 'Bloodlust' at Level 4, which requires no cost and decides to restore 1 HP and rolls the Chance Die to possibly restore 1 Mana.
Neutral Skills
Neutral Skills are versatile abilities that any Hero Class can learn by spending 2 Skill Points at any time as a Free Action. They serve as valuable resources, allowing you to shape your Hero to match your preferred playstyle.
Note: Whenever a Neutral Skill is chosen and learned, a new one is drawn to replace it immediately.
Hero Phase Example
Full example of a Hero phase is going to be here in the future. (This section was a placeholder, not yet written, in the source demo rulebook.)
Monster
Monsters are represented by Monster Standees. Each Monster has two big double-sided Monster Cards - one for Level 1 and Level 2 and another for its Champion version with both Levels. They possess unique characteristics and actions, which are triggered by Encounter Cards.
Defeating Monsters rewards Heroes with Experience Points, Coins, and Item Cards, helping them grow stronger in their fight against the horrors of Hell.
Architecture of Monster Cards
Each Monster Card shows Initiative, Size, Tempo, Name, Level, Health, Defense, Immunity, Speed, Abilities, Basic Action, Special Action, Skill Action, Name & Attack Range, Effect, and Kill Bonus.
Initiative. Monster Cards are arranged in ascending initiative order and activated accordingly, from the lowest to the highest value.
Size. Monsters come in three sizes: small, middle, big.
Tempo. Monsters come in three tempos: slow, normal, fast.
Level. Each Monster Card has two sides: Level 1 and Level 2. Monsters start at Level 1 and advance to Level 2 when the Monster Level-Up Token is activated.
Health. This value represents the Monster's Health Points (HP).
Defense. This value indicates the Monster's Defense.
Immunity. This section lists the Monster's immunities, such as Fire, Frost, Bleed, or Stun. The Monster negates the specified amount of these effects per source.
Example: A Level 1 Burning Corpse ignores 1 Fire-Wound each time it would take Wounds by Fire.
Speed. This value indicates up to how many spaces the Monster may move during its activation.
Monster Abilities
Abilities are always active and offer a wide range of effects.
Situational Abilities. Situational abilities activate when specific conditions are met. To improve visual clarity, these triggers are highlighted in colored rectangles. Apply the corresponding effect each time the condition is fulfilled.
Passive Abilities. Passive abilities, like Tough, are always active and are highlighted in colored elipses. You can find all definitions in the keyword section (see p. XXX).
Basic, Special & Skill Actions
These indicate the various actions a Monster can take when activated by an Encounter Card. A Monster activates only one of these actions per turn. The Basic Action is the weakest, while the Skill Action is the most powerful.
Each Monster Action has a name, an Attack Range and an effect.
Champion
A Champion is an elite version of a Monster. It is marked with a yellow border during setup. Place a Champion Token under the Monster to indicate its Champion status and use the Champion Monster Card for this Monster.
Death of a Monster
When a Monster dies, remove its figure and place a Cadavre Token in its space. Each Monster provides a Kill Bonus upon defeat.
The physical bonus consists of Coins and Item Cards (current Hero Level) and the non-physical reward is Experience Points. Item Cards received this way may be equipped immediately.
- The Hero who lands the killing blow receives all rewards - XP, Coins and Item Cards.
- All other Heroes gain half of the Reward.
If a Monster is killed by anything other than a Hero's attack (e.g., Poison, Bleed or a Monster's action), all Heroes receive half of the XP from the Monster's Kill Bonus.
Encounter Cards
At the start of each Monster Phase, an Encounter Card is drawn. This card activates Monsters, corresponding to their abilities - Basic, Special or Skill - and may increase the Threat Level. Each Encounter Card shows the Monsters to be activated, Monster Actions, and a Threat Increase Check.
Monster to be Activated
Monsters are activated based on their characteristics or other conditions - e.g., if they are in a Zone with a Hero. Each Monster is activated only once per Encounter Card, even if it matches multiple attributes like size or tempo.
Example: The Encounter Card above activates each Monster with the Middle size, then each Monster with the Fast speed.
Monster Actions
Activated Monsters use the actions on their Monster Cards (Basic, Special, Skill) as determined by the Encounter Card, following the listed order.
Example: The first Monster uses its Basic action. The second Monster uses its Skill, the third its Special, the fourth its Special action. If more Monsters are activated, the sequence repeats from the beginning.
Threat Increase Check
After all Monster actions have been fully resolved, check whether enough Monsters were activated. If not, the Threat Level increases.
Example: With 2 Heroes and the Encounter Card above, the Threat Level increases if 1 or fewer Monsters were activated.
Empty Encounter Deck
When the Encounter Deck should ever be empty, shuffle all used Encounter Cards to form a new deck.
Spawn Zone Tokens
The game features three Spawn Zone Tokens - red, green and yellow - which are placed during setup or later.
Each Spawn Zone Token represents a Spawn Zone where new Monsters may appear.
If the three-colored spawn symbol appears during setup, you randomly choose and place any colored Spawn Zone Token available, with the color side up.
Monster Spawn Tokens
Each Monster has three Monster Spawn Tokens depicting in which Spawn Zone it will appear.
Spawning Monsters
When a Monster Spawn Token is drawn, check if the first corresponding Spawn Zone at the bottom of the token is present in the game. If it is not, the Monster appears in the next available Spawn Zone from left to right.
Placing Spawned Monster Figures
Place the Monster standee on the Spawn Zone Token of the corresponding Spawn Zone. If this space is occupied, follow the Placement Rule (see p. XXX).
Then place the Monster Spawn Token on the cooldown space on the Threat Track.
Activating Spawned Monsters
Each newly spawned Monster is immediately activated with a Basic Action. (May be changed to: immediately activated with the first Monster Action shown on the last Encounter Card maintaining the activation order of it. If there is no discarded Encounter Card, draw one and discard it first.)
It doesn't matter if it was spawned by drawing a Monster Spawn Token, a Chest Token or during a story event. This activation does not prevent the Monster from being activated again in the Monster Phase.
No Available Monster Figure to Spawn
If a Monster should be spawned but there is no more figure available, activate all figures of that Monster type instead.
Monster Phase in Detail
Drawing an Encounter Card
The Monster Phase starts by drawing an Encounter Card, which will activate Monsters and increase the Threat Level.
Activating Monsters
Activate the indicated Monsters in ascending initiative order, by following the listed Monster Actions on the Encounter Card.
Increasing the Threat Level
Some Encounter Cards display a "+1" symbol which means the Threat Level increases by 1.
Some Encounter Cards display "If 1/2/3 or fewer Monsters were activated with 2/3/4 Heroes: +1", meaning the Threat Level increases by 1 if the number of activated Monsters is equal to or less than "Heroes -1".
Example: In a 2-player game, this condition would apply if 1 or fewer Monsters were activated.
Move the Threat Marker to the next position on the Threat Track to increase the Threat Level. This may trigger effects such as Monster Spawns, Threat Tokens, or even Legend Tokens.
End of Monster Phase
The Monster Phase ends once all Monsters indicated by the Encounter Card have been activated and the Encounter Card has been fully resolved.
Check for Hero Phase or End of Round Phase: If any Hero Action Tokens remain, collect the spent ones near the Round Tracker and begin the next Hero Phase. If no Hero Action Tokens remain, proceed to the End of Round Phase (see p. XXX).
Monster Activation
Each Monster figure is activated individually by the Monster Actions listed on the Encounter Card: Basic, Special, or Skill.
If multiple figures of the same Monster type are present, activate them one at a time. The first figure to activate is the one closest to a Hero. If multiple figures are equally close, use the Placement Rule (p. XXX) to determine which activates first.
Each Monster activation follows these steps:
1. Carry Out "On Activation" Effects. Resolve any effects with the On-Activation trigger.
2. Target the Closest Hero in Line of Sight. Determine the distance to each Hero within Line of Sight (see p. XXX). The closest Hero is designated as the Target.
If multiple Heroes qualify, use the following Target Priority:
- Lowest Elevation
- Lowest Health
- Lowest Defense
- Lowest Focus
- Lowest Level
If there is still no distinct Target or any Target in Line of Sight, use the Placement Rule to determine the Target: Check north first, then proceed clockwise within range.
3. Move into Attack Range or as Close as Possible. If the Monster is already in Attack Range, it does not move.
If the Monster is not in Attack Range, it moves along the shortest path toward its Target until it reaches the required Attack Range.
3.2 Carry Out "After Movement" Effects. Resolve any effects with the After-Movement trigger.
4. Check and Update Target Based on Priority. If a Hero is now closer or at the same Attack Range, check the Target Priority again and update the Target, if necessary.
5. Carry Out Attack (if Possible). Perform the attack as defined by the Encounter Card and the Monster Card.
Note: Effects listed in a single line only trigger if the attack hits (see Effect Resolution Rule on page XXX).
5.1 If No Hero Can Be Attacked: Attack Barricade. If no Hero is within Attack Range, check for Barricades in Attack Range and attack them. Use the Placement Rule to determine the Target.
5.2 Carry Out "After Attack" Effects. Resolve any effects with the After-Attack trigger, regardless of whether the attack was successful.
Activation Example
We are playing with 2 Heroes and draw an Encounter Card that activates Middle Monsters first, then Fast Monsters, with the following Monster Actions: Basic, Skill, Special, Special. Then it increases the Threat Level by 1 if only one or fewer Monsters were activated.
Checking for Monster Activations
The following two Monsters are present: Lost Child and Giant Spider.
Checking for Middle-Sized Monsters
Since both Monsters are either Small or Big, no Monsters activate at this step.
Checking for Fast Monsters
The Lost Child is a Fast Monster, so it will activate. Luckily the Giant Spider has Normal speed and will not activate at all.
Activating the Lost Children
Each Lost Child figure is activated individually by following the listed Monster Actions.
First Activation. The first Lost Child activates the Basic "Spear Attack" Action with an Attack Range of 2.
The closest Lost Child to any Hero is the bottom one, which is already within Attack Range of the Ranger. Since it does not need to move, it remains in place. As this Monster has no Effect Triggers, it immediately carries out the Attack.
The Basic Attack specifies 1 red and 1 yellow Attack Die. If the attack hits, it will also inflict Poison 1. A player rolls the following Attack: 4 Damage / 3 Defense = 1.33 = 1 Wound, plus 1 Crit = 1 Wound.
With a Defense of 3, the attack deals 2 Wounds to the Ranger. Since the attack successfully inflicted Wounds, Poison 1 is also applied. The Regeneration symbol would allow the Lost Child to heal 1 HP.
Second Activation. This Lost Child activates the Skill Action "Piercing Spears", with an Attack Range of 3.
This Lost Child has no Line of Sight to any Hero, so it has to use its 2 Movement Points to move into Attack Range. Now it is in Attack Range to the Ranger since the LoS to the Barbarian is blocked by the Barricade.
The Skill Action specifies 1 black, 1 red and 1 yellow Attack Die. Since the Ranger is positioned in a Zone with a Decay Token, he will suffer the additional 2 Wounds and Push 2. A player rolls the following Attack: 8 Damage / 3 Defense = 2.66 = 2 Wound.
With a Defense of 3 the attack deals 2 Wounds to the Ranger, plus Poison 1, which adds up to Poison 2. He also suffers 2 Wounds because of the Decay Zone Marker and is being pushed 2 spaces back, coliding with the Outer Border once, resulting in an additional Wound. He suffers a total of 5 Wounds.
Checking Threat Level
Since two Monsters were activated, the Threat Level does not increase in this example.
Threat Track
The Threat Track represents the growing influence of evil forces as it displays the current Threat Level. Multiple game elements interact with and manipulate the Threat Level, either increasing or altering it.
The Threat Track holds Threat and Spawn Tokens, as well as Legend, Story, and Whisper Tokens, advancing dynamic aspects of the game. It shows a Threat Marker, Threat Space, and instructions to Draw Spawn Token, and includes a Repeating Spiral where Heroes suffer 1 Wound.
Threat Triggers
The Threat Track has two printed Threat Triggers that activate when the Threat Level reaches them.
- Draw a Monster Spawn Token from the Spawn Bag and spawn that Monster.
- Each Hero suffers 1 Wound.
During setup or gameplay, additional tokens may be placed on the Threat Track. These tokens activate like printed Threat Triggers.
Threat Tokens
Threat Tokens are placed on the Threat Track. Some of these tokens show two effects and allow players to choose one of those effects when they are activated.
Threat Tokens that have been resolved are placed on a discard pile. If the Threat Token supply is ever empty, shuffle all discarded Threat Tokens to build a new supply.
Monster Spawn Tokens on the Track
Monster Spawn Tokens which were placed on the Threat Track will be added to the spawn bag, when the Threat Marker reaches them.
Repeating Spiral
When the Threat Level reaches 16, it enters a continuous cycle between Level 16 and 20. If it reaches Level 20 and increases further, it resets back to Level 16. Before it resets each Hero suffers 1 Wound.
Round Track
The Round Track provides an overview of the current game round. It tracks used Hero Action Tokens, signaling when the Hero Phase ends and the Monster Phase begins. After three completed rounds, it triggers the Clean-Up Phase.
It shows the Round Marker, the 3 Game Rounds, the Clean-Up space, and a Cooldown Space, along with the Hero Phase (3 Hero Action Tokens) and Monster Phase (Encounter Card).
Placing Hero Action Tokens
Hero Action Tokens used during the Hero Phase are placed on the bottom left spaces of the Round Track. Once the third token is placed and the Hero Action is completed, the arrow indicates the end of the current Hero Phase. The Monster Phase then begins with drawing an Encounter Card (see p. XXX).
Cooldown Space
Each Monster Spawn Token drawn from the Spawn Bag is placed on the Cooldown Space to the right of the Round Track. These tokens are returned to the Spawn Bag during the Clean-Up Phase.
Game Rounds & Clean-Up
At the top of the Round Track, three spaces with the Heroes symbol indicate that each new Round begins with the Hero Phase.
At the start of the game, place the Round Marker on the first space. It advances during the End of Round Phase.
After the third Round ends, move the Round Marker to the Clean-Up Space, triggering the Clean-Up Phase (see p. XXX).
Repeating Spiral
After the Clean-Up Phase the Round Marker is set back to space 1 of the Round Track.
Terrain Tiles
Terrain Tiles create the environment where Heroes and Monsters interact. Each tile displays spaces, Zones, a tile number and an arrow to assist with proper placement during setup. Each tile shows a Placement Arrow, Space, Zone, and Tile Number.
Spaces
Each tile has a grid of squares. Each square represents one space, which can be occupied by exactly one figure (miniature, standee) or obstacle.
Terrain Tile Sizes
- Big: 5x5 spaces
- Small: 3x3 spaces
Zones
Zones consist of multiple spaces and are outlined by a thick white border. They are represented by the Zone symbol.
Outer Border
The spaces outside of Terrain Tiles may not be entered but pushed against.
Elevation
Some Terrain Tiles are elevated, as specified during setup. These tiles are lifted higher using Elevation Bases. Elevation is measured in Levels and never breaks Line of Sight (LoS).
Elevation Levels
- Level 0: Tile placed on the table.
- Level 1: Small elevated Tile.
- Level 2: Big elevated Tile.
- Level 3+: A small elevated Tile placed on a big elevated Tile, and so on.
Moving Up & Down
Moving onto an elevated Terrain Tile may alter movement.
- Moving down: No effect.
- Moving up 1 level: No effect.
- Moving up 2+ levels: Requires 3 Movement Points or a Climb Action (see p. XXX).
Elevation Bonus
Elevations provide Attack Bonuses based on the difference in levels between attacker and target.
Each Level above: +1 Damage, +1 Range for Ranged Attacks.
Each Level below: -1 Damage, -1 Range for Ranged Attacks.
Example: The Ranger attacks a Monster 2 Elevation Levels below him. He gains +2 Range and +2 Damage as an Elevation Bonus to his attack.
Other Terrain Tiles
Bridge Tiles
Bridge Tiles consist of one Zone with three spaces and are used to connect two Terrain Tiles.
Abyss Tiles
Abyss Tiles consist of one Zone with five spaces. They are placed between two Terrain Tiles and cannot be entered. However, they do not block Line of Sight (LoS), allowing for ranged attacks or jumping across them.
River Tiles
River Tiles consist of one Zone with five spaces and impact movement. It costs +1 Movement Points to enter each River Space.
Note: River Tiles cannot contain Fire Zone Effects.
Lava Tiles
Lava Tiles are available in two sizes: 1 space and 1x5 spaces. Both versions have the same effect: Any figure entering a Lava Space suffers 2 Fire-Wounds.
Monsters showing a Lava symbol in their Attack place a small Lava Tile under their figure if not specified otherwise.
Note: Large Lava Tiles cannot contain Frost Zone Effects.
Barricades
- Obstacle -
Barricades are obstacles. They block Line of Sight, movement and adjacency. They are placed between spaces but do not block or occupy these spaces.
Barricades can be attacked and have the following stats: Defense 3, HP 3.
Zone Plus Attacks: Barricades take damage when a Zone Plus Attack is activated in an adjacent Zone.
Ending The Game
Victory
Victory in a Legend is defined within the Legend description in the WebApp. Choose your decisions carefully to find the best possible outcome for the current Legend - every choice you make may contribute to or alter that goal.
The WebApp provides a Victory button when you have a chance to be triumphant.
Defeat
Defeat in a Legend is defined through the Legend description in the WebApp as well. However, there are multiple ways to lose a Legend:
- the story directly leads to a defeat.
- a Hero dies three times, accumulating 3 Tainted Blood Cards.
- the Hero group holds three active Tainted Blood Cards in total.
The WebApp always provides a Defeat button to mark the end of a failed attempt.
Unlocking Hero Cards
After successfully winning a Legend, the victory text may instruct you to 'unlock a Hero Card.' If this happens, draw three of your available Unlockable Hero Cards and choose one to keep.
The unlocked card may be:
- An Item Card
- A Starting Item Card (Level 0)
- A new Hero Card featuring a unique talent
Add the chosen card to its respective deck—it is now permanently available to you.
If you unlock a new Hero Card, you may only choose one to use at the beginning of the game.
Special Cases
Boss Stage
Some Legends may lead to a Boss Stage. Bosses are displayed in the WebApp, ensuring total surprise and variability. The Boss may react differently depending on your choices and the path you took throughout the game.
The WebApp will guide and instruct you on how to handle the encounter.
Use the Boss Board to track their Health, Defense and Speed stats. You may also place tokens on the right side to quickly reference their Single Immunities and Complete Immunities.
Monsters in the WebApp
Some Monsters or enemies are generated digitally within the WebApp. You will see a Monster Card on the screen, displaying its characteristics just like a physical Monster Card.
This method enhances variability and unpredictability, keeping each playthrough fresh and immersive.
Solo Mode
In Solo Mode you will control two Heroes. Instead of controlling two full Heroes you may select a Companion Hero in addition to your full Hero. The companion is controlled using the Companion Card of any other Hero and represented by its miniature.
The companion receives 3 Hero Action Tokens, just like a regular Hero. Spend one of these tokens to activate one of the predefined actions listed on the Companion Card. While Companions are simpler to manage and less customizable than full Heroes, their actions are more powerful and they will level up alongside the Monsters.
Your Companion is treated as a full Hero in all gameplay aspects, including being targeted by enemies or receiving Tainted Blood Cards when defeated.
Companion Cards
Each Companion Card shows Health Cubes, Mana Cubes, Equipped Neutral Skill Tokens, Weapon, Armor, Basic Attributes, 3 Actions, and Potion Storage.
A Companion may:
- Equip 1 Weapon Item Card. Class limitations apply.
- Equip 1 Armor Item Card.
- Build Set Bonuses by equipping matching Item Cards.
- Learn up to 2 Neutral Skills using your Skillpoints.
- Hold up to 3 Potions.
- Hold any number of Dice Upgrade Tokens.
Leveling Up a Companion
Companions will level up when the Monsters level up via the Monster Level Up Threat Token. Flip their Companion Card to Level 2.
Companion Rules
Companions:
- don't use Strength or Accuracy. Instead they will use all rolled Dice like Monsters.
- do not gain XP. Instead your Hero gains those XP.
- Regenerate 2 at the end of the Hero Phase.
- travel with you to town, where you can equip them as if they were your full Hero.
- have no Level limit regarding Item Cards.
Status Effect Tokens
Status Effect Tokens are applied directly to a figure. Each figure can have a maximum of one Status Effect Token of each type, with some stacking up to a value of four.
- Heroes place them on their Playerboard or Hero Card.
- Allies/Creatures place them next to their Skill Token.
- Monster/Bosses place them next to their figure.
These effects are activated when a figure is activated. Heroes activate them at the start of the Hero Phase.
Bleed
Bleed can mean a quick death. Discard the Bleed token and suffer Wounds equal to the total Bleed value discarded.
Bleed can stack up to a maximum value of 4.
Poison
Poison is a slow killer, decreasing by one with each activation. Suffer 1 Wound each time Poison decreases.
Poison can stack up to a maximum value of 4.
Stun
Stun significantly reduces a figure's effectiveness.
Monsters/Allies: Discard the Stun Token. They cannot move but may still attack if possible.
Heroes: Immediately place a Hero Action Token on the Round Tracker and discard the Stun Token. If no Hero Action Token is available, this must be done at the start of the next Hero Phase.
Tokens In Detail
Cadavre Tokens
Cadavre Tokens are placed when any figure or NPC dies. Remove the figure and place a random Cadavre Token (with the bonus hidden) in its space. Each token displays a bonus on its back side once revealed.
The Loot Action allows you to flip all adjacent Cadavre Tokens to reveal and gain their bonuses. Afterward, discard all flipped Cadavre Tokens. If the draw pile is ever empty, shuffle all discarded tokens to form a new draw pile.
Chest Tokens
Chest Tokens are indestructible obstacles placed during setup. Each Chest Token displays a bonus on its back side once revealed.
Use the Interact Action to flip an adjacent Chest Token to reveal and gain its bonus. Afterward, discard the Chest Token. If the draw pile is ever empty, shuffle all discarded tokens to form a new draw pile.
Special Chest Tokens
- Draw a Monster Spawn Token, spawn it in the space of the Chest Token and activate it.
- Spawn a Spider in the space of the Chest Token and activate it.
- Gain one Gem of your choice.
- Draw 5 Item Cards, choose 2 to keep and discard the rest.
Set Tokens
Two Items equipped next to each other showing the same Set Symbol will grant you a Set Bonus. Choose one of the available Set Tokens with the corresponding symbol and place it over the connecting Item Cards, so it overlaps and hides the connected Set Symbols.
If all Set Tokens for that Set Symbol are in use, no additional bonuses of that type can be gained.
Available Set Token effects include:
- Ignore the first Bleed from each Source.
- Ignore the first Fire-Wound from each source.
- Ignore the effect from Web Zone Effects.
- Ignore the effect from Frost Zone Effects.
- Once per Round: Upgrade 2 Attack Dice.
- Ignore the first Poison Marker from each source.
- Ignore the first Stun from each source.
- Strength +1
- Ignore the effect from Decay Zone Effects.
- Accuracy +1
- One free Reroll for each attack.
- Damage +2
- Health +1 / Mana +1
- Health +1 / Mana +1
- Mana +2
- Health +2
- Health +1 / Defense +1
- Health +1 / Speed +1
Threat Tokens
Threat Tokens are special tokens and are only ever placed on the Threat Track. Some of these tokens show two different effects and allow players to choose between those effects when they are activated. Some Threat Tokens manipulate the Encounter Deck by adding random Encounter Cards to it.
Example effects:
- Monster Level-Up.
- Draw a Monster Spawn Token, or add a random Encounter Card.
- Draw a Monster Spawn Token.
- Draw an Encounter Card.
- Draw a Monster Spawn Token or an Encounter Card.
- All Heroes suffer 2 Wounds or draw an Encounter Card.
- All Heroes suffer 2 Wounds or add a random Encounter Card.
- All Heroes suffer 2 Wounds.
Portal Scroll Tokens
Portal Scroll Tokens are discarded to travel to the Town Market (see p. XXX).
Dice Upgrade Tokens
Discard to upgrade either two Attack Dice once or one Attack Die twice.
Dice Upgrade Progression
White > Yellow > Red > Black
For example, you may upgrade:
- Two white Attack Dice to two yellow Attack Dice, or
- one white and one red Attack Die to one yellow and one black Attack Die, or
- one yellow Attack Die to one black Attack Die
Zone Effect Tokens
The game includes 4 Zone Effect Tokens. When one of these tokens is present in a Zone, its effect is active.
- Fire. End of Round: Suffer 1 Fire-Wound.
- Frost. It costs +1 Movement to enter each space.
- Decay. Suffer 1 Wound when entering this Zone.
- Web. Movement ends instantly, when entering this Zone.
Note: If both Fire and Frost Tokens are present in the same Zone, both tokens are discarded.
Keywords
General Keywords
- Chance Die (50%) — Roll the Chance Die: Success - Gain the bonus. Fail - No bonus is gained.
- Adjacent — Adjacent refers to all 8 surrounding spaces around a figure, including the space it occupies.
- Crit — If an Attack Die displays a lightning effect, it results in an instant Wound that cannot be avoided.
- Damage — The sum of your rolled and resolved Attack Dice plus modifiers, which will be compared against the enemy's Defense to inflict Wounds.
- Fix — Place it — once placed, it is fixed and cannot be retrieved.
- Regenerate — Regenerate Health or Mana by a specified amount. You may split the regeneration between HP and MP, but neither can exceed its maximum value.
- Steal X — Your target suffers 1 Wound, and you regenerate 1 HP. This effect can only be used if your Health is below 100%.
Passive Monster Abilities
- Block — Block prevents figures from moving out of any adjacent space around this figure.
- Flying — Flying figures can move over Barricades, enemy figures, and Abysses. They also ignore all Zone Effects.
- Mob — When this figure moves adjacent to another figure with the Mob ability and continues its movement, the other figure will follow, always moving into the space the first figure just left. Other figures will not be activated.
- Tough — Tough figures can only suffer one Wound per source at a time. Sources are for example Attacks, Pushes, Zone Effects etc.
Keywords Related to Movement
Players must choose a direct yet strategic route for moving Monsters.
- Flee X — A figure must move X spaces directly away from the inflicting figure. This can also be applied using Zones if specified.
- Move X — A figure may move up to the specified number of spaces (e.g., Move 3 allows a movement up to 3 spaces).
- Pull X — Move a figure in a straight line toward the activator for the indicated number of spaces. If pulled diagonally, the number of spaces moved is halved.
- If the figure hits an obstacle, it suffers 1 Wound.
- If the figure would hit the same obstacle more than once, it suffers a maximum of 2 Wounds.
- If the figure is pulled into another figure or barricade, both suffer 1 Wound. If they collide multiple times, each suffers a maximum of 2 Wounds.
- If the figure is moved down Elevation Levels, no fall damage is applied.
- Push X — Push a figure in a straight line away from the activator for the indicated number of spaces. If pushed diagonally, the number of spaces pushed is halved.
- If the figure hits an obstacle, it suffers 1 Wound.
- If the figure would hit the same obstacle more than once, it suffers a maximum of 2 Wounds.
- If the figure is pushed into another figure or barricade, both suffer 1 Wound. If they collide multiple times, each suffers a maximum of 2 Wounds.
- If the figure is pushed down Elevation Levels, no fall damage is applied.
- Runaway X — A figure must move X spaces/zones in the direction farthest from any Hero.
Symbols & Triggers
Symbols
The rulebook uses iconography for: Hero/Ally, All Heroes, Monster, Hero Action Token, Level, XP, Skill Point, Focus, Strength, Accuracy, Defense, Speed, Health, Mana, Range, Unlimited Damage, New Weapon Stat, Wound, Zone (Effect/Attack), Zone Plus (Effect/Attack), White Attack Die, Yellow Attack Die, Red Attack Die, Black Attack Die, Fire Die, Frost Die, Reroll 1 Die, Dice Upgrade, Any Gem, Item Card, Regenerate HP/MP, Regenerate HP, Regenerate MP, Kill Bonus, Legend, Story, Whisper, Threat Level, Fire, Frost, Decay, Web, Stun, Poison, Bleed, Push, Immunity X, Completely Immune, Chance Die: Success, Chance Die: Fail, Hero Spawn Space, Any Spawn Space, Monster Spawn Space (in three colors), Small Monster, Middle Monster, Big Monster, Slow, Normal, Fast, Highest Elevation, Lowest Elevation, X Coins, 1 Coin, 3 Coins, 5 Coins.
Triggers
- Roll the Chance Die to check if you succeed.
- A Hero/Ally is in an adjacent space to you.
- A Hero/Ally is in an adjacent Zone to you.
- No Hero/Ally is in an adjacent Zone to you.
- When you are adjacent to at least 2 Monsters.
- When you are being attacked by a Monster.
- When an attack against you deals no Wounds.
- When an attack against you rolls a Crit.
- When you roll at least 1 Crit. Activates once per Attack.
- When you resolve at least 2 Crits.
- When this figure has 3 Health or less.
- When you deal at least 1 Wound.
- If you deal exactly 2 Wounds.
- After you kill an enemy.
- When you attack but deal no Wounds.
- This can be activated only once per round.
- Immediately after this figure is activated.
- This can be activated only once per Legend.
- After this figure moved at least 1 space or more.
- At the end of this figure's attack action.
- When this figure dies.
- If you suffer exactly 1 Wound.
- If you suffer 1 or more Wounds.
- If you suffer 2 or more Wounds.
- During the current round.