Lairs: Adventurer's Pack Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Changes and Additions to Setup
  • Junk Cards
  • Power Dice and Monster Dice
  • Energy Cubes
  • Before Building Lairs: Hazard Selection
  • Status Chits
  • After Building Lairs: Choose Your Attributes
  • The Vault
• Symbol Glossary
  • Miscellaneous Symbols
  • Various Rewards
  • Various Penalties
  • Target Values
• New Concepts
  • Junk Cards
  • Adaptation
  • Power Dice
  • Monster & Trap Weaknesses
  • Status Chits
  • Status Chit Effects
  • Monster Dice & Skull Abilities
• The New Actions
  • Scrounge
  • Appraise
  • Scavenge
  • Charge
  • Sneak
  • Recover
  • Improvise
• Monster Effect Clarifications
  • Devil's Carpet
  • Fright Gobbler
  • Furniture Golem
  • Gear Hound
  • Gloombat
  • Hungry Blob
  • Tanglethorn
  • Whisperling Mob
• Trap Effect Clarifications
  • Blink Runes
  • Chain Snares
  • Crushing Walls
  • Gremling Swarm
  • Howling Beetles

Changes and Additions to Setup

Junk Cards

These cards represent various items you can find as you explore. Shuffle the deck of Junk cards and keep it face down near the Treasure display.

Power Dice and Monster Dice

Keep them handy along with your Basic dice.

Energy Cubes

Keep all cubes (Basic and Attribute) in a supply where both players can reach them. The three new cube colours represent exciting new Attributes that introduce game-changing capabilities to your explorer:

• Know-how: Skill at turning the things you find in the lair to your advantage will always come in handy.
• Brawn: This represents your physical strength and fighting skill, and also your health and resilience.
• Guile: This is a sneaky sort of cleverness that can help you avoid traps and get you out of various scrapes.

Before Building Lairs: Hazard Selection

Take all of your Monster and Trap materials (cards plus their tokens and tiles) out of the Vault so that you can choose which to use. There are many more Traps and Monsters than will fit in your lair. That means that you must select your Hazards before building your lairs!

Both lairs must have identical Hazards. How you choose them doesn't matter, as long as you have three Monsters and three Traps. See the box to the right for some ideas about how to choose.

Once you have chosen, lay out the selected Monster and Trap cards in a display. Give each player the associated Monster tokens and Trap tiles so that they can build their lairs. Return all other Monster and Trap material to the box.

The box on the rules sheet gives some ideas for choosing:

• Friendly: Players agree on the Traps and Monsters to include.
• Fully Random: Shuffle the Monster cards and Trap cards face down, and draw three of each.
• Drafting: Decide who picks first, then alternate choosing one Hazard each until you reach three of each type.

You could blend methods; for example you might agree to include two specific Traps and then randomly draw the remaining Hazards. It's totally up to you!

Status Chits

Keep all of your Status chits in a supply near your Hazard display.

If you want, you can check your selected Hazards to see which Status effects might come into play for your game, and return any chits you won't need to the box.

After Building Lairs: Choose Your Attributes

Each player starts the game with three Basic cubes, and three different Attribute cubes of their choice. Place your chosen cubes in the Spent basket of your player mat.

The Vault

Between games, store all of your Hazard-selection components in the Vault; it's a handy way to keep everything together in one place:

• Monster cards
• Monster tokens
• Trap cards
• Trap tiles
• Status chits

Symbol Glossary

Miscellaneous Symbols

• A Basic cube
• A Quickness cube
• A Perception cube
• A Know-how cube
• A Brawn cube
• A Guile cube
• Any cube
• A Basic die
• A Power die
• Any die
• Natural category
• Mechanical category
• Enchanted category
• A special rule
• A Monster's Skull ability
• A Hazard's Strike effect

Various Rewards

• Draw a Treasure card from the deck
• Choose a face-up Treasure card from the display, then refill the display.
• Gain a Junk card from the deck
• Gain 2 VP. Note it on the top left Notes section of your map sheet.
• Change any one of your cubes into a Quickness cube. Swap your cube with a cube from the supply.
• Musical Instrument (Treasure type)
• The Start space
• The Exit
• A Trap
• A Monster
• A Chest

Various Penalties

• Fatigue any 2 cubes
• Fatigue 1 Quickness cube
• Spend any 1 cube
• Demote 1 Know-how cube. Swap it with a Basic cube from the supply.
• Discard 2 Junk cards
• Discard 1 Treasure card
• Subtract 4 from your roll
• Add 3 to the Monster's Target. Write the new value in the Monster's space.

Target Values

• Monster Target value
• Trap Target value
• Monster/Trap Target value
• Status chit (shown in the glossary as a black chit)

New Concepts

Junk Cards

Junk cards are bits of leftover adventuring gear that previous explorers have lost or discarded in the lair. To play a Junk card, discard it (into a common discard pile near the deck) and then do what it says. Each one explains what it does and when you may use it. If it does not specify a timing (or other conditions), you may use it at any time on your turn, unless you are in the middle of something else.

You may hold up to three Junk cards at once; if you ever have more than three, you must immediately discard the excess before doing anything else. You may not play them at that time; use your Junk in a timely fashion to avoid this waste.

Junk timing examples: A Cracked Mirror can only be used when performing a disarm check. A Crumpled Trap Assembly Manual can be used whenever you like... as long as you have a cube to spend and are beside a Known space with a Trap in it. A Map Fragment can be used at any time.

If the Junk deck ever runs out, shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck.

Adaptation

You begin the game with only a partial set of Attributes. Luckily, there is a way for you to adapt to this challenge.

At the start of your turn when you are refreshing your cubes, if you are moving at least one cube from Fatigued to Spent, you may swap one of those cubes (of any colour) with any cube of your choice from the supply. This lets you develop a set of Attributes over the course of the game to suit your playing style. You may have multiple cubes of the same colour.

Adaptation example: you are refreshing two cubes from Fatigued to Spent. You decide to swap a Basic cube for a second Brawn cube from the supply.

Power Dice

Power dice have much higher numbers on their faces than Basic dice.

Monster & Trap Weaknesses

Each Monster card and Trap card displays attributes that the hazard is weak to; those are its weaknesses.

Notice that all of the Monsters are weak to Brawn; it's the best for fighting! Notice that all of the Traps are weak to Guile; it's the best for disarming!

Weakness example: This Tanglethorn is weak to Brawn and Perception. If you spend two Brawn, one Quickness, and one Basic cube, you will get two Power dice and two Basic dice for your check.

As you know, when fighting a Monster or disarming a Trap, you spend cubes to buy dice for the check. For each spent cube that matches one of the hazard's weaknesses, you buy a Power die instead of a Basic die. Power dice are much stronger; exploit a hazard's weaknesses to get more success with fewer cubes spent!

Weakness example: This Greased Pit is weak to Guile and Quickness. If you spend one Guile, one Quickness, and one Basic cube, you will get two Power dice and one Basic die for your check.

Status Chits

Some game effects inflict a Status upon you, creating a lingering effect. When you gain a Status, take that Status chit from the supply and place it in your Fatigued basket. As long as the chit remains on your player mat, you must follow its rules (the chit back reminds you where to find its rules).

• You may have several different chits at once, but never two identical chits at once. If you gain a Status that you already have, move the existing chit on your mat to your Fatigued basket.
• Chits are not cubes; they ignore all cube-related game effects. At the start of your turn when you are refreshing your cubes, all chits also move one basket to the left.
• When a chit finally moves left from your Fresh basket, return it to the supply; you are then free of that Status. This means that when you gain a Status, it lingers for the rest of that turn, plus your next two full turns.

Gaining a Status example: You set off the Maddening Mantle trap, gaining Enraging status. You place that chit in your Fatigued basket. While you are Enraging, any Monster gains 3 to its Target value when you enter its space!

Status Chit Effects

Dazed: All of your cubes count as Basic cubes when spent for any purpose.

• For penalty purposes, your cubes still retain their actual identity; for example if you are instructed to fatigue a Quickness cube, you must still do so if you have any.

Dazzled: You may not Peer or Scrounge. You have mapping difficulties as described below.

• When you enter an Unknown space, the Builder describes Features but not Walls, and the space remains Unknown. If you attempt to move out of an Unknown space by any method and bump into a Wall, draw it on your map and remain in the space; the move is wasted.
• When Dazzled wears off, immediately learn about the space you are in.

Enraging: Entering a Monster's space by any method adds 3 to its Target value.

• Note the new value by writing it in the space on your map. This may affect a Monster multiple times if you enter its space more than once.

Poisoned: At the start of your turn (after refreshing), roll one Basic die and immediately fatigue that many cubes (of any kind).

• This does not count as a check; no items or abilities may influence this roll.
• Since this happens at the start of your turn, this Status doesn't harm you on the turn you gain it.

Sleepy: Performing any action that has a cube cost requires you to first spend one extra cube of any kind.

• This includes actions stemming from Junk, Treasures, or other abilities.
• Conserving cubes and buying dice for checks are exempt from this effect.
• Repeatable actions (such as Appraising several times when you open a Chest) require one extra cube to be spent per instance.

Terrified: For fight checks against Monsters, you may not spend cubes to buy dice.

• Other methods of gaining dice that don't describe their function as buying dice (for example the Charge or Improvise actions or the Chipped Dagger Junk card) are still permitted.

Monster Dice & Skull Abilities

The monsters have a few tricks of their own... every Monster has an ability that might activate during a fight!

During a fight check, after you have rolled your dice but before you determine whether the check is a success or failure, the Builder rolls both Monster dice to see how the Monster influences the outcome of the fight. The effects of the Monster roll are applied, and then success or failure is determined. Here is what the dice faces mean:

• Blank face: Nothing happens.
• Subtract 1: Subtract 1 from your roll.
• Subtract 2: Subtract 2 from your roll.
• Skull: Apply the Monster's Skull ability. Important: Resolve the ability only once, even if two skulls are rolled.

Monster roll example: You are fighting the Autoflail and you roll 5, 4, 2, 2, totalling 13. The Builder rolls the Monster dice; they get 2 (reducing your roll to 11) and a skull (forcing you to demote a Know-how cube). Since the Target was 12, your check fails and you suffer the Autoflail's Hazard's Strike effect.

The New Actions

Scrounge

Cost: spend two any cubes, or spend one Know-how cube.

Scrounging is searching the dungeon for lost or discarded bits of junk left behind by previous adventurers.

You must be in an empty space that hasn't yet been Scrounged.

Spend two any cubes (or one Know-how cube), then draw one Junk from the deck per Wall piece bordering your current space (the printed outer border of the lair does not count). Choose one of them to keep, and discard the others.

Next, fill in the "Scrounged" bubble in that map space, to indicate that you may not Scrounge there again.

Finally, you may Creep (for free) out of that space.

Scrounge example: While in this empty space, you spend a Know-how cube to Scrounge. You will draw two Junk cards, since there are two Wall pieces bordering the space (the printed border doesn't count). You draw Part of a Scroll and A Candle Stub. You pick the one you want to keep, and discard the other. Next you fill in the Scrounged bubble; this space is all scrounged out! Finally, you may Creep out of the space; since it's a dead end, you'll have to go back the way you came.

Appraise

Cost: spend one Perception cube.

This action improves your chances to find something you want in the first part of the Chest-opening process (where you normally draw one random Treasure from the deck).

To Appraise, spend a Perception cube after you have drawn (and looked at) your random Treasure to draw one extra random Treasure. Choose one of them to add to your collection, then discard the other.

• You may spend additional Perception cubes to continue drawing extra Treasures, then choose one of the bunch. You may look at each drawn card before deciding to spend more.

Appraise example: You open a Chest and draw a Guardian Statue; it doesn't blend well with your collection, so you spend a Perception cube and draw a Moon Shard. Hoping to do better, you spend another Perception cube and draw a Priest Statue. Assessing all three, you decide the Shard is your best option to keep, and discard both Statues.

Scavenge

Cost: spend one Know-how cube.

The Scavenge action gives you the opportunity to extract useful Junk from the aftermath of various lair Features.

Immediately after opening a Chest, disarming a Trap, or defeating a Monster, you may spend a Know-how cube to draw two Junk cards from the deck, and keep them both.

• You may only Scavenge each Feature once, and only on the same turn that you opened/disarmed/defeated it.
• Remember that if you exceed your hand limit of three Junk, you must immediately discard any excess.

Scavenge example: you have just defeated a Monster and decide to Scavenge; you spend a Know-how cube and draw two Junk. You get A Bit of Rope and A Candle Stub... hopefully you'll be able to put them to good use!

Charge

Cost: spend two any cubes, or spend one Brawn cube.

To Charge, spend two any cubes (or one Brawn cube), then move into an adjacent space as if you were Creeping.

• If there is a Known Monster in the new space, you must perform a fight check as usual, but you gain one free Power die for that check (adding to any other dice you buy normally).
• If there is an Unknown Monster there, it is revealed as usual but you may completely ignore its strike.
• If there is no Monster there, nothing happens.

Charge example: there is a Known Tanglethorn in the space next to you, so you spend a Brawn cube to Charge into the space. You get a free Power die for your fight check, and can decide how many other dice you wish to buy for the roll.

Sneak

Cost: spend two any cubes, or spend one Guile cube.

To Sneak, spend two any cubes (or one Guile cube), then move into an adjacent space as if you were Creeping.

• If there is a Known Trap in the new space, you must perform a disarm check as usual, but you gain one free Power die for that check (adding to any other dice you buy normally).
• If there is an Unknown Trap there, it is revealed as usual but you may completely ignore its strike.
• If there is no Trap there, nothing happens.

Sneak example: You spend a Guile cube to Sneak into a suspicious hallway... and a previously Unknown Crushing Walls Trap is revealed! Since you Snuck in, you can ignore its nasty Hazard's Strike effect and then decide what to do next.

Recover

Cost: spend one Brawn cube.

To Recover, spend a Brawn cube to move any one cube from your Fatigued basket to your Spent basket. You may only Recover while you are in an Empty space.

Recover example: You have a few cubes in your Fatigued basket, and a Fresh Brawn cube. You spend it to Recover a cube, moving it to your Spent basket.

Improvise

Cost: spend one Guile cube.

During any check, immediately after your roll (before anything else happens, including rolling Monster dice or determining whether the check succeeds or fails), you may Improvise. Spend a Guile cube to roll one extra Basic die, and add it to your total.

• The extra die is Basic, even if the Hazard is weak to Guile.
• You may Improvise multiple times during a single check, spending a Guile cube for each instance. You do roll each extra die before deciding to spend more.

Improvise example: You are fighting a Hungry Blob, and you rolled 5 and 2, totalling 7. You spend a Guile cube to Improvise, gaining an extra Basic die. You roll a 2, bringing your total to 9... enough to exceed its Target! Hopefully your victory will persist once the Monster dice are rolled...

Monster Effect Clarifications

Warning: only read below if you have opened all packages!

Devil's Carpet

• Brain Fog: Replace all of your rolled Power dice with Basic dice, and reroll the replaced dice only.

Fright Gobbler

• The Shivers: The Builder chooses up to two of your rolled dice (of any types); you must reroll them.
• Grip of Fear: The Builder chooses any one of your cubes of any type (even a Conserved cube); you must fatigue it.

Furniture Golem

• Wall of Chairs: You must move back into the space from which you entered the Furniture Golem's space, and resolve that space as if you had entered with a normal Creep.

Gear Hound

• High Alert: This only occurs when you enter the Gear Hound's space (by any method) while the space is already Known. This does not count as a Hazard's Strike effect.
• Jaws of Steel: Any die result of 3 (whether from a Basic or Power die) is counted as zero.

Gloombat

• Evasive Flutter: Every rolled Basic die counts as 1.
• Gnashing Retreat: The Builder secretly moves the Gloombat directly to any Unknown Empty space of their choice. If no such spaces remain, they tell you so, and the Gloombat remains in its current space. When it moves, erase the square marker from the vacated space; if its Target value has changed, track it in your Notes section.

Hungry Blob

• Splatter Surge: For example, if the Target is 8 and your total roll is 12, the Hungry Blob takes no damage (so the check fails) and then its Target increases to 12.

Tanglethorn

• Plundering Coils: Note that the Treasure is not lost if you win this fight.

Whisperling Mob

• Invisible: May only be placed in a dead end (a space with exactly three walls). The only reason the Builder will reveal this Monster is if you enter its space; it can not be located, and they should not mention it if you learn about its space any other way.
• Intangible: Subtract 4 from the explorer's roll for each Power die that was bought by spending a Brawn cube. This does not affect Power dice gained in other ways, for example with a Charge action.

Trap Effect Clarifications

Blink Runes

• "Moving directly" ignores distance, Walls, and other obstacles.

Chain Snares

• Spend all of your remaining Fresh cubes. This includes Conserved cubes.

Crushing Walls

• This Trap may only be placed in a hallway (a space with exactly two walls on opposite sides).
• The only reason the Builder will reveal this Trap is if you enter its space; it can not be located, and they should not mention it if you learn about its space any other way.

Gremling Swarm

• Discard either a Junk card of your choice or a Treasure card of your choice. Remember to fatigue one cube if you don't have either type of card.

Howling Beetles

• The Builder may choose one Unknown Monster (if any remain), and move it directly to any Unknown Empty space of their choice (if any remain).
• The Builder must heed placement limitations specific to the monster (for example a Whisperling Mob may only be placed in a dead end), but they may ignore the Peril rule from the setup process.
• The Builder does not need to inform the explorer whether they actually did move a Monster.