Light Hunters: Battalion of Darkness
Light Hunters: Battalion of Darkness Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Box Content
- 24 epic Heroes
- 8 "Hero" cards + 1 "Skeleton" card
- 8 "Hero" cards + 1 "Familiar Spirit" card from the expansion Rise of the East & Dawn of Amazonia
- 9 "Hero" cards + 1 "Servant" card from the expansion Wind of the Dunes & Tide of Atlantis
- 70 Spirits of Light cards with a unique graphic design
- 24 Dawn cards
- 16 Shimmer cards
- 14 New Day cards
- 12 Beam cards
- 4 Illumination cards
- 84 tokens
- 50 Battalion of Darkness tokens
- 5 Ether tokens
- 20 1-point health tokens
- 15 3-point health tokens
- 10 5-point health tokens
- 24 Dunes and Atlantis tokens
- 10 Duel tokens
- 50 Battalion of Darkness tokens
- 2 help cards
- This rules booklet
Game Objective
Build your battalion and eliminate enemy forces without leaving a single survivor. All of the heroes from the remaining team are declared the winners, and are free to return to their own worlds.
The team that makes the best use of its heroes' strengths and weaknesses will gain the upper hand over its competitors. Choose your heroes wisely!
Game Set-up (Classic Mode)
Set up teams
Start by setting up two equivalent teams (from 1 to 4 players per team), and place them face-to-face. Light Hunters can be played in two-on-two, three-on-three or four-on-four, whatever the number of players.
A player can play multiple heroes, thereby allowing them to play with an odd number of players. However, the total number of heroes in each team must be equivalent and consist of at least 2 heroes (otherwise it's not really a battalion!).
Once you have two teams, you define the team that will start playing. Use whichever method works best for you!
Heroes selection
Players pick their hero during their turn, following the order shown on the diagram below (depending on the number of heroes played):
- 2 vs 2: Team 1 picks 1, Team 2 picks 2, Team 2 picks 3, Team 1 picks 4.
- 3 vs 3: Team 1 picks 1, Team 2 picks 2, Team 2 picks 3, Team 1 picks 4, Team 1 picks 5, Team 2 picks 6.
- 4 vs 4: Team 1 picks 1, Team 2 picks 2, Team 2 picks 3, Team 1 picks 4, Team 1 picks 5, Team 2 picks 6, Team 2 picks 7, Team 1 picks 8.
(The diagrams show the two teams face to face, with the numbers going 1 and 2 across the top, then 4 and 3 on the next row, then 5 and 6, then 8 and 7.)
Example, for a 2 vs 2 game
- Team 1 chooses its first hero.
- Then, team 2 selects one hero (strategically, this hero should have traits that oppose team 1's hero, but don't let us meddle with your strategy!).
- Then, it's team 2's turn to choose its second hero.
- Next, team 1 chooses its second hero.
Tip: for the first games, you can rely on hero classes, choosing one hero of each class (Defense, Attack, Support and Magic).
Order of Heroes' turn
Once each team has built their battalion, it is possible to change the order of heroes' turn. Even if you chose a character first, you can place him/her in last position. When you have made your choice, place your teammates in front of their hero to simplify the game.
Spirit of Light cards set-up
Shuffle the 70 Spirit of Light cards and deal 2 cards for each hero, in the order of heroes' turn. Let the rest of the cards as a face down stack on the middle of the confrontation area, to serve as a draw pile.
Health points
Then take health tokens to display your hero's health points.
At the top of the hero card, a number indicates the hero's health points, that is, the damage the hero can receive before dying. From the bank, take the number of 5, 3 and 1 tokens that add up to your hero's health points and place them next to the hero, visible to your opponents.
Ether level
On the first round, the Ether level is 1. Symbolize the energy level by adding an Ether token in the center of the confrontation area.
Now the battle can begin!
Gameplay
Light Hunters is a turn-based card game in which the possibilities increase as the game progresses.
- During a round, all heroes play once, following the order used during the selection of the heroes.
- Heroes can use the skills listed on their card during their turn.
- To use a skill, the player must play the Spirit of Light card that corresponds to the seal assigned to the skill.
- Each skill played consumes Ether (number shown above the skill)
- You can cast as much skills as you wish during a hero's turn as long as it does not exceed the Ether level of the round.
For more information, see the chapter on Spirit of Light cards (p.8).
Hero's Turn
A Hero's turn is divided into 4 phases:
- Discard active skills previously activated
- Draw 2 extra cards
- Play Spirit of Light cards
- Discard excess cards
1. Discard active skills previously activated
If active cards placed by the hero during his previous turn end, he must start his turn by discarding them face up.
2. Draw 2 extra cards
The player draws two extra cards in the draw pile. When the draw pile is empty, shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck. The last 3 cards from the discard pile must be kept.
3. Play Spirit of Light cards
The hero can play the Spirit of Light cards that will allow him to activate his skills, he can play as many cards as he wants, as long as it respects the Ether level of the round.
- To symbolize an immediate effect skill, such as an attack, the player quotes the skill, show his Spirit of Light card to the targeted opponent and then place the card in the discard pile, face up.
- To symbolize an active skill available 1 round, the player places the card in front of the targeted hero(s), face up (for example, Ludano's "Shield").
- The skills for allied heroes concern all the heroes of the battalion including the hero who cast the skill.
- The player can discard 3 identical cards face up, to draw 1 additional card from the draw pile, without consuming Ether.
- If the hero is frozen, the player can discard 3 identical Spirit of Light cards to unfreeze himself and play his turn normally. Otherwise he must go directly to phase 4 of his turn.
- The hero can play his Spirit of Light cards only during his turn.
- The player can decide not to play cards for this round.
4. Discard excess cards
If the player ends his turn with more than 5 cards in hand, he must discard the excess cards. It is forbidden to discard cards to reduce your hand below 5 cards.
End of a Hero's turn
The hero's turn is then complete, it is up to the next hero to start his turn, following the order used during the selection of the heroes. When all heroes have played, move on to the next round by increasing the Ether level by 1. If the maximum of 5 Ether is reached, the rounds continue without increasing the Ether level.
Ether cost
Each skill has a cost in Ether, the value is indicated above the name of each skill. The Ether points used during a turn must not exceed the Ether level of the round. Ether level is defined by the number of rounds played, but can not exceed 5 (round 1 = Ether level 1). Some skills allow this limit to be exceeded. For more information, see the chapter on Ether level.
Death of a Hero
When a hero dies, the player must discard all of his cards, if the hero is later resurrected he will start without cards in hand. All skills that he cast on other heroes before he was executed remain active until the end of the hero's turn.
Team spirit
Light Hunters is, above all, a team game, so it is strongly advised to talk to each other to coordinate the team's efforts. However it is forbidden to show your cards to your teammates or to exchange cards.
End of Game
A team wins when all enemy heroes are destroyed. All the heroes of the winning battalion are then designated victorious, and worthy of returning to their world, free and full of glory.
Tip: for the sake of fairness, we encourage you to play at least 2 winning games and thus alternate the starting team.
Ether Level
The Ether level indicates the level of energy available in a round. The Ether level starts at 1 and increases by 1 at the end of each round, up to a maximum of 5.
Tip: to keep track of the Ether level, place Ether tokens at the center of the confrontation zone.
You can cast as many skills as the Ether level allows it. You must add up the Ether cost of each skill cast, without exceeding the Ether level available. The Ether cost is indicated above the name of each skill on the hero cards.
Example We're in round 3. The Ether level is therefore 3 points. Merletta, the fairy, has 3 Dawn cards, 1 Shimmer card and 1 New Day card, so she has several options:
- Launch a "Storm of thorns" 3-Ether-point attack.
- Launch a "Rain of thorns" 2-point attack and a 1-point "Breath of life".
- Launch three 1-point "Breath of life" skills.
The Spirit of Light Cards
Every Spirit of Light card has a seal that corresponds to each skill. Skills are specific to each hero and described on the hero card.
There are 5 types of Spirit of Light cards:
Dawn
Thanks to its wisedom and its mystery, it is the game's first Spirit. Symbolizing the transition from night to day, Dawn can be used as early as the first round. It shapes the hero's destiny. There are 24 Dawn cards.
Shimmer
This Spirit symbolises the emerging light; when the second round begins, Shimmer suggests the beginning of illusions and cunning in team play. There are 16 Shimmer cards.
New Day
According to Egyptian culture, the New Day Spirit is the cyclic symbol of sunlight. This Spirit embodies the resurrection of the battalion in the face of enemy danger. There are 14 New Day cards.
Beam
Through this symbol of eternity and reincarnation, the Spirit of Beam offers the acquisition of new magical powers. It's sure to shake things up a bit. There are 12 Beam cards.
Illumination
Majestic and rare, the Illumination Spirit represents the reborn light and the capacity for renewal. It's hard to oppose such an absolute Spirit, which often plays a decisive role in a game. There are only 4 Illumination cards.
Skill Types
Skills are listed on each hero's card, but to fully understand the extent of the different skills, they are specified here.
Attacks
Deal X damage points to X enemy heroes. Any skill that deals damage is an attack.
Dodge
Avoid all enemy attacks or skills that deal damage. Skills that do not deal damage are not avoided.
Example We're in round 4.
- Ludano uses his "Shield" skill during his turn (dodge the next enemy attack, available 1 round). Then he ends his turn.
- It's then Dagbjart's turn, and he uses the "Underground creepers" skill and blocks Ludano's next turn (this does not activate the shield, because this skill does not deal damage). Dagbjart ends his turn.
- The game round is over: now it's round 5, and the Ether level is 1 higher.
- It's Balder's turn to play, and he uses the "Earthquake" skill and deals 1 damage to all enemy heroes, except for Ludano, who discards his "Shield" card and does not receive damage.
Attack that can't be avoided by a skill
Bypasses defensive skills to deal damage to the target. Defensive skills remain active after the attack.
Going to the front line
Go in the front line, and receive all the damage from the next enemy attack. This skill forces to target a particular hero but does not prevent an attack.
Restore
Restore X health points for X hero(es). Heroes cannot have more health points than those indicated on their cards.
Skills to allied Heroes
Cast a skill for one or all of the allied heroes, can also be used towards the hero who cast the skill.
Example Lucrecia uses her "Life drain" skill (deal 2 damage to an enemy hero and restore as much health points as damage dealt to an allied hero) against Weyaya, she removes 2 health points from Weyaya and decides to regenerate 2 health points for herself.
Freeze
Freeze a hero for his next turn. During his turn, the frozen hero can draw his two cards, if he has 3 identical Spirit of Light cards in hand, he can discard them to free himself from the freeze and can then play his turn. Otherwise, he can't use a skill.
Life Drain
Deal 2 damage to an enemy hero and restore as much health points as damage dealt to the allied hero of her choice. If the attack is dodged, no health points are restored.
Ether management
Control the Ether level available of X heroes.
Example We're in round 1.
- Dagbjart uses his "Ether potion" (increase his Ether level by 1 for this round). This skill costs 0 Ether; he currently has 2 Ether for this turn.
- Dagbjart therefore uses his "Fire ball" skill (deals 2 damage to an enemy hero) against Merletta.
Discarding card
Discard X cards from X heroes. The player must hold up his cards hidden from the other players, and the player who cast the skill takes X cards of his choice and discards them. If a player must discard all his hand, he place all of them in the discard pile.
Stealing card
Steal X cards to X heroes. The player must hold up his cards hidden from the other players, and the player who cast the skill takes X cards of his choice and add them to his hand.
Attack bonus
Increase by X points the damage dealt on the next attack by X allied heroes for 1 round. This skill does not apply for attacks that deal damage to all enemy heroes.
Example We're in round 5.
- Balder uses his "War Cry" skill during his turn (increase by 1 the damage dealt on the next attack of each allied hero, available 1 round). Then, he uses his "Axe blow" skill against Lucrecia and deals 2 damage points.
- Bergljot's turn is next; she uses her "Flaming arrow" and "Triple arrow" skills against Lucrecia and deals a total of 6 damage points (2 pts + 3 pts + 1 extra).
Defense bonus
Reduce by X points the damage dealt on the next attack, for X allied heroes for 1 round. If a hero is attacked by different enemies when the skill is active, the defense bonus applies only once.
Available 1 round
All active skills are valid for 1 round, unless specified otherwise on the hero card. It means that the skill is available 1 round from the position of the hero who used it.
Example Jamshaid uses his "Armour" skill (reduce by 1 the damage received on the next attack, for the allied hero of his choice, available 1 round). The skill remains active until it is Jamshaid's turn again.
Until the end of the game
Some heroes in the game and its expansions have a skill that stays active until the end of the game. For these skills, the Spirit of Light card used must remain close to the hero until the end of the game. The card is discarded only in case of the hero's death (Illumination card included).
Immortality
Make X heroes immortal. Heroes cannot be affected by a skill and do not receive damage, so they cannot be killed or frozen.
Divine Ray
Kill an enemy hero instantly. The targeted hero cannot avoid the attack; however, if the hero is immortal, it does not do any damage. "Divine Ray" is an attack and must target heroes in the front line or the invocations placed in front of their master.
Expansion: Rise of the East & Dawn of Amazonia
Distant Songs: Your ardent ambition consumed your soul, your exile stems from lust. Your generals warned you, but you only listened to simple stupidity. Light no longer has the place you have known, the harder it will be for you to survive. Vast is the territory that you lost, only your audacity will preserve your empire. The forest you walked on has altered, the one which protected you from wounds, you who were one with nature, again you have to tame it. Put aside your arrogance, and develop new maneuvers, asking for assistance is the key to reclaiming your honor.
Presentation
The double expansion Light Hunters: Rise of the East & Dawn of Amazonia allows you to play with 8 additional heroes, bringing new gameplay mechanics. These new heroes are designed to increase interactions between players and require more refined strategies between teammates.
Expansion Content
- 8 "Heroes" cards + 1 "Familiar Spirit" card from the expansion Rise of the East & Dawn of Amazonia
Expansions Skills (Rise of the East & Dawn of Amazonia)
Some expansions' skills bring new gameplay mechanics, which are detailed below.
Chenguang
Influence: Redirect all the damage of an enemy attack to herself, to use during an enemy attack. Redirect only the skills that deal damage. To use immediately after an attack by an enemy hero. Can't redirect an Illumination.
Treason: If Chenguang's Battalion is being outnumbered, she exchanges a dead allied hero with the enemy hero having the least health points. The traded heroes will have to win with their new battalion.
Akihiko
Bushido: If Akihiko is frozen by a skill, he can use "Bushido" at the start of his turn to unfreeze himself.
Seppuku: Deal 4 damage to himself to kill an enemy hero. Akihiko can kill himself to cast this skill, however if he is immortal during an Illumination, he does not take damage. Akihiko inflicts the damage on himself before killing the enemy hero, so he can not win in a 1 vs 1 with this skill. If the targeted hero is immortal, it does not deal damage. "Seppuku" is an attack and must target heroes placed on the front line or the invocations placed in front of their master.
Mitsuko
Card donation: Allows you to give a card to the allied hero of your choice. Mitsuko must discard the Dawn card and offer one of the cards from her hand to the allied hero of her choice.
Chiharu
Traps: The Trap cards are placed face down, in front of the allied heroes of your choice. If an enemy hero attacks a hero with a trap, the trap is activated. If a hero has multiple traps, Chiharu decides the trap to activate. Traps are activated only by skills that deal damage. Traps are attacks and thus activate defensive skills. Trap cards are only active for one round.
Poisoning: Trap: Deal 1 damage, then removes 1 health point per round to the attacking hero. If Chiharu dies, the skill remains active. The Illumination card is not discarded and remains on the affected hero until his death.
Catequil
Favor: Transform a Spirit of Light card to the next level. Discard the Dawn card to transform a Spirit of Light card from your hand. It is possible to transform a Beam card to Illumination card to use "Sacrifice". See the chapter on Spirit of Light cards to know their hierarchy.
Intipacha
Possession: During a "Possession", Intipacha takes control of the targeted hero for his next turn. He then takes the cards from the possessed hero, and can use the skills of his choice against the enemy Battalion or towards the allied Battalion.
Illariy
Murderer Solstice: To cast this skill, Ocēlōtl must be alive. The Jaguar can attack before being sacrificed.
Ceremony: Increase by 2 the damage of her "Tumi" attack, until the end of the game. Illariy can cast "Ceremony" only once during the game. The Illumination card is kept on the hero until her death.
Canceling an active skill
Cancel all the effects of an active skill on the hero of your choice, allied or enemy. Illumination cards can only be canceled by Illuminations.
Moving an active skill
Move all the effects of an active skill to the hero of your choice, allied or enemy. Illumination cards can only be moved by Illuminations.
As much damage as discarded cards
Deals X damage points for X discarded cards (including the card which activated the skill)
Example Akihiko uses his Dawn card and discards another 3 Dawn cards, he will inflict 4 points of damage.
Expansion: Wind of the Dunes & Tide of Atlantis
A New Cycle: No one can dispute the divine choices, now you are well aware of it. Dark is the place you have just reached, you now regret your intemperances. The wind of the Dunes blows in the distance, recovering the memories of your clan, those mysterious powers of yours, here are insignificant. Remember the sea of your youth, its foam has already disappeared, there is no room for indolence, proving your worth is your only salvation. Choose your army wisely, it's the secret of prosperity, many are the exiled heroes, become the one who has triumphed.
Presentation
The double expansion Light Hunters: Wind of the Dunes & Tide of Atlantis lets you play with 8 additional heroes, bringing new gameplay mechanics. These heroes are designed to bring new mystical skills, the use of which will require much more subtle mastery.
Expansion Content
- 8 "Heroes" cards + 1 "Servant" card + 1 "Spectral Nuriyah" card from the expansion Wind of the Dunes & Tide of Atlantis
- 24 tokens:
- 14 Dunes tokens
- 10 Atlantis tokens
Tokens
This expansion provides new active skills with no round limit. To symbolize their presence, tokens are added to the confrontation zone, Spirit of Light cards used to cast them are discarded (except for "Enchantments").
Dunes/Atlantis tokens:
- are destructible. They only have 1 health point (except for "Lethal Bond" tokens). There is no need to use a health point token to symbolize their health. To destroy a Dunes / Atlantis token, target an attack against the token. Tokens are not hit in an attack that deals damage to all enemy heroes, you must specifically target the token to reach it.
- are not considered heroes, they don't receive skills like other heroes (so they can't be frozen or protected).
- are not considered active skills, they cannot therefore be canceled or moved.
Expansions Skills (Wind of the Dunes & Tide of Atlantis)
Some expansions' skills bring new gameplay mechanics, which are detailed below.
Atheer
Infantry/Cavalry/Immortals tokens (Dunes tokens): Add a token corresponding to the chosen combat unit behind Atheer hero card which attacks every round. All units are destructible and only have 1 health point, so you do not need to use a 1-point health token.
Units do not attack when recruited. During the following round of their addition, the combat units deal damage:
- 1 Infantry token deals 1 damage to an enemy hero, each round
- 1 Cavalry token deals 3 damage to an enemy hero, each round
- 1 Immortals token deals 5 damage to an enemy hero, each round
Units are not in the front line, so they do not protect Atheer from attacks.
When Atheer dies, the units disappear with him (they are fleeing the battlefield in the absence of their King).
Each type of tokens has a maximum number allowed to be added at the same time on the battlefield:
- Maximum of 3 Infantry tokens at the same time
- Maximum of 2 Cavalry tokens at the same time
- Maximum of 1 Immortals token at the same time
The total maximum of units on the battlefield is 6.
When a token is destroyed, it is removed from the confrontation zone. It will be possible to recruit it again during the game, there is no limit of assembling during a game.
Tetany/Obedience: Prevent an enemy hero from using Dawn/Illumination cards. Available 1 round. The hero will not be able to play Dawn/Illumination cards during his turn, but is free to use his other Spirit of Light cards. Active skill: the card is placed in front of the targeted hero as long as the skill is active (maximum 1 round).
Nuriyah
Destrier tokens (Dunes tokens): Destrier tokens can be used in 2 different ways:
- Place a Destrier token behind an allied hero's card so that he can use it to protect himself from an enemy attack at any time.
- Place a Destrier token on the side of the confrontation zone to accumulate them, when 3 Destrier tokens are on the side, the Cavalcade of Nuriyah is triggered instantly.
Great Escape: Add a Destrier token behind an allied hero's card. During an enemy attack, the hero with a Destrier token can use it to avoid the attack. The hero retains the token until it is used, so there is no token conservation limit. The hero can not discard a Destrier token.
Cavalcade: Add 1 Destrier token next to the playing area, when 3 tokens are stacked, Horses attack and deal 3 damage to all enemy heroes. Once used, the tokens are discarded, and can be used again by Nuriyah during the game.
Bucking: Deal 1 damage to herself and freeze an enemy hero. Nuriyah can die damaging herself, if she dies during her turn, she must wait for her next turn before using her Spectral version.
Spectral Nuriyah: Once dead, Nuriyah uses her Spectral card (black background), which allows her to play throughout the game. If Nuriyah dies during her turn, she must wait until her next turn to play her Spectral version. The skills of the Spectral Nuriyah card are different from her living version. When she dies, Nuriyah keeps her Spirit of Light cards. In her Spectral version, she is considered dead, if the rest of her allies die, the battalion loses the game.
Once dead, Nuriyah can continue to add Destrier tokens, previously placed tokens are kept. Active skills on the living version of Nuriyah, are preserved at her death. The Spectral version of Nuriyah does not have health point. It is possible to resurrect Nuriyah, in this case she takes back her living hero card (white background) and keeps her Spirit of Light cards.
Shalan
Servant: Summon Roshan, to place her next to an allied hero, and restore 1 health point to him at the beginning of each Shalan's turn. At the beginning of his turn, Shalan can move Roshan's card before restoring 1 health point for the allied hero of his choice, without using Ether. Roshan is not on the front line and is not targeted by attacks that deal damage to all enemy heroes. All the features described on the Roshan's cards are always active.
New Favorite (Dunes tokens): Substitute a female hero of his choice for another female hero from the reserve and add 2 New Favorite tokens in front of the new hero card. The 2 tokens must be destroyed to ward off the spell and recover the initial hero's card. It is not possible to substitute the card with a hero who died during the game, because the latter is still considered to be in game. The targeted female hero keeps her hand and her skills active during the exchange. The substituted hero keeps the same health points, unless it exceeds the maximum health point of the new hero, in which case the health points are reduced to match the maximum of the new hero.
Mashael
Revelation: Mashael turns into a Spirit of Light. Discard a Dawn card, then place the Spirit of Light card of the transformation in front of Mashael's hero card to turn yourself into it. When Mashael is turned, she acquires an additional active power each turn, her transformations are specified on her hero card. Mashael can turn several times during her turn. A transformation replaces the previous transformation, the card of the previous transformation is then discarded face up. She remains turned as long as the card remains in front of her. She can remain turned several turns without consuming Ether.
Ethereal Travel (Dunes tokens): Increases the Ether level by 1 for all heroes, allied and enemy, at the end of her turn. The new Ether level in the game is therefore active from the hero's turn following Mashael's turn until the end of the game. Mashael adds an Ether token next to the Ether tokens already in game. She can place up to 3 Ether tokens.
Cassandra
Lethal Bond (Atlantis tokens): Bond 1 allied hero and 1 enemy hero in the death until the end of the game. This skill can only be used once during the game. Place 1 token on the allied hero and the second on the enemy hero. They cannot be destroyed. When one of the two heroes dies, the second one will die at the beginning of his next turn. If one of the 2 heroes is resurrected, the second will be resurrected at the beginning of his next turn with the same health points as the bonded hero. "Lethal Bond" can not be avoided by a skill, however, if the second hero is invincible at the beginning of his turn, he will not suffer the damage and shift his death to the next turn. Cassandra cannot use "Lethal Bond" on herself.
Heliodoros
Cuirass (Atlantis token): By placing a Cuirass token in front of him, Heliodoros is invincible to enemy attacks as long as the token is present. The token can be destroyed by a targeted attack.
Photine
Enchantment (Atlantis tokens): Photine places on the back of her hero card the Enchantment card face-down, along with an Enchantment token on top of the card. When 3 Enchantment cards are laid, the skills of the 3 Enchantments are combined into a single attack that Photine can direct against the enemy hero of her choice. The effects of the Enchantments can not be separated on multiple heroes. Upon activation of the 3rd enchantment, Photine is forced to launch the attack. Photine can place new Enchantments after launching an attack.
Fervor: Change the health points of a hero, allied or enemy, to 5. "Fervor" can not be avoided by a skill. This skill is not considered as an attack and changes health points even if a hero is Immortal.
Phaenna
Amulet (Atlantis tokens): Place 1 Amulet token on the hero, allied or enemy, of her choice. The effects of Phaenna's tokens remain active each turn until they are destroyed by an enemy attack. By placing an Amulet token on an allied hero, the hero draws 1 extra card at the beginning of his turn. Placed on an enemy hero, he discards a card at the beginning of his turn before drawing his 2 cards. The maximum number of Amulet tokens in game is 3. There is no limit to Amulet tokens per hero.
Altar (Atlantis token): Place 1 Altar token on the hero, allied or enemy, of her choice. The effects of Phaenna's tokens remain active each turn until they are destroyed by an enemy attack. By placing an Altar token on an allied hero, all his health points will be restored on Phaenna's next turn. Placed on an enemy hero, he will be killed instantly on Phaenna's next turn. If the target hero is invincible at the start of her turn, he will not take damage. There can only be one Altar token in game.
Help Cards
To facilitate the use of the skills of these new heroes, a help card has been added. This summarizes the use of the Dunes and Atlantis tokens of the new heroes of the Wind of the Dunes & Tide of Atlantis expansion and the functioning of the Duel mode.
Light Hunters - Rules App
Find detailed examples of each skill on the app, download "Light Hunters - Game Rules" via GooglePlay and AppStore. Discover also the Tournament mode offering a new gaming experience.
Game Modes
Each game mode offers a specific experience, find the differences between each mode below:
| Duel Mode | Classic Mode | Free-For-All Mode | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers of players | 2 | 2 to 8 | 6 or 8 |
| Number of heroes | 3 heroes per player | 2, 3 or 4 heroes per team | 2 heroes per clan |
| Lockdown phase | Yes | No | No |
| Discard 3 identical Spirit of Light cards to draw an extra card | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Discard 3 identical Spirit of Light cards to unfreeze a hero | No | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum number of cards in hand at the end of a turn | 7 | 5 | 5 |
Duel Mode
Duel mode offers an optimized and more competitive version of 2-player games. In this version, players will form battalions of 3 heroes competing in an epic face-to-face. The game system offers better management of your heroes and a wider range of choices to players, while retaining the simplicity and efficiency of Light Hunters.
Advice: it is strongly recommended to have played several games of Light Hunters as a team before switching to Duel mode.
Game set-up
Heroes selection: Choose the player who will start. Each player will select their heroes, respecting the following order of selection, until reaching 3 heroes each:
- Player 1: picks 1, 4 and 5
- Player 2: picks 2, 3 and 6
In Duel mode, the heroes position does not matter.
Lockdown phase: Collect the 10 Lockdown tokens and give 5 tokens to each player. Players will lock 5 of the 15 skills of their 3 heroes. Locked skills will not be usable from the game. Place the Lockdown tokens directly on the skill name to cover it. It is forbidden to place more than 2 Lockdown tokens per hero. Both players go through the Lockdown phase at the same time. Once the Lockdown phase is completed, the locked skills are visible to both players.
Tip: split the tokens on the different levels of skill, to keep a wide range of choice during the game or the loss of one of your heroes. Players can hide their choices during the Lockdown phase for more competition.
Health points: At the top of the hero card, a number indicates the hero's health points, that is, the damage the hero can receive before dying. From the bank, take the number of 5, 3 and 1 tokens that add up to your heroes' health points and place them next to each heroes.
Spirit of Light cards set-up: Remove the 4 Illumination cards from the Spirit of Light deck, and lay them face up next to the confrontation zone. Upon the death of a hero, the player who suffered this loss will recover 1 Illumination card and directly add it to his hand. Shuffle the 66 Spirit of Light cards remaining and deal 2 cards to the first player, and 4 cards to the second player. Place the rest of the cards face down in the middle of the confrontation zone, to serve as draw pile.
Ether level: On the first round, the Ether level is 1. Symbolize the energy level by adding an Ether token in the center of the confrontation zone.
Now the battle can begin!
Gameplay
Light Hunters is a turn-based card game in which the possibilities increase as the game progresses.
- During a round, players take turns.
- During his turn, a player can use the available skills listed on his heroes' cards.
- To use a skill, the player must play the Spirit of Light card that corresponds to the seal assigned to the skill.
- A skill can only be played once per turn.
- Each skill played consumes Ether (number shown above the skill)
- The player can cast as much skills as he wishes during his turn as long as it does not exceed the Ether level of the round.
- Ether level increases by 1 at the end of each second player's turn
Player's turn
A player's turn is divided into 4 phases:
- Discard active skills previously activated
- Draw 2 extra cards
- Play Spirit of Light cards
- Discard excess cards
1. Discard active skills previously activated: If active cards placed by the player during his previous turn end, he must start his turn by discarding them face up.
2. Draw 2 extra cards: The player draws two extra cards in the draw pile. When the draw pile is empty, shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck. The last 3 cards from the discard pile must be kept.
3. Play Spirit of Light cards: The player can play the Spirit of Light cards that will allow him to activate his heroes' skills, he can play as many cards as he wants, as long as it respects the Ether level of the round.
- The player can cast the skill of the hero of his choice.
- Each heroes skills can only be activated once per turn. After using one you have to wait for the next turn to activate it again.
- To symbolize an immediate effect skill, such as an attack, the player quotes the skill, show his Spirit of Light card to the opponent and then place the card in the discard pile, face up.
- To symbolize an active skill available 1 round, the player places the card in front of the targeted hero(s), face up (for example, Ludano's "Shield").
- The skills for allied heroes concern all the heroes of the battalion including the hero who cast the skill.
- The player can discard 3 identical cards face up, to draw 1 additional card from the draw pile, without consuming Ether.
- If the hero is frozen, the player cannot discard 3 identical Spirit of Light cards to unfreeze him.
- The player can play his Spirit of Light cards only during his turn.
- The player can decide not to play cards for this round.
4. Discard excess cards: If the player ends his turn with more than 7 cards in hand, he must discard the excess cards. It is forbidden to discard cards to reduce your hand below 7 cards.
Illumination cards
When a hero dies, the player who suffered the loss will take an Illumination card from the dedicated display. This allows the player to come back in a game with a poor start. When using an Illumination card, the card is permanently discarded, so there are only 4 Illumination cards available per game. If a hero is resurrected and dies again, he does not get a new Illumination card, so there is a maximum of 2 Illumination cards per player.
End of a game
The game ends when all the heroes of a battalion are destroyed. The player of the winning battalion is then designated victorious, and worthy of returning to his world, free and full of glory.
Some skills require clarification for the Duel mode which are detailed here:
- Merletta - Divine Aid: draw 1 card per living hero.
- Dagbjart - Ether Potion: increase the Ether level by 1 only for Dagbjart.
- Mitsuko - Offering: this skill is necessarily locked during the Lockdown phase.
- Intipacha - Stimulus: this skill is necessarily locked during the Lockdown phase. Possession: allow to control 1 enemy hero during 1 round.
Free For All Mode
From 6 to 8 players, the FFA mode allows to increase the number of teams. We no longer speak about battalions but clans battling. You may build 3 or 4 clans, of 2 heroes each, as indicated in the diagram (clans seated around the table, hero positions numbered 1 to 8).
Game objective
Build your clans and eliminate enemy forces without leaving a single survivor. All of the heroes from the remaining clan are declared the winners, and are free to return to their own worlds.
Game Set-up
Start by forming the clans, placing the teams around the table, and then designating the first clan to play.
The order of heroes selection is different from the classic version, in FFA mode the clans choose 1 hero each turn in a clockwise direction starting from the first clan to play. Then choose their second hero starting from the last clan in the counterclockwise direction (see diagram).
Each player can use one or more heroes, allowing them to play with an odd number of players. It is possible to change the order of passage as for the classic version.
Prepare cards and tokens, now the battle can begin!
Gameplay
The game proceeds in the same way as for the classic version, but respecting the order of passage specific to the FFA mode.
Hero's turn: During the turn of a hero, the possibilities of play and skills remain identical to the classic version. There is an exception: the skill cast to all enemy heroes is limited to 1 hero per clan, but affects all enemy clans.
End of the game
A clan wins when it has destroyed all enemy teams. All of the clan heroes are named winners, and worthy of returning to their worlds, free and full of glory.
The Heroes
The 24 heroes are organized into 4 different classes: Defense, Attack, Support and Magic. These classes determine the hero's skill and fighting style.
Battalion of Darkness
- Defense: Jamshaid - Orc King - 10 health points; Balder - Barbarian Lord - 12 health points
- Attack: Bergljot - Expert Archer - 7 health points; Ludano - Mysterious Champion - 7 health points
- Support: Lucrecia - Belligerent Witch - 9 health points; Merletta - Mischievous Fairy - 9 health points
- Magic: Dagbjart - Druid Hermit - 8 health points; Weyaya - Esoteric Necromancer - 8 health points
- Ozu - Soulless Skeleton - 1 health point
Rise of the East & Dawn of Amazonia
- Defense: Chenguang - Influential Empress - 9 health points; Catequil - Inca Emperor - 10 health points
- Attack: Akihiko - Noble Samurai - 8 health points; Evaki - Charming Amazon - 7 health points
- Support: Mitsuko - Furtive Kitsune - 10 health points; Intipacha - Crazy Herbalist - 9 health points
- Magic: Chiharu - Ambush Shinobi - 9 health points; Illariy - Jaguar Priest - 7 health points
- Ocēlōtl - Sacred Jaguar - 1 health point
Wind of the Dunes & Tide of Atlantis
- Defense: Atheer - Opulent King - 11 health points; Cassandra - Insatiable Queen - 10 health points
- Attack: Nuriyah - Immortal Horse tamer - 6 health points; Heliodoros - Experienced Hoplite - 8 health points
- Support: Shalan - Impassive Gardian - 9 health points; Phaenna - Ambiguous Oracle - 10 health points
- Spellcaster: Mashael - Seductive Djinn - 8 health points; Photine - Dazzling Nymph - 8 health points
- Roshan - Delicate Maidservant - 1 health point
Heroes Difficulty
Heroes have very different classes and skills, so their handling is also variable. In order to help the selection of your heroes during the first games, the difficulty of their handling is indicated here (the difficulty indicator is a graphic in the source and is not reproduced; heroes are listed in the printed order):
- Battalion of Darkness: Balder, Jamshaid, Bergljot, Ludano, Merletta, Lucrecia, Dagbjart, Weyaya
- Rise of the East: Chenguang, Akihiko, Mitsuko, Chiharu
- Dawn of Amazonia: Catequil, Evaki, Intipacha, Illariy
- Wind of the Dunes: Atheer, Nuriyah, Shalan, Mashael
- Tide of Atlantis: Cassandra, Heliodoros, Phaenna, Photine