Mansions of Madness: Forbidden Alchemy Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Component List
• Component Breakdown
  • Keeper Guide
  • Investigator Figures
  • Monster Figures
  • Mutation Tokens
  • Crawling Hand Tokens
  • Seeds Marker
  • Time Period Marker
  • Side Effect Cards
  • Time Period Cards
  • Alchemy Puzzle Pieces and Setup Tile
  • Expansion Icon
• Using This Expansion
• Replacement Cards
• Impassable Borders
• Alchemy Puzzles
  • Alchemy Puzzle Setup
    • Alchemy Puzzle Setup Example
  • Attempting an Alchemy Puzzle
    • Attempting an Alchemy Puzzle Example
  • Completing an Alchemy Puzzle
  • Other Alchemy Puzzle Rules
• Side Effect Cards
• Epilogues
• Combat Cards
  • Combat Cards with Multiple Attack Types
• Other Rules
  • New Weapon Type
  • Secrecy and Byakhees
  • New Combat Card Tests
  • Threat Effects
  • Escaping
  • Hiding
• Errata
  • Initial Shipment Errors
  • General
  • Story 1: Return of the Reanimator
  • Story 2: Lost in Time and Space
  • Story 3: Yellow Matter

Component List

This Rulebook/Investigator Guide

1 Keeper Guide

4 Investigator Figures

4 Monster Figures, consisting of:

• 2 Byakhees
• 2 Crawling Ones

140 Small Cards, consisting of:

• 53 Exploration Cards
• 11 Spell Cards
• 8 Starting Item Cards
• 16 Trait Cards
• 5 Lock Cards
• 6 Obstacle Cards
• 14 Mythos Cards
• 12 Trauma Cards
• 12 Side Effect Cards
• 3 Time Period Cards

83 Bridge-sized Cards, consisting of:

• 43 Combat Cards
• 4 Character Cards
• 15 Event Cards
• 10 Keeper Action Cards
• 11 Objective Cards

6 Sheets of Punchboard, consisting of:

• 6 Map Tiles (3 medium, 3 small)
• 5 Horror Tokens
• 4 Monster Tokens
• 1 Alchemy Puzzle Setup Tile
• 12 Alchemy Puzzle Pieces
• 10 Mutation Tokens
• 6 Crawling Hand Tokens
• 1 Seeds Marker
• 1 Time Period Marker

Component Breakdown

This section describes all of the components new to the Forbidden Alchemy expansion. Other components are described in the base game of Mansions of Madness.

Keeper Guide

This separate guide book contains the information required for the keeper to set up the three stories including the clues, keeper actions, monsters, and objectives used each time the game is played.

Investigator Figures

Each of these figures corresponds to one of the characters available for investigator players to choose. The figure is placed on the map tiles to indicate the current space occupied by the character.

Monster Figures

These figures represent the nightmarish creatures the keeper may be able to place on the map during the game. Each figure has a corresponding monster token that must be placed in the base before playing the game. Monster figures are placed on the map tiles to indicate the current space occupied by the monster.

Mutation Tokens

These tokens represent strange alien growths on an investigator, monster, or corpse. The keeper can occasionally use the presence of one or more mutation tokens in play to his advantage.

Crawling Hand Tokens

These tokens represent severed hands, animated through diabolical means. The keeper may use these tokens to harass and fluster investigators when the keeper uses the "Crawling Hands" Keeper Action card.

Seeds Marker

This marker is used by the "Seeds" Exploration card in the "Lost in Time and Space" story.

Time Period Marker

This marker is placed on one of the Time Period cards to indicate in which time period the investigators are currently located.

Side Effect Cards

These cards represent the bizarre changes that affect investigators as a result of encountering dangerous experiments.

Time Period Cards

In certain circumstances, investigators may be able to travel through time. These cards indicate the different times that investigators might visit.

Alchemy Puzzle Pieces and Setup Tile

Investigators might encounter cards that require them to solve an Alchemy puzzle in order to proceed. Alchemy puzzles are similar to the three main types of puzzles (described in the rules of the base Mansions of Madness game) and are solved by using a number of random puzzle pieces to complete the puzzle's objective.

Expansion Icon

All cards in this expansion are marked with the Forbidden Alchemy expansion icon on their front to allow easy distinction from the base game of Mansions of Madness.

Using This Expansion

While some of the new cards and tokens provided in this expansion are only used when called for by one of the stories, others may be used when playing any story, including those from the base game of Mansions of Madness.

Players should add the Investigator figures, Character cards, Starting Item cards, Trait cards, Mythos cards, Trauma cards, Combat cards, and horror tokens from this expansion to the components of the same type from the base game of Mansions of Madness, regardless of which story they are using.

When playing one of the stories from the Forbidden Alchemy expansion, players should first make sure that the monster figures included in this expansion have been attached to their bases as instructed in the base game of Mansions of Madness and that each monster figure has a matching monster token slotted into its base.

Additionally, when playing one of the stories from the Forbidden Alchemy expansion, players should add the new Spell decks to the collection of existing Spell decks and set the Side Effects deck near the Trauma deck. When making separate piles of puzzle pieces, sorted by type, players should make a separate pile of the Alchemy puzzle pieces.

The Keeper should use the new Exploration, Lock, Obstacle, Event, Objective, and Keeper Action cards as instructed in the Keeper Guide. Each story may also use additional components as instructed in the Special Rules section in the Investigator Guide.

Replacement Cards

Eleven cards in the base game of Mansions of Madness needed to be reprinted to correct errors in their text. (Depending on which printing of the game you have, some of your cards may not have errors.) These cards are:

• Dark Ritual Keeper Action Card
• Uncontrollable Urges Keeper Action Card
• Witchcraft Keeper Action Card
• Eldrich Combat Card: "You stand unflinching..."
• Story 1: Fall of House Lynch Objective Card 1A
• Story 1: Fall of House Lynch Objective Card 1C
• Story 1: Fall of House Lynch Clue Card 1A
• Dynamite Starting Item Card
• Suitcase Obstacle Card
• Blood Pact Spell Card
• Strange Skies Mythos Card

Replacement versions of each of these cards are included in the Forbidden Alchemy expansion and are marked with a small "R" in their lower right corners. Dispose of the original versions of these cards and only use the replacement ("R") versions.

Impassable Borders

Some of the map tiles in Forbidden Alchemy feature areas separated by a dashed white line. A dashed white line indicates an IMPASSABLE BORDER. Investigators may not move across an impassable border unless allowed to by a specific game effect. However, an impassable border does not interrupt line of sight.

Note that a FLYING MONSTER is allowed to move over impassable borders. A flying monster is any monster that has the flying icon on its token. (Additionally, treat all mi-gos from the base game of Mansions of Madness as flying monsters.)

Alchemy Puzzles

Alchemy puzzles are a new type of puzzle introduced in Forbidden Alchemy. Like Wiring, Lock, and Rune puzzles, investigators use puzzle actions to move and replace pieces of the puzzle. However, to complete an Alchemy puzzle, an investigator must pass a special test after attempting the puzzle.

Alchemy Puzzle Setup

When a player encounters an Alchemy puzzle, he resolves the following steps. The puzzle pieces are always placed in front of the player, never on the game board.

1. Place Setup Piece: The player places the appropriate Alchemy puzzle setup piece on the table in front of himself.
2. Shuffle Puzzle Pieces: The player then randomizes the pile of unused Alchemy puzzle pieces.
3. Deal Puzzle Pieces: The player then draws puzzle pieces one at a time and places them along the edges of the setup piece, starting with the top edge and proceeding clockwise until a puzzle piece has been played along each edge.

Note that each Alchemy puzzle piece has one edge featuring a colored shape (a blue circle, red diamond, or yellow triangle). When placing the puzzle piece, this edge is always placed along the edge of the setup piece.

Alchemy Puzzle Setup Example

1. While exploring a room, a player reveals a card that requires him to attempt Alchemy Puzzle #10A.
2. He first places the "10A" puzzle setup tile faceup in front of himself.
3. Next, he shuffles the pile of facedown Alchemy puzzle pieces.
4. He then draws random puzzle pieces, placing them along the edges of the setup piece, starting at the top edge and proceeding clockwise. For each puzzle piece, its edge featuring a colored shape is placed along the edge of the setup piece. In this example, 4a is drawn and placed first, then 4b, then 4c, and so on.

Attempting an Alchemy Puzzle

As with other types of puzzles, a player attempting an Alchemy puzzle receives a number of puzzle actions equal to his investigator's Intellect. He may use these to do the following:

• Spend one puzzle action to swap two adjacent puzzle pieces. Puzzle pieces are adjacent if they are touching each other.
• Spend two puzzle actions to replace an Alchemy puzzle piece. The player first chooses a piece to replace and discards it. He then draws a random Alchemy puzzle piece from the pile of unused pieces and replaces the discarded piece with it.

Note that with other types of puzzles, when a player spends puzzle actions to replace pieces, he draws the new piece first and then chooses which piece to replace. With Alchemy puzzles, the player chooses the piece to replace before drawing the new piece.

The player may continue taking puzzle actions until he chooses to stop or until he has used all of his puzzle actions. In either event, the player must then make a test to complete the puzzle.

Attempting an Alchemy Puzzle Example

While exploring a room, Jenny Barnes reveals a card that requires her to attempt Alchemy Puzzle #10A. After setting up the puzzle (see diagram on page 5), she may now attempt the puzzle as part of her explore action.

1. Jenny has an Intellect of 4, so she has four puzzle actions.
2. She uses her first puzzle action to swap the position of two adjacent pieces.
3. She uses her second and third actions to draw a new puzzle piece. She first chooses a puzzle piece to discard (3a), then draws a new piece (3b) to replace it (3c).
4. She decides not to use her last puzzle action and must now test the number of correctly-placed puzzle pieces (4a), in this case 4. She rolls a die and gets a result of 7. Since this is greater than the number of correctly-placed pieces, she has not completed the puzzle and must draw a Side Effect card (4b). She then consults the card that initiated the puzzle to determine any additional effect of failing the test.

The player then shuffles the puzzle pieces facedown into the Alchemy puzzle piece pile.

Completing an Alchemy Puzzle

After a player has either used all of his puzzle actions or does not wish to use any more puzzle actions, he then must make a test using the number of correctly-placed puzzle pieces. A puzzle piece is considered to be placed correctly if the shape on its edge matches the shape on the edge of the setup piece it is touching. (For example, if a puzzle piece with a yellow triangle is touching an edge of the setup tile with a yellow triangle, the puzzle piece is placed correctly.) Like an attribute test, the player rolls a ten-sided die and compares the result to the number of correctly-placed puzzle pieces. If the result is equal to or less than the number, the investigator passes the test. If the result is higher than the number, the investigator fails the test. Note that investigators cannot use skill points when making a test to complete an Alchemy puzzle.

If the investigator passes the test, he completes the puzzle. The effects of completing an Alchemy puzzle are defined on the card that initiated it. Completing the puzzle usually discards the card from play, allowing the player to continue moving or exploring.

If he fails the test, he does not complete the puzzle. Any time an investigator fails an Alchemy test, he must draw a Side Effect card. In addition, the card that initiated the puzzle may list other effects for failing.

Regardless of whether the player passed or failed the test, all puzzle pieces are placed facedown on the bottom of the Alchemy puzzle piece pile. Important: unlike other puzzles, if the player fails to complete an Alchemy puzzle, the pieces do not remain on the table in their current configuration.

Other Alchemy Puzzle Rules

All rules regarding resetting a puzzle, using skill points during a puzzle, secrecy, and cheating apply to Alchemy puzzles in the same way they do to other puzzles. Note that while a player may use a skill point during an Alchemy puzzle to add his Luck to his Intellect, he may not use a skill point when making the test to solve the puzzle.

Side Effect Cards

When a player is instructed to draw a Side Effect card, he takes the top card from the Side Effect deck and places it faceup next to his Investigator card. The text on the card takes immediate effect. Some of the Side Effect cards instruct players to immediately discard the card after its effect is resolved. If the card does not instruct players to immediately discard it, the card remains in play until the end of the game or until an effect specifically instructs the player to discard it.

Like Trauma cards, some Side Effect cards are marked with the multi-investigator icon. If an investigator draws one of these cards when only one investigator is playing, he discards this card and draws a new Side Effect card.

Epilogues

Each of the stories in Forbidden Alchemy includes EPILOGUES. An epilogue provides a resolution to the story and lets players know the consequences of the investigation. The keeper reads the appropriate epilogue to all players after a game in which either the keeper or the investigators won. There are no epilogues for games in which all players lose.

After a game in which at least one player won, the keeper looks at his #1 story choice marker and notes the choice. He then consults the Keeper Guide and finds the "Epilogues" section for the story being played. Finally, he reads aloud the text that corresponds to the #1 story choice marker that was selected and whether the keeper or the investigators won.

Combat Cards

In Forbidden Alchemy, each Combat card has two numbers printed at the bottom. The first is a unique number identifying the individual card and the second is the total number of cards of that type in this expansion. These are for reference only.

Combat Cards with Multiple Attack Types

Some Combat cards in Forbidden Alchemy list two different types of attacks for investigators. When an investigator attacks and the keeper draws one of these cards, resolve whichever of the two attack types matches the weapon the investigator is using. If neither of the listed attack types matches, the keeper continues to draw Combat cards until he draws one that matches the type of weapon being used by the investigator.

Other Rules

This section contains a number of rules additions to those in the base game of Mansions of Madness.

New Weapon Type

Forbidden Alchemy introduces a new type of weapon: "sharp and blunt melee weapon." This weapon is considered to be both a sharp melee weapon and a blunt melee weapon. When drawing Combat cards for an investigator's attack using this weapon, resolve the first card drawn that lists an effect for a "sharp melee weapon," "blunt melee weapon," or "melee weapon."

Secrecy and Byakhees

Unlike other monsters, investigators do not look at the bottom of byakhee monster tokens when the monster deals damage or is dealt damage. (Note that Darrell Simmins may look at the bottom of the token using his "Keen Eye" ability.) When a byakhee deals damage or is dealt damage, only the keeper examines the bottom of the token.

When the byakhee makes its special attack, the keeper reads the initial question printed on the bottom of the token aloud, but does not reveal the results of the answers. After the investigator being attacked responds, the keeper then reads the result corresponding to that answer aloud (but does not reveal the results of the other answer).

New Combat Card Tests

The Combat cards in Forbidden Alchemy include new types of tests, described in more detail below.

Either/Or Tests: Some Combat cards instruct an investigator to test either one attribute or another, for example, "Test either Dexterity or Marksmanship." In these cases, the investigator chooses one of the two listed attributes and tests it.

Non-Attribute Tests: Some Combat cards instruct a player to test something aside from an attribute, for example, "Test your remaining sanity." In these cases, the player determines the number indicated, rolls a ten-sided die, and compares this result to the determined number. If the result of the roll is equal to or less than the number, the player passes the test. If it is more than the number, the player fails the test.

Conditional Modifiers: Some Combat cards instruct players to modify an attribute test based on other conditions, for example, "Test Marksmanship (–1 for each horror you have)." In these cases, modify the attribute by the appropriate amount as indicated by the text on the card before rolling. Remember that when making a test, if the player rolls a 1, he automatically passes the test and if he rolls a 10, he automatically fails the test.

Multiple Tests: Some Combat cards instruct players to make two tests, for example, "Test Marksmanship, then choose an investigator in your room to test Dexterity." In these cases, make both tests in the order they are mentioned in the text. Then consult the card that initiated the test to determine the effects for passing both, failing both, or passing only one test.

Threat Effects

Some Trauma cards and Side Effect cards in Forbidden Alchemy have effects that are triggered by the keeper spending threat tokens. The rules regarding these effects, as well as when the keeper may spend threat tokens to resolve the effect, are described on the individual card.

These cards can be identified by their threat cost, which looks similar to the threat cost listed on Keeper Action cards.

Escaping

When investigators or a monster must escape to win, rather than moving through an unsealed door, they may instead move across a white line along the edge of the room they must escape from, provided that the edge does not connect to an adjacent room.

Hiding

While an investigator is hiding, he cannot be chosen as the target of a Keeper Action (for example, the Take Sample Keeper Action card). However, the investigator is still subject to any status effects affecting the room (Fire or Darkness, for example) and must still make a Horror check if a monster enters his room.

When a card or effect allows an investigator to choose another investigator in his room, he may choose a hidden investigator in his room. By using the Mists of Releh spell, an investigator may move while remaining hidden. In this case, if he moves into a room with a monster, he must make a Horror check as normal.

Errata

The errata for Forbidden Alchemy is found below. Each item is marked with an asterisk (*) as printed in the official Errata and FAQ document.

Initial Shipment Errors

The first English edition shipment of Forbidden Alchemy contained a few unfortunate errors. If your Keeper Guide and Investigator Guide/Rules of Play booklets do not contain the "Revised Printing" tag on their covers, your copy is subject to the errata marked with an asterisk (*). Owners of a copy from the initial shipment can receive free replacement components to correct these issues by emailing FFG at: [email protected].

General

• • "Wrong Turn" Mythos Card: The Fail result of this card should read "The keeper may move you to any other space in a Hallway that contains no Exploration, Lock, or Obstacle cards."
• • "Bone Saw" and "Sword Cane" Starting Item Cards: These card should begin with the sentence "Action: Attack a monster in your space."
• • "Studies on Hysteria" Starting Item Card: This card should instruct the player to "Discard 1 insanity trauma" instead of a "mental" trauma.
• • "Memory Hole" Side Effect Card: This card should use the term "health" instead of "stamina."

Story 1: Return of the Reanimator

• • Objective Card 1B: The investigator win condition should read "An investigator with Clue 1 may spend an action to attempt Alchemy Puzzle #10B. Pass: The investigators win."
• • Event Card III: This card should use the term "health" instead of "wounds."
• • Event Card IV: The 1A and 1C sections of this card should read "The keeper places West in the Library. West is a named maniac with +3 health per investigator. When the keeper uses the Creature of Night action, West may move up to 3 spaces instead of 1."

Story 2: Lost in Time and Space

• • Objective Card 1C: The first paragraph of this card should read "When revealed, the keeper places The Pet in any room containing an investigator. The Pet is a named shoggoth with +5 health per investigator. The Pet cannot enter a room with a Lock card."
• • Map Setup: The map on page 4 of the Investigator Guide should depict the Guest Bedroom tile instead of the Holding Cell tile. The sealed door icon should not be on the map (no sealed door token is used in this story).

On page 6 of the Keeper Guide, the Seed Cards section should refer to the Guest Bedroom instead of the Observation Room. Refer to the image below for the correct Map Setup diagram. (The diagram is not reproduced here.)

Story 3: Yellow Matter

• • Map Setup: The map on page 6 of the Investigator Guide is missing an Altar icon. An Altar icon should be in the Greenhouse room of the Back Path tile in the space farthest from the door. Refer to the image below for the correct Map Setup diagram. (The diagram is not reproduced here.)
• • Component Setup: "Electrical Trap" should not be listed under "Exploration cards." Instead, "False Clue" should be listed.
• • Seed Cards: This section on page 9 of the Keeper Guide has two "4A" entries for the Guest Bedroom. The second entry should be "4B."
• • Objective 1C: The Pass and Fail results should be swapped; an investigator is eliminated if he passes the test, not if he fails. The investigator win condition should read "Investigators win if the investigator carrying the 'Yellow Matter' escapes from Hallway 2." It is not necessary to escape with the test subject.