Massive Darkness Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• Setup
• Game Overview
  • Heroes' Phase
  • Enemies' Phase
  • Experience Phase
  • Event Phase
  • End Phase
  • Winning And Losing
• Basic Rules
  • Actors
  • Zones
  • Shadow Mode
  • Line Of Sight
  • Moving
  • Levels And Level Tokens
  • Combat Dice
• Heroes
  • Hero Card
  • Hero Dashboard
  • Class Sheet
• Equipment Cards
  • Combat Equipment
  • Items
  • Consumables
  • Card Symbols
• Enemies
  • Enemy Cards
    • Minions Amount
    • Health
    • Enchantments
    • Enemy Combat Type
    • Defense Dice
  • Enemy Roles
    • Mobs
    • Agents
    • Roaming Monsters
    • Guardians
• Playing A Game Round
  • Heroes' Phase
    • Combat Actions
    • Do Nothing
    • Get Up
    • Movement
    • Reorganize/Trade
    • Signature
    • Transmute
    • Counter-Attack
  • Enemies' Phase
    • Step 1 – Attack
    • Step 2 – Move
    • Step 3 – Attack
    • Step 4 – Move
  • Experience Phase
  • Event Phase
  • End Phase
• Combat
  • Combat Roll
    • Step 1 – Rolling Dice
    • Step 2 – Resolve The Enchantments
    • Step 3 – Inflict Pain!
  • Mob Rules
• Additional Rules
  • Artifacts
  • Objective And Pillar Tokens
  • Stun
  • Story Mode
    • Experience And Level
    • Event Cards
    • Inventory
    • Campaign Advancement
    • Town Market Phase
• Quests
  • Tutorial - Walking In The Dark
  • Quest 1: Scorched Earth
  • Quest 2: Black Widow
  • Quest 3: The Chosen One
  • Quest 4: Goblin War Drums
  • Quest 5: The Immortal's Downfall
  • Quest 6: The Fiend's Treasure
  • Quest 7: Sparks In The Dark
  • Quest 8: Big Game Hunting
  • Quest 9: Maze Of Darkness
  • Quest 10: The Heart Of The Darkness
• Skills
  • Combat Skills And Enchantments
    • Enchantments
    • Effects
  • Conditions
• Glossary
• Credits
• Rules Summary
  • Game Round
  • Combat

Game Components

• 9 game tiles (double-sided)
• 6 Hero miniatures and Hero Cards: Sibyl, Bjorn, Siegfried, Owen, Elias, Whisper
• 120 Class Sheets: Battle Wizard x20, Bloodmoon Nightrunner x20, Nightshade Ranger x20, Paladin Of Fury x20, Pit Fighter Berserker x20, Shadow Barbarian x20
• 6 Hero Dashboards
• 6 Hero color bases
• 18 color pegs
• 12 combat dice: Yellow Attack Dice x3, Blue Defense Dice x3, Red Attack Dice x3, Green Defense Dice x3
• 106 tokens: Level Tokens x10, Door Tokens x15, First Player Token x1, Treasure Tokens (Normal x30 & Special x4), Pillar Tokens x6, Starting Zone Token x1, Wound Tokens x20/x10, Exit Token x1, Lair Tokens x3, Dark Bridge x2, Artifact Tokens x2, Library Token x1
• 69 enemy miniatures:
  • Dwarf Defender: Minions x6, Boss x1
  • Dwarf Warrior: Minions x12, Boss x1
  • Goblin Archer: Minions x12, Boss x1
  • Goblin Warrior: Minions x12, Boss x1
  • Orc Flayer: Minions x6, Boss x1
  • Orc Enforcer: Minions x6, Boss x1
  • Dwarf Agent x1, Goblin Agent x1, Orc Agent x1
  • High Troll x1, Giant Spider x1, Hellhound x1, Ogre Mage x1, Abyssal Demon x1, Liliarch x1
• 231 mini-cards:
  • 20 Event Cards (E1 to E20)
  • 19 Starting Equipment Cards (SE1 to SE19)
  • 176 Treasure Cards (T1 to T176): 41 Level 1, 36 Level 2, 34 Level 3, 33 Level 4, 32 Level 5
  • 10 Door Cards (D1 to D10)
  • 6 Artifact Cards (A1 to A6)
• 50 Guard Cards (G1 to G50): 10 Level 1, 10 Level 2, 10 Level 3, 10 Level 4, 10 Level 5
• 12 Roaming Monster Cards (RM1 to RM12): 6 Lesser Roaming Monster, 6 Greater Roaming Monster

Setup

1. Choose a Quest. If this is your first game, we recommend choosing the tutorial (P. 40), then playing the Quests in the indicated order to follow the story. Experienced players can play a past Quest again with different conditions or create a Quest on their own using the modular tiles and various tokens.
2. Place the tiles and tokens as indicated by the Quest.

Many items help identify your game cards. They can prove useful in sorting your cards and applying specific game effects.

Box logo. All cards featured in Massive Darkness' core box bear this symbol. Each expansion bears its own symbol.

All cards have a code with their type and number. This clarifies any doubt on the type and lets you know immediately any card you may miss.

• A: Artifact
• D: Door
• E: Event
• G: Guard
• RM: Roaming Monster
• SE: Starting Equipment
• T: Treasure

3. Sort the game cards by type and Level. Each card bears its type name on the back, as well as a dedicated color. Once sorted by type (and Level, if relevant), each pile is shuffled and placed facedown near the board.
   • Set aside the Starting Equipment cards. Your Heroes will quickly get rid of these basic items to get much more potent toys!
   • Set aside the Artifact cards. Artifacts are legendary magical items. They are usually Quest objectives. In the right hands, they are game changers.
   • Sort the Guard cards by Level and shuffle each Guard deck. Guards form the numerous war bands your Heroes battle in the underground tunnels. They're made up of either Mob groups, with a Boss leading several Minions, or the terrible Agents. Defeat them all to get Treasure cards!
   • Sort and shuffle the Treasure cards in the same way as the Guard cards. The evil folks have stolen, forged, and gathered a great amount of treasures for their nefarious goals. Claim these weapons and turn them against your enemies!
   • Sort, shuffle, and place the Door, Event, and Roaming Monster decks next to the board.
     • Door cards are drawn when the Heroes open a door to explore dangerous rooms.
     • Event cards are drawn to know what fate has in store for your Heroes.
     • Roaming Monster cards are divided into two decks, Lesser and Greater, and feature giant monsters your Heroes will come across during their journey. Yup, your childhood's nightmare just got out of the closet!

Exhausting And Reshuffling Decks: Cards are drawn, played, and discarded during the game. Discarded cards are set in discard piles near their respective decks. Once a deck is exhausted, shuffle its discard pile to create a new deck to draw from. Guard and Treasure card piles, from Level 1 to 4, are not reshuffled. If a player has to draw from such an exhausted pile, he draws from the pile of the next-higher Level instead. Level 5 Guard and Treasure piles are reshuffled normally when exhausted, as players can't draw from a higher Level.

4. Set aside the following items: combat dice, First Player token, Treasure tokens, Wound tokens.
5. Each player chooses a Hero Card. This is the named character you will play. Take the matching miniature. Take a Hero Dashboard and a set of pegs of your favorite color. Attach the colored plastic base of the matching color to your Hero's miniature to help identify it.
6. Each player chooses a Hero Class for his Hero and places a matching Class Sheet next to their Hero Dashboard in front of him. The Hero Class is your character's job. New players should select the recommended Hero Class indicated on their Hero Card. Experienced players may select among the various Hero Classes to explore variations and combinations. What if Siegfried was a Battle Wizard?

Note: Heroes can't change their chosen Hero Class during a campaign. The selection is permanent until the next campaign.

Here are short descriptions of each Hero Class featured in Massive Darkness' core box.

Battle Wizard

• Primary: Magic
• Secondary: Melee

Best used as a second line fighter, the Battle Wizard casts enchantments with ease and deals a lot of damage at medium range. While they can join melees in a pinch and fight rather well, they're not as heavily protected as their teammates. Make sure the Battle Wizard gets the Equipment cards with the most powerful Enchantments, as they make the best use of them.

Bloodmoon Nightrunner

• Primary: Melee
• Secondary: Ranged

The Bloodmoon Nightrunner is an assassin, hiding in the shadows to deal powerful blows at all ranges. This Hero excels at surprising enemies and executes the biggest monsters as a hobby. Beware, though, as the Bloodmoon Nightrunner is all about offense, melee or ranged, but not defense. Shadows are their best protection.

Nightshade Ranger

• Primary: Ranged
• Secondary: Melee

As their name implies, the Nightshade Ranger is a consummate hunter, dealing high damage to their targets from afar. They're best at controlling corridors and crossroads, firing arrows in all directions to cover their teammates. The Ranger's accuracy is most advantageous when they are kept at a safe distance.

Paladin Of Fury

• Primary: Defense
• Secondary: Melee

A frontline fighter, the Paladin Of Fury was born wearing armor and loves nothing more than jumping into the fray with a melee weapon and a shield. Trading raw power for sustained damage, they can use counter-attacks against anyone they taunt into testing their tempered steel. Make sure the Paladin wields a proper melee weapon to deal with the mobs and the best armor to take advantage of their natural endurance.

Pit Fighter Berserker

• Primary: Melee
• Secondary: Defense

The Pit Fighter Berserker is a hardcore scrapper, looking their foes square in the eye as they swing the most brutal melee weapons available. They're even more dangerous when wounded, as pain heightens their strength and damage resilience. They may not be the fastest, but they're certainly a tough foe to deal with!

Shadow Barbarian

• Primary: Melee
• Secondary: Ranged

The Shadow Barbarian is a predator, lurking in the dark to ambush their prey in a savage way. Wielding melee weapons, they move around silently until they suddenly charge, dealing an enormous amount of damage to their enemies in the blink of an eye. Neither large mobs nor hulking monsters make a difference to them when they prepare for the kill!

Massive Darkness comes with pads featuring sheets for the six basic Hero Classes. They can also be freely downloaded on Guillotine Games' official website: www.guillotinegames.com

7. Deal 2 Starting Equipment cards to each Hero: a Weapon of your choosing and a Leather Armor. Massive Darkness is a cooperative game, so choose and distribute as a team!
8. Setup the Lifebringer by placing its card within view of all players and placing 2 Wound tokens on it. This is how many dead Heroes can be brought back before the game is lost. You may adjust the difficulty by changing the number of tokens the Lifebringer has.
9. Place the Hero miniatures in the Hero Starting Zone indicated by the Quest.
10. Decide who will be the First Player, and give him the First Player token. Place all unused materials back in the game box. You're now ready to play!

Hero Setup Example: Choose a Hero Card, and set it here on your Hero Dashboard. Choose a Class for your Hero, and set a corresponding Class Sheet here. The Micro-Experience Point section is used in Story Mode only (see P. 38). If you play with this mode, place a peg on the "0" slot. Place the Leather Armor in the "Body" slot. Your Hero starts the game with Health 5. Place a peg in the 5 Health slot. The Experience Points your Hero gains are noted here. Place a peg in the "0" slot. Place your Hero's weapon card in an "Equipped" slot (with a Hand symbol) on your Hero Dashboard. Get your Hero's miniature, give it the color base matching the pegs on your Hero Dashboard, and set it on the Hero Starting Zone marked on the Quest's map. Owen is now ready to venture into the Darkness!

Game Overview

Massive Darkness is played over a series of Game Rounds, which go as follows:

Heroes' Phase

The First Player takes his Turn, activating his Hero.

A Hero can initially perform up to 3 Actions per Activation. Each can be used to execute various tasks toward the Quest's completion: moving around the board, battling Enemies in various ways, taking game objectives, finding treasure, or exchanging equipment with fellow Heroes.

After the Hero has finished all of his Actions, any Enemies he attacked (and are still left standing) may immediately try to counter-attack him!

Once a player has resolved his Hero's Activation (and any possible Counter-Attacks), the player to his left takes his Turn, activating his Hero in the same manner. The Heroes' Phase ends when all players have completed their Turn.

The Heroes' Phase is explained on P. 25.

Enemies' Phase

Enemies come in all shapes and sizes, from the lower Minions to the horrifying Roaming Monsters. Their behavior on the board is governed by a couple of rules used to resolve the Enemies' Actions during this Phase.

Enemies move around the board, patrolling or actively looking for the heroic interlopers. Of course, they also fight, using bows, claws, swords, and even magic, to make the Heroes' lives harder.

Good news: the strongest Enemies carry the precious Treasures the Heroes seek to complete their Quest. Bad news: those Enemies often know how to use them. So, to get your fabled enchanted sword, you'll first have to defeat a brute pointing it at you!

The Enemies' Phase is explained on P. 28.

Experience Phase

Heroes can spend their hard-earned Experience Points (referred to as "XP") to get new Skills. Their effects are applied as soon as the corresponding Level is reached in the game.

In Standard Mode, unspent Experience Points are lost, and acquired Skills reset for the next Quest. If you wish to keep them from one Quest to the next, allowing players to see their Hero party evolve throughout their own epic saga, you must play in Story Mode (see page 38).

The Experience Phase is explained on P. 31.

Event Phase

As the Round draws to a close, the First Player draws an Event card. It is read aloud and the related game effects are applied.

The Event Phase is explained on P. 32.

End Phase

The End Phase marks the end of the Game Round. Many game effects stop during this Phase. The First Player hands the First Player token to the player on his left. The latter will be the First Player for the next Game Round. Another Game Round can then begin.

The End Phase is explained on P. 33.

Winning And Losing

Massive Darkness is a cooperative game, so players win or lose as a team. The game is won when the Quest objectives are met. The game is lost when the Quest objectives can no longer be met or when a Hero needs to be resurrected but the Lifebringer has no tokens left (see P. 18).

Basic Rules

Massive Darkness features many keywords to help players resolve game effects in the easiest manner, focusing on action and cooperation. Here are some key concepts:

Actors

All characters in the game are Actors.

A Hero is defined by the combination of a Hero Card, Hero Dashboard, and Class Sheet. Their game behavior is defined by the Actions chosen by the players.

An Enemy is any antagonist to the Heroes whose behavior is defined by the game's rules (see Enemies on P. 20 and Enemies' Phase on P. 28).

An Ally is another Actor of the same type as you. For a Hero, it's another Hero. For an Enemy, it's another Enemy.

A Mob is composed of a Boss and its Minions. A Boss is the leader of a Minions' group, sharing the same characteristics. A Minion is a henchman, the lowest Enemy type. The number of Minions in a Mob varies according to the amount of Heroes starting the game.

Defeating a Minion earns a Hero 1 XP. Defeating a Boss earns all Heroes 3 XP.

Agents are not only fearsome foes themselves, but also pose a great threat by calling in waves of reinforcements every Round. Defeating an Agent earns all Heroes 4 XP.

Roaming Monsters are single, dangerous creatures of superior power. They are the Lightbringers' true nightmare! Defeating a Roaming Monster earns all Heroes 5 XP.

Guardians spawn Equipped with a Treasure card they are meant to keep at all costs. If they know how to use it, they will! This keyword applies to Agents, Bosses, and Roaming Monsters alike.

Zones

A Zone is an area between two linear markings or a linear marking and a tile's edge. These linear markings can either be ground marks or walls.

The game features Room Zones. A Chamber is an area created by one or several Room Zones connected by openings or Open Door tokens and delimited by walls. Rooms separated by Closed Door tokens are considered to be different Chambers.

All other Zones are Corridor Zones.

Shadow Mode

Zones are either in Light or in Shadow. Light Zones have a light source (most of the time a fire or torch). Shadow Zones are in the dark.

When an Actor is in a Shadow Zone, he is considered to be in Shadow Mode. This may affect two things:

• Shadow Mode Skills: Any Skill that starts with [Shadow Mode] is only in effect as long as the Actor who has it is standing in a Shadow Zone.
• Enemy Activation: A Hero that is out of Line of Sight and standing in a Shadow Zone is completely ignored by Enemies when determining their target (see Counter-Attack on page 27 and Enemies' Phase on page 28).

Line Of Sight

Lines of Sight are straight lines running parallel to the edges of the board. Actors cannot see diagonally.

Lines of Sight run from a Zone to the next until they meet a closed door, a wall, or the board's edge. Line of Sight is not affected by Shadow Zones.

Moving

Actors can move from one Zone to the next as long as the first Zone shares at least one edge with the destination Zone. Corners do not count (no diagonal movements!). Moving from a Zone to another has no restrictions, other than that Heroes can't leave a Zone containing an Enemy and vice-versa. Actors must go through an open door to enter or exit a Chamber.

Levels And Level Tokens

The Level defines the evolution of Heroes, Enemies, and Equipment cards as the game progresses. The higher, the deadlier! It ranges in 5 Levels and colors.

Using these values and colors, Level tokens are spread across the board's various tiles according to the Quest map. Each game begins at Level 1 as Heroes are placed on the Hero Starting Zone. The game Levels up as soon as an Action or Phase ends with a Hero standing on a tile with a higher Level value or if a door is opened leading to a higher Level tile (before drawing the Door card). The game is then set to the corresponding Level. Flip this token to its Active side (as well as any other of the same Level), and flip the tokens of the previous Level to their Inactive side. So, the Current game Level is defined by the Active Level Token!

The Current Level and Level tokens exert their influence on:

• Hero Skills (P. 53). Heroes can only use Skills of the Current Level and below.
• Guards (P. 23). Guards (Mobs or Agents) are always spawned at the Current Level.
• Patrols. Spawned by Event cards (P. 32), Patrols are always spawned at the Current Level, but are placed on the Zone holding the Level token matching the Current game Level plus 1 or minus 1 (depending on the Event). If several Zones have a Level token of the corresponding value, players choose on which one the Patrol appears.
• Roaming Monsters (P. 23). Roaming Monsters spawn on the Zone indicated by the card that spawned them. They don't have Levels per se, only 2 categories: If the Current level is 1 to 3, spawn a Lesser Roaming Monster; if it's 4 or 5, spawn a Greater Roaming Monster.
• Treasure Tokens (P. 27). When a Treasure token is Picked Up, draw a Treasure card of the Level matching the tile where the Treasure token was found (regardless of what the Current Level is). If it's a Special Treasure token, draw a Treasure card of the next highest Level (or 2 cards at Level 5).
• Guardian Equipment (P. 24). When Guardians spawn (Agent, Boss, or Roaming Monster) they draw a Treasure card of the Current Level for themselves.

Note: Artifacts and Treasures can be used regardless of the Current Level. Heroes can use them as soon as they find them! This rule doesn't apply in Story Mode (see P. 38).

Combat Dice

Hazardous situations, especially Combat, are resolved using unique Combat dice.

Attack dice come in red and yellow. They feature Hit symbols. Here are red and yellow Attack dice. Red is better!

Defense dice come in green and blue. They feature Shield symbols. Here are green and blue Defense dice. Green is better!

Alongside Hits or Shields, Combat dice also feature Bam and Diamond symbols. Bams and Diamonds are used to trigger specific game effects called Enchantments, added to the indicated Hit or Shield value.

Bams and Diamonds are usually linked to a dice type (Attack or Defense), to determine the moment their related game effects are triggered (see P. 53).

• Attack Bam: A Bam obtained with a yellow or red Attack die.
• Attack Diamond: A Diamond obtained with a red Attack die.
• Defense Bam: A Bam obtained with a blue or green Defense die.
• Defense Diamond: A Diamond obtained with a green Defense die.

Three Dice Of Each Color: A dice roll can include up to 3 dice of each color. Any exceeding amount is lost. Any dice penalty is applied after the 3 dice cap is reached.

Heroes

A Hero is defined by the combination of a Hero Card, featuring his name and Special Skills, a Hero Dashboard tracking his current inventory and status, and a Class Sheet, listing the Skills he can acquire during his career as an adventurer.

Hero Card

• Shadow Mode Skill: The Hero can only use this Skill if standing in a Shadow Zone.
• Special Skill: The Hero can freely use this Skill.
• Recommended Class: The Hero has natural synergies with the indicated Hero Class. It is a good choice for starting players. Experienced players may ignore this and try wild combinations!

Hero Dashboard

Use the pegs attached to your Hero Dashboard to track your Hero's current Health and Experience!

• Health. Your Hero's Health is tracked here. All Heroes start with a max Health of 5.
• Put your Hero Card here.
• Body slot. Used to Equip Armor to defend yourself.
• Micro-Experience. Used only in Story Mode (see P. 38), the Micro-Experience track helps build progressing campaigns.
• Experience. Keep track of your Hero's Experience here.
• Hand slots. One-handed and Two-Handed Equipped Weapons are placed here. Your Hero can hold either 2 One-Handed Weapons or 1 Two-Handed Weapon at any time!

Health and Resurrection: This section is used to keep track of the Hero's Health value. It starts at 5 and can only be raised up to 7 by spending Experience Points in the Enhance Health Class Skill Line. The Health amount is lowered by 1 for each Wound the Hero suffers, with a minimum value of 0. At Health 0, the Hero is killed: lay his miniature down.

• Until he is Resurrected, a Hero is ignored for all game effects. He cannot be interacted with in any way, except that other Heroes can Trade with him.
• At the start of every Round, players resurrect all killed Heroes by using the power of the Lifebringer. For each Hero that is resurrected, remove one token from the Lifebringer's card. The Hero's miniature stands up in the same Zone where it was, and their Health is set to its current Maximum. If a Hero needs to be resurrected and there are no more tokens left on the Lifebringer, the game is immediately lost.

Experience Points: Use this area to keep track of the Experience Points the Hero earns during the game. Adjust this amount accordingly as XP is earned and spent.

Micro-Experience Points: Reserved for Story Mode, Micro-Experience Points are shards of actual Experience your Hero collects to build the Experience track. It lengthens the power curve of your Hero and helps with creating extended game campaigns. Create your own saga (see P. 38)!

Equipment cards: Equipped cards are placed in the corresponding areas. Unequipped cards are placed next to the Hero Dashboard. Several methods can be used to sort them throughout the game: by type, by usefulness, or by Level to ease the Transmute Action (see P. 27). Use your favorite method!

Class Sheet

• Signature: The Signature is a special ability that must be triggered by spending 1 Experience Point (see P. 31). It can be called upon right from the start, but the Signature can only be used once per Activation.
• Free Class Skill: Each Class offers a free Skill the Hero can always use right from the start.
• Level: During the game, the Hero can use all the Skills he acquired, as long as they are equal to or below the game's Current Level. It means your Hero can use the Level 1 Skills he acquired, right from the start of the game. The game has to reach Level 5 to use the Level 5 Skills your hero acquired.
• Skill Line: Each Class possesses various Skill Lines representing the Class specialties. Skills must be acquired in the reading order shown on the line. Each acquired Skill replaces the previous one in its own Line.
• Skill: A powerful ability to unlock using Experience Points.
• Experience cost: Spend this number of Experience Points to acquire the Skill!

Example: Using the "Shadow Hunter" Skill Line, a Nightshade Ranger must first acquire the "[Shadow Mode] Attack: Defender -1 Defense die" Skill at Level 2. Then, the Hero can acquire the "[Shadow Mode] Attack: Defender -2 Defense die" at Level 4. Upon reaching Level 4 and up, the acquired Skills featured in the Level 4 spot replace those featured in the Level 2 spot.

Skill: The new abilities and powers your Hero can acquire by spending Experience Points. See Skills on P. 52 for their game effects.

Skill Cost: The Hero has to spend this many Experience Points to acquire the Skill. It can then be used for the rest of his career (and across multiple games in Story Mode).

Equipment Cards

Massive Darkness features many different kinds of Equipment cards, all created for the same purpose: combat! A Hero can acquire an unlimited amount of Equipment cards, but they are all discarded at the end of each game.

Equipment cards with the Body, Hand, or Two-Handed symbols need to be Equipped to be used: a Hero can only Equip 1 Body Equipment card and up to 2 Hand (or 1 Two-Handed) Equipment cards at a time. Swapping them requires a Reorganize/Trade Action (see Heroes' Phase P. 27).

Equipment cards without these symbols (such as Items and Consumables) are always considered Equipped and can be used whenever the Hero needs them.

Remember: Equipment cards can be used as soon as they are found, regardless of the Current Level (except in Story Mode).

Equipment cards fall into 3 categories: Combat, Items and Consumables.

Combat Equipment

Combat Equipment cards feature a row of symbols linked to Combat Actions and resolution, as well as the amount and type of Combat dice to use. The keywords used, along with the way the dice are allocated, show their category: Melee, Ranged, Magic, or Defense. In turn, the category determines the Range the weapon can be used.

• Melee weapons display Combat dice allocated to the Melee symbol. Being close-combat weapons by nature, Melee weapons can only hit Actors in their owner's Zone (Range 0). They are used with Melee Actions (P. 25). The Mace is a Melee weapon.
• Ranged weapons display Combat dice allocated to the Ranged symbol. They can fire at any Actor outside of their owner's Zone, no matter how far, as long as their owner has a Line of Sight to it (Range 1+). They are used with Ranged Actions (P. 25). The Short Bow is a Ranged weapon.
• Magic weapons display Combat dice allocated to the Magic symbol. They can fire at any Actor outside of their owner's Zone, but only up to 2 Zones away, as long as their owner has a Line of Sight to it (Range 1-2). They are used with Magic Actions (P. 25). The Staff is a Magic weapon.
• Defensive Equipment has Combat dice allocated to the Defense symbol. When Equipped, they can be used to cancel incoming Hits (P. 33). Their effect is passive: there is no need to spend Actions to use them. The Leather Armor is a Defensive Equipment.

A Combat Equipment card can belong to several subcategories at once! Featuring dice in both Melee and Defense, the Long Sword is both a Melee weapon and a Defensive Equipment.

Items

Item cards don't display Combat symbols, but have game effects of their own. They come in various shapes, from pagan trinkets to bewitched clothes and even precious magic rings. Their description explains how to use them.

Consumables

Consumable cards have a single-use effect. To use it, apply the effect then discard the card.

Card Symbols

• Hand: The Ice Sword needs to be Equipped in Hand to be used. An Actor can Equip up to 2 One-Handed Equipment cards at any time (even if the miniature shows more "hands" or none at all!).
• Level: This Ice Sword is Level 2.
• Body: The Chainmail Armor needs to be put on the Body to be used. An Actor can Equip only 1 of them at any time.
• Two-Handed: Two-Handed Equipment cards occupy a single slot, but take up both of a Hero's hands, so he cannot use the other Hand slot. They cannot be paired with an Equipment bearing the Hand or Two-Handed symbol to add together their Combat dice. See Combat P. 33.
• Enchantment (Bam/Diamond): This is an Enchanted Equipment. It may trigger the described game effects if the corresponding symbol is obtained when the Actor attacks with it. If the symbol is spent on this Enchantment, apply the related game effect. Some Equipment cards trigger Enchantment when the Actor uses it for Defense. See Combat P. 33.

Enemies

Enemy Cards

Enemy cards look similar to Equipment cards in many aspects. They bear Combat symbols paired with Combat dice amounts. Some Enemies even use Enchantments of their own!

An Enemy card shows: Level (e.g., these Goblin Archers are Level 3), Health (a Goblin Archer can endure a single Wound before elimination), Minions (spawn a Goblin Archer Boss, plus 2 Goblin Archer Minions per Hero who began the Quest), Enchantment (apply this effect whenever the Goblin Archers get the indicated symbols when they Attack a Hero), Defense (use the Defense dice to prevent Wounds inflicted to the Goblin Archers), Melee Combat (use this dice type when the Goblin Archers Attack in Melee Combat), Ranged Combat (use this dice type when the Goblin Archers Attack in Ranged Combat), and Magic Combat (Goblin Archers don't use Magic; if they did, this part would show the related dice).

Minions Amount

Most Enemies roam the board as Mobs: a Boss along with its Minion escort (the whole Mob counts as one Enemy). The amount of Minion miniatures spawning alongside the Boss directly depends on the amount of Heroes who began the Quest. Use the indicated value as a multiplier:

• x2: Spawn 2 Minions per starting Hero.
• x1: Spawn 1 Minion per starting Hero.

Health

Health defines the Wound amount the Enemy figure can endure before elimination. Each Wound lessens this total by 1. The Enemy is eliminated upon reaching 0 (or below), and its miniature is removed from the board.

Each member of a Mob (Boss and Minions) gets its own Health amount, managed on an individual basis.

Agents and Roaming Monsters: The Health of Agents and Roaming Monsters directly depends on the amount of Heroes who began the Quest. Multiply the indicated value by the number of starting Heroes to determine their full Health. To easily track this, place that number of Wound tokens on the Enemy's card and remove them as it takes Wounds. These values are linked to the amount of Heroes starting the game: killed Heroes count!

Enchantments

The described game effect is applied whenever the Enemy gets the indicated symbol(s) (Bam or Diamond) on a Combat roll, including either its Attack dice (triggering Attack Enchantments) or Defense dice (triggering Defense Enchantments). The effect is applied only once, no matter how many symbols are rolled (unless it has the Repeat keyword, which allows extra symbols to trigger the Enchantment more times, up to the indicated Repeat number).

These Enchantments are cumulative with Enchantments triggered on an Equipment card the Enemy may have. Enchantments on the Enemy's card take precedence over Enchantments on its Equipment.

Some Enchantments don't require dice results and are active as soon as the Enemy spawns. Read the card to know which game effects to apply.

Enemy Combat Type

The Combat section of an Enemy card shows the dice type and amount used whenever the Enemy goes into battle. The Attack options they have available defines the Enemy's Behavior when they're Activated.

• Melee Enemies only have a highlighted Melee section. When they activate, they move as close as possible to their target's Zone and engage it in Melee Combat if able. Orc Flayers are Melee Enemies. Obviously!
• Ranged Enemies also possess a highlighted Ranged section. When they activate, they'll try to fire as soon as possible at their target, from the safety of Ranged Combat. They will only resort to Melee Combat if they find themselves engaged in a close brawl with their target. Goblin Archers use their bows to harass the Heroes. Coward tactics!
• Magic Enemies show a highlighted Magic section. When they activate, they try to fire on their target as soon as possible. Magic range is short (from 1 to 2 Zones away) but often triggers debilitating Enchantments! Like Ranged Enemies, Melee Combat is a last resort when they find themselves pinned down by their target. Never underestimate ogres as being stupid. Some of them are smart enough to use magic.

Defense Dice

Enemies use the indicated Defense dice to deflect incoming attacks and avoid Wounds. See Combat P. 33.

Enemy Roles

Massive Darkness features many Enemy Roles, with various abilities and characteristics. Whatever their origin, all Enemies share sets of common rules, defined by their Role.

Mobs

A Mob is formed by a Boss surrounded by a variable amount of Minion escorts.

• A Mob counts as one Enemy (see also Mob Rules P. 36).
• When a Mob is spawned, its Level always matches the game's Current Level.
• Upon spawning a Mob, check the Minion value of the card and place that many Minions per starting Hero. This symbol indicates how many Minions to spawn per starting Hero.
• A Boss and its Minions share the same characteristics and Enchantments, as shown on their Enemy card. The Health of each of them is managed on an individual basis.
• A Mob can never be split up into smaller groups. Ignore any game effect that would split them.
• A Boss cannot be Wounded as long as at least 1 of its Minion escorts stands beside it in the same Zone. Game effects affecting all Actors or Enemies in the Zone affect them as well. Stunning effects (see P. 37) can overcome this rule by temporarily neutralizing Minions. Some game effects (like some magical spears and Enchantments) allow you to strike the Boss despite its Minion escorts.
• Bosses are Guardians (see next page).
• Killing a Minion earns 1 Experience Point to the Hero dealing the killing blow.
• Killing a Boss earns 3 Experience Points to all Heroes.

Agents

• When an Agent is spawned, its Level always matches the game's Current Level.
• If they're not eliminated, Agents call for reinforcements every Round. If an Agent is on the board at the end of the Enemies' Phase, draw a Guard card of the Agent's Level and place the indicated Enemy on the same tile as the Agent, in the Zone with the Level token.
• Agents are Guardians (see next page).
• Killing an Agent earns 4 Experience Points to all Heroes.

Roaming Monsters

• When a Roaming Monster is spawned, draw a Lesser Roaming Monster card if the Current Level is 1-3 or a Greater Roaming Monster card if the Current Level is 4-5.
• Roaming Monsters are Guardians (see next page).
• Killing a Roaming Monster earns 5 Experience Points to all Heroes.

Guardians

Guardians protect and often use potent treasures on the Darkness' behalf. Whenever a Guardian (Agent, Boss, or Roaming Monster) spawns, players draw a Treasure card of the Current Level and equip the Guardian with it.

Note: Discard with no effect any Treasure card with the Trap keyword, and draw another.

• Guardians can use Combat Equipment: the Equipment's Combat dice are added to any Combat category (Melee, Ranged, Magic, or Defense) the Guardian already has dice in. In other words, Guardians cannot use Combat dice displayed in Combat categories they don't already have.
• Guardians also may use the Enchantment(s) of any Combat categories they get dice from: Melee, Ranged, or Magic for Attack Enchantments; Defense for Defense Enchantments. These Enchantments are granted, even if some or all the dice granted by the Equipment go unused due to the "3 dice of each type" limit. Rolled Bams and Diamonds must first be spent on the Guardian's natural Enchantments. If any remain, they are then used to trigger the Enchantments in the Guardian's Equipment.
• A Guardian is considered as the Hero using the Equipment cards it wields and, in return, the Heroes are considered as Enemies for Enchantment purposes. Whatever the game effects described on it, an Equipment held by a Guardian cannot inflict Wounds, elimination, or penalties to its Allies. Only positive effects apply.
• Guardians cannot use Items and Consumables, but they carry them normally.
• The Guardian's Equipment card is given to the Hero dealing it the killing blow, whatever the distance separating them. The Hero can either keep it for themselves or give it to another Hero standing in his Zone. The benefitting Hero can then reorganize his Inventory for free (see P. 27).

Remember: Equipment cards can be used regardless of the Current Level.

Example: Opening a door to a Chamber, a party made of Elias, Owen, and Sibyl finds a Level 2 Goblin Warriors Mob. Players place a Goblin Warrior Boss miniature in the Zone, as well as its Goblin Warrior Minions, and draw a Level 2 Treasure for the Boss.

The Goblin Mob's card, along with their Boss's Treasure. The Goblin Warrior Boss (Level 2) receives a Level 2 Treasure card: a Long Sword is drawn!

The Goblin Warriors Enemy card shows a Minion value of x1, meaning 1 Minion per Hero. Since this game has 3 Heroes, 3 Goblin Warrior Minion miniatures are placed with the Goblin Warrior Boss.

The Long Sword Melee Weapon features Combat dice in both the Melee and Defense sections. The Goblin Warriors already have Combat dice in these sections as well: the Long Sword's dice are added to their own. If the Equipment had any Enchantment, the Goblins would also be able to use them.

The fight begins: the Heroes have to kill all Goblin Warrior Minions before being able to wound their Boss.

The fight ends as Elias kills the Goblin Warrior Boss. Despite being 2 Zones away, Elias immediately receives the Long Sword Equipment card. He can reorganize his Inventory for free.

Playing A Game Round

A Game Round is split into 5 Phases, resolved in the order below:

1. Heroes' Phase
2. Enemies' Phase
3. Experience Phase
4. Event Phase
5. End Phase

Heroes' Phase

Each player activates his Hero, starting with the First Player and going clockwise. Once a player has resolved his Hero's Activation, any surviving Enemies he attacked are able to Counter-Attack him. Once that's resolved, the player to his left takes his Turn, activating his Hero in the same manner. The Heroes' Phase ends when all players have completed their Hero's Activation.

Each Hero can perform up to 3 Actions during his Activation, not counting any additional Actions he may gain from special effects.

The possible Actions are listed below, in alphabetical order. Most Actions have prerequisites to be met in order to be resolved. Some Actions are free and can be performed an unlimited amount of times per Activation. A Hero cannot normally perform Actions of any kind outside his Activation.

Combat Actions

Melee Action, Ranged Action, Magic Action

• Action Cost: 1
• Prerequisites: Must have an Equipped weapon of the corresponding type (Melee, Ranged, or Magic).

The Hero performs a Combat Action with an Equipped weapon. Combat Actions use all types of combat-oriented Equipment cards. There are 3 types of Combat Actions: Melee, Ranged, or Magic. Combat Equipment is detailed on P. 19. Combat rules are explained on P. 33.

• Melee Action: The Hero uses an Equipped Melee weapon to attack Enemies standing in his own Zone (Range 0).
• Ranged Action: The Hero uses an Equipped Ranged weapon to attack Enemies within Line Of Sight and at least 1 Zone away (Range 1+).
• Magic Action: The Hero uses an Equipped Magic weapon to attack Enemies within Line Of Sight and standing 1 to 2 Zones away (Range 1-2).

Do Nothing

• Action Cost: All remaining Actions.
• Prerequisite: None.

The Hero does nothing and prematurely ends his Activation. All remaining Actions are lost.

Get Up

• Action Cost: 1
• Prerequisites: The Hero is Stunned (see P. 37).

A Stunned Hero can spend 1 Action to shake off the Stun effect. Put the miniature upright and resume his Activation.

Movement

• Action Cost: 1

When a Hero performs a Movement Action, he can spend 2 Movement Points to Move, Open A Door, or Pick Up Treasures and other Objectives (in any combination). The Movement Action must be fully resolved before the Hero performs a different Action, but the Hero may choose to only spend 1 Movement Point, losing the second one.

Example: Whisper uses 1 Movement Action to Move twice, then uses another Movement Action to Open A Door and Move into the chamber. She then uses her third Action to Pick Up the Treasures in the room and decides to waste her remaining Movement Point and stay there.

Move

• Movement Point Cost: 1
• Prerequisite: No Enemy in the starting Zone.

The Hero moves from a Zone to the next, but cannot move through closed doors or walls. Moving is not allowed if an Enemy is in the Zone the Hero stands in.

Open A Door

• Movement Point Cost: 1
• Prerequisite: None.

The Hero opens a door in his own Zone. Opening a closed Chamber for the first time reveals who – and what – lies inside each of its Rooms. Once opened, doors can't be closed. Don't draw Door cards for Chambers that are opened at the start of the game. Some Quests may specify special effects for specific Zones when a Door leading to them is opened.

Door cards are used when the Heroes explore Chambers.

Remember: A Chamber is an area created by 1 or several Room Zones connected by openings and delimited by walls. Rooms separated by Closed Door tokens are considered to be different Chambers, while Chambers linked by an Open Door token are considered to be a single Chamber.

The active player draws a single Door card for the entire Chamber that has just been opened. The Door card is divided into 3 blocks, indicating what happens in the first 3 Zones of the Chamber. Zone 1 is the first Room, connected to the opened Door. Zone 2 is the next Room, and Zone 3 is the Room beyond that.

• If the Chamber has less than 3 Rooms, just ignore the extra blocks on the Door card.
• If the Chamber has more than 3 Rooms, nothing happens in the Rooms beyond the third (unless otherwise indicated by the Quest).
• If there is more than 1 Room that could be considered the second or third, the active player decides which to use.

Each Zone block on the Door card indicates 2 things: whether an Enemy is spawned and what Treasure is in that Room:

• Spawn. Spawn a Guard card of the Current Level in this Zone. Some Ambush! Cards may indicate that the Enemy is actually placed directly in the Zone occupied by the active Hero.
• Treasure. The right side of the card indicates the quantity and type of Treasure tokens to be placed in this Zone.

Example: Whisper opens this Door and draws a Door card for the revealed Chamber. Zone 1 contains no Enemies and 2 Treasure tokens. Zone 2 spawns a Guard card (the player draws a Dwarf Agent!) and 3 Treasure tokens. Zone 3 contains no Enemies and 2 Treasure tokens. Both of these Rooms could be considered Zone 3, so the player decides to place the Treasures in the upper Room. Nothing happens in these two last Zones (unless the Quest indicated something special for one of these Rooms).

Pick Up

• Movement Point Cost: 1
• Prerequisite: No Enemy in the Zone.

The Hero takes all Treasure and Objective tokens in his own Zone. Using a single Movement Point allows the Hero to collect everything in his Zone, as long as there are no Enemies in it.

• Taking a normal Treasure token immediately gets the Hero a Treasure card of the same Level as the Level token present on the tile where the Treasure token was collected.
• Taking a Special Treasure token immediately gets the Hero a Treasure card 1 Level higher than the Level token present on the tile where the Treasure token was collected. If the Special Treasure is in the tile with the Level 5 token, the Hero draws 2 Level 5 Treasure cards instead.
• In both cases, the Hero may choose to automatically give any of the Equipment he just collected to another Hero standing in the same Zone. Any Heroes receiving Equipment can reorganize their Inventory for free, and the Treasure can be used immediately, regardless of the Current Level.
• Objective tokens are linked to Quest achievements. The game effects are explained in the Quest's description. The Pick Up Action can also be used in conditions described by the Quest, like interacting with the environment. In that case, follow the Quest's description.

Reorganize/Trade

• Action Cost: 1
• Prerequisite: None.

The Hero Reorganizes the cards in his Inventory. This is especially important as it allows you to change the Equipment cards the Hero has Equipped.

In the same Action, all Heroes in the same Zone may freely exchange any number of Equipment cards among themselves (even killed Heroes may participate). The Heroes involved in the trade can Reorganize their Inventory for free. A Trade Action doesn't have to be fair: a Hero can trade everything for nothing, if both parties agree!

Signature

• Action Cost: 0. It's free!
• Prerequisite: Spend 1 Experience Point and follow the instructions.

Signatures are power moves used to perform spectacular Actions. They can be used once per turn, right from Level 1. Using them requires spending 1 Experience Point.

Read the Signature's description to know the condition and game effects to apply. Signatures can only be used once per Activation.

Transmute

• Action Cost: 0. It's free!
• Prerequisite: The Hero owns at least 3 Equipment cards to Transmute.

Discard 3 Equipment cards, then draw a Treasure card 1 Level higher than that of the lowest-Level card discarded. For example, if the Hero discards 1 Level 3 and 2 Level 2 cards, he then draws a Level 3 Treasure card.

The Hero can then reorganize his Inventory for free. The Treasure can be used immediately, regardless of the Current Level. Transmute can be done in the middle of a Trade Action, without interrupting the Trade.

Note: Heroes can transmute 3 Starting Equipment cards to get a Level 2 Treasure card, since Starting Equipment cards are considered Level 1.

Counter-Attack

Any Enemies that the Hero attacks during his Activation (whether he Wound them or not), and which are still alive after he's performed all his Actions, will try to Counter-Attack. At the end of a Hero's Activation, all Enemies that were attacked by him are Activated to try to attack that Hero. This Enemy Activation is performed the same way as in the Enemy Phase (see next chapter), with one exception: the activated Enemies will only target the Hero who attacked them. They may attempt to move towards him until they are able to attack him, but if they don't manage to get within Range for their attack (whether because the Hero is too far or because they are prevented from moving by another Hero), they will not attack any Hero.

Important: Heroes can avoid a Counter-Attack if they hide away in the shadows. If the Hero is out of Line of Sight of the Enemy he attacked and in a Shadow Zone, the Enemy will not be activated to Counter-Attack.

Enemies' Phase

Heroes have done all they could, but now it's time for fiends to come out. Enemies play by their own rules. When they are Activated, they act as follows:

Step 1 - Try to Attack a Hero. If they're unable to, they continue to Step 2. Step 2 - Move 1 Zone towards their target. Step 3 - Try to Attack a Hero. If they're unable to, they continue to Step 4. Step 4 - Move 1 Zone towards their target.

All Enemies on the board are activated, one after the other, in whatever order the players decide.

Step 1 – Attack

The first thing an Enemy does is attempt to Attack a Hero. Check if any Heroes are in Line of Sight and within Range of any of the Enemy's Combat Actions.

• Melee Combat. If the Enemy has Melee Combat highlighted, it can target Heroes in its own Zone.
• Ranged Combat. If the Enemy has Ranged Combat highlighted, it can use it to target any Hero in its Line of Sight, but not in its own Zone.
• Magic Combat. If the Enemy has Magic Combat highlighted, it can use it to target any Hero in its Line of Sight within Range 1-2.
• If there is a Hero within Range of any of the Combat types available to the Enemy, it will use it to Attack that Hero (see Combat on page 33). The Enemy only uses the dice and other characteristics of the Combat type that has the Range capable of targeting the Hero.
• If there are multiple Heroes the Enemy could target, it will attack the Hero among those who has the highest amount of unspent Experience Points (in case of a tie, players decide).

If the Enemy manages to perform its Attack, its Activation immediately ends. If it's not able to Attack (because there are no Heroes in Range of any of its Combat options), it continues its Activation to the next Step.

Step 2 – Move

If the Enemy was unable to Attack (because there were no Heroes in Range of any of its Combat Actions), it will then Move 1 Zone towards its target in the same way as Heroes Move (see P. 26). The Enemy's target is determined in this order:

1. The Enemy Moves to get within Range of the Hero in Line of Sight with the highest amount of unspent Experience Points.
2. If there are no Heroes in Line of Sight, the Enemy Moves towards the Hero on the board with the highest amount of unspent Experience Points who is standing in a Light Zone.
3. If there are no Heroes in Line of Sight and all Heroes are in Shadow Zones, the Enemy Moves towards the Hero Starting Zone.

• Remember that Enemies cannot leave a Zone if there's a Hero in it.
• If several Heroes share the highest amount of unspent Experience Points, players choose (regardless of distance).
• The Enemy always follows the shortest path towards its target. If there are several routes of the same length, players choose.
• If an Enemy reaches the Hero Starting Zone (or if it can't get any closer to it) it will then start to Move towards the Exit Zone. If it later reaches the Exit Zone (or can't get any closer to it), it will Move towards the Starting Zone again, and so on, as long as all Heroes remain out of sight and in Shadow Mode.

After the Enemy has Moved 1 Zone, they continue their Activation to the next Step.

Step 3 – Attack

Just like Step 1, the Enemy again attempts to Attack a Hero if there is 1 now in Line of Sight and within Range of any of its Combat Actions. Follow the same rules as in Step 1 to determine whether an Attack is possible and which Hero to target, in case there are several in Range now.

Again, if the Enemy manages to perform its Attack, its Activation immediately ends. If not, they continue their Activation to the last Step.

Step 4 – Move

If the Enemy was again unable to Attack, it will Move 1 more Zone towards its target. Follow the same rules as in Step 2 to determine the direction of the Enemy's Move. After this second Move, the Enemy does not Attack, and its Activation ends.

The Enemies' Phase ends as soon as all Enemy Activations have been resolved.

Examples:

The High Troll and the Dwarf Agent only have Melee Combat so they can only target Heroes in their own Zone.

• The High Troll activates and looks for a target. Even though Bjorn has the most XP, the Troll immediately attacks Elias, since he's in its Zone. The High Troll's Activation is over.
• The Dwarf Agent activates and finds he's unable to Attack anybody since his Zone is empty. He has Line of Sight on three Heroes, so he Moves 1 Zone towards the one with the most XP, Bjorn. He then proceeds to Attack Bjorn and ends his Activation.

The Orc Flayers also only have Melee Combat.

• They activate and are unable to Attack any Hero. They then Move towards Whisper, since she's the only Hero they can see (even though Bjorn has more XP). After their Move, they're still in an empty Zone so they can't Attack anybody. They'll Move one last time. Now they can also see Bjorn, so they Move into his Zone since he has more XP than Whisper. Their Activation is over. Even though they're now in the same Zone as Bjorn, they can't Attack him at this time.

The Goblin Archers and the Giant Spider have Ranged Combat as well as Melee Combat so they can target any Hero they see.

• The Goblin Archers activate and look for a target. They could use Melee Combat against Elias or Ranged Combat against Whisper. Since Whisper has more XP than Elias, they fire at her, ending their Activation.
• The Giant Spider activates and has no targets in Line of Sight, so it Moves 1 Zone towards Bjorn, the only Hero standing in a Light Zone. The Spider can now see Elias and Whisper, attacking Whisper who has more XP.

The Ogre-Mage, Hellhound, and Abyssal Demon all have Magic Combat as well as Melee Combat so they can target any Hero up to 2 Zones away.

• The Ogre-Mage activates and looks for targets. It could Attack Sibyl with a Melee Action or Elias with a Magic Action. Even though the Ogre-Mage's Magic Combat is much stronger than its Melee Combat, it has to engage Sibyl in Melee since she has more XP than Elias.
• The Hellhound activates and can't see any Heroes, so it Moves 1 Zone towards Whisper, the Hero with the most XP who's in a Light Zone. It can now see Bjorn, but at Range 3, he's too far for the Hellhound's Magic Attack, so it moves 1 Zone towards him. Even though Bjorn is now in Range, the Hellhound's Activation is over, and it doesn't attack.
• The Abyssal Demon activates and attacks Whisper (the only Hero in Line of Sight) with a Magic Action.

The Dwarf Warriors Mob activates and can't see any Heroes. While Bjorn has the most XP, he's hiding in a Shadow Zone, so the Dwarves Move twice towards Sibyl, who's in a Light Zone.

The Liliarch activates and can't see any Heroes, since they are all in Shadow Mode. The Liliarch Moves twice towards the Starting Zone.

Experience Phase

Heroes earn Experience Points by defeating Enemies or picking up Objective tokens (the amount can vary). Experience can be spent during the Experience Phase to acquire new Skills and get your party 1 step closer to greatness!

I'd Kill That For 1 XP!

• Killing a Minion earns 1 XP to the Hero who deals the killing blow. The other Enemies are considered a group effort!
• Killing a Boss earns 3 XP for all Heroes.
• Killing an Agent earns 4 XP for all Heroes.
• Killing a Roaming Monster earns 5 XP for all Heroes.

A Hero can stock up to 30 Experience Points at a time. Any excess amount is lost. If you think your Hero has too much Experience to spend, use his Signature (P. 27)!

A Class Sheet shows various Skill Lines representing the expertise fields linked to the chosen Class. Each Skill is linked to a Skill Line and can spread across several Levels.

• Skills are acquired following each Skill Line's progress. A Hero acquires the first, then goes on until he can acquire the last. Mark the squares to track the Skills your Hero acquires! All Classes have the Enhance Health Line. As always, the earliest Level must be acquired before acquiring a more advanced Level.
• Purchased Skills unlock and can be used as soon as the game reaches the corresponding Level. These Skills can be used when the game reaches Level 4.
• Skills may improve during the game: a Hero always uses the highest available Skill in each Skill Line.

Example: At Level 1, the Hero gets Charge. As the game reaches Level 2, the Charge is maintained, and Melee: +1 Re-roll is added to it. Finally, Melee: +3 kicks in at Level 4, improving from the previous step.

• Heroes can only use Skills they have acquired. If the game reaches a Level that would unlock a new version of a Skill, but the Hero has only bought the previous version, he keeps on using that lower-level version.
• In Story Mode, Experience and Skills are kept from one game to the next. Keep your Hero and create a story of your own (page 38)!

Example: Sibyl chose the Nightshade Ranger Class. The game begins at Level 1 and, right from the start, she can use her Shadow Mode Skill and her "Eagle-Eyed" Special Skill. Her class also grants her the "Find Weakness" Signature for 1XP and the "Slippery" Free Class Skill for free. All of these Skills are available from the very start, though the Signature requires 1XP to be spent each time it's used.

Still at Level 1, Sibyl kills 5 Minions and thus earns 5 Experience Points. During an Experience Phase, the player spends them all to acquire the "Ranged: +1 Re-roll Attack" Skill (Level 1). The Skill can be used from now on, as the game starts at Level 1. This Class Skill is bought for 5 Experience Points and can be used at Level 1 and higher.

The game progresses to Level 2. Sibyl earned another 10 Experience Points. The player chooses to spend them all during an Experience Phase to acquire both the "+1 Max Health" Skill (Level 2) and "Ranged: +1 Re-roll Attack or Defense" Skill (Level 3). The game is still at Level 2, however, so the Level 3 Skill can't be used yet. This Class Skill is bought for 5 Experience Points and can be used at Level 3 and higher.

The game reaches Level 3. Sibyl can now use her Level 1, 2 and 3 Skills!

• The "+1 Max Health" Skill can still be used (Level 2).
• The "Ranged: +1 Re-roll Attack or Defense" Skill (Level 3) replaces the "Ranged: +1 Re-roll Attack" Skill (Level 1) set at a previous Level in the same Skill Line.

Event Phase

During the Event Phase of each Game Round, the First Player draws an Event card. It is read aloud and the related game effects are applied, in reading order.

There are several different kinds of Events, but the most common are:

• Patrols. Roaming Monsters and other Enemies may spawn either on the Current Level token, on the Level token below that, or on the Level token above that, depending on the kind of Patrol. If several Zones hold a Level token of the corresponding value, players choose in which one the Patrol appears.
• Blessings. These are Events of good omen. Enjoy!

Running Out Of Miniatures: Event cards, as well as opening doors (see P. 26) often lead to spawning Enemies across the board. In case there aren't be enough corresponding Enemy miniatures, ignore and discard the Enemy card you've just drawn (don't place any miniatures), then Activate any Enemies on the board matching the type that was drawn (just like the Enemies' Phase Activation).

End Phase

The End Phase marks the end of the Game Round.

Many game effects last until the End Phase: they end in any order of the players' choosing.

The First Player hands the First Player token to the player to his left. The latter will be the First Player for the next Game Round. Another Game Round can now begin!

Game End: The game ends as a victory when all the Quest's objectives are met, and as a defeat if they can no longer be met or if, at the start of a Round, there is a dead Hero and no tokens left in the Lifebringer to resurrect him. Remember, Massive Darkness is a cooperative game: players win and lose as a team.

Combat

Combat Roll

Combat rules apply when an Actor, called the Attacker, performs an Attack on another, called the Defender. A Combat roll is resolved following these steps, in order:

Step 1 – Rolling Dice

Take the Attack dice of the Attacker, then the Defense dice of the Defender. Group both the Attack and Defense dice in a single roll.

Remember: A dice roll can only include up to 3 dice of each color (yellow, red, blue, or green). Any exceeding amount is lost.

To determine the dice a given Hero gets in a specific Combat type (Melee, Ranged, Magic, or Defense), simply add together the dice of the related Combat type among the Equipped cards he possesses. Add any bonus dice the Hero may get through Skills, Signatures, Items, or Consumables.

The process works the same way for Enemies: check the related Combat type's indicated dice on the Enemy card. Guardians (Agents, Bosses, and Roaming Monsters) may get additional dice and Enchantments if the Equipment card they possess is a Combat Equipment featuring dice in the related Combat type.

Remember: Any effects that subtract dice before rolling should be applied after any effects that add dice have been applied (respecting the 3 dice of each type cap).

Example 1: The game is at Level 2. Bjorn is about to perform a Melee Attack against a Level 2 Orc Enforcers Mob.

Bjorn gets these Attack dice:

• 1 red die for his Equipped Fire Sword (Melee weapon held in Hand)
• 2 yellow dice for his Equipped Hammer (Melee weapon held in Hand)

For a total two yellow dice and a red die.

The Orc Enforcers gets these Defense dice:

• 1 blue die for their Defense value.
• 2 blue dice for the Boss's Equipped Treasure card, a Level 2 Plate Armor, for a total of three blue dice.

Bjorn's player then gathers 1 red, 2 yellow, and 3 blue dice to resolve Bjorn's Melee Attack.

Example 2: Siegfried is being attacked. The player gathers their Defense dice. Siegfried has the following Defenses:

• A Level 3 Cold Iron Armor (2 green dice) Equipped on Body.
• A Level 2 Long Sword (1 blue die) Equipped in Hand.
• A Level 3 Dwarven Shield (1 green die) Equipped in Hand.

The total is 1 blue and 3 green dice.

Two Hands! Actors are considered as having 2 hands, whatever the model may show. This has an impact on the way Combat dice are added for Combat rolls.

• Hand. Actors can add together the dice of up to 2 Equipped cards bearing the Hand symbol, as long as they have the same Combat type.
• Two-Handed. Since Actors cannot Equip another card in the other Hand slot, dice from Equipped cards bearing the Two-Handed symbol cannot be added to dice from Equipment cards bearing the Hand and Two-Handed symbols.

Combat dice gained from other sources (Skills, Signatures, Items or Consumables) are added normally.

Re-Rolls: Many game effects allow Re-rolls. They stack with each other, allowing multiple Re-rolls in a row. Only the final result is kept. Game effects allowing dice Re-rolls are resolved before those allowing Re-rolls of blank results only.

Step 2 – Resolve The Enchantments

First, resolve the game effects related to the Defense's Enchantments (Bam/Diamond). Then, resolve the game effects related to the Attack's Enchantments (Bam/Diamond).

Bam and Diamond symbols obtained on the Combat roll can be spent to trigger the Enchantments on the Actors' equipped Equipment and Skills. Some special Equipment, Skills, and Signatures may also add extra symbols for the Actors to spend. Attack Enchantments are triggered by symbols on the Attack dice when the Actor is the Attacker. Defense Enchantments are triggered by Defense dice when the Actor is the Defender.

Each Enchantment may only be triggered once per Combat. Even if the Attacker Actor obtains 3 Bam symbols on the Attack dice, he may only activate each Bam Attack Enchantment of his once in that fight. The exception to that are Enchantments with (Repeat X) on them, in which case multiple symbols can be spent to trigger them up to X times.

The Hero decides which of his Enchantments he wants to trigger, spending the symbols he obtained. Always remember that the Attacker can only trigger his Attack Enchantments, using symbols obtained on the Attack dice, while the Defender can only trigger his Defense Enchantments, using symbols obtained on the Defense dice. Furthermore, the Enchantment must match the Combat type used by the Hero. So a Melee Enchantment can only be triggered if the Hero is performing a Melee Attack, etc.

Enemies trigger their Enchantments automatically if they roll the necessary Bam or Diamond. These symbols must first be used to trigger their natural Enchantments, featured on their card. If there are any symbols remaining on their roll, they are used to trigger any Enchantments they might have on Equipment they're using. Keep in mind that Enchantments can only be triggered if they match the Combat type used by the Enemy.

Example 1: From an adjacent Shadow Zone, Elias performs a Magic Action with Staff of Defense against the Dwarf Warriors. Elias rolls a Bam on the Attack dice and gets another Bam from his Shadow Mode Skill. The Dwarf Warriors obtain a Bam and a Diamond on the Defense dice. However since they only have Attack Enchantments, they go to waste. Elias spends one Bam on his King's Crown Enchantment, removing 1 Shield from the Defender. His other Bam goes to waste since he doesn't have another Attack Enchantment to use it on.

Example 2: At the end of the Turn, the Dwarf Warriors Counter-Attack by moving into Elias's Zone and performing a Melee Action against him with their Ice Sword. The Dwarf Warriors obtain a Bam and a Diamond on the Attack dice, while Elias obtains a Bam and a Diamond on the Defense dice (his Shadow Mode Skill doesn't work on Defense). Elias's Defense Enchantments are resolved first. He chooses not to use his Armor of Life's Enchantment, instead spending both the Bam and the Diamond on his Staff of Defense's Enchantments. This grants him +3 Shields. The Dwarf Warriors must spend their 2 Bams on their natural Enchantment (since it has Repeat 3), dealing +2 Wounds. They can't choose to trigger the Ice Sword's Enchantment first. Their Diamond goes to waste as there's nothing to spend it on.

Step 3 – Inflict Pain!

Add together all Hits on the Attack dice, then subtract all Shields on the Defense dice (plus any more from Skills and triggered Enchantments). The Defender suffers Wounds equal to the final result (min. 0). Place the corresponding amount of Wound tokens next to the miniature to mark the Actor's remaining Health. Use the peg on your Dashboard to track your hero's Health!

The Defender is defeated when its Health drops to 0 or below. If it was a Guardian (Agent, Boss, or Roaming Monster), the Attacking hero gets its Equipment card. The Hero can either get it for himself or give it to another Hero standing in his Zone. The benefitting Hero can reorganize his Inventory for free. The Treasure can be used immediately, regardless of the Current Level.

Example: Equipped with a Fire Sword and in Shadow Mode, Whisper executes a Melee Action against the Dwarf Defenders. The Combat roll gets:

• For the Attack dice: 4 Hits and a Diamond. The Diamond adds 2 Hits from the Fire Sword. 6 Hits total.
• For the Defense dice: 3 Shields and a Bam. The Bam triggers the Dwarf Defender's Enchantment for an additional 1 Shield. 4 Shields total. However, Whisper's Shadow Mode Skill inflicts -1 Shield on the Defender. The total is 3 Shields.

The Dwarf Defenders endure 3 Wounds (6 Hits – 3 Shields). Since their Health is 2, 1 Minion is killed and another takes 1 Wound.

Mob Rules

Remember: Under most circumstances, a Boss cannot be Wounded as long as at least 1 of its Minion escorts stands along it in the same Zone. Game effects affecting all Actors or Enemies in the Zone they stand affect them as well.

Mob Attack: When a Mob attacks use the Attack dice indicated on the Enemy card to resolve Combat rolls, no matter the number of Minions in it. If the Boss is carrying a Weapon that matches the Attack type being performed by the Mob, its dice are added to the Mob's Attack. The entire Mob focuses its Attack on a single target.

Mob Defense: Hero Attacks affect all Minions represented by a single Enemy card and standing in the targeted Zone.

Use the Defense dice indicated on the Enemy card to resolve Combat rolls against the whole Mob, no matter the number of Minions in it. If the Boss is carrying an Equipment that grants extra Defense, its dice are added to the Mob's Defense dice.

Each figure in a Mob has the same Health, as indicated on the Enemy card. Players deal the Wounds to each of the targeted Minions, 1 at a time, eliminating 1 before dealing Wounds to the next. Only after all Minions have been eliminated can the Heroes target the Boss. Even if the Attack that kills the last Minion could still deal more Wounds, those are ignored and a new Attack must be made to kill the Boss. When the Boss is killed, the Hero who dealt the killing blow gets its Treasure card (and may choose to instantly give it to another Hero standing in his Zone).

Example: Bjorn executes a Charge in a Zone with four Level 1 Dwarf Warrior Minions led by a Dwarf Warrior Boss. The Combat roll is done with Bjorn's Attack dice against the Defense value of the Dwarf Warriors: 1 Shield, plus the Boss' Chainmail Armor's 1 Shield. Obtaining 4 Hits against 1 Shield, Bjorn inflicts 3 Wounds to the Dwarf Warriors Mob. The Boss can't be selected, as his Minions still stand in the Zone. A first Minion receives 2 Wounds, which is enough to kill it (Health 2). A second Minion endures the last Wound: a Wound token is placed near its miniature.

On a second Melee Attack, Bjorn inflicts 4 more Wounds and kills 2 more Minions. Only a wounded Minion remains, along with the Boss.

On a third Melee Attack, Bjorn inflict 3 more Wounds. 1 is enough to kill the last Minion. The other 2 are overkill and lost, as the Boss cannot be targeted. On the other hand, the Boss can now be Attacked!

Example: Sibyl is attacked at range by a Goblin Archers Mob consisting of a Boss and six Minions. The number of Minions doesn't affect the Attack dice rolled, and the Boss' Long Sword doesn't affect this Ranged Attack since it's not a Ranged Weapon. The Combat roll is resolved with 2 Hits against Sibyl's Defense dice.

Additional Rules

Artifacts

Artifacts are ancient items of tremendous power and are the reason why Heroes go against the Darkness to claim the Lightbringers' legacy. Such treasures cannot be found on your average Guardian or Treasure chest and are usually linked to a Quest achievement (Artifact token or Quest objective).

Objective And Pillar Tokens

Artifacts, Lair, and Library tokens are key components to a Quests' creation.

These are Objective tokens: Artifact, Lair, and Map, respectively.

Pillar tokens are usually described as being structural flaws the Heroes can use to their advantage and win the game. This is a Pillar token.

In both cases, the Quest's description details the special rules to use whenever such a token is used.

Stun

The Stun effect temporarily disables an Actor. Lay down his miniature to keep track of the effect.

• A Stunned Hero must spend an Action to get up (see P. 25) before they can perform any other Action. If he can't, he does nothing and keeps on being Stunned.
• A Stunned Enemy spends its next Activation getting up. It doesn't do anything else during that Activation, neither moving nor attacking.
• Stunned Enemies are ignored to determine whether or not a Hero can leave a Zone. Likewise, Enemies are able to move out of a Zone with a Stunned Hero (though they can still Attack him).
• If a Mob is Stunned, all members of it are Stunned. When attacking a stunned Mob, the Hero is able to assign Wounds to the Boss, since the Stunned Minions cannot protect it.
• Stunned targets still roll their Defense dice normally and can't be Stunned again.

Example: Using an Ice Mace, Owen Stuns an entire Dwarf Defenders Mob, then proceeds to kill the Boss and leaves the Zone harmlessly, stealing its Equipment. The Dwarf Defender Minions then Counter-Attack, but must spend their entire Counter-Attack Activation getting up; they can't attack Owen during their Activation and no longer have the Boss' Equipment to help them.

Story Mode

The Story Mode is a game modifier specifically created to slow the experience gain and allow the Heroes to keep their Equipment and Skills from one game to the next. Like in roleplaying games, the Heroes evolve quite slowly, but in a permanent way, during immersive campaigns. You can then play your own epic sagas, taking an active part in the destiny of daring beginners turning into legendary heroes as they go fight through several adventures.

The Story Mode is played with the normal rules, with the following exceptions and specifics.

Experience And Level

Use the Micro-Experience track on the Hero Dashboard to track the Micro-Experience Points your Hero gains in Story Mode.

• The Story Mode uses the Micro-Experience track of the Hero Dashboard. Every time a Hero should gain an Experience Point using normal rules, he gains a Micro-Experience Point instead. Spending 5 Micro-Experience Points earns a standard Experience Point. This happens automatically once the Micro-Experience track reaches 5.

Notes: Signatures may be used by spending Micro-Experience Points. Whenever two Heroes or more have the same amount of Experience Points, use their Micro-Experience Points amount to decide which one has the most Experience on the board.

• A Hero's Level is set by the highest Skill he has acquired. This is used for several factors in Story Mode.
• Each Quest starts at the Level corresponding to the highest Level among Heroes. Flip down the lower Level tokens.

Example: Whisper acquired a Level 3 Skill. From now on, she is considered a Level 3 Hero. Any Quest she takes part in as the highest Level Hero starts at Level 3.

• While each Quest starts at the Level of the highest Skill acquired by a Hero, after it starts you follow the normal rules for determining the Current Level. Once a Hero explores a tile with a Level token that is higher than that, that becomes the Current Level, and so on.

Missing Level Tokens: If a Hero's Level is Higher than the Highest Level token present on the Quest being set up, you'll need to add the missing tokens up to and including the Level of that Hero. These tokens are added to the same Zone that holds the highest Level token currently on the Quest and follow the normal rules.

Example: Elias has a Level 5 Skill, but the highest Level token on the Quest he's about to embark on is Level 3. A Level 4 token and a Level 5 token are added to the Zone where the Level 3 token is.

Event Cards

In Story Mode, when an Event card references the Current Level, this is considered the highest Level token in a Tile occupied by a Hero. For any other purpose follow the normal rules for "Current Level".

Example: Elias (who has a Level 5 Skill) has reached the Tile with the Level 3 token while all other party members are still on the Tile with the Level 2 token. During the Event Phase, players draw an Event card that says, "Spawn a Guard card in the Zone holding the Token of the Current Level +1". This Guard will Spawn on the Zone containing the Level 4 token, since Elias is the Hero on the farthest tile.

Inventory

• Heroes receive Starting Equipment on their first Quest only.
• Heroes can only Equip and use Equipment cards matching the Quest's Current Level or below. Equipment cards of superior Levels can be stored in the Inventory, but cannot be used until the Quest reaches the Equipment's Level. Artifacts are considered to be Level 4.
• A Hero can carry an unlimited amount of Equipment cards during a Quest, and some Equipment may be kept from a Quest to the next. However, a Hero's Inventory is limited to 6 Equipment cards at the start of any Quest (including no more than 1 Artifact), after the Town Market phase.

Campaign Advancement

In Story Mode, players play through the whole campaign in order, Quest after Quest (or randomly, if they prefer).

• If they win a Quest, they advance to the next one, going through a Town Market Phase in between.
• If they lose a Quest, each Hero loses any Micro-XP he might have, and must immediately discard his Inventory down to no more than 6 cards (including no more than 1 Artifact). Players may then choose to try the failed Quest again or move on to the next:
  • If they redo the Quest, they do not go through a Town Market Phase. Heroes may choose to replace any of their Equipment with Starting Equipment cards before starting the Quest again.
  • If they move on to the next Quest, they go through the Town Market Phase normally before undertaking the next Quest.

Town Market Phase

Between a Quest and the next, your party comes back to town to get some rest, heal wounds, share information, and enjoy the spoils of war. Your Heroes can also buy and sell Equipment at the town market! The Town Market Phase is resolved at the beginning of each Quest, starting from the second.

Setup: To prepare the Town Market, follow those steps:

• Draw as many Level 1 Treasure cards as the number of Heroes.
• Draw as many cards as the number of Heroes, from the Treasure deck of the same Level as the lowest-Level Hero.
• Draw one card for each Hero equal to their respective Level.

All of these cards make up the Town Market, which is available to all Heroes. (If a Trap or Luck card is drawn, discard it and draw another card).

Trade: Each Hero can perform each of the following trades once:

Trading Equipment for XP: Discard 1 Equipment card from your Inventory to get half of its Level (rounded up) in Experience Points (not Micro-XP).

Example: Josh discards 1 Level 5 Equipment card and gains 3 XP.

Trading Equipment for other Equipment: Discard 1 Equipment card from your Inventory to get 1 card from the Town Market, OR discard 2 Equipment cards from your Inventory to get 1 card from the Town Market, OR discard 1 Equipment card from your Inventory to get 2 cards from the Town Market, as long as the combined Level of the cards discarded is equal to or greater than the combined Level of the cards acquired.

Example 1: Ariel wants a Level 5 Equipment. She discards 1 Level 2 card and 1 Level 3 card and takes a Level 5 Equipment card from the Town Market.

Example 2: Carl wants a Level 3 Weapon and a Level 1 Healing Potion from the Town Market. A Level 4 card would be enough to trade for that, but he doesn't have 1, so he discards his Level 5 Equipment and takes both cards from the Town Market.

Important: During the Town Market phase, Heroes may discuss and freely trade items between them, before trading with the Town Market.

Get Ready: At the end of the Town Market Phase, perform the following:

• All Heroes are fully healed.
• Heroes can trade and reorganize their Inventory for free.
• Each Hero must leave the Town Market with no more than 6 cards in his inventory, including no more than 1 Artifact. Any excess cards are discarded.
• In case a Hero only has high-Level cards, which might not be usable at the start of the next Quest, he may freely trade any of his cards for Starting Equipment cards.

Your party is ready to start the next Quest on a fresh note!

Quests

Tutorial - Walking In The Dark

The first step in the dark is always the hardest, but you carefully chose this one. This underground outpost is small and doesn't go really deep. It contains scouting reports that will lead you to a fallen stronghold and your first artifacts. It sounds easy.

Tiles needed: 6V & 8R.

Quest Objectives: Complete the objectives in this order to win the game. Recover the artifact!

1. Pick Up the Key
2. Escape through the Exit

Quest Special Rules:

• Key. When the Library Token is picked up, discard it and give 3XP to the Hero.

Quest 1: Scorched Earth

After the first step is the second. You are ready for another trip, deeper underground. This time, you will recover some artifacts hidden in the Darkness, and use them to destroy this evil nest.

Tiles needed: 2R, 4R, 8R & 9V.

Quest Objectives: Complete the objectives in this order to win the game. Recover the artifacts!

1. Find and pick up the 2 Artifact Tokens.
2. Reach the Library Token Zone with Heroes holding the 2 Artifacts and end the round there with no Enemies inside the room.

Quest Special Rules:

• Setup. Randomly place 2 Artifact tokens and 1 Lair token face down in the Zones with the facedown Objective tokens. Facedown tokens are revealed when any Hero picks them up.
• Dead Ends (Lair tokens). When any Lair token is picked up, discard it and that Hero gains 5 XP.
• Artifacts. When an Artifact token is picked up, the Hero keeps it as if it were a normal Item. Heroes may trade it normally.
• Final Room. The Zone holding the Library Token is considered to be a Special Location. In addition to resolving the Door card for the Chamber, draw a Guard card and set the corresponding Enemy in this Zone.

Quest 2: Black Widow

The townsfolk and villagers have already begun to call you Lightbringers. Sometimes, getting a bed and a meal even gets easier. On the other hand, everyone expects you to be in charge when things get nasty, like today.

Repeated assaults show a monster lair has been set in the area. This is what life could become if people like you don't stand against the Darkness. Time to be heroes, friends. The best part? Realizing it's the way you always wanted to live.

Tiles needed: 3V, 4R & 6R.

Quest Objectives: Complete the objective to win the game. Kill the Black Widow!

• Kill the Giant Spider.

Quest Special Rules:

• Setup. Spawn the Giant Spider Greater Roaming Monster on the indicated Zone.
• Spider Nests (Lair tokens). When any Lair token is picked up, discard it and all Heroes gain 5 XP.
• Black Widow. The Giant Spider doesn't count as a Roaming Monster for Event Cards.
• Spider Movement. The Giant Spider has Slippery. Every Round during the Enemy Phase, instead of the normal Activation, the Giant Spider attacks if there's any Hero within Range and then moves 1 Zone towards the Exit. During Counter-Attacks, the Spider just attacks the target if possible and does not Move.
• Spider Snack. When the Giant Spider moves, any stunned or dead Hero in its Zone is moved along with it, ignoring movement restrictions.
• The Spider escapes. When the Spider moves away from the Exit Zone, players lose the game.

Quest 3: The Chosen One

While you were battling against the last monster, a boss sent a goblin courier to call upon reinforcements and all available artifacts. You easily track down the courier until you reach an underground cave network. This place holds a special artifact and is very well protected. The plan is simple: choose one of the lightbringers to claim the artifact and trap the garrison in its lair.

Tiles needed: 5V, 6R, 7V, 8V & 9V.

Quest Objectives: Complete the objectives in this order to win the game. Rebuild the Artifact!

1. Collect all Artifact pieces to assemble the Artifact.
2. The Chosen One Hero holding the Artifact leaves the dungeon through the Exit.

Quest Special Rules:

• The Chosen One. When the game starts, players choose one Hero to be the Chosen One. He's the one who needs to escape the dungeon holding the Artifact. If the Chosen One dies, players lose the game.
• Artifact Pieces. The three pieces of the Artifact are represented by the Artifact and Library tokens. When any of these tokens are picked up, discard them. When all 3 tokens have been picked up, draw a random Artifact card from the deck and give it to the Chosen One.
• Monster Sentries. When the Chosen One receives the Artifact card, spawn 2 Roaming Monsters at the Lair token Zones. Those Enemies don't count as Roaming Monsters for Event cards.

Quest 4: Goblin War Drums

Goblin drums can be heard in the distance as your party travels to another quest. These war drums give away an unusual concentration of dark forces. Maybe you should pay them a visit and make sure they won't bother anyone anymore. Did anyone else notice debris falling from the ceiling every time these drums sound?

Tiles needed: 1V, 6R, 7V & 8R.

Quest Objectives: Complete the objectives in this order to win the game. Escape the Crumbling Dungeon!

1. Kill the Monster Sentry.
2. Escape through the Exit with all Heroes before the dungeon caves in.

Quest Special Rules:

• Setup. Place the following number of Wound tokens on each Tile: 6R: 4 Wound tokens; 7V: 2 Wound tokens; 8R: 2 Wound tokens; 1V: 2 Wound tokens.
• Crumbling Dungeon. Every time a player passes the First Player token, also remove 1 Wound token from the Lowest Level Tile. When a Tile has no Wound tokens, remove it from the map and kill every Actor standing there. No XP is gained from those deaths.
• Leave no man behind. If any Hero is killed by the crumbling Tiles, players lose the game.
• Monster Sentry. When any Hero first moves through the Pillars, spawn a Greater Roaming Monster in the Zone holding the Level 4 token. This Enemy doesn't count as a Roaming Monster for Event cards.

Quest 5: The Immortal's Downfall

The Immortal stands apart from the Darkness's lieutenants for being an invincible warrior. It simply can't die, whatever you throw at him. Even if you can't kill the monster, you can still send it back to the Darkness from whence it came and even deeper. The Immortal's downfall will be your first major victory as the new Lightbringer generation.

Tiles needed: 1R, 2V, 6V & 7R.

Quest Objectives: Complete the objectives in this order to win the game. Send the Immortal to the abyss!

1. Attract the Immortal to the Bridge using Fireworks.
2. Destroy the Pillars holding the Bridge while the Immortal is standing on it.

Quest Special Rules:

• Setup. Spawn a Level 4 Goblin Archers Mob on the Library Token. Spawn a High Troll Greater Roaming Monster on the indicated Zone, but don't give it any Equipment.
• Goblin Guards. The Goblin Archers that start at the Library Token do not Move during their Activations. If they can't Attack, they do nothing.
• Firework Caches. When an Artifact or Library Token is picked up, discard it and give the Hero a number of Fireworks based on the token type: Artifact Token: 1 Firework; Library Token: 3 Fireworks.
• Fireworks. Use a facedown Treasure token to represent a Firework Item. The Hero keeps it as if it were a normal Item. Heroes may trade it normally. Fireworks may be placed in your Zone by spending 1 Movement Point. At the end of each Round, discard any Fireworks on the board.
• Immortal. The High Troll that starts on the board is the Immortal. Heroes can't attack the Immortal or Wound it in any way. It doesn't count as a Roaming Monster for Event cards.
• Immortal Activation. During the Enemies' Phase, instead of the normal Activation, the Immortal moves two Zones towards the Hero Starting Zone. However, if there are any Fireworks in its Line of Sight, it moves towards those instead (players choose in case the Immortal sees more than 1 Firework). During the Immortal's Activation, use the following rules:
  • If there are any Heroes in its Zone, kill them and end its Activation.
  • If there are any other Enemies in its Zone, kill them. No XP is granted, and the Immortal continues its Activation normally.
  • If there's a Firework in its Zone, destroy it and end its Activation. After that, if there's another Firework in its Line of Sight, Activate the Immortal one more time normally (repeat this every time it destroys a Firework).
• Pillars. Pillars have 5 Health, no Defense and can be attacked as if they were Enemies. Once both Pillars are destroyed, the Dark Bridges are removed and any Actors standing on them are killed.
• The Immortal escapes. If the Immortal reaches the Hero Starting Zone, players lose the game.

Quest 6: The Fiend's Treasure

A crippled boss boasted that you would not stand a chance against "the Fiend". The ensuing interrogation revealed this Fiend to be a Hellhound keeping a powerful artifact. The Fiend lies safely in an unbreakable vault, and one of the keys never leaves the hound's lair. This isn't such a problem. Enter the beast's lair, and the key is yours. Seize the key, kill the beast… and the artifact is yours!

Tiles needed: 1V, 3R, 5R, 7R & 9R.

Quest Objectives: Complete the objectives in this order to win the game. Unleash the Hellhound and kill it!

1. Find the two Keys.
2. Use the Keys to open the Door to the Last Chamber.
3. Kill the locked Hellhound.

Quest Special Rules:

• Setup. Spawn the Hellhound Greater Roaming Monster, with a Level 5 Equipment, on the indicated Zone. Randomly place 1 Artifact token and 3 Lair tokens facedown in the Zones with the facedown Objective tokens. Facedown tokens are revealed when any Hero picks them up.
• Locked Hellhound. The Hellhound doesn't count as a Roaming Monster for Event cards. It only starts activating after the door to its room is opened.
• Dead Ends. When a Lair token is picked up, discard it and give 5 XP to that Hero.
• Keys. When an Artifact token is picked up, discard it. Once both keys have been found, the Special door to the Hellhound's chamber can be opened.
• Guarded Rooms. The rooms on Tile 9R containing the Artifact and Library tokens are special rooms. Instead of drawing a Door card for those rooms, directly spawn a Guard card, and place the corresponding Enemy in the room.
• Artifact. When the Library token is picked up, the Hero discards it and draws a random Artifact card from the deck.

Quest 7: Sparks In The Dark

The Darkness is piling up artifacts at an alarming rate. A full-scale war is closer than you expected. You don't have much time to prepare to face the Darkness. Buy yourself some time by dealing a blow to your enemies: first by getting back the precious artifacts, then by killing the Darkness's most powerful allies.

Tiles needed: 1R, 2R, 3V, 5V, 6V, 8V & 9R.

Quest Objectives: Complete the objectives in this order to win the game. Escape the Dungeon!

1. Activate both Levers to open the locked Exit Door. (Only 1 Lever needs to be activated in a game with only 1 Hero.)
2. Escape through the Exit with all Heroes.

Quest Special Rules:

• Artifact. When an Artifact token is picked up, the Hero discards it and draws a random Artifact card from the deck.
• Levers and Locked Door. To open the Locked door, at least 1 Hero must be at each Lair token Zone where the Levers are located at the start of the Round. Do not draw a Door card when the locked Door opens.
• Dungeon Keeper. When the Locked Door opens, spawn a Greater Roaming Monster in that room. This Enemy doesn't count as a Roaming Monster for Event cards.

Quest 8: Big Game Hunting

Reliable sources spoke about a location of strategic value. This place is an outpost for the Darkness's enforcers. It holds several prized artifacts and, maybe, more clues to the Darkness's next moves. Striking the monsters down could spark a light of hope in people... and grant you a place in some history book. Are you strong enough to undergo this quest, Lightbringers?

Tiles needed: 1R, 5V, 6V, 7R, 8V & 9R.

Quest Objectives: Complete the objective to win the game.

1. Destroy the Pillars that lead to the Enforcers and kill all 3 of these Roaming Monsters.

Quest Special Rules:

• Setup. Spawn 3 Greater Roaming Monsters randomly in each of the Zones indicated on the map. Each of them spawns with a Level 4 Treasure.
• Pillars. Heroes can't Move or Attack through the pillars. Pillars have 5 Health and no Defense, and can be Attacked as if they were Enemies.
• Enforcers. Each of the Roaming Monsters that start on the board do not Activate until the 2 Pillars on their tile are destroyed. When a Monster is killed, in addition to the Equipped Item, the Hero who killed it also draws 3 Level 4 Treasure cards and a random Artifact card.

Quest 9: Maze Of Darkness

As you venture deeper into the maze, you come to an ancient shrine holding an artifact so powerful that none can wield it. But its power has been helping keep the Darkness at bay. Bad news is, you are now surrounded by waves and waves of bloodthirsty enemies who want nothing more than to see this artifact destroyed. The shrine's walls can only protect you for so long, it's time for a last stand!

Tiles needed: 1R, 2V, 3R, 4V & 5R.

Quest Objectives: Complete the objectives to win the game. Protect the Artifact and kill all Enemies trying to destroy it.

• Protect the Artifact. If there's an Enemy on the Artifact token at the start of the Enemies' Phase, the players lose.
• Kill all Enemies. Once the Enemies stop spawning, kill every last 1 of them to win.

Quest Special Rules:

• Setup. Spawn 4 Guard cards and set those Enemies in the Zones holding the Level 2, 3, 4, and 5 tokens.
• No Events. Do not draw Event cards during this Quest.
• No Extra Reinforcements. Ignore all Agents' abilities to spawn Guard cards at the end of the Enemies' Phase.
• Increasing Level. During this Quest, the Current Level does not increase when Heroes enter another tile. It increases automatically as the game progresses: Every time Guards are spawned at the start of a Round, increase the Current Level by 1.
• Waves of Enemies. At the start of every Round but the first, alternate between spawning a Roaming Monster and 4 Guard cards.
  • Roaming Monsters: On the second round, and then every other round, spawn a Roaming Monster. The first Roaming Monster is set on the Level 1 token, the second on the Level 2 token, and so on. After spawning the Roaming Monster on the Level 5 token, do not spawn any more Enemies.
  • Guards: On the third round, and then every other round, spawn 4 Guard cards, setting each of the Enemies on the Levels 2, 3, 4, and 5 tokens. Before spawning the Guards, increase the Current Level by 1 (so the Level increases every other round, and the Guards always spawn at the new Level).
• Pillars. The Pillars count as the Hero with the most XP on the board when the Enemies Activate during the Enemy Phase. That means they'll always favor attacking a Pillar, if able. Since the Pillars count as Heroes, Enemies can't Move out of a Zone containing a Pillar until it is destroyed. Each Pillar has 3 Health. When an Enemy attacks a Pillar, do not roll the Combat dice, simply deal it 1 Wound.
• Artifact. During the Enemy Phase, if an Enemy moves, it always moves towards the Artifact token (remember it can't move out of a Pillar Zone). If, at the start of the Enemy Phase, there is an Enemy in the Artifact token Zone, the Heroes lose the game.
• Treasure. After spawning Guard cards, place Treasure tokens in the Chamber Zones of the central tile (3R) so that there are 2 Treasure tokens in each of those Zones. Since the central tile has no Level token, when a Treasure token is collected draw Treasure cards that match the game's Current Level.

Quest 10: The Heart Of The Darkness

You found your way into the heart of the labyrinth, where the Darkness sent its vilest envoy to do its bidding. This could be the largest and most dangerous lair you've seen so far. Everything reeks of evil, a testament to the monster living in this place: the Dark Emissary, a Demon of unprecedented power. Kill it and you may free your country long enough for it to prepare for the incoming war. Bring on a smiting light into the heart of darkness!

Tiles needed: 1V, 2V, 3R, 4V & 6R.

Quest Objectives: Complete the objective to win the game. Kill the Dark Emissary!

• Kill the 3 Stages of the Dark Emissary. Each time the Dark Emissary is defeated, it returns stronger than before.

Quest Special Rules:

• Three Stages. This Quest is separated into 3 Stages, as the heroes move deeper into the Dark Emissary's lair.
• Staircases. The different Stages are connected by 2 Staircases. An Actor may Move normally from the Staircase A Zone on one tile to the Staircase A Zone on the other tile, though there is no Line of Sight between them. Likewise for Staircase B. However, Heroes may only move to the next Stage once the current Dark Emissary has been defeated.
• Crushing Darkness. As Heroes descend into the lower Stages, the crushing darkness starts to take its toll. Once a Hero reaches the Stage 2 and Stage 3 tiles, the party suffers this effect:
  • Stage 2: At the start of every Round, Heroes suffer a number of Wounds equal to the number of starting Heroes, divided among Heroes as players wish.
  • Stage 3: At the start of every Round, Heroes suffer a number of Wounds equal to twice the number of starting Heroes, divided among Heroes as players wish.
• The Dark Emissary. The Abyssal Demon is the Dark Emissary, and it doesn't count as a Roaming Monster for Event cards. It only starts activating after the Door of its Chamber has been opened.
  • Stage 1: At the start of the game, spawn the Dark Emissary in the indicated Zone.
  • Stage 2: Once a Hero enters Stage 2, spawn the Dark Emissary in the indicated Zone.
  • Stage 3: Once a Hero enters Stage 3, spawn the Dark Emissary in the indicated Zone. Don't draw a Treasure card for the Stage 3 Dark Emissary. Instead draw a Greater Roaming Monster card and assign it to the Dark Emissary as if it were an Equipment card (its dice and Enchantments are added to the Dark Emissary).
• Demon Chambers. Do not resolve Door cards for the Chambers containing the Dark Emissary.
• Artifact. When the Artifact token is picked up, the Hero discards it and draws a random Artifact card from the deck.
• Levers and Pillars. Players can't Move or Attack through the Pillars. The last Dark Emissary only starts activating after both Pillars have been destroyed. To destroy the Pillars, Heroes must flip the switches represented by the Lair tokens. When a Hero spends an Action on a Zone with a Lair token, flip it down and destroy one of the Pillars.

Skills

Being part of Skill Lines of growing power, Skills define and enhance the Heroes. Their effects are described in this section.

• In case of conflict with the general rules, Skill rules have priority.
• Similar to Enchantments, Skills affecting Defense are resolved before Skills affecting Attack.
• Any Enemy possessing a Skill described below is considered as the Hero in the Skill's description, and the Heroes are then considered the Enemies.
• The effects of the following Skills are immediate and can be used on the Game Round they are acquired.

+1/+2 Max Health – The Hero's maximum Health value becomes 6/7 instead of 5. Acquiring this Skill also raises the Hero's current Health, healing 1 or 2 accordingly.

+X Actions – The Hero has X free Actions each Activation. If a specific type of Action is indicated, the free Actions can only be used to perform this Action.

+X Movement Points per Movement Action – The Hero has X extra Movement Points to use during each of his Movement Actions.

Charge – Spend 1 Combat Action with the Hero. He moves 1 or 2 Zones, to a Zone containing at least one Enemy, then performs a free Melee Action. If there are Combat effects in parentheses after the Charge ability, they are only active for the Melee Action granted by Charge.

Command – Once per Activation, the Hero can spend an Action to allow another Hero to immediately perform a free Action of his owner's choice. (If this is used to Attack, it doesn't trigger a Counter-Attack.)

Payback X – When the hero is the Defender on a Combat roll, if the number of Shields is greater than the number of Hits, inflict X Wounds to the Attacker.

Regeneration X – At the beginning of the Hero's Activation, heal X Wounds from him.

Safe Shot – Spend 1 Combat Action with the Hero. He moves 1 Zone as if he had Slippery, then performs a free Ranged Action. If there are Combat effects in parentheses after the Safe Shot ability, they are only active for the Ranged Action granted by Safe Shot.

Slippery – The Hero can leave Zones with Enemies while moving.

Sword and Spell – The Hero can use Magic Actions to Attack with Melee Weapons as if they were Magic Weapons, but at Range 0.

Taunt – The Hero is always considered as having the most Experience Points on the board. If 2 or more Heroes have Taunt, players choose 1 to be considered the highest.

Teleport X – Spend 1 Action with the Hero. Move up to X Zones as if he had Slippery.

Combat Skills And Enchantments

Combat Skills and Enchantments are used during Combat. In case of a timing conflict, Defense Skills and Enchantments always take effect before Attack Skills and Enchantments.

The first part of a Combat Skill or Enchantment specifies which combat type the Hero must be performing in order to use it:

• Attack: Must be performing any type of Attack Action.
• Melee: Must be performing a Melee Attack Action.
• Ranged: Must be performing a Ranged Attack Action.
• Magic: Must be performing a Magic Attack Action.
• Defense: Must be Defending yourself from any type of Attack Action.
• Melee Defense: Must be Defending yourself from a Melee Attack Action.
• Ranged Defense: Must be Defending yourself from a Ranged Attack Action.
• Magic Defense: Must be Defending yourself from a Magic Attack Action.

Enchantments

The difference between a Combat Skill and an Enchantment is that Enchantments must be triggered by Bam or Diamond symbols obtained on the Actor's dice (or other Skills). Right after the Combat Type, and before the colon, Enchantments list the type and quantity of symbols that must be spent to trigger its effect. Enchantments can only be triggered once per Combat Action, unless they have the Repeat property:

(Repeat X) – This indicates that the Enchantment can be triggered up to X times per Combat Action by spending the indicated symbols each time.

Note: Enchantments that subtract dice are activated after the roll, so the Hero can choose to remove the dice with the highest results. Skills that subtract dice do so before the roll, so those dice aren't even rolled.

Effects

The last part of a Combat Skill or Enchantment is its Effect. This is what happens when the Skill is used or the Enchantment is triggered.

• +X Hit / -X Hit – Add or subtract X Hits to your result.
• Attacker -X Hit – Subtract X Hits from the Attacker's result.
• +X Shield / -X Shield – Add or subtract X Shields to your result.
• Defender -X Shield – Subtract X Shields from the Defender's result.
• +X Bam – Add X Bams to your result.
• +X Diamond – Add X Diamonds to your result.
• +X Wounds – Automatically inflict an extra X Wounds to the Defender.
• +X Red / +X Yellow – Add X Red or Yellow Attack dice to your roll (up to the limit of 3 dice per type)
• -X Red / -X Yellow – Subtract X Red or Yellow Attack dice from your roll.
• Attacker -X Red / -X Yellow – Subtract X Red or Yellow Attack dice from the Attacker's roll.
• +X Attack Dice – Add any combination of X Red and/or Yellow Attack dice to your roll (up to the limit of 3 dice per type)
• Attacker -X Attack Dice – Subtract any combination of X Red and/or Yellow Attack dice from the Attacker's roll (after dice are rolled, if this is an Enchantment).
• +X Green / +X Blue – Add X Green or Blue Defense dice to your roll (up to the limit of 3 dice per type).
• -X Green / -X Blue – Subtract X Green or Blue Defense dice from your roll.
• Defender -X Green / -X Blue – Subtract X Green or Blue Defense dice from Defender's roll.
• +X Defense Dice - Add any combination of X Green and/or Blue Defense dice to your roll (up to the limit of 3 dice per type).
• Defender -X Defense Dice – Subtract any combination of X Green and/or Blue Defense dice from the Defender's roll (after dice are rolled, if this is an Enchantment).
• Defender rolls no dice – Subtract all dice from the Defender's roll.
• +1 Re-roll Attack – You may re-roll all Attack dice one additional time.
• +1 Re-roll Defense – You may re-roll all Defense dice one additional time.
• +1 Re-roll Attack or Defense – You may choose the Attack or Defense dice to re-roll one additional time.
• Cancel an Attack Bam – Subtract a Bam from the Attack result.
• Cancel an Attack Diamond – Subtract a Diamond from the Attack result.
• Cancel a Defense Bam – Subtract a Bam from the Defense result.
• Cancel a Defense Diamond – Subtract a Diamond from the Defense result.
• Cancel all Defense Bam and Diamond – Subtract all Bams and Diamonds from the Defense result.
• Cancel all Attack Bam and Diamond – Subtract all Bams and Diamonds from the Attack result.

Conditions

Skills may be preceded by a Condition, describing a prerequisite for the Skill to function. Conditions are written in bold and between [brackets]. Anything described after the Condition is only active if the Condition is satisfied.

• [Bloodlust X] – To activate this Skill, the Hero must voluntarily take X Wounds.
• [Blood Tribute X] – To activate this Skill, the Hero or an Ally in Line of Sight must voluntarily take X Wounds.
• [Dual Wielding] – The Skill is active if the Hero has 2 Weapons equipped.
• [Mace or Hammer Equipped] – The Skill is active if the Hero has a Weapon equipped with Mace or Hammer in its name.
• [No Armor Equipped] – The Skill is active if the Hero has no Armor equipped.
• [Shadow Mode] – The Skill is active if the Hero is in a Shadow Zone.
• [Shield Bearer] – The Skill is active if the Hero has a Shield equipped.
• [Sword Equipped] – The Skill is active if the Hero has a Weapon equipped with Sword in its name.
• [Two-Handed Weapon] – The Skill is active if the Hero has a Two-Handed Weapon equipped.
• [Wounded X] – The Skill is active if the Hero has taken X or more Wounds.

Glossary

Here's an explanation of some of the terms used in other Skills' descriptions.

• Active Hero – The Hero who's activating. If it's outside of a Hero Activation, the active Hero is the one holding the First Player token.
• After a Re-roll… – The effect is only applied if the dice were re-rolled by other effects.
• Blank Result – A die result that has no symbols. Some abilities may add Hits, Shields, Bams, or Diamonds to blank results. Those symbols are added to the final roll.
• Double the number of Bams – Add Hits to the roll equal to the number of Bams on the faces rolled.
• Flip a result – Flip the die to show the opposite face, and treat it as the rolled result.
• Fully heal – Heal the Hero up to their Max Health.
• If this Attack does not Wound… – The effect is only applied if, after considering the Shields, the Attack deals no Wounds to the Enemy.
• Instantly Kill – Automatically deal enough Wounds to an Enemy to kill it.
• Number of Hits rolled – Total number of Hits on the roll, before considering the Shields to calculate the Wounds.
• Re-Rolls – Roll the dice again, and treat the new roll as the result.

Credits

Game Designers: Raphaël Guiton, Jean-Baptiste Lullien, and Nicolas Raoult

Executive Producer: Thiago Aranha

Art: Edouard Guiton, Antonio Mainez, Nicolas Fructus, Eric Nouhaut, Mathieu Chow Cheuk, and Giovanna Guimarães

Graphic Design: Mathieu Harlaut, Louise Combal, and Marc Brouillon

Sculptors: Juan Navarro Perez, Alex Aragorn Marks, Edgar Ramos, Edgar Skomorowski, and Arnaud Boudoiron

Writing: Bryan Steele

Development: Alexandru Olteanu (lead), Marco Portugal, Fel Barros, Michael Shinall, and Fabio Tola

Publisher: David Preti

Playtest: Luiz Alvarez, Gabriel Antonini, Eduardo Buffardi, Fabio Castro, Nahuel Dias, David Doust, Rodrigo Esper, Júlia Ferrari, Rodrigo Fock, Patrícia Gil, João Gois, Thiago Gonçalves, Fabul Henriques, Isadora Leite, Renato Lopes, Lucas Martini, Bruno Meira, Jared Miller, Diego Moraes, Carolina Negrão, Fernando Nogueira, Flávio Oota, Luiza Pirajá, Bruno Podolski, Caio Quinta, Sergio Roma, Ricardo Senaha, Paulo Shinji, Daniel Silva, Rodrigo Sonnesso, Danilo Sparapani, Livia Sparapani, Eduardo Vilela, and Amanda Watson

© 2017 CMON Productions Limited, all rights reserved. No part of this product may be reproduced without specific permission. Guillotine Games logo is a trademark of Guillotine Games Ltd. Massive Darkness, CMON, and the CMON logo are trademarks of CMON Global Limited. Actual components may vary from those shown. Figures and plastic components included are pre-assembled and unpainted. Made in China.

This product is not a toy. Not intended for use of persons 13 years of age or younger.

Rules Summary

Game rules override this Game Round summary rules.

Game Round

1. Players' Phase: The First Player Activates his Hero. When he's done, each player in clockwise order does the same, until all Heroes have been Activated. Each Hero has 3 Actions to spend during his Activation, chosen from the following list.

• Movement: Spend 2 Movement Points on:
  • Move: The Hero moves 1 Zone.
  • Open a Door: Draw a Door card for the whole Chamber when it's first revealed.
  • Pick Up: Take all tokens in his Zone.
• Combat Action: Magic, Melee, or Ranged.
• Reorganize/Trade: Trade with all Heroes in his Zone.
• Get Up: The Hero recovers from a Stun effect.
• Do Nothing: All remaining Actions are lost.

The following can be performed without spending any Actions:

• Transmute: Discard 3 Equipment cards and draw one 1 Level higher than the lowest of them.
• Signature: Spend 1 Experience Point to execute it (once per Activation).

Counter-Attack: At the end of his Activation, all surviving Enemies the Hero attacked are activated and try to Attack him.

2. Enemies' Phase: All Enemies on the board are activated, performing the following steps:

• Step 1 - Try to Attack a Hero. If they're unable to, they continue to Step 2.
• Step 2 - Move 1 Zone towards their target.
• Step 3 - Try to Attack a Hero. If they're unable to, they continue to Step 4.
• Step 4 - Move 1 Zone towards their target.

Target priority:

1. Hero in Range with most XP.
2. Hero in Line of Sight with most XP.
3. Hero in a Light Zone with the most XP.
4. Starting Zone.

3. Experience Phase: Spend Experience Points to get new Skills.

4. Event Phase: Draw and resolve an Event card.

5. End Phase: The next player receives the First Player token (in clockwise order).

Combat

• Melee: Range 0
• Ranged: Range 1+
• Magic: Range 1-2

1. Add the Attacker's dice with the Defender's dice to perform a single roll (up to 3 dice of each type).
2. Bam and Diamonds from the Defense dice may trigger the Defender's Enchantments and, from the Attack dice, may trigger the Attacker's Enchantments. Defense Enchantments are resolved before the Attack Enchantments.
3. Add all Hits, then subtract all Shields to determine how many Wounds the Defender suffers. If its Health drops to 0, it is killed. The Hero is rewarded with the Equipment the Enemy had, plus some XP:
   • Minion: 1 XP to the Hero
   • Boss: 3 XP to all Heroes
   • Agent: 4 XP to all Heroes
   • Roaming Monster: 5 XP to all Heroes