Paradise Lost Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal
• Components
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • The Hero's Turn
  • Resolving Locations
  • Witch's Rage
  • The Villain's Hideout
• Arriving at an Oracle
  • Arrival Rewards
  • Seeking the Villain's Hideout
  • Communing with the Oracle
  • The Journey Onward
  • The Excalibur Card
  • The Cloak of Invisibility Card
• Confrontation with the Water Witch
  • Locations in the Realm of the Witch's Palace
  • The Gates to the Ice Palace
  • Game End
• Variations
  • No Villain's Hideout Variant
  • Two-Player Game
  • Semi-Competitive Mode
• A Cast of Characters: The Heroes
  • Additional Heroes, Villains, and Weapons

Goal

In Paradise Lost, you become a Hero of legend. You and your fellow Heroes must travel the realms of the Water Witch and deduce whom she has summoned as her champion Villain and the great Weapon needed to vanquish the chosen Villain, using the resources and information you have gleaned along the way. On this adventure you will speak to Oracles, learn secrets from the Truthseekers, recite ancient scrolls, and seek the Villain's hideout. Tread carefully along the Trail of the Mystics, for the road will be perilous and it is possible to enrage the Water Witch even further.

At the end of your journey, you will arrive at the Water Witch's Ice Palace. There, each Hero will make a claim as to who the summoned Villain is and which is the required Weapon. The first Hero to correctly make a claim wins the game and saves the world from Nimue's devastating grasp!

Components

• 1 Game board
• 8 Hero tiles
• 8 Miniatures
• 5 Color rings (red, yellow, blue, green, purple)
• 2 Black cubes (Claim Order and Witch's Rage Tracker)
• 18 Oracle cards (8 Weapons, 8 Villains, 1 Excalibur, 1 Cloak of Invisibility)
• 16 Truthseeker cards
• 20 Hideout tiles (5 Realm tiles, 15 Clue tiles)
• 32 Scroll cards (16 Fire, 16 Ice)
• 12 Water Witch's Rage cards
• 16 Black Swan cards
• 35 Coins
• 35 Mana crystals
• 25 Seeker cubes
• 1 Water Witch envelope
• 1 Oracle die
• 1 Pad of Oracle deduction sheets with 5 pencils

Setup

1. Prepare Game Board. Place it in the center of the play space, in easy reach of all players.

2. Prepare Decks. Separately shuffle the Black Swan cards (black), Truthseeker cards (white), and Water Witch's Rage cards (light blue) and place them into facedown decks on their designated spaces on the Game Board.

3. Sort Scroll Cards. Separate the Scroll cards by type, Fire and Ice, and sort them by number (first the 1's, then the 2's, etc.) with the lowest number on top. Place both decks facedown on their designated spaces on the Game Board.

4. Prepare the Water Witch Envelope. Remove the Excalibur and Cloak of Invisibility cards from the Oracle cards. Separate the remaining Oracle cards into Villains and Weapons. Shuffle each pile facedown and then draw the top Villain and Weapon card from each pile. Without looking or showing any other players, slip each card into the Water Witch envelope. Place the envelope on the Water Witch Envelope space on the board.

5. Deal Oracle Cards. Take the remaining Villain and Weapon cards and shuffle them together with the Excalibur and Cloak of Invisibility cards, creating an Oracle deck of 16 cards. Take the top 4 cards and place 1 card facedown under each of the Oracle spaces. Deal the remaining Oracle cards to the players equally.

   NOTE: In a 5 player game, place 2 cards on the 1st and 4th Oracle spaces and 1 card on the 2nd and 3rd Oracle spaces, and then deal the remaining Oracle cards to the players equally. In a 2 player game, do not add the Cloak of Invisibility before dealing Oracle cards to the players (see page 17). Place an extra Oracle card under the 4th Oracle, and deal the remaining cards to the players equally (each player receives 5 cards).

6. Record Villains and Weapons. Give each player an Oracle Deduction Sheet and pencil. Players secretly look at their Oracle cards and mark off their Villains and Weapons on their deduction sheet. Keep all sheets and cards secret, for now.

Gameplay

In Paradise Lost, your Heroes are taking a journey along the Trail of Mystics through the five Realms to seek the Villain's Hideout and to ultimately defeat Nimue the Water Witch. The five Realms are:

• The Ancient Cloud Mountains
• The Eternal Cedar Forest
• The Pagan Wasteland
• The Soulless Swamp
• The Witch's Palace

The first four Realms each end with an Oracle. The 5th and final Realm sees you arrive at the Gates to Nimue's Ice Palace (see page 16).

The Hero's Turn

Turn Order. The Hero who is furthest back on the Trail of Mystics is the Hero who takes the next turn. A Hero may end up taking multiple turns in a row if they are still the furthest back on the Trail after completing their turn.

Movement. You may move forward in the current Realm as far as you like, at least one space and never moving backward, and stop at an available location of your choice. A few things to note about locations are:

• Each Hero occupies one space at a location. Most locations only have one space, but some locations have 2 spaces. Second spaces at locations are only available in 4 or 5-player games.
• In a 2-space location, the first Hero to arrive places their miniature on the space closest to the Trail and is considered to be further ahead than the Hero on the second space.
• If all spaces at a location are occupied you may not stop there.
• You must make the Oracle at the end of the current Realm your last stop. Oracles are not considered locations and have spaces for all Heroes. Order of arrival is important (see page 10) and Heroes may not move onto the next Realm until all Heroes have arrived at the Oracle and resolved it.

Resolving Locations

Many locations require you to pay a resource when you stop there. You always pay the resource back to the respective supply pile or deck.

Note: If you cannot pay the cost, you cannot stop at that location.

Arena. The cheers of the crowd call you to show your prowess! What you expend in energy, the spectators more than make up for in coin. Pay 1 Mana and gain 2 Coin.

Bard's Tale. A great Bard regales you with tales of great feats of heroism. You listen with delight, drink a few tall pints, and even share a few tales of your own. Gain 1 Coin and 1 Mana.

Black Swan. Mischievous and clever, the Black Swan longs for a visit from Heroes willing to take a risk. Often the Black Swan will hinder your journey, but sometimes a glorious benefit will be gifted instead. Draw and reveal one Black Swan card. Resolve it and then discard it back to the game box.

Mage Towers: Fire (Red) or Ice (Blue). Glowing towers of mystic energy, these spires of living rock hold great sorcerers and their long forgotten arcane scrolls of wondrous magic. Pay 1 Mana and gain 1 Scroll card of the corresponding type.

When gaining a Scroll card, do the following:

• Take the lowest numbered Scroll card that you do not currently possess keeping it facedown.
  • Note: You cannot have 2 Scroll cards of the same number and type. You may only gain one Scroll card per Mage Tower location.
• After taking the Scroll card, flip it over.
  • If there is a Witch's Rage icon, increase the Witch's Rage tracker by 1. Discard this card from the game.
  • If there is no Witch's Rage icon, add this Scroll card to the Scroll you are trying to complete. Each Hero may only complete one Scroll of each type, Fire and Ice.

If you are able to acquire all 5 Scroll cards in numerical order of a single type (Fire or Ice), you have completed a Scroll! With a completed Scroll, you can cast a spell that reveals the Weapon or Villain. These spells are cast when it is time to vanquish the Water Witch's Villain. If you have completed the Fire Scroll, you can cast a spell that reveals the Villain, and if you have completed the Ice Scroll, you can cast a spell that reveals the Weapon which defeats the Villain. If you manage to complete both the Fire and Ice Scrolls, you have the magic to banish the Water Witch outright!

Marketplace. Commerce is very much alive in the Realms despite the Water Witch's tyranny. You can usually find what you need at the local Markets. In any order, you may:

• Exchange 2 Mana for 1 Coin or 2 Coin for 1 Mana.
• Sell 1 or more Scroll cards for 2 Mana or 2 Coin each. Sold Scroll cards go back to their Scroll deck.
• Buy or sell Seeker cubes at a cost of 3 Mana or 3 Coin each.

These trades can be performed more than once, but you must perform at least one trade or else you cannot stop here.

Shrine. You commune with the spirits of this Realm to seek guidance on your journey. Your offering pleases them, and they fill you with strength and purpose. Pay 1 Coin and gain 2 Mana.

Truthseeker. The Truthseekers, original tellers of Earth's greatest fables, will forever be the nemesis of Nimue. Earnest and constant in their conviction to help thwart the Water Witch, and always honest, they may provide Heroes with information to help narrow down the Villain, Weapon, or Realm that holds the Villain's Hideout. Draw and reveal a Truthseeker card. The Hero may decide whether or not to resolve the card; they are always optional. After a choice is made, discard the card back to the game box whether or not it was resolved.

NOTE: The only exception are cards that increase the Witch's Rage: these must be resolved.

Wildland. A magical place of spirit and energy beyond the Witch's reach, the special hinterland mirrors the life force of any Hero's desired destination. Copy another location type in any Realm that has none of its location spaces occupied by another Hero.

Example: The Heroes have arrived in the Soulless Swamp. Merlin stops at a Wildland location and wants to copy the use of a Bard's Tale location. However, although there are two Bard's Tale locations in the Swamplands, Alice is occupying one of them. Merlin will not be able to copy the Bard's Tale. Since there are no Heroes occupying the three Market spaces in the Soulless Swamp, Merlin chooses to copy the Market and exchange 2 Coin for 1 Mana instead.

Witch's Rage

Various locations throughout the Realms will stoke the Witch's rage with their use. If a Witch's Rage icon is revealed on a card of any type, do the following:

Move the Black cube on the Witch's Rage Tracker up by one step. Whenever the Witch's Rage Tracker reaches 2, 4, 6, 8, or 9, draw a Witch's Rage card and place it face-up, on top of the Witch's Rage space.

• a. If the card is an instant effect, all Heroes perform the action immediately.
• b. If the card has a persistent effect, it will remain in effect until the card is replaced by another Witch's Rage card or discarded after the Heroes Speak at the next Oracle.

Example: The Witch's Rage card, "Heroes may not use their special powers" is in effect. During the next turn, a Hero triggers a new Witch's Rage card by increasing the Tracker to "4." The drawn card states "Lose 2 Coin." All players lose 2 coins. This new card replaces the previous one, so the Heroes' special powers can be used again.

NOTE: Only one Witch's Rage card may be in effect at a time. Exception: Drawing a Witch's Rage card also occurs when the Excalibur card is used (see page 15). The use of Excalibur ignites the Witch's full-blown wrath! A Witch's Rage card that is drawn as a result of a Hero playing Excalibur is placed face-up on the Witch's Wrath space and does not discard a Witch's Rage card already in effect. This is the only time the Witch's Wrath space is used and more than one Witch's Rage card can be in effect. Resolve as above, but note that a Witch's Wrath card is active until the end of the game. It is never discarded or replaced.

IMPORTANT: If the Witch's Rage Tracker ever reaches 10, the Heroes immediately move to the Realm of the Witch's Palace and begin the Confrontation with the Water Witch (see page 16).

The Villain's Hideout

The Water Witch's dark power is tempered by your guile, which fills the sky with a storm of hope. If you can deduce the Realm that holds the Villain's Hideout, you can sap away her dark magic.

The Witch's summoned Villain is hiding in one of the five Realms. If you can successfully manipulate the Clue tiles on the Game Board to point to the Realm matching your personal Hideout Realm tile, then you've found the Villain's Hideout!! When confronting the Water Witch you gain an advantage and will be able to make the first Claim (ignoring the Claim Order), ask an additional question at the Witch's gate, or draw an unrevealed Oracle card.

The Clue tiles have six possible clues that can be used to determine the Realm matching your tile. They are:

• Across from this Realm: The Villain is hiding in one of the two Realms across from this one. Example: If this Clue tile is on the Ancient Cloud Mountains Realm, then the Villain is hiding in either the Soulless Swamp or the Pagan Wasteland.
• Within Sight of this Realm: The Villain is hiding in a Realm next to this Realm. Example: If this Clue tile is on the Ancient Cloud Mountains Realm, then the Villain is hiding in either the Witch's Palace or the Eternal Cedar Forest.
• Left of this Realm: The Villain is hiding in the Realm to the left of this one.
• Right of this Realm: The Villain is hiding in the Realm to the right of this one.
• This Realm: This is it! The Villain is hiding right here!
• Not this Realm: The Villain is not hiding in this Realm.

Arriving at an Oracle

Oracles are the gateways of each Realm that know the will of the Water Witch - cosmic forces that can help the Heroes pinpoint the magic used to summon the Villain and Weapon.

Upon reaching an Oracle, stop your movement and occupy the space in the order in which your Hero arrived. For example, the Hero who arrived at the Oracle first will occupy space number 1. The Hero who arrived second will occupy space 2, and so on.

There are four phases that occur at each Oracle:

1. Arrival Rewards
2. Seeking the Villain's Hideout
3. Communing with the Oracle
4. The Journey Onward

Arrival Rewards

When you move onto the Oracle, you immediately do the following:

• If you were the first to enter, gain 1 Coin and 1 Mana.
• If you were neither first nor last to enter, gain 1 Coin or 1 Mana.
• If you were last to enter, you will be the first to act when seeking the Villain's hideout (see page 12).

Seeking the Villain's Hideout

1. The Hero who arrived last to the Oracle will draw a Clue tile from the pile, view it, and then place it in a Clue tile space on one of the five Realms that does not have a locked-in Clue tile on it. This does not cost them a Seeker Cube.

   A Realm can have multiple Clue tiles placed upon it, but only the topmost tile is active.

2. Next, starting with the player who arrived second-to-last at the Oracle and proceeding in reverse arrival order, Heroes take turns choosing one of the following actions, or passing, until all Heroes have passed. You must be able to pay the cost in Seeker cubes in order to take the action; if you cannot, or choose not to, you must pass.

   • Pay 1 Seeker cube. You may either:

     • Draw a Clue tile and play it onto any Realm space that does not have a locked-in Clue tile on it, or
     • Play a Clue tile from your hand onto any Realm space that does not have a locked-in Clue tile on it.

     TIP: Play your Clue tiles in such a way that they point to the Realm matching your Realm Hideout tile, or at least do not eliminate your Realm as the Hideout.

   • Pay 2 Seeker cubes. You may either:

     • Lock-in 1 Clue tile in its current position. Place the 2 Seeker cubes on the tile to show that it is locked-in. Locked-in Clue tiles cannot be moved.

       TIP: Locking-in a Clue tile prevents other Heroes from placing other Clue tiles over top of yours. This can help you keep the clues pointed at your Realm.

     • Move a Clue tile that is not locked-in to any other space that does not have a locked-in Clue tile on it.

       TIP: You can move a Clue tile and place it overtop of another Clue tile, as long as that second tile is not locked-in. By doing so, you can take away the advantage from your opponents, and give it to yourself!

Communing with the Oracle

After the Heroes have all passed, they commune with the Oracle by performing the following in order:

1. The Oracle Speaks. Reveal the Oracle card that was placed under the board during Setup. Heroes should note this information on their Oracle Deduction sheet.

   If the Excalibur card is revealed at the Oracle, the Water Witch's wrath descends upon all! Draw a Water Witch's Rage card.

   • If the Rage card has an instant effect, all Heroes perform the action immediately.
   • If the Rage card has a persistent effect, place it face-up on the Witch's Wrath space. It will remain in effect until the end of the game.

   After Excalibur is revealed at an Oracle, it is discarded from the game.

   If the Cloak of Invisibility is revealed at an Oracle, the first Hero to arrive at the Oracle takes this card into their hand.

   Remember: As they were not placed in the Water Witch Envelope, you cannot ask about Excalibur or the Cloak of Invisibility.

   Example: You could ask: "Is the Villain Medusa or Grendel?" or "Can the Villain be destroyed with the Axe or Flaming Arrows?" Or even, "Do you have the Flaming Arrows or Grendel?"

   TIP: Since you want to be the Hero to defeat Nimue, you can always ask about Villains and Weapons that are already crossed off your Oracle Deduction Sheet, or possibly an Oracle card in your hand, to throw off the other Heroes.

2. The Heroes Speak. Starting with the last Hero to arrive at the Oracle and proceeding in reverse arrival order, all Heroes have the opportunity to ask a question. Asking a question is optional. To ask a question, you must pay the cost indicated by the icon on the Oracle die.

   • 1 = 1 Coin
   • 2 = 1 Mana
   • 3 = 1 Coin and 1 Mana
   • 4 = 1 Seeker cube
   • 5 = 1 Scroll card
   • Blank = Free to ask a question (there is no cost)

The Journey Onward

Now that travel through a Realm has been completed, it is time to press on and continue in the quest to defeat the Water Witch. Perform the following steps in order to move on:

1. The last Hero to arrive discards the Water Witch's Rage card on the Witch's Rage space (if there is one) and increases the Water Witch's Rage tracker by one (see page 10, but do not increase the Rage tracker when leaving the 4th Oracle).
2. To prepare the next Oracle, the last Hero now rolls the Oracle die and places it on the next Oracle's die space. Do not perform this step when leaving the 4th Oracle.
3. Play continues forward into the next Realm. Heroes move into the next Realm in reverse arrival order.

The Excalibur Card

Special. After the Battle of Camlann, where King Arthur lost his life, the Water Witch took back the legendary Excalibur and cast it into the depths of her world. The enchantress becomes filled with her wicked wrath anytime a Hero uses its power or when it is found among 1 of the 4 Oracles.

Play at anytime to cancel any effect. Once played, remove Excalibur from the game. When played by a Hero or revealed at an Oracle, draw an additional Water Witch's Rage card, resolve it, and place on the Witch's Wrath space.

If you are dealt this card, keep it secret like any other Oracle card. You can play it at any time to cancel any effect except for a Hero's movement and the resolution of locations. Effects that Excalibur can cancel include but are not limited to:

• The effect of any card played during any turn, including a Witch's Rage effect (this stops the effect for all Heroes)
• Answering a question when the Heroes Speak (state "I have no answer.")
• Any die roll (that die is re-rolled)
• Any action taken to Seek the Villain's Hideout (If a Hero chooses to play a Clue tile, that tile is discarded instead)
• A single use of another Hero's ongoing or special ability
• An increase in the Rage Tracker, or the effect that comes from this increase

Any resources spent on any of these actions are not returned to the Hero who spent them.

After Excalibur cancels the chosen action, draw an additional Water Witch's Rage card and resolve it (see page 10). Place this Witch's Rage card on the Witch's Wrath space. Once Excalibur is played by a Hero or revealed at an Oracle, it is discarded from the game and cannot be used again.

The Cloak of Invisibility Card

Special. Worn by Athena during the great Trojan War, the Cloak of Invisibility enables the user to become invisible to other supernatural entities, functioning like the cloud of mist that gods surround themselves in to become undetectable. If you find it, wear it well, but once it has been used it will benefit your fellow players!

When questioned by a player, reveal this card instead of an Oracle card you have. Give this card to the player questioning you.

If you are dealt this card, keep it secret just like any other Oracle card. If you hold the Cloak of Invisibility card and one or more of the cards that are asked about when the Heroes Speak, you may instead reveal only the Cloak of Invisibility card. Then, give the Cloak of Invisibility to the Hero whose question triggered its use.

The Cloak of Invisibility may be used to negate answering a question from any source, including other cards. You MUST have at least one of the cards asked about in order to use the Cloak of Invisbility.

Example: Merlin has arrived at a Truthseeker location. He draws a Truthseeker card and it states, "Ask a question as if you were at an Oracle. No player has immunity from this question". Merlin asks Aladdin if the Villain is the Jabberwocky or the Troll. Aladdin has the Jabberwocky card and the Cloak of Invisibility. Aladdin chooses to reveal the Cloak, and gives it to Merlin instead of answering the question..

NOTE: The Cloak of Invisibility is not used in a two player game (see page 17).

Confrontation with the Water Witch

Locations in the Realm of the Witch's Palace

After resolving the 4th Oracle, or if the Water Witch's Rage Tracker reaches 10, you will arrive in the Realm of the Witch's Palace. Here is the final opportunity for you to gain resources before you arrive at the Gates to the Ice Palace.

One by one, each Hero moves onto one of the locations below the Witch's Gate and resolves that location.

• If you enter the Realm from the 4th Oracle, Heroes choose a location in reverse Oracle arrival order.
• If you enter the Realm due to the Water Witch's Rage Tracker reaching "10," whoever has the most items of the Claim Order Criteria (see page 7) goes first, followed by the player with the 2nd most, and so on.

When all Heroes have finished their actions at their chosen locations, it is time enter the Gates of the Ice Palace and make your claim!

The Gates to the Ice Palace

It is time to free Earth's fables by confronting the Water Witch's evil. Do the following in order:

1. Determine Claim Order. The Claim Order Criteria was established during Setup (see page 7) and is indicated by the marker on the Claim Order space at the Witch's Gate. First, check if the Villain's Hideout has been found (see page 12 for the advantages given to the Hero who successfully found the Villain's Hideout). Whichever Realm has the most arrows from Clue tiles pointing to it (including the "This Realm" tile) is the Villain's Hideout. A Realm with a red X on it (from a "Not this Realm" tile) counts as having one less arrow pointing to it. If two or more Realms have the same number of arrows pointing to them, then the Villain's Hideout is whichever Realm belongs to the Hero who has the most Seeker cubes. If two or more tied Heroes have the same amount of Seeker cubes, roll the Oracle die until one Hero rolls the highest number. That Hero's Realm is the Villain's Hideout.

   If you found the Villain's Hideout, you must now declare your advantage. If you decide to make the first Claim, or draw an unrevealed Oracle card, do so now. If you choose to ask a question, do so before making your claim.

2. Vanquish the Water Witch's Villain. Beginning with the first Hero in the Claim Order, Heroes will have a chance to declare which Villain the Water Witch has summoned and the Weapon required to vanquish said Villain.

   To make a Claim, declare: "To defeat the Water Witch and return to my fable, I destroy [Villain's name] with the [Weapon's name]."

   If you have all five Fire Scrolls, you may forgo identifying the Villain and instead declare: "To defeat the Water Witch and return to my fable, I channel Fire Magic and wield the [Weapon's name]."

   If you have all five Ice Scrolls, you may forgo identifying the Weapon and instead declare: "To defeat the Water Witch and return to my fable, I channel Ice Magic to defeat [Villain's name]."

   If you have all five parts of both the Fire and Ice Scrolls (a difficult feat), you need not make a Claim at all! Instead, you triumphantly declare: "By the power of this world's ancient magic, I hereby banish the Water Witch and free these Realms!"

   After making a claim, you must carefully peek inside the Water Witch envelope without revealing the Oracle cards to the other Heroes.

   If your Claim was correct, you reveal the cards and win the game! The game is over, and no other Heroes get a chance to make a Claim.

Game End

Whichever Hero made the first correct Claim defeats the Water Witch and wins the game!

If no Hero made a correct Claim, then the Water Witch seizes the souls of all the Heroes and seals their stories into her Dark Tome for all eternity. All Heroes lose and the Earth falls into darkness and despair.

Variations

If you wish for a more challenging game, you can integrate any or all of these changes:

• Start the Rage Tracker on the 3rd space.
• At Oracles, don't reveal the Oracle card until after all Heroes Speak.
• Raise the price to buy or sell Seeker cubes at the Marketplace to 4 Coins or 4 Mana.
• Remove the Realm tiles. Instead, have each Hero secretly write down their tile name at the start of the game. If multiple Heroes reconstruct the same Villain's Hideout, they each gain the advantage (see page 12). If more than one Hero chooses the same action (asking another question or revealing another Oracle card), they act in Claim Order but before making the claim.
• At Oracle spaces, instead of paying the resource to the Oracle to ask a question, pay it to the Hero that correctly answered your question. If paying a Scroll, return it to its appropriate pile and allow the Hero to take the lowest numbered Scroll of the same type that they do not currently possess. If no Scrolls are available, take none.

No Villain's Hideout Variant

If you prefer to play without the Villain's Hideout, remove all Hideout tiles (both the Realm and Clue tiles) from the game. Do not deal any of them out during setup. Whoever arrives last to an Oracle does nothing. Claim Order reverts to that shown by the Claim Order Marker. During the game, any card with a Villain Hideout effect is ignored and the Hero draws another card.

Two-Player Game

During setup, add a third Hero miniature at the starting location; it does not need a colored ring. This is a Non-Player Character (NPC) hero. Establish the player starting order as usual, but with the NPC Hero starting last.

The NPC exists solely to occupy location spaces as the game proceeds. It does not receive a Hero tile, Oracle cards, or Hideout tiles during Setup. It cannot resolve locations, gain or lose Mana, Coin, Seeker cubes, or draw Scrolls cards or any other cards. As with the Hero's miniatures, the NPC must move next when last on the Trail of Mystics. The Hero furthest along on the Trail moves the NPC forward to any location they choose, or the Oracle, when it is the NPC's turn to move.

If the NPC arrives last at the Oracle, the Hero controlling the NPC draws and places a Clue tile on the Realm. That Hero chooses where to place the tile.

TIP: If you control the NPC and its movement during play, you can greatly impact the outcome of the game by strategically blocking spaces you think the other Hero desires.

The rest of the game plays with the usual rules, with two exceptions:

• When all Heroes reach the Witch's Gate, remove the NPC from the game. It does not affect Claim Order and cannot make a Claim.
• Remove the Cloak of Invisibility Oracle card from the game.

Semi-Competitive Mode

When all Heroes arrive at the Gates to the Ice Palace, the journey is finished. Instead of looking in the Water Witch Envelope to check their Claims, all Heroes write down their Claims on their Oracle Deduction Sheet instead. They will reveal simultaneously, and more than one Hero can win.

Then, Heroes announce their Claim in Claim Order. The tension around the table will be palpable as the cards types are revealed! All Heroes who correctly identify the Villain and the Weapon are declared winners.

For the ultra-competitive types, if two or more Heroes are correct, defer to the Claim Order criteria to break the tie. If still tied, then both are declared co-winners. If you happen to have the Realm card that matches the Realm of the Villain's Hideout, you win instead of any other correct Heroes.

A Cast of Characters: The Heroes

Each Hero has a distinct personality and unique special powers, giving them an edge to defeat the Water Witch. Heroes have an ongoing power that is always in effect, as well as a special power that can be used once per game. Keep track of once per game abilities by turning the Hero tile sideways after use.

Alice. She is the only one who knows how to slay the Jabberwocky, having gathered the information from reading the poem in her mirror.

• Ongoing: Copy any location onto a Wildland location, including occupied ones.
• Special: Once per game, lock-in a Clue tile for free.

Aladdin. One of the most infamous stories of the Arabian Nights, his rags-to-riches fable in this version, sees him defeat an evil Warlock with not only his magic ring but the legendary armor Rostam gives him.

• Ongoing: Gain Mana for free at Shrine locations.
• Special: Once per game, gain 1 Scroll card for free.

Beowulf. Hero of the oldest surviving English epic, he vanquished the dreaded monster Grendel with a magic strength potion.

• Ongoing: Gain 1 extra Mana or Coin at Bard's Tale locations.
• Special: Once per game, draw 1 additional Truthseeker card at a Truthseeker location.

Billy Goat Gruff. A Norwegian fairy tale legend and the oldest of three male goats, he defeats the wicked Troll by using his horns to throw him from the bridge.

• Ongoing: Ignore Water Witch's Rage card effects (does not apply to Witch's Wrath).
• Special: Once per game, gain 1 Seeker cube for free.

Hercules. The son of Zeus and famous for his strength and adventures, he defeated the Lernaean Hydra, the nine-headed menace, by luring the coily creature from the safety of its den and shooting flaming arrows at it. Then, he cut off each of its heads and burned the stumps.

• Ongoing: Gain Coin for free at Arena locations.
• Special: Once per game, cancel a Black Swan card.

Merlin. A famous magic user in the Arthurian legend, he foresaw the destruction of Camelot by Sir Mordred. Mordred was a notorious druid traitor who fought King Arthur to mutual destruction.

• Ongoing: Gain Scroll cards at Mage Towers for free (pay if copying a Mage Tower onto a Wildland).
• Special: Once per game, ignore the Water Witch's Rage card effect (does not apply to the Water Witch's Wrath).

Perseus. Another son of Zeus, this slayer of monsters is often considered the greatest Greek hero. He beheaded the Gorgon, Medusa, by cleverly using his polished shield as a mirror.

• Ongoing: Anytime you show an Oracle card, gain either 1 Mana or 1 Coin from the supply.
• Special: Once per game, ask a question at an Oracle for free.

Red Riding Hood ("Red"). Lost to history, in this version of the European folktale, it was she who took the woodsman's axe — he was too afraid to confront the wolf — and destroyed the Big Bad Wolf.

• Ongoing: Gain 1 additional Coin or Mana at Oracles.
• Special: Once per game, view 1 Oracle card on the board or draw 1 Clue tile into your hand.

Prince Ivan (Collector's Edition). The main hero in Slavic folktales, Ivan uses the magical glowing feather from the mythical Firebird to defeat Koschei, the Immortal.

• Ongoing: Immune from negative effects from Black Swan cards.
• Special: Once per game in the Heroes Speak phase, if the Oracle die face does not show a 5, players who pay to ask a question pay the cost to you instead.

Additional Heroes, Villains, and Weapons

NOTE: There are many more fabled Heroes, Villains and Weapons in the world of Paradise Lost, including:

• Prince Ivan and Koschei the Immortal,
• Van Helsing and Dracula,
• Jack and the Beanstalk and The Giant.

These Heroes, Villains, and Weapons can be included in the game in two different ways:

• Select one additional Hero, Villain, and Weapon. Include both the Villain and the Weapon in the Oracle cards during setup, and place one additional Oracle card at the second and third Oracle spaces.
• OR: Replace any Villain and Weapon cards with the same number of other Villain and Weapon cards of your choice. You'll need to cross out the removed cards on your Oracle Deduction Sheet, and write in the names of the replacement cards.