Runebound: The Seven Scions Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
• Gameplay
• Scions
• Storm Step
• Endgame
• Cooperative Version

Setup

Setup begins as normal, with the following exceptions:

1. The six Scion cards are placed, text-side up, on the undefeated adventure spaces. The number beneath the card header denotes which undefeated adventure space it should be placed on (so the Archer is placed on space 1, the Trickster on space 2, and so on). The undefeated adventure markers are then placed on the cards. These will be henceforth referred to as the scion counters.
2. The Storm cards are separated into their respective decks (green, yellow, blue, and the silver Stormlords) and shuffled. A number of each, equal to the number of players, are randomly chosen, then placed to the left of the base adventure decks of the appropriate color. So for instance, if there were two players, then two Storm cards of each color would be randomly selected; if there were three players, then three Storms cards of each color would be randomly selected; and so on. The Stormlord cards may be looked at by the players at any time.
3. A doom counter is placed below the lowest town icon next to the market stacks. This will be henceforth referred to as the storm counter.
4. The red adventure cards are returned to the box.

Gameplay

Gameplay proceeds as normal, with the following changes:

1. Encounter Cards: Encounter cards are discarded without effect, and a new adventure card is drawn.
2. Event Cards: Event cards cause the adventure jewels to be refreshed, as normal, and also allow players to choose a scion counter (see Scions, below). All players must return their scion counters to the appropriate scion. Then, starting with the player who drew the Event card and proceeding clockwise, each player may choose one scion counter from among those available. Once all of the players have taken a scion counter, the Event card is discarded, and the active player draws a new adventure card.
3. Storm Step: A new step is added directly after the Adventure step and before the Market or Experience steps, called the Storm step (see Storm step, below). Each Storm step brings the game closer to the Endgame.

Scions

Scion cards have two states: slumbering (represented by the text side of the card) and awakened (represented by the side of the card with character art). Slumbering Scions may provide a benefit to any Hero, while awakened Scions become special Allies.

If a player has the Scion counter of a slumbering Scion, he may discard that counter at any point during a Storm step to receive the benefit listed on the Scion's card.

Alternatively, if a Hero ends his movement on a red adventure jewel with a red adventure counter on it, he may attempt to awaken a Scion of his choice during his Adventure step. The requirements for awakening each Scion vary; some may be automatically awakened if a Hero meets certain requirements, while others may require tests or even combat.

Once a Scion is awakened, the red adventure jewel is discarded and the Scion card is removed from its undefeated adventure space and placed, character-art-side up, in front of the player. A Scion functions just like an Ally, with the following exceptions: It does not count against your normal Ally limit, and it can only be used during Storm steps and in the Endgame, against the Stormlords. A Scion might need to be discarded if a Hero is knocked out, though their costs are zero, so this would only happen if the Scion is the Hero's only Ally or Item.

Awakened Scions have no Scion counters, and thus their slumbering abilities cannot be used. Each Hero may only have one awakened Scion; if a Hero awakens a second Scion, he must discard his previous Scion. If a Scion is killed, it returns to its slumbering state, and is placed in the appropriate undefeated adventure space. Note, however, that if enough Scions have been awakened and then killed, it may be impossible to awaken more until the adventure jewels are replenished, as only a red adventure jewel with a red adventure counter on it may be used to awaken a Scion.

Storm Step

This is a new step, which resolves as described below. First, the storm counter advances a number of spaces up the market stacks. The number it advances depends on what color Challenge was defeated this turn. Even if no Challenge was defeated this turn, the storm counter always moves at least one space.

• No Challenge defeated: 1 space
• Green Challenge defeated: 1 space
• Yellow Challenge defeated: 2 spaces
• Blue Challenge defeated: 3 spaces

Diagram caption: In this diagram, the storm counter had recently reset to its starting position at the bottom of the board. Then, a player defeated a blue Challenge, so the storm counter traveled three spaces up its track.

Each time the storm counter travels off the top of the market stack, the following occurs:

1. The storm counter resets, and is placed just beneath the bottom-most town icon of the market stacks. Note: The storm counter does not "remember" its number of spaces traveled once it falls off the top of the market stacks. It always begins below the bottom market stack, even if it has spaces left over that it has not yet moved.
2. A random Storm card of the lowest available color is drawn and resolved. Each Hero must resolve Storm Events, starting with the Hero who triggered the storm card and proceeding clockwise. Each Hero must also resolve Storm Challenges, but they do so together. First the Hero who triggered the storm card enters and resolves the "Before Combat" step; then each other Hero enters and resolves the "Before Combat" step, proceeding clockwise. Once all Heroes have resolved the "Before Combat" step, they each then attack (or decide that their Allies attack) during the ranged step, then the melee step, and so on. Heroes may attack during as many phases as they like, though Allies may still only attack during one phase. Wounds and other effects inflicted on the Challenge by the characters remain from one step and one Hero to another.
3. Heroes may attempt to escape from storm Challenges. However, the minions of the storm are endless, and if you sneak away from one, another is soon enough staring you in the face. At the beginning of each combat round, Heroes who escaped during previous rounds must either join in the battle or attempt to escape again. Only Heroes who have made an attack roll or inflicted damage in the round of combat during which the Storm Challenge is defeated may claim the reward. For these purposes, "Before Combat" is considered to be in the first round of combat.
4. Once all Heroes have resolved a Storm Event, or a Storm Challenge is defeated, or all Heroes have been knocked out, the turn of the player who triggered the Storm card proceeds as normal.

Endgame

The endgame begins when a Storm card would be triggered, but only Stormlords remain. The Heroes learn the hidden truth of the Scions, of which only six have been revealed thus far. That truth is that one of them, whoever defeats the Stormlords, is the legendary Seventh Scion! First, the residents of the free towns do what they can to aid the Heroes, nursing their wounds and preparing their armor and weapons for battle. Each player may discard X wound counters from among his Heroes and Allies, X exhaustion counters from among his Heroes and Allies, and may activate X Items, where X is the number of Stormlords that must be faced.

Then the highest-level Hero faces this game's Stormlords in a random order. Next, in order from the next-highest-level Hero proceeding to the lowest-level Hero, each Hero faces this game's stormlords in a random order. The Hero who defeats the most Stormlords wins; in the case of a tie, the winner between the two is the Hero whose last Stormlord had the most wounds when the Hero was knocked out.

This endgame otherwise works just like the optional endgame rule in Runebound Second Edition, including no refresh steps between Challenges.

Cooperative Version

In the cooperative version of this variant, there is no Hero vs. Hero combat; players may discuss which slumbering Scions they should claim, and who should awaken which Scions; and finally, the endgame is quite different.

In the cooperative version, the Heroes combine forces against the Stormlords. For each combat phase, the Heroes as a group make a single attack roll. They compare all of their combat scores and combat damage, and they must use the lowest values from among all the Heroes. During the ranged phase, for instance, the bonus to the roll is that of the character with the lowest mind score, and the damage on a successful attack is that of the character with the lowest mind damage.

However, the Heroes have two advantages, despite this drawback: First, they may combine their magic items and special abilities. Second, after the lowest scores are determined but before the dice are rolled, any Hero may replace his ability score or his combat damage with that of his awakened Scion, if he has one.