The Cloud Dungeon
The Cloud Dungeon Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Supplies Needed
(The supplies illustration on this page is not text. The page says: "HALT! Don't turn the page until you're ready to play!")
A few things to remember when playing
- Feel free to bend the rules. Don't worry about getting everything exactly right. Just have fun.
- Don't save any unpurchased items. Only save gold.
- If you need to take a break from the game, place everyone's characters and items in separate envelopes. Save the gold and your decision card, and pack everything else up in the book. Discard any loose pieces.
- With a team decision, if you can't agree, assign a number to each choice and roll a die to determine the course of action. Or just compromise.
Choosing Characters
Lay out all character pages, everyone may choose one character. You may reduce your health by 2 to pick a pet! The pet may take damage for you, and is mostly for fun.
Character Creation: Cut that out!
Cut out your character card and the matching standee from the back cover. Cut your standees out at the dotted lines, and fold at the solid lines.
Name names
Be sure to add a name. If you can't think of anything, simply take the first syllable of your favorite food, and add it to the last syllable of your hometown's name.
Abilities
You have starting numbers for your abilities. Roll a die for each ability, and add that number to the starting number. Write the new number in the next empty box.
Example:
- Smarts: 1 + 5 = 6
- Strength: 3 + 3 = 6
- Sanity: 3 + 4 = 7
Health Tabs
See those dotted lines on the side of your card? Cut each line to create tabs. These are your health tabs. Each time you lose any health, tear that many tabs off of your card.
Weapons and armor
When you get weapons and armor, cut out weapons and armor and glue/tape them to your character.
Who are you? (Quirks)
Roll dice to determine your quirks. One quirk from each table. If you have two different numbers, you can pick which number is the column, and which is the row.
Example: If you roll a 1 and a 5 for the first table, you may select either "Father was a shape shifter" or "Has an extra nose."
You can draw your quirks on the card and standee! You can write them on your card, but you don't have to. Quirks are for creating your unique character: they have no affect on game play. Probably.
(The book prints two 6x6 quirk tables, "Pick one from here" and "...and here"; their entries are flavour only and are not reproduced.)
Decision Cards
Cut out one decision card for the whole table. Simply circle the letter/number pairs when indicated by the story. When the game calls for a smarts/strength/sanity roll, refer to the instructions on your decision card.
Pick a starting item
- Live chicken
- Rusty nail
- Action figure
Cut your starting item out, and place it next to your character card, or attach to character.
Gold
Each player should add up their three stats, and compare the number to the chart, collecting the amount of gold indicated.
| Total of all stats | Starting gold |
|---|---|
| 0-14 | 7 |
| 15-19 | 5 |
| 20+ | 3 |
How to make a Strength/Smarts/Sanity roll
Roll two dice and compare the number to whatever stat you're rolling for. If the rolled number is equal or lower, the roll is a success. If the rolled number is higher, the roll is a failure.
Adventure Encounters and Battle Rules
The book is played in order, with each page's decisions and rolls resolved before turning the page. Narrative passages are omitted below; each encounter's rules and results are transcribed as printed. "TEAM DECISION" = the whole party decides together (make the decision before turning the page). "SOLO DECISION" = each player decides separately. The page that follows a decision gives "Results".
Chapter 1: Into the clouds
TEAM DECISION (cloud boots from a vendor):
- Option 1. Pay up! Pay two gold each to get your cloud boots. Seems pricey, but it may be worth it.
- Option 2. Haggle. It'll take time, though. You might sink more.
- Option 3. Ask if he has cheaper cloud boots available.
Results:
- IF YOU PAID UP (option 1): Each pay two gold into the pot, and cut out some cloud boots!
- IF YOU HAGGLED (option 2): Each make a smarts roll (refer to HOW TO MAKE A ROLL on your decision card), to determine how well you haggle. No failed rolls (for the entire party): He gives you the boots for free. 1 + failed rolls: pay one gold each, per failed roll, maximum four gold. You each must cut out a pair of cloud boots! Example: if three of you failed your rolls, you each pay three gold.
- IF YOU ASKED FOR CHEAPER BOOTS (option 3): Cut out some leg casts, and place them on your character. Reduce your sanity by 1, and your health by 1. Perk: leg casts are fair replacements for cloud boots.
Cloud Nine: the hobo
TEAM DECISION: Should we help the man out and give him some cash?
- Option 1: Each give him cash.
- Option 2: Don't give him cash.
- Option 3: Buy him food. He might be hungry.
Results:
- IF YOU GAVE HIM CASH (option 1): Each player with gold chips in one coin. Circle A1 on your decision card.
- IF YOU DIDN'T GIVE HIM CASH (option 2): Circle A2 on your decision card.
- IF YOU BOUGHT HIM FOOD (option 3): Pay one coin (everyone roll one die, lowest number has to pay). Circle A3 on your decision card.
The Dungeon: Work (slime rat game)
There are a few odd jobs to be had, pretty much they all amount to killing slime rats. You get paid by the pound!
- The person with the highest sanity goes first. Play proceeds clockwise.
- Cut out a number of rats 2 times the number of players, and place them face-down on the table, within reach of all players. (Select whichever rats you want.)
On your turn: Flip one rat face-up, if any are still face-down. IF NONE ARE FACE-DOWN, THE GAME ENDS.
Then pick ONE of the following:
- Flip a second rat face-up, if any are still face-down. You MUST fight only this rat.
- OR select any face-up rat to fight.
Do a roll according to the rat you're fighting (strength or smarts, as listed on the rat's card).
- Success: You killed the rat! Tear up the card and collect the bounty!
- Failure: The rat's slightly smarter or stronger than you. Leave the rat face-up on the table.
JUST FOR FUN: you may pay one gold to save a rat you've defeated from death, and he will become your devoted pet!
The Market (armor)
Select and pay for what you want. Each piece of armor provides 1 or 2 points of protection. Fill in the matching number of armor tabs on your character card, and cut the dotted lines on the tabs. They count as 1 extra health each.
- Helmets: 2 gold. +1 armor tab, +1 stat of choice.
- Chest plates: 2 gold. +2 armor tabs.
- Leggings: 2 gold. +2 armor tabs.
- Giant hamster ball: 1 gold. -2 sanity, +3 armor tabs.
End of chapter 1: If you wish, place everyone's characters and items in separate envelopes. Save the gold and your decision card, and pack everything else up in the book. Discard any loose pieces. Otherwise, continue!
Chapter 2: Clown Weapons
When you select and pay for a weapon, add to your stats, writing the new total in the next open box. You may carry as many weapons as you want, but you must find a way to glue/tape them to your card.
| Weapon | Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Boxing glove | 1 gold | +3 strength, -2 health |
| Poison spitting flower | 1 gold | +1 sanity |
| Squid | 2 gold | +2 sanity |
| Candy apple mace | 2 gold | +2 strength |
| Trumpet | 1 gold | +1 strength |
| Juggling pins | 1 gold | +1 strength, +1 sanity, -1 health |
| Rabid balloon animal | 1 gold | Each enemy you fight is damaged 2 at the beginning of your battle. |
(Each weapon is printed twice on the page; the book does not state quantities beyond the printed copies.)
Into the clouds: the sign
SOLO DECISION: If you would like a mustache or unibrow, you may choose to draw one on your character now, using magic. IF you all have mustaches or unibrows, circle A4 on your decision card. IF one or more of you chose to not obey the sign, circle A5 on your decision card.
Entering the entrance
- A1 only: TEAM DECISION: Do you want to check his pockets for gold? YES: You got five gold to spend among you. NO: (no effect).
- A2 or A3: (no effect printed).
Boarded-off door, SOLO DECISION: Each make a strength roll to pry boards away. The boards can be used as weapons.
- SUCCESS: You get a board.
- FAILURE: No board for you.
- If you have a nail, you may add +1 strength to your character, and draw a nail through the board.
- If you have a chicken, you may reduce your sanity by 1 to add +2 strength to your character, and attach your (now dead) chicken on the end of your board.
Peaceful feeling: Bunny Attack
- A4 only: During the next bunny attack, all adventurers are strength +2. The bunnies attack!
- A5 only: The bunnies attack!
BUNNY ATTACK: Deal one bunny card to each adventurer. Each adventurer must attempt to attack the bunny they are facing three times, and only three times. Everyone plays at once. Play is finished when everyone has attempted 3 attacks.
When you attack, do a strength roll or a smarts roll:
- Success: Do one damage to the bunny for each point below your strength (or smarts) you rolled.
- Failure: Lose 1 health.
Battle Results:
- IF YOU KILLED YOUR BUNNY: Increase your sanity 2, and attach a rabbit's foot tied to your belt, rabbit ears on your head, or some other piece of the rabbit. Cut up the big picture of the rabbit for these pieces.
- IF YOU DIDN'T KILL YOUR BUNNY: The person to your left loses 1 health. Lose 1 health. Draw bunny attack scars on your face.
You shall not pass: Wall Contest
First person to the top of the wall gets 4 gold. Remember which person goes first. If multiple players reach the top on the same turn, split the gold evenly.
Setup:
- Cut out and fold the spider standees from the back cover. Place the spider standees on the spaces with web icon.
- Each player places their standee on any of the spaces on the bottom row of the wall.
- The person with the lowest sanity goes first. Play proceeds clockwise.
- Select this board, or the alternate board on the back of the page.
On your turn, you may:
- Move into an adjacent space OF YOUR CHOICE. You MAY NOT move into the same space as a spider or another player.
- Attack an adjacent spider: do a sanity roll. Success: remove the spider from the board. Failure: You are knocked back. Move twice according to the spider move rules.
Spider movement:
- Spiders may ONLY move on grey spaces. Spiders may not land on the same space.
- After everyone has taken a turn, once per round, the spiders move! Roll one die per round for spider movement, and move all of the spiders according to the spider movement chart on the page (a diagram of six directions, numbered 1-6; the die roll gives the direction).
- If a spider lands on the same space as you, roll a die and move your standee one space according to the spider movement.
Solo Battle, the spiders attack the losers: Each player follow the instructions separately. If you didn't make it to the top, the spiders attack you. Skip if everyone made it to the top on the same turn. Make a sanity roll to climb to the top.
- IF YOU FAIL: -2 health. Draw pieces of rock that got stuck in your head. Painfully, you crawl your way back to the top of the wall.
- IF YOU SUCCEED: You keep climbing. Draw spider legs sticking out of your mouth. You're at the top!
Top of the Wall
SOLO DECISION: Each make a smarts roll.
- IF YOU FAIL: Take a piece of clear tape and attach the end to your character's face, then rip it off to show how the stone affected your face.
- IF YOU SUCCEED: You get a third eye somewhere on your body. Draw the eye on your character.
Trapped
TEAM DECISION: PANIC or DON'T PANIC.
- IF YOU PANIC: Lower everyone's sanity 1 and circle B1 on your decision card.
- YOU DON'T PANIC: Circle B3 on your decision card.
End of chapter 2: If you wish, place everyone's characters and items in separate envelopes. Save the gold and your decision card, and pack everything else up in the book. Discard any loose pieces. Otherwise, continue!
Hardened Criminal
TEAM DECISION:
- BRIBE: Give him an action figure and 3 gold to make him go away. You may only do this if one of you has an action figure.
- FIGHT: Choose your best fighter and attack!
- REASON WITH HIM.
Results:
- IF YOU BRIBED HIM: The owner of the action figure must attach it to their head in some way. He takes the gold.
- IF YOU FOUGHT HIM: Choose one person to be a fighter. They make a strength roll. IF YOU FAIL: Fighter loses three health, everyone else loses one. IF YOU SUCCEED: The fighter gets three gold, and everyone else gets one.
- IF YOU TRIED REASON:
- A5, no A3: He fines you one gold each, but lets you pass. Circle B2 on your decision card.
- A4, no A3: Choose one player to make a smarts roll. Success: You all may pass. Failure: Everyone loses 2 health, 1 gold.
- IF YOU HAVE A3: You just mosey on by.
Moatly harmless
SOLO DECISION: HOP, SKIP, and JUMP; BOARD WITH THIS RIVER (if you have a board, you may use it as a makeshift bridge); or WADE.
- IF YOU HOPPED, SKIPPED, and JUMPED: Make a smarts roll. FAILURE: Blacken + char your character from the waist down. Lose 2 health. SUCCESS: +1 sanity.
- IF YOU BOARDED THE RIVER on a board with no nail: Dunk your board in water and throw it away.
- IF YOU BOARDED THE RIVER on a board with a nail: -1 health. Draw your new, unique injury on your character's shoulder.
- IF YOU WADED: Reduce sanity by 1. Draw on your character card to reflect the changes (scary eyes, crackling electricity in your ears, nervous twitch).
Beasties
The doors are magical doors: only one person may enter each per day.
SOLO DECISION: CHOOSE YOUR BEAST (one per person. If more than 5 players: two of you can squeeze through each door): the old one; the hungry one; the one with good ears; the inflatable one; the sneaky one. Everyone must make a decision before turning the page. The person with the lowest smarts makes the first choice, continue around the table clockwise.
- The Old One: Make a sanity roll. Success: Draw a crocodile tail on your character. Failure: You grow a pair of horns. Draw this on your character.
- The Hungry One: IF YOU HAVE a chicken, or a chicken on a board, you may sacrifice that item, and he'll leave you alone. IF YOU DON'T HAVE one, make a Strength roll. Success: you pass. Failure: Tape scraps of paper over your ears, either on your character card, or on your actual ears (or both). -1 health.
- The Inflatable One: IF YOU HAVE a nail, or a nail in a board: Pop him! You proceed. You may NOT do this if the nail is in your shoulder. IF YOU DON'T HAVE a nail or a nail in a board: Make a sanity roll, and a smarts roll. IF YOU SUCCEED AT BOTH: you run out the door. IF YOU FAIL ONLY the smarts roll: -1 health before you escape. IF YOU FAIL ONLY the sanity roll: -1 health, -1 sanity. IF YOU FAIL BOTH: -2 health, and draw curlicues around your head.
- The Sneaky One: "2 gold to pass through." IF YOU PAY UP: Place two gold in the pot. Proceed. HECK NO: Make a Strength roll. Success: you get FIVE GOLD. Failure: Lose all of your gold.
- The One with Good Ears: B1 only: no effect. B3 only: Make a sanity roll. Success: -1 health and remove a chunk of leg. Failure: you only break your nose on the way through (draw it).
This is the pits
- A1 only: no effect.
- A2 only: no effect.
- A3 only: Everyone loses 1 health. TEAM DECISION: Do you apologize for the terrible mistake you made? Yes: Circle B4 on your decision chart. No: Circle B5 on your decision chart.
To Market
(A market page offering a free "Nacho Hat": wear nachos on your head.)
- B2 only: You may take a shortcut, to skip to The Block of Bones. (Page 80). If you want to. If you don't, proceed!
- No B2: Turn the page.
Pit Revisit
- IF YOU HAVE ROPES: Anyone with Strength 7 and above is strong enough to climb out, using the ropes to help. You then help your teammates out.
- IF YOU DON'T HAVE ROPES: Everyone makes a sanity roll. IF YOU FAIL: lose 1 sanity. The person to your left is damaged 1. IF YOU SUCCEED: You climb out.
- Continue making sanity rolls until everyone has succeeded, or is dead.
The Block of Bones: Skull Game
The player with the lowest smarts bumps into one of the skeletons, knocking the skull off.
- Cut out the skull (crumple up the bottom third of the page; this is the skull which you will throw from person to person), and give it to the adventurer with the lowest smarts.
- IF A PLAYER DROPS THE SKULL their character is damaged one point. The longer the throws, the greater the glory.
- Once the time meter cannot advance any more, you've successfully escaped the block of bones.
When you have the skull: Do a smarts, strength, or sanity roll (any roll).
- Success: Pass the skull to a player of your choice. Advance the time meter (cross off the left-most empty box).
- Failure: Raise the skeleton meter 1 (cross off the left-most empty box) and roll a single die. If that number is higher than the skeleton meter, take one damage.
The Throne Room: choosing a weapon
At the base of the steps there is an amazing weapon. You may choose either the Lightning Sword or the Cloud Club (on the other side of the page): cut the entire page out of the book, roll it up, and tape it to make a sword (or club). You'll need it.
Dragon it out
- B4 only: The sapphire dragon is weaker; remove 4 health from the dragon.
- No B4: The ruby dragon is at full health.
- Five and six player games: add the extra health strip (five hearts) to the dragon health.
- Tear/cut the dragon page out of the book, fold at the dotted line, and tape the edges of the page together. Stand the dragon up on the table.
Dragon Battle
The person with the highest strength goes first. Play proceeds clockwise.
On your turn, you may Attack, Assist, or Distract:
- Attack: Do a strength roll. Success: Damage dragon 1 for each point under your strength you roll. Minimum: 1. Failure: Damage yourself 1.
- Assist: Do a smarts roll. Success: You may add 1 to any player's strength, if their strength is 9 or below. Failure: Reduce your sanity by 1.
- Distract: Do a sanity roll. Success: The Dragon's next attack roll is -1. Failure: The Dragon ignores you, which is kind of a relief.
Dragon Attack: After everyone has taken a turn, once per round, the Dragon attacks! Roll one die. Determine the attack according to the die roll:
- 1, 2 or 3: Wound one non-ghost player of your choice twice.
- 4 or 5: Everyone rolls one die. Anyone who rolls 3 or lower receives one wound.
- 6: Everyone must lose three health, or reduce strength by 2, permanently.
Endings
- If all died: You are all ghosts and torment the dragon who killed you.
- If one or more lived: The person who struck the killing blow (or the youngest player) may take up the lightning sword, and HIT THE DRAGON AS HARD AS THEY CAN! The dragon is SLAIN! You are left with all of the treasure. YOU'VE DEFEATED THE CLOUD DUNGEON! Now spend some time rolling around in all of your gold.
Extras
Extra weapon sets
A weapon set page replaces page 43 (or any weapon shop). Items on it:
| Weapon | Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Glitter bomb | 1 gold | Each enemy you fight is damaged 2 at the beginning of your battle. |
| Piranha on a stick | 1 gold | +3 strength, +2 sanity, -3 health |
| Rain bow | 2 gold | +2 sanity |
| Spork | 2 gold | +2 strength |
| Floppy disc shuriken | 1 gold | +1 strength |
Extra character notes
"Throwback" characters from the first playable version of the game have no stats. You get to choose their stats - their combined smarts, strength, sanity, and starting armor should total 7.
Prologue: Mediocre Magic
A prologue you can play before a round of The Cloud Dungeon. Basically you can horribly mutate everyone before the adventure begins! Other people get to add things to your character, so only do this with your nice friends.
Before you proceed, each player selects a character from The Cloud Dungeon and follows the instructions on page 19 of The Cloud Dungeon, naming their character, determining traits, etc. BEFORE proceeding on to quirk selection on page 20-21, return to this prologue and play it through. Once the prologue is done, continue character creation on page 20-21 of The Cloud Dungeon.
Round 1: magical energy creature summoning
Each roll a die, the person who rolls the highest number selects first, then continue around the table clockwise. On your turn, select any unclaimed creature. Once every person has a creature in front of them, continue on to round 2.
Round 2: magic practice
Each roll two dice (re-roll any doubles), and select two traits to illustrate on the magical energy creature in front of you. When done, place all of the creatures back in the middle, and proceed to round 3.
| Roll | Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | Add stripes or polka dots to the creature. |
| 2 | Add spikes. Lots of them. |
| 3 | The creature is covered with magical fire, or ants. |
| 4 | Add plaid, or squiggles to the creature's hide. |
| 5 or 6 | Add anything you want to the creature. |
Round 3: Oooops
The wand sputters, and unexpectedly spews sparks, enveloping you and your new pets. Bad things are happening.
Everyone passes their character to the player on the left. Each person rolls dice for the character in front of them, and adds body parts from a magical creature to the character in front of them, then passes the character to the left again. Repeat until everyone has their character back in front of them.
You may select the body parts from any creature in the middle of the table.
Two player: do this twice for your friend's character, then pass their character back to them.
After this round is over, proceed with character creation on pages 20-21 in The Cloud Dungeon!
| Roll | Body part |
|---|---|
| 1 | Add a leg or legs to the character |
| 2 | Add an eye or set of eyes to the character |
| 3 | Add an arm or a tail to the character |
| 4 | Add a nose, snout, or beak to the character |
| 5 or 6 | Add any piece you want to the character. |
The prologue also provides an alternative quirk table ("Quirky! Replace any quirk table with this one!"), which is flavour only and not reproduced.