Thunderstone Quest: Nature's Wrath Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Unpacking the Box
• Prestige Class Boards
• Heroes
• Guardians
  • Kar'nomal
• New Guardian Keys
  • Guardian Keys in Barricades Mode
• Found vs. Revealed
• Lexicon
• FAQ
• Questbook
  • Quest Card List
  • Quest 12A: Leaves Fall
  • Quest 12B: Reclamation
  • Quest 12C: Seasons Change
• Iconography

Introduction

Nature's Wrath is an expansion product for Thunderstone Quest. Rules for new components start on page 4. Those who are familiar with these components can skip directly to the Questbook on page 11.

Unpacking the Box

This box should include the following components. If it does not, please visit our website at https://alderac.com/customer-service for assistance. Please note that this is an expansion to Thunderstone Quest and is not a stand-alone game.

• 1 Quest 12 Nature's Wrath; the full contents are featured in the Questbook (see pages 12-13).
• 1 copy of each Monster, Hero, Ally, Item, Spell, and Weapon from Nature's Wrath, to be used in Epic Mode.
• 1 Nature's Wrath Rulebook/Questbook.

Prestige Class Boards

Prestige Class boards are dual-sided: one side for use in Barricades Mode (cooperative play) and one side which may be used (optionally) in competitive games. Rules for Barricades Mode are covered in the Barricades Mode expansion's Rulebook. When playing competitive games, a new 11b setup step for the Thunderstone Quest Rulebook is added to the end of step 11. Starting with the first Champion and proceeding in turn order, each Champion may choose 1 Prestige Class with which to play. Then Champions select their Side Quests and/or Guild Sponsorships as normal.

Prestige Classes are a new board that allows you to train in a specialized class, gaining new powers as you gain Ranks. The training section (top) of each Prestige Class board explains how to gain 1 Rank (single Rank icon) in your Prestige Class or potentially 2 Ranks (double Rank icon) at once. The Rank numbers are to the right of the gem cost. These Ranks cost gems to gain, as listed on the left-hand side of the board within the Rank to which you are going. You must pay the gem cost of each Rank you gain. If the listed gem cost cannot be paid that turn for the 1 or 2 Ranks you earned, the new Rank(s) are not gained. You do not start with any Ranks in your Prestige Class, and Ranks must be gained in order; they cannot be skipped. When a Rank is gained, it will unlock new powers for your benefit. Sometimes, this may give you a new ability ready to use that turn. Some abilities start with an italicized descriptive word, such as Summon. This descriptive word will be referenced at other Ranks, increasing its power.

The Beastmaster board as printed:

• Training (top of board): "Defeat 1 [Monster icon]+ Monster with a Hero and an Ally" (gain 1 Rank, with 1 Rank icon); "Defeat 1 [Monster icon]+ Monster with a Hero and an Ally" (gain 1 or 2 Ranks, with 1 or 2 Rank icons). Once per turn, after you complete 1 of the above, pay the gem cost listed below for each of the 1 or 2 new Ranks, or nothing is gained.

  Transcription gap: at the scan resolution the Monster-icon threshold on each training line (the shield with its Roman numeral and "+") cannot be read reliably. Those icon values are not transcribed here; confirm them against the physical board or a higher-resolution scan before release.

  Transcription gap: the gem cost printed on each Rank hex on the board (the numbers 0 to 9 beside the rank outlines) is not legible at this resolution, so no per-Rank gem costs are given.

• Rank 1 (Summon): Discard 2 cards from the top of your deck. Draw any Allies discarded in this way.

• Rank 2: When you gain this Rank, gain any 1 Beast Ally from the Box and add it to your hand.

• Rank 3: This Prestige Class is worth 6 gems (when the game ends).

• Rank 4: Allies cost -1 for you.

• Rank 5: When you gain this Rank, gain any 2 Beast Allies from the Box and add them to your hand.

• Rank 6: Allies cost -1 for you.

• This Prestige Class is instead worth 3 gems per Rank you have.

Heroes

Heroes are an optional addition for Thunderstone Quest, giving you the opportunity to train your Heroes even further, making them even more powerful than ever before.

Even though Heroes are Legendary cards, they function in exactly the same way as other experienced Heroes. When you choose the cards you are going to play with during setup, place the Legendary Heroes at the bottom of their respective Hero stacks, below the 2 Heroes. Only play with 1 copy of each Hero. While not in use, store the Legendary Heroes in the box with their respective level 1-3 Heroes.

You can level your Legendary Heroes into the higher-level Legendary Heroes in exactly the same way as you level other Heroes. This will usually cost 5 XP (the current Hero's printed level +2).

Transcription note: the Legendary Heroes are marked with a shield icon in the printed text, and the level-up sentence uses two different shield icons; the icons are rendered here as the words "Legendary Heroes" and "higher-level Legendary Heroes".

Guardians

The Barricades Mode expansion introduced Guardians, giving the Champions a cooperative challenge to overcome in order to save the Village and claim victory. The Guardian for the Nature's Wrath Quest is included for use when playing the Barricades Mode expansion.

Kar'nomal

The shaman Kar'nomal has become fed up with the impact of civilization upon the realm of nature. He and his followers seek to control the elemental forces of the world in an effort to let the wilderness in all its forms reclaim the entire world and all life in it. He will seek to strike at the Village, punishing all except those in step with the elements.

Difficulty: 2 (two Difficulty icons).

The Kar'nomal Guardian card, as printed on page 5, lists four ability names: Nature's Wrath, Market Disruption, Tribal Unity, and Toxic Retribution.

Transcription gap: the effect text under each of the four ability names, and the card's Threat Level and value numbers, are too small to read reliably at the scan resolution. They are not transcribed here and must not be filled from memory. Confirm the full Kar'nomal card text against the physical card or a higher-resolution scan before release.

New Guardian Keys

Nature's Wrath brings a new alternate set of Guardian Keys for use in normal competitive play. The anatomy of the new Guardian Keys is:

1. Champion Textbox. Contains the card's title (1a), keywords (formatted in Small Caps) (1b), and game text (1c). Once a Guardian Key has been found by the Champions, its game text becomes a new universal trait or ability available to all Champions.
2. Guardian Textbox. Contains the game text that applies if the Guardian Key is found by the Guardian instead of the Champions.
3. Key Icon. Acts like a keyword and is referenced on other cards that may be triggered by the presence of the Guardian Key in some way.

Just like in the base game, Champions are looking for these Guardian Keys in the Dungeon in order to challenge the Guardian and end the game. During setup, choose which set of Guardian Keys to play with, shuffle them into the Monster decks as stated in the Rulebook, and play as usual. Once the fourth Guardian Key has been found, the final stage of the game begins. If playing with the new Guardian Keys, perform the following steps in order:

1. Flip the Monster in the Wilderness over to reveal the Guardian.
2. All Champions now draw 6 cards and then discard 4 to form hands for the final turn.
3. Search the Monster decks for the 2 remaining Guardian Keys that the Champions didn't find. While the Champions have been searching, the Guardian has been anything but idle, and those remaining Keys are found by the Guardian instead. Turn them upside down so that the Guardian ability text is right side up and place them near the Wilderness. The Keys may have an ability that triggers once, immediately upon being found by the Guardian, or they may have a new bonus or ability that applies to all Monsters in the Dungeon, including the Guardian, for the rest of the game.
4. Each Champion will now have 1 more turn, including the Champion who found the last Guardian Key. During this turn, the Champions may battle the Guardian in the Wilderness, or they may take a normal turn.

If a Champion battles and defeats the Guardian, the Champion gains the rewards for defeating it, but the Guardian will still remain in the Wilderness, awaiting the next challenger. Monsters cannot be removed from the Wilderness for any reason.

When the game ends, Champions total their VP as normal and determine the winner.

Guardian Keys in Barricades Mode

Nature's Wrath includes new Village and Monster cards that are affected by the presence of Guardian Keys in the game. As a result, we recommend that you use the standard Guardian Keys from Thunderstone Quest in your Barricades Mode setup, like normal. As the Keys are found, they may trigger new abilities or provide bonuses to the Heroes (or Monsters). However, the other normal functions of the Guardian Keys (like triggering the final stage of the game) are no longer relevant. Simply ignore the game text on those cards.

Found vs. Revealed

When a Guardian Key is revealed while refilling a Dungeon Room, it is set aside like normal. These Keys are considered to be "found." The final stage of the game is triggered only when the fourth Guardian Key has been found. Found Guardian Keys are also considered to be "revealed."

However, cards like Borrowed Power allow you to search a Monster deck in the hopes of revealing Guardian Keys that haven't been found yet. When using such abilities, reveal cards from the top of the Monster deck as instructed, setting them aside until after battling all Monsters this turn. Guardian Keys revealed in this way are considered to be "revealed," but not "found." After battling Monsters this turn, return all of the revealed cards to the appropriate Monster deck and reshuffle it before refilling Dungeon Rooms.

Text that is triggered by "revealed" Guardian Keys is triggered by Keys that have been "found" and "revealed." However, text that is triggered by "found" Guardian Keys is triggered only by Keys that have been "found."

Lexicon

Found. A Guardian Key is considered to be found after it is revealed by refilling a Dungeon Room at the end of the turn.

Reveal. Apart from when hands are revealed after the Prep Phase or cards from Monster Decks are revealed by refilling Dungeon Rooms at the end of the turn, reveal refers to showing cards from a deck or stack temporarily and returning them after the effect has resolved. A Guardian Key is considered to be revealed if it has been found or if it has been revealed.

FAQ

Can I use the Guardian's ability on the Yellow (Light) Key to destroy a card with negative VP (e.g. Festering Wound)?

No. Cards with negative VP don't technically have any VP, just a penalty toward that number, so it doesn't qualify for the Key's ability.

How is "discarding" different from "discard from your deck"?

Essentially, all discarding in Thunderstone Quest is the same; you move cards from a location to your discard pile. However, where those cards come from can change. Regular discarding at the end of the turn moves all of your cards in play (except for cards with the Static keyword of course) to your discard pile. Certain monsters and other effects can force you to discard a card from your hand or from cards in play, moving them to your discard pile. But some cards have traits or abilities that allow you to discard cards from your deck, usually giving you an opportunity to pick up extra cards for your hand along the way. In that case, simply set aside cards from your deck as instructed, perform any other parts of the ability as written, then move any remaining cards to your discard pile.

What if I run out of cards in my deck during a "discard from deck" action?

The rules state that your discard pile is shuffled to make a new deck anytime you need more cards. In this case, you would discard from your deck into a pile off to the side. Then if you run out of cards in your deck, shuffle your discard pile and continue discarding into that side pile until you discard enough cards. Once the discard is complete, then you put all the discarded cards into your new discard pile.

How do The Consumed work during the final turn?

The Consumed are a group of trolls who have been fully reclaimed by Kar'nomal's nature powers, becoming a hybrid of creature and elemental materials. As such, they are uniquely influenced by the presence of certain Guardian Keys and their primal, elemental powers. As Champions "find/reveal" those Keys, they are able to bring their power to bear against such Monsters. Only Keys "found/revealed" by the Champions count when fighting the Consumed or any similar Monster during those final turns, not those found by the Guardian.

How do the Deck of Spirits cards work?

The Deck of Spirits is a special stack of Static Item cards in the Village in which each card in the stack is unique. At the beginning of the game, shuffle this stack before placing it in the Marketplace. The cards are Static, allowing you to hold them until you can maximize their power, because they get stronger the more Deck of Spirits cards you have. But once you get multiples in your hand or in play, you'll have to try and make use of them because they won't remain together for long. When playing Epic Mode, feel free to include the entire stack, or just choose your favorites.

Can a Hero's Skill be reduced to a number below 0?

Yes, it can. However, a Skill value less than 0 is effectively 0 for traits or abilities that refer to a Hero's Skill. For example, if The Cunning's ability affects a Hero with 2 Skill, but 3 Guardian Keys have been found, the Hero's value is reduced to -1 unless otherwise increased. However, if another card references the Skill value of that Hero, it is considered to be 0 for the purposes of that card.

Questbook

Quest 12: Nature's Wrath. The Questbook section of the book opens with the Quest card list, then gives the quest's stages and rules.

Quest Card List

Heroes

• 15x General Nyla Rivers
• 15x Kheih
• 15x Krakhar Stonehand
• 15x Pibbert the Dextrous
• 15x Primelda Adhana
• 15x Strin Doxit

Items/Allies

• 8x Deck of Spirits
• 8x Flame Sprite
• 8x Liquid Gold
• 8x Nyla's Shield
• 8x Raven

Spells

• 8x Animal Affinity
• 8x Borrowed Power
• 8x Precognition
• 8x Righteous Blast

Weapons

• 8x Bangarang
• 8x Forest's Mischief
• 8x Lightning Rod

Monsters I

• 10x Flowering Fauna: 2x Barkbear, 2x Bloomboar, 2x Bushbird, 2x Possum Plant, 2x Wild Thing

Monsters II

• 10x Elven Rebels: 2x Insurrectionist, 2x Radical, 2x Renegade, 2x Saboteur, 2x Vigilante
• 10x Troll Ruffians: 2x Troll Dur'zok, 2x Troll Fai'ji, 2x Troll Jo'Mak, 2x Troll Mir'nish, 2x Troll Zon'daka
• 10x Mutant Beasties: 2x The Cunning, 2x The Greedy, 2x The Keen, 2x The Imposing, 2x The Ravenous

Monsters III

• 10x Ent Army: 2x Blackwood Soldier, 2x Locust Lieutenant, 2x Manchineel Marauder, 2x Pine Private, 2x Willow Whip
• 10x The Consumed: 2x Bone Fiend, 2x Clay Creation, 2x River Wraith, 2x Rock Rook, 2x Swamp Thing

Guardian: Kar'nomal

Legendaries

• 2x Hawk
• 4x Raccoon
• 6x Rat

Treasures

• 1x Ark of Creation
• 1x The Reaper

Guardian Keys

• 1x Blue (Water) Key
• 1x Green (Earth) Key
• 1x Orange (Air) Key
• 1x Purple (Darkness) Key
• 1x Red (Fire) Key
• 1x Yellow (Light) Key

Prestige Class

• 1x Beastmaster

Other

• 6x Guardian Guides
• 24x Paper Dividers
• 24x Plastic Dividers
• 24x Randomizers

Dungeon Rooms

• Hostile Meadow
• Overgrown Path
• Crossroads
• Reclaimed Outpost
• Forest Shrine
• Sleeping Tree King

Quest 12A: Leaves Fall

Leaves Fall opens with a story passage (by Brett Satkowiak) about Kar'nomal's revolt against the Keep, which is flavour text and is not transcribed here. The quest's own rules and card list follow.

Adventure Card List: Leaves Fall

• Heroes: General Nyla Rivers, Krakhar Stonehand, Pibbert the Dextrous, Strin Doxit
• Ally: Flame Sprite
• Items: Deck of Spirits, Nyla's Shield
• Spells: Borrowed Power, Precognition
• Weapons: Bangarang, Forest's Mischief, Shortsword (found in Quest 1: A Mirror in the Dark)

Monsters: Mutant Beasties, Troll Ruffians, Ent Army

Guardian: Kar'nomal

Room Tiles: Hostile Meadow, Overgrown Path, Crossroads, Reclaimed Outpost, Forest Shrine, Sleeping Tree King

Kar'nomal's Lair (Guardian Lair card, as printed on page 16):

• Threat Level track: 1, 2, 3 (threat levels), with spaces numbered 1 through 8.
• Ability names printed: Nature's Wrath (the card reads that when you have a Hero, Ally or Monster card, add 1 gem); Market Disruption (you may place 1 card with a Gold icon on top of a random stack in the Marketplace; if you do not, add 1 gem); Tribal Unity (All Monsters you battle that are not the Guardian gain +1 Attack for each Monster in the Dungeon).
• Lair footer text: each turn before placing Champions, each Champion rolls dice as the Threat Level indicates; advance the Threat token forward 1 space when each turn ends; when there are no more spaces to advance, flip this Lair over.

Transcription gap: the Lair's ability wording, the Threat Level die detail, and the Lair footer are small on the printed card, and the ability text above is only partly legible at the scan resolution. Confirm the Lair text against the physical card or a higher-resolution scan before release, and do not rely on the reconstruction above.

Quest 12B: Reclamation

Reclamation opens with a story passage (by Brett Satkowiak) about the outpost on the road, which is flavour text and is not transcribed here. The quest's own card list follows.

Adventure Card List: Reclamation

• Heroes: Kheih, Krakhar Stonehand, Primelda Adhana, Strin Doxit
• Ally: Raven
• Items: Deck of Spirits, Liquid Gold
• Spells: Animal Affinity, Precognition
• Weapons: Lightning Rod, Moonlight (found in Quest 1: A Mirror in the Dark), Shortbow (found in Quest 1: A Mirror in the Dark)

Monsters: Flowering Fauna, Elven Rebels, The Consumed

Guardian: Kar'nomal

Room Tiles: Hostile Meadow, Overgrown Path, Crossroads, Reclaimed Outpost, Forest Shrine, Sleeping Tree King

Kar'nomal's Lair (Guardian Lair card, as printed on page 19): the same Lair card layout as in Leaves Fall, with its Threat Level track, the ability names Nature's Wrath, Market Disruption and Tribal Unity, and its footer text. The Lair text is subject to the same transcription gap noted under Leaves Fall above.

Transcription gap: the Lair card's per-ability text and footer on page 19 are too small to read reliably at the scan resolution. Confirm against the physical card or a higher-resolution scan before release.

Quest 12C: Seasons Change

Seasons Change opens with a story passage (by Brett Satkowiak) about the battle with the treant and the Consumed, which is flavour text and is not transcribed here. The quest's own card list follows.

Adventure Card List: Seasons Change

• Heroes: General Nyla Rivers, Kheih, Primelda Adhana, Strin Doxit
• Items: Nyla's Shield, Amulet of Infravision (found in Quest 1: A Mirror in the Dark)
• Spells: Animal Affinity, Fireball (found in Quest 1: A Mirror in the Dark), Righteous Blast
• Weapons: Bangarang, Lightning Rod, Shortbow (found in Quest 1: A Mirror in the Dark)

Monsters: Mutant Beasties, Troll Ruffians, The Consumed

Guardian: Kar'nomal

Room Tiles: Hostile Meadow, Overgrown Path, Crossroads, Reclaimed Outpost, Forest Shrine, Sleeping Tree King

Kar'nomal's Lair (Guardian Lair card, as printed on page 22): the same Lair card layout as in Leaves Fall, with its Threat Level track, the ability names Nature's Wrath, Market Disruption and Tribal Unity, and its footer text.

Transcription gap: the Lair card's per-ability text and footer on page 22 are too small to read reliably at the scan resolution. Confirm against the physical card or a higher-resolution scan before release.

Iconography

Reference guide printed on the back cover. Icons are rendered as words.

• Nature's Wrath Quest: the Quest 12 emblem.
• Guardian Attacks: shown as coloured attack tokens in green, red, purple and blue.
• Gain 1 or 2 Ranks in Prestige Class (if gem costs are paid): one or two Rank arrows.
• 1 or 2 Monsters in the Monster Horde (attacking Village): one or two monster footprints.
• Discard into discard pile of the Champion to your left/right: discard arrows pointing left or right.
• Draw 1 Card: a "+1" card icon.
• Guardian Dice: a grey die.
• Destruction Chit: an "X" chit.
• Heroic Opportunity: a trophy.
• Wound Tokens: red blood-spot tokens.
• Wound Cards (Disease or Festering Wounds): red-and-green wound cards.
• Blue (Water) Key, Green (Earth) Key, Orange (Air) Key, Purple (Darkness) Key, Red (Fire) Key, Yellow (Light) Key: the six Guardian Keys.