Thunderstone Quest: Vengeful Sands
Thunderstone Quest: Vengeful Sands Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
Vengeful Sands 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 10.
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 8 Vengeful Sands, the full contents of which are featured in the Questbook (see pages 11-12)
- 1 copy of each Monster, Hero, Ally, Item, Spell, and Weapon from Vengeful Sands, to be used in Epic Mode
- 1 Vengeful Sands 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 (one up arrow) in your Prestige Class (1) or potentially 2 Ranks (two up arrows) at once (2). The Rank numbers (3) are to the right of the cost. These Ranks cost [icon] to gain, as listed on the left-hand side of the board within the Rank to which you are going (4). You must pay the [icon] cost of each Rank you gain. If the listed [icon] 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 (5). Sometimes, this may give you a new ability ready to use that turn, such as a Spoils ability. Some abilities start with an italicized descriptive word, such as Voyage (6). This descriptive word will be referenced at other Ranks, increasing its power (7).
Transcriber's note: the Voyager board example on page 4 is a low-resolution scan. Its symbols (the [icon] markers above and in the list below) are shown as placeholders where the icon could not be read reliably. Consult the printed board for exact icons.
Voyager (example board)
The Voyager board's ability text is printed in small type on a low-resolution scan. Its icons are shown as [icon] where they could not be read reliably, and the board's rank-to-ability alignment is not reproduced here. Consult the printed board for exact placement.
- Training (1 up arrow): Defeat 1 Monster with a Hero whose [icon] is lower than the Monster's [icon]. (2 up arrows): Defeat 1 [icon] Monster with 3 Heroes whose [icon] are each lower than the Monster's [icon]. Once per turn, after you complete 1 of the above, pay the [icon] cost listed below for each of the 1 or 2 new Ranks, or nothing is gained.
- Spoils: Roll 1d6. If your roll is equal to or less than the Monster's [icon], you Voyage, gaining 2 [icon], 1 [icon], or 1 [icon].
- Reduce your Voyage rolls by half your Rank, rounded down.
- [icon] also give your Heroes +1 [icon] when battling Monsters with a higher [icon].
- After you Voyage, you may destroy 1 [icon] and 1 [icon] to gain 1 The Immortals Legendary Hero.
- After you Voyage, gain the Legendary Spell Wish, or if you cannot, gain 1 [icon].
- After you Voyage, you may destroy 1 of your cards.
- This Prestige Class is worth 3 [icon] per Rank you have (when the game ends).
- After you Voyage, look at 2 cards from the [icon] deck. Destroy 1, gain the other.
- If your Voyage total was less than [value unclear in scan; printed as "6"], choose and gain 1 Hero Legendary card from the box.
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 level 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 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).
Transcriber's note: the printed text shows the Legendary Hero shield icon where it reads "Heroes" in the two sentences above; the words "Legendary Heroes" are used here to make that explicit. The number before "Heroes" in the setup sentence is read as the level.
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 Vengeful Sands Quest is included for use when playing the Barricades Mode expansion.
Amtephetes VII, the Wicked
The long-deceased ruler of the Amtephetes lineage, Amtephetes VII, the Wicked, has been revived and is wreaking havoc on the local Village. She will use her ancient magic to give you lots of Wound cards and may even prevent you from healing them.
Difficulty: 4 crown icons.
Transcriber's note: the printed Guardian card's ability text is too small to read reliably in this scan. Its abilities are named Scarab Swarm, Drain Life and Negative Energy. Consult the printed card for exact wording.
Lexicon
Before & After Battle Abilities
Before Battle / After Battle abilities are a type of ability that triggers both Before and After Battle. Before Battle / After Battle abilities resolve twice per turn, once at each window. If this type of ability is affected by a card that turns a Before Battle ability into an After Battle ability, it effectively cancels the Before Battle part, resolving only once.
Destroyed Pile
Whenever a card is destroyed, it is considered to be in a destroyed pile.
Discard Left or Right
Discard the card into the discard pile of the Champion to your left or right. They now own the card.
FAQ
What happens to Before Battle / After Battle abilities if I turn Before Battle abilities into After Battle abilities?
Normally Before Battle / After Battle abilities resolve twice, once in the Before Battle timing window, and once in the After Battle timing window. However, since it is no longer a Before Battle / After Battle ability, it no longer gains the benefit of being able to resolve multiple times per turn. In effect, it becomes an After Battle ability that can resolve (only) once.
If a card is discarded from my deck and I immediately draw it, do I trigger effects for it having been discarded?
Yes, because it was first discarded, then drawn.
How do I battle a face down Monster (e.g., in the Oasis Dungeon Room)? What if it is a face down Guardian Key?
If a Champion battles a face down Monster, flip it face up before the battle, resolving all of the Monster's text and continuing the battle as normal. If the Champion finds a Guardian Key instead, set the Key aside and replace it with the top card of the Monster deck until a Monster is found, battling it as normal. Shuffle the revealed Key back into the Monster deck at the end of the turn.
When in the Village, do non-wielded cards count their values (e.g., Attack Values on Weapons) for effects that require you to discard cards (e.g., the Build Aqueducts Side Quest)?
Yes, you may discard non-wielded cards which normally must be wielded to use their values.
If you need to find the top Monster of the Monster deck (e.g., Recover the Wish Side Quest), but it is a Guardian Key and not a Monster, what do you do?
Keep looking at the top card(s) of the Monster deck until you find a Monster, placing the non-Monster cards found back on top in their same order.
How does Dog Djinn work in a 2-player game?
In a 2-player game, you only have 1 Champion total to your left and/or right, so that 1 Champion would choose 1 Item and give it to you.
Does the ability of Amtephetes VII, the Wicked, [icon] and [icon] destroy 1 of your XP and make you discard a card for each of your Wound cards?
Yes, Wound cards are affected by both aspects of her ability.
Can I use level 1 Duriggim Soulbrand the same turn I gain the Wound card?
Spoils effects happen after you take Wounds, so you would be able to heal a Wound card you just received.
Does Cirrok's level 2 ability count against my "1 buy per turn" restriction?
No. Everyone gets 1 buy by default from the Rulebook, and any extra buys from cards, Village Location effects, etc. will give you extra buys above and beyond the standard 1.
How does level 1 Shawna Hopesinger work?
For each Shawna you have that turn, of any level and including the first one, it costs 1 fewer XP to level her up. So if you have two Shawna in your hand and visit the Guilds' Quarter, the first would cost 1 XP to level up, with the new version going to your discard pile. Since leveling up is resolved one at a time, the second Shawna, if it was also level 1, would cost 2 XP to level up, as you would now only have 1 Shawna in play.
How does Rien Mandroux work?
Rien has 5 keywords that give her an Attack boost. She cannot get boosted by any 1 keyword more than once. Having 3 Spells, for example, will only boost each copy you have of Rien once each, not three times each. At levels 1 and 2, Rien does not count herself as a Hero, but will count other Heroes you have, including other copies of Rien. At levels 3 and above, Rien counts herself for the Hero keyword.
If you have Rien Mandroux and a card with more than 1 of the keywords Rien counts (e.g., The Immortals are Ally • Hero), does that count as 1 or 2 different keywords?
They count as 2 different keywords for Rien.
For the Summon Help Spell, can I "summon" a Hero that is not on top of the stack? What happens if the Hero is destroyed?
Yes, you may search the stack for higher level Heroes if the Spell allows. If the Hero is destroyed, it is placed in a destroyed pile instead of returning to where it was drawn from.
Am I only supposed to have 6 copies of Spices?
Yes, due to the card's mechanics, it is intentional that there are only 6 copies of this card in the stack, instead of 8. It should also be noted that in Epic Mode there is only 1 copy of this card included, rendering the point of the card moot. Even though Spices is printed in the Epic Mode card bundle for completion's sake, it is recommended that you do not play with it in Epic Mode. Regardless of what you choose, do not add any "extra copy" of Spices to the default stack of 6. The stack intentionally only contains 6.
Do you "gain" Treasure Caches (e.g., for Shakir the Sailor [icon])?
Yes, they are gained, and then immediately destroyed.
How does the Dust Devil's Before Battle ability work?
The Dust Devil is so volatile that it sends your cards flying before you fight it! You will need to discard 2 of your cards to other Champions in order to battle it, either a Spell or Weapon and a Hero. However, if you only have 1 of those cards and not both, you have to destroy it instead.
Can I use the Gold Production from cards I discard to the "Build the" Side Quests to pay the Gold Cost of that Side Quest?
Yes.
Questbook
Quest 8: Vengeful Sands. The Questbook gives the full contents of the Quest.
Quest 8: Vengeful Sands Quest Card List
Heroes
- 15x Cirrok
- 15x Duriggim Soulbrand
- 15x Hemna Granitesunder
- 15x Rien Mandroux
- 15x Shakir the Sailor
- 15x Shawna Hopesinger
Allies
- 8x Camel
- 8x Desert Wolf
Items
- 8x Bag of Gems
- 6x Spices
- 8x Thunderstone Potion
Spells
- 8x Mummify
- 8x Navigate the Labyrinth
- 8x Open Sesame
- 8x Summon Help
Weapons
- 8x Avian Bow
- 8x Khopesh
- 8x Scimitar
Level 1 Monsters
- 10x Beetle Bevy: 10x Scarabs
Level 2 Monsters
- 10x Desert Dwellers: 2x Angry Ostrich, 2x Desert Dogs, 2x Giant Scorpion, 2x Hydradile, 2x Spiked Lizard
- 10x Naga Nomads: 2x Chizukeki, 2x Jukesh, 2x Nemash, 2x Senash, 2x Tjakala
- 10x Sand Spirits: 2x Cobra Djinn, 2x Dog Djinn, 2x Major Djinn, 2x Minor Djinn, 2x Qareen
Level 3 Monsters
- 10x Amtephetes's Forces: 3x Dust Devil, 1x King Amtephetes, 2x Nesnas, 1x Queen Amtephetes, 3x Undead Cyclops
- 10x Arid Atrocities: 2x Casuariidae, 2x Falak, 2x Manticore, 2x Roc, 2x Sapleo
Guardian
- Amtephetes VII, the Wicked (Guardian level, shown by four Guardian shield icons)
Legendaries
- 8x The Immortals
- 1x Wish
Treasures
- 1x Huma
- 1x Rien's Ring
- 1x Thunderstone Lamp
- 1x Thunderstone Rug
Prestige Class
- 1x Voyager
Guild Sponsorships
- 6x Clerics' Training Guild
- 6x Fighters' Training Guild
- 6x Rogues' Training Guild
- 6x Wizards' Training Guild
Side Quests
- 1x Build Aqueducts
- 1x Living Legends
- 1x New Town Guards
- 1x Rebuild the Grain Silo
- 1x Rebuild the Roads
- 1x Rebuild the Treasury
- 1x Recover the Wish
Other
- 6x Guardian Guides
- 24x Paper Dividers
- 24x Plastic Dividers
- 24x Randomizers
Dungeon Rooms
- Dragon Blood Forest
- Merchant Caravan
- Naga Nest
- Oasis
- Chalk Desert
- Royal Tomb
Risen from the Mire (replacement note, printed on page 12): Some of the Adventure Card Lists feature cards from Quest 3: Risen from the Mire and Quest 1: A Mirror in the Dark. If you do not own the expansion, replace the cards with a similar type from another Quest that you own. For example, Ensnaring Vines from Risen from the Mire could be replaced with another level 1 Monster group like Desert Dwellers from this Quest or Goblin Grunts from Quest 1: A Mirror in the Dark.
A Whole New World: Adventure Card List
The adventure's narrative text (pages 13-14) is omitted here as flavour fiction; the card list is transcribed.
Heroes
- Cirrok
- Duriggim Soulbrand
- Pylorian (found in Quest 1: A Mirror in the Dark)
- Rien Mandroux
Allies
- Desert Wolf
Items
- Amulet of Infravision (found in Quest 1: A Mirror in the Dark)
- Spices
Spells
- Mummify
- Summon Help
- Vampiric Touch (found in Quest 3: Risen from the Mire)
Weapons
- Avian Bow
- Shortspear (found in Quest 1: A Mirror in the Dark)
Monsters
- Ensnaring Vines (found in Quest 3: Risen from the Mire)
- Sand Spirits
- Arid Atrocities
Guardian
- Amtephetes VII, the Wicked
Room Tiles
- Dragon Blood Forest
- Merchant Caravan
- Naga Nest
- Oasis
- Chalk Desert
- Royal Tomb
- Amtephetes VII, the Wicked's Lair (shown only in this setup due to space restrictions)
Sirocco Sting: Adventure Card List
The adventure's narrative text (pages 16-17) is omitted here as flavour fiction; the card list is transcribed.
Heroes
- Baharan (found in Quest 3: Risen from the Mire)
- Hemna Granitesunder
- Shakir the Sailor
- Shawna Hopesinger
Allies
- Camel
Items
- Bag of Gems
- Thunderstone Potion
Guardian
- Amtephetes VII, the Wicked
Spells
- Navigate the Labyrinth
- Summon Help
Weapons
- Boomerang (found in Quest 3: Risen from the Mire)
- Crystal Dagger (found in Quest 3: Risen from the Mire)
- Scimitar
Monsters
- Desert Dwellers
- Naga Nomads
- Arid Atrocities
Room Tiles
- Dragon Blood Forest
- Merchant Caravan
- Naga Nest
- Oasis
- Chalk Desert
- Royal Tomb
- Amtephetes VII, the Wicked's Lair
Death Comes at Dawn: Adventure Card List
The adventure's narrative text (page 18) is omitted here as flavour fiction; the card list is transcribed.
Heroes
- Cirrok
- Duriggim Soulbrand
- Hemna Granitesunder
- Silverhelm (found in Quest 1: A Mirror in the Dark)
Allies
- Camel
Items
- Thunderstone Potion
- Tome of Knowledge (found in Quest 1: A Mirror in the Dark)
Guardian
- Amtephetes VII, the Wicked
Spells
- Mummify
- Open Sesame
Weapons
- Avian Bow
- Holy Mace (found in Quest 3: Risen from the Mire)
- Khopesh
Monsters
- Beetle Bevy
- Moor Skeletons (found in Quest 3: Risen from the Mire)
- Amtephetes's Forces
Room Tiles
- Dragon Blood Forest
- Merchant Caravan
- Naga Nest
- Oasis
- Chalk Desert
- Royal Tomb
- Amtephetes VII, the Wicked's Lair
Iconography
Iconography Reference Guide, printed on the back cover.
- Up arrow (1) or two up arrows (2): Gain 1 or 2 Ranks in Prestige Class (if the [cost icon] costs are paid).
- Wound cards (Disease or Festering Wounds): the red-and-green marker icon.
- Discard into discard pile of the Champion to your left/right: the two discard icons, one pointing left and one pointing right.
- Vengeful Sands Quest: the Quest 8 emblem.