Tidal Blades 2: Rise of the Unfolders
Tidal Blades 2: Rise of the Unfolders Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Setup
- Gameplay Overview
- Activating Your Nexus
- Combat
- The Shell Shield
- Health and Wounds
- Enemy Turns
- End of Scenario
- Character Progression
- Items (Scenario 4+)
- Naviri
- Enemy Info
- Additional Game Concepts
- Solo Mode
- Arena Mode (Scenario 8+)
- Item Reference
- Quantum Reservoir Upgrades Reference
- Abilities Reference
- Glossary
- Quick Reference
Setup
Game Components
Not every game component is needed during a game of Tidal Blades 2. The hero and enemy components required will depend on which characters are being played, and which enemy is encountered in the current scenario. Hero upgrades unlock only after completing certain missions. All material under the Scenario-specific section will be listed in the components section of the scenario book, if required. As for General supply, these are always needed, regardless of the scenario.
Follow the steps below to prepare for playing your first game.
A. HEROES
Each player chooses a hero to play and takes the materials for that hero. (The hero you choose will be yours for the whole campaign. Refer to the backside of the Story Quick Reference to assist you in selecting a character.)
- 1 hero sheet.
- 1 hero board and 1 Nexus grid.
- 1 hero starting deck (12 action cards and 1 Power card). Starting cards have the hero's first initial followed by the numbers 1-13 in the bottom right corner.
- 1 hero figure (attach plastic base) and 1 Initiative token.
- 1 of each trait tracker (1 Spirit, 1 Focus, and 1 health).
- 5 trait blockers.
- 6 shells.
- Axl and Eko start with extra Quantum upgrades. Give Axl the Vitality Booster, and give Eko the Quantum Blade.
- If a player chooses Sagashi, also take the Dru card and figure. (The Sagashi player should consult the full Dru rules on page 28.)
B. ENEMIES
- Punch out all enemy tokens and sort them by type.
- Sort the enemy cards so that each enemy has 6 action cards and 1 guide card.
C. LINEN BAGS
- Punch out the Spirit, Focus, and Fruit reward tokens and place them into the Enemy Reward bag.
- Place all the item tokens in the Desert Market bag, except for the Looper and Teleporter. Store these two items away in the game box until told otherwise by the scenario book.
! ENVELOPES
Do not open any envelope until instructed by the scenario book!
Component highlights include: starting hero components (12 action cards and 1 Power card per hero, 78 Starting Hero Cards numbered X1 to X13 where X is the hero's initial, 6 Hero Figures, 30 Hero Sheets, 24 Shells, 6 Hero Initiative Tokens, 1 Dru Card and Figure, 12 Trait Trackers, 20 Trait Blockers, 4 Hero Boards, 4 Nexus Grids); Hero Upgrades (95 Hero Upgrade Cards — non-starting hero cards, including 3 Archon Chains; 90 Bronze, Silver, and Gold Cards numbered G1 to G90, including 6 Path Overview cards; 48 Hero Goals; 12 Goal Trackers); enemy components (84 Enemy Action Cards — 6 square cards per enemy; 21 Enemy Initiative Tokens; 12 Mutant Markers; 39 Boss Action Cards — 6 poker-sized cards per boss, except Master Daigon who has only 3 cards; 20 Enemy Guide Cards; 69 Enemy Figures; 2 Giant Bases; 50 Status Tokens; 2 Enemy Health Tracks; 12 Enemy Health Trackers; 2 Enemy Danger Dice — 1 purple die for standard enemies, 1 yellow die for bosses and Mutants); scenario-specific components (4 Narrative Tokens; 2 Spawn Tokens; 4 Point of Interest Tokens; 1 Generic Initiative Token and 7 Wiring Tiles; 1 Wiring Board; 1 Trophy; 10 Citizens; 5 Droska Caravan and 1 Initiative token; 10 Bombs; 4 NPC Figures; 4 NPC Initiative Tokens; 12 Chronosseum Events; 5 NPC Guide Cards — Blue cards; 24 NPC Action Cards — 18 boss-sized cards and 6 Sparring Partner square cards; 24 Naviri Encounters; 1 Spawn Card; 4 Platforms; 1 Looper and 1 Teleporter); and general supply (1 Story Quick Reference; 1 Hero Quick Reference; 1 Rulebook; 1 Scenario Book; 1 Initiative Track; 1 Enemy Quick Reference; 16 Battle Scar Cards; 3 Map Books, with 1 leveler for Map Book C; 1 Round Tracker; 8 Difficulty Cards; 12 Wound Cards; 1 Enemy Reward Bag; 18 Enemy Reward Tokens; 22 Plastic Bases; 20 Fruit; 12 Hero Attack Dice; 5 Dice (D10); 2 Glitch Cards; 2 Envelopes (30 secret cards).
Scenario Setup
A. SCENARIO BOOK
Open the scenario book to the scenario you are attempting. Start with Scenario 1.
B. SCENARIO COMPONENTS
Gather the components shown in the Scenario Components section of the current scenario.
C. MAP BOOKS
Place the map books indicated in the scenario setup into the center of the play area.
D. ENEMY FIGURES
- Determine how many enemies you will need for your player count by counting the number of circles that appear on the map setup. Circles containing a "3+" or "4" indicate that those enemies only appear at those player counts.
- Randomly place the enemy figures on starting spots.
- Determine which enemies are Mutants. Enemies with a number inside the Mutant symbol indicate that those enemies become Mutants at those player counts.
- Attach a Mutant marker to each Mutant enemy.
(Symbol key: a plain circle is a normal enemy that always appears; a circle marked "3+" is a normal enemy that appears with 3+ players; a circle with the Mutant symbol is a Mutant enemy that always appears; a circle with Mutant symbol and "4" is a normal enemy that appears with 3+ players and becomes a Mutant with 4 players.)
E. ENEMY GUIDE CARDS AND HEALTH TRACKS
- Place the guide card of each enemy listed in the scenario above the map books.
- Place an enemy health track to the right of each guide card.
- Each enemy figure shows a color and number which correspond to the space where their health is tracked on the health track.
- Place enemy health trackers for each figure at the level indicated on their enemy guide card. Place any unused trackers on the leftmost space of the health board.
- Mutant enemies start with greater health, which is marked on the enemy guide card.
F. ENEMY DECKS
Shuffle the enemy deck (6 action cards) of each enemy listed in the scenario and place it face-down near the health track for that enemy. Make sure to leave enough space next to the enemy's deck for their discard pile.
G. STATUS TOKENS (SCENARIO 2+)
Place any Status tokens listed in the scenario near the guide cards.
H. SPECIAL OBJECTS
Place any special objects listed in the scenario onto the map, including Fruit, Narrative, Spawn, and Point of Interest tokens.
I. INITIATIVE TRACK
- Place the Initiative track to the right of the map books.
- Place the round tracker on the 1st round space at the bottom of the Initiative track.
- Place the hero Initiative tokens onto the Initiative track as indicated on the front page of the hero sheets. The number shown indicates the starting Initiative of that hero. Heroes with a + next to their starting Initiative start in the leftmost space.
- Place enemy Initiative tokens onto the Initiative level indicated on their guide card, to the right of any hero token(s).
- If multiple enemies start on the same Initiative, randomly choose the order in which they are placed.
- Some Initiative tokens are denoted as fixed in the scenario rules. These tokens always stay in their position (at the far right or far left) of their Initiative level. Other tokens ignore them when moving.
J. WOUND DECK
Place the Wound deck face-down near the Initiative track.
K. HERO DICE
Place the 12 hero attack dice next to the maps in easy reach of all players.
L. RESOURCES
Place the enemy reward tokens into the enemy reward bag. The bag should contain 4 Fruit, 4 Spirit, 4 Focus, 3 Double Spirit, and 3 Double Focus.
M. DIFFICULTY MODIFIER CARDS (SCENARIO 2+)
These cards will increase or decrease the difficulty of a scenario, depending on how many Wounds the heroes received in the previous scenario.
- If your group was heavily wounded or failed, you will draw a modifier card and apply the Citadel Aid effect.
- If your group was mostly unwounded you will draw a modifier card and place it under the enemy guide card of the first enemy listed in Scenario Components so that the Mysterious Power half is showing. This effect will apply to all enemies of this type throughout the scenario.
See End of Scenario on page 20 for more details, or page 29 for Optional Advanced Difficulty rules.
Player Setup
A. BOARDS AND HERO SHEET
- Place one Nexus grid in the center of your player area.
- Place your hero board connected to the left side of your grid.
- Have your hero sheet handy for reference.
B. FIGURE
- Available starting locations are marked with hexes 1 to N in the scenario book. Only those with a number equal to or less than the number of players are available.
- Place each hero figure onto one of the available starting locations, as chosen together by the players. (One hero per location.)
- Place Dru's figure on his reference card (only if Sagashi is playing).
C. SHELL SHIELD
- Place 6 shells in the Uncharged Area of your hero board.
D. TRAIT STAT TRACKER
- Place your Spirit, Focus, and health trait blockers on the correct location of all 5 tracks, as indicated in the Trait Levels section of your hero sheet. (See Trait Setup Example on the next page.)
- Place your health token on the rightmost open space of the topmost health track (immediately to the left of the trait blocker), as indicated on your hero sheet.
- Place your Spirit and Focus tokens on their starting level (half of their max rounded down).
E. GOALS (SCENARIO 2+)
- Draw the top face-down goal card from your hero's goal deck and place it face-up on the goal area of your hero board.
- If you have no more face-down Goal cards, shuffle all face-up goal cards to refresh your hero's goal deck.
- Place 2 goal trackers underneath the goal card.
F. QUANTUM UPGRADES
- Place any or all Quantum upgrades your hero has into the spaces of your choice on your hero board. (If you cover up an ability, it will not be available to you.)
G. ITEMS (SCENARIO 4+)
- Place all of your purchased items next to your hero board.
H. POWER CARDS
- Choose 1 Power card (in the first scenario you will only have one) and place it in the center space of your Nexus grid.
- Starting in Scenario 2, choose additional Power cards equal to your Reserve Power Cards skill on your hero sheet. Shuffle the chosen Power cards into your hero deck for this scenario.
- Place any unchosen Power cards into your hero storage.
ANATOMY OF AN ACTION CARD: Character or Type; Action Name; Main Action(s); Action Modifiers (Target & Range); XP Cost (if any); Additional Effect; Initiative Modifier.
I. HERO DECK
- Shuffle together all of your action cards, including any Reserve Power Cards (starting in Scenario 2) and Battle Scars (starting in Scenario 3) to form your hero deck.
- Place your deck in the hero deck area to the left of your hero board and draw cards until you reach your maximum hand size. (4 is the standard hand size).
- Scenario 3+: Do not place Battle Scars in your opening hand onto your Nexus grid yet. First resolve your Skills, then place any Battle Scars that remain in your hand and redraw.
J. SKILLS (SCENARIO 4+)
- Check your hero sheet to see if any of your unlocked skills affect your hero setup. Resolve in Initiative order if necessary.
TRAIT SETUP EXAMPLE: On your hero sheet, the rightmost filled-in circles show the hero's Trait Levels. Eko has 2 max Spirit and 1 starting Spirit (half of her max rounded down). She places her wooden Spirit tracker (red) in the 1st space of the Spirit track. Then she places a trait blocker in the 3rd space, so that 2 is the highest number showing before the blocker.
She repeats this for Focus, but has 3 max Focus, so she places a blocker in the 4th space. She has 7 Resilience, so she places one blocker in the 8th space of each level of the health track. She places her health tracker in the 7th space of the top health track.
Eko has 3 Synergy, and starts with the Quantum Blade upgrade, in addition to the two abilities on her board. She places the Quantum Blade in an empty space. When she levels up her Synergy, she'll be able to add to and replace her abilities.
Gameplay Overview
Each session of Tidal Blades consists of one or more scenarios. In a scenario, players have 12 rounds to complete the scenario objectives, unless otherwise specified. In a round, each hero and each enemy group will take one turn in the order determined by the Initiative track.
On their turns, players perform actions by placing cards into their Nexus grid. The Nexus grants its users the ability to manipulate time in subtle ways. Every action card played on the grid is saved, allowing you to replay those actions later in powerful, ever-changing combinations. Each player's link to the Nexus is represented by their own personal 3x3 grid.
Many scenarios will have special rules and unique challenges. An introduction to those rules will be given in the scenario description.
Round Overview
In each round, players will perform the following steps:
- ACTION CARD SELECTION: All players simultaneously choose 1 action card from their hand and place it face-down into the Initiative card space next to the top left side of their hero board.
- INITIATIVE REVEAL: In Initiative order, starting at the top left and moving from left to right, then top to bottom, reveal the cards chosen by heroes and the top card of each enemy deck.
- When each card is revealed, adjust the associated token on the Initiative track based on its Initiative modifier. Place the enemy cards on top of their respective discard piles face-up. As cards are revealed, resolve abilities on them that say When Revealed. Some enemies also have effects that happen on their Initiative Reveal.
- HERO AND ENEMY TURNS: Resolve hero and enemy turns in Initiative order.
- ROUND END: Advance the round tracker, then check for scenario objectives/resolution.
Initiative
The Initiative track is divided into five levels, and determines the turn order. The token at the top left has the fastest Initiative and goes first in turn order, and the one at the bottom right has the slowest.
HEROES CHOOSE A CARD: All players simultaneously choose a card from their hand and place it face-down into the Initiative card space. Players may communicate generally about what actions they plan to perform and how that will affect their Initiative, but may not show the cards in their hand or the card they choose to play. In the rare case a hero is empty-handed, they play the top card of their deck.
RESOLVE INITIATIVE CHANGES: Once all players have chosen a card, each hero and enemy group has an Initiative Reveal step in turn order. On their Initiative Reveal, they reveal their Initiative card, and, if it has an Initiative modifier, move their token up or down the indicated number of levels.
The top card of the enemy's deck is their Initiative card. On their Initiative Reveal, place it face-up in their discard pile. If an enemy deck is empty, shuffle the discard to create a new deck first.
When moving an Initiative token to a new level, place it to the right of all non-fixed tokens on that level. If a token would move past the top or bottom level, place it to the left (top) or right (bottom) of all non-fixed tokens on that level. (For more on fixed Initiative tokens, see page 34.)
Example: We start at the top left with the Mudcrabs. They move up 1 and stay in the 1st position. Axl then moves up 1, hopping over the Mudcrabs into the 1st position. Dust moves up 2 levels and is placed to the right of Axl and the Mudcrabs. The Seahounds move down 1 level. Eko then moves up 1 level ending to the right of the Seahounds in the 4th level.
End of Scenario (Overview)
When the scenario is completed, heroes gain rewards based on how well they completed the objectives. As you progress through the campaign, you will be able to improve your hero by increasing their traits, gaining new action cards, and learning skills.
Hero Turn Overview
Once all hero and enemy Initiative Reveal steps are resolved, it's time to take hero and enemy turns, in Initiative order. On your turn, you'll choose where to place your revealed card and then activate all cards and spaces in the horizontal or vertical line where it was placed.
Final card placement is chosen during your turn, rather than during Initiative Reveal, to allow you to adjust and change which other actions you perform based on the actions of other heroes and enemies.
STEPS OF HERO TURN
- SHELL SHIELD - Move all shells on your Shield to your Quantum Reservoir. You may not choose to keep shells on your Shield.
- PLACE YOUR CARD - Place your Initiative card face-up into any open space on your grid (one without a card). (Scenario 4+): You may play one item onto that card.
- CHOOSE A LINE - Choose either the horizontal or vertical line of squares that crosses where you placed your card.
- ACTIVATE YOUR NEXUS - Perform all actions from cards and spaces in the line you chose. Cards and spaces may be activated in any order, but each card or space must be completed before activating the next.
- END OF TURN - Resolve end of turn abilities. Then do your cleanup steps while the next player or enemy starts their turn.
Clean Up
After you have resolved all steps of your turn, do the following:
CLEAR FULL LINES: If the line you activated on your grid has three cards (including Wounds), it must be cleared. Discard all of the action cards (including Power cards) and Battle Scars in that line. Only clear a line if it was activated. Wounds are never discarded during a scenario.
If you clear a line, you may discard any number of cards from your hand.
PREPARE NEXT MOVES: Draw cards from your deck until you have reached your hand size (standard hand size is 4 cards). If you ever exceed your hand size, you do not need to discard. If your deck is empty and you need to draw, shuffle the cards in your discard to form a new deck, and then draw.
Free Actions
On your turn you may also use any number of Free Actions at any time.
- SPEND A SPIRIT as a Move 1 action or to modify a Move action by +1.
- SPEND A FOCUS to either:
- BOOST: All Focus symbols on 1 attack die deal damage.
- SCAN 2: Draw 2 cards, then discard 2 cards. You may discard Battle Scars drawn this way.
- ACTIVATE an ability from your Quantum Reservoir. (You may activate your Quantum Reservoir any time during a round.)
- EAT a Fruit to Heal 2.
- INTERACT (ONCE PER TURN): Once per turn you may Interact with a token or figure in an adjacent hex to:
- Pick up a resource (Fruit, Spirit, or Focus) or special object. You may not Interact with a token in a hex occupied by an enemy.
- Give a resource to an ally.
- Activate a special scenario character or object.
- Revive a knocked out hero (by spending a Fruit).
Activating Your Nexus
After placing your Initiative card, you may choose to activate either the horizontal or vertical line that passes through that card. The line you activate MUST contain the card you played for Initiative, even if you placed additional cards.
In the order of your preference, activate each space or card in that line. When you activate a card, carry out the actions on the card, in the order of your choosing.
- ACTIONS ARE OPTIONAL - You may choose not to use an action. (Exception: Negative effects, such as the loss of health, gaining Status tokens, and costs on Battle Scars, are not optional.)
- EITHER/OR ACTIONS - Actions separated by a slash mean you choose one or the other.
- STUNTS - If an action has a Stunt icon (Forward Slash — Choose 2 Move or 2 Attack; e.g. "Pay 1 Spirit to gain +2 Range"), the part before the arrow is a cost, and must be paid to use the action. You may only activate each Stunt once per turn.
- ONE CARD AT A TIME - All the actions you wish to use on a card must be resolved before resolving another card or grid space. (Exception: Chaining Attacks.)
Each card and Nexus grid space will have one or more actions on it. Most actions are represented by icons on the grid and cards. Additionally, special actions may appear in text below the action icons.
Example: To the Rescue is Caiman's Initiative card. After placing it, he can choose either the horizontal (green) or vertical (purple) line to activate. Each card or space in that line will be activated.
Power Cards
Power cards are a special type of action card that represent your hero's innate abilities. Each Power card has actions on it and also a Persistent Power that is always in effect, whether or not you activate the card that has the power on it.
Some Persistent Powers are constant, some are triggered by specific actions or game states, and some are Stunts, which must be activated by spending Spirit. The ability of a Power card on your grid is always in effect and is not affected or blocked by Statuses such as Stun.
Example: Caiman has the Cull the Herd Power card in play. He only performs the move and attack actions when he activates the card, however, his attacks always deal an extra hit when attacking enemies that are alone, even if he did not activate that card.
Action Icons
These icons represent an action that the character may perform. A number preceding it indicates the strength of that action. If no number precedes it, the strength is 1. The various actions are explained below.
MOVEMENT
When a figure performs a move action, they may move a number of hexes up to the strength of the move action. The rules for movement are as follows:
MOVING THROUGH
- A figure may not move into a hex occupied by an enemy figure.
- A figure may move through a hex occupied by an allied figure.
- Enemies may not end any move in another figure's hex.
- Heroes may end their move in another hero's hex, but may not end their turn there, and must move off that hex before taking any other actions.
PICKING UP RESOURCES
When you move onto a hex that contains a resource token (Fruit, Spirit, or Focus) you may pick it up and add it to your supply (this does not stop your movement action or require an Interact). When you pick up a Spirit or Focus token, increase your current amount by the value shown on the token and place the token into the discard area (next to the map books). Fruit is kept next to your hero board and is discarded when used.
Enemies do not pick up resources. If an enemy moves onto a hex with a resource token, the token stays on that space.
ACTIONS DURING MOVEMENT
Movement gained from a single card cannot be split between multiple moves on the map. Other card actions cannot be taken during a move action, but Free Actions can.
For instance, if you activate a 3 action, you may not move 2, perform an attack, and then move the remaining 1. However, you could move 2, use an Interact to give an adjacent hero a Fruit, and then move the remaining 1.
SPIRIT MOVEMENT
Spirit may be spent at any time on your turn as a Move 1 action, or to add 1 to another move action.
SHIELD
Each hero has a Shell Shield, which can be powered up for protection or to activate special abilities. The Shell Shield has three areas: the Uncharged Area, the Shield itself, and the Quantum Reservoir.
The Shield action allows you to move shells equal to the action's strength from your Uncharged Area or Quantum Reservoir to your Shield. If all of your shells are on your Shield, excess Shield actions have no effect.
QUANTUM RESERVOIR
This action allows you to move shells equal to the strength from your Uncharged Area or Shield to your Quantum Reservoir.
HEAL
This ability allows you or an adjacent hero to regain health equal to the action strength. A character may regain enough health to take them to the previous level on their health tracker. (Any Wounds they have taken remain on their Nexus grid. See Wounds on page 17.) Heroes may not gain health in excess of their max health.
BOLSTER
Add one hero die to the next attack roll you make this round. Bonus dice from the Bolster action cannot be used on subsequent rounds.
FOCUS AND SPIRIT
Gain the amount of Spirit and/or Focus equal to the strength, up to your maximum.
ATTACK
The sword symbol indicates an attack action. When you make an attack, you'll follow these steps:
- Declare target(s).
- Roll attack dice.
- Resolve damage on each target.
- If any enemies are defeated, remove them and draw a reward.
Combat
Declaring Targets
MELEE ATTACKS have no range symbol. They may only target figures in adjacent hexes.
RANGED ATTACKS have the range icon and number. They may target figures in hexes at any distance up to the range number.
An attack that has range is always a ranged attack, even when targeting an adjacent figure. Ranged attacks on adjacent figures gain Disadvantage.
MULTIPLE TARGETS: Attacks which have a number and the target symbol can target multiple figures, up to the number next to the symbol. Only one attack roll is made per attack, no matter how many targets it has.
LINE-OF-SIGHT: To be able to target a figure, you must be able to draw a straight line from any point of the hex that you are in to the same point in the target's hex without crossing the border of an impassable hex. (Using hex centers or corners is usually easiest). Other figures do not block line-of-sight.
Example: Caiman's attack has a target strength of 2. In the 2nd example, Caiman has line-of-sight on both!
Flanking
If a pair of allied figures are adjacent to a target on directly opposite sides, they are flanking, and gain Advantage against that target.
2-HERO RULE: In a game with only 2 heroes, you gain flanking whenever you are both adjacent to the same enemy, and not adjacent to each other.
Advantage/Disadvantage
ADVANTAGE: Advantage on a target adds 1 damage to that target for each Tide symbol rolled.
DISADVANTAGE: Disadvantage on a target reduces the damage to that target by 1 for each Tide symbol rolled.
Some attacks have effects that happen when a Tide is rolled. These effects are in addition to the effects from Advantage or Disadvantage.
GAINING ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE: There are two standard ways to gain Advantage and Disadvantage. In addition, they may be gained from abilities and scenario effects.
- RANGED ATTACKS gain Disadvantage on adjacent targets.
- MELEE ATTACKS gain Advantage on targets the attacker is flanking.
When an effect gives Advantage or Disadvantage without specifying a target, it applies against all targets of that attack.
Hero Attacks
ROLLING ATTACK DICE: Roll a number of hero dice equal to your attack strength. Your roll applies to all enemies you are targeting.
REROLLS: When an ability instructs you to reroll, choose any number of the dice that you rolled, and roll them again. There is no limit to the number of reroll abilities you may apply to a single roll. Once you are finished rerolling, advance to the next step. Only your final roll result counts for card and goal abilities.
DEALING DAMAGE: Calculate the damage from the roll to all targets using the following steps.
- HITS: For each hit icon rolled, you deal 1 damage.
- FOCUS BOOST: You may spend one Focus to make all the Focus symbols on the showing face of a single die deal one damage each. You may do this once for each die.
ENEMY ARMOR: If an enemy is Armored, reduce the amount of damage dealt to it by the strength of that armor. The strength can vary from one action card to the next and will be written in a circled number (no number means a strength of 1). Enemy armor is applied to each attack, and unlike Shell Shields, does not diminish over time. Armor does not block effects that cause loss of health.
APPLYING DAMAGE: Reduce each targeted enemy's health by the amount of damage, using the matching tracker. If an enemy's health falls below 1, it is defeated.
WHEN AN ENEMY IS DEFEATED:
- Remove it from the board.
- Draw a token from the enemy reward bag to place in the hex they occupied. (If the reward bag is empty, shuffle all discarded rewards back into the bag.)
- If there are no remaining enemy figures of that type, remove their Initiative token from the Initiative track and shuffle their discarded action cards into their deck. Do not reveal action cards for defeated enemy groups. (Do not do this for enemies with the Relentless ability, they are always considered to be in play.)
Example: Dust activates the line with three cards shown. She has 3 definite hits. She decides to spend one Focus, so each Focus symbol on that die deals 1 damage, for a total of five. She could spend an additional Focus on the other die for an additional damage, but she already has enough to defeat it, so chooses not to. After her attack, Dust activates the rest of the actions on Nimble Dance, moving 2 shells to her Shield, and then discarding it.
Chaining Attack Cards
Attacks with a green background and a chain icon beneath them can be combined into one stronger attack using the chain ability. To chain attacks, activate any number of unactivated cards in the active line that have an attack with the chain ability.
Instead of making separate attacks, you make a single attack with the combined strength of all the chained attack actions on the cards and any abilities that apply to the attack actions on those cards (including extra range and targets). You may activate the other actions on each of those cards before or after making the chain attack.
(If a card has two options, you must choose the ability that contains the chain symbol if you wish to include it in a chain.)
Example: Dust chooses to chain Surge Strike and Trinite Slash, activating both of them. She cannot chain Dual Assault, since it does not have the chain symbol. The two cards combine into a single attack of 7 that has the ability "Lose 1 health for each Tide symbol rolled." After the attack, both cards have been activated.
Example: Now Dust activates Hook Flurry. She chooses not to use the move action, hoping to give Eko flanking on her turn. She spends one Spirit to activate the Stunt on the card, allowing her to make an attack of 1 targeting 3 enemies. She has Advantage on Coralbug. Tide symbols also deal 1 damage each.
The Shell Shield
With the invention of the Nexus, the Citadel Engineers were able to integrate the Shell Shield and create additional defensive potential. The Shell Shield is powered by a set of shells that may be in one of the three zones: the Uncharged Area, the Shield, or the Quantum Reservoir.
The Shield and Quantum Reservoir actions on your Nexus grid and on cards allow you to charge shells, which moves them to the indicated area from any other area.
Uncharged Area
Shells in this zone have no effect and cannot be used to block damage or activate abilities. You start each scenario with 6 total shells in the Uncharged Area on your Shell Shield. This is the total amount of shells available to you and they will stay on your hero board unless removed by a specific effect.
When an effect instructs you to uncharge a shell, move it from the indicated area to the Uncharged Area. If no area is indicated, you may uncharge the shell from either the Shield or the Quantum Reservoir.
Example: Dust has 3 shells on her Shield. She is attacked for 5 damage, and chooses to block. She uncharges 1 shell, moving it to the Uncharged Area, where it cannot be used to defend, but can be used for other abilities.
Axl and Eko start with a higher Synergy trait level than the other characters, so each has a 3rd Quantum Reservoir ability at the start of the game.
Shield
Shells on your Shield may be used to defend from attacks until your next turn. At the start of each turn, any shells that remain on the Shield move into the Quantum Reservoir, where they can be used to activate abilities.
BLOCKING: The shells on your Shield can be used to defend against attacks. If you choose to block, reduce the damage by 1 for each shell on your Shield. Then uncharge 1 shell from your Shield. You may block once per attack.
Quantum Reservoir
Your Quantum Reservoir holds any charged shells that were not used for defense. These shells no longer have enough charge to power the Shield, but can be used to activate other abilities.
At the start of your turn, you must move all shells from your Shield to your Quantum Reservoir. Character actions and abilities may also move shells directly from other zones to your Quantum Reservoir.
QUANTUM RESERVOIR ABILITIES: Abilities on the Quantum Reservoir are activated by uncharging shells from the Quantum Reservoir. Unless stated otherwise, these abilities may be activated at any time, including on other heroes' turns.
All heroes start with at least two abilities on their Quantum Reservoir. When heroes level up their Synergy trait, they can upgrade their Quantum Reservoir with new abilities.
Health and Wounds
Health Track
This track shows how healthy your Tidal Blade is. The Nexus and your Shell Shield are able to keep you from most serious harm, but if you are damaged enough, you will become wounded and eventually be knocked out.
The health track is divided into three levels: Healthy (top), Wounded (middle), and Critical (bottom). Health is also referred to as Health Points or HP.
LOSING HEALTH: When you lose health, move your health tracker to the left that number of spaces. If you reach the end of a level and still have health to lose, return to the rightmost place in the next lower level to continue. When advancing to a lower level for the first time, gain a Wound.
Unblocked damage is the most common way to lose heath, but some scenario and enemy effects will instruct a player to lose health. Any effects that instruct you to lose health cannot be blocked by the Shell Shield.
GAINING HEALTH: When you gain health, move your tracker to the right that many spaces. You may advance back up a level, however, you will not heal the Wound by moving back up. You will not take another Wound if you cross the same level again.
Battle Scars
Battle Scars represent ongoing mental and physical strain. When you draw a Battle Scar from your hero deck, reveal it, and immediately place it onto an empty space on your Nexus grid, then draw a card.
Battle Scars function like action cards, but have a cost to activate. If you cannot or do not wish to pay the cost to activate a Battle Scar you may not perform any action from that card. When you clear a line with a Battle Scar, place it into your discard.
You can heal Battle Scars and remove them from your hero deck by unlocking skills in your Path Advancements or by paying XP when you visit the Floating Gardens in Naviri. (See Naviri section page 24.)
ANATOMY OF A BATTLE SCAR: Name; Cost to activate the card; Regular Action.
Wounds
A Wound is represented by a card that blocks a space on your Nexus grid. Cards may not be played to that space, and activating that space has no effect. When you gain a Wound, place it on your grid into an empty space, or over a space with an action card. If you place it over a card, discard that card and any Status tokens on it.
Wounds do not clear from your grid, even if the line they are in clears. Wounds block spaces but do not count as an action card.
HEALING AND MARKING WOUNDS: Your Wounds will heal between scenarios, but eventually they will leave Battle Scars. At the end of each scenario, mark one box on the Wound track on your hero sheet for each Wound on your Nexus grid and then return those Wounds to the supply. If you mark a red box, you must draw a random card from the Battle Scar deck and add it to your hero deck.
(Wound track markers: mark every Wound; every 4 Wounds, gain a Battle Scar.)
Knocked Out
If you move past the last space on the health track, you are knocked out and do not perform any actions in the scenario until another hero revives you. When you are knocked out, you immediately suffer these effects:
- Remove your Initiative token from the Initiative track.
- Lay your character down on the map in their current hex.
- Discard any items or Status tokens from your Nexus grid.
- Shuffle your Initiative card and all action cards from your grid and hand into your hero deck. Leave Wounds and Battle Scars on your Nexus grid.
While you are knocked out, you do not play an Initiative card and do not take turns.
Reviving a Knocked Out Hero
An adjacent hero may Interact and spend a Fruit to revive you. At the end of the round in which you were revived, stand your figure up, place your Initiative token into the rightmost space of your starting Initiative level, and draw up to your hand size. Place your health tracker on the rightmost space of your bottom health track. You will play the next round as normal.
Enemy Turns
On an enemy group's turn, each enemy of that type performs the actions detailed on their current action card. In each group, the enemies take turns in order from the top to the bottom of the enemy health tracker (1-6).
Enemy Movement
First determine if the enemy can move to a hex that puts them in range to attack their target(s). If an enemy moves without an attack action, it moves as if its target is the closest opposing figure.
IF THERE ARE TARGETS IN RANGE: If an enemy can make an attack this turn, determine how it moves and attacks using these steps. Once a condition is fulfilled by only a single hex, the enemy will choose that hex to move to, and not evaluate any further conditions. Enemies may move through other enemies, but may not end in the same hex.
- MOST ATTACKS - The enemy will move to the hex which allows it to attack the greatest number of targets (up to the number the attack can target).
- BEST ADVANTAGE - If there are multiple hexes that offer equal targets, the enemy will choose a hex that gives the most Advantage and the least Disadvantage on their targets. This will most often happen when they move to a hex where they are flanking a hero, or move away from a hero to make a ranged attack. They don't take into account whether heroes will have Advantage on them.
- PROXIMITY - If multiple hexes offer equal attacks, the enemy will choose the one that requires the least movement.
- FASTEST INITIATIVE - If there are multiple hexes that have equal targets and equal Advantage and are equal distance, the enemy will choose the hex that allows it to attack the fastest character (the highest on the Initiative track).
We've attempted to provide rules that will make the enemies behave intelligently in most situations. However, it may occur that there are situations that these rules do not cover. In these cases, it is up to the players to decide how the enemy behaves, and they should try to choose the outcome that is the best for that particular enemy, and the worst for the heroes!
Example: Coralbug A has two possible hexes that allow an attack. It chooses the one adjacent to Eko, because that one gives it Advantage. Coralbug B has three options, but none give Advantage, so it moves to attack Caiman, because he is faster on the Initiative track. Coralbug C stays in place, but has two possible targets. It also chooses to attack Eko, because it has Advantage on Eko, after Coralbug A moves.
IF THERE ARE NO TARGETS IN RANGE
SHORTEST PATH TO A TARGET - If no attacks are possible this turn, the enemy will move towards the closest target to which it has an open path, moving as many hexes as possible. If there are multiple targets equally close, choose the one with the highest Initiative. (Disregard Advantage and number of targets).
A path is considered open if the enemy could move adjacent to the target with infinite movement. If an enemy has no open paths, they will move to be as close as possible to a target.
CHOOSING BETWEEN MULTIPLE EQUAL HEXES: In any situation where an enemy is moving and it is not clear which hex it will move to, use the following rule:
CLOCKWISE: If there are multiple hexes that fulfill the requirements, an enemy will move towards the hex closest to North (the top of the map), in clockwise order.
Example: The Coralbug has a 2 (attack range) and has two options of hexes to move to attack Caiman. Since all other factors are equal it chooses hex B, the hex closest to North in clockwise order.
Enemy Attacks
To make an enemy attack, roll the Danger die once, and add the number of hits, or subtract the number of misses from the attack strength shown on their action card to determine the total damage.
Example: The Coralbug has a base attack strength of 3. They roll 1 hit on the Danger die giving them a total attack strength of 4.
ENEMY ACTION CARD ANATOMY: Enemy Type; Initiative; Miss Icon; Hit Icon; Main Action; Action Modifier (Target & Range); Additional Effect; Innate Ability.
MUTANT ENEMIES: These enemies have been affected by the instability of the Fold and have grown larger and more fearsome. If an enemy is Mutant, roll the Mutant Danger die (Yellow) instead of the standard Danger die (Purple).
ENEMY ABILITIES: Many enemies have special abilities denoted by specific symbols. For instance, the Spinesquid Tentacles have Reach, which allow them to make ranged attacks on adjacent targets without suffering Disadvantage.
There are two types of abilities, Activated and Innate. Innate abilities are always in effect, and a reminder icon appears in a gold ribbon on the card. Activated abilities appear in the space below the main actions, and are only in effect on cards that they appear on.
These abilities are explained when the enemy is first introduced in the scenario book and also listed in the reference section (see Abilities on page 33). Reminder text for each ability also appears on the enemy's Guide card.
ENEMY GUIDE CARD ANATOMY: Enemy Name; HP; Initiative; Stats; Abilities.
STATUSES (SCENARIO 2+): If an attack has a Status listed after it, that attack will inflict the Status if it fulfills the requirements (usually by rolling a Tide icon on the Danger die). Each targeted hero must place one of those Status tokens onto an eligible card on their Nexus grid. (See Status Tokens on page 26.)
End of Scenario
A scenario ends when players succeed by meeting the objectives, or fail if any of the failure conditions are met. When a scenario ends, play ceases immediately. Each chapter in the scenario book will describe the outcome of the scenario and any rewards gained.
Objectives
Each scenario has unique objectives which the heroes must accomplish to complete the scenario. To succeed in a scenario, all primary objectives must be completed by the end of Round 12 (unless stated otherwise in the scenario rules).
Some scenarios will have bonus objectives which are not required for completion of the scenario, but which will grant additional rewards.
Fail Conditions
There are two standard ways that heroes can fail a scenario, and some scenarios will have specific fail conditions.
- If all heroes are knocked out at any point during the scenario, they fail.
- Unless otherwise noted, if a scenario uses the round tracker and it has not been completed by the end of Round 12, the heroes fail.
Success
When a scenario is successfully completed, read the scenario resolution section in the scenario book and then follow the scenario conclusion steps on the final page of this rulebook. Scenario rewards will often vary based on how long it took you to complete the scenario and how well you met the scenario objectives. (Scenario rewards are explained in detail in the Character Progression section on page 21.)
RECORDING YOUR PROGRESS
- Record any XP and Fame gained.
- Record any Fruit you have on your hero sheet and return the tokens to the supply.
- Mark Wounds onto your hero sheet and return the Wound cards to the Wound deck.
- Return any used Items to the Desert Market bag, unless the Recharge cost is paid. (Scenario 4+, see page 23 for Recharging Item rules.)
- Mark any Path Advancements (Scenario 2+). Place your goal card face-up on the bottom of your goal deck.
Difficulty Modifiers
At the end of each scenario, the number of Wounds your group took may affect the difficulty of the next scenario. Consult the chart below, and make a note on your hero sheet if you will receive Citadel Aid or an enemy will receive a Mysterious Power at the beginning of the next scenario. (See page 29 for optional advanced difficulty rules.)
| Hero Count | Mysterious Power | Citadel Aid |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 or fewer Wounds* | 4 or more Wounds* or fail** |
| 3 | 2 or fewer Wounds* | 5 or more Wounds* or fail** |
| 4 | 3 or fewer Wounds* | 7 or more Wounds* or fail** |
Each knocked out hero at the end of the scenario counts as one extra Wound. *If you fail a scenario you automatically receive Citadel Aid.
Failing a Scenario
When you fail a scenario, as a group choose one of the following options:
SECOND ATTEMPT OF A SCENARIO
With a slightly dazzled mind you find yourself a few seconds before your most recent encounter. The Citadel Engineers must have jumped you back in time! You must attempt the most recent scenario again, but you have your memories to help guide you. You feel fresh and revitalized.
Discard all Wounds from your Nexus grid and do not mark your Wound track, your Fruit, or your Paths. Restore each hero to full health. Then restart the scenario with one Citadel Aid card. Each player draws a new goal card and discards their previous one.
PRESSING ON
Iran Toru paces in front of you, wringing his hands. "You were lucky we were able to get here in time to help," he exclaims. "You'll have to do better!"
Some play groups will want to keep advancing in the narrative rather than play a scenario more than once. To do so, follow the scenario book instructions as if you'd completed the scenario in 12 rounds, taking the lowest possible XP and Fruit rewards and gaining no Fame. Each player keeps a maximum of one Fruit, marks Wounds as normal, and advances one step in each Path. Start the next scenario with one Citadel Aid card.
Character Progression
Your hero progresses in several different ways throughout the game, including scenario rewards, XP, Path Advancements, Fame, and special rewards. You'll track this progress using your hero sheet.
Scenario Rewards
Rewards will vary from scenario to scenario. Here are some of the things heroes will potentially receive:
XP: Each scenario rewards players with XP, which stands for experience points and represents the knowledge they have gained. Rewards often vary based on how well the group completed the scenario. This is often affected by how long it took you to complete the scenario and the scenario objectives. Add any XP gained to your XP total on your hero sheet.
ACTION CARDS: Some scenarios will give players the option to add new action cards to their hero deck. Sometimes these cards will be free, and sometimes they will have an XP cost.
TRIM - A scenario may also give players the option to permanently remove action cards from their hero deck. Place removed action cards in a permanent discard bag in the game box. You may not trim Power cards. You may not trim Battle Scars unless explicitly stated in the rules.
POWER CARDS: Each hero starts the game with 1 Power card. At various points throughout the game you will acquire more Power cards. At the start of each scenario, select 1 of your Power cards and put it in the center space of your Nexus grid. Then choose Power cards equal to your Reserve Power Cards skill level and shuffle them into your hero deck.
FRUIT: Fruit that you record at the end of the scenario, and Fruit that you gain outside of a scenario, are considered Dried Fruit. Dried Fruit may only be used as currency in Naviri and to recharge items, and may not be used to heal or revive in future scenarios.
FAME: All heroes share the same Fame level. Heroes will gain Fame by completing scenarios and through narrative encounters in Naviri. As the group's Fame increases, they will get access to better tech from the Citadel Laboratories, and the ability to increase traits to the highest levels. Your Fame at the end of the campaign will determine how legendary your Tidal Blade has become.
Some spaces on the Fame track show an icon indicating Fruit, XP, or advancement in a Path of your choice. When the Fame marker reaches one of these spaces, all heroes gain 1 of the indicated reward. You may only gain each of these rewards one time, even if you lose Fame and then reach a reward again.
SKILLS: Skills are special abilities that are unlocked through Path Advancements. Heroes have two levels of skills that they can unlock (level 1 or level 2). When a new skill is gained, the player chooses one skill of the appropriate level to mark on their hero sheet.
Some skills are specific to one Path and may only be unlocked when a new skill is gained from advancing that Path.
Goals (Scenario 2+)
The goal cards represent your hero's personal motivations and aspirations. Each hero has two separate Paths that they are driven to excel in and which will lead them to develop and upgrade their character in distinct ways. Each goal card has two objectives, one from each Path. Each goal on a card shows the objective and the number of times it must be completed to achieve the goal.
Starting with Scenario 2, each player will draw a face-down goal card from their character's goal deck. If all the goal cards in your deck are face-up (meaning you've gone through the entire deck), shuffle them together to form a new face-down deck. At the end of the scenario, you will place your goal card face-up on the bottom of your goal deck.
You may complete either or both goals during a scenario by meeting the objectives the required number of times. The first time you meet an objective, place one of your goal tokens on the starting space on that goal. Each subsequent time, advance it by one, until it is at the bottom space. If your token reaches the bottom space, that goal is complete and at the end of the scenario you will gain advancements in the corresponding Path.
Path Advancement rewards will either be special cards for your hero, or the chance to unlock skills on your hero sheet. When you unlock a new card, look in the Hero Upgrade deck for a card with the corresponding number and add it to your deck. If you gain a skill, immediately check a skill of the corresponding level and Path type (see Skills above). If you reach the end of a Path, instead gain 1 XP for each advancement you would make on that Path.
Numbered call-outs on the goal card diagram: (1) Each goal card has two goals that highlight different aspects that motivate your character. (2) Each goal is associated with a Path. By completing goals, your character will advance a certain number of steps along that Path. (3) Each goal shows the number of times its condition must be met before it is completed. You can track the times the conditions are met by placing your goal token in the circled numbers. When your goal token reaches the greatest number, the goal is complete. (4) At the end of the scenario, if you have completed one goal, advance 3 spaces in that Path on your hero sheet. If you completed both goals, choose one Path to advance 3 spaces in, and one Path to advance 1 space in. Any heroes that are knocked out at the end of the scenario gain only 1 Path advancement for each completed goal. (5) As you advance on each Path, you will unlock special skills and unique Power and action cards for your character, which will help determine what sort of Tidal Blade you will be.
Items (Scenario 4+)
As Tidal Blades, you rely on your innate abilities and augment them with special items to prepare you to battle the fearsome monsters from the Fold. You've brought your own weapons, and the Citadel has outfitted you with the Nexus and a Shell Shield, but you can enhance your prowess further with items available from merchants in the Desert Market.
Acquiring Items
Items may be purchased in the Desert Market when you visit Naviri (starting after Scenario 3) and can also be gained from specific scenario rewards. All items cost 1 Fruit to purchase, but they have varying costs to recharge at the end of the scenario. Each hero may carry a maximum of 3 items. If a hero gains more than 3, they must immediately return the excess to the Desert Market bag. A hero may only have one of each item, and cannot gain a second copy of an item they already have.
Placement and Activation
Items are represented by tokens that are placed onto a space in your Nexus grid when you place a card. When placing an action card onto a grid space, you may choose to place one of your available items onto that card if the grid space does not already have an item. You may not place an item onto your starting Power card.
When a Nexus space with an item is activated, it gives its bonus to the card in that space, or to the action of the space if no card is present.
Once an item is added to a grid space, it will remain on that space until the end of the scenario. If the card in that space is discarded, the item is placed onto the Nexus grid, in the same space. When a card is played into a space containing an item, the card is placed underneath the item. However, if a Wound or Battle Scar is placed onto a space with an item, that item is discarded (returned to the Desert Market bag).
Only 1 item may be placed onto each Nexus grid space or action card.
ITEM ANATOMY: Item Name; Effect; Restriction (Cannot be chained); Recharge cost.
Example: Axl has two items in play: Hookberry Juice (Move 1) on his center space, and Guravi Nectar (Range 3) on his Fight or Flight card. When he activates his center space, he will get to perform a Move 1 action in addition to the rewards of the space (gain Spirit and Focus). When he plays a new card to that space, it will go beneath the Hookberry Juice, and gain the Move 1 action. When he activates his Fight or Flight card, he will choose which action to perform. If he chooses the Attack action, the Guravi Nectar will change it to a Range 3 attack. If he chooses the Move action, the Guravi Nectar will have no effect. Since the Guravi Nectar has a Cannot be chained restriction, the Attack action can only be performed as a single uncombinable attack.
For details on each item, see the item list on page 32.
Discarding and Recharging
At the end of the scenario, if an item was used, it must be recharged or discarded. Whenever an item is discarded, return it to the Desert Market bag.
To recharge an item, you must pay Fruit equal to the recharge cost (green icons) under the item image. Each level of the Item Recharge Points skill on your hero sheet grants one point to spend as if it were Fruit when recharging items. Any Recharge Points not spent will be lost.
Items without a recharge cost may not be recharged.
Naviri
Naviri is the grand island city and the surrounding areas near the Fold. Between certain scenarios (starting after Scenario 3), players will have the opportunity to explore Naviri: purchasing items at the Desert Market, enhancing their traits at the Citadel, and having encounters with the residents of Naviri. Each time you visit Naviri, you will have three days which you can spend doing various activities.
Setup
Place the Naviri map (A1, B1) in the center of the table. Have the Naviri Encounter Cards, Desert Market bag, the Bronze, Silver, and Gold action decks, and the Quantum Reservoir ability upgrades nearby.
NAVIRI GUIDE: Each time you visit Naviri, the hero with the fewest Path Advancements becomes the Guide. In case of a tie, the Guide is the youngest player. They have priority when resolving actions and breaking ties in Naviri.
A NAVIRI DAY: First, prepare the Desert Market and the Citadel Research Lab by following their Start of Day instructions. During each day you will complete these steps in order:
- NAVIRI ENCOUNTER - Draw a Naviri Encounter card and choose how to resolve it as a group. The Guide breaks ties. Then place the Naviri Encounter card into a permanent discard bag.
- CHOOSE LOCATIONS - Starting with the Guide and continuing clockwise, players place their hero on the location of their choice.
- RESOLVE ACTIONS - Perform the actions of the location visited. If more than one hero is at a location, actions are resolved in clockwise order starting with the Guide.
Any number of players may choose the same location, and players are rewarded if they visit a location together. After completing the actions for the first day, repeat the process for each additional day you have in Naviri. You may visit the same location multiple times during the same Naviri session. Players are encouraged to discuss options and act collaboratively when choosing locations and gaining rewards!
SHARING RESOURCES: Players may freely give Fruit to other players while in Naviri. However, they may not give XP.
Encounters
As famous Tidal Blades, you are easily recognized and as you travel through Naviri you will meet all sorts of people and situations. When you draw an Encounter card, read the front out aloud and collectively choose which of the two choices you would like to take. If players cannot agree on which option to choose, it is decided by majority, with the Guide breaking ties. Once you have agreed on your course of action, flip the card and read the resolution for the option you chose.
Each time you visit Naviri, shuffle the unused Naviri Encounter cards to form a deck. Place all used Naviri Encounter cards in a permanent discard bag in the game box after your Naviri visit.
Location Guide
When you visit Naviri you have several options of how to spend your days:
DESERT MARKET
- START OF DAY: Draw 3 items.
- WHEN VISITED: For each hero who visits, draw 1 extra item.
- ACTION: Purchase up to 2 items by spending 1 Fruit per item. (Green dots on the items indicate the cost to recharge the item once it has been used.)
- REPLENISH: For each item purchased, draw a new item before the next player's turn.
- END OF DAY: Return all items to the Desert Market bag.
TEMPLE OF THE BREAKING WAVE
- ACTION: Gain 1 XP. Each hero at the Temple rolls one attack die. If at least one Tide is rolled among all players, all heroes at the Temple gain +1 XP.
- THEN: Each hero may spend 2 Fruit to gain 2 XP once per visit.
CITADEL RESEARCH LAB
- START OF DAY: Draw 4 cards from the highest unlocked deck (Bronze, Silver, Gold), according to the heroes' Fame level.
- WHEN VISITED: Each hero who visits the Citadel Research Lab draws 1 additional card from any unlocked deck.
- ACTION: Purchase 1 of the revealed cards by spending the XP amount shown in the bottom left corner.
- END OF DAY: Place unchosen action cards on the bottom of their respective decks.
FLOATING GARDENS
- ACTION: Gain 1 Fruit. Each hero at the Floating Gardens rolls one attack die. If at least one Focus is rolled among all players, all heroes at the Floating Gardens gain +1 Fruit.
- THEN: Each hero may trim 1 action card, permanently removing it from their hero deck, or spend 3 XP to remove 1 Battle Scar from their hero deck, returning it to the Battle Scar deck.
MEDITATION SPRING
ACTION: Level up 1 trait on your hero sheet by spending the XP shown at the top of the column you are leveling up to. Level ups cost 1 XP less if at least 1 other player is at the Meditation Spring. Silver and Gold trait levels are only available once you have reached that level of Fame.
- SPIRIT: Increase your maximum Spirit. (3rd and 5th level increase your starting Spirit).
- FOCUS: Increase your maximum Focus. (3rd and 5th level increase your starting Focus).
- RESILIENCE: Increase each health track by 1.
- SYNERGY: Upgrade your Quantum Reservoir with a new ability. The level of an upgrade is marked on the back. When you level up your Synergy trait to the 2nd and 3rd level, gain any one of the Lvl 2+ Quantum upgrade tiles. When you level up your Synergy trait to the 4th and 5th level, gain any one of the Lvl 2+ or Lvl 4+ Quantum upgrade tiles. You may have a maximum of 4 upgrades on your Quantum Reservoir. Whenever you visit the Meditation Spring, you may also choose to swap out any of your previous Quantum upgrade tiles for ones of the same level. A hero may not have multiples of the same Quantum upgrades.
Trait Level Up Example
During his time at Naviri, Caiman decides to visit the Meditation Spring. He will be advancing Resilience to the 3rd level, so it will cost him 9 XP. He fills in the 3rd circle of his Resilience trait on his hero sheet. In doing so, his maximum HP in each row increases to 9, so he moves the 3 Resilience trait blockers to the 10th space.
Enemy Info
Boss Enemies (Scenario 3+)
ALWAYS ACTIVE: Boss enemies will always move and then attempt to attack. If they are unable to attack, they will perform the special action listed on the bottom of their card after they have performed all other actions.
MANEUVERS: Boss enemy action cards are double sided and feature a special Maneuver they will perform on the back. When a new action card is flipped, the Maneuver effect showing on the top of the boss deck becomes active. Maneuvers can happen when revealed, during the round, or at the end of the round. Maneuvers that happen when revealed are resolved immediately after the boss' Initiative is adjusted.
INITIATIVE: Bosses will adjust their Initiative using the modifier on top of their Initiative card.
UNPREDICTABLE: Bosses will shuffle their action deck when they have only 1 card remaining.
BOSS HEALTH: Many bosses have health based on the number of players. If needed, they will use multiple rows on one Enemy Health Track. When defeated, bosses drop 1 enemy reward in each hex they occupied.
FLANKING: Heroes are able to flank a giant boss (3 hex base) if they are on opposite sides of one hexagonal section of the boss.
ROTATING: Giant bosses (that occupy 3 hexes) may use 1 rotate action to rotate around one of the hexes they occupy, moving their other points to new hexes. They cannot move through hero hexes and must always rotate or move into 3 hexes that are unoccupied by heroes.
Status Tokens
Status tokens represent negative effects inflicted by enemy attacks, scenario effects, or overexertion. Status tokens are placed onto action cards and apply a negative effect when that card is activated.
Statuses stay on their card until the card is discarded, you choose to skip activating the card, or you use a special ability or effect to discard them.
STATUS PLACEMENT: When you gain a Status token, place it on an action card in your grid.
- Only one Status may be placed on each card.
- If a Status cannot be placed for any reason, lose 2 health. This includes if there are no more of that Status in the supply.
- Statuses cannot be placed on Wounds or Battle Scars.
- Statuses that affect a specific action type do not have any impact on other types of actions on that card.
- If you receive multiple Statuses at a time, place them in any order.
- Flatfooted and Disarm must be placed on a card they will affect. (One with a matching action of strength 2 or higher.)
REMOVING STATUSES: When you remove a Status, return it to the supply.
- Instead of activating a card, you may remove a Status token on it.
- When a card is discarded, remove any Status tokens on it.
- Some abilities can remove Statuses.
- When you are knocked out, remove all Statuses.
STATUS TOKEN DETAILS
- STUN: You must pay 1 Focus to activate the card.
- DRAIN: You must uncharge 1 shell from your Shield or Quantum Reservoir to activate the card.
- DISARM: This action's attack value is reduced to 1. Place on the highest value attack card in your Nexus grid. Does not alter the Chain, Range, or Target abilities of attacks.
- FLATFOOTED: This action's movement value is reduced to 1. Place on the highest value movement card in your Nexus grid.
- POISON: Each time a card with a Poison Status is activated, lose 1 health for each Poison Status on your Nexus grid.
Enemy Placement
ADDING ENEMY GROUPS: When you add an enemy that does not have any figures on the map (and is not Relentless), place its Initiative token on the Initiative track to the right of any tokens on its starting level and follow the enemy setup rules. If a new enemy group is added mid-round, also reveal its top action card and immediately apply its Initiative modifier. Enemies that are added mid-round will only act during the current round if their Initiative token is after the currently active Initiative token.
SPAWNED ENEMIES: Some enemies have the ability to spawn more of their own type. Enemies spawned this way appear at the end of that enemy step, and thus do not act this round. (For more details on spawning enemies, see Abilities on page 33.)
DEFEATING AN ENEMY GROUP: If there are no remaining enemy figures of a type, remove their Initiative token from the Initiative track and shuffle their discarded action cards into their deck. Do not do this for enemies with the Relentless ability — they are always considered to be in play.
If the enemy is re-introduced, follow the steps for adding a new enemy group.
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF ENEMIES: There are a limited number of enemies of each type (standard is 4 or 6). If additional enemies would be added, but there are not enough figures, they are not added. If multiple enemies would be added, but there are not enough figures, place any Mutants first. Start with the enemies that appear closest to any hero.
If a figure would be added into a hex where there is already a figure, place it into the first open adjacent hex clockwise from north (top of the map).
ENEMY HEALING: Enemies may heal past their starting health. Standard (non-boss) enemies have a maximum of 20 health total. The enemy health trackers have +10 printed on one side. This is used for enemies that gain more than 10 health, or start with more than 10 health. When an enemy with a health tracker on the 10+ side is reduced to 0, flip the health tracker and place it on the 10 space.
Tides
Each Tide symbol rolled will trigger Tide abilities. This is true for both heroes and enemies.
Example: Seahounds have an ability that says Tide: Flatfooted. Each Tide symbol they roll will give the targeted hero a Flatfooted Status. If they also have Advantage, each Tide symbol rolled would give the Status and deal +1 damage.
Additional Game Concepts
Advantage and Disadvantage
If you gain Advantage and Disadvantage against the same target, count how many instances of each you have. If you have equal instances of each, they cancel out, and you have neither. If you have more of one than the other, you are considered to have that condition.
For example, Caiman gains Advantage from flanking and again from one of his Power cards, but gains Disadvantage for making a ranged attack on an adjacent target. He has Advantage against that target.
Having Advantage or Disadvantage more than once against a specific target has no additional effect. For example if you already have Advantage and gain it again, you do not have "double Advantage".
Empty-Handed Heroes
If you have no cards in your hand at the start of the round, you must play the top card of your deck as your Initiative card. You will then add it to your Nexus grid during your turn as normal. If a Battle Scar is drawn this way, play it as your Initiative card.
Full Grid
If there are no empty spaces on your grid, and you must place a card, discard one action card from your grid before placing your card.
Narrative Tokens and Doors
Some scenarios will have hexes with Narrative tokens which represent new events unfolding when the heroes reach that hex in the scenario. The scenario will give you instructions on how to trigger the Narrative token. Read the corresponding section in the scenario book and follow any instructions. Then you may continue from where you left off.
Terrain
In general, figures may move onto any hex that is present on the map, with a few exceptions:
- Impassable hexes have a thick outline, cannot be moved into, and block line-of-sight. In the scenario book, impassable hexes are outlined in red.
- Gap hexes have incomplete hex outlines, and prevent movement like obstacles, but do not block line-of-sight for ranged attacks. They may be jumped over when specified in the scenario.
Dru
Place Dru on his card at the start of the scenario. Dru is Sagashi's companion, and Sagashi may deploy him to move, flank, and sometimes attack enemies.
MOVEMENT
- Deploy: On his turn, Sagashi may spend 1 action to place Dru in an adjacent unoccupied hex. Sagashi may deploy Dru from his card or from the map.
- Sagashi may split each Move action between Dru and himself. For instance, if Sagashi has a Move 3 action, he may move Dru 2 hexes, and himself 1 hex.
- Sagashi may Interact from anywhere to give Dru a Move 2 action.
- Dru ignores terrain as if he had Flight, and may move through enemies and over gap hexes.
- Dru cannot Interact, and cannot pick up Fruit, Spirit, or Focus.
COMBAT
- Dru can flank with any hero.
- Dru does not attack unless stated by a card or action.
- Dru shares Sagashi's Initiative.
- Enemies have Disadvantage against Dru. Note that this means they will not target Dru if there is a better target in range.
DAMAGE
- Dru is Armored 1. (See Abilities on page 33.)
- When Dru would take damage after applying Armor, instead return Dru's figure to his card. Sagashi takes the excess damage, but may defend with his Shell Shield.
- If an attack would target both Sagashi and Dru, it may only target Sagashi.
- If Dru would lose health from an effect, return his figure to his card and Sagashi loses that health.
- If Dru would gain a Status, instead return him to his card.
OTHER DRU RULES
- Dru cannot gain resources — Fruit, Spirit, or Focus.
- Enemies may move through Dru's hex.
- If Sagashi is knocked out, return Dru to his card.
- Dru does not count as a hero.
Jumping (Scenario 5+)
In certain scenarios you will be able to use your move actions to attempt jumps. This ability is only available if listed in the scenario instructions. In these scenarios, you may chain move actions together, in the same manner as you would chain attacks.
MAKING A JUMP
- You may jump at the start of, or during, any move action.
- Choose an unblocked path to a destination hex within reach of your remaining movement. The jump distance is the distance to reach the destination hex along that path.
- Roll hero dice equal to wind strength + jump distance. The wind strength will be defined by the scenario.
- Each Tide rolled reduces your remaining movement by 1.
JUMP RESULT
- Move your remaining movement along the chosen path. If you successfully reach your destination, you may continue moving with any remaining movement.
- You may spend Spirit to add to your movement after rolling.
- If your movement is reduced below 1, you do not move.
- If you do not reach your destination, even after spending Spirit, your move ends and your figure remains in the hex that it moved to.
Persistent Difficulty (Optional)
With this option, instead of only paying attention to the previous scenario, the game will change difficulty based on all previous scenarios. To begin using Persistent Difficulty, choose your starting difficulty level from -2 (easier) to +2 (harder). A starting difficulty of 0 is standard.
At the start of each scenario, you will draw difficulty modifier cards based on your difficulty level. Draw a number of cards equal to your difficulty level (ignore negative and positive), then:
- If it's negative, apply the Citadel Aid effect from each.
- If it's positive, apply one Mysterious Power to each non-boss enemy in the order they are listed in the scenario book (starting from left to right, and top to bottom), until all Mysterious Powers are applied. If each enemy has a Mysterious Power, begin again with the first enemy.
- Each enemy has a limit of 2 Mysterious Power cards. For each card that cannot be applied, each hero loses one health.
- At the end of each scenario, refer to the Difficulty Table on page 20. If you would receive a Mysterious Power, adjust your difficulty level by +1. If you would receive Citadel Aid, adjust your difficulty level by -1. The maximum difficulty level is 4 in either direction.
Adding Heroes to the Group
Use this chart to quickly upgrade a hero to the appropriate scenario when they join the group. Replace any X with your hero's first initial. The action cards column is cumulative; gain all cards listed up to the current scenario. When gaining Bronze, Silver, and Gold cards, or items, draw 3 and keep 1. All new heroes added may check the first square of the Reserve Power Cards skill.
| Scenario | Action Cards (Cumulative) | Trait Level Up | Path Advancements | Items | XP | Fruit | Battle Scars | Trim |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | X14 | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - |
| 3 | Choose 2 between X15, X16, and X17 | - | Advance 3 in one Path | - | 2 | - | - | - |
| 4-6 | TX1 or TX2 + 1 Bronze | 1 | Advance 6 in one Path, 1 in other | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 7-8 | 1 Bronze | 2 | Advance 15 in one Path, 6 in other | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 9-10 | T8 or M8 + 1 Silver | 3 | Advance 18 in one Path, 7 in other | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 11-12 | 1 Silver | 4 | Advance 21 in one Path, 11 in other | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 13-15 | 1 Gold | 5 | Advance 24 in one Path, 13 in other | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 16-18 | 1 Gold + Reward card from Interlude 6 | 6 | Advance 30 in one Path, 16 in other | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
Solo Mode
This mode allows you to control a second Tidal Blade with streamlined rules and a smaller Nexus grid, making the experience more straightforward and easier to manage. This mode allows solo players to experience the same game play as larger player counts, without the complexity of running two full heroes. Your ally will maneuver, attack, and grow in power throughout the campaign and you can switch between your primary hero and ally during the campaign.
Alternatively, you may play two-handed, with two full characters and following all standard rules.
Solo Mode Setup
- Choose 2 heroes that you will use during the game.
- Take a standard Nexus grid for your Leader (your primary hero).
- Take an Ally board (on the back of a standard grid) for your Ally.
- The Ally does not use goal cards.
- Otherwise, follow all standard setup and rules for both heroes as if it was a 2-player game.
Ally Hero Set-Up
The Ally uses a simplified Nexus grid with only 3 spaces. These offer slightly stronger actions than the standard grid to compensate for the reduced choices.
At the start of the scenario, the Ally places 1 Power card into the Persistent Power card space on the bottom left of their Ally board. The Ally gains the Persistent Power from the card in this space, but not the actions.
Ally Rules
INITIATIVE: At the start of the round, choose 1 card from the Ally's hand and place it in the Initiative space. Reveal and resolve Initiative as normal.
ACTIONS: On the Ally's turn, place the card in an open space on the Ally grid and resolve all actions.
CLEARING: At the end of the turn, if all spaces are full, clear all cards following normal clearing rules.
POWER CARDS: When a Power card is cleared, you may place it into the Persistent Power space, discarding the current Power card, if there was one there already. Alternately, you may choose to discard the newly cleared Power card and keep the current one.
WOUNDS: Each time the Ally hero is wounded, place a Wound card in the Wound space at the bottom right of their Nexus. It has no effect in the scenario, but each card there will add a Wound to the Ally's hero sheet at the end of the scenario.
BATTLE SCARS: When the Ally draws a Battle Scar, immediately place it into an open space of their grid. It will stay there until their Nexus grid is cleared. If the drawn Battle Scar is placed in the last empty space in their Nexus grid, discard the other two cards on their grid immediately.
STATUSES: The ally does not lose life if they cannot place a Status.
End of Scenario (Solo Mode)
The Ally gains XP, cards, and upgrades like any hero.
Starting in Scenario 2, at the end of the scenario, the Ally gains 2 advancements on each Path unless they are knocked out. If the Ally is knocked out, they gain 2 advancements on the Path of your choice.
The Ally marks Wounds and gains Battle Scars like a hero. You may alternate between which hero is your Leader and which is the Ally between scenarios.
When you visit Naviri, both the Ally and Leader will gain rewards from Naviri Encounters. The Ally and the Leader may visit the same or different locations each day in Naviri.
Additional Allies
It is possible to play with multiple Allies. To do so, simply follow the Ally rules for the 2-3 Ally heroes, and follow the scenario setup and rules for a standard 3 or 4 player game.
In a multiplayer game with less than 4 players, one or more heroes may play with an Ally if the group agrees and there are sufficient Nexus grids (max 4).
Arena Mode (Scenario 8+)
Once you have completed Scenario 8, the Arena Mode is unlocked. You may now Train in the Chronosseum as well as play Capture the Crab.
Train in the Chronosseum
When you visit Naviri, if the entire group agrees, you may spend one day to Train in the Chronosseum. If you do, you will gain 2 XP. If you win, each hero will gain 1 Fruit for each point between your score and the opposing team's score. You will not gain the other scenario rewards. You may also choose to play this mode for fun and not use a Naviri day or gain rewards.
Capture the Crab
Capture the Crab is a player-vs-player mode for Tidal Blades 2, where each hero is trying to pick up a Crab and deposit it in the center ring while fighting off enemies and other Tidal Blades. Capture the Crab happens outside of the normal game and is for fun only.
SETUP (USING THE SETUP MAP FROM SCENARIO 8):
- Place the heroes on the starting hexes in Initiative order.
- Place the Crab at a random Point of Interest. Use a Coralbug or Mudcrab figure to represent the Crab.
- Choose and set up one enemy that you have already faced in a scenario. Place one figure on each empty Point of Interest and set the others aside. (We recommend Seahounds for your first play.)
- Place the blue D10 in easy reach.
- Place the Trophy token next to the map.
- Each hero takes a purple D10 to track Victory Points (VP).
RULES
Use all rules from Scenario 8 (See page 48 in scenario book), except:
- There are no Sparring Partners or Trainers.
- All other heroes are considered enemies in this mode. They are not considered heroes for other player's card effects and abilities.
- Use Scoring rules from this page.
- Use the Knock Down rules from Scenario 8 with these changes:
- The knocked down hero loses 1 VP (minimum 0).
- Place their figure at an empty Point of Interest of their choice. If they Fast Refresh, place them at a random Point of Interest.
- To determine a random Point of Interest, roll the blue D10: 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10 correspond to the four Points of Interest; reroll on any other result.
SCORING
- Drop the Crab on the central hex: 2 VP.
- Defeat an enemy: 1 VP.
- Gain the Trophy: 1 VP.
- Get knocked down: -1 VP.
- Champion at game end: Wins Ties.
At the start of the game, players choose the length of the game: 6 VP - Short Game, 8 VP - Standard Game, 10 VP - Long Game.
At the end of the round, if at least one player has that many points, the scenario ends and the player with the most points is the winner.
THE CRAB
CRAB MOVEMENT: At the start of each round, if the Crab is not held, roll for a Point of Interest. The Crab moves 2 hexes towards that Point of Interest.
GRABBING THE CRAB: An adjacent player may use an Interact action to pick up the Crab. They place the Crab onto an empty space on their Nexus grid. The Crab space may not be played to or activated. If the player holding the Crab takes damage, they drop the Crab unless they spend one Focus.
DROPPING THE CRAB: If a player moves onto a Point of Interest they drop off any Crabs they are holding and gain 2 VP. Then, if there are no Crabs on the map, roll for a Point of Interest and place one Crab there. Place a second Crab on the next Point of Interest (B-D) in clockwise order. If the Crab is dropped anywhere else, it moves 3 towards a random Point of Interest.
TROPHY AND CHAMPION
The hero who has the Trophy is the Champion. When a hero knocks down the Champion, they gain the Trophy. If there is no Champion, when a hero knocks down any other hero, they gain the Trophy. If an enemy knocks down the Champion, place the Trophy next to the play area.
When a player gains the Trophy, they place it onto an empty space on their Nexus grid. The Trophy space may not be played to or activated. They keep the Trophy until they are knocked down.
ENEMY SPAWNING: If the chosen enemy does not have a spawn ability, spawn one at the end of the enemy group's turn if there are 2 or less enemies on the map. Enemies spawn on one of the Points of Interest determined randomly by a die roll.
Item Reference
- MERON FRUIT: Heal 1 (you or an adjacent hero).
- BIORB: You may make a free reroll for each attack on this card.*
- MICHRONIC BOOSTER: Move 1 shell to your Shield.
- TUSK LIQUOR / SMOOTHIE: Gain 1 Focus / Spirit.
- HOOKBERRY JUICE: Move 1 or add 1 to a Move action.
- SHARPENING OIL: Each attack on this card gains 1 bonus die.*
- KUFI SEEDS: Move 1 shell to your Quantum Reservoir.
- BOTTLED FUMES: Each attack on this card gains Advantage.*
- GURAVI NECTAR: Each attack on this card has range 3, replacing any previous range, and loses Chain.*
- COZIN POWDER: Each attack on this card gains +1 target and loses Chain.*
- LOOPER: Add the Mutant Danger die to each attack on this card.*
- TELEPORTER: Place your hero adjacent to another hero.
* These items also affect attack actions on grid spaces, such as the attack space on the Solo board. If there is no attack on the card/space they are on, they have no effect.
Quantum Reservoir Upgrades Reference
STARTING ABILITIES
- REROLL: Reroll any amount of dice on one roll. This applies to hero, enemy, and other rolls. May be granted to another hero.
- ENERGY BOOST: Gain one Spirit and one Focus.
SYNERGY LEVEL 2+
- NEXUS CLEANSE: Discard one Status token from any hero's grid.
- VITALITY BOOSTER: Choose a hero to gain 2 health.
- QUANTUM BLADE: Add one die to an attack roll. This may be added to your or another hero's attack before they roll.
- PROBABILITY HACK: Allow yourself or any other hero to reroll 1 hero die.
- REALITY BLINKER: Once on your turn, move any hero one hex (with their permission).
- SHELL CYCLER: One hero activates their Shield as normal to block, but does not remove any shells from their Shield.
- TEMPORAL FLEX: Add +1 or -1 to the Initiative modifier on your Initiative card. You may only do this once per turn during your Initiative Reveal.
SYNERGY LEVEL 4+
- BLADE BOOST: All heroes gain 1 bonus die for one attack this round. Unused dice are lost at the end of the round.
- TARGETING GOGGLES: This is equivalent to spending a Focus to boost a die. May be used only once per attack, and only on attacks you make.
- RESTORATIVE PULSE: All heroes in range 3 gain 2 health. This includes you.
- MICHRONIC LURE: Choose an enemy. If the enemy is able to attack you they will prioritize targeting you over all other heroes. If they cannot attack you, they will follow the standard targeting rules.
- REWIND: You or any hero of your choice swaps their Initiative card with a card from their hand. You may activate this ability before or after the Initiative card is revealed and Initiative is adjusted.
- MICHRONIC CORE: Move 1 shell to your Quantum Reservoir. This is a free action that happens at the start of each of your turns. The gained shell may come from your Shield or Uncharged Area.
- NEXUS BURST: All adjacent figures lose 2 health. This includes heroes and enemies. It may only be activated once per round.
Abilities Reference
ACTIVATED ABILITIES are only active when their icon is shown on the action card. INNATE ABILITIES are always in effect. The gold icon on the action cards is a reminder of these abilities.
- ARMORED: Damage that would be dealt to an armored enemy is reduced by 1 for each Armor. Loss of health is not blocked by Armor.
- BOMB: Place a bomb adjacent to the closest hero (unless specified), between that hero and the enemy if possible.
- PIERCE: Damage from Pierce attacks may not be reduced by Armor or Shell Shields.
- PULL: If a target is damaged, it is pulled adjacent to the attacker by the shortest path.
- RETREAT: After attacking, the enemy moves in the opposite direction of its attack, in a straight line, up to the value of its retreat action. If a hex is blocked it will stop retreating. If multiple directions are possible (e.g. bosses) it chooses the one that allows it to retreat the furthest.
- SPAWN: At the end of the enemy group's turn, place a new enemy onto the indicated spawn token, or as close as possible if it is occupied. Ignore if all enemy figures of that type are in use. Enemies do not act the turn they spawn. If the ability says Spawn Mutant, place a Mutant enemy onto the indicated spawn token. Some spawn abilities only happen at certain player counts (3+ or 4). These are in addition to other spawns already indicated on the card. (Icons: "3+" spawns with 3+ players; "4" spawns with 4 players; a lettered token indicates which spawn token to use.)
- BLIND: Enemies that are Blind will target the fastest hero in Initiative order that they have an open path to. They will ignore all other heroes, even if they are unable to make an attack.
- CRYSTALLIZE: Enemies that can Crystallize are Armored 2 for each Crystal with 6+ health on the map.
- DEFENSIVE: Enemies that are Defensive will inflict 1 damage for each Tide symbol the hero rolled.
- DOMINATE: Enemies that Dominate force heroes at faster Initiative to attack at Disadvantage.
- ETHEREAL: Enemies with Ethereal are able to move through objects, walls, and heroes. Impassable terrain does not block their movements. Ethereal enemies may not end their movement on impassable terrain.
- FLIGHT: Enemies with Flight are able to move through and end their turn in gap hexes. They can move through hexes occupied by other figures, as long as they end their movement in an unoccupied hex. If an enemy with Flight is defeated on a gap hex, place their rewards on the closest unoccupied non-gap hex where there are no figures.
- GRAPPLE: Enemies with Grapple prohibit adjacent heroes from moving unless the enemy has been damaged that round.
- HAYWIRE: Enemies with Haywire consider both heroes and other enemies to be valid targets.
- LEADER: The Leader ability allows all allies in range 2 to gain 1 bonus die on all attacks.
- REACH: Ranged attacks with Reach do not suffer Disadvantage when targeting adjacent enemies.
- RECOIL: An enemy with Recoil will not target the last figure that damaged it with a melee attack this round.
- REGENERATION: When knocked out, enemies with Regeneration will move to fastest Initiative and regain 15 health.
- RELENTLESS: Enemies with the Relentless ability are never removed from the Initiative track, and always reveal an action card during their Initiative Reveal.
- TERRITORIAL: Territorial enemies will only move towards heroes if they are able to make an attack that turn. If they are unable to make an attack and when they Retreat, they will move towards the nearest thing (Nest, Starting space, Platform, etc.) that they are territorial to.
- TRAMPLE: Enemies with Trample will move through figures in their path, making them lose 2 health.
- WARDED: Enemies that are Warded prohibit heroes from using their Focus to boost dice against them.
Glossary
- ACTION CARD: Cards that make up the enemy and hero decks. Power cards count as action cards, but Battle Scars and Wounds do not.
- ACTIVATE A CARD: Using the actions on a card in any order.
- ADJACENT CARD: A card that is orthogonally adjacent on your Nexus grid.
- ADVANTAGE: Each Tide rolled deals 1 damage. Gained by flanking or abilities.
- ALL HEROES: When an ability affects all heroes, it includes the hero activating the ability. When it affects all other heroes, the current hero is excluded.
- ALLIED: Enemies are allied with other enemies, heroes are allied with other heroes and Dru.
- BATTLE SCAR: Cards in your deck that reflect ongoing wounds. Does not count as an action card (even though it has actions on it). Must be played when drawn, unless it is drawn as part of a Scan action or skill.
- BLOCK/DEFEND: To use the Shell Shield to block 1 damage for each shell on the Shield. After defending, uncharge one shell from the Shield.
- BOLSTER: Add a die to your next attack this round.
- BONUS OBJECTIVES: Scenario tasks that are not required to complete the scenario.
- BOOST: Count each Focus symbol on a single die as damage.
- BOSS: A unique enemy, denoted in the scenario book as a boss.
- CHAIN: An ability that allows multiple attacks to be combined. All attacks must have Chain. If an item with Cannot be chained is played, the attack cannot be chained.
- CITADEL AID: A boost in the next scenario for groups that were heavily wounded. Half of a difficulty modifier card.
- CLEAR: To discard all of the cards in a line of your Nexus. Usually happens when a full line is activated. When you clear a line you may also Nexus Refresh, discarding any number of cards from your hand.
- DAMAGE: The amount of health that an attack threatens to deal. Damage may be blocked by Armor or Shell Shields.
- DANGER DIE: The die rolled to determine enemy damage. Standard - Purple, Mutant - Yellow.
- DEFEAT: To reduce an enemy figure to zero health.
- DEFEAT AN ENEMY GROUP: When you remove the last figure of an enemy type from the map, remove their Initiative token from the Initiative track and shuffle their discarded action cards into their deck. (Do not do this if they have Relentless.)
- DISADVANTAGE: Each Tide rolled reduces damage by 1. Gained when making a ranged attack on adjacent figures or from abilities.
- DISCARD: Put the card from the specified zone (hand, Nexus grid, etc.) into your discard pile.
- DIFFICULTY MODIFIER: A penalty or bonus applied to the next scenario based on how many Wounds the heroes took during a scenario.
- DRIED FRUIT: Fruit marked on your hero sheet. Used to recharge, and purchase items in Naviri. Cannot be used to heal in scenarios.
- ENEMY: Any figure that the hero is fighting against, including enemies, NPCs, bosses, and sometimes other players.
- FAIL: Not completing scenario objectives in the given amount of rounds. You also fail a scenario if all heroes are knocked out.
- FAME: The heroes' reputation in Naviri. Higher fame unlocks more powerful upgrades.
- FASTEST/SLOWEST: The highest and lowest on the Initiative track, respectively (not counting fixed Initiatives).
- FIGURE: The physical representation (standee or mini) of a character (enemy, hero, etc.) on the map.
- FIXED INITIATIVE: Initiative tokens that do not move, and are ignored when moving other Initiative tokens, and when determining Fastest or Slowest Initiatives.
- FLANKING: When two allied figures are on opposite sides of a target. In a game with only two heroes, they gain flanking when they are adjacent to the enemy but not each other.
- FOCUS BOOST: Spend 1 Focus to make each Focus symbol showing on one die deal 1 damage.
- FREE ACTIONS: Actions that players may perform any time on their own turn, even between two actions on the same card.
- FRUIT: Delicious food with healing properties when gathered in scenario, and valuable as currency if saved.
- GAP HEX: Blocks all movement except Flight, but not line-of-sight. May be jumped over in certain scenarios. Marked with dotted lines in the scenario map setup.
- GOAL CARD: A card with two objectives that the hero is attempting to complete. Each must be done a certain number of times.
- HAND SIZE: The number of cards a player starts with, and draws up to at the end of their turn. Standard hand size is 4 cards. Players do not have to discard excess cards.
- HEAL: Regain lost health. Enemies may exceed their starting health, but heroes and NPCs may not.
- HEALTH: A figure's life force. If reduced to zero, the figure is defeated or knocked out.
- HERO: A player character.
- HERO DECK: Comprised of action cards, Power cards, and Battle Scars.
- HERO ATTACK DICE: The dark-blue six-sided dice used to determine the outcome of hero attacks (and occasionally other actions).
- HEX: One space on the map.
- HITS: The number of hit symbols rolled on attack dice, plus any on cards. Each hit deals one damage.
- IMPASSABLE HEX: Blocks movement and line-of-sight. Outlined in solid red in the scenario map setup.
- INITIATIVE: The turn order for the round.
- INITIATIVE REVEAL: The step when a hero or enemy group reveals their action card for the round, adjusts their Initiative, and then resolves any of their own abilities that happen during Initiative Reveal.
- INNATE ABILITIES: Powers that are always in effect.
- INTERACT: A free action that you may perform once per turn that allows you to pick up an adjacent resource, give a resource to an adjacent hero, revive a hero, or have a scenario specific Interaction.
- ITEM: These powerful objects are used to augment actions from Nexus spaces and Action cards. When you place a card into your Nexus, you may place one available item onto it.
- JUMPING: A type of movement. Only possible when specified in the scenario.
- KNOCKED OUT: When a hero is reduced to zero health.
- LINE-OF-SIGHT: To make a ranged attack or target with some special abilities, the figure taking the action must have line-of-sight. To have line-of-sight you must be able to draw a straight line between a point of the active figure's hex and the same point of the target's hex without crossing any impassable barriers.
- LOSE HEALTH: Effects that cause heroes or enemies to lose health cannot be blocked by the Shell Shield or Armor.
- MELEE ATTACK: Attack action with no range icon. Melee attacks are always made from an adjacent hex.
- MUTANT: Tougher enemies, identified by the Mutant symbol on the scenario map setup. They start with increased health and roll the Mutant Danger die when attacking.
- MYSTERIOUS POWER: Bonus gained by an enemy from difficulty modifiers.
- NARRATIVE TOKEN: Used in scenarios to denote hexes that advance the narrative.
- NAVIRI: The central city that the Tidal Blades are defending. Between some scenarios, you will have 3 days in Naviri to spend visiting different locations and upgrading your hero.
- NAVIRI GUIDE: The hero with the fewest Path Advancements is the Naviri guide. The guide breaks ties and acts first if needed.
- NEXUS GRID: The 3x3 grid where action cards are played and activated.
- NEXUS GRID SPACE: One of the 9 spaces on a hero's Nexus grid. Each space has an action that may be activated if no card is present.
- OBJECTIVES: To complete a scenario, the objectives must be met. Bonus objectives are optional, but will grant extra rewards.
- PATHS: Each hero has two Paths that can be advanced by completing goal cards. Each Path unlocks specific cards and skills.
- PERMANENT DISCARD: Section of the game box (it can be a simple plastic bag) where removed cards are stored during a campaign.
- PIERCE: Damage from Pierce attacks may not be reduced by Armor or Shell Shields.
- POINT OF INTEREST: Tokens that indicate scenario specific objects, locations, etc.
- POWER CARD: Type of action card that grants a Persistent Power that is active at all times, even if the card is not activated.
- QUANTUM RESERVOIR: Area of the Shell Shield that unused charged shells move to. Shells here can be spent to activate Quantum abilities.
- RANGED ATTACK: Attack action with the range icon. Range icon indicates the number of hexes that the attack can be made from. Ranged attacks gain Disadvantage against adjacent targets.
- REACH: Ranged Attacks with Reach do not suffer Disadvantage for targeting adjacent enemies.
- REROLL: Gives the rolling player the option to reroll any of the indicated dice. The Quantum Reservoir reroll ability may be applied to any roll: your own, another hero's, or enemy die rolls.
- RESOURCE: Spirit, Focus, and Fruit are resources.
- REVIVE: Bring a knocked-out hero back to life by using an Interact action and spending a Fruit.
- ROUND: A round consists of each hero and enemy group taking a turn in Initiative order. Most scenarios are divided into 12 rounds.
- SCAN: Draw the indicated number of cards, then discard that many cards. You may discard Battle Scars drawn this way.
- SHELLS: Small michronic devices used throughout Naviri as energy containers. Shell symbols on the Shield and Quantum Reservoir are the amount of shells that must be uncharged to activate the ability.
- SHELL SHIELD: Comprised of the Uncharged Area, Shield, and Quantum Reservoir, the Shell Shield allows you to block damage and activate Quantum abilities.
- SKILL: Bonuses and abilities unlocked by advancing your Paths.
- SPAWN: Enemy ability that places additional enemies onto the map.
- STATUS: Tokens placed onto action cards that weaken or alter abilities of the card. Generally inflicted by enemies.
- STUNT: An ability on an action card that has an icon indicating it may only be activated if the cost is paid. Each Stunt may only be activated once per round.
- TARGETS: The number of enemies that are affected by an attack. Only one attack roll is made, which applies to all targets.
- TIDE: Symbols on the attack dice that deal extra damage when flanking and can trigger special abilities.
- TRAIT: Spirit, Focus, Resilience, and Synergy represent each hero's strengths.
- TRIM: Permanently remove 1 card from your hero deck.
- UNCHARGED AREA: Area on Shell Shield where shells start and move to when uncharged.
- WHEN PLACED: Some cards have "when placed" and then an ability. This ability only happens when the card is first placed into your grid.
- WHEN REVEALED: Some cards have "when revealed" and then an ability. This ability happens when the card is revealed during the Initiative Reveal.
- WOUND: A negative card that you add to your Nexus grid when you lose a full bar of health. At the end of each scenario, mark Wounds gained on your hero sheet.
Quick Reference
END OF SCENARIO
- REWARDS: Gain the scenario-specific rewards indicated in the scenario book.
- HERO SHEET: Mark Fruit, XP, and Wounds on your hero sheet.
- GOALS: Choose one completed goal and advance its Path 3 spaces (1 space if knocked out at scenario end). If you completed a second goal, advance its Path 1 space.
- USED ITEMS: Recharge by spending Fruit or return to Desert Market bag.
- DIFFICULTY MODIFIER: Note the difficulty modifier on your hero sheet for the next scenario.
DIFFICULTY MODIFIER
The difficulty modifier may grant either a Mysterious Power or Citadel Aid depending on the number of Wounds gained collectively during a scenario.
| Hero Count | Mysterious Power | Citadel Aid |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 or fewer Wounds* | 4 or more Wounds* or fail** |
| 3 | 2 or fewer Wounds* | 5 or more Wounds* or fail** |
| 4 | 3 or fewer Wounds* | 7 or more Wounds* or fail** |
A knocked out hero is equivalent to 3 Wounds. *If you fail a scenario you automatically receive Citadel Aid.
SCENARIO SETUP
- SCENARIO BOOK: Open the scenario book to the scenario you are attempting and gather the components shown.
- MAPS: Place the maps indicated in the scenario setup into the center of the play area.
- ENEMY SETUP: Place enemy figures, set guide card and health tracks, shuffle enemy action decks.
- INITIATIVE: Place heroes first, then enemies.
- REWARDS: Fill reward bag with the 18 enemy rewards. (4 Fruit, 4 Spirit, 4 Focus, 3 Double Spirit, and 3 Double Focus.)
- DIFFICULTY CARD: If you have a Difficulty Modifier from the previous scenario, draw a card and apply it now.
HERO SETUP
- HERO FIGURES: Place on starting hexes beginning with the lowest location number.
- HERO BOARD: Set trait blockers to appropriate levels. Set starting Spirit, Focus, and health. Place 6 shells in your Uncharged Area. Place your Quantum upgrades.
- GOALS: Draw your top goal card and place 2 goal tokens nearby.
- ITEMS: Place all your items next to your hero board.
- POWER CARDS: Place 1 Power card in the center of your Nexus grid. Choose Reserve Power(s) based on skill to shuffle into your hero deck for that scenario.
- HERO DECK: Shuffle and draw to hand size (4).
- SKILLS: Check your hero sheet for skills with the "Start of scenario" keyword.