A Gathering Evil

When the world was forged, Doom stretched out its hand to all mortals and offered the gift of the Thunderstones — each represented the pinnacle of power. Over the ages, men have fought and died to control them, but most stones were lost to the eons.

Centuries ago, eight arch-wizards sealed the First Thunderstone inside Grimhold Dungeon. Terrible monsters and evil minions have since collected there like dark clouds on an autumn day, guarding the precious stone that mankind covets. Can you face these perilous forces of darkness and claim the First Thunderstone as your own?

Contents

530 Cards

• 1 Thunderstone card
• 5 Reference cards
• 32 Experience Point cards
• 38 Randomizer cards
• 80 Monster cards
• 90 Basic cards (including Disease)
• 132 Hero cards
• 152 Village cards

50 Extra-Wide Card Dividers

Object of the Game

You are the leader of a band of heroic adventurers. You have come to the beleaguered village of Barrowsdale near the gates of the dread Grimhold Dungeon. Your goal is to build a party of mighty heroes, magic spells, and powerful weapons to find one of the fabled Thunderstones.

Each player constructs his own deck of cards during the game. Your deck represents the abilities and gear of your adventuring party. How you build your deck determines if victory and glory will be yours!

Setup

Unlike most games, you won’t use all of the cards in the box every time you play Thunderstone. Instead, randomly determine which resources are available and which terrible foes you will face!

If this is your first game of Thunderstone, you should use all the cards listed on page 3. If this is not your first game, use the Randomizer cards instead. With different cards in play, this makes each game different. The Randomizer cards are labeled “Random” and have no icons.

There is a Randomizer card for every type of Village card, Monster card, and Hero card in the game. Sort the Randomizer cards into those three categories and shuffle each one separately. They are not used during play, and should be returned to the box when you’re done setting up.

First build the Dungeon. Turn over the top three Monster Randomizer cards — for a longer game try four or more. Each card shows a different class of Monster. There are ten cards for each class. Take all 30 Monster cards that match the three classes you turned over and shuffle them together. This becomes the Dungeon Deck.

Count off ten Monster cards (without revealing them) and shuffle them together with the special Thunderstone card. Place these eleven cards at the bottom of the Dungeon Deck.

Leave enough space next to the Dungeon Deck to create the Dungeon Hall. This is where you will fight the Monsters in your quest for the Thunderstone.

There are always three ranks of Monsters in the Hall. Turn over the top three cards of the Dungeon Deck and arrange them in a line next to the deck. The card farthest from the Dungeon Deck is rank 1, and the closest card is rank 3.

Once the Dungeon is complete, it’s time to populate the Village! First, you will set up the four Basic cards. Make a separate stack for each type of card below the Dungeon Deck and Dungeon Hall.

The Basic cards are always used in every game of Thunderstone, and you can identify them by the starburst on the left side of the card. There are four Basic cards: Militia, Torch, Iron Rations, and Dagger. Basic cards are also Village cards.

Now, turn over the top four Hero Randomizer cards. Make four stacks of Heroes by placing both level 3 Hero cards of each matching type in their own stacks. Next, place all four level 2 Hero cards of each type on top of the stacks. Finally, place all six level 1 Hero cards of each type on top of those.

This will create four stacks of Hero cards with all level 3 cards on the bottom, the level 2 cards in the middle, and the level 1 cards on top.

Note: When purchasing Hero cards, you must always buy them from the top of the stack, so you will first purchase all the level 1 Heroes, then level 2, and finally level 3. Each level of Hero has a slightly different name and a different colored background to make sorting easier.

Next select the Village cards. These are resources you can purchase when you visit the village to help your Heroes fight better. Turn over the top eight Village Randomizer cards. Find the matching Village cards, and make a stack of each type next to the four stacks of Hero cards. Together Basic, Hero, and Village cards form the “Village.” Each time you visit the Village, you can purchase one of these cards.

Place the Disease and XP cards in their own separate stacks near the Village cards.

Each player draws six Militia, two Daggers, two Iron Rations, and two Torches. These twelve cards form your starting Party Deck. Each player shuffles his Party Deck and places it face down in front of him. Make sure you leave enough space for your own discard pile.

Whenever you discard a card from your hand or acquire a new card, place it on your discard pile. Do not shuffle your discard deck until you run out cards in your Party Deck Sometimes you must destroy a card. Destroyed cards are not placed in your discard pile. Instead, they must be placed in a collective pile of destroyed cards (the box top is handy for this). Destroyed cards cannot be used again for the rest of the game! Exception: Disease and XP cards are infinite and return to their respective stack.

Draw the top six cards from your Party deck to form your starting hand. It is time to begin your adventure!

Setup Overview

1. Populate the Dungeon
  a. Randomize Monsters
  b. Build Dungeon Deck
  c. Shuffle Thunderstone into the bottom 10 cards
  d. Populate the Dungeon Hall
2. Populate the Village
  a. Place Basic decks
  b. Randomize Hero cards
  c. Stack Level 3, Level 2, Level 1 Heroes
  d. Randomize Village resources
  e. Place Disease deck
  f. Place XP deck
3. Create Party Deck
  a. Draw Starting Party Deck
  b. Shuffle and draw starting hand

Playing the Game

Randomly choose a starting player. The starting player takes his turn first, followed by the other players in clockwise order. On your turn, you must either Visit the Village, or Enter the Dungeon, or Rest taking all the steps listed for each action, in the order listed.

Visit the Village

1. Reveal your hand.
2. You may use any Village Effects on your revealed cards. These Effects may produce more gold, allow you to draw more cards, and so on. You can use some, none, or all of the Effects on a card in any order you choose, making sure not to use Effects from destroyed cards. No Effect on a card can ever be used more than once. Effects and gold production are cumulative.
3. You now produce gold by adding the gold value of all revealed cards still in play to any gold you produced in Step 2.
4. You may purchase one card from the Village — this includes Basic, Hero, or Village cards — from the top of any stack in the Village. The Purchase Cost must be less than or equal to your total gold value. Always place purchased cards on your discard pile. Any unused gold is lost. If an Effect allows you to purchase more cards, the total Purchase Cost must be less than or equal to your gold.
5. Finally, you level up any or all of the Hero cards in your hand, using Experience Points you have collected. See “Leveling Up” on page 8.
6. End your turn by discarding all cards (whether used or not) face up on your discard pile, and draw six new cards to form a new hand.

Note: Actions must be taken in order, so a card may be discarded or destroyed before producing gold. For instance, if the Pawnbroker destroys a card with a gold value, you do not gain the gold value of the destroyed card.

Enter the Dungeon

1. Reveal your hand.
2. You may use some, none, or all of the Dungeon Effects from your cards. Unless the card has a mandatory Effect (like Disease), you are not required to use all Spells or Effects. You may equip one Weapon to each Hero, if the Strength requirements are met (see page 6).
3. Declare which Monster and rank you are attacking.
4. Resolve the battle. See “Battles” on page 10.
  a. Calculate your total Attack Value, including all Light Penalties.
  b. Resolve Battle Effects (adjust Attack Value as necessary).
  c. Place an undefeated Monster on the bottom of the Dungeon Deck.
  d. Place defeated Monster and Disease cards on your discard pile.
  e. Receive Spoils (if any).
  f. Shift Monster cards to fill empty ranks, and refill the Dungeon Hall.
  g. Resolve Breach Effects (if any) (see page 19).
5. End your turn by discarding all cards (whether used or not) face up on your discard pile, and draw six new cards to form a new hand.

Rest

1. You may destroy one card from your hand.
2. End your turn by discarding all cards face up on your discard pile, and draw six new cards to form a new hand.

End of Turn

If you have collected the Thunderstone (or it enters Rank 1 because a Monster wasn’t defeated), the game ends immediately! If not, then the player to your left begins his turn.

Your Party Deck

Each player has his own deck of cards, called a Party Deck. During the game, you will add cards to your deck by purchasing them in the Village or winning them in the Dungeon. Whenever you gain new cards, always add them to your discard pile.

If there are not enough cards left in your deck when you draw, first draw what cards remain, then reshuffle your discard pile to form a new draw deck. Continue drawing cards until you have drawn the necessary amount. Do not reshuffle your deck before the draw deck runs out.

Sometimes a card or game rule requires you to destroy a card. These powerful effects permanently remove the card from your deck. Do not put destroyed cards in your discard pile! Instead, place them on the pile of destroyed cards.

Your Party Deck is also your key to victory! At the end of the game, you will score victory points (the number in the lower right hand corner) from all the cards in your deck. It’s important to note that not all cards provide Victory Points; watch for cards with the glowing green circle!

Village Cards

Village cards represent the Villagers, Equipment, and Spells that can help you on your quest for the Thunderstone. These cards can be added to your Party Deck by buying them in the Village (see “Visit the Village” on page 4).

Most Village cards have a Dungeon Effect, such as “ATTACK +1” or “Strength +2.” These abilities are only used in the Dungeon and help you fight Monsters. Some cards have a Village Effect, and they can only be used when you visit the Village on your turn. Many Village cards can also be destroyed to create a special effect. You can destroy a card for the special effect or use the card normally, or both. You may only use each ability on a card once per turn, unless it is a Repeat ability, which can be used multiple times (see page 10).

The number of Village cards in the game has a set limit. Once all the Village cards of a given type are gone from the Village, no one may purchase any more of that card! Remember, destroyed cards leave play.

Example: Erik needs a good weapon for his Heroes to use in his next battle. He’s looking at a shiny new Flaming Sword in the Village. The purchase cost of the Flaming Sword is 5, so he needs to reveal cards with a total gold value of at least 5.

He reveals a Torch (worth 2 gold), a Dagger (worth 1 gold), a Griknack Goblin he killed in an earlier battle (worth 1 gold), and an Iron Rations (worth 2 gold). The total is 6 gold, so he can purchase the Flaming Sword and add it to his discard pile. The extra gold is lost and cannot be spent.

Example: Sara plays a Town Guard card to draw two cards. She could then destroy the Town Guard to draw three more cards, for a total of five.

Hero Cards

Each Hero card represents an adventurer who fights for you. All Heroes have a class, such as “militia” or “cleric,” and a race, such as “lorigg”, “elf,” or “dwarf.” Heroes also have an Attack (or Magic Attack) bonus, usable in combat against Monsters. Some Heroes have one or more special abilities.

A Hero’s Strength determines which Weapons he can carry (depicted by the shield on the upper left side of the card—see the diagram on this page). Before a battle you may equip one Weapon to each Hero, but only if the weapon has a Weight less than or equal to the Strength of that Hero. Each Weapon may only be equipped once per battle.

Heroes are Village cards. They are purchased from the Village in the same manner other Village cards are purchased. See “Visit the Village,” page 4. Heroes can also level up in the Village and see “Leveling Up,” page 8. The number of Hero cards in the game is finite. Once all the Hero cards of a given type are gone from the Village, no one may purchase or level up that type of Hero (or level)!

Leveling Up

When you visit the Village, you may level up any number of Hero cards in your hand during step 5 (as you have enough Experience Points). When you level up, destroy the Hero card in your hand and pay the level cost shown on the bottom left corner of Hero card, returning those Experience Points to their stack. Then, search the matching stack of cards in the Village and find the card showing the next higher level for the Hero type you destroyed. Place this card on top of your discard pile. Level 1 Heroes level up to 2, and Level 2 level up to 3. However, you may not level the same Hero card twice in one turn, i.e. from Level 1 to 3, and you may never skip a Level.

Militia are Hero cards. You may level up a Militia card to any Level 1 Hero in play for a cost of three Experience Points. Destroy the Militia card normally.

Important: If no cards of the next higher level remain in the Village, you cannot level up that Hero! A Hero may never level up directly from Level 1 to 3.

Note: Because you level up Heroes after making your purchase for the turn, you can use the gold value of the Hero card before destroying it.

Example: Marilyn has a Level 1 (nickel-bordered) Elf Wizard in her hand that she would like to level up. The level cost on the card is 2, so she spends two Experience Points and destroys the Elf Wizard. Then she searches the Elf Wizard stack in the Village, takes one of the Level 2 (silverbordered) Elf Sorcerer cards, and places it on her discard pile. She may now level up another character if she has enough Experience Points.

Monster Cards

The horrible Monsters of Grimhold Dungeon lie in wait for the unprepared Heroes! At any time, there will be three Monster cards in the Dungeon Hall. Rank 3 is closest to the Dungeon deck. Rank 1 is furthest. If a Monster leaves the Hall for any reason, fill the empty space by shifting the Monsters from higher ranks down to lower ones. The card in Rank 3 shifts to Rank 2 and the card in Rank 2 shifts to Rank 1. Then turn over the top card from the Dungeon Deck to fill the Rank 3 space.

Note: You can only attack the Monsters that are in the Dungeon Hall. Many Monsters have Battle Effects or Traits. Battle Effects occur only when you battle that Monster, and they take effect whether or not you defeat the Monster. A few Monsters are so powerful that they have Breach Effects.

When a Monster with the Breach ability reaches Rank 1 of the Dungeon Hall, this effect is triggered immediately — once and only once. Neither Battle Effects nor Breach Effects occur when a Monster card is revealed as part of your hand, only while they are in the Dungeon Hall. Similarly, any special benefits a Monster card grants you when revealed have no effect when the Monster is still in the Dungeon. See “Trophies” on page 15.

Note: During setup, it is possible that a Monster with a Breach Effect begins the game in Rank 1. This Breach Effect does not occur. Ignore any Breach Effects during setup.

Monster Traits and Battle Effects are explained on pages 10 through 14.

Repeat Effects

Some cards, mostly Hero cards, have repeat effects. Unlike other abilities, which can only be used once each time they are played, cards marked Repeat Dungeon or Repeat Village can be used an unlimited number of times during the turn.

Some Repeat Effects come with a cost, and this must be paid each time the ability is used. Repeat effects can only be used in the associated location (Dungeon or Village).

Battles (Overview)

Sooner or later, your party will head into the Dungeon, where they must face the terrible Monsters within. Being Monsters, the only thing they want to do is fight!

When you enter the Dungeon, you must reveal all the cards in your hand. All of your Heroes join together to try and defeat one enemy Monster.

You can also benefit from any Spells, Items, or Monster cards (see “Trophies” on page 15) you have in your hand.

Weapons are a special kind of card that can only be used if it is equipped to a hero. Weapons can be identified by the Weight value on the left side of the card. You can only equip a Weapon to a Hero if this Weight is less than or equal to the Hero’s Strength.

These items have no effect if they are not equipped to a Hero. Each Hero can equip only one Weapon card. Unequipped Weapons (and Weapons that become unequipped in battle) provide no benefit.

Other types of cards, along with all Spells and Trophies, grant their benefits themselves. You do not need to equip these cards to a hero. In fact, you can use these cards to defeat a Monster even if you have no Heroes in your hand!

A small number of effects can stop a Hero from attacking. In these instances, the Hero provides no Attack bonus to the party and none of its additional abilities apply, either. For instance, a Faeyn who is part of a party attacking a Rank 1 monster provides no Attack bonus or Light during the battle.

Some cards may offer multiple bonuses. For example, a Dwarf Janissary has an Attack Value of +2. If you assign an Edged Weapon to him, he gains an additional +4, for a total of +6 Attack Value… on top of any bonus the weapon itself may give! Some cards, like an equipped Flaming Sword, provide an Attack Value and a Light bonus. Both of these are calculated at the same time.

If you have any Disease cards in your hand, you must also play those cards. Each Disease card reduces your Attack or Magic Attack Value for the battle.

A very small number of cards actually double your Attack Value. In this case, you must add and/or subtract all Attack modifiers (except Light, but including Disease) before multiplying the total.

Once you have assigned your Weapons and revealed any other cards that will help or hinder you in battle, apply any final Attack modifiers (such as doubling effects). Now add up your total Attack Value.

Finally, once a Rank of the Dungeon Hall is chosen, you can adjust for any Light Penalties. Light Penalties are discussed under “Light and Darkness” on page 12.

Note: Once you’ve chosen to enter the Dungeon, you must choose a Monster to attack, regardless of whether or not you can defeat it.

Dungeon Effects

Heroes, Items, Spells, and Weapons often have a Dungeon Effect, while Monsters possess Battle Effects. This division helps to distinguish when an effect occurs.

When you choose to enter the Dungeon, you will prepare your forces for battle. Dungeon Effects represent your planning and preparation. Whenever a Dungeon Effect destroys another card, that card is immediately removed from play, and cannot be used for any other effect. For instance, if a Thyrian Squire devours Iron Rations to gain Attack +2, you could not also use them to gain Strength +2. Similarly, if you use Iron Rations to give a Hero Strength +2, it cannot also be destroyed by another Dungeon Effect.

This is different from Battle Effects, which occur during the battle. Any cards that remain in play after the preparation step of your turn (Step 2) remain in effect for the duration of the battle, even if a Monster’s Battle Effect would destroy it. For example, if a Hero is killed by a Monster’s Effect, he remains until the end of the fight. This is true for all card types.

Battle Effects

Most Monsters have Battle Effects. Don’t forget to resolve them! Battle Effects occur during the fight (step 4 of your turn), possibly inflicting your party with Disease or reducing your Attack Value. All Dungeon Effects trigger before you begin the battle. However, the Battle Effects of the Monster you are fighting resolve either during or at the end of the battle. All Battle Effects occur, regardless of victory or defeat.

Any cards destroyed by a Battle Effect remain in play until the end of the battle — Heroes fight until the bitter end! All other Battle Effects occur during the battle. An effect that reduces Strength, for example, must be calculated before the Monster can be defeated. If your Hero no longer has the Strength to equip his Weapon, any bonus or effect of that Weapon is lost.

Note: If a Battle Effect causes you to gain a card, such as a Disease card, that new card goes to your discard pile, just like cards you purchase in the Village. These cards do not affect the current battle, but may affect battles in the future.

Some Battle Effects prevent a Hero from attacking the Monster. Every card in your hand must enter the Dungeon together, even if it cannot attack. You cannot assign an Effect that prevents a Hero from attacking to any Hero that is already prevented from attacking by a different Effect. For instance, a Dwarf, Faeyn, and Militia attack a Haunt in Rank 1. The Faeyn cannot attack because of his own Dungeon Effect. Therefore, the Haunt uses its ability to prevent either the Dwarf or Militia from attacking.

Regardless of whether or not a Hero in the Dungeon could add its Attack Value to the Attack, it can still be destroyed as the result of a Battle Effect. In the above example, if the Faeyn were in a party attacking a Revenant in Rank 1, it could still be destroyed as a result of reduced Strength.

Resolving Battles

After all Dungeon Effects and Battle Effects have been resolved, compare your final Attack Value to the Health of the Monster you are attacking. Don’t forget to include Light Penalties, see below. If your combined Attack Value is less than the Health of the Monster, then your heroes are defeated. The Monster retreats into the Dungeon: place the Monster card on the bottom of the Dungeon Deck.

If your total Attack Value is equal to or greater than the Health of the monster, you are victorious! Add the Monster card to your discard pile. Like other cards in your Party Deck, this card will supply you with gold to purchase Village cards, and it may grant Dungeon or Village Effects. Also, take a number of Experience Point cards equal to the Experience Value of the Monster. Do not place them in your discard pile. Keep them in a separate pile nearby.

Monsters are notorious for hoarding valuable treasures, and sometimes your Heroes can claim them as Spoils if you defeat them. If a card in the battle has a Spoils Effect, you can immediately purchase one card of the listed type from the Village, using the gold value of all surviving cards you revealed during the battle.

Note: Some Heroes also have this ability, which works the same way.

Example: The Dwarf Janissary has the trait: Spoils (Weapon). After defeating a Monster, you may purchase one Weapon card from the Village (but not an Item, Spell, etc.), if the gold value of your remaining revealed cards is high enough.

Whether you win or lose the battle, don’t forget to push the remaining Monsters forward and turn over a new card to refill the ranks of the Dungeon Hall. If you shift a Monster with a Breach Effect into Rank 1, resolve the Effect. See “Monster Cards” on page 9; “Breach Effects” on page 19.

Light and Darkness

Dungeons are dark and dangerous places. Your Heroes must bring their own Light with them if they hope to combat the Monsters effectively. If you do not have enough Light, you will suffer a penalty to your Attack Value. To determine this “Light Penalty,” follow these steps:

• Determine the rank of the Monster you are fighting by its position in the Dungeon Hall. The base Light Penalty is equal to the rank of the Monster.
• Check if the Monster has a Light Penalty Battle Effect (e.g., “Light –1”). If it does, add the modifier to the base Light Penalty. Note that this modifier always appears in the Monster’s effect box, never in the lantern icon.
• Count the total points of Light your cards provide. These bonuses are shown in the lantern icon on the left side of your cards. Each point of Light you have reduces the Light Penalty by 1.

When you resolve the battle against the Monster, double the final Light Penalty. The Attack Value of your party is reduced by this amount (i.e., each point of Light Penalty you do not cancel with Light reduces your Attack Value by 2).

Important: Light can never give you an Attack bonus! If your total Light score exceeds the Light Penalty, treat it as zero. There is no limit to how high the light Penalty can be, however.

Note: You can only add Light from a weapon if it is equipped to a hero.

Light Penalty Example

In the example on the right, Knightmare is in Rank 1, Griffon in Rank 2, and Blink Dog in Rank 3. The Light Penalties for each Rank, before Battle Effects, are shown above the cards.

Once Light Penalties are taken into account, attacking Knightmare in Rank 1 creates a Light Penalty of –3 (Attack Value –6), while Blink Dog in Rank 3 would have a Light Penalty of –4 (Attack Value –8)! The Griffon’s Light Penalty does not change. These penalties are pretty steep. Without a light source, the Heroes would be hard pressed to beat these Monsters.

The lower example shows the effect of a party using one Fireball and one Torch, which provide a total of Light +2. The bottom row of numbers show the adjusted penalties after all modifiers.

Note: Because of its Battle Effect, the party cannot attack Blink Dog. Thanks to the Light, Knightmare is much easier to fight, but the easiest Monster to kill is Griffon. With the Fireball, the party only needs an additional Attack +4 to defeat it.

Attack and Magic Attack

All battles are decided by two factors: the total Attack Value of the Heroes, and the Health of the Monster. A Monster’s Health is constant and does not change, but the Attack Value can fluctuate before and during a battle.

Attack Values are divided into Attack and Magic Attack. Each type of Attack Value is calculated separately. You can gain both types from Heroes, Items, Spells, Trophies, and Weapons revealed before the battle. Some Trophies, Battle Effects, and other cards can hinder your Heroes in the fight, reducing your Attack Value. Disease is an example of this.

If an Effect (such as Disease) reduces Attack, then it reduces either your regular Attack or Magic Attack, not both, but a legal target must be chosen.

Example: A Dwarf Janissary equipped with a Flaming Sword has an Attack of +6 and a Magic Attack of +3. A Disease card is also revealed, so he must choose to reduce either the Attack to +5 (6 – 1 = 5) or the Magic Attack to +2 (3 – 1 = 2). If he did not have a Flaming Sword equipped, he could not select Magic Attack –1.

Traits

In addition to Battle Effects, some Monsters have one or more Traits. Traits are constant powers that benefit the Monster all of the time.

Example: Ebon Fume has the Trait “Magic Attack Immunity.” This Trait reduces all of a party’s Magic Attack bonuses to zero.

Cards can have many different Traits. The Traits in this set are described below:

Half-Magic Attack: After calculating your Magic Attack Bonus from all sources, reduce the value by one-half. Reduced Magic Attack Value is rounded down.

Half-Attack Without [Something] Present: Your total Attack Value is reduced by one-half (after all modifiers, rounded down) if you do not have the [Something] required. This could be Magic Attack, or Weapons, or almost anything else.

If you do have the required trait, then use the full Attack Value.

Immune to Edged Weapons: Any Attack or Magic Attack bonus from any Edged Weapon is reduced to zero. Other Effects of these weapons (such as Light) are not affected by this Trait. Light –X: Light Penalties are constant and do not trigger as a Battle Effect. Instead, Light Penalties are calculated before the Battle begins and not as a normal Battle Effect.

Magic Attack Immunity: Magic Attack Values on all cards are reduced to zero. Only non-Magic Attack can be used against this Monster. Heroes at the battle (including those who provide no Attack or Magic Attack) still provide other benefits, such as Light and/or other Traits, regardless.

Magic Attack Only: Only cards which grant Magic Attack add to your total Attack Value. You must meet or exceed the Monster’s Health using only Magic Attack to be victorious. Heroes at the battle (including those who provide no Attack or Magic Attack) still provide other benefits, such as Light and/or other Traits, regardless.

Magic Attack Required: You must have a Magic Attack of at least +1 in order to defeat the Monster. Any other combination of Attack and Magic Attack is allowed. You may still choose to attack the Monster (to force it to the bottom of the Dungeon Deck), even without Magic Attack present.

Unequipped Heroes Cannot Attack: Unequipped Heroes do not contribute Attack, Magic Attack, or other benefits (such as Light) to the battle. Since these Heroes still enter the Dungeon with the rest of the party, they may still be the targets of Battle Effects generated by the attacked Monster.

New Traits from Wrath of Elements:

Cannot be Attacked if [Something] is Activated/Equipped: You cannot declare that you are attacking this Monster if you use any benefit of the [Something] prohibited. This includes benefits such as Attack, Magic Attack, Light, or Dungeon Effects (and others). If you have the [Something] in your hand, you can forgo the benefits of the card in order to attack the Monster.

Heroes with Strength less than X Cannot Attack: Heroes with a Strength less than the number shown (X) do not contribute Attack, Magic Attack, or other benefits (such as Light) to the battle. Since these Heroes still enter the Dungeon with the rest of the party, they may still be the targets of Battle Effects generated by the attacked Monster.

Immune to Spells: The Attack or Magic Attack bonus from all Spells is reduced to zero. Any other Effect or ability of the Spell cannot target or affect this Monster. Any Light bonus provided by a Spell is applied normally. For example: a Fireball spell will still provide Light +1, but not the Magic Attack +3.

Immune to Unequipped Heroes: Any Attack or Magic Attack bonus of any Hero that does not have a Weapon equipped is reduced to zero. Other benefits, such as Light, are not affected by this trait. For example: an Elf Wizard without a weapon still provides Light +1, but not Magic Attack +2.

Light –X: Light Penalties are constant and do not trigger as a Battle Effect. Instead, Light Penalties are calculated before the Battle begins and not as a normal Battle Effect. Light Penalties Cannot be Reduced: Light and other card Effects and abilities that reduce Light Penalties have no effect. The Light Penalty for this Monster will always equal (or exceed) its Rank in the Dungeon Hall.

Must be Defeated to be Removed from the Dungeon Hall: This Monster is immune to any effect that would cause it to leave the Dungeon Hall for any reason, such as the effects of the Banish spell or Magi Staff. The Monster also will not retreat to the bottom of the Dungeon Deck if it is attacked and not defeated. The Monster is removed from the Dungeon Hall only if it is defeated in battle.

Disease Cards

Some cards force you to gain one or more Disease cards (either as a Dungeon or Battle Effect).

Always place drawn Disease cards on your discard pile. Disease is not affected by any Monster Trait or Battle Effect that does not specifically target Disease. Each Disease card inflicts a –1 penalty to your Attack or Magic Attack Value (which must be at least +1 before applying the penalty).

There are a number of ways to get rid of Disease cards. When you rest, you may choose to destroy one card from your hand, which can be a Disease card. Some Heroes and Village cards also allow you to destroy these cards. Unlike other cards, Disease cards are not removed from the game when you destroy them. Instead, they are returned to the stack of Disease cards to be used again (since there is no limit to the number of Disease cards in the game). If there are not enough Disease cards, take any card not being used presently and treat it as a Disease card.

Disease cards have no gold value. They are not considered any card type.

Trophies

While most Monsters offer nothing more than victory points or a few Gold in your hand, some Monster cards become Trophies when added to your deck after a victorious battle. Cards with a special symbol (@) are Trophies (and not all of them are good for you!). Trophy cards must be used every time they are revealed in a battle. They do not need to be equipped to a Hero, nor do they require any Hero be present to play them. Treat these cards as any other card that grants a Dungeon Effect or Attack Value bonus. Trophies can also grant Light. A Monster card with a Light value in the Lantern icon is also a Trophy card.

Trophies only contribute to a Battle when revealed from a player’s hand and never on a Monster in the Dungeon Hall.

Important: Other Battle Effects of Monsters from a player’s hand never apply.

Village Example

Sue decides to go to the Village on her turn. She has a hand containing Barkeep, Town Guard, Lorigg Thief, The Unchained, Militia, and Battle Fury. She also has 3 Experience Points. She starts by revealing her hand.

Now she can use any Village Effects on her villager cards. She uses the first ability on the Town Guard to draw two more cards: Disease and Outlands Slayer. Neither of these produce any Gold, so she decides to use the second ability on the Town Guard, destroying it to draw three more cards. The Town Guard goes into the destroyed pile, and she draws Trainer, Torch, and Dagger. Now she uses the Barkeep ability, allowing her to purchase a second card this turn if she needs to. Then she plays the Trainer ability to destroy the Militia and gain 2 Experience Points. Since she knows that there is only one more Militia card in her deck, she decides that this would be a good time to get rid of the Trainer as well, so she uses his second ability to destroy the Trainer and get two gold. Note that the Battle Effect of The Unchained (“Gain one Disease.”) is ignored, because the Monster is in her hand, rather than being faced in the Dungeon Hall.

Sue now pauses to check her Gold, adding the 2 Gold from using the Trainer ability to the cards she still has in hand. Lorigg Thief (2) + The Unchained (1) + Torch (2) + Dagger (1) + Barkeep (1) gives her a total 9 Gold. She would like to buy a Short Sword for 6 and a Banish for 4, but doesn’t have enough. So, she decides to make one last play before buying, and uses the second ability of the Barkeep to generate 2 Gold. Since this destroys the Barkeep, she won’t be able to count the 1 Gold it would have given her. But, with the 2 Gold she gets from destroying the card, she still ends up with 10 Gold to spend. With that 10 Gold she buys a Short Sword and Banish, using the extra purchase allowed from the Barkeep’s first ability.

Now it’s time to train her Heroes. She pays 2 Experience Points to level up the Lorigg Thief (to a Lorigg Rogue). She destroys the Lorigg Thief and searches the Lorigg stack for a Level 2 Hero, the Lorigg Rogue, which she puts in her discard pile. Then she spends 3 Experience Points to level up her Level 2 Outlands Slayer to a Level 3 Outlands Khan, which uses the rest of her Experience Points. Luckily, there is still an Outlands Khan remaining in the pile, and she is able to take it. Otherwise, she would not have been able to level up the Slayer and would have had to keep her Experience in the hope of leveling up a different hero on another turn. All of her spent Experience Points are returned to the XP stack.

Finally, her turn is done. She discards all the cards she has and draws a new hand of six cards.

Dungeon Example

Bruce declares that he is going into the Dungeon. He reveals his hand, containing Disease, Banish, Regian Priest, Iron Rations, Thyrian Squire, and Polearm. The Dungeon Hall has Blink Dog (Rank 1), Suffering (Rank 2), and Uyril Unending (Rank 3).

He begins his preparations for the fight by using the Regian Priest’s Dungeon Effect to draw a card, which is Militia. Then he uses the Cleric’s Repeat Dungeon ability, allowing him to destroy the Disease to draw another card. He puts the Disease in the Disease pile and draws a new card: another Disease! Since this is a “Repeat Dungeon” Effect, he can use it as many times as needed—so he destroys the second Disease and draws a Short Sword. He looks at his options: he can give the Short Sword to the Cleric and the Polearm to the Thyrian Squire, but unless he uses the Iron Rations on the Fighter, he won’t get the higher Attack Value for the Polearm since the Thyrian Squire only has a Strength of 6. He has no Light, so he cannot attack the Blink Dog (the Blink Dog cannot be attacked if there is any Light Penalty).

So he plays his Banish, putting the Blink Dog on the bottom of the Dungeon Deck. Suffering moves up to Rank 1, Uyril Unending moves up to Rank 2, and Kingdom, a new Monster, is revealed and placed in Rank 3. Bruce must destroy one card from his hand. He could destroy the Banish itself, but he wants to keep it. He could instead destroy the Iron Rations, but if he destroys it, they won’t be around to help in the battle. He decides to destroy the Militia, which means it won’t be available for the battle, as it is put in the destroyed card pile immediately.

The last part of Banish allows him to draw a new card: Battle Fury. He plays that, giving all his Heroes Attack +1. Looking at his options, he can attack Suffering, which needs 6 damage to kill, or Uyril Unending, which needs 9 damage to kill. He still has no Light, so he will suffer a –2 Attack penalty against Suffering, and a –4 Attack penalty against Uyril.

However, there is another problem: if he attacks Suffering, all of his heroes will have –2 Strength. That would mean that his Cleric would no longer have the Strength to carry the Short Sword, or his Fighter would not get the full Polearm bonus.

If he used the Iron Rations on the Regian Priest, he would keep the Short Sword equipped, while the Squire settles for the +2 Attack from the Polearm. This provides +2 Magic Attack (Regian Priest) +4 Attack (Short Sword, usable with the Iron Rations countering the –2 Strength penalty) +2 Attack (Thyrian Squire) +2 Attack (Polearm) +2 Attack (Battle Fury for two Heroes) = 12 total Attack Value. Even with the Light Penalty reducing his Attack Value by 2, he can easily dispatch Suffering.

But Uyril Unending has a Trophy Effect that he would like to add to his deck. Against the Dragon he would not suffer any Strength loss, so he could use his original plan of using the Strength bonus of the Iron Rations for the Fighter to get more out of the Polearm. Against Uyril he would have +2 Magic Attack (Priest) +4 Attack (Short Sword) +2 Attack (Squire) +6 Attack (Polearm with Iron Rations boosting the Squire’s Strength to 8) +2 Attack (Battle Fury) = 16. Subtracting the –4 penalty for having no Light at Rank 2, leaves a total Attack Value of 12, more than enough to slay the evil Dragon!

Bruce elects to attack Uyril Unending, killing it and putting it into his discard pile. He collects 2 Experience Points, shown in the red circle at the bottom left of the card. In a future battle, Uyril’s Trophy bonus of Attack +1 may help him defeat other Monsters. Since he doesn’t have any Militia, the Battle Effect that would destroy one Militia is ignored. Kingdom moves up to Rank 2, and the Dungeon Hall is refilled.

Finally, Bruce discards his cards and draws a new hand, ending his turn.

Resting Example

Joe decides to rest for a turn. In his hand he has one Disease, two Militia, a Dagger, a Trainer, and a Sphinx. He chooses to destroy the Disease card. He could instead choose to destroy a Militia, or the Dagger, thinning the deck of other cards he does not want to draw later. He could even have chosen to destroy the Trainer or the Sphinx, though those would be poor strategic choices. Because he is resting and not visiting the Village, he cannot use either ability of the Trainer.

Once he has destroyed his chosen card, he discards his hand face up and draws a new hand to end his turn.

Winning the Game

The game ends when the Thunderstone card reaches Rank 1 of the Dungeon Hall. If you defeated a Monster in Rank 1 on your turn, and this causes the Thunderstone to move into that open rank, then you take the Thunderstone and add it to your deck! If not, then no one can claim the Thunderstone.

Once the game ends, combine all the cards in your deck, your hand, and your discard pile, plus any other cards you control. Count up all the victory points on all of the cards you have collected during the game. The player with the most victory points is the winner! If there is a tie, any tied player who holds the Thunderstone wins the game. Otherwise, all tied players share the victory!

Rules Clarifications

Breach Effect

When a Monster with Breach reaches Rank 1 of the Dungeon Hall (from any Rank) its Breach effect is triggered — once and only once — before the active player discards his hand and ends his turn (see page 4). Each Breach effect is different and impacts play in unique ways. Refer to the “Card Glossary” on page 20. Breach Effects in Rank 1 before play starts do not trigger.

Cannot Attack

Some Monsters have traits or Battle Effects that prevent a party or Hero from attacking. If your party cannot attack a Monster, it cannot be chosen in Step 3 of a Dungeon action. Therefore, you cannot choose to “attack” the Monster to move it to the bottom of the Dungeon Deck.

When a Hero cannot attack, he does not contribute to the battle. Any Dungeon Effects you used in Step 2 still take effect normally, but any Attack, Magic Attack, or Light bonuses are not calculated.

Golden Rule

If a card ever violates or overrides a rule written in this book, the card takes precedence. In the end, the real Golden Rule is fun, but you know what we mean.

Half-Attack

Some Monsters are resistant to certain attacks. Always round down halved attacks.

Immunity

Other Monsters are outright immune to certain kinds of attacks. Immunity indicates that a specific attack type (Magic, Edged Weapons, etc.) has no effect on the Monster and does not add to the Attack Value.

Shuffle

The discard deck is only shuffled when no cards remain in your deck and you need to draw cards. All cards in the discard pile are shuffled together.

Spoils

Some Heroes and Monsters have the Spoils ability, which grants the ability to buy one Village card of a specific type after a Monster is defeated, as if visiting the village. Spoils (Food), for instance would allow you to purchase one Food card from the Village, while Spoils (Item) would allow you to purchase any one Item card. Heroes and Monsters can only use their printed Spoils ability if you are victorious in the battle.

If you earn numerous Spoils in one turn, you may resolve them in any order you choose, using the full gold value of your hand each time.

Heroes that did not or could not attack, cannot use their Spoils trait.

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