The Game Round

1 Cycle Phase
Hero Cycle Move
and/or pick up objects Play
cards to: Move, and/or pick up objects, and/or Perform Actions
Play cards to: Perform Reactions and Interrupts
Darkness Cycle (If the Darkness meter reaches 6+,
then)
Event Threat
Penalty Activation
Spawn
2 Hero Deck Phase
3 Refresh Phase
Darkness Meter
(Darkness Cycle) Allies
Activate Quest Results
Status Effects Trap
Results Cleanup





Hero Cycle
There is no structure within the Hero Cycle. Planning ensures the Heroes
maximize their efforts.
A card must be completed before any other card can be played.
If a Hero can provide a bonus, or buff to an Action, it must be played before the
Action is put in play.
Heroes must spend at least 1 Action Point (AP) per Hero Cycle. If they dont, they
are considered to be Loitering. (The maximum amount of treasure allowed by
ALL tiles in an Act is reduced by 1).
Move and/or pick up objects
All Heroes begin with 2 base Movement Points. This can be modified by
equipment or status effects.
Heroes cant move through monsters or allies (unless permitted by a card), but
they can move into an open space through diagonally adjacent monsters or allies.
There are four different types of movement that your Hero can perform each
round and each of these corresponds to one of the four symbols on the left side
of each Hero card. From top to bottom these are:
Stationary (no movement)
Cautious (normal movement is halved and then rounded up)
Normal (base movement plus any modifiers for equipment, buffs etc.)
Aggressive (any movement using Move cards is considered Aggressive)
Next to the symbols for each movement type on the Hero cards is listed a bonus
or penalty for playing that card whilst performing each type of movement.
For instance, an attack card may allow you to roll an extra D10 if you remain
Stationary. It should be noted, that the penalties and bonuses listed on
each card are determined by the Heros overall movement for that whole round,
not for the Heros movement up until the card is played.
In the example above, a Hero could not play a card to attack at the start of the
round and receive the bonus D10 for not moving, if they are then planning to
perform any sort of movement later in the round after the attack is complete.
Players cant use Movement Points (MP) after playing cards if they didnt
calculate the movement into the card initially.
Heroes can use Move cards after an attack, but only if they use the bonus/penalty
associated with Aggressive movement. If the attack cant be combined with an
Aggressive movement, then the Move cant be played.
If a Heros Normal movement is reduced to 1 MP, then that Hero cant use
Cautious movement.
Once a Realm Tile is cleared, the Heroes gain double MP until they enter a new
tile.
To pick up a treasure from the Realm Tile, the Hero must be on top of the
Treasure token and spend a Movement Point. Multiple items can be picked up
only if an equal number of MPs are spent. After it is picked up, the Hero pulls a
random card from the equivalent Item Deck.

Play cards to Move, and/or pick up objects, and/or Perform
Actions
Cards are played in open Action Spaces on the Hero Board. If the Hero has no
available spaces, then he cant play a card.
Heroes are limited to 1 Action card per Hero Cycle. They may play as many
Reactions or Interrupts as they have available slots.
Interrupts can only be played during the Darkness Cycle.
Action Points should be added to the Darkness Meter immediately once a card is
played. If this initiates a Darkness Cycle, the card played is completed before the
Darkness begins.
Heroes MUST play cards to attack. There are no abilities Heroes can take that
arent associated with a card.
If a Hero can provide a bonus, or buff to an Action, it must be played before the
Action is put in play.
A card must be completed before any other card can be played.
Combat
Hero Combat is divided into 6 steps:
1. Line of Sight & Range
2. Play Card(s)
3. Form Dice Pool
4. Target Numbers and Rolling
5. Remove Casualties and Place Treasure
6. Threat
Line of Sight Heroes
must be able to draw an unblocked line from any corner of the square where the
miniature stands to any corner of the square where the target stands.
Blocks LoS Does Not Block LoS
Monsters (except for the Archer) Heroes
Lairs Allies Red
Realm Tile Lines Blue Realm Tile Lines
Traps Treasure
Walls Interactive Realm Objects
Diagonally Adjacent Monsters
Play Card(s) Cards are
played in Action Spaces on the bottom of the Hero Board. If all the spaces are
filled with cards, then the Hero cant play anymore cards.
Heroes are limited to 1 Action card per Hero Cycle.
Action Points should be added to the Darkness Meter immediately once a card is
played. If this initiates a Darkness Cycle, the card played is completed before the
Darkness begins.

Form Dice Pool The
collection of all dice being rolled for an attack.
Hit Dice are D10s. All base-level Heroes have a base 1 D10 to hit in combat. The
number of HD can be modified by weapons, buffs, status effects and Monster
abilities.
Fate Dice are D6s with symbols reflecting the defining attribute of each Hero and
the Darkness. These dice are rolled and their results are used to achieve recipes
for items. Once spent on a recipe, the Fate die is considered used.
The dice pool is only rolled once. All successes for all Target Numbers (TN) are
taken from this roll.
Target Numbers and Rolling
The Target Number (TN) appears in the shield on the Monster card. It is the
number required to roll to hit the target. Any number equal to or higher than the
TN is a success.
AoE attacks require multiple successes. Attacks against multiple targets with
different TNs need to be checked against each specifically. A result can only be
used for 1 target.
Fate Dice Success Each
weapon has a Fate recipe that, if met, allows the Hero to carry out the additional
heroic deed associated with the weapon. If a result is used on one recipe, it cant
be used again.
Remove Casualties and Place Treasures
Remove any Monsters killed. 1 treasure token is placed in a spot an enemy died
for: Every 3 Minions killed
Every Captain killed
Every Mini-Boss killed
Every Lair destroyed
Remember to lower the Treasure counter on the Darkness Board. Any treasure
added to the Realm Tile should come from those placed on the Darkness Board
during the setup of each tile.
Threat The
last step in Hero combat is to adjust the attacking Heros Threat. The Heros
Threat Meter is raised 1 point per point of damage received by the Darkness. It
has nothing to do with potential damage or kills.
Play cards to: Perform Reactions and Interrupts
Interrupts can only be played during the Darkness Cycle and only if the Hero has
available slots on their Hero Board.





Darkness Cycle
1) Check Threat Range
If no enemies are in Threat Range, then the Darkness Cycle ends.
If an enemy is in Threat Range, then draw a Darkness card.
2) Resolve Event
3) Check Threat Penalty
If any Hero is at Threat 10, then resolve the Threat Penalty.
4) Activate Enemies
5) Spawn Monsters
Check Threat Range
The range in squares, where an enemy becomes aggressive.
Heroes add the Threat Range to the Threat Range of the Hero. If the total Threat
is equal to or greater than the distance between them, then the monster is
considered active.
On tiles with multiple Lairs of the SAME Monster-type, when one becomes
active, they all do.
If Threat Range does not activate a Monster-type in this step, they remain
inactive this Darkness Cycle.
If no Monsters activate, then a Darkness card is not drawn.
Once a Monster-type on a tile becomes active it stays active.
Resolve Event (Draw a Darkness Card)
Draw a Darkness Card and resolve it in order from top to bottom. If the
conditions stated in the card are met, then resolve it.
Anytime the word immediately is used on a card, it is resolved before anything
else.
Check Threat Penalty
Threat Penalties occur if a Hero has a Threat of 10.
Activate Enemies
Combat functions the same for every enemy. Each step is resolved for all
Monsters in order of Activation before moving on to the next step. For instance,
all Monsters move before attacking.
1) Order
2) Priority & Movement
3) Attacking
4) Damage & Death



Order The order of
Activation is listed on the Darkness Deck Cards.
Realm Tiles with multiple Monster-types activate in the following order based off
the Monster-types classification.
Instinct > Intellect > Undead
If there are multiple Monster-types with identical classification, then the Monster
with the higher Threat Range activates first.
Instinct These Monsters stop at the first available square when they reach a
target. They dont make room for allies in later cycles.
Intellect The Monsters filter past any target to make room for their allies. They
arrange themselves around the target to provide space for others to attack.
Undead Function the same as Instinct.
Priority & Movement
Monster Priority refers to the order in which an enemy chooses his target.
Each Monster Priority is broken down into a list of 3 definers where the top-most
definer takes precedence.
There may be occasions where a 4
th
and 5
th
definer is required. In that case use
the following criteria.
Least Vitality
Player Choice
All Darkness monsters move 1 square per Movement Point.
Monsters cant move through other Monsters or Heroes but they can move into
an open space through diagonally adjacent Monsters or Heroes.
Monster ALWAYS attack if able, and if they cant attack, they ALWAYS move to
a position to be able to attack an available target (even if they cant get there in
the same round).
Within each Monster-type, Minions are grouped by adjacency. Where the initial
Minion moves, his neighbors follow.
Captains, Agents, Mini-Bosses and Bosses never use group movement.
Proximity as a Priority represents a Monsters ability to engage a target. It is not
necessarily the shortest distance from the target. Rather, its the shortest
distance a Monster must travel to engage a target. If a Minion cant get to a Hero
because hes surrounded, it moves toward the next available target.
Any Melee Minions already adjacent to a target dont leave combat to pursue
another target. If they are forced to leave, they dont pull their neighbors with
them.

Shadows
If a Hero is in Shadows, Monsters must pass a Notice Test before they can
engage him. If they fail to notice him, they cant engage him, nor can he be a
priority. If one Monster notices him, all others after dont need to make a Notice
Test.
Ranged Movement
Ranged Monsters, if able move to the maximum distance while maintaining
range and LoS. They dont move out of range or LoS. If Ranged Monsters are not
in range or cant see the target, they move so they can attack.
Attacking
Monster Combat is divided into the following steps:
1. Line of Sight & Range
2. Form Dice Pool
3. Target Numbers and Rolling

Line of Sight
Monster must be able to draw an unblocked line from any corner of the square
where the miniature stands to any corner of the square where the target stands.
Monsters have slightly different rules for Line of Sight.
Blocks LoS Does Not Block LoS
Lairs* Lairs*
Traps Monsters
Red Realm Tile Lines Heroes
Walls NPCs/Allies
Blue Realm Tile Lines
Treasure
Interactive Realm Objects

* Lairs that are of the same type as a ranged monster dont block LoS
Form Dice Pool The
collection of all dice being rolled for an attack.
Hit Dice (D10s)
Attack section of the Monster card
Event from the Darkness Deck Card
Buffs from Monster abilities
Debuffs from the Heroes





Fate Dice (FD)
For Minions and Captains, Fate Dice are rolled when they successfully hit a Hero.
If the Fate Dice results in a Darkness Symbol, then the Hero is afflicted by the
Monsters power.
Darkness Fate Dice can be manipulated through the following effects:
Attack section of the Monster card
Event from the Darkness Deck Card
Buffs from Monster abilities
Debuffs from the Heroes Rerolls
based off Hero equipment
Target Numbers and Rolling
The Target Number (TN) represents the number required to roll to hit the Hero.
Any number equal to or higher than the TN is a success.
Damage & Death
When a Hero is hit by an attack, that Hero must reduce their Vitality by the
amount of damage taken. If that Hero is reduced to zero Vitality, then he is dead.
When a Hero dies, quest items they carry are transferred to another Hero.
However, all of the dead Heros gear, including potions, is left on his person.
Spawn Monsters
Spawning happens after the Activation step. Newly placed Monsters dont
activate after placement.
Monsters are placed in the squares adjacent to the Lair if possible. They are also
placed in the best possible position to do damage to the Heroes.
Spawning guidelines
Melee (first)
Adjacent to the Lair As
close to the target as possible Closest
square available nearest the Lair If
there is more than one target, refer to that Monsters Priority
Ranged (second)
Adjacent to the Lair As far
away as possible from the target Closest
square available nearest the Lair If
there is more than one target, refer to that Monsters Priority
In range of a target
Lair Once a
Lair has taken 5 damage, it is destroyed.
When Lairs are placed on a Realm Tile, they begin with a population, Lairs start
with a specific number of Minions based off of Lair type and number of Heroes.
These Minions are placed as close to the Lair as possible.
Hero Deck Phase
After each Hero has completed his turn, the Hero Deck Phase begins.
Heroes reduce Threat based off of open Action Spaces on the Hero Board, then
move non-Ongoing cards to the discard pile.
Heroes may keep one card from their present hand, then draw up to their
maximum hand size of five cards.
Refresh Phase
1) Darkness Meter
2) Darkness Cycle
3) Allies Activate
4) Quest Results
5) Status Effects
6) Trap Results
7) Cleanup

The Refresh Phase has numerous steps that take place in a specific order. During
these steps, if a Darkness Cycle is activated, then that cycle interrupts the
Refresh Phase. Afterward, the Refresh Phase resumes and is completed.
Darkness Meter
The Darkness Meter is added to based off the number of activated enemy types
(Minions & Captains of the same Monster-type are counted as one). If this
activates the Darkness by reaching 6 on the Darkness Meter, then players
proceed to a Darkness Cycle before advancing to Allies Activate.
Darkness Cycle
Only go to this step if the Darkness Meter has reached 6 during the previous step.
Allies Activate
Allies perform their Actions. The players choose where the Ally moves and its
target to attack.
Quest Results
If a quest objective is active, then results are calculated during this step of the
Refresh Phase.
Control is determined Kills
and pickup are calculated Escort or
deliveries happen Hero Cycle
timers are reduced
If the quest was successfully achieved on the same turn the timer expired, the
quest is considered to have been completed.
Status Results
Effects that linger on Heroes and enemies are marked with a status token. These
remain with the target until they are resolved.
Status Effect
Curse Reduces hand size by 1.
Prone
The target can't perform Actions, Reaction or Interrupts. He
must spend the entire activation getting up.
DoT Any attack that continues to damage beyond the intial hit.
Frozen Reduce usable Action Spaces by 1.
PossessionHeroes act for the Darkness using the Possessor's priorities.
Capture An attack that forces the Hero to sacrifice cards from his hand.

If a Hero is afflicted with a Status Effect, then they are reconciled during this step
of the Refresh Phase. If the result kills the target, then that miniature is left on
the Realm Tile until Cleanup.
If this represents the last phase for a Status Effect, then it is removed at this time.
Trap Results
Any trap that is disarmed is removed from play immediately. If a trap fails to be
disarmed, it activates and affects all targets now.
There are traps that summon Monsters and in that case, these Monster activate
now and not during the Darkness Cycle.
Cleanup
The step where dead Heroes are removed from the Realm Tiles. In addition, if the
Heroes have failed a quest, then the quest objective is removed now.
The Cleanup step is also when Heroes can alter equipped gear with items in their
inventory. Heroes may swap any item in their inventory as many times as they
wish.