Catullus64
2024-01-02, 08:06 PM
A little personal project of mine which could use some rules feedback, an as-yet-untitled dungeon crawling board game in the vein of Descent or HeroQuest. It borrows lots of influences from all over the shop in its rules, and new eyes are always welcome to pose questions or suggest rebalances/clarifications.
The game is played on a gameboard with a square grid, 24x28 squares total. The board contains 16 rooms of fixed position and size connected by corridors and adjoining walls; the exact relationship of these rooms is modified adventure-to-adventure by the placement of doors and hallway blockages. Players move the figurines indicating their heroes along this board, using the instructions and narration of the Dungeon Master to play through the adventure scenario. The Dungeon Master also controls the monsters and dungeon hazards. In addition to the overall goal of the scenario, players aim to find treasure and magical items that can be kept between adventures, and help them to take on the more challenging adventures ahead.
The physical game components also include standard six-sided dice (the only dice needed for the game) miniatures for the monsters and heroes, pieces for doors, blockages, and furniture, hero & monster cards with summaries of each hero or monster's profile and abilities, and card decks for Treasure, Adventuring Gear, Potions, Spells, and Magic Items.
Rules
The game is designed for play by 3-5 players and one Dungeon Master. At the start of the first adventure of a campaign, each player selects one of the 10 heroes to control. The figures for these heroes are then placed at the starting spot on the board designated by the adventure, and the DM reads the scenario text to the players to give them an idea of their overall goal. Then the players begin moving and acting according to the General Turn sequence.
Note that the Combat Turn Sequence alters, rather than replaces this turn sequence when monsters are on the board. Unless the description says that step is skipped during combat, that step still takes place.
1. Turn Start. The Game Master rolls for Patrols, if relevant. If Patrols appear, the combat turn sequence takes effect until there are no monsters on the board. Heroes recover 1 Stamina, or 2 Stamina and 1 Magic if the hero Rested last turn.
2. Heroes' Movement. Heroes move a number of spaces equal to their Movement allowance, plus 1-3 for each point of Stamina a hero spends. The heroes may move in any order their players choose, and may interlace their movements with one another. Heroes may not move through occupied spaces. If monsters are encountered by revealing new rooms and corridors, and combat is not avoided through special spells, items, or scenario events, the combat turn sequence takes effect until there are no monsters on the board. Determine Surprise, then continue using the Combat Turn Sequence.
3. Explore. The players choose whether their heroes explore rooms or corridors they are in, with results determined both by the rules and the adventure scenario. This phase is skipped during the Combat Turn Sequence.
4. Trade Items. Each hero may give and receive 1 item from other heroes currently in the same room or corridor. This phase is skipped during the Combat turn Sequence.
5. Turn End. Roll for heroes on Death's Door, and note the change in Light.
Whenever monsters are encountered during the turn sequence, roll to determine surprise. Roll a die for each hero. On a result of 1-2, the hero is surprised. A surprised hero skips their Movement, or forgoes the rest of their Movement if it is the middle of the heroes' movement phase. A surprised hero also cannot Evade, cast spells, or use Active abilities or items. A surprised hero can still Fight if brought into combat, but at a -1 Penalty. On a roll of 3+, the hero can act normally. If none of the heroes are surprised, the monsters are surprised instead! Skip the Monsters' Movement phase on the first turn. Heroes with the Perceptive trait add +1 to their Surprise rolls.
The Combat Turn Sequence modifies the General Turn Sequence, adding additional sub-steps after Step 2, and skipping Steps 3 and 4. The sub-steps are numbered below.
1. Spell Selection. Heroes with spells may select which, if any spell, they will begin casting.
2. Monsters' Movement. Monsters that are not surprised move their allowance of squares. Like heroes, they may spend 1-3 Stamina to move additional squares.
3. Evasion Phase. The heroes may Evade in order to take additional movement in response to the movement of the monsters. Evading costs 2 Stamina per space moved. The players may evade in any order, and as many times as their Stamina will allow. If a character is casting a spell and Evades, this causes the spell to fail.
4. Fighting Phase. Resolve all melee Fights according to the Fighting rules.
5. Any spells that did not fail during the Evasion and Fighting phases are successfully cast at this point; only now does the caster select targets (if any) and expend Magic points.
If monsters remain, proceed to Step 5 of the General Turn Sequence and repeat. If no monsters remain, proceed to Step 3.
During the Fighting Phase, all heroes fight with all monsters in adjacent spaces, and vice versa. Determine who will fight with whom, and modify each combatant's Fighting Score based on the number of enemies they must fight. Fighting 2 enemies imposes a -1 Modifier, fighting 3 enemies imposes a -2 modifier, and fighting 4 enemies imposes a -3 modifier. These modifiers apply to heroes and monsters, and apply even if those enemies are engaged with other foes. Other situational modifiers may be imposed.
Once each combatant's modified Fighting Score has been determined, resolve each fight from the Dungeon Master's left to right, to to bottom. A fight is resolved by having each combatant roll 2d6 and add the result to their modified Fighting Score. Note which creatures win and lose which fights. A tie result means no creature won the fight. Heroes with the Strong trait win these ties instead.
For each fight a character resolves, they may spend 1-3 points of Stamina, adding +1 to their score for that Fight only for each point spent. Monsters may spend Stamina in this way as well as heroes.
Only after all Fights have been resolved, apply all damage from the fights simultaneously. Each creature deals its damage to all enemies it defeated in a Fight, which is then deducted from that creature's Health. If one combatant dies after multiple enemies dealt damage to it, all creatures that damaged it that phase are considered to have killed it.
When a monster reaches 0 Health it is slain, but heroic resolve can allow player characters to hold on a little longer. While at 0 Health (it is impossible to go any lower), a hero is at Death's Door. At the Turn End phase, roll a die for each hero on Death's Door. On a roll of 1-3, the character perishes. On a roll of 4-6, they survive, though they remain on Death's Door until raised above 0 HP. A character that Rested during the turn does not need to make a Death's Door roll at the end of turn.
Anytime a character at Death's Door suffers damage, they must make an additional Death's Door roll. Characters with the Iron-Willed trait add +1 to their Death's Door rolls.
Two of the heroes start the game knowing magic spells, but other heroes can pick them up in the course of an adventure.
All spells not known at the beginning of the adventure are found in the form of scrolls. A character in possession of a scroll can cast from the scroll, or memorize the spell. When either is done, the scroll is destroyed. Casting a spell from the scroll requires no expenditure of magic.
A character can Memorize one spell from any scroll they possess during the Explore phase. If a spell is memorized, the player keeps the spell card until the end of the adventure. That character can now cast that spell any time for the rest of the adventure, provided they have the required Magic points. A character's memorized spells cannot exceed a total level equal to their base Magic score. If they wish to learn new spells beyond these, they must forget and discard existing spells to make room.
Parts of a Spell Card:
Level: A spell has a level of 1, 2, or 3. This gives the amount of Magic points which must be expended each time the hero attempts to cast it.
Description: A description of the spell's effects. If a spell has ongoing effects, it cannot be cast again while those effects are in play.
Casting: When in the turn sequence a spell can be cast. If it says 'Combat', refer to the Combat Turn Sequence for when spells are cast.
Overcast: Many spells have a more powerful version which is more dangerous to cast. After successfully casting and Overcast version of a spell, roll a die for the result. On a result of 1, the caster forgets the spell in question and must discard the spell card. On a result of 2-5, the caster loses Health equal to the spell's level. On a result of 6, the caster suffers no ill effect.
Aside from certain items, the only way to regain magic is to Rest. Most characters regain 1 Magic from a turn of rest, but characters with the Learned trait regain 2.
Casting While Fighting
A character in the midst of casting a spell is vulnerable during combat. If engaged in one or more Fights during the Fighting Phase while casting, a character must choose to either allow the spell to fail, or else automatically count as having rolled double-ones on their dice for all Fights that phase.
Monsters come in three basic types in terms of how they are encountered: Patrols, Guards, and Ambushers.
Guards
Guards are the most common type of monster encountered. They occupy a fixed position in a room or corridor until the players enter line-of-sight, at which point they attack and fight to the death!
Patrols
Each adventure scenario has a certain set of monsters which make up its Patrol. These monsters prowl the corridors, using secret paths unknown to the heroes. Whenever a turn ends with any number of heroes in a corridor, the Dungeon Master should roll to see if a Patrol appears; they appear on a roll of 1 on a d6, rolled once for each corridor in which the players find themselves. Place them at the corner of the corridor furthest from any heroes. Roll for Surprise as usual, unless the players are already in combat. Only one Patrol can appear in a given corridor in a single turn. When all rooms in the dungeon (not counting secret rooms) have been revealed, the Dungeon Master should no longer roll for Patrols.
Ambushers
Ambushers can be spawned onto the board by special room text or events; some very tricksy monsters have Ambusher as in inherent part of their profile! Player characters are automatically surprised by the appearance of these monsters unless they can roll a 6 on their Surprise roll.
Counting Distances
Whenever an effect specifies a distance, count via adjacent squares, in the same fashion as when calculating movement. There is no moving on diagonals.
Line of Sight
Line of sight is blocked by walls, blockages, & unopened doors. Furniture, allies, enemies, and corpses block movement, but not line of sight.
Light
The party has a limited amount of Light. When the Light reaches 0, the danger increases greatly: heroes suffer -1 to their Fighting scores, Surprise rolls, Detect Traps rolls, and Movement allowance.
The party begins play with 20 turns' worth of light; the Light cannot generally be increased above 20. As noted in the turn sequence, the Light decreases by 1 at the end of each turn. The heroes must either move efficiently through the dungeon, or find items & spells to help prolong the light; ideally both!
Exhaustion
Stamina is a valuable resource, and using it is essential to victory. However, be careful not to spend all of it carelessly. When a character's Stamina is depleted to 0, they are Exhausted. While Exhausted, a character cannot spend Stamina. The Exhausted condition ends when a character's Stamina is replenished to its full quota.
The Explore Phase
During the Explore phase, the Dungeon Master first asks if each hero is exploring their environment, or simply staying put. The Dungeon Master then reads out the text related to the rooms or corridors in which the heroes spend the phase. This text may simply cause an event to happen to all in the room, may cause an event to affect only those heroes exploring, or it may offer a choice to exploring heroes. Events will frequently reference players' Traits (Strong, Agile, Perceptive, Learned, or Iron-Willed). It is during this phase that heroes will collect treasure & items, which they may subsequently trade among themselves. If the Room Text does not specify which player gains an item, any player who explored said room may take it. Then characters may perform other actions noted to happen during the Explore phase (such as certain spells). Finally, the Dungeon Master sees if the players notice any traps (See below).
Identifying
Potions, Scrolls, and Magic Items do not reveal their secrets immediately; they must first be Identified by a character with the Learned trait. To represent this, keep such item cards face-down when they are drawn. Once during each Exploration phase, a Learned character may attempt to Identify a single Potion, Scroll, or Magic Item in their possession. Make an Identify roll of a single d6. On a roll of 1, the character cannot identify the item; its secrets will instead be revealed only at the end of the dungeon. On a roll of 2-3, the item has not yet been identified, but the character may try again during the next Exploration phase. On a roll of 4-6, the item has been successfully identified. All previously unidentified items are identified at the adventure's end, even if no characters on the adventure possess the Learned trait.
Magic Items cannot be used until they are identified. Unidentified Potions and Scrolls may be used in moments of desperation, though spells cannot be memorized from unidentified scrolls.
Detecting & Disarming Traps
At the end of the Explore phase, heroes do their best to detect the hazards and snares of the dungeon. For each hero, the Dungeon Master makes a single d6 Detect Traps roll. Each hero then detects any trapped tiles within a number of squares equal to the result of their roll, provided they have line of sight to those tiles. The Dungeon Master does not share what number was rolled on the dice, merely whether any traps were detected. Some Room Text may also call for a Detect Traps roll; in such cases, a result of 1-3 is a failure, and a result of 4-6 a success.
To disarm a trap once detected, a hero must end their Movement adjacent to said trapped tile. Roll a single die; on a roll of 1, the hero springs the trap and suffers its effects. On a roll of 2-3, the hero has failed to disarm the trap, but suffers no ill effects and can try again next turn. On a roll of 4-6, the trap has been successfully disarmed. Traps cannot be disarmed during combat.
Characters with the Perceptive trait add +1 to their rolls to Detect (but not Disarm) traps.
Because the Explore phase does not occur during combat, traps cannot be directly detected during a fight. However, traps affect Monsters as well as heroes, and Monsters know where the traps are. Careful attention to where the monsters move may reveal clues as to trapped tiles.
Opening Doors
When a new door is encountered, it must be forced open before anyone can pass through it. When a hero attempts to pass through a door that has not yet been opened, they must make an Open Doors roll.
On a roll of 1-2, the character has failed to open the door, and cannot attempt to do so again until next turn. Additionally, if any monsters are revealed when the door finally does open, those monsters cannot be surprised.
On a roll of 3-4, the character has failed to open the door, and cannot attempt to do so again until next turn.
On a roll of 5-6, the door has been opened successfully, and all players may move through it.
Characters with the Strong trait ad +1 to their rolls to Open Doors.
Jumping
Once during each Movement Phase, a hero may attempt to Jump over a hazard or obstacle that obstructs a single square. There must be a specific obstacle, such as a piece of furniture or a detected trap, that the hero is attempting to clear, and the space on the opposite side of the obstacle, where the hero will land if successful, must be unoccupied and within Movement range. Enemies and allies cannot be jumped over. On a Jump result of 1-3, the Jump fails. If the hero was attempting to jump over an obstacle, their movement ends for that turn on the space from which the Jump was attempted. If the jump was over a trap or hazard that does not block Movement, they land on the hazardous space, and end their turn there. On a roll of 4-6, the hero makes it to the opposite square, and may continue moving.
Characters with the Agile trait add +1 to their Jump rolls.
Resting
Recovering from the fatigue of battle requires rest. In order to rest, a character must spend a full turn doing nothing: not moving, fighting, using abilities, casting spells, or exploring. The only activity a character may perform during a rest is trading items with other party members.
After spending the turn resting, a character gains the benefits of rest at the beginning of the next turn. By default, resting restores 1 Magic and 1 additional Stamina. Characters with the Learned trait recover 2 Magic instead of 1.
If a character spent a turn Resting, they do not need to roll for Death's Door at the end of that turn, even if they are still at 0 Health.
Mental Combat
Spells, monster abilities, and room events may involve Mental Combat. To resolve Mental Combat, each participant rolls a die, with the higher result winning. Each event or effect will specify what happens in the event of a tie.
A character in Mental Combat may spend 1-3 Magic Points, adding those points as a bonus to the roll. The aggressor declares first how many points they will spend. These are in addition to any Magic points spent to cast a spell.
Characters with the Iron-willed trait add +1 to their rolls in Mental Combat.
Completing the Adventure
The adventure is considered complete when all surviving heroes exit the dungeon. Usually, this involves going out the same way they came in, but sometimes it means finding a new exit. There may be other goals at which you may succeed or fail, but you know what they say about any battle you walk away from...
Death & Corpses
The Death's Door section of the combat rules details how an adventurer can meet an untimely fate. When this is done, set that hero's token on it side to indicate their corpse. A corpse blocks movement but not line of sight. When a hero is dead, items can be taken from their corpse during the Trade phase. However, if their corpse is left alone in a corridor or room, even for a moment, it will be looted and eaten by monsters.
A corpse can be dragged alongside the party. To drag the corpse, one party member must begin their move adjacent to it, and spend 1 extra square of Movement that turn.
If a character's corpse can be brought to the end of a dungeon, it allows their gear to be repurposed, and leaves open the possibility that they may be revived later, should other adventurers succeed in finding the Elixir of Life or the Holy Talisman.
In subsequent adventures, the player of the deceased hero must choose new heroes to control. Since there are a finite number of heroes, this imposes something of an overarching peril on a campaign. If at the end of an adventure there are not enough heroes left for every player in the group to control, then the forces of darkness run rampant, and the days of high adventure are ended forever. The only case in which this is not so is when the adventurers perish to complete the final adventure, giving their lives to vanquish evil forever.
The game is played on a gameboard with a square grid, 24x28 squares total. The board contains 16 rooms of fixed position and size connected by corridors and adjoining walls; the exact relationship of these rooms is modified adventure-to-adventure by the placement of doors and hallway blockages. Players move the figurines indicating their heroes along this board, using the instructions and narration of the Dungeon Master to play through the adventure scenario. The Dungeon Master also controls the monsters and dungeon hazards. In addition to the overall goal of the scenario, players aim to find treasure and magical items that can be kept between adventures, and help them to take on the more challenging adventures ahead.
The physical game components also include standard six-sided dice (the only dice needed for the game) miniatures for the monsters and heroes, pieces for doors, blockages, and furniture, hero & monster cards with summaries of each hero or monster's profile and abilities, and card decks for Treasure, Adventuring Gear, Potions, Spells, and Magic Items.
Rules
The game is designed for play by 3-5 players and one Dungeon Master. At the start of the first adventure of a campaign, each player selects one of the 10 heroes to control. The figures for these heroes are then placed at the starting spot on the board designated by the adventure, and the DM reads the scenario text to the players to give them an idea of their overall goal. Then the players begin moving and acting according to the General Turn sequence.
Note that the Combat Turn Sequence alters, rather than replaces this turn sequence when monsters are on the board. Unless the description says that step is skipped during combat, that step still takes place.
1. Turn Start. The Game Master rolls for Patrols, if relevant. If Patrols appear, the combat turn sequence takes effect until there are no monsters on the board. Heroes recover 1 Stamina, or 2 Stamina and 1 Magic if the hero Rested last turn.
2. Heroes' Movement. Heroes move a number of spaces equal to their Movement allowance, plus 1-3 for each point of Stamina a hero spends. The heroes may move in any order their players choose, and may interlace their movements with one another. Heroes may not move through occupied spaces. If monsters are encountered by revealing new rooms and corridors, and combat is not avoided through special spells, items, or scenario events, the combat turn sequence takes effect until there are no monsters on the board. Determine Surprise, then continue using the Combat Turn Sequence.
3. Explore. The players choose whether their heroes explore rooms or corridors they are in, with results determined both by the rules and the adventure scenario. This phase is skipped during the Combat Turn Sequence.
4. Trade Items. Each hero may give and receive 1 item from other heroes currently in the same room or corridor. This phase is skipped during the Combat turn Sequence.
5. Turn End. Roll for heroes on Death's Door, and note the change in Light.
Whenever monsters are encountered during the turn sequence, roll to determine surprise. Roll a die for each hero. On a result of 1-2, the hero is surprised. A surprised hero skips their Movement, or forgoes the rest of their Movement if it is the middle of the heroes' movement phase. A surprised hero also cannot Evade, cast spells, or use Active abilities or items. A surprised hero can still Fight if brought into combat, but at a -1 Penalty. On a roll of 3+, the hero can act normally. If none of the heroes are surprised, the monsters are surprised instead! Skip the Monsters' Movement phase on the first turn. Heroes with the Perceptive trait add +1 to their Surprise rolls.
The Combat Turn Sequence modifies the General Turn Sequence, adding additional sub-steps after Step 2, and skipping Steps 3 and 4. The sub-steps are numbered below.
1. Spell Selection. Heroes with spells may select which, if any spell, they will begin casting.
2. Monsters' Movement. Monsters that are not surprised move their allowance of squares. Like heroes, they may spend 1-3 Stamina to move additional squares.
3. Evasion Phase. The heroes may Evade in order to take additional movement in response to the movement of the monsters. Evading costs 2 Stamina per space moved. The players may evade in any order, and as many times as their Stamina will allow. If a character is casting a spell and Evades, this causes the spell to fail.
4. Fighting Phase. Resolve all melee Fights according to the Fighting rules.
5. Any spells that did not fail during the Evasion and Fighting phases are successfully cast at this point; only now does the caster select targets (if any) and expend Magic points.
If monsters remain, proceed to Step 5 of the General Turn Sequence and repeat. If no monsters remain, proceed to Step 3.
During the Fighting Phase, all heroes fight with all monsters in adjacent spaces, and vice versa. Determine who will fight with whom, and modify each combatant's Fighting Score based on the number of enemies they must fight. Fighting 2 enemies imposes a -1 Modifier, fighting 3 enemies imposes a -2 modifier, and fighting 4 enemies imposes a -3 modifier. These modifiers apply to heroes and monsters, and apply even if those enemies are engaged with other foes. Other situational modifiers may be imposed.
Once each combatant's modified Fighting Score has been determined, resolve each fight from the Dungeon Master's left to right, to to bottom. A fight is resolved by having each combatant roll 2d6 and add the result to their modified Fighting Score. Note which creatures win and lose which fights. A tie result means no creature won the fight. Heroes with the Strong trait win these ties instead.
For each fight a character resolves, they may spend 1-3 points of Stamina, adding +1 to their score for that Fight only for each point spent. Monsters may spend Stamina in this way as well as heroes.
Only after all Fights have been resolved, apply all damage from the fights simultaneously. Each creature deals its damage to all enemies it defeated in a Fight, which is then deducted from that creature's Health. If one combatant dies after multiple enemies dealt damage to it, all creatures that damaged it that phase are considered to have killed it.
When a monster reaches 0 Health it is slain, but heroic resolve can allow player characters to hold on a little longer. While at 0 Health (it is impossible to go any lower), a hero is at Death's Door. At the Turn End phase, roll a die for each hero on Death's Door. On a roll of 1-3, the character perishes. On a roll of 4-6, they survive, though they remain on Death's Door until raised above 0 HP. A character that Rested during the turn does not need to make a Death's Door roll at the end of turn.
Anytime a character at Death's Door suffers damage, they must make an additional Death's Door roll. Characters with the Iron-Willed trait add +1 to their Death's Door rolls.
Two of the heroes start the game knowing magic spells, but other heroes can pick them up in the course of an adventure.
All spells not known at the beginning of the adventure are found in the form of scrolls. A character in possession of a scroll can cast from the scroll, or memorize the spell. When either is done, the scroll is destroyed. Casting a spell from the scroll requires no expenditure of magic.
A character can Memorize one spell from any scroll they possess during the Explore phase. If a spell is memorized, the player keeps the spell card until the end of the adventure. That character can now cast that spell any time for the rest of the adventure, provided they have the required Magic points. A character's memorized spells cannot exceed a total level equal to their base Magic score. If they wish to learn new spells beyond these, they must forget and discard existing spells to make room.
Parts of a Spell Card:
Level: A spell has a level of 1, 2, or 3. This gives the amount of Magic points which must be expended each time the hero attempts to cast it.
Description: A description of the spell's effects. If a spell has ongoing effects, it cannot be cast again while those effects are in play.
Casting: When in the turn sequence a spell can be cast. If it says 'Combat', refer to the Combat Turn Sequence for when spells are cast.
Overcast: Many spells have a more powerful version which is more dangerous to cast. After successfully casting and Overcast version of a spell, roll a die for the result. On a result of 1, the caster forgets the spell in question and must discard the spell card. On a result of 2-5, the caster loses Health equal to the spell's level. On a result of 6, the caster suffers no ill effect.
Aside from certain items, the only way to regain magic is to Rest. Most characters regain 1 Magic from a turn of rest, but characters with the Learned trait regain 2.
Casting While Fighting
A character in the midst of casting a spell is vulnerable during combat. If engaged in one or more Fights during the Fighting Phase while casting, a character must choose to either allow the spell to fail, or else automatically count as having rolled double-ones on their dice for all Fights that phase.
Monsters come in three basic types in terms of how they are encountered: Patrols, Guards, and Ambushers.
Guards
Guards are the most common type of monster encountered. They occupy a fixed position in a room or corridor until the players enter line-of-sight, at which point they attack and fight to the death!
Patrols
Each adventure scenario has a certain set of monsters which make up its Patrol. These monsters prowl the corridors, using secret paths unknown to the heroes. Whenever a turn ends with any number of heroes in a corridor, the Dungeon Master should roll to see if a Patrol appears; they appear on a roll of 1 on a d6, rolled once for each corridor in which the players find themselves. Place them at the corner of the corridor furthest from any heroes. Roll for Surprise as usual, unless the players are already in combat. Only one Patrol can appear in a given corridor in a single turn. When all rooms in the dungeon (not counting secret rooms) have been revealed, the Dungeon Master should no longer roll for Patrols.
Ambushers
Ambushers can be spawned onto the board by special room text or events; some very tricksy monsters have Ambusher as in inherent part of their profile! Player characters are automatically surprised by the appearance of these monsters unless they can roll a 6 on their Surprise roll.
Counting Distances
Whenever an effect specifies a distance, count via adjacent squares, in the same fashion as when calculating movement. There is no moving on diagonals.
Line of Sight
Line of sight is blocked by walls, blockages, & unopened doors. Furniture, allies, enemies, and corpses block movement, but not line of sight.
Light
The party has a limited amount of Light. When the Light reaches 0, the danger increases greatly: heroes suffer -1 to their Fighting scores, Surprise rolls, Detect Traps rolls, and Movement allowance.
The party begins play with 20 turns' worth of light; the Light cannot generally be increased above 20. As noted in the turn sequence, the Light decreases by 1 at the end of each turn. The heroes must either move efficiently through the dungeon, or find items & spells to help prolong the light; ideally both!
Exhaustion
Stamina is a valuable resource, and using it is essential to victory. However, be careful not to spend all of it carelessly. When a character's Stamina is depleted to 0, they are Exhausted. While Exhausted, a character cannot spend Stamina. The Exhausted condition ends when a character's Stamina is replenished to its full quota.
The Explore Phase
During the Explore phase, the Dungeon Master first asks if each hero is exploring their environment, or simply staying put. The Dungeon Master then reads out the text related to the rooms or corridors in which the heroes spend the phase. This text may simply cause an event to happen to all in the room, may cause an event to affect only those heroes exploring, or it may offer a choice to exploring heroes. Events will frequently reference players' Traits (Strong, Agile, Perceptive, Learned, or Iron-Willed). It is during this phase that heroes will collect treasure & items, which they may subsequently trade among themselves. If the Room Text does not specify which player gains an item, any player who explored said room may take it. Then characters may perform other actions noted to happen during the Explore phase (such as certain spells). Finally, the Dungeon Master sees if the players notice any traps (See below).
Identifying
Potions, Scrolls, and Magic Items do not reveal their secrets immediately; they must first be Identified by a character with the Learned trait. To represent this, keep such item cards face-down when they are drawn. Once during each Exploration phase, a Learned character may attempt to Identify a single Potion, Scroll, or Magic Item in their possession. Make an Identify roll of a single d6. On a roll of 1, the character cannot identify the item; its secrets will instead be revealed only at the end of the dungeon. On a roll of 2-3, the item has not yet been identified, but the character may try again during the next Exploration phase. On a roll of 4-6, the item has been successfully identified. All previously unidentified items are identified at the adventure's end, even if no characters on the adventure possess the Learned trait.
Magic Items cannot be used until they are identified. Unidentified Potions and Scrolls may be used in moments of desperation, though spells cannot be memorized from unidentified scrolls.
Detecting & Disarming Traps
At the end of the Explore phase, heroes do their best to detect the hazards and snares of the dungeon. For each hero, the Dungeon Master makes a single d6 Detect Traps roll. Each hero then detects any trapped tiles within a number of squares equal to the result of their roll, provided they have line of sight to those tiles. The Dungeon Master does not share what number was rolled on the dice, merely whether any traps were detected. Some Room Text may also call for a Detect Traps roll; in such cases, a result of 1-3 is a failure, and a result of 4-6 a success.
To disarm a trap once detected, a hero must end their Movement adjacent to said trapped tile. Roll a single die; on a roll of 1, the hero springs the trap and suffers its effects. On a roll of 2-3, the hero has failed to disarm the trap, but suffers no ill effects and can try again next turn. On a roll of 4-6, the trap has been successfully disarmed. Traps cannot be disarmed during combat.
Characters with the Perceptive trait add +1 to their rolls to Detect (but not Disarm) traps.
Because the Explore phase does not occur during combat, traps cannot be directly detected during a fight. However, traps affect Monsters as well as heroes, and Monsters know where the traps are. Careful attention to where the monsters move may reveal clues as to trapped tiles.
Opening Doors
When a new door is encountered, it must be forced open before anyone can pass through it. When a hero attempts to pass through a door that has not yet been opened, they must make an Open Doors roll.
On a roll of 1-2, the character has failed to open the door, and cannot attempt to do so again until next turn. Additionally, if any monsters are revealed when the door finally does open, those monsters cannot be surprised.
On a roll of 3-4, the character has failed to open the door, and cannot attempt to do so again until next turn.
On a roll of 5-6, the door has been opened successfully, and all players may move through it.
Characters with the Strong trait ad +1 to their rolls to Open Doors.
Jumping
Once during each Movement Phase, a hero may attempt to Jump over a hazard or obstacle that obstructs a single square. There must be a specific obstacle, such as a piece of furniture or a detected trap, that the hero is attempting to clear, and the space on the opposite side of the obstacle, where the hero will land if successful, must be unoccupied and within Movement range. Enemies and allies cannot be jumped over. On a Jump result of 1-3, the Jump fails. If the hero was attempting to jump over an obstacle, their movement ends for that turn on the space from which the Jump was attempted. If the jump was over a trap or hazard that does not block Movement, they land on the hazardous space, and end their turn there. On a roll of 4-6, the hero makes it to the opposite square, and may continue moving.
Characters with the Agile trait add +1 to their Jump rolls.
Resting
Recovering from the fatigue of battle requires rest. In order to rest, a character must spend a full turn doing nothing: not moving, fighting, using abilities, casting spells, or exploring. The only activity a character may perform during a rest is trading items with other party members.
After spending the turn resting, a character gains the benefits of rest at the beginning of the next turn. By default, resting restores 1 Magic and 1 additional Stamina. Characters with the Learned trait recover 2 Magic instead of 1.
If a character spent a turn Resting, they do not need to roll for Death's Door at the end of that turn, even if they are still at 0 Health.
Mental Combat
Spells, monster abilities, and room events may involve Mental Combat. To resolve Mental Combat, each participant rolls a die, with the higher result winning. Each event or effect will specify what happens in the event of a tie.
A character in Mental Combat may spend 1-3 Magic Points, adding those points as a bonus to the roll. The aggressor declares first how many points they will spend. These are in addition to any Magic points spent to cast a spell.
Characters with the Iron-willed trait add +1 to their rolls in Mental Combat.
Completing the Adventure
The adventure is considered complete when all surviving heroes exit the dungeon. Usually, this involves going out the same way they came in, but sometimes it means finding a new exit. There may be other goals at which you may succeed or fail, but you know what they say about any battle you walk away from...
Death & Corpses
The Death's Door section of the combat rules details how an adventurer can meet an untimely fate. When this is done, set that hero's token on it side to indicate their corpse. A corpse blocks movement but not line of sight. When a hero is dead, items can be taken from their corpse during the Trade phase. However, if their corpse is left alone in a corridor or room, even for a moment, it will be looted and eaten by monsters.
A corpse can be dragged alongside the party. To drag the corpse, one party member must begin their move adjacent to it, and spend 1 extra square of Movement that turn.
If a character's corpse can be brought to the end of a dungeon, it allows their gear to be repurposed, and leaves open the possibility that they may be revived later, should other adventurers succeed in finding the Elixir of Life or the Holy Talisman.
In subsequent adventures, the player of the deceased hero must choose new heroes to control. Since there are a finite number of heroes, this imposes something of an overarching peril on a campaign. If at the end of an adventure there are not enough heroes left for every player in the group to control, then the forces of darkness run rampant, and the days of high adventure are ended forever. The only case in which this is not so is when the adventurers perish to complete the final adventure, giving their lives to vanquish evil forever.