T

he Adventurer's Companion
 Adventurer's Companion
An expansion by JAKE THORNTON

Adventuring has become such an accepted profession that there is even a whole branch of lowbrow
tavern humour associated with it. Variations on old tropes, such as the how many wenches does it
take to milk a cow routine have begun to surface, such as how many Dwarfs does it take to complete
a quest? All of them, one to do the questing and the rest to make up heroic sagas about it. Though
these types of ribaldry are commonplace and variants exist for almost every race, for some reason the
Barbarian peoples of the Steppes one or more of whom are often to be found in any questing party
are mysteriously absent. Or perhaps not so mysteriously, when one considers their relatively common
appearances in both Questing parties and Taverns, coupled with their reputation.

Extract from The Questing Life by A. R. Carttley

Credits
GAME DESIGN: COVER ART: SCULPTING: PHOTOGRAPHY:
Jake Thornton Jonas Springborg Gregor Adrian, Sylvain Alex Earle, Ben
Quirion, Ben Skinner, Sandum
SAGA WRITING: ART: Rmy Tremblay
Greg D Smith Heath Foley, Jonas SPECIAL THANKS:
Springborg, Luigi PAINTING: Adam Palmer, Maria
EDITING AND Terzi, Ralph Horsley, Dave Neild, Maz Tabor
ADDITIONAL Shen Fei, Stef Kopinski Wiernikowski
CONTENT:
Stewart Gibbs, Thomas GRAPHIC DESIGN: TERRAIN:
Pike Chris Webb, Karen Dave Neild, Mel Bose
Miksza, Kev Brett

1
 C ontents
INTRODUCTION.............. 5 MOVEMENT..................... 18
Adjacent......................... 18
LARGER CREATURES ..... 30
Arcs................................ 30
WHAT YOU Facing............................ 18 Movement...................... 30
NEED TO PLAY............... 8 Piles of Bones and Other Fighting.......................... 31
The Adventurer's Counters......................... 18
Companion..................... 8 Moving Models WE CAN
Dungeon Saga: ....................................... 18 BE HEROES...................... 32
The Dwarf Breaking away................ 19 The Birth of a Hero........ 32
King's Quest.................. 8 Free Strikes.................... 19 What Next?.................... 33
Miniatures...................... 9
Tiles & Clips................... 9 FIGHTING........................ 20 RACES.............................. 35
Doors, Treasure Resolving Fights............. 20 Dwarf............................. 35
Chests, and More........... 9 Human........................... 36
Cards.............................. 9 SHOOTING....................... 22 Elf.................................. 37
Painting Your Resolving a Shot............ 22 Halfling.......................... 38
Miniatures..................... 9 Range............................. 22 Gladewalker................... 39
Hero Sheets.................... 10 Line of Sight................... 22 Naiad.............................. 40
Counters........................ 10 Salamander.................... 41
Range Rulers ................. 10 DAMAGE.......................... 24 Sylph.............................. 42
Dice................................ 10 Minion Damage.............. 24
Hero and Boss Damage... 24 PROFESSIONS.................. 44
SETTING UP THE GAME.12 Injured........................... 24 Barbarian....................... 44
Set Up Steps................... 12 Bard............................... 45
Selecting Heroes............ 13 MAGIC ............................. 25 Cleric............................. 46
Recharging..................... 25 Demon Hunter............... 47
PLAYING THE GAME....... 14 Range............................. 25 Druid.............................. 48
Hero Turns..................... 14 Line of Sight................... 25 Fighter........................... 49
Actions........................... 14 Magical Attacks............. 26 Paladin........................... 50
Feats.............................. 14 Items.............................. 26 Thief.............................. 51
Overlord Turns .............. 15 Using Items.................... 27 Wizard........................... 52
Actions........................... 15 Trading Items................. 27 Building a Hero.............. 53
Overlord Powers............ 15
Overlord Command DUNGEON FURNITURE.. 28
Cards ............................. 16 Doors and Chests........... 28
End of the Round........... 16 Locks ............................. 28
Crushing the Weak......... 16 Open Sesame.................. 28
Dying for the Cause....... 17 Traps.............................. 28
Ruling the World............ 17 Lock Traps..................... 29
Map Traps...................... 29
Destroying Furniture..... 29
Magical Furniture.......... 29
Hidden Compartments... 29

222
 .

HEROES OF MANTICA.... 54 CAMPAIGNS..................... 68 BESTIARY........................ 84

Orlaf, Where to Begin? ............ 69 Forces of the Abyss........ 84
Human Barbarian........... 55 Experience..................... 71 Boss: Lord of the Abyss.. 85
Rordin, Glory.............................. 71 Abyssal Dwarfs.............. 86
Dwarf Fighter................. 55 Levelling Up................... 72 Boss: Abyssal Dwarf....... 86
Danor, Take the Money.............. 72 Basileans........................ 87
Human Wizard............... 56 Feats............................... 73 Dwarfs............................ 88
Madriga, Earning Feats................. 73 Elves.............................. 89
Elf Ranger..................... 56 Choosing Feats............... 73 Ogres.............................. 90
Arianya, Boss: Ogre...................... 90
Naiad Demon Hunter..... 57 UNCHARTED DUNGEONS Goblins........................... 92
Venetia Beriassor, 74 Boss: Goblin................... 92
Human Cleric................. 57 Getting Started.............. 75 Orcs................................ 93
Kapoka, Placing & Boss: Orc........................ 93
Gladewalker Druid ........ 58 Joining Tiles................... 75 Undead........................... 94
Hrrath Flamespitter, Placing Piles of Bones................. 95
Salamander Fighter........ 58 Overlord Models............ 75 Dungeon Dwellers.......... 96
Ibrahim, Placing Bosses................ 76
Human Paladin ............. 59 Playing
Ally McSween, Uncharted Games.......... 76
Halfling Thief................ 59
A DUNGEON TO
ABILITIES........................ 60 CALL YOUR OWN............ 77
Who Chooses First?........ 60 A Narrative Idea............. 77
Modifying Dice Rolls...... 60 Interesting
Ranked Abilities............. 60 Arrangement of Tiles..... 78
Ability Families.............. 60 Appropriate
Combat Abilities............ 61 Inhabitants.................... 78
General Abilities............ 62 Lots of Testing................ 79
Illegal Abilities.............. 65
SOLO PLAY...................... 80
SPELLS............................. 66 Card Overview............... 80
Magical Abilities............ 66 Setting Up
a Solo Game................... 80
SONGS.............................. 67 Playing a Solo Game...... 80
Musical Abilities............ 67 Reading Invisible
Overlord Cards.............. 81
Which Models Act?........ 82
Who Is The Target?........ 82

3
444
I ntroduction
Dungeon Saga is the game that tells the smaller, but no less epic stories of the Kings of
War world of Mantica. Instead of mighty armies clashing on the field of battle, Dungeon
Saga gives us small groups of heroic individuals fighting their way through hordes of
minions to face the evil overlord and win the day. They might be attempting to stop some
dastardly scheme, recover an important relic or simply slay a mighty beast they may
even be doing a combination of all of these things!

The main boxed game will building your own dungeon. The yourselves who is the ultimate
have given you a taste of only limits are your imagination Evil Overlord, and who is the
the possibilities, taking you and your own collection! mightiest hero of all!
through a pre-prepared
narrative campaign with a set Some of the features included
party of heroes and all of their here can be added to the core
equipment. This book allows rules on their own, and if you GETTING STARTED
you to take the next step, and have played the core adventures
play Dungeon Saga on a whole you may already know which If this is your first time
new level. Now YOU can take sections you are most interested playing Dungeon Saga,
the part of the evil overlord, in. Other parts work together, we recommend you play
designing your own labyrinth for such as the campaign rules and through the Quick Start
the heroes to navigate their way the rules for experience. Do Guide included in the
through, and your own ultimate feel free to experiment with the Dungeon Saga: The Dwarf
goal for them to chase. For their different options and choose the Kings Quest box before
part, the heroes can choose ones that suit you. Adding them reading the rest of the
their own character from the gradually over a few games will rules. The step-by-step
full range of miniatures in their make it easier to learn the new examples will begin the
collection, settling on whatever rules and let you decide which heroes story and ease you
race and profession suits bits you like best. into the rules, making this
them best and equipping them book more familiar and
accordingly. In this way, you can The adventures in the boxed straightforward. For those
all tailor the game to play how game trained you in how to who already know their way
you want it to, setting your own go adventuring now it is up around a dungeon, read on!
victory conditions, selecting to you to seek out your own
your own participants and adventures, and determine for

5
 very eye in the Tavern the exaggerated hand movements lips for good measure, letting

E
swivelled towards the and the amount of their beer off a loud, exaggerated sigh of
door as it opened, the sloshing over their table, the satisfaction. There was a quizzical
background murmur floor and everywhere but their tilt of the head from the other side
of the place subsiding mouths. His eye continued to of the table.
to a watchful hush rove around the room as he took
for a handful of moment as they another pull at the ale, seeking Precious few like Karls ale said
all watched him enter. Borin out what he had come here for. the stranger, and nobody loves it.
pulled down the hood, freeing his Any other man might have missed
head from the damp fabric and it, but the flicker of movement in Borin waited a moment, allowing
revealing a face careworn before the darkest corner of the tavern time for more to be said, but it
its time. Stubble peppered the caught his eye. It was the slightest seemed that the stranger was done
jawline and a small but deep scar of things, the indication of a for now.
marred the lip, standing out by presence that was trying very
way of being the only remarkable much to keep itself to itself. Even Ive been on the road the last few
feature on an otherwise plain the light from the candles in that nights first decent drin-
face. The buzz of the bar area seemed somehow dimmer, as
resumed as everyone went back though the very air itself around Lets avoid the pleasantries
to their drinks, satisfied that the it were somehow thicker. That the stranger cut across him, I
newcomer was of no particular was exactly what he was looking know that you think you were
interest. Borin walked to the for. He ordered another beer, being oh so careful when you
bar, ordering an ale which was and picking up both tankards walked in, but it was painfully
slid across to him in a wooden walked over to the corner. As he bloody obvious to me that you
tankard. He took a pull, grimacing approached, he could feel the gaze were watching the room. You
at the bitter taste but grateful for fixed upon him, almost sensing didnt just wander in here by
the refreshment. the feeling of being willed away. accident and you certainly didnt
He walked up to the table and set sit at my table for my sparkling
He looked around the place with both tankards down. company so lets just get to the
a discreet eye, assessing the part where you ask the question
various and sundry neer do wells This seat taken? you came to ask and I say no
that inhabited it. In one corner, and then we can both avoid
a group of men were talking in A noncommittal grunt was his wasting our evening.
loud voices about their exploits only reply, and he hooked the
and how tough each of them was. stool out with a foot and sat Borin blinked. Of all the rehearsed
In another, a group of Dwarfs down. Sliding the new ale across scenarios in his head as hed
were in full throated song, though to the other side of the table, walked over, this hadnt been one
what they were singing about he picked up his own and took of them. It was obvious from the
was indecipherable to him, and a long pull, giving every sign of quiet way of the stranger and his
likely to them too judging from enjoyment. He even smacked his seclusion at the back of the place

666
that he was the kind of person What? Some local maid wander surprise in the other, but I
Borin was looking for. The iron off on her own in the woods? wouldnt rate your chances of
in the voice and the confidence it Squire of the village kidnapped by getting very far past my friends
spoke of only reinforced that. But rogues? outside. The Dwarf cant run very
he hadnt expected this. fast, Ill grant you, but she can
Borin smiled, showing a row of throw an axe pretty well. And the
Cat got your tongue, boy? perfect white teeth broken by a demon hunter, well hes just not
single dull gold one. all that subtle.
Boy. It took a certain kind of
mettle to address a stranger in a Neither in fact. This is a map The strangers hand moved from
tavern like this with that sort of of the basements and dungeons the hilt and up to the hood,
epithet. In spite of himself, Borin beneath the old Fortress ruins throwing it back with a casual
was impressed. at Khatarn. My employer wishes flick. Flashing blue eyes were
to retrieve something from revealed, pale like a winter sky
Clearly you arent interested in there nothing of any interest and framed by a slightly oval face.
being social. Very well then, to to a gentleman like yourself of Unlike Borins own visage, this
business. course but valuable enough to one was smooth, with no trace of
ensure decent payment. And your hair nor scars to mar its alabaster
He reached into his pocket and freedom to collect anything else of paleness. The mouth twitched
took out the folded square of interest along the way of course. in an approximation of a smile,
parchment, tossing it gently to though the impression it gave was
the tabletop between them and The stranger shifted in his seat. more unsettling than friendly.
leaning back in his chair. The movement was slight, and
to an inexperienced observer it They say that the ruins at
I have an offer, though Im sure would seem nothing more than Khatarn are haunted you know.
that you already worked that an adjustment for comfort. Borin
out. If you have better things to however was very experienced. They also say that the Forest Kin
be doing with your time then Ill Hed noticed the almost never venture this far East, and
leave and be on my way, though imperceptible intake of breath, yet
Im fairly certain that you wont he was alive to the way that the
have anything to do that will be stranger was leaning forward, and The stranger laughed. It was a
worth quite this much money. he hadnt failed to notice the hand short, tight sound and like the
brushing against the sword hilt. smile that had preceded it, carried
The stranger snorted, leaning absolutely no trace of warmth or
back in his own chair and If you are wondering what is humour.
crossing his arms so that his own to stop you from killing me and
cloak fell open, revealing the hilt taking the map, the answer is Then let us go and see if they
of a short sword. nothing he enjoyed the stiffening were wrong about the ghosts as
of the posture that indicated well.

7
 W hat you need to play
This section describes the various components that youll need to get
going. Before you begin, its worth quickly looking at each component
so that youll be more familiar with it when it is mentioned later in the
rules.

Youll find everything you need

for your first few games in the
Dungeon Saga: The Dwarf Kings
TCompanion
he Adventurer's minions. They can use the Hero
rules to create their own unique
Bosses to act on their behalf (a
Quest set, but if you dont have This is the book you are reading. Boss is a Hero that works for
a copy you can use whatever It contains the complete rules the Overlord). In addition, there
youve got in your collection to for the game, and the many ways are rules for furniture, traps,
get started. This set includes all of customising your characters random dungeons and more. The
of cards and counters you need and adventures. You can create Adventurers Companion takes
to play, so all youll need are your own Heroes and nurture Dungeon Saga to an even deeper
some models Mantics Kings them as they gain experience level.
of War range is a great source over many adventures, choosing
of epic fantasy miniatures. where they spend their
Dungeon Saga also has a range downtime between dungeons and
of narrative expansions, each of which new abilities they learn.
which provide new cards, tiles Overlords can design their own
and models to take your games dungeons and populate them
into a new setting. with a wide variety of different

Dungeon Saga: The Dwarf King's Quest

If you are new to Dungeon Saga you should consider getting the Dwarf Kings Quest set. This
includes a wide selection of tiles, Heroes and Undead Minion miniatures as well as cards, counters
and dice everything you need to kick-off your collection. It includes a Quick Start Guide to ease
new players into the rules. It also gives you a whole campaign to play and use as inspiration for your
own adventures.

888
Miniatures
All of the Heroes and
Tiles & Clips
The dungeons in Dungeon
CardsThe cards in the game have
monsters in the game are Saga are built from individual various functions and will be
represented by highly detailed tiles, clipped together to form mentioned throughout the rules.
Mantic miniatures (also called the layouts in the adventure Each expansion to Dungeon
models). The Hero player(s) will maps. Each tile is double sided Saga will build on these card
need a miniature for each of the and can be used either way up. decks, adding spells, magic
Heroes in the adventure this is See the dungeon building rules items, locations, and more. As
usually four. The Overlord will on page 77. you collect the expansions you
need a miniature to represent can shuffle these new cards into
his minions as well as the The Dungeon Saga range the main deck for use in your
Overlord himself. He doesnt includes a large number of Adventurers Companion games.
need a separate model for every different tiles that represent
minion that takes part in every several different types of
adventure, just enough that he dungeon (natural cave, volcanic
Item Card
can put as many on the board as channels, and so on). These
may be in play at the same time. tiles come in the core set and
expansions, with extra sets of
tiles available for those who
wish to combine several and Spell Card
Painting Your build really huge layouts.
Miniatures
The finely detailed Song Card
miniatures in this game
will serve perfectly as they
come. The different colours
make it easy to tell who is
on each side, and there is no Trap Card
assembly required so you can
play the game straight out
of the box. However, some
people enjoy painting their
Location Card
miniatures and personalising
their dungeon experience,
and throughout these
rules you will see painted
examples to show you what
D oors, Treasure
Chests, and
More Invisible
can be done with care and Overlord Card
practice. Doors are a key part of the
dungeon, separating different
To find out more about zones of the map. Other
Uncharted
painting your miniatures, furniture can be important too,
Dungeon Card
visit www.manticgames.com. and the Dungeon Saga range
includes bookcases, chests,
weapon racks and more.
Event Card

Note: Many of the Overlord, Spell

and Itemcards in the Dwarf Kings
Quest boxed game are duplicated
in this set, so do not need to be
shuffled into the deck the boxed
game is a standalone set.

9
 OVERLORD COMMAND
CARDS
Counters
Dungeon Saga uses a
HERO COUNTERS

number of different types of

counter to keep track of various
game items and effects.

The most common are explained

here, but you will see other types There is one hero counter per
appear throughout the rules. hero (not Bosses). These are
used to keep track of which
heroes have had their turn in the
The Overlord has their own WOUND COUNTERS current round.
set of cards that allow them
to make special actions during
the game. This set contains a
deck of generic cards that can
be used for any Overlord, but
each narrative Dungeon Saga Wound counters are placed on a
Range Rulers
These are used to check
set will allow you to expand the heros card to show how badly the range of Shooting attacks
deck with new abilities related hurt they are. and spells (see pages 20-25).
to a certain type of Overlord.
The Dwarf Kings Quest set for
example contains Command SPELL EFFECT
Cards for the Necromancer COUNTERS
Overlord, allowing the player
to Raise the Dead and cast Spell effect counters help you
necromantic spells upon the remember who has had a spell
Heroes. Each expansion will add cast on them. Each spell has its
a new twist to the way the game
is played.
own counter.

Divinity
Dice Dungeon Saga uses
regular, six-sided dice.

Hero Sheets Hydromancy

Aeromancy

Pyromancy

Geomancy

Petty Magic

This set includes a pad of Hero Sorcery

sheets for you to record the
game values of your own Heroes,
Druidism
any weapons and equipment they
pick up, and any new skills they
learn. You may also want to keep Necromancy
notes of your Heros triumphs
(and defeats) to tell your friends,
or use as the basis of your own Song Effect
sagas. See the Hero design rules
on page 32.

1010
10
11
 S
OUT OF THE BOX
etting up the Game
Dungeon Saga can be played in a number of different ways, so the first decision
you need to make when setting up a game is how you want to play Out of the Box;
Design Your Own Dungeon; Uncharted Dungeons and Campaigns.

DESIGN YOUR OWN DUNGEON prewritten, homebrewed, or

uncharted adventure.
The simplest way to play is This works just like the Out
with 1 Overlord player and 1-4 of the Box option once the As there are so many variations
Hero players using one of the adventure starts. However, of how to play, the set up rules
predesigned adventures. These before that can happen the below cover general stages rather
come in the Dwarf Kings Quest Overlord has to design the than specifics. See the individual
box, or one of the Dungeon Saga dungeon he will defend against sections for more detail.
expansions. Everything is ready the Heroes (see page 77).
to just set up and play.

However, you dont have to use

the pre-set Heroes if you dont
want to - you can play through
UNCHARTED DUNGEONS

These are uncharted dungeons,

Set Up Steps
To set up a game of
these quests with characters of without anything predefined Dungeon Saga follow these steps:
your own devising - see page 32. (see page 74). You can either use
Heroes that have been included in 1. Decide which adventure
one of the prewritten adventures, you will play. This could be
or you can design a new one of prewritten, homebrewed, or
If you want to play the your own (see page 32), or use a uncharted.
original Dwarf Kings Quest mixture of the two.
campaign with your own 2. Decide who will play the
Heroes, this can be done by Overlord and which forces
using the levels given in the CAMPAIGNS he will use, if they are not
table below. A total of zero predefined for you. Create
means that you must use A campaign is a series of linked any Bosses needed for the
starting Heroes. See page 32 adventures where the Heroes gain adventure.
for more details. experience between dungeons
(see page 68). This could be 3. Decide how many people are
Level a series of linked prewritten, playing Heroes and which
Adventure homebrewed, or uncharted Hero(es) each will take. The
Total adventures, or a mixture of all heroes can all be controlled
1 0 three. You can either use Heroes by one player, or they can
that have been included in one of be divided among up to
2 3 the prewritten adventures, or you four. If the Heroes are not
can design a new one of your own predefined, decide which
3 6 (see page 32), or use a mixture of you will use now. Create
the two. any Heroes needed for the
4 9 adventure.
No Overlord
5 12 4. The Overlord tells the Hero
Instead of a player being players about any extra items
in charge, the Invisible defined by the adventure,
6 15
Overlord card deck controls before proceeding to lay out
the Minions and Bosses of the dungeon as shown on the
7 18
the dungeon. Apart from map. The Overlord player
that the game remains should be careful not to
8 20
unchanged, and could reveal the map or any of its
be played solo, with a secrets to the other players.

12
12
12
 the game using the pre- The correct type of Overlord
IMPORTANT! Only set
designed Heroes. If using Command Cards should be
up the tiles from the
custom Heroes, you will use shuffled into the main deck
heroes starting position
the Items and Spells given to before playing. He then
to the first door(s).
your Hero during the design draws 3 of these to form his
Anything beyond is not
process. starting hand.
yet in play and remains a
mystery to the heroes.
5. Prepare the Overlord 6. When everyone is familiar
command card deck (or the with their characters and
While the Overlord is setting Invisible Overlord deck). The abilities, the Overlord reads
up the tiles, the other players Overlord player shuffles all out the story text for the
should sort out the cards, of the Overlord Command adventure along with the
counters, and dice they will cards and deals a certain victory conditions for each
need. If the Overlord player number face down to form side and any special rules.
has been replaced by the his deck, as specified in the
Invisible Overlord deck then Adventure. 7. The game starts with one of
one of the Hero players will the Heroes taking their first
have to set up the tiles. Note turn.
that the items listed for each
Hero in the Adventure text
will only apply if playing

Selecting Heroes
Each Hero has three core game values listed on their Hero card. These will be used throughout
the game, so make sure you know where they are for quick reference.

Movement: How many squares Combat Dice: How many dice Armour: The number that an
the model may move in a turn the model may roll when in opponent must roll above in
see page 18. combat situations see page order to harm the model see
20. page 21.

Each hero has strengths and weaknesses. The mighty barbarian can slaughter many foes at a time,
yet he is lightly armoured and vulnerable to stronger enemies. The Dwarf, while not quite as
powerful, is steadier in his fighting, his thick armour resisting most attacks. The Elf is not as skilled
a fighter as either of these, instead preferring to stay at a distance where her finely-honed archery
skills can best be used. Finally, there is the wizard. The others may laugh at his lack of fighting
skill, yet it is often his magic that carries the day.

13
 P laying the Game
When the adventure has been set up as described in the Quest Book, the game
can begin. Dungeon Saga is played in rounds, ending when one side achieves the
victory conditions for that adventure.

Each round consists of 3 parts:

Hero Turns, Overlord Turn, and
only use each Feat once per game.
Choosing when to use each Feat WORKING TOGETHER
End of Round. is very important.
The Heroes will only be
The death of any Hero can result Note that you cannot Move, able to beat the Overlord if
in a victory for the Overlord - so change facing or perform a they work as a team. Each
watch each others backs! normal Action when using your Hero needs to support the
Heroic Feat unless the Feat others and adapt to the
itself says so the Feat replaces situation at hand. You need
the Heros entire Turn. to think carefully not only

Hero Turns
During a Turn a Hero HERO COUNTERS
about how to achieve your
objectives, but how to do
so without anyone getting
may Move (see page 18) and/or killed in the process.
perform 1 Action, in that order.
If you do not want to move before The Dwarf and Barbarian
taking an Action, the Action is all will often need to protect
you may do in that Turn. A Hero The Hero counters are the physically weaker Elf
can choose to do nothing in their included to use as a and Wizard, allowing them
Turn if they wish. reminder of who has taken to skillfully deal with their
their Turn so far this Round. foes at a distance. On the
Place them where everyone other hand, when a magical
Actions can see them, and flip each ward needs to be broken
one face down as that Hero the Wizard will need to
Fight: see page 20 takes their Turn. be front and center, so be
flexible!
Shoot: see page 22
HEROES OR PLAYERS? If you are one of several
Cast Spell: see page 25 players controlling the
Dungeon Saga can be played Heroes, talk to each other!
with 14 players controlling
Other: some adventures Is someone in trouble?
allow for additional actions the four Heroes, and this Should you rush forward?
these will be listed in the means that different players Will that leave another
text for the adventure may control different Hero exposed? Should
numbers of miniatures. Note you fan out, or fight
The Actions available to a model that it is the Hero who takes methodically in tight
depend on their abilities and the Turn, not the player. formation? Can you afford
situation. For example, a Hero So, if three players were the time to explore that
cannot shoot a bow if they dont controlling the four Heroes side passage?
have one. Even if they have one between them, one would
they cannot use it if they are in have two and the others One of the most important
the middle of a Fight. would have one each. The considerations is which
player that controlled two Hero should take the
Heroes may move first and initiative each round and
Feats last in the order of Heroes,
second and third, or any
act first. The first Hero to
act in each Round cannot
Instead of taking a normal Turn, other combination. Each be interrupted by the
a Hero may instead decide to use Hero is dealt with separately Overlord (see page 10), but
the Heroic Feat(s) detailed on regardless of how many are everyone else can
their Hero Card. Each Hero may controlled by a single player.

1414
14
Overlord Turns
As the Overlord is
Overlord Powers
Instead of Moving and Acting
WORKING FOR THE
OVERLORD
controlling a large number with a model that is already on There are two types of
of followers, his Turns work the board, a magic-using Overlord follower in the Overlords
differently to an individual can use his Commands to cast army: Minions and Bosses.
Heros Turn. The player may give spells - for example in the case
Commands to his followers, one of Mortibris the Necromancer he Minions are the rabble of
at a time, allowing him to Move may cast the Raise Dead spell. the army. These are the
and Act with several models lowly warriors who will
and/or Raise several Piles of When the Raise Dead spell is struggle against the Heroes
Bones within a single Turn. Each cast, the Overlord player replaces on their own, but can cause
adventure lists the number of a single Pile of Bones counter damage when they gang up
models he can Command in a with a miniature of his choice and work together.
Turn. None of the Overlords from the adventures list, facing
models may Act more than once any direction he chooses. If the A Boss is a Hero that works
in a Turn, but may Act more than minion is raised in one or more for the Overlord. Heroes are
once in a Round using Interrupts enemy front arcs, then each normally thought of as good
- see below. of those enemy models gets a guys, but similarly powerful
Free Strike (see page 19) as the individuals fight for the
creature tries to reassemble itself. Overlord too. A Boss works
Actions Resolve these in an order chosen exactly like a Hero and has
by the player(s) making the Free a Hero card in the same
Fight: see page 20 Strikes. A Minion that is raised way. All the normal rules
from a Pile of Bones counts as for Heroes apply to a Boss
Shoot: see page 22 having made its Action, and cannot as well, with the exception
do anything else in that Turn. of when they are allowed
Cast Spell: see page 25 to Act in a Round. Bosses
You cannot cast Raise Dead on only Act as part of the
Other: some adventures a Pile of Bones if any model is Overlords Turn (or during
allow other actions these standing on top of it. If there are an interrupt). Other than
will be listed in the text for multiple Piles of Bones on top of that, a Boss can have feats,
the adventure each other, only use magic items and so on,
the top one can just like other Heroes.
The Actions available to a model be raised.
depend on their abilities and
situation. For example, a Hero Other Overlords may have
cannot shoot a bow if they dont different powers, and these
have one. Even if they have one will be listed in their relative
they cannot use it if they are in expansions.
the middle of a Fight.

The Overlord can also play a

single Overlord Command card
(see page 16).

15
 draw pile he has made for this only Move and Act once during a
Overlord Command adventure to form his initial single Overlord Turn.
Cards hand. There is no limit to the
number of cards the Overlord
The Overlord has a deck of can have in his hand. INTERRUPT CARDS
cards that grant him additional
Actions and special abilities The Overlord player may look These are played in between two
over and above his regular at his hand of cards now, and Hero Turns, after one Hero has
Commands. Each type of should keep them secret from completed their Turn and before
Overlord has a different set of the Heroes. the next begins. The Overlord
these cards. Some games will immediately gets to Move and Act
use just the generic cards that The Overlord may play a single with the number of models listed
come in this set. Depending on Command card in each Turn. on the card, one at a time. This
which type of Minions you want This can be done at any point is not the Overlords Turn and
to use in your dungeon, there are before or after Moving and therefore these models may Move
Overlord-specific cards available Acting with a model, but not and Act again either by using extra
in the various Dungeon Saga during. These cards are one-use Interrupt cards later in the Round,
expansions. These are simply only, and the different types are or during the Overlords Turn.
shuffled into the deck with the explained below.
standard ones before the game. You cannot play an Interrupt
In addition, the Overlord is dealt card before the first Heros
For example to play against one extra card at the end of Turn, or after the last Heros
a Necromantic Overlord, each Round, drawn from those Turn in that Round. In addition,
you would shuffle the nine remaining in the draw pile. you cannot play two interrupt
Necromancer Overlord cards cards in a row without a Hero
(found in the Dwarf Kings Quest If the deck of cards is exhausted taking their Turn between them.
boxed game) and the thirteen then the Overlord cannot draw
regular Overlord cards together. any more, and in most cases this
will mean that the adventure is
Before the game begins, shuffle
the deck and deal out the
number listed in the adventure
over.
End of the Round
Once the Overlords Turn is
to form the draw pile that the EXTRA COMMANDS CARDS over, he draws a Command card
Overlord will use in this game. from the draw pile.
These allow the Overlord to
Move and Act with that many If the deck of cards is exhausted
additional models this Turn. then the Overlord cannot draw
any more, and in some cases
this may even mean that the
Place the remaining cards back DOUBLE COMMANDS CARDS adventure is over. This will be
in the box they will not be detailed in the Quest Book.
used for now. Dont look at any These allow the Overlord to
of these cards. give double the base number Furthermore, all Spell cards that
of Commands allowed in the are not currently the right way
The Overlord then deals himself adventure for that Turn. Note up may be rotated a quarter turn
the top three cards from the that a single model may still (see page xxx).

Crushing the Weak

The Overlord should be doing his best to disrupt
the Heroes and exploit their weaknesses. Remember, the
direct approach may not always be best. For example,
perhaps the most cunning way to stop the advance of
the surly Dwarf is to threaten the ill-armored Wizard
loitering in the rear, thereby luring the Dwarf into
an act of heroic foolishness that plays right into your
hands. Be devious, and always keep them guessing...

16
16
16
Dying for the Cause
As an Overlord, it is important not to worry too much about the fate of your underlings. Most
of them will die and early and messy death at the hands of meddlesome Heroes. Thats their job.

The important thing is your plan to dominate the world. Every Overlord has one. When you think
of it in this light the lives of your minions and even your trusted Bosses are unimportant. As long as
theyre sacrificing themselves to your benefit, thats fine.

So dont be shy about throwing your minions into the fray, even if the odds are hugely stacked
against them. Even the lowliest skeleton can get a lucky hit on a heavily armoured Dwarf, and these
wounds all add up. Weaken the Heroes with your rabble so your Bosses can finish them off later.

Use your advantages of numbers to swamp lone Heroes. Surround them and pin their best warriors
in place while you slaughter their weaker allies. Remember, mercy and honour are weaknesses
indulged by the so-called good guys. You dont need either of them.

Ruling the World

Each Overlord has a specific mix of cards in their Overlord deck. The rules described here are
the general rules that apply to all Overlords, and use the cards available in this set. These rules can
be used for any Overlord you desire.

Each of the Dungeon Saga expansions has a different Overlord, and each one has their own set of
Overlord cards to add to the generic ones they all share. The particular mix of cards included in
an Overlords deck is part of his character and works together with the mix of followers he has
available to make playing one Overlord quite different to playing another.

17
 M
Adjacent
ovement
Movement is a vital cornerstone of tactical play for both the Heroes and
the Overlord. A good understanding of the movement rules can not only
get you into the ideal striking position, but also thwart your opponents
plans by blocking their best moves.

These arcs are important and

Throughout these rules, many rules refer to something
whenever the text refers to happening, or only being
something being adjacent it possible, when a model is in or
means in any one of the squares moves into a models front arc.
next to the model in question. For
a normal-sized model there are
8 adjacent squares, shown in red Piles of Bones and
and blue in the diagram below. Other Counters
Note that until raised with a
Facing Raise Dead spell (see page 15),
Piles of Bones cannot Move, do
A model must sit in a single not have any arcs, and cannot
square and clearly face one of attack or be attacked. The same The model at square A wants to
the four sides of that square. The applies to any other counter move to square B. This is possible
direction the model is pointing is placed onto the board itself. as long as the model could legally
called its facing. move to one or other of the
squares marked X. If both of the
squares marked X are blocked,
ARCS

In general, both Heroes and

Moving Models then square B is also blocked.

A model may change

minions pay more attention During its Turn, a model can its facing freely during
to things that happen in front move a number of squares up movement. You may not
of them. For this reason, the to its Movement value. change facing at any other
squares adjacent to a model are time.
divided into a front arc and a The model is moved one
rear arc, based on the direction square at a time to show If a model Moves into the
the model is facing. the intended path. A model front arc of an enemy model
cannot enter or end its it must immediately end its
movement on a square movement, choosing its final
containing another model or facing.
a piece of furniture - those
squares are considered If a model starts its Turn in
blocked. the front arc of an enemy
model it cannot Move freely.
However, a model can enter It has two options:
or end their Movement on a
square containing a Pile of It can remain in the same
Bones counter. square and change its facing.

Models may move diagonally It may Move out of the front

as long as movement into arc of that enemy, exposing
The 3 squares behind the model one of the squares either itself to an attack. This is
(shown in blue) form its rear arc. side of the diagonal would be called Breaking Away (see
The remaining 5 (shown in red) permitted, as shown in the page 19).
are its front arc. following diagram.

18
18
18
 Resolve all the Free Strikes

B reaking away
Models that start their
before moving the miniature. If
the Breaking Away model is not
destroyed then it may make its
Turn in an enemy models front Move.
arc do not have to Fight them if
they dont want to. If they prefer
they can try to escape from Free Strikes
the Fight by Breaking Away.
However, any enemies will get A Free Strike is a Fight (see
a chance to Attack them as they Fighting on page 20) with all
move away. This is called a Free the normal modifiers. The EXAMPLE FREE STRIKE
Strike. differences are that:
For example, if Danor is on
Breaking Away is only possible It is not resolved in your his last wound he might want
if the first square that a model own Turn. to try to Break Away from
moves into is not in the front arc a Dwarf Revenant before
of any enemy models. If there is It is not limited. You may he gets Crippled. The three
no suitable square to move to, make as many Free Strikes squares behind Danor are
the model cannot Break Away as your opponent offers you. outside of any enemys front
and must remain where it is. A arc (shown in blue) and so
model that Breaks Away may It does not count as your there is space for him to
still Move into an enemys front Turn. You may make a Free move into. During the
arc later in that Move. Strike regardless of whether Wizards Turn he declares
you have had a Turn that that he wants to Break Away.
If the model stays where it is Round or not. Before the model is moved,
then it may still turn on the spot the Dwarf Revenant gets to
as its Move, and then Fight or A model gains a Free Strike make a Free Strike. This is
cast a Spell (if allowed) as its when a rule specifically resolved just like a normal
Action. Changing facing will mentions it. In addition, each Fight action. If the Revenant
not trigger any Free Strikes. model can make a Free Strike wounds the Wizard he will be
against any enemy model that is Crippled. If the Wizard avoids
To Break Away a model must first placed on the board in his front any more damage he will be
survive a Free Strike from its arc. This could be a Skeleton able to Break Away and move
foes. Each enemy model that has that was resurrected from a Pile as shown.
the Breaking Away model in its of Bones, a Ghost summoned
front arc gets to make a separate by the Faithful In Death spell,
Free Strike. These are resolved a Zombie created by the Bleed
in the order chosen by the player spell, or any other model created
making the Free Strikes. by any other spell or effect.

19
 F ighting
Fighting, but more importantly recognising when you are outmatched, is a core
mechanic of the game that will quickly become second nature. Use thorough
knowledge of these rules to tip the battle in your favour, by outnumbering your
enemies or striking from behind.

If a model starts its Turn with STEP 1: ROLL DICE

an enemy model in its front arc,
or Moves so that this is the case
during its Turn, it may Fight.
R esolving Fights
When models Fight, each
Both players roll a number
of dice equal to that models
will roll dice. However, only one Combat Dice value, modified by
model (the attacker) can cause the following:
damage. The other model (the
defender) is simply defending
itself. -1 dice if the model is
Injured (see page 18).
Other than during a Free Strike
(see page 19) or an Interrupt, a -1 dice if the model is
model is always the attacker in outnumbered (it is in the
its own Turn. front arc of more than
one enemy model).
Fights are resolved in a series
of steps. When you have played -1 for the defender if the
In the above diagram Orlaf the a few times you will be able attacker is completely
Barbarian doesnt have an enemy to merge some of these steps within its rear arc.
in his frort arc. Rordin the Dwarf together and resolve everything
does, and can fight the Skeleton. very quickly. While you are
If Orlaf were to move to the space learning it is easiest to take the Note that it is possible for both
next to Rordin (marked X), the steps one at a time. sides to be outnumbered at the
Skeleton would also be in his front same time, where each model is in
arc and he could fight it too. the front arc of multiple enemies.

No model may ever roll fewer

than 2 dice, regardless of
modifiers. See Minimum Values
on the opposite page.

Example: Orlaf the Barbarian

attacks a Goblin Warrior.
Orlaf normally rolls 5 dice, but
he is injured, and so will roll
only 4 for this attack. He gets
1, 2, 4, 6.
The Goblin Warrior is not
Injured, Outnumbered or being
attacked from behind and so
does not need to modify his
roll. He rolls his regular 3 dice
and gets 1, 2, 5.

2200
20
STEP 2: DISCARD FEEBLE STEP 3: DETERMINE STEP 4: DETERMINE
ATTACKS HITS DAMAGE

The attacker discards any dice If the attacker has any dice left, Models react differently to being
that are less than or equal to compare them to the defenders Hit. What injures an Elf may be
the defenders armour. These dice by matching them into completely ignored by a Troll.
attacks are too weak to cause pairs: the highest attackers dice See Damage on page 24.
any damage. with the highest defenders dice,
the second highest attackers
If this leaves the attacker with dice with the second highest
no dice, the attack has bounced defenders dice, and so on. Example: With most
off and has no further effect. creatures, the number of
Each pair in which the attackers hits equals the number of
result is higher than the wounds caused. We can see
Example: The Goblin has an defenders result counts as that a Goblin has Wounds
Armour value of 2. Removing one Hit against the defender. (2), meaning that it takes
the weak attacks that do not If the results are equal, or the 2 wounds to kill him.
beat this value leaves Orlaf defenders result is higher, the Unfortunately for the Goblin,
with 4 and 6. attack does not score a Hit. this is exactly what Orlaf has
just done. The Goblin is slain.
If the attacker has more dice Remove the model from the
than the defender then each board.
remaining dice that is unopposed
also scores a Hit.

Example : Comparing the

dice in pairs, the highest dice
for the Hero is a 6 against the
Goblins 5. This is a hit. The
MAXIMUM ARMOUR second pair pits the Heros 4
VALUES against the Goblins 2. This is
also a hit. As the Heros other
No armour is perfect. dice have been discarded this
Regardless of modifiers for is the maximum number of hits
spells, items or anything he can get with this attack.
else, Armour values never go
above 5. In other words, a 6
will always find a chink in
the Armour.

MINIMUM VALUES - cannot get any worse and any they cant get much worse.
2 DICE, ARMOUR 1 extra penalties are ignored.
If Madriga, the Elf Hero,
For example, an was in the same position as
No model can ever roll fewer outnumbered Skeleton the Skeleton Warrior in the
than two dice. If a model Warrior that is also being first example then she would
starts with 2 dice, or when it is attacked from behind should be reduced from 3 dice and
reduced to 2 dice by modifiers, lose 2 dice, but starts on 2 Armour to 2 dice and 1
then any further modifiers 2 dice and so the penalty Armour.
reduce the models Armour comes off its Armour instead.
value instead of the number of If this happened to Rordin,
However, its Armour is only
dice thrown. the Dwarf Hero, his Armour
2 to begin with, and so it is would not change as the
The Armour value cannot be reduced to 1 Armour and the modifiers would take him
reduced to less than 1. Once extra penalty is lost. Skeleton
from 4 dice down to 2, which
a model has been reduced to Warriors are such poor
is still allowed.
2 dice and 1 Armour then it fighters in the first place that

21
 S hooting
Models skilled in ranged combat can take advantage of the rules below to
devastating effect, picking off their enemies from a distance before they have a
chance to fight back, or softening-up larger targets while your allies close them
down and finish the job!

Shooting works in a very similar Range Line of Sight

way to Fighting, except that the
attacker and defender will not be All Shooting attacks have a A model can only Shoot things
adjacent. range, measured using the range in front of it. When measuring
ruler. Each models abilities will the range, use the straight edge
Models that can make Shoot determine whether its attacks of the range stick to see if there
Actions will have an additional are at short or long range. This is anything blocking the line of
Shooting Dice value on their will be noted in the Bestiary sight between any part of the
Hero Card or Overlord Panel. for the Minions, and should be shooters base and any part of
written on the Hero Sheet for the targets base. Line of sight
Heroes. is blocked by any square that
contains a miniature or a wall
(a blank space not taken up
by tiles). If the line of sight is
Long Range Ruler blocked, or the target is behind
the shooter, then they cannot
shoot!

This is the number of dice rolled Short Range Ruler

when the model attacks at range.
Note that this may be different Range is measured from any
to the number of dice they have part of the Shooters square to
for attacking in a Fight, and for any part of the targets square.
defending themselves. As long as the ruler can reach
from base to base, the target is
in range. If the target is out of
range, it cannot be shot at.

Resolving a Shot
Like Fighting, Shooting
The zombie is within range of
Madrigas bow.
is resolved in a number of
steps. However before you can Madriga only has line of sight
make your attack you need to to Skeleton Warrior to her right.
see whether you are capable of Line of sight to the Zombie is
hitting your target in the first blocked by the bookcase, and she
place by checking Range and cannot see the Skeleton Warrior
Line of Sight. behind her.

A model that is in the front

arc of an enemy model cannot
Shoot.

22
22
22
Once youve established that you are able to Shoot, follow the four-step process below:

STEP 1: ROLL THE DICE

The attacker rolls a number of dice equal to his Shooting Dice value, and the defender rolls a number of
dice equal to his Combat Dice value. When Shooting, the following modifiers apply:

-1 dice to either model if they are injured

-1 for the defender if the shooter is completely within its rear arc
-1 for the shooter if the line of sight crosses a piece of furniture that is not adjacent to the
shooter.

No model may ever roll fewer than 2 dice, regardless of modifiers. See Minimum Values on page 21.

STEP 2: DISCARD FEEBLE ATTACKS

The attacker discards any dice that are less than or equal to the defenders armour. These attacks are too
weak to cause any damage.

If this leaves the attacker with no dice, the attack has bounced off and has no further effect.

STEP 3: DETERMINE HITS

If the attacker has any dice left, compare them to the defenders dice by matching them into pairs: the
highest attackers dice with the highest defenders dice, the second highest attackers dice with the
second highest defenders dice, and so on.

Each pair in which the attackers result is higher than the defenders result counts as one Hit against the
defender. If the results are equal, or the defenders result is higher, the attack does not score a Hit.

If the attacker has more dice than the defender then each remaining dice that is unopposed also scores a Hit.

STEP 4: DETERMINE DAMAGE

Models react differently to being Hit. What injures an Elf may be completely ignored by a Troll. See
Damage on page 24.

23
 D amage
Fighting through a dungeon of monsters is a true test of physical endurance. The
hardiest members of the party can fight on having suffered many wounds his
companions would have found fatal. Likewise, the dungeon dwellers take varying
amounts of violence to dispose of.

Minion Damage Hero and Boss

Damage
Models suffer damage in
Injured models roll one less dice
in a Fight. See page 20.

different ways. Unless otherwise Heroes and Bosses only suffer 1 Unless otherwise specified, non-
listed on the appropriate wound per attack, regardless of Hero models are never Injured.
Bestiary entry or reference how many times they are Hit.
sheet, a Minion model suffers
one wound per hit it receives. Wounds on Heroes are
Minions are killed by a single cumulative. Heroes keep track of
wound unless they have the wounds they have suffered using
Wounds ability (see page 65). the wound counters provided.
If a model has a different rule Starting from the left of the
then it will have its own damage Hero card, place a counter on
table in the bestiary. Compare the first space on the wound
the number of hits scored to the track.
defenders model type on the
relevant damage table to find out As explained earlier, being
the effect. Injured can modify the number
of dice you roll during certain
Skeletons for example can ignore actions. Being Wounded,
the first hit that they take - it however, never modifies what
is assumed that the attack has you roll.
passed harmlessly through
where their flesh used to be. A In the above example, Rordin
second hit on a skeleton will and Madriga have both taken
be enough to break the magic 2 wounds. Madriga only has
holding them together, and red uncovered wound spaces
they will fall apart. A third hit remaining, so counts as Injured.
represents an attack so powerful Rordin has red and white
that the skeleton is smashed into uncovered wound spaces so is not
dust and removed entirely. Injured.
Injured
Heroes taking damage eventually CRIPPLING A HERO
become Injured, reducing their
capabilities. The number of A Hero or Boss can take 4
wounds it takes to Injure a Hero wounds and still fight on.
varies. A Hero is Injured if all However, if they take a fifth
the remaining uncovered wound wound then they are Crippled
spaces on their Hero card are red. and they cannot continue. In
most adventures the Heroes lose
if one of them is Crippled.

24
24
24
M agic
Magic is the most complex of the fighting styles, and the most flexible. Use
a sound understanding of the Spellcasting rules to add real strategic depth
to combat, and potentially turn the tide when conventional methods just
arent cutting it.

Models capable of casting Spells

are called Spellcasters, and this
A Spellcaster must be at least
this level (see page 72) to be able
Range
will be listed on their Hero to use the spell, unless he boosts Spells have a range like
card or Bestiary. Only models his power with Energy Crystals. Shooting, and some require line
listed as Spellcasters may use See the Spell cards for details. of sight. The range can be:
Spells. The term Spellcaster
applies to all manner of different There are two types of spell: Long
forms of magician, sorcerer, Major and Minor.
shaman, priest, necromancer, Short
prestidigitator, paladin, and so As his Action within a Turn,
on, as well as certain creatures instead of Fighting or Shooting, Adjacent the target must
that are naturally magical. a Spellcaster can cast either 1 be adjacent to the Spellcaster
Major or up to 2 different Minor as shown in the diagram on
When playing a prewritten Spells. page 18
adventure with the standard
Heroes, the Spells available Caster the Spellcaster can
to a character will be listed Recharging only target himself with that
in each adventure, and that Spell
character should be given the Spells need to recharge between
appropriate Spell card(s) before uses, and will be unavailable Note: The Spellcaster may also
the game begins. When using a to use again straight away. The target himself with Long, Short
Hero of your own design, you easiest way to remember is to or Adjacent ranged spells.
will have already chosen your rotate the card anti-clockwise
spells beforehand. Each card when you use it. Minor spells
will explain the effects of that rotate 90 when cast (and so Line of Sight
particular Spell, and some may will recharge every turn), and
have an additional counter to major spells rotate 180 (and will Spells with this symbol:
show that they are in effect. therefore recharge every other
Sometimes this is an automatic turn). At the end of each Round
effect, other times it may require (including the one in which
a dice roll like a regular attack. they were used) turn them 90
clockwise. Once youre familiar require line of sight, and will
Spells require varying amounts with this process its easy to follow the same rules as
of power to use, and are also keep track of whats recharging Shooting (see page 22).
only available to Spellcasters of and whats available.
a certain level. This is shown on Those with this symbol:
the card.

do not need to fulfil this criteria,

and therefore can be cast at
targets behind the Spellcaster,
through walls, round corners,
past other models, and so on.

Whether they require line of

sight or not, Spells always need
to be in range.

25
 EXAMPLE SPELL CARD Magical Attacks Items
a Offensive Spells use a form of Dungeon Saga is set in a world
b attack called a Magical Attack. of fantastical beasts and strange
magic. Magical energies can
c
Magical Attacks require be bound into items such as
the players to roll for an weapons and armour, potions
d
attacker and defender just and amulets. Some magical
like Shooting or Fighting. items are granted to heroes for
The Spell itself will list the completing a certain quest, while
e
number of attack dice to use, others are found by searching
f and the defenders Combat the dungeons depths.
Dice and Armour values are
g used as normal. Each item is represented by its
own card, explaining any special
h
Magical attacks are never rules or restrictions that apply
modified by any standard to the user.
modifiers. However some
a. Line of Sight icon game effects or magical
b. Range, Major/Minor items may affect the roll,
School of Magic such as Energy Crystals.
c. Spell name
d. School of Magic icon Unless otherwise specified,
if a Spell effects more than
e. Spell effect one target at a time, roll the
f. Line of Sight explanation attack dice separately for
g. Recharging explanation each defender.
h. Experience Level

26
26
26
Magic items come in five broad
types, as shown on the bottom of Using Items
their card:
Only Heroes and Bosses can
Weapons. From delicate use items (including drinking
daggers to hulking potions). Most items have effects
halberds, Elven bows to that apply at all times. For
Ogre clubs. example, the Spidersilk Armour
increases Madrigas Armour
Armour. Blackened value by 1 while she is wearing
helms of ancient design, it this is in effect for the entire
weightless silvery game and Madriga does not have
chainmail, and rune- to do anything to make it work.
encrusted breastplates.
Each magic items card will Other items must be triggered by
Shields. Small and light explain any special rules or their owner to be used, and these
with a mind of their own restrictions that apply to the will have the symbol on their
or huge, battle-scarred, user, chief of which is the magic card. Some items are triggered
impenetrable lumps. items level. automatically in response to an
attack or other game effect, in
Paraphernalia. which case it will be detailed on
Glittering potions, the card. Otherwise, items can
ancient scrolls or musky be used at any point during the
efreet powder. turn of the Hero or Boss carrying
them, and this does not count as
Furniture. Enchanted A Hero must be of at least the the models Move or Action for
bookcases that always level shown on the card to use the Turn.
know what information a magic item. A Hero may still
you need, or weapon carry magic items of a higher
racks that polish your level, but may not use them ONE USE ITEMS
blades for you. until he has reached that level.
Unless otherwise mentioned, it An item that has the One Use
Magical furniture cannot be is assumed that any Hero can use keyword on its card can only be
carried or moved. any magic item. used once, and the card is then
discarded. All other items can be
A Hero can only use one of each You will notice that there is one used repeatedly.
of the first three types in a game, other symbol at the bottom of
but can have as much magical each item card - this is the cost
Paraphernalia as he can find. of the item. During a campaign Trading Items
If you have more than one of your Heroes will collect gold,
the first three types of item on and they can use it to buy During a game, Paraphernalia
a single Hero then put all the magical items at the listed cost. (items denoted with a
cards of a single type in a stack symbol on their card) can be
with the one that is being used traded between Heroes. Other
on top. The rest are not used for types of magical item must
this game. Paraphernalia should remain on the Hero they began
be displayed side by side unless that adventure with.
they are identical items, in
which case they can be placed on A Hero that moves adjacent to
top of one another to save space. another Hero during his Turn
can give, receive or swap eligible
items with that Hero. Both Hero
players must agree to the trade.

Note that this can be done

in the middle of a Heroes
movement, and does not count
as performing an action.

27
 D ungeon Furniture
Dungeons are often littered with the remains of earlier occupants, and this includes
many items of furniture. There are also doors and treasure chests that may be still in
use. Collectively this is known as furniture.

Most furniture simply blocks the

way for Movement. Each piece
Fight them, following the Fight
rules as if the lock were an
Open Sesame
occupies one or more squares enemy. The Overlord should When a door is unlocked it is
based on its size, and no model consult the lock counter (noted removed from the game.
may Move into those squares. on the Adventure Map) for
Combat Dice and Armour values. Opening a door may reveal an
Bookcases also block Shooting A single Hit will smash the lock area of the Dungeon which was
and Magical attacks that require open. not laid out at the beginning of
line of sight (see page 22). Line the game. The Overlord should
of sight can be drawn as normal Note: Mundane locks cannot be now set up the revealed area, but
over any other piece of furniture. smashed by Shooting or Magical only as far as the next locked
However, if the Shooter is not Attacks. door(s).
adjacent to the piece of furniture
they will suffer a -1 modifier Picking Locks: Mundane locks When a treasure chest is
to their attack dice on top of can all be picked; its just that unlocked the Hero that unlocked
any others. Magical attacks are some are easier to get through it immediately takes any item(s)
unmodified as normal. than others. Just like magical that were inside, as detailed
wards, mundane locks get a in the Quest Book. Place the
numerical rating. appropriate item card(s) next
to his Hero card as a reminder.

Doors and Chests

Doors and Treasure Chests
Remove the lid from the chest
model to remind you that it has
been opened.
always start an adventure
locked. Doors occupy one or Each Action a model with the
two squares depending on their Lockpicking ability spends
size, and treasure chests occupy
a single square. Each will have a
counter placed next to it to show
trying to open a lock its value is
reduced by 1. When this reaches
zero the lock has been opened. If
Traps Dungeons are dangerous
what kind of lock it has. it was a door then it is removed. places, often deliberately so.
If it was a treasure chest or other Traps are one of the more subtle
Doors and chests may only be item with a hidden compartment weapons in the arsenal of a
opened by the Heroes unless a then the Hero who opened it devious Overlord, as they quietly
special rule says otherwise. takes all the items that were lie in wait on treasure chests
inside. and in quiet corridors. Whilst a
Hero may guess that a particular
Locks chest is trapped, or that one
WARDS of the flagstones seems a bit
There are two types of lock in too wobbly to be an accident,
Dungeon Saga mundane locks Wards cannot be forced by he cant know for sure until he
and magical locks (known as strength alone. The more takes the risk of triggering it.
Wards). powerful the enchantment, as
shown on the ward counter, Traps can be set in two places:
the longer it will take to break. on a lock or on the map. The
MUNDANE LOCKS Certain Spells reduce the power type of trap will be listed on any
of a ward and this will be noted adventure maps or chosen by the
Smashing Things to Pieces: on the Spell card. When a ward Overlord player before the game.
With no key and no time, is reduced to zero, the door or
Mundane locks can be smashed chest it is protecting has been Each kind of trap has its own
open. To do so, a Hero must successfully unlocked. card. A traps card explains how

28
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28
to resolve what happens when it
is triggered.
Destroying
Furniture
Lock Traps All Furniture can be attacked
and destroyed with a single Hit.
If something has a lock, then in the same way as if you were
it can be trapped. Lock traps smashing a door.
are triggered the first time
someone tries to pick the lock. In order to use a piece of
They come in a variety of types, Single square furniture magical furniture a Hero must
ranging from the irritating to (chest, throne...) be adjacent to it and not in the
the lethal. Triggering a trap ends front arc of any enemy model.
that models Turn, regardless of 3 Using magical furniture costs a
whether they manage to avoid Heros Action for that Turn. A
the effects or not. Hero may only gain the effects of
3 each piece of magical furniture
once per adventure.
Map Traps
Multi-square furniture Magic furniture cannot be moved
If you are designing your own (well, bookcase...) or carried by an individual Hero
adventures then individual and so does not count towards
squares on the map can also be 4 their normal limit.
trapped. Simply place a trap
counter of the appropriate type
on the square in question. For 4
each trap you place, also place a
blank counter anywhere on the
map. Make sure that both trap
Hidden
Compartments
and blank are placed face down Any item of furniture apart
so that the Hero players cannot
tell them apart. M agical Furniture
Even large pieces of
from a door can have a hidden
compartment. This makes it
behave like a treasure chest as
furniture can be ensorcelled. well as its other functions. So,
SETTING OFF TRAPS These have Item cards, just like a bookcase would still block
other magic items. However, Shooting, for example.
The Overlords models never set they are represented by
off map traps as they know how immobile pieces of furniture Hidden compartments will
to move around them safely. rather than being carried around be marked on the adventure
by Heroes. This means that they maps, and must be unlocked or
If a Hero moves onto a trap tend to have rather different smashed like doors or treasure
counter, then pause their Turn sorts of effects. chests.
while it is flipped over. If it
is a blank then the Hero can
continue with the rest of their
Turn as normal. If it is a trap,
then resolve it as described
on the matching trap card.
Triggering a trap ends that
models Turn, regardless of
whether they manage to avoid
the effects or not.

29
 L arger Creatures
Most models have a base that occupies a single square. However, a few of the larger
creatures such as Trolls have bases that cover four squares (2x2), and in the future
we may see creatures on even larger bases!

Models that cover four squares

(2x2) are called Large models.
Those that are any bigger than
this (3x3 or more) are called
MovementLarge or Huge creatures
Huge models. are less nimble than smaller
models. They may only move
straight forward, diagonally
forward, or straight backward.

Arcs Large and Huge models

follow the same principle as
single square models: they
have a front and a rear arc. The
difference is that their arcs Large creature moving straight
consist of more squares than backward, for one point of
regular figures. movement.

To change facing while moving,

Large or Huge models must
sacrifice a point of movement
for each quarter turn (90) they
Large creature moving straight wish to make.
forward, for one point of
movement. Move the model a single square
at a time - ensuring that for
the entirety of the movement
the whole of the models base
remains on the dungeon tiles,
and on squares permitted by the
normal rules of movement for
The 4 squares behind the model single-square models (page 18).
(shown in red) form its rear arc.
The remaining 8 (shown in blue)
are its front arc.

Note that this means that a

Large or Huge model can be in
an enemys front and rear arcs
at the same time. The Large Large creature moving diagonally
model will only get the bonus forward, for one point of
for attacking from behind if it is movement.
fully within its enemys rear arc.

3300
30
Fighting
Large models always count
as outnumbering single square
models even if they are the only
model in contact, and even if
they are in contact with multiple
enemy models. In this case
they will also be outnumbered
themselves.

Huge models will always

outnumber both single square
models and Large models,
regardless of how many are in
contact. Huge models are never
outnumbered, unless they are
attacked by multiple Huge
models themselves.

31
 W e Can Be Heroes
This section lets you get to the heart of these adventures and create your own
Hero from the ground up. You choose the race he is born into and the profession
he follows. You make the decisions that set him on his path to Glory!

The following rules follow a

series of simple steps to create
core set, or one of the Dungeon
Saga expansion packs. These
Alternatively you can use your
Heroes in custom or uncharted
a new Hero for Dungeon Saga. adventures are designed to be adventures, telling your own
Just start at the beginning played with 4 Heroes. Each story of heroism and fame.
and complete each step before adventure will list a maximum In this case, start the first
moving on to the next. All the number of levels worth of adventure with 4 new Heroes
tools you need are a blank Hero Heroes that can take part for at level 0, and go from there.
card (see page 10), a pencil, and example, an adventure with a The experience rules on page
your imagination. limit of 8 could be played with 71 explain how to keep track
four level 2 Heroes, or a level 5 of your Heroes as they fight
Once youve created your Hero, Hero and three level 1 Heroes. monsters, rescue damsels in
you can use him in a variety of Simply ensure that your custom distress, or save the world from
ways. You can use him as one Heroes do not add up to more dire menace.
of a new group of Heroes in a than this total number of levels.
pre-written adventure from the

HERO OR BOSS? GENDER

Its a matter of perspective. Not all Heroes are good guys. Ive used he and his
Sometimes gamers want to play a group of hard-hearted villains, throughout these pages for
breaking heads as they fight through Basilean villages and simplicity of writing, but
ransack Elven temples of light. Heroes come in both sexes.
Gender has no effect on
A Hero and a Boss is the same thing on a different side: Heroes the rules.
are the good guys, Bosses are the bad guys. Both can be made
with these rules, simply choosing the appropriate race and
profession for what you have in mind.

Most people play good Heroes against a dungeon filled with

bad minions and Bosses. However, you can also reverse this,
and have the Heroes working for a good Overlord, attacked by a
group of bad guy Bosses.

Whichever side the Heroes and Bosses are on, you can use the
same rules to create them. They work exactly the same way, and
unless it specifically says otherwise you can assume that if a
Hero can do something then a Boss can too.

The Birth of a Hero

To create a Hero, follow these 1) Race
four steps. As you make each 2) Profession
choice, note it down on your 3) Bonus
blank Hero sheet. 4) Name

32
32
32
CHOOSE A RACE choose wisely. traded with other Heroes.

There are eight races for a Hero Barbarian One additional spell at
to pick from. Bosses can also Bard random. Draw from a deck of
choose from those listed in their Cleric cards that includes all of the
section of the Bestiary. Note Demon Hunter spells you dont know from
down their initial stats in pencil Druid all the schools of magic that
as they may change later. Fighter you do.
Paladin
Human Thief One additional song at
Dwarf Wizard random. Chosen from those
Elf that you dont yet know.
Halfling
Gladewalker CHOOSE A BONUS
Naiad CHOOSE A NAME
Salamander To add a little more variety to
Sylph your starting Heroes, you can Names are very important as
take one of the following extras they set a tone for the kind of
regardless of your race and Hero you will create and how
CHOOSE A PROFESSION profession. you see them in your minds
eye. Even if we imagine them
There are nine professions for +1 Move. with identical game values, its
a Hero to pick from, and some likely that you wont imagine
have a number of specialisations +3 Gold (see page 70 for more Thungnar Grimbeard and
within them. Each specialisation on Gold). Perry Tinkwhistle looking or
reflects a slightly different path behaving alike. By the time
within that profession. Decide One magic item at random you have chosen a race, gender
on your Heros profession from the deck. If you draw and profession you should be
and, if appropriate, one of the a magic item that your Hero starting to get a pretty good idea
specialisations within it. This cannot use then you still keep of what sort of name would suit
cannot be changed later, so it. Magic items can be sold or your new Hero.

What Next?
Now youve created your Hero and what you should think of as at least two good fighters among
the next step is to get them the default. Develop these Heroes a group of four Heroes. Exactly
adventuring! Your Hero can be as individuals, of course, but also which style of fighter you
used in both published adventures as part of a group. Ask yourself prefer is up to you, and youre
and ones devised by your friends. what each one brings to the better off with styles you feel
adventure. comfortable with rather than
However, before you rush off, ones someone tells you are best.
its a good idea to think about Magical wards must be overcome
your group of Heroes as a somehow. Your group will need Healers are always useful and very
whole. There are some common at least one Spellcaster with the welcome in a group. The problem
challenges that you are very ability to bypass these barriers. with healers is that they arent
likely to come across, and that Overlords that are Spellcasters always exceptional at other things,
at least one of the Heroes on themselves are very likely to especially at low levels. Would
the adventure will need a way use magical wards to lock their it be better to take another good
of defeating. So, you have some doors, and as evil sorcerors, fighter and do so much damage to
basic considerations to make necromancers and the like are the enemy that you dont suffer
about which Heroes you take in a common prey of Heroes these yourselves? This might work some
your group. wards will turn up frequently. of the time, though most people
would prefer to have a healer
Firstly, you usually need a group How many real fighters do you nearby, just in case
of four Heroes for each adventure. have? You can guarantee needing
A minority of adventures are to fight at some stage, and often Thieves are another useful
designed for other numbers, but on more than one front at a time. addition to any group as locks or
four is by far the most common Its usually a good idea to have traps will almost certainly bar

33
 your way at some point. Being All are useful in the group. they do. Others will dabble in
able to bypass these problems is a many different areas, trading
good skill to have on hand. They Unfortunately you cant take the quality of the specialist for a
can also provide other abilities, a group of two great fighters, wide range of abilities. The fun
especially as they grow in level. three types of wizard, a healer thing is that there isnt a single
Watch your wallet though. and a thief: you need to pick and right answer. Of course, when
choose. This variety is only the youre thinking about a group
Then there are wizards. With start. If you use the experience of veteran Heroes, this makes
so many spells to choose from, rules on page 71 then the Heroes deciding who to take even more
their effect varies enormously, get even more varied as they challenging.
as does their style of play. Some advance in level, choosing
have a series of direct and deadly their own unique combination
magical attacks, others provide of boosts as they go. Some
boosts to the other Heroes, or will choose to specialize in a
give the group access to unusual narrow skill set, and they will
new tricks such as Brisk Work. be outstanding at whatever it is

BUILDING THE BAD GUYS

When you are designing your Once youve created this basic best. Allocate them whatever
own adventures, you can character, you can then run spells, songs or abilities they
use these DIY Hero rules to them through the experience need to fit the image you
create your own Bosses and system on page 71, allocating have for them. This freeform
Overlords (if they need to turn them as many levels as you approach is best for those who
up in person on the board). think appropriate, and choosing have already played for a while
You can either use the rules the experience boosts they and understand the power of
exactly as they are written, take as if they had adventured the combinations they devise.
taking the random spells and through the long and infamous Its relatively quick and easy,
so on as described. Or, if you career you imagine. This will and the experience is all done
already have a specific idea in give you a structure and balance along with the basic creation.
mind, you can pick and choose to your creations that matches Unfortunately its also easy
exactly what you need to fit the those of the Heroes. to get carried away and make
individual you imagine. Simply them way too powerful, with
pick from all the spells instead A completely different few weaknesses. Remember
of a random selection, but keep approach to designing Bosses that the most interesting games
to the numbers that they would and Overlords is to simply come from having weaknesses
normally be allowed. write a set of game values to defend as well as strengths
down that you think fits them to attack with.

Some of the abilities that the Heroes can gain over the next
few pages will have symbols next to them. Here is a list of
what the symbols mean:

See the rules for ranked abilities on page 60.

Separate out the spell cards for the schools of magic your
Hero knows, shuffle them, and deal six at random, face up.
Choose one from this group of six.

Choose a new school of magic from the list on page 66.

Shuffle the song cards and deal three at random, face up.
Choose one from this group of three.

34
34
34
R aces .

Dwarf
As tough as the mountains from which
most of them hail, Dwarfs are generally
inherently distrustful of all other races.
Despite this, Dwarf adventurers are not all
that uncommon they are after all fond of
fighting and gold two things practically
guaranteed to the successful hero. Mostly,
Dwarf adventurers tend to be fighters,
playing to their natural strengths, though
it is not unheard of for Dwarfs of other
professions to appear in a party.

STARTING STATS

6 2 1
COMBAT

LVL OPTION LVL OPTION

1 Teller of Tales 6 +1 Combat Dice
2 Stalwart 7 Speed of a Bullet
3 Slam 8 Stalwart
4 Tough 9 Slam
5 Frenzy 10 Teller of Tales

RACIAL FEAT: NONE SHALL PASS!

The Hero cannot be injured for the remainder of this Round. In addition, all adjacent, non-Hero
enemy models cannot make Free Strikes, move, or perform any action for the rest of this Round.
They make all defence rolls at -1 dice.

35
 Human
Humans are the most ubiquitous race in Mantica, with groups
of humans ranging from small tribes to massive civilisations
spread throughout the world. Neither as long lived as the
Elves nor as tough as the Dwarfs, humans are nonetheless
far and away the most adaptable of all the races. All of
these factors help to explain the sheer numbers of human
mercenaries and adventurers that may be seen, and the wide
variety of professions which they may have.

RACIAL FEAT: CHAMELEON

The Hero can use the feat of any friendly Hero as if it

was his own. This does not count as a use of the feat for
the other Hero.

VERSATILE

During Downtime, the model may roll 1 dice more than

normal in their chosen Location and keep the preferred
result.

STARTING STATS

7 2 1
COMBAT

LVL OPTION
1 Dubious Character
2 Teller of Tales
3 Stalwart
4 Teller of Tales
5 Dubious Character
6 Sure Shot
7 Nimble
8 +1 Move
9 Frenzy
10 Tough

36
36
36
Elf
Seen as aloof and distant by the other civilised races of Mantica,
the Elves are a people with an immense lifespan and a level of
discipline and command of their chosen professions that one
might expect to go with it. Not for nothing are Elves renowned as
the best practitioners of magic in the world, as well as the finest
shots and the greatest warriors. Though willowy and slightly fey
in appearance, Elves are not to be underestimated, and a party
with at least one Elf in its number is generally assured of success.

RACIAL FEAT: TRICK SHOT

The Hero must have a Shooting Dice value to use this

feat.

Using skills normally only seen in the best of circuses, the

Hero may Shoot any model on the board, at up to twice the
distance of long range.

STARTING STATS

8 2 1
COMBAT

LVL OPTION
1 Nimble
2 +1 Move
3 Sure Shot
4 +1 Shooting Dice (Long)
5 Nimble
6 Speed of a Bullet
7 Sure Shot
8 +1 Move
9 Speed of a Bullet
10 +1 Shooting Dice (Long)

37
 Halfling
Though occasionally mistaken by the ignorant for Dwarfs, the
two races could not in fact be more different. Halflings tend to
be gregarious folk, and are often given to wandering amongst
the peoples of the world. So much so in fact, that very few
communities of Halflings exist in the world, most Halflings
choosing to live in the cities of others. Like humans, they are
incredibly adaptable and resourceful, though their size and
general delicacy of touch tends to fit them more for professions
of a sneakier nature.

RACIAL FEAT: MAKING IT LOOK EASY

The Hero must know Lockpicking to use this feat.

The Hero can move up to 3 squares using the normal

rules, and then open a single, adjacent, mundane lock,
regardless of its difficulty.

STARTING STATS

6 2 1
COMBAT

LVL OPTION
1 Dubious Character
2 Teller of Tales
3 Stealth
4 Dubious Character
5 Stalwart
6 +1 Move
7 Sure Shot
8 Lockpicking
+1 Shooting Dice
9
(Short)
10 Stealth

38
38
38
Gladewalker
Guardians of the forests, these mystical creatures are seldom
seen by any save the Sylvan Elves. They are gifted healers,
being attuned to the natural magical energies of the world, and
make natural Druids. Their method of communication is often
discomforting when first encountered lacking vocal chords, they
literally project their words into the minds of those around them,
somehow doing so as a series of sensations and feelings that will
translate into the native language of any recipient.

RACIAL FEAT: TAKE ROOT

The Hero cannot move or be moved for the rest of this

Round. In addition, the Hero gains +3 Armour, up to a
maximum of 5.

STARTING STATS

6 2 1
COMBAT

LVL OPTION LVL OPTION

1 Stalwart 6 Stalwart
2 Tough 7 Tough
3 +1 Shooting Dice (Short) 8 Slam
4 +1 Move 9 Teller of Tales
5 Nimble 10 Slam

EARTH

This ability has 3 effects.

Firstly, the model has great affinity with this element and when defending against a Geomancy spell
it may re-roll up to 3 dice that fail to beat its own Armour.

Secondly, the model is particularly vulnerable to air-based attacks. Any Aeromancy spells, or Fight
attacks from a model with Air, modify the models Armour by -1 while resolving that attack.

Thirdly, the model can focus a hail of earth to form a natural 2 dice magical attack. This attack
counts as a minor Geomancy spell and can be cast even if the model is not a Spellcaster. This attack
requires Sight and is Short ranged.

39
 Naiad
Naiads are generally rarely seen by any land-based mortals, preferring to
remain in their natural environment underwater in the pools of the glades.
They are generally peaceable creatures, with little interest in the affairs of
the earthkin (a loose translation of their word for all creatures who live on
the land). However, their capacity for pacifism is often sorely tested by the
marauding creatures of the Abyss and even Orcs. When provoked, there are
few creatures more vengeful than a Naiad they are athletic warriors and
keen hunters, and though weakened by distance from the water, this only
serves to emphasise how deadly they are in it.

STARTING STATS

8 2 1
COMBAT

LVL OPTION LVL OPTION

1 Stealth 6 +1 Move
2 Nimble 7 +1 Shooting Dice (Short)
3 +1 Move 8 +1 Move
4 Sure Shot 9 Relentless
5 Nimble 10 Nimble

RACIAL FEAT: COOL WATERS

Nearby enemy models are calmed. For the rest of this Round, no enemy model may move adjacent
to a friendly Hero if they are not already there. Enemies are also prohibited from making a Free
Strike or Break Away.

WATER

This ability has 3 effects.

Firstly, the model has great affinity with this element and when defending against a Hydromancy
spell it may re-roll up to 3 dice that fail to beat its own Armour. The model also cannot drown.

Secondly, the model is particularly vulnerable to fire-based attacks. Any Pyromancy spells, or Fight
attacks from a model with Fire, modify the models Armour by -1 while resolving that attack.

Thirdly, the model can focus a surge of water to form a natural 2 dice magical attack. This attack
counts as a minor Hydromancy spell and can be cast even if the model is not a Spellcaster. This
attack requires Sight and is Short ranged.

4400
40
Salamander
Hot-blooded creatures with toughened scales for hide,
Salamanders are perfect warriors. Tough and naturally
aggressive, few indeed are those who will willingly
cross one of them. Their hot blood is literal as well as
metaphorical, steam rising from their pores
and their breath carrying the distinct odour
of sulphur. Because of this, and their bestial
appearance, they are often mistaken for
creatures of the Abyss nothing could be
further from the truth. When they accompany
a party of adventurers, it is usually for personal reasons
Salamanders in truth have little interest in riches and
trinkets, but they bear grudges better than most.

STARTING STATS

6 3 1
COMBAT

LVL OPTION LVL OPTION

1 Tough 6 Slam
2 Stalwart 7 +1 Combat Dice
3 Relentless 8 Stalwart
4 Frenzy 9 Smash!
5 Teller of Tales 10 Slam

RACIAL FEAT: FIRESTORM

The Hero bursts into flame, engulfing every nearby model (friend and foe) in a pool of magical
fire. Adjacent models are attacked with a 3 dice magical attack, those two squares away with 2
dice, and those 3 squares away with 1 dice. The Hero himself cannot be wounded by this fire.

FIRE

This ability has 3 effects. Secondly, the model is Thirdly, the model can focus
particularly vulnerable to a storm of fire to form a
Firstly, the model has great water-based attacks. Any natural 2 dice magical attack.
affinity with this element Hydromancy spells, or Fight This attack counts as a minor
and when defending against a attacks from a model with Pyromancy spell and can be
Pyromancy spell it may re-roll Water, modify the models cast even if the model is not
up to 3 dice that fail to beat its Armour by -1 while resolving a Spellcaster. This attack
own Armour. The model can that attack. requires Sight and is Short
also not be hurt by lava. ranged.

41
 Sylph
Lightly built and fragile in appearance, Sylphs are known as the spirits of
the air. Though they look ephemeral and weak, they are lethal, flowing
around their environment like water and near impossible to pin down.
They are armed with wicked sharp blades with which they will wear down
an opponent gradually with a thousand cuts before pouncing in for the
kill. Their natural agility makes them formidable warriors, though in the
cramped confines of a dungeon they are limited to short hops rather than
true flight. Nonetheless, they are useful allies for any party.

STARTING STATS

8 2 1
COMBAT

LVL OPTION LVL OPTION

1 +1 Move 6 Nimble
2 Nimble 7 +1 Move
3 +1 Shooting Dice (Short) 8 +1 Shooting Dice (Short)
4 Sure Shot 9 Stealth
5 Stalwart 10 Nimble

RACIAL FEAT: SUDDEN STORM

The Hero directs a fierce squall to move nearby enemy models. The Hero can select up to 3 enemy
models within 3 squares of him. He may then move each of them up to 2 squares, ignoring all arcs
and Free Strikes and choosing their direction of facing at the end. They do not Fight if they are
moved adjacent to an enemy. A model may not be moved off the board.

AIR

This ability has 3 effects. Secondly, the model is Thirdly, the model can focus a
particularly vulnerable to burst of air to form a natural 2
Firstly, the model has great earth-based attacks. Any dice magical attack. This attack
affinity with this element and Geomancy spells, or Fight counts as a minor Aeromancy
when defending against an attacks from a model with spell and can be cast even if
Aeromancy spell it may re-roll Earth, modify the models the model is not a Spellcaster.
up to 3 dice that fail to beat its Armour by -1 while resolving This attack requires Sight and
own Armour. that attack. is Short-ranged.

42
42
42
43
 P rofessions .

Barbarian
Barbarians are mostly found on mercenaries, bodyguards and
the Northern steppes, in bands any other position requiring
of as few as a dozen or as many unquestioning violence in return
as several hundred. Nomadic for money. A Barbarian will
by nature, and engaged in a always be first into the fight and
constant battle for supremacy generally if they arent the last
with each other, Barbarians one standing its because they
make ideal adventurers, and are dead.
are highly sought after as

STAT MODIFICATIONS

+0 +3 +1 +2
COMBAT

LVL OPTION
1 Stalwart Hammer Time
2 Relentless Frenzy
3 +1 Move Slam
4 Hammer Time Frenzy
5 Smash! Stalwart
6 Slam +1 Combat Dice
7 +1 Move +1 Shooting Dice (Long)
8 Frenzy Relentless
9 Sure Shot Frenzy
10 Tough +1 Shooting Dice (Long)

44444
4
Bard
Bard is not a profession that Bard is highly sought after by
seems immediately obvious in bands of heroes, especially ones
its usefulness for a party of that have fought alongside one
adventurers on life or death before. They tend to be much
quests into the dark places tougher than their profession
of the world. Not many see might suggest, and the value of
the requirement for a cheery a cheery disposition and a ready
song or an epic ballad, neither ability to burst into rousing song
being noted for their offensive can never be underestimated.
qualities. Nevertheless, a good

STAT MODIFICATIONS

+1 +1 +1 +1
COMBAT
OTHER

Singer Of Songs
Two Songs (Shuffle all the available Song cards and deal six at
random, face up. Choose two of these songs).

LVL OPTION
1 Dubious Character New song
2 Stealth +1 Shooting Dice (Short)
3 New song Nimble
4 Teller of Tales +1 Shooting Dice (Short)
5 New song Projecting
6 Nimble Stealth
7 Projecting +1 Shooting Dice (Short)
8 New song Sure Shot
9 Stalwart +1 Shooting Dice (Short)
10 New song Sure Shot

45
 Cleric
It is sometimes said that there are as many different faiths in the world as
there are grains of sand on a beach. While this is unlikely to be literally
true, it is the case that there are a multitude of different schools of religious
ideology spread amongst the various civilised races of the world. Some who
adhere to these philosophies are great warriors or powerful mages. Clerics
perform a quieter, less aggressive but still vital function, learning the arts
of healing and support. A decent cleric is well valued by heroes on a long
quest as someone who will keep them alive in some dangerous spots when
the fighting is done. The best ones are also no slouch with a sword when
required.

STAT MODIFICATIONS

+0 +1 +1 +1
COMBAT
OTHER
Holy, Spell Caster, Divinity

Three Spells (see below)

Shuffle the Divinity Spell cards, and deal six at random, face up. Put the rest
to one side. You must choose the first two spells for your Hero from this group
of six.

When you have made your decision, put the cards you didnt take
back in the pile with the rest of the Divinity spells. You can freely
choose your third spell from any of these remaining cards.

This two-step process means that you will always be able to pick
at least one spell you particularly want, but that your master may
have taught you some that you would not necessarily have chosen for
yourself. However, he is far wiser than you in the ways of magic and they
will have their uses. You will need to try them in battle to discover their true
value.

LVL OPTION
1 Stalwart New spell
2 Nimble Stealth
3 New spell Stalwart
4 Magister Tough
5 Nimble New spell
6 Magister Stalwart
7 New spell Magus
8 Relentless +1 Shooting Dice (Short)
9 Magus New spell
10 Smash! New spell

46
46
46
Demon Hunter
The denizens of the Abyss are legion and almost beyond any sensible
attempt at quantification. Most often, the myriad varieties of these
creatures are referred to simply as Demons. Those who make it their
business to hunt these creatures are viewed as brave and foolish in
equal measure, though in truth they are usually drawn to the profession
by some personal tragedy or loss suffered at the hands of the Abyssal
forces. A Demon Hunter is a focused and deadly warrior, with reflexes
and skills honed over many thousands of hours of training. A warrior
may train for ten years and be smote by a Demon in seconds, so it
goes without saying that success in this most difficult of professions
is dependent on natural skill and agility as much as training. It is no
co-incidence that some of the most prominent Demon Hunters are Elves
and Naiads.

STAT MODIFICATIONS

+0 +2 +1 +2
COMBAT
OTHER

Null

LVL OPTION
1 Relentless Dubious Character
2 Stalwart Tough
3 Speed of a Bullet +1 Shooting Dice (Short)
4 Teller of Tales Relentless
5 Stealth +1 Shooting Dice (Long)
6 Slam +1 Move
7 Smash! +1 Shooting Dice (Short)
8 Sure Shot Hammer Time
9 +1 Combat Dice +1 Shooting Dice (Short)
10 Sure Shot Hammer Time

47
 Druid
Druids use magic in a very unique way. Where wizards and mages manipulate
the most obvious magical energies to their own ends, amplifying the
destructive nature of those energies with often unpredictable results, Druids
channel the pure energy of nature itself, allowing it to flow through them
and gently directing it to their ends rather than forcing it to conform to
their own rigid requirements. Though not always as visually impressive as
the pyrotechnic displays of powerful mages, the magic of Druids is no less
impressive, allowing them to heal the grievously wounded and even to drag
warriors back from the embrace of death itself, as well as visit destruction on
their enemies. It is a foolish warrior indeed who underestimates a Druid, and
none ever make the same mistake twice.

STAT MODIFICATIONS

+0 +0 +0 +0
COMBAT
OTHER
Spell Caster, Druidism

Three spells (see below).

Two power 1 energy crystals.

LVL OPTION
1 Earth or Geomancy New spell
2 Tough Stalwart
3 Fire or Pyromancy New spell
4 Water or Hydromancy Stalwart
5 Air or Aeromancy New spell
6 New spell Stalwart
7 Earth or Geomancy Air or Aeromancy
8 Magister New spell
9 Fire or Pyromancy Water or Hydromancy
10 Magus New spell

Shuffle the Druidism Spell cards, and deal six at random, face up. Put the
rest to one side. You must choose the first two spells for your Hero from this
group of six.
When you have made your decision, put the cards you didnt take back in the
pile with the rest of the Druidism spells. You can freely choose your third
spell from any of these remaining cards.
This two-step process means that you will always be able to pick at least one
spell you particularly want, but that your master may have taught you some
that you would not necessarily have chosen for yourself. However, he is far
wiser than you in the ways of magic and they will have their uses. You will
need to try them in battle to discover their true value.

48
48
48
Fighter
Fighter is a broad title, covering a variety of types of warrior from
professional mercenaries and ex-soldiers through to pit fighters, trained
assassins and more besides. What unites them all is an uncomplicated
approach to problem solving a violent and usually terminal one. Some
members of a party will be there to heal, or to strategise or help the
heroes find their way. Fighters are there to hit things until they fall over
(and in some cases when they get back up again).

WARRIOR STAT MODIFICATIONS

-1 +2 +3 +2
COMBAT

RANGER STAT MODIFICATIONS

+0 +1 +3 +1 +1
COMBAT SHOOTING
(LONG)

DERVISH STAT MODIFICATIONS

+0 +1 +2 +2
COMBAT
OTHER
Frenzy (2)

LVL OPTION
1 Stalwart Slam
2 Hammer Time Sure Shot
3 Slam Frenzy
4 Speed of a Bullet +1 Dice
5 Smash! +1 Shooting Dice (Long)
6 Frenzy +1 Move
7 Sure Shot Hammer Time
8 Stalwart +1 Shooting Dice (Long)
9 +1 Shooting Dice Frenzy
10 Speed of a Bullet Stalwart

49
 Paladin
Paladins are warriors devoted to one of the many gods that the
Clerics follow. Where Clerics are healers who can fight at a pinch,
Paladins are fighters who can offer a bit of healing in an emergency.
Often equipped with holy weapons and armour, they are protected as
much by their own unshakeable faith in their God and their abilities
as they are by anything so mundane as a shield or breastplate.
Paladins are not immortal, but as far as they are concerned, they
will be reunited with their God when they die at any rate, meaning
that they have a disregard for personal danger unseen in other
professions. Parties often travel with Paladins, but when they do,
they will generally ensure that the Paladin is at the front.

STAT MODIFICATIONS

-1 +2 +3 +2

OTHER

Holy, Spellcaster, Divinity

Minor Spell: Healing

LVL OPTION
1 Hammer Time Stalwart
2 New spell Tough
3 Hammer Time Relentless
4 +1 Dice Smash!
5 New spell Relentless
6 Stalwart Slam
7 Tough New spell
8 Stalwart Slam
9 Smash! New spell
10 Tough New spell

5500
50
Thief
Thief is not exactly an honourable profession, and those who excel at
it are seldom welcome in polite company. However, heroes who spend
their time in ancient dungeons, cave systems and other tight and
dangerous spaces, attempting to defeat various enemies and remove
relics and treasures that they would rather not part with recognise
the value of having a skilled thief on board. Light feet and agility can
come in useful even where there is no specific treasure to be lifted,
and thieves are therefore most often seen seeking employment with
questing parties.

STAT MODIFICATIONS

+0 +1 +2 +1 +1
SHOOTING
(SHORT)
OTHER

Lock Picking

LVL OPTION
1 Dubious Character +1 Shooting Dice (Short)
2 Nimble Disarm Traps
3 Stealth Dubious Character
4 +1 Move Nimble
5 Disarm Traps Relentless
6 +1 Shooting Dice (Short) Nimble
7 Tough +1 Move
8 +1 Shooting Dice (Short) Master Locksmith
9 Tough Stalwart
10 Master Locksmith +1 Shooting Dice (Short)

51
 Wizard
The Study of Magic is undertaken by every civilised race of Mantica in some
way or other, to various levels. Most magic users will spend the majority of
their lives locked in academic study, attempting to master the manipulation
of the arcane energies and perfect the methods handed down to them by
their forebears. The reasons a wizard may end up in a party of adventurers
are manifold. A young wizard may crave the excitement of adventure as
a break from the dusty halls of study. An older wizard may be searching
for a particular item, and may have indeed instigated the quest to do so.
Whatever their reason for being there, a Wizard makes a very strong ally to
an adventurers party.

STAT MODIFICATIONS

+0 +0 +0 +0
OTHER

Spellcaster, Petty Magic, Choice of one from Sorcery, Necromancy

(Bosses only), Geomancy, Pyromancy, Aeromancy, or Hydromancy.
Minor Spell: Crystallise, and three additional spells (see below).
Two power 1 energy crystals.

LVL OPTION
1 New school New spell
2 Stealth Dubious Character
3 Magister New spell
4 Magister +1 Move
5 Magus New spell
6 New school Stalwart
7 Magus New spell
8 New school New spell
9 New school New spell
10 Magus New spell

Once you have decided on which schools of magic your wizard has studied, he
must choose his three starting spells. Separate out the spell cards for the schools
of magic your Hero knows, shuffle them, and deal six at random, face up. Put
the rest to one side. You must choose the first two spells for your Hero from this
group of six.
When you have made your decision, put the cards you didnt take back in the
pile with the rest of the ones from those schools. You can freely choose your
third spell from any of these remaining cards.
This two-step process means that you will always be able to pick at least one
spells you particularly want, but that your master may have taught you some
that you would not necessarily have chosen for yourself. However, he is far
wiser than you in the ways of magic and they will have their uses. You will need
to try them in battle to discover their true value.

52
52
52
Building a Hero
As an example, Ill create a completely new Hero from scratch. First, I take a blank Hero sheet.

RACE My Hero also gains the abilities I cant sing songs, so thats
Holy and Spellcaster, and learns out too. The choice really
We then start the process by the Divinity family of spells. comes down to either an extra
choosing a race. As I like the point of movement or an extra
concept art and the model, Ive The final part of becoming a spell. With a move of 6, the
decided to make a Salamander. I Cleric is determining which 3 Salamander is a bit slow, so
write that in the space provided. spells he has learned. These this movement increase has
must be taken from the Divinity potential. Still, an extra spell is
This also gives my Hero a family as its the only one the useful too. Decisions, decisions.
starting stat line. I put this in Hero knows. Knowing only one
in pencil because some of it will spell family can be limiting, Looking at the experience tables
change in a minute. but it does give you pretty good for Salamanders (page 41) and
control of the spells you get. Clerics (page 46) I realise that
I also write down an ability: Following the process described he will never get another chance
Fire. This is a racial trait that in the Cleric section on page 46, to increase his movement, and
all Salamanders have. Some I end up with Steady Recovery, rather than be stuck at move 6
races have this sort of thing and Healing, and Transfusion. forever I decide to go for that.
other dont its all part of their After all, clerics get a lot of
character. chances to learn extra spells so
BONUS that shouldnt be a problem. So
my Heros movement is now a
PROFESSION Having completed the additions respectable 7. I change that on
from my profession, I can take his Hero sheet.
Next comes a profession. What one bonus from the list on page
trade do I want my Salamander 33. This is a tricky choice. The
to have? Well there is already a Gold is always useful, and a NAME
Salamander Fighter in one of the random magic item could be a
expansions, so lets do something big help. However, I could get a All thats left to do is to think
different. Lets have a Cleric. poor item or one I cant use, so I of a name and fill this in on his
decide to pass on these. Hero sheet too. Now Shraash is
I modify my stat line on the Hero ready for adventure!
sheet by adding in all the changes
listed in the Cleric profession.

53
 H eroes of Mantica
Are you a mighty barbarian, a cunning wizard or a sympathetic cleric? You wont
know till you try them all out. The following Heroes offer a mixture of differing play
styles and roles as a starting point for you to experiment with. Some will suit you
perfectly, others will not suit at all. Once youve found out what you like, you can
make more informed choices when it comes to designing your own Hero.

The following ten Heroes are all of Heroes simply swap out the Even something as subtle as
taken from the Dungeon Saga original Heroes for one of those swapping one type of fighter
boxed game and the expansions, here, and see how you go. for another changes the way
each presenting a new challenge the group tackles an adventure.
to both the Hero and Overlord Its also a good idea to be Understanding this will help you
players. You can play through aware of the changes that a organize much more effective
any of the adventures from these different Hero makes to the groups of your own Heroes later.
sets with a different combination balance of the group as a whole.

55454
4
Orlaf, Human Barbarian
Like many of his people, Orlaf makes lack the physical wherewithal to solve limits for so many years, and he now
a living as a sellsword, hiring his skills their problems. has a legitimate reason to enter it. Tales
out to the highest bidder. Tremendously of the wealth that lies buried there
strong and skilled with blade and fists, Orlaf found city life very much agreed have been passed from generation to
Orlaf is also remarkably far-sighted with him, though he still hungers for generation of his tribe, being told to
for one of his kind and profession. the chance at a truly enormous score. Orlaf since he was a young child. This
Travelling to the City of the Golden The commission to accompany the could well be just the retirement plan
Horn, he has established himself as the party into Dolgarth is a dream come that he has been waiting for.
go-to professional for wealthy men who true. The old Dwarf Hold has been off

STARTING STATS

7 5 2
COMBAT

ABILITIES FEAT: WHIRLWIND

Versatile Orlaf makes a separate 4 dice attack against every
enemy model adjacent to him, including enemies
in his rear arc. Orlafs attacks are not modified by
anything, but the defenders are modified as normal.

Rordin, Dwarf Fighter

Rordin has been living amongst the his diplomatic posting to the Basilean ale involved). For all his faults, he
humans of the City of the Golden capital was more of an exile, in order is a fearsome and capable warrior,
Horn for so long now that he has that he could not cause further shame and much as Golloch despairs of
somewhat to the annoyance of his to the family. his foolish ways, he respects his
king started to pick up many of their abilities. As a well-known figure in
customs and manners. As the nephew Where most dwarfs are dour and the city, as well as a member of the
of Golloch himself, Rordin was always insular individuals, Rordin is noble lineage, Rordin makes an ideal
somewhat of a black sheep within the positively cheerful and fond of choice to send down into Dolgarth at
noble family, and some mutter that socialising (so long as there is strong the head of the party.

STARTING STATS

6 4 4
COMBAT

ABILITIES FEAT: NONE SHALL PASS

Rordin cannot be injured for the remainder of this
Round. In addition, all adjacent enemy Minions are
considered to have taken their Turn this Round and
may not take another for any reason.

55
 Danor, Human Wizard
The Order of the Ardent Light is a family. What makes him unique magical arts, and has consistently
not unique in claiming some direct is that the family itself has never impressed his tutors from the
connection to Valandor the Great broadcast the fact Danors link was beginning with his ability, if not his
every magical Order in Basilea discovered purely by accident, and enthusiasm. As the most humble of
does the same. Where the Order of the family resisted his becoming an their order, in terms of background
the Ardent Light differs is in only apprentice for a long time, though and demeanour, the wise Master has
accepting candidates who can claim why they would do so was never clear. declared that it should be he who
actual blood lineage to those who treads the halls of Dolgarth in search
fought and learned alongside the Danor is a naturally gifted if of their former protg.
legendary hero. Danor hails from such somewhat reluctant student of the

STARTING STATS

7 2 1
COMBAT
ABILITIES FEAT: FOCUS
Spellcaster, Petty Magic, Versatile Danor can cast up to 3 different Major spells. They
may be cast even if they are currently recharging.

Madriga, Elf Ranger

Hailing from the city of Therennia her, as he groomed her for a life of position and her noble lineage to be
Aldar, known to other races simply as ruling her people, instead inspired her overpowering and stultifying. After
Walldeep, Madriga grew up hearing to tread a very different path. becoming the youngest ever to attain
the legends of Mighty Valandor like the rank of fleet captain, she elected
any of her kind. As a small child, Joining the renowned Sea Guard, to resign her commission and travel
she had made the pilgrimage to the Madriga quickly carved herself the world in search of adventure of
Spire of Ages to see the miraculously a fierce reputation as a warrior the kind she had heard about in her
preserved remains of the legendary and a leader, but she found the youth.
hero. The stories her father would tell constant ritual and formality of her

STARTING STATS

8 3 3 2
COMBAT SHOOTING
(LONG)

ABILITIES FEAT: FOCUS

Madriga may Shoot 3 times in the same Turn. Resolve
each shot before deciding on the next target.

56
56
56
Arianya, Naiad Demon Hunter
Naiads are generally peaceful and other exotic weapons. They are since to seek out the specific creatures
introverted creatures, living fairly stronger when in water, they are by no responsible and slay every last one.
introverted lives in their home glades means weak outside of it, especially Any party looking to fulfil a quest
and pools, communing with the other when their ire is roused. In the case with even a hint of demonic activity
creatures of the waters, and rarely of Arianya, this was caused by the can almost guarantee on acquiring
straying from them. However, it is sacking of her home glade by demons her services.
well known that they can be fearsome of the Abyss. The only survivor, she
warriors, armed with tridents and has made it her personal mission ever

STARTING STATS

8 4 2
COMBAT

ABILITIES FEAT: COOL WATERS

Null, Water Nearby enemy models are calmed. For the rest of
this Round, no enemy model may move adjacent to a
friendly Hero if they are not already there. Enemies
are also prohibited from Breaking Away or making a
Free Strike.

Venetia Beriassor, Human Cleric

The women of the sisterhood serve power into physical acts of what up with seven brothers gave her
the gods in many different ways. the less enlightened might simply early lessons in fighting, and she
Some take up arms and become fierce mistake as magic. Venetia has ever has also become an accomplished
warriors of the church. Others take been a devout individual, sent to the warrior. As a martial cleric of the
the path of healers, using their skills nunnery at an early age when her sisterhood, Venetia travels far and
to save the lives of others. A very parents grew tired of her inordinate wide, delivering the good word and
few choose the path of divine magic, piety and tendency to judge all recovering artefacts and wealth for
suffused with the power of their own around her. Life in the sisterhood the church at every opportunity.
devotion and able to channel that unlocked her true potential. Growing

STARTING STATS

8 3 2
COMBAT

ABILITIES FEAT: BLESSED AURA

Spellcaster, Holy, Divinity, Versatile All adjacent friendly models heal 1 wound.

57
 Kapoka, Gladewalker Druid
Gladewalkers are a long-lived and Furious, Kapoka took leave of his with other Heroes set on the trail of
introvert race. They have cared for Glade, swearing an oath of vengeance Thrundak and his horde, taking any
the forests of the world since time on those who had despoiled it and opportunity to strike a blow against
immemorial, and it is rare indeed determining never to rest until he them. His natural magical talents
to see them outside of their wooded had seen them all brought to justice. rival those of any human druid, and
realm. Kapoka is one of these few It has become apparent to Kapoka he is able to heal his allies and visit
exceptions, his home having been that this would not be a task he magical destruction on his foes with
brutally vandalised by Thrundaks could accomplish on his own, and equal ease.
hordes as they passed through it. he has taken to throwing in his lot

STARTING STATS

6 2 1
COMBAT

ABILITIES FEAT: IN TUNE WITH NATURE

Spellcaster, Druidism, Earth Kapoka can cast up to 4 Minor spells.

Hrrath Flamespitter, Salamander Fighter

Salamanders are hot-blooded name. His brood slaughtered in a fight. As a mercenary, he is a tricky
creatures in the most literal great battle, Hrrath was captured proposition undeniably effective as
sense, their very bodies emitting and used as a gladiatorial slave for a fighter but prone to lose his temper
scalding vapours and their weapons the entertainment of a cruel master with often unpredictable results. It
channelling fiery energies with for many years. Winning his freedom, is a testament to the former that so
which to smite their foes. Hrrath he found that he could not return to many choose to risk the latter.
is no exception, having a fiery his home and so made a life doing
temperament to match his given the only thing he knows how to do

STARTING STATS

6 4 3
COMBAT

ABILITIES FEAT: UNSTOPPABLE

Fire, Frenzy (2) Hrrath fights as normal. Then, if the defender is
removed from the board, he may immediately fight
again. If there are no models to fight, he may move
1 square. If he can now fight then he must do so.
Continue until he can no longer fight or fails to
remove his target in one attack.

58
58
58
Ibrahim, Human Paladin
One of the most legendary Knights special undertakings for the Hegemon the Paladins, in Ibrahim it is simply
of the Basilean Warrior order known himself or anything else requiring his a demonstration of his superlative
as the Paladins, Ibrahim often finds own unique skills. Fearsomely broad, skill with any edged weapon. A quest
himself called upon to represent Ibrahims distinctive feature is his to slay a mighty dragon is exactly the
his brothers-in-arms in individual total absence of scars. Usually a cause sort of thing that Ibrahim would be
tasks, be they simple trials of combat, of mockery for those in the ranks of expected to undertake.

STARTING STATS

6 4 3
COMBAT

ABILITIES FEAT: BLESSING

Spellcaster, Holy, Divinity, Versatile All friendly Heroes in Short range heal 1 wound.

Ally McSween, Halfling Thief

Abandoned to the streets at a very was incredibly light on their feet. Ally Whether they want money stolen from
young age, Ally grew up amongst went on to become one of the best an orphanage or treasure recovered
what polite society might term the thieves that the city had ever seen, from an abandoned Dwarf hold is
wrong crowd. The bullying of the tiny and as her reputation grew, so did her all the same to Ally as long as they
orphan quickly stopped when that taste for the high life. Allys hunger have coin to spend, the motives of her
crowd realised the inherent usefulness for finer things has driven her to would-be employers and the nature of
of someone less than half the size of become a professional thief, offering the work is irrelevant to her.
the average man with tiny hands who her skills to the highest bidder.

STARTING STATS

6 3 3 2
COMBAT SHOOTING
(LONG)

ABILITIES FEAT: MAKING IT LOOK EASY

Lockpicking Ally can move up to 3 squares using the normal
rules, and then open a single adjacent locked item,
regardless of its difficulty.

59
 A bilities
Having good basic game values is important to a Hero, but having a good mix of
abilities is even more vital. These specialised skills enable us to quickly define a wide
variety of both Heroes and monsters.

The main part of this section is

a list of the possible abilities,
removing dice, or allowing you
to re-roll some.
Frenzy (1) would allow you to
re-roll the 1. If you had Frenzy (2)
broken down by family. Firstly then you could still only re-roll
though, we need to cover some one dice as the others do not fit
situations that often crop up EXTRA DICE the terms for re-rolling (failing to
with abilities. beat the defenders Armour).
Abilities that add dice work the
same way as other modifiers,
Who Chooses First? simply giving you more to roll. Ranked Abilities
However, after all modifiers have
Whenever two opposing models been taken into account, no dice You will notice that several
both need to decide something roll can use more than 6 dice. abilities have a number in
at the same time, the model Any extra are lost. brackets after them. These are
whose Turn it is must do so called ranked abilities.
first. Completely resolve any
associated dice rolls before his RE-ROLLS A ranked ability is available
opponent makes their choice. in several levels, shown by the
A re-roll means what it says: number in brackets. They are
For example, if both models in you roll one or more dice again. listed here showing the range
a Fight know a Combat ability The specific ability will define of numbers possible. So, a Hero
that allows them to re-roll a dice, the circumstances you may do could have Frenzy (1), Frenzy (2),
then the one whose Turn it is this in. The result of the second or Frenzy (3) the maximum.
must make any re-rolls before his roll replaces the first, even if it When these abilities become
opponent, allowing him to see is worse. Each dice can only be available to a Hero, they will
what he is up against and whether re-rolled once. be listed as the ability name
he needs to re-roll his dice or not. followed by an asterisk, for
For example, Frenzy allows you to example Frenzy (*). This means
re-roll a specific number of attack that the Hero is granted the
Modifying Dice Rolls dice that do not roll more than ability 1 rank higher than he
the targets Armour. If you rolled currently has.
Many abilities change the way 3 attack dice against a target with
you roll dice, either adding or Armour 4 and got 1, 5, 6 then
Ability Families
Abilities are broken down into a
series of different groups. These
are:

Combat
General
Illegal
Magical
Musical

If a group of abilities has any

special rules then they are listed
at the start of its section, below.

6600
60
Combat Abilities
Over the years, the warriors of However, they will not gain any immediately make a second
Mantica have devised many and bonus for doing so and will fight Fight attack against the same or
varied weapons to slaughter using their base dice as normal. different enemy model.
each other with. Some rely on Only when a model has learned
strength, others cunning or the relevant ability will he be
exotic design. However, for all able to get the most out of that SLAM
their supposed variation, the weapon.
simple truth of the matter is A trained warrior can use his
that the warrior wielding the A model that knows one of these shield, or simply his own bulk, to
weapon is far more important abilities is always assumed to smash aside an opponent.
than the weapon itself. The really have the appropriate weapons to
dangerous warriors of Manticas use them. When a character with this
long and bloody history could kill ability is the attacker, they may
a foe with anything they found to choose to make a Slam instead
hand, and would often do so to FRENZY (13) of a normal Fight attack. This
demonstrate this fact. causes no damage. Instead the
The model is consumed by rage defender is pushed into one of
In Dungeon Saga every model in battle. Each time he is the three possible squares, chosen by
is assumed to know the basics attacker in a Fight he may re-roll the attacker. There must be an
of combat. This is represented a number of dice that fail to beat empty square on the board for
by the number of dice a model the defenders Armour. the model to be pushed into. The
has: the more he has the more direction the defender is facing
dangerous he is in a scrap. remains the same. The attacker
However, this is only the basics. HAMMER TIME does not move.
In addition, there are many
distinct fighting styles, each of When a model with this ability A model cannot Slam a defender
which focuses on getting the uses a Fight attack, count the that has a larger base size.
most out of a specific style of targets Armour as 1 less than it
combat and particular weapon would otherwise be.
type. Each of these is a separate SMASH!
ability and must be learned
before it can be applied. RELENTLESS When a model with this ability
uses a Fight attack, count the
There is nothing to stop a model If the models first Fight attack targets Armour as 2 less than it
carrying a weapon without in a Turn results in any damage would otherwise be.
having the relevant ability. to the defender then they may

61
 SPEED OF A BULLET STALWART (1-3) SURE SHOT (1-3)

When a model with this ability The model stands like a rock The model is amazingly accurate.
uses a Shoot attack, count the in combat. Each time he is Each time he Shoots at an enemy
targets Armour as 1 less than it the defender he may re-roll a he may re-roll a number of dice
would otherwise be. number of dice that fail to beat that fail to beat the defenders
his own Armour. Armour.

General Abilities
This family of abilities is a collection of largely unrelated oddments that do not fit elsewhere.

AIR Secondly, the model is This attack requires Sight and is

particularly vulnerable to earth- Short-ranged.
This ability has 3 effects. The based attacks. Any Geomancy
first and second apply to all spells, or Fight attacks from a
models; the third applies to model with Earth, modify the DUBIOUS CHARACTER
Heroes and Bosses only, not models Armour by -1 while
Minions. resolving that attack. During Downtime, if the model
chooses the Thieves Den they
Firstly, the model has great Thirdly, the model can focus a may roll 1 dice more than
affinity with this element and burst of air to form a natural 2 normal and keep the preferred
when defending against an dice magical attack. This attack result.
Aeromancy spell it may re-roll counts as a minor Aeromancy
up to 3 dice that fail to beat its spell and can be cast even if
own Armour. the model is not a Spellcaster.

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EARTH Minions. rampage around the battlefield.

This ability has 3 effects. The Firstly, the model has great Once a model is consumed by
first and second apply to all affinity with this element the Green Rage then any hit will
models; the third applies to and when defending against a kill it.
Heroes and Bosses only, not Pyromancy spell it may re-roll
Minions. up to 3 dice that fail to beat its
own Armour. The model can also
Firstly, the model has great not be hurt by lava.
affinity with this element
and when defending against a Secondly, the model is HOLY
Geomancy spell it may re-roll up particularly vulnerable to water-
to 3 dice that fail to beat its own based attacks. Any Hydromancy During Downtime, if the model
Armour. spells, or Fight attacks from a chooses the Temple Location
model with Water, modify the they may roll 1 dice more than
Secondly, the model is models Armour by -1 while normal and keep the preferred
particularly vulnerable to air- resolving that attack. result.
based attacks. Any Aeromancy
spells, or Fight attacks from Thirdly, the model can focus a
a model with Air, modify the storm of fire to form a natural 2 HUGE
models Armour by -1 while dice magical attack. This attack
resolving that attack. counts as a minor Pyromancy The model is a Huge Creature
spell and can be cast even if (see page 30).
Thirdly, the model can focus a the model is not a Spellcaster.
hail of earth to form a natural 2 This attack requires Sight and is
dice magical attack. This attack Short ranged. LARGE
counts as a minor Geomancy
spell and can be cast even if The model is a Large Creature
the model is not a Spellcaster. GREEN RAGE (see page 30).
This attack requires Sight and is
Short ranged. The first time a model with this
ability suffers a wound it goes MOB RULE
into a Green Rage. This happens
FIRE regardless of the amount of When a model with this rule is
damage it suffers, i.e. it cannot attacking, each other model that
This ability has 3 effects. The be killed by a single attack. has the defender in its front arc
first and second apply to all gives the attacker an extra dice.
models; the third applies to The Green Rage gives the model For example, a zombie attacking
Heroes and Bosses only, not +1 dice and +2 movement as they a Hero who was in the front arc

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 of 2 other zombies would gain 2
extra dice to attack with, for a
total of 4.

NIMBLE

If the model suffers one or more

Hits in a Fight, roll 1 dice before
working out any damage. On a
roll of a 6 the model is not hurt.
Instead it makes an immediate
Break Away move. Assume all
possible free strikes miss. If
there is nowhere for the model
to Break Away to then the model
is damaged as normal.

NULL

The model exudes a negative

energy that disrupts nearby spell WALK THROUGH WALLS
casting.
The model can move through solid walls. A wall counts as one
A model that is within Short space regardless of its actual size. A model cannot end its Turn
range of the Null model must inside a wall. When moving, the square immediately before and
roll a single dice for each spell after a wall must lie in a straight line from each other.
they wish to cast. On a 1 the
spell is disrupted and cannot
be cast again that Round. On a On a roll of 5 or 6 it reduces the over. They cannot end their
2 the spell works, but takes so number of wounds suffered by 1, movement on any square which
much effort that the casters down to a minimum of zero. would normally be prohibited.
Turn ends once it has been
resolved. On a 3-6 the spell Secondly, at the end of each
works as normal. Round roll a single dice. On the TELLER OF TALES
roll of a 5 or 6 the model heals
Note that Null is indiscriminate one wound. During Downtime, if the model
and is equally disruptive to all chooses the Tavern Location
spell casting by both sides. If the model has Regenerate as they may roll 1 dice more than
well as Tough then it only rolls normal and keep the preferred
for Regenerate. result.
PESKY

This is typically used for swarms SMALL TOUGH

of small creatures that are
individually insignificant, but The model is so short that it At the end of each Round roll a
collectively distracting. does not block Shoot attacks. single dice. On the roll of a 6 the
model heals one wound.
The model cannot make Fight
attacks. However, it still counts SWOOP
towards outnumbering and may VERSATILE
defend itself as normal. The model can glide for small
distances. Treat their move as if During Downtime, the model
they are not touching the floor. may roll 1 dice more than
REGENERATE This means that they can freely normal in their chosen Location
move over map traps without and keep the preferred result.
This ability has two effects. triggering them. They can
Firstly, when the model suffers also move over lava, water or
any damage it rolls a single dice. furniture that a model can Shoot

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WATER a model with Fire, modify the last one it dies. So a model with
models Armour by -1 while Wounds (4) must be wounded
This ability has 3 effects. The resolving that attack. four times to kill it.
first and second apply to all
models; the third applies to Thirdly, the model can focus
Heroes and Bosses only, not a surge of water to form a
Minions. natural 2 dice magical attack.
This attack counts as a minor
Firstly, the model has great Hydromancy spell and can be
affinity with this element cast even if the model is not a
and when defending against a Spellcaster. This attack requires
Hydromancy spell it may re-roll Sight and is Short ranged.
up to 3 dice that fail to beat its
own Armour. The model also
cannot drown. WOUNDS (1-10)

Secondly, the model is Every hit the model suffers

particularly vulnerable to fire- counts as a wound. The model
based attacks. Any Pyromancy can take the specified number of
spells, or Fight attacks from wounds, and when it takes the

Illegal Abilities
Many of the skills associated with the criminal underworld are not of much use in a dungeon. Others
that might be applied, such as picking pockets, would simply add the fellow adventurers to the list of foes
to battle and are best forgotten while down a dungeon. Even so, thieves have a distinct place in dungeon
adventures, being able to circumvent many of the hazards that lie in wait for the clumsier Hero.

DISARM TRAPS thief is bound to claim this as a items that were inside.
result of his skill too!
There are two kinds of traps:
lock traps and map traps. Both Map traps can be disarmed MASTER LOCKSMITH
can be disarmed. by a model with this ability
moving adjacent to the map This works exactly like
Before someone attempts to trap counter and spending Lockpicking, except it reduces a
open a lock (by any means) a an action disarming it. When lock by 2 instead of 1 each time
model with this ability may try someone subsequently steps on it is used.
to disarm any trap that may be the trapped square, roll a dice
hidden on it. to see if the disarming worked.
On a 2 or better the map trap is STEALTH
Disarming a lock trap takes a removed; on a 1 it is triggered as
models action for that Turn. normal. The model cannot be seen (and
Note that you will not know if therefore Shot at) beyond Short
the item is actually trapped or range. However, they may still
not at this point (unless you are LOCKPICKING be targeted by a Long range spell
playing solo). as long as it does not need line
Each time a model with the of sight.
You will only know if you have Lockpicking ability spends their
been successful when you Turn trying to open a lock its When playing solo games, a
actually open the lock. At this value is reduced by 1. When model with this ability that is
point, roll one dice. On a 2 or this reaches zero the lock has not adjacent to an enemy model
better any trap has been disarmed been opened. If it was a door counts as half the Threat it
and can be ignored. On a 1 you then it is removed. If it was a would otherwise.
should roll to see if it goes off as treasure chest or other item with
usual. You may yet be saved by a a hidden compartment then the
rusty mechanism. Of course, the Hero who opened it takes all the

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 S pells
A magician, wizard or thaumaturge is nothing without his spells. These range from the
petty utility spells of the humble hedge wizard to the earth-shattering cataclysms of
the elven Wizard Lords. Some have obvious applications such as fireballs and wasting
diseases. Others are more subtle in their value, though these can often prove the more
powerful when used wisely.

Spells are listed on cards, MAGICAL SCHOOLS Magical Abilities

each of which includes all the
information you need to use it in There are a number of different Most magical abilities consist
your adventures. schools of magic, each of which of learning new spells or even
counts as a separate ability. whole new schools of magic.
A model with the Spellcaster In order to cast spells of a However, there are a small
ability may cast one spell as his particular school of magic you number of additional abilities
action in his Turn. See the card must first learn that ability. that will help to make any
for the effect of each spell. magicians life easier, regardless
of his preferred form of magic.
Aeromancy: air
Several of the Dungeon Saga
magic
expansions include extra spell
cards. If you have any of these SPELLCASTER
then simply shuffle them into Druidism: seeking
the appropriate deck and use balance in nature The model can use magic to cast
it as normal. However, note spells.
that each spell should only be Geomancy: earth
included once. magic
MAGISTER
Divinity: holy
magic If the model decides to cast
Minor spells, then they may cast
Hydromancy: 3 in a single Turn, not 2.
water magic

Necromancy: MAGUS
death magic
If the model decides to cast
Major spells, then they may cast
Petty Magic: 2 in a single Turn, not 1.
simple magic,
known to all
spellcasters

Pyromancy: fire
magic

Sorcery: dark and

evil magic

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S ongs
The bread and butter of a bards job is singing. As it is often a rather poorly paid job
with a varied and unpredictable audience, it is a good idea for a bard to know as wide a
variety of songs as possible. You never know when that old favourite of the pub down the
road will cause the clientele of this new drinking establishment to turn nasty. Best know
some alternatives (and be prepared to make a quick exit).

Songs are listed on cards, like Musical Abilities PROJECTING

spells, and work in a similar way,
but they are not rotated at the end If a musician cannot sing or play Any song that is listed as short
of the Round. They do not require then they arent going to get far range may be sung as long range
line of sight. A model with the in the first place. This much is instead.
Singer of Songs ability may sing taken for granted. On top of this,
one song as his action in his Turn. a bard can still add refinement
See the card for the effect of each and improve his performance SINGER OF SONGS
song. Songs affect all models of as well as extend his repertoire,
the specified type within range. though adding more songs to his The model can sing songs.
collection is still the basic way
he will improve.

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 C ampaigns
The idea of a campaign is to link together a series of adventures to tell the story of a group
of Heroes and the Overlords they battle against. The adventures part of this is exactly the
same as normal, though you may want to use either the sections on building your own
adventures or generating them randomly to add to those that are provided for you.

The big difference in campaigns

comes in the spaces between
foibles. This isnt necessary by
any means, though it is fun.
could be kings, princes or nobles.
Alternatively they could be
adventures. What do Heroes Also, these ideas may start out merchants, wizards or even whole
do then? This gap is called as a bit of minor embellishment, villages of peasants. Whoever
Downtime, and represents all but they have a funny habit of the patron may be, they provide
the things a Hero does between getting woven into the main plot the resources and the task to
adventuring in a simple and fun a while later. Maybe that warrior be resolved, and set the Heroes
way. Essentially, these rules you bested in the fighting pits on their way. If you design your
give you the skeleton of a heroic still holds a grudge. Was the own adventures you might want
tale for you to flesh out as you dark stranger who spilled your to think a bit about who these
see fit. Add as much detail and pint in the tavern really just people might be, as this can help
explanation as you like. You a tinker? And what did that to link the campaign together
might revel in describing the obscure prophecy from the in a coherent flow. It is not a
time your Hero spends healing, oracle actually mean? requirement though.
training, telling tall stories of his
exploits and wooing the ladies, In a similar way, you could add In terms of rules, the main
or you might just want to get as much or as little as you like section that a campaign adds
back to adventuring its up on how the Heroes come to be to Dungeon Saga is the idea
to you. Many players get very on these adventures in the first of Heroes gaining Experience.
attached to their Heroes, and place. Traditionally, Heroes are Downtime, Locations and all
create all sorts of elaborate back hired by a patron who needs a the rest are really just there to
stories with families, enemies job done that only a Hero (or make this work and provide more
and all manner of curious four) can achieve. These patrons background to explain your story.

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 Downtime is made up of several
Where to Begin? steps for each Hero. Go through THE OVERLORDS
them in order, completing each CAMPAIGN
Starting a campaign is as simple one before moving onto the next.
as agreeing with your friends that In a campaign, an Overlords
this is what you want to do. You 1) Recover from injuries. Downtime and the
can use pre-designed Heroes if Simply remove all the wound advancement of his Bosses
you like, though its more fun to counters from your Hero card. work in exactly the same
make your own (see page 32). You way as those of the Heroes.
may want to have the Overlord 2) Collect Gold. There are some slightly
design some new adventures different options to choose
to give you an extra challenge. a. Take 1 Gold. from at each stage, but
However, there is nothing to stop the rules that govern them
you running through the first b. If you were on the winning are identical. So, after an
campaign against Mortibris with side in the last adventure adventure the Overlords
your own Heroes if you like. When you may keep 1 magic item Heroes may choose to
you are all ready, play the first you found in the dungeon. spend their Downtime at
adventure. Just compare the total The rest are returned to a specific Location, and
levels of your four Heroes to the your patron. If you found gain Glory and Experience
limits listed in the expansions no magic items then you as appropriate. The main
Quest Book as long as you have get 1 more chest of Gold difference is that Bosses
not exceeded it youre ready to instead. tend not to appear in lots
play. of adventures in a row.
c. If you lost the adventure However, if the Overlord
After this adventure you will have then you do not keep any wins then they may well
Downtime. Then you repeat the magic items and get no gain experience. Even if
process: adventure, Downtime, extra Gold. Your patron will the Overlord loses, he may
adventure, Downtime, and so on. need the little you escaped choose to run his Bosses
with to fund another through the Downtime
attempt. process, just because it adds
DOWNTIME to the story.
3) See whether you are allowed
In-between adventures you have to learn a new feat, and
some Downtime when your Hero whether you want to (see page
can rest and recuperate from 73). If you do learn a feat, this
the rigours of fighting monsters ends your Downtime. If not,
and rescuing damsels in distress. go to step 4.
During this Downtime you will
automatically recover from all 4) Choose a Location to spend
your injuries and can also choose your Downtime (see page 70).
from a number of options to
improve your Hero. 5) Calculate your Heros
experience (see page 71).

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 GOLD LOCATIONS Each Hero can choose freely
from the Locations available,
In a campaign we need some During each Downtime every but can only choose to visit
form of currency. However, in Hero gets to visit a single one. Each Hero can also choose
Dungeon Saga we dont worry Location. Each Location is to visit the Tavern and/or
about the cost of a cup of ale represented by its own card and Market in addition to their
or a nights rest for our Heroes offers its own combination of one other Location. When a
they are far too important benefits and (occasionally) risks. Hero has decided where he
for that. Among Heroes, gold will visit, resolve the Location
isnt merely a coin or two, or When you come to choosing as described on the card.
even a few bags of coins: its a Location, take the Location Typically this entails rolling a
whole chests full of treasure. cards and separate out the dice and looking up the result.
Chests of gold, or Gold for short, Tavern and the Market. Lay Several abilities modify these
are the coin Heroes use to these down in front of the dice rolls. However, regardless
buy powerful magic items and Heroes. You can always choose of the number of re-rolls and
offer as sacrifice to temples. to go to the Tavern and the additional dice that apply, a
Anything less is too trivial for Market. Also separate out any Hero may only benefit from
such mythical warriors and Boss-only Locations you may a single result from a single
mages to worry about. So when have and put them to one side. Location (in addition to the
the rules say a Hero gets a Gold Then shuffle the remaining Tavern and Market) during
for each adventure, dont think Location cards and deal out each Downtime.
about this as a single coin in the one more for each Hero (not
palm of his hand, think of it as Boss) that took part in the A single location can be visited
staggering away with a treasure adventure. These Locations are by some, all, or none of the
chest overflowing with precious the ones you can choose from Heroes in any given Downtime.
gems, jewellery and shining this Downtime.
golden trinkets.

BOSSES AND LOCATIONS

If you are playing a group of Bosses, fighting against good dungeons, then you may be using
the campaign rules. The process of Bosses visiting Locations works just the same as for Heroes,
just with the Hero-only locations removed. Places like the Tavern are available to all. Obviously
this is not the same physical alehouse as the Heroes drink in, but every race has some equivalent
gathering place, and the card stands for all of these. Similarly, they may visit temples to different
gods, but priests the world over are happy to receive offering and hand out blessings, so the effect
is much the same.

During the course of a campaign, a group of Heroes will have access to a wide array of magic
items. Sometimes these will fall into the hands of exactly the right character, and other times the
wizard will end up with the magic axe, the fighter with all the spell scrolls, and the bard with the
ring of silence. When this happens, you may want to swap items between the Heroes.

During Downtime, Heroes can swap items between themselves as much as you like. These swaps
can be free gifts, exchanges for Gold or other magic items, or any other arrangement that suits
you. If you decide to exchange for Gold, then the price is whatever you want it to be. The Gold
price printed on the item cards is only used when the Heroes buy them from non-Hero vendors.

The important things to remember are:

Only Gold and Magic Items can be traded.

You must be clear about which Hero begins each adventure with each item.

During an adventure Heroes follow the normal rules for swapping items (see page 27).

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Experience
Experience is part of the
Dungeon Saga campaign BOSS EXPERIENCE
system. It reflects the fact that
Heroes gain fame and notoriety If you are playing a Boss that adventures against the good
over time, and may learn new guys, then you will gain experience as normal. In fact, they
abilities, feats, spells, songs and use exactly the same system as Heroes for advancement, and
so on as they adventure. have their own bonuses and options to add to the ones listed
here. These are included with all the other information on
Heroes start out just like their race in the relevant section of the Bestiary.
everyone else. In order for
them to become the mighty Another use of experience is to give Heroes a bigger challenge
warriors and fabled magicians of when an Overlord is designing his own adventure. The
legend, they must do something Overlord simply creates his Boss in the same way as any
momentous and worthy of such other Hero. Then he decides what level he wants him to be
renown. It must be something and allots him that number of boosts. The choices of which
that people will talk about in improvements the Boss has are the same as normal the only
hushed and reverent tones as difference is that the Boss doesnt have to earn the Glory.
they sit around their campfires,
or recount with wonder as they
tuck their children in at night. Glory To reflect this, the total Glory is
You should be the Hero they all broken down into levels, each of
aspire to be, the noble example A Hero accumulates Glory which corresponds to a specific
of bravery and cunning, the by doing great things; mainly amount. The higher you go, the
slayer of demons, protector of participating in successful harder it is to impress!
the weak, vanquisher of dragons, adventures. Use the space
collector of vast wealth provided on the Hero card to keep
TOTAL GLORY LEVEL
track of the total Glory a Hero has
The adventures described in earned throughout his adventures. 0 0
Dungeon Saga are just the sort of 1 1
thing you need to be doing, and 2-3 2
completing these successfully GAINING GLORY
will soon have your Hero ranked 4-6 3
among the greats. However, The main way to gain Glory is 7-10 4
even among Heroes there is a to succeed in adventures. After 11-15 5
hierarchy: some are just more each adventure, every Hero on
heroic than others. To keep the winning side gains 1 Glory. 16-21 6
track of this we use Glory. Glory Some Locations may grant 22-28 7
is a measure of how famous a additional Glory. 29-36 8
Hero has become, and the more
dramatic and heroic his exploits, 37-45 9
the more Glory he earns. LEVELS OF GLORY 46-55 10

Early on in his career, a Hero

will find it relatively easy to Heroes start at level zero and
look good. Who is this handsome can rise to a maximum of level
new Hero? Have you seen the 10 (so far). When they set out
way his eyes catch the light? to seek their fortunes, they
His hair is so lovely, and the have done nothing of note, and
braids in his beard so manly. nobody really knows who they
And so on. A young Hero will are. When a Heros total Glory is
be the talk of the taverns and sufficient he rises to a new level.
markets alike. Sadly, the crowds Each new level that a Hero gains
are fickle, and as you continue gives him a boost in some way.
to save villages and rescue These boosts are collectively
damsels it becomes ever more called Experience.
difficult to impress your general
wonderfulness on the crowds.

71
 Levelling Up
Every time a Hero gains enough list one and professions list a LIMITS TO EXPERIENCE
Glory for his total to reach a new further two. This gives a Hero a
level, he gains a boost. He may total of three options to choose A Hero refines and expands
choose one option from the list between when he decides to his skills in a specific area of
below: Learn From the Master. expertise. However, this isnt a
case of just a case of improving
Take the Money. A Hero may only choose from one thing, its more subtle than
Learn From the Master. the options listed for the level he that. A well-rounded Hero
has just reached, but may freely needs to be proficient at all
choose from either his race or aspects of his craft, whether
Take the Money profession. Note that it is the this is cunning sorcery or
base profession that matters here, simply battering foes into
Sometimes its nice to keep the not any specialisation within it. submission. Regardless of how
piles of gold and treasure that simple a task may appear from
youve found. After all, quantity In addition, the Location a Hero the outside, to the aficionado
has a quality all of its own when has just spent his Downtime there are always subtleties and
it comes to mountains of gold in may offer a fourth option to refinements to be learned.
coins and rubies the size of a choose from or a way to modify
Goblins head. Also, if you want to the ones he can already select. In Dungeon Saga this means that
get yourself that magical armour See the rules for Locations on a Hero cannot keep getting the
you saw, or perhaps some new page 70. same boost repeatedly. In fact,
magicians robes that enhance a Hero can only get each ability,
your spell casting, then youll When you have decided what feat, spell, song or other game
need a kings ransom to pay for it. experience bonus to take, make value increase once. This means
a note of the change on your that a Hero may have fewer than
If you choose to Take the Money Hero card. three choices when he gains a
then you get a number of Gold new level, if he already has one
equal to the level you just reached. For example, an Elf Paladin of those on offer. For example,
For example, after an adventure has gained enough experience if a Hero had already taken a +1
you have gone from a total Glory to get to level 3 and decides Movement bonus then he could
of 6 to 7. This is a move from level to Learn From The Master. not take another.
3 to level 4 and if you choose to In the Downtime, he goes to
Take the Money, you get 4 Gold. Stonebrews Adventurers Note that this limitation only
Academy where he rolls a 1. This applies to bonuses gained from
Make a note of this additional gives him the following options experience. Modifications made
Gold on your Hero card. for his experience bonus: while creating your Hero, from
spells, songs or items are all in
Elf: Sure Shot (*). addition to this.
LEARN FROM THE Paladin: Hammer Time.
MASTER Paladin: Relentless. Ranked abilities are a special
Stonebrews Academy: case because each numbered
Every Hero learned their trade Stalwart (*). rank works like a separate ability.
from someone, and throughout In this case, when a Hero gains
their adventures they will As you can see, these offer a a new ranked ability it will be
continue to find older and wide selection of options, each at the lowest level listed. Each
wiser veterans to expand their of which develops the character subsequent time he gains the
knowledge. But which path in a very different direction. same ability the level goes up by
should you follow? After a few such choices, even one until it reaches the maximum
Heroes that began life very for that particular ability.
Every race and profession a similar are likely to be quite
Hero can be lists a number of different.
options for each level. Races

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Feats
Even Heroes have good days and Choosing Feats Hail of Arrows
bad days, and while a Hero on a The Hero must have a Shooting
bad day is still pretty impressive A Heros new feat can be freely Dice value to use this feat.
to most folk, a Hero on a good chosen from either his racial feat
day is almost godlike. Some of or the general feats. He can never The Hero may Shoot three times
the most striking tricks that choose the feat of another race. in the same Turn. Resolve each
Heroes can do are their heroic one before deciding on the next
feats, or feats for short. These target.
one-off signature moves can be GENERAL FEATS
devastating, and the timing of In Tune with Nature
them is crucial. Blessed Aura The Hero must be a Spellcaster
All adjacent friendly models heal to use this feat.
1 wound.
Earning Feats The Hero can cast up to 4 Minor
Blessing spells.
Earning a feat is a rare type of All friendly Heroes in Short
experience boost. The number of range heal 1 wound. Natures Withering
feats a Hero can know is based All enemy models within Short
on their current level: Dead Zone range that have an elemental
For the rest of this Round, no ability (Earth, Air, Fire Water)
Level 1-4: 1 feat spell can be cast within Short are stunned and cannot move
Level 5-8: 2 feats range of the Hero. or act for the remainder of this
Level 9-10: 3 feats Round.
Energy
During Downtime, a Hero can The Hero must be a Spellcaster Now Im Angry
learn a new feat if he hasnt to use this feat. All enemy models adjacent to the
already reached his current limit Hero must move away 1 square if
and has enough Glory to advance The Hero can cast a single spell there is room. If there is a choice
a level during this Downtime. at a greater distance than usual: then the angry Hero decides
adjacent becomes short, short which square they move into.
Learning a feat is not compulsory. becomes long, long becomes
It counts as your experience boost twice as far. The effects of the Sing Me Another
for that level and so you may spell remain the same. The Hero must know Singer of
decide that you would rather have Songs to use this feat.
one of the abilities on offer instead. Essence
The Hero must be a Spellcaster The Hero can sing two songs this
Learning a feat takes up a Heros to use this feat. Turn.
whole Downtime and means that
they cannot go to a location. The Hero concentrates all his Unstoppable
magical powers to create a The Hero fights as normal. Then,
handful of new energy crystals. if the defender is removed from
Roll one dice to see what he the board, he may immediately
makes: fight again. If there are no models
to fight, he may move 1 square. If
12: 4 power 1 crystals. he can now Fight then he must do
34: 2 power 2 crystals. so. Continue until the Hero can
56: 2 power 3 crystals. no longer fight or fails to remove
his target in one attack.
Focus
The Hero must be a Spellcaster Whirlwind
to use this feat. The Hero makes a separate 4
dice attack against every enemy
The Hero can cast up to three model adjacent to him. This
Major spells. They may be includes enemies in his rear
cast even if they are currently arc. The Heros attacks are not
recharging. modified, but the defenders are
modified as normal.

73
 U ncharted Dungeons
Once in a while its fun to just sit down with some friends and explore a dungeon
that nobody knows the map for. This is a bit more free-form than a normal game
and often a bit less balanced. However, the trade-off is that everything is new and
surprising for everyone, so it can be a lot of fun. Nobody knows whats around the
next corner not even the Overlord!

You may want to try uncharted Next, the players need to sort UNCHARTED DUNGEON
dungeons if youve played all out the Hero models, cards and
the printed adventures, if you so on as normal. The Overlord These cards are
havent time to design your own needs to get the models and used to create
adventure, or simply because it cards for the set of monsters the random
sounds exciting. Some people play he has decided to use too. A map for the
nothing but uncharted dungeons variety of different types of dungeon as it
as its easy to pick up and play model is most interesting to unfolds. Each
straight away. Whatever your play with and against. The one shows one
reason, the process is the same. Overlord can use a maximum of or more tiles
6 models of each type (for single arranged in a particular pattern
All you need in addition to square models), and up to 2 of and each cards mini-map forms
the normal Dungeon Saga each type of larger model. You its own zone. They are split into
components are the Uncharted probably wont need more than several sub-decks labelled with
Dungeon and Event decks. 20-30 models all told, and it is a letter (A, B, C and so on...).
quite likely that you will never
Start by deciding who will play use all of them at once. What
the Overlord and who will be they are providing is variety,
the Heroes. Then decide exactly and a bit of intimidation for the
which four Heroes you want to Hero players.
take, and which set of minions EVENT
the Overlord will have. You can Once that is ready, you need to
play uncharted dungeons with find the following cards: The Event
any number of players from 2-5, cards are used
and you might even want to try to define what
solo play against an AI opponent models are
by combining these uncharted present, when
dungeon rules with the solo traps appear,
rules on page 80. what treasure
is in the
chests, and so on.

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74
Getting Started
When you have sorted out
using these cards (another use
for them) then the cards often get
turned round. The arrows make it
trap and what the treasure might
be when an item is finally opened.

the Uncharted Dungeon cards easier to follow. When the Heroes open a door to
into their lettered sub-decks, a new set of tiles, always try to
shuffle each one and take a single The green arrows, pointing off place the new tiles so that as many
card from the top of each of the the tile map around the top and doors as possible go somewhere.
different Uncharted Dungeon sides of the card, show where you Doors that do not connect to tiles
decks. This will give you one card should place the next Uncharted are dummies that open onto a
with each letter. Then shuffle this Dungeon cards tiles. blank wall.
deck and take the top 4 cards.
Discard the remainder. These 4 Sometimes, when the Heroes open
cards will form your Dungeon the door to the next zone, you find
deck for this adventure. that the tiles do not fit with what
has already been placed. You have
Note: 4 is only a guideline: you After you have placed a tile, roll three options here. You can either
could use more if you wanted a a single dice and refer to the miss out one or more tiles from
longer game, or fewer if you wanted numbers by these arrows. the new set, giving you a slightly
something quicker. different shape (which is fine
even more of a surprise), you can
Place a single 2x2 square tile on leave a small gap between areas
the board, and put the 4 Heroes or place them at a different angle,
on it. This is where the adventure or you can remove some of the
starts. Make sure that there is some older tiles. Heroes dont often go
space beyond those arrows to back the way they came, and the
Turn over the top card of your place the next tiles when they are dungeon isnt as flat as it appears
Dungeon deck and join this onto revealed. Then, assuming there is, on our stylised table. In reality
the tile your Heroes are sitting on place a door beside every arrow on the dungeon levels would rise and
using the rules explained below. that side of the map. Sometimes fall as well as meandering about
Then turn over the top card of this will put a door on top of a horizontally. In this way a series
your Event deck to see what model placement square, or a of rooms could indeed appear
creatures are on those tiles. piece of furniture. Thats fine. to sit one on top of the other if
The door takes precedence and drawn on a flat map.
any underlying model placement
square or furniture is ignored. In When the Overlord places the final
this way, even a single card can Exploration card worth of tiles,
vary depending on which way the the Heroes have reached the end
dungeon leads off from it. If there of the dungeon. Continue playing
doesnt look like enough room until one side wins (see below).
for a set of tiles beyond the side
youve rolled, go clockwise around
the options on the card until you RANDOM MAP TRAPS
find one that will work. This is the
way through to the next zone of After you have laid the tiles,
Placing & the dungeon. turn over an Event card to see
Joining Tiles whether there are any map traps
Some zones have furniture in or not. If the card says yes, then
When you look at the Exploration them, in which case this will be shuffle the map trap counters
cards you will notice that they shown on the card. The details face down and place three of
have a single red arrow at the of locks, traps and treasure is them on the map in some of the
bottom of the tile map. determined by the Event cards locations marked for models. Do
(see below). Just turn over the not look at the counters until
top Event card when you need they are triggered.
to define a lock type, whether a
trap is present, or what a treasure
This shows the side that the might be in a chest. Only do this Placing Overlord
door(s) from the previous zone at the last possible moment, i.e. Models
must lead on to. This is always determine a lock type when the
the bottom of the card. However, first Hero reaches the locked door Building the dungeon is only the
if you are planning out dungeons or chest, and decide if there is a start; now youve got to populate

75
 it. The Overlord has already other positions. If he runs out of LOCKS
decided which type of models he places to put the models then he
wanted to use at the start of the must save those models for the The first time a Hero moves
game, and has them to hand. Each next zone. They will be added to adjacent to a door or chest, draw
time a new tile is laid down you those he can place with his first an Event card to see what type of
need to determine what you can card (though they need not be the lock it has on it.
place and where it can go. same type). Large models must be
placed so that at least one of the
Turn over the top Event card. This squares they cover is a placement
will tell you how many levels of site. As the Overlords models
models the Overlord can place. dont set off traps, they can stand
All of the models he places must on a map trap counter.
be the same type (the same line in TREASURE
the bestiary), and he cannot place
more than 4 from a single card. If Placing Bosses Once a treasure chest is opened,
you look at the relevant section draw an Event card to see what
of the Bestiary you will see that Before the adventure begins, the treasure is inside.
each model type has a level. Overlord selects or creates two
Simply choose models from your Bosses. These should match the
available pool up to a total value set of models he has selected. WINNING
listed on the Event card. You may
spend less than the total, but Bosses are never in the first In random dungeons the
cannot spend more. For example, zone of the adventure. After Overlord always wins by either
if a card said to use a total of 10 that, whenever a card is turned crippling one of the Heroes or
levels, an Overlord using undead to see how many models are in stalling them long enough to run
could place up to 3 Revenants. An a new zone, a Boss may turn up the Heroes out of time, measured
Orc Overlord in the same position too. This only happens if the by his Overlord cards as usual.
could place up to 2 Ax Warriors. number of levels on the card is In Uncharted Dungeons, the
3 or 6. Roll one dice. If the dice Overlord gets 2 Command cards
If you cannot place more than a roll is equal to or greater than per Uncharted Dungeon card
single model with this first card, the number of levels on the card used.
you may take a second card and then a Boss is added in addition
place models up to that level as to any other models. If two cards The Heroes decide their winning
well. This benefit applies only if are used then both Bosses could conditions by drawing an Event
you have no choice about placing arrive in the same zone! card at the start of the game.
only a single (or no) models not They keep this secret from the
if you could place several and If the Heroes reach the final Overlord player until the end
choose not to. Models placed by a zone before either Boss turns of the game. Each Event card
second card follow the same rules up, then one of them is always has a winning condition at the
as those for the first. Note that waiting there. bottom. Sometimes these will be
models placed by a single card impossible because they rely on
must all be exactly the same type, The Overlord gets to choose the Overlord having a particular
but that you may place a different which Boss appears first. type or number of models to kill.
type with each card if you get two. For example, the Heroes need
to kill 2 Bosses to win and only
The Uncharted Dungeon card Playing Uncharted 1 is used. If this happens, the
maps all show a number of Games Heroes win if they get to the end
placement sites for models. of the dungeon and kill all of the
Now you know how to lay out inhabitants before they run out
your tiles and how to populate of time.
your dungeon you can play as
normal. The only things you dont Good luck!
know are how to decide how
tough the locks are, whats in the
treasure chests, and how to win.
Once the Overlord has chosen his
models he then places them on
the board in some of the positions
shown. He may leave some empty,
but may not place models in

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A
Dungeon to
Call Your Own
This section is a set of guidelines and suggestions to help you to design your
own dungeon adventures using the Dungeon Saga rules and components.
I say guidelines rather than rules as you will quickly see that this is not so
much a science as an art, and possibly a dark one at that. Because the tiles
can be laid out in so many ways, and the rules for creating your own Heroes
and Bosses are so flexible, any attempt at a complete set of hard-and-fast
rules for adventure design quickly gets swamped by a host of exceptions and
restrictions. In other words, it ends up stifling your creativity rather than
encouraging it.

So, if there is no fixed set of 1) A narrative idea. The more astute of you will
rules, how do you go about notice that Ive listed two step
designing a dungeon? Basically, 1) An interesting arrangement of 1s. Thats because both are
the process is a mixture of a few tiles. valid starting points. That said,
key steps, and a large helping of whichever one you start with
trial and error. 2) Appropriate inhabitants. youll need to do the other one
as well.
The basic steps you need to 3) Lots of testing.
cover are:

A Narrative Idea
The story behind who inhabits Minions. Sometimes I build
the dungeon and why the Heroes ideas for adventures around a
might be risking their lives in single miniature I find inspiring.
there needs to be an early part Theres no right or wrong way to
of this process. It defines the find inspiration.
type of Overlord, the type of
inhabitants, and the objective However you come by your idea,
of the whole adventure. Is you will find that the clearer
this an evil necromancer or a it is, the better. It need not be
cunning Orc chieftain? Perhaps complex or go into lots of detail.
its a band of murderous ogres, On the other hand, it does need
a crazed renegade priest, to give you a clear mental image
an unscrupulous mercenary that can inform the rest of the
warlord, a gold-hungry bandit process. A grubby orc warlord
chief, foul demons or who is unlikely to have a neat and
knows what? The world of well-designed dungeon. At least,
Mantica is a big place and there if he does then who did he steal
is much to explore. it from? While well-organised
mercenaries may have sentries
You can come at your idea from a and guard rotas, goblins are
number of directions. You might unlikely to bother. A good idea
be inspired by a story youve can thread its way through
read or film youve watched the Overlord, map layout, and
and want to recreate that plot. inhabitants as well as giving
It might be the character of the you the whole back story about
Overlord that sparks an idea, why the Heroes are there in the
or imagining the antics of his first place.

77
 Interesting
Arrangement of Tiles
Whether you start with an idea
or a pile of tiles you will need to
plan out a map of the dungeon
at some stage. I find building
maps oddly calming. Its a simple
puzzle with a fixed number of
pieces, but the number of possible
combinations is enormous.
Also, there is no wrong answer.
All manner of unlikely-looking
layouts have evolved into
cracking adventures for me. Im
sure they will for you too.

One thing I should caution

against is greed. There is a
temptation to use all of the tiles
you have in every dungeon,
and its probably better if you
resist this. Huge dungeons are
great every now and again, but
variation is a more interesting
choice. Making some dungeons
large and sprawling and others
small and cramped will give
you far more varied playing Appropriate Inhabitants it always help one side? Does it
experiences (and more fun) depend on the choices both sides
than simply sticking massive Once you have your idea make?
sprawling layouts on the table and your map in place, the
each time. inhabitants should follow The Threat levels of the various
naturally. The hard part here is models are a useful rule of
Also remember that size isnt balance. How much opposition thumb when you are starting
everything. With the same do the Heroes need to make the balancing process. However,
tiles you can build a map that an interesting and close scrap? dont rely on them too much.
is simple or complex in its For most groups of gamers, the Testing the adventure by playing
layout, and which uses a larger aim is that both sides should it through is a far more reliable
or smaller number of doors to be equally able to win. If we measure.
break up the space. The larger assume that is the aim here,
maps are not necessarily the then you will almost certainly The aim here is to tell a story
most complex to navigate your need a few tries to get it right. and have an exciting game. This
Heroes through. If the adventure was a simple usually means the Heroes have a
fight between the Heroes and all few scraps which they win, and
If you are building a map for a the inhabitants in a single large then a climactic battle against
specific group of inhabitants room then you could perhaps the most dangerous enemy at the
then you can start to get into use a points system to balance end. Youve seen this in movies
some subtleties early on. When the sides. However, as soon as many times. As much of a clich
you know how fast models move you make the adventure more as this is, it works. You can
you can deliberately arrange tiles interesting than this, adding switch it about every now and
so that doors or other key points twists and turns of corridors, again, but most of the time you
are placed just in or just out locked doors, items of treasure will probably come back to this
of reach. This has a knock-on and so on, points systems basic format.
effect for interesting game play simply dont work. The problem
when the precise positioning of here is how do you quantify a Knowing the layout and the
models becomes more important. particular combination of tiles? Heroes starting positions, you
A clever map can encourage Does it help the defenders or can roughly work out where
players to think about every the Heroes? Does this change as they will get to and where their
square of movement. the adventure goes on, or does opponents will attack them.

78
78
78
In this way you can roughly need a few runs through to get squares or any one of a dozen
choreograph a dungeon to the balance close enough to be parameters to try and remove
arrange the set piece fights in really fun to play. Occasionally the less exciting sections.
certain places. Try to avoid you guess perfectly right first
bogging things down with time, just dont expect this to Finally, when youve tried out
narrow choke points (unless happen every time. your new adventure with your
this is a deliberate part of the friends, and youve refined it to
adventures dynamic). Instead, Play the adventure repeatedly, perfection, why not post it online
arrange the map as a series of making changes as you go for the rest of the Dungeon Saga
places to fight on the way to to refine the balance and community to try out?
the final showdown. You can excitement. Youll probably
use Threat here to give you a start off making larger charges
guideline for numbers. If the and get increasingly detailed in If youre thinking about
Heroes are supposed to win your focus as you go along. This dungeon design then
early fights then make their is fine if it is working. However, you should also try the
opposition weaker. Even so, the dont be afraid to make big Uncharted Dungeon rules
detail of the map will have a big changes even after many games on page 74. These may have
(and unpredictable) impact. if it just isnt working. ideas you can incorporate
in your own design, or
Make sure that you try out your spark completely new ideas
Lots of Testing invention from both sides. That of your own. Either way,
way youll be able to better theyre worth a look.
Much of the practical process of appreciate which bits are fun
designing a dungeon is getting and which are a grind. Then
it onto the table and giving it you can rearrange the tiles or
a go. Youll almost certainly the inhabitants or the starting

79
 S olo Play
This section explains how to play Dungeon Saga on your own, when all your friends
have fled in fear of the Overlords evil minions and the fate of the world rests on your
shoulders alone. No pressure.

The game does this by giving

you control of the four Heroes
The solo rules are all related to
how you choose the actions the Of course, if you dont
and using a new deck of cards Overlords followers will take want to have an Overlord
to determine the actions of the resolving the details of Move, player, but still want to
Overlords followers. This lack Fight and Spell is done in the play Dungeon Saga with
of an opposing player is why this normal way using the normal your friends, these rules
card deck is called the Invisible rules. work equally well in a co-
Overlord (IO). operative mode.

Card Overview
There are two types of card in an The other vital ingredient to this Playing a Solo Game
Invisible Overlord deck. The first system is the concept of Threat.
type is the core cards which are Each Hero seems more or less Take the first Hero Turn as
used by all Overlords. threatening to the Overlords normal, then flip over the top card
followers at that moment, and of the Invisible Overlord deck to
this changes throughout the see if he interrupts or not.
adventure. Depending on the
combination of this Threat, If the card says Yes, then follow
the models character and the the process described below for
specific IO card drawn, the taking Overlord actions using
Invisible Overlord will give an the Number or other action
Order and his followers will listed on the card. If not, take
react accordingly. You then the next Hero Turn. Continue
use the normal rules to resolve taking Hero Turns and flipping
these actions. IO cards between them in the
places the Overlord might
normally choose to interrupt.
The second is the cards for the Setting Up
specific type of Overlord that a Solo Game When all the Heroes have
rules the dungeon in question. So, taken their Turns, the Invisible
an Orc Overlord has a different Set up the adventure as normal Overlord takes his. Turn over
set of these than a Necromancer, for a game, only placing tiles and two IO cards, one at a time,
for example. This adds more models up to the first door(s). As resolving the first entirely
character to each Overlord. Before there is no Overlord player you before turning over the second.
the game starts you will need should place the Overlord Panel/ The first is resolved using the
to shuffle together the core IO Bestiary in easy reach as well as adventure-defined Number
cards with those belonging to the all the Hero cards. Shuffle the instead of the number it says on
appropriate kind of Overlord to required parts of the IO deck the card. The second is resolved
make your IO deck for the game. together and place it nearby. with the Number on the card.
For details of resolving IO
The core Invisible Overlord cards cards, see below. However, in
list his Orders and the actions both cases the specific Overlord
his models will take. How this type card takes precedence. Do
is interpreted depends on the what that card says instead of
models character, and this is following a normal IO Turn.
defined in their Bestiary entry.

80
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80
 Weakest. The Hero that Support. Move models that
The Invisible Overlord currently has the most are more than a single Move
system isnt as smart as a wounds. There is no from any Hero towards the
real player, but it tries. Its modifier if all the Heroes action. For Magic Users
main aim is to provide a are uninjured. If two or this includes casting Spells
challenging, yet entertaining more Heroes tie for most that are not Attacks. For
game. It does this by having wounds then all have their the Undead, this includes
two main aims: play in Threat modified. casting Raise Dead on
character and cripple a Piles of Bones that are not
Hero. Playing in character is Wounded. Any Hero that adjacent to a Hero.
more fun than not, and the has suffered any number of
Invisible Overlord will win wounds. Surround. Move to block
if he can cripple a Hero, so all exits for the Heroes, but
thats good too. Quest. Any Hero that without moving adjacent
is either the object of to them. Blocking exits
the quest or is carrying means both physically, by
something required by it. putting a model in the way,
Reading Invisible For example, the Hero being and also by having a front arc
Overlord Cards escorted to safety, or the they cannot move through
Hero carrying the magic key without stopping. This aims
Each Invisible Overlord card is for the final door. to contain the Heroes and
made up of four parts: Number, force them to confront the
Threat, Order, and Interrupt. Overlords forces rather than
ORDER running around them.

NUMBER Order describes the command Gang Up. Move so that as

given by the Invisible Overlord many models as possible can
Number is the how many models to combat this Threat. Possible Fight the same Hero. When
act when this card is revealed. Orders are: there is no more room, do
Remember that each model can the same to the next Hero.
only act once per Turn, but that Attack. An individual model
Interrupts are their own mini- will choose to attack the Pin. Move so that as many
Turns. Heroes in their preferred Heroes as possible are in
manner (the one they have the front arc of one or more
the most dice for), in the of the Overlords models.
THREAT order: Spell, Shoot, Fight. When all the Heroes are
Do as much damage to the in at least one front arc,
Threat describes what the Hero as possible. Use all start doubling up. Spread
Overlord sees as being models that could cast a the attention as evenly
particularly worrying at that Spell before those that can as possible to pin all the
moment. Some cards list more Shoot, and finally those who Heroes in Fights. This
than one Threat type, in which can only Fight. Where there allows the Overlord to
case all apply. Any Heroes that is a choice of model within bring his (usually) greater
are part of a Threat have their a type of attack, choose the numbers to bear.
Threat value modified for this one with the highest Threat.
Turn by +3 for each type they If this is a tie then use the
match. Possible Threat types are: one that needs to Move INTERRUPT
furthest to perform the
Spellcaster. Any Hero that action. This brings models Interrupt is either Yes or No
has the Spellcaster ability. into the fray. and tells you whether this card
will interrupt between two Hero
Marksman. Any Hero that Turns or not. Most will not.
has a Shooting Dice value. Those that do simply use the
listed Number, Threat and Order
Armoured. Any Hero with 4 to resolve the Overlords actions.
or 5 Armour.

Unarmoured. Any Hero

with 1 or 2 Armour.

81
 Which Models Act? Who Is The Target? The acting models
character. Some character
When you turn an IO card you Attack and Gang Up Orders types modify Threat or react
need to decide who follows the need a specific target. This to it differently.
Order. One at a time, select must be determined for each of
models and resolve their actions, the Overlords acting models Brutal: always Attack the
starting with step (1), below. separately. closest model, regardless of
what it says on the card.
1) Models that can do the Order Unless otherwise specified, the
without moving. For example, target will always be the Hero Cowardly: count Wounded
an Attack Order for a model with the highest Threat. If that and Weakest models as +3
that already has a Hero in Hero is not a possible target Threat (cumulative, and in
their front arc. Ignore this (usually because it cannot be addition to any modifier
step for a Pin order. reached) then go to the next from the card).
highest Threat Hero, and so on
2) Models that can do the down until one can be targeted. Cunning: count Quest
Order. Start with the models models as +6 Threat
that need to Move the furthest If there is a tie for highest Threat (cumulative, and in
in order to bring more of them then choose the nearest Hero as addition to any modifier
into the action. the target. If there is still a tie from the card).
then roll a dice to decide.
3) Anyone else. If the Number Warrior: no modifier.
has not been reached and
are no models left who can CALCULATING THREAT Undead: if there is a draw
perform the Order drawn, when deciding which model
then do a Support Order with A Heros base Threat level is to act with, all models act.
the remainder. If the Number simply their level. This is modified
has still not been reached then by three things, in this order: Proximity. Adjacent
do an Attack Order. If any still models have their Threat
remain after all these Orders The IO card in play. Any doubled.
then they are ignored and the Heroes matching any of
card is considered complete. the Threat types listed on
the IO card add +3 per type
If not defined under the section they match.
on Orders, when you need to
decide between two or more
models to act then choose the
one with the highest Threat. If
this is a tie, then roll a dice.

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DISCRETION

Solo rules are always a tricky balancing act. On the one hand you want to try to control the
opposition forces cleverly so that the player can have a fun time and an interesting challenge. On
the other hand, the more rules you write to do this, the more they slow the game down. Couple this
challenge with the vast number of detail decisions a real player makes in every Turn of Dungeon
Saga and it is inevitable that youll eventually find a situation that isnt covered.

When this happens, there are a couple of different ways to approach the problem.

The first method is a rules-based approach. List the different options that you can see as reasonable
in this situation (saying them out loud helps to clarify it in your mind). Then simply roll a dice to
see which one to do.

My preferred method is a story-based approach. As before, list the different likely options in
this situation. Then ask yourself which of the possibilities would make the most dramatic and
interesting moment in the film of your adventure. Do that.

83
 B estiary
The world of Mantica is a large and varied place, with dozens of races vying for con-
trol. This section lists the game values of some of the more common races so that you
can include them in your adventures.

The decision of which race will have already been decided an Uncharted Dungeon then
to use in any given adventure by the author. For example, the Overlord player can choose
depends on who wrote it. If the adventures in Dwarf Kings which race(s) to use at the start
you are using a pre-written or Quest are all fought against (see page 74).
homebrew adventure then this the Undead. If you are playing

Forces of the Abyss

MODEL LEVEL CHARACTER NOTES
Lower Abyssal 7 3 1 2 Warrior Fire, Wounds (2)
Abyssal Guard 7 3 3 3 Warrior Fire, Wounds (2)
Lower Abyssal
7 3 1 3 Warrior Fire, Wounds (2), Flamespitter
Flamebearer
Succubus 8 4 2 5 Cunning Fire, Wounds (2), Hypnotic Gaze
Hellhound 8 3 2 4 Brutal Fire, Frenzy (1)
Tortured Soul 5 2 1 4 Brutal Fire, Soul Drain
Fire, Halo of Flame, Essence of Fire,
Efreet 6 4 2 5 Warrior
Wounds (2)
Fire, Large, Wounds (6), Tough,
Moloch 5 5 3 10 Brutal
Hammer Time, Slam

Essence of Fire: The model is own Armour. The model can also Range, with the effect of a 4 dice
most at home in the roaring not be hurt by lava. Magical attack.
heat of the furnace. They gain
Regenerate as long as they Secondly, the model is Frenzy (1-3): The model is fuelled
are standing on a lava square. particularly vulnerable to water- by rage in combat. Each time he is
Regenerate has two effects. based attacks. Any Hydromancy the attacker in a Fight he may re-
Firstly, when the model suffers spells, or Fight attacks from a roll a number of dice that fail to
any wounds, and before you model with Water, modify the beat the defenders Armour.
determine if it has been destroyed, models Armour by -1 while
it rolls a single dice. On a roll of resolving that attack. Hypnotic Gaze: the model can
5 or 6 it reduces the number of hypnotise enemies with their
wounds suffered by 1, down to a Thirdly, Heroes and Bosses with gaze. This counts as casting a
minimum of zero. Secondly, at the this rule can focus a storm of fire Petty Magic spell with Long range
end of each Round roll a single to form a natural 2 dice magical that requires line of sight. The
dice. On the roll of a 5 or 6 the attack. This attack counts as a target is fixated by the caster
model heals one wound. minor Pyromancy spell and can place a Hypnotic Gaze counter
be cast even if the model is not a [show image] next to the target.
Fire: This ability has 3 effects. Spellcaster. This attack requires They cannot do anything until
Firstly, the model has great Sight and is Short ranged. the caster moves, Fights or casts
affinity with this element another spell. The spell is also
and when defending against a Flamespitter: The model can broken if either the caster or
Pyromancy spell it may re-roll spit fire. This can be used as if target is attacked. A friendly
up to 3 dice that fail to beat its the model was Shooting at Long model adjacent to the hypnotised

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model can use their action to defender is pushed into one of Tough: At the end of each Round
wake them and remove the the three squares directly away roll a single dice. On the roll of a
counter. from the attacker, provided one in 6 the model heals one wound.
empty. The direction the defender
Halo of Flame: An enemy that is facing remains the same. The Wounds (X): every hit counts as
makes a Fight attack against this attacker does not move. A model a wound place a wound counter
model suffers a 3 dice magical cannot Slam a defender that has a on the base of the model for
(Pyromancy) attack after the larger base size. each wound taken. The model is
Fight has been resolved. destroyed when it has a total of
Soul Drain: The model yearns X wounds on it at one time. The
Hammer Time: When a model for the life force of others model never counts as Injured.
with this ability uses a Fight to free itself from its fleshy
attack, count the targets prison. The model may use Soul
Armour as 1 less than it would Drain as an action. If it does
otherwise be. so, then the model itself, plus
all adjacent models (friend and
Slam: When a character with this foe) immediately suffer 1 Hit
ability is the attacker, they may each. This bypasses all Armour
choose to make a Slam instead and other protections. Note
of a normal Fight attack. This that use of this ability will kill a
causes no damage. Instead the Tortured Soul.

Boss: Lord of the Abyss

6 2 1

OTHER

Essence of Fire, Fire

LEVEL OPTION
RACIAL FEAT: HALO OF
1 Tough FLAME
2 Relentless
3 Frenzy For the rest of this Round and all of
next Round, an enemy that makes
4 Tough a Fight attack against this model
5 Frenzy suffers a 3 dice magical (Pyromancy)
6 Smash! attack after the Fight has been
resolved.
7 Slam
8 Stalwart
9 Frenzy
10 Relentless

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 Abyssal Dwarfs
MODEL LEVEL CHARACTER NOTES
4
(Combat)
Decimator 6 3 5 Warrior Wounds (2)
3
(Shooting)

Blacksoul 6 4 3 5 Cunning Slam, Wounds (2)

Gargoyle 8 4 2 5 Warrior Swoop, Wounds (2)
Obsidian Golem 5 4 4 8 Brutal Large, Wounds (6)

Slam: When a character with Swoop: The model can glide Wounds (X): every hit counts as
this ability is the attacker, they for small distances. Treat their a wound place a wound counter
may choose to make a Slam move as if they are not touching on the base of the model for
instead of a normal Fight attack. the floor. This means that they each wound taken. The model is
This causes no damage. Instead can freely move over map traps destroyed when it has a total of
the defender is pushed into one without triggering them. They X wounds on it at one time. The
of the three squares directly can also move over lava, water or model never counts as Injured.
away from the attacker, provided furniture that a model can Shoot
one in empty. The direction the over. They cannot end their
defender is facing remains the movement on any square which
same. The attacker does not would normally be prohibited.
move. A model cannot Slam a
defender that has a larger base
size.

Boss: Abyssal Dwarf

6 2 1

LEVEL OPTION
RACIAL FEAT: ROLLING STONE
1 Slam
2 Tough The Hero can move up
3 Frenzy to three squares ignoring
enemy arcs and Free Strikes.
4 Stalwart They may move into squares
5 Slam containing other models. If
6 Teller of Tales they do so then the model
is pushed out of the way
7 Stalwart into an adjacent square of
8 Frenzy the moving models choice.
9 +1 Combat Dice Facing is decided by the
owner of the pushed model.
10 Tough
The Hero cannot move into
a square containing another
model if there is no empty
square to push it into.

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Basileans
MODEL LEVEL CHARACTER NOTES
4
(Combat)
Crossbowman 7 2 4 Warrior Wounds (2)
3
(Shooting)

Hammer Time, Tough, Swoop,

Elohi 8 5 4 10 Warrior
Wounds (3)
Man-at-Arms 7 3 3 4 Warrior Slam, Wounds (2)
Paladin 7 4 4 6 Cunning Hammer Time, Wounds (2)
Sisterhood 8 4 2 5 Warrior Hammer Time, Wounds (2)

Hammer Time: When a model

with this ability uses a Fight
attack, count the targets
Armour as 1 less than it would
otherwise be.

Slam: When a character with this

ability is the attacker, they may
choose to make a Slam instead
of a normal Fight attack. This
causes no damage. Instead the
defender is pushed into one of
the three squares directly away
from the attacker, provided one in
empty. The direction the defender
is facing remains the same. The
attacker does not move. A model
cannot Slam a defender that has a
larger base size.

Swoop: The model can glide

for small distances. Treat their
move as if they are not touching
the floor. This means that they
can freely move over map traps
without triggering them. They
can also move over lava, water or
furniture that a model can Shoot
over. They cannot end their
movement on any square which
would normally be prohibited.

Tough: At the end of each Round

roll a single dice. On the roll of a
6 the model heals one wound.

Wounds (X): every hit counts as

a wound place a wound counter
on the base of the model for
each wound taken. The model is
destroyed when it has a total of
X wounds on it at one time. The
model never counts as Injured.

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 Dwarfs
MODEL LEVEL CHARACTER NOTES
Ironclad 6 4 3 5 Warrior Slam, Wounds (2)
Shield Breaker 6 4 3 5 Brutal Hammer Time, Wounds (2)
Berserker 6 5 1 6 Brutal Frenzy (2) , Wounds (2)
4
(Combat)
Crossbowman 6 3 5 Warrior Wounds (2)
3
(Shooting)

4
(Combat)
Rifleman 6 3 6 Warrior Speed of a Bullet, Wounds (2)
3
(Shooting)

Dwarf Mastiff 4 2 1 2 Warrior Small

Frenzy (1-3): The model is

fuelled by rage in combat. Each
time he is the attacker in a Fight
he may re-roll a number of dice
that fail to beat the defenders
Armour.

Hammer Time: When a model with

this ability uses a Fight attack,
count the targets Armour as 1 less
than it would otherwise be.

Slam: When a character with this

ability is the attacker, they may
choose to make a Slam instead of
a normal Fight attack. This causes
no damage. Instead the defender is
pushed into one of the three squares
directly away from the attacker,
provided one in empty. The direction
the defender is facing remains the
same. The attacker does not move. A
model cannot Slam a defender that
has a larger base size.

Small: The model is so short that

it does not block Shoot attacks.

Speed of a Bullet: When a model

with this ability uses a Shoot
attack, count the targets Armour
as 1 less than it would otherwise
be.

Wounds (X): every hit counts as

a wound place a wound counter
on the base of the model for
each wound taken. The model is
destroyed when it has a total of
X wounds on it at one time. The
model never counts as Injured.

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Elves
MODEL LEVEL CHARACTER NOTES
Spearman 8 4 3 5 Warrior Nimble, Slam, Wounds (2)
3
(Combat)
Archer 8 4 6 Cunning Nimble, Wounds (2)
3
(Shooting)

2
(Combat)
Scout 8 4 7 Cunning Nimble, Sure Shot (1), Wounds (2)
3
(Shooting)

Palace Guard 7 5 4 9 Warrior Nimble, Frenzy (1), Wounds (2)

Sabre-toothed Cat 10 3 2 2 Cunning Nimble, Stealth

Frenzy (1-3): The model is Slam: When a character with this When playing solo games, a
fuelled by rage in combat. Each ability is the attacker, they may model with this ability that is
time he is the attacker in a Fight choose to make a Slam instead not adjacent to an enemy model
he may re-roll a number of dice of a normal Fight attack. This counts as half the Threat it
that fail to beat the defenders causes no damage. Instead the would otherwise.
Armour. defender is pushed into one of
the three squares directly away Sure Shot (1-3): The model is
Nimble: If the model suffers one from the attacker, provided one in amazingly accurate. Each time
or more Hits in a Fight, roll 1 dice empty. The direction the defender he Shoots at an enemy he may
before working out any damage. is facing remains the same. The re-roll a number of dice that fail
On a roll of a 6 the model is attacker does not move. A model to beat the defenders Armour.
not hurt. Instead it makes an cannot Slam a defender that has a
immediate Break Away move. larger base size. Wounds (X): every hit counts
Assume all possible free strikes as a wound place a wound
miss. If there is nowhere for the Stealth: The model cannot be counter on the base of the model
model to Break Away to then the seen (and therefore Shot at) for each wound taken. The
model is damaged as normal. beyond Short range. However, model is destroyed when it has
they may still be targeted by a a total of X wounds on it at one
Long range spell as long as it time. The model never counts as
does not need line of sight. Injured.

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 Ogres
MODEL LEVEL CHARACTER NOTES
Warrior 5 4 2 6 Warrior Large, Slam, Wounds (4)
Smasher 5 4 2 8 Brutal Large, Wounds (4), Smash!
4
(Combat)
Shooter 5 2 7 Brutal Large, Wounds (4)
3
(Shooting)

4
(Combat)
Boomer 5 2 7 Brutal Large, Wounds (4)
3
(Shooting)

Slam: When a character with this is facing remains the same. The Wounds (X): every hit counts
ability is the attacker, they may attacker does not move. A model as a wound place a wound
choose to make a Slam instead cannot Slam a defender that has a counter on the base of the model
of a normal Fight attack. This larger base size. for each wound taken. The model
causes no damage. Instead the is destroyed when it has a total of
defender is pushed into one of Smash!: When a model with this X wounds on it at one time. The
the three squares directly away ability uses a Fight attack, count model never counts as Injured.
from the attacker, provided one in the targets Armour as 2 less
empty. The direction the defender than it would otherwise be.

Boss: Ogre

6 3 1

OTHER

Large

LEVEL OPTION
1 Tough RACIAL FEAT:
GRIND THEIR
2 +1 Combat Dice
BONES
3 Slam
4 Dubious Character The Hero may make
a Fight attack against
5 Frenzy
up to three separate
6 Slam models in his front
7 Smash! arc. He may only attack
each model once. Each
8 Stalwart
attack is resolved
9 Slam as normal, with the
10 Teller of Tales additional penalty of -2
to the targets Armour.

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 Goblins
MODEL LEVEL CHARACTER NOTES
Warriors 7 3 2 2 Cowardly Wounds (2)
2
(Combat)
Archers 7 1 2 Cowardly Wounds (2)
3
(Shooting)

Mawbeasts 8 4 2 7 Brutal Frenzy (2)

Goblin Mincer 4 4 5 9 Cowardly Large, Frenzy (3), Smash!
Troll 4 5 4 10 Brutal Large, Wounds (5), Regenerate
2
(Combat) Large, Speed of a Bullet,
Goblin War Trombone 4 2 7 Cowardly
4 Wounds (2)
(Shooting)

Frenzy (1-3): The model is number of wounds suffered by Smash!: When a model with this
fuelled by rage in combat. Each 1, down to a minimum of zero. ability uses a Fight attack, count
time he is the attacker in a Fight Secondly, at the end of each the targets Armour as 2 less
he may re-roll a number of dice Round roll a single dice. On the than it would otherwise be.
that fail to beat the defenders roll of a 5 or 6 the model heals
Armour. one wound. Wounds (X): every hit counts as
a wound place a wound counter
Regenerate: This ability has two Speed of a Bullet: When a on the base of the model for
effects. Firstly, when the model model with this ability uses a each wound taken. The model is
suffers any wounds, and before Shoot attack, count the targets destroyed when it has a total of
you determine if it has been Armour as 1 less than it would X wounds on it at one time. The
destroyed, it rolls a single dice. otherwise be. model never counts as Injured.
On a roll of 5 or 6 it reduces the

Boss: Goblin

7 2 1

LEVEL OPTION
1 Dubious Character RACIAL
2 Stealth FEAT:
SNEAK OFF
3 +1 Move
4 +1 Shooting Dice (Long) The Hero can
5 Lockpicking make a move
of his normal
6 Dubious Character
distance,
7 Sure Shot ignoring enemy
8 Stealth arcs and Free
Strikes.
9 +1 Shooting Dice (Long)
10 Dubious Character

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Orcs
MODEL LEVEL CHARACTER NOTES
Ax 5 5 3 5 Warrior Green Rage, Slam
Greatax 5 5 3 6 Brutal Green Rage, Hammer Time
Morax 5 5 3 6 Brutal Green Rage, Frenzy (1)
4
(Combat)
Orc Archer 5 2 7 Warrior Green Rage
3
(Shooting)

Orclings 4 4 3 2 Cowardly Pesky, Small, Wounds (2)

Frenzy (1-3): The model is fuelled subsequent hit will kill it. the three squares directly away
by rage in combat. Each time he is from the attacker, provided one in
the attacker in a Fight he may re- Hammer Time: When a model empty. The direction the defender
roll a number of dice that fail to with this ability uses a Fight attack, is facing remains the same. The
beat the defenders Armour. count the targets Armour as 1 less attacker does not move. A model
than it would otherwise be. cannot Slam a defender that has a
Green Rage: The first time a larger base size.
model with this ability suffers a Pesky: The model cannot make
wound it goes into a Green Rage. Fight attacks. However, it still Small: The model is so short that
This happens regardless of the counts towards outnumbering and it does not block Shoot attacks.
amount of damage it suffers, i.e. it may defend itself as normal.
cannot be killed by a single attack. Wounds (X): every hit counts as
Slam: When a character with this a wound place a wound counter
The Green Rage gives the model ability is the attacker, they may on the base of the model for
+1 dice and +2 movement as they choose to make a Slam instead each wound taken. The model is
rampage around the battlefield. of a normal Fight attack. This destroyed when it has a total of
causes no damage. Instead the X wounds on it at one time. The
Once a model enraged then any defender is pushed into one of model never counts as Injured.

Boss: Orc

5 2 1

LEVEL OPTION
1 Tough RACIAL FEAT: WARCRY
2 Frenzy
The Hero bellows a mighty
3 Slam war shout that stirs the
4 Stalwart blood of his followers. Any
5 Frenzy friendly Orc models within
long range may be changed
6 Dubious Character
to their Green Rage state
7 +1 Combat Dice immediately. In addition, the
8 Stalwart Hero may Fight as normal.
9 Frenzy
10 Tough

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 Undead
MODEL LEVEL CHARACTER NOTES
Pile of Bones counter - - - 0.5 - See below
Skeleton Warrior 4 2 2 1 Undead Skeletal
2
(Combat)
Skeleton Archer 4 1 2 Undead Skeletal
3
(Shooting)

Revenant 4 4 3 3 Undead Skeletal

Wraith 4 2 5 2 Undead Walk Through Walls
Mummy 4 4 3 5 Undead Wounds (2)
Zombie 4 2 1 1 Undead Mob Rule, Zombified
Armoured Zombie 4 2 3 2 Undead Mob Rule, Zombified
Large Model, Mob Rule,
Zombie Troll 4 4 4 9 Undead
Regenerate, Wounds (4)
Ghoul 7 3 2 2 Cowardly
Werewolf 8 5 3 7 Brutal Large Model, Wounds (3), Slam
Wounds (3), Spellcaster (Spell:
Vampire 7 5 2 8 Cunning
Transfix), Swoop
Skeletal Hound 6 2 1 2 Undead Small

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Mob Rule: When a model with Zombified: A model with this
this rule is attacking, each other rule has been turned into a
model that has the defender in mindless zombie, and will fight
its front arc gives the attacker an on regardless of injury or even
extra dice. For example, a zombie missing limbs! A zombified model
attacking a Hero who was in will ignore the first two hits that
the front arc of 2 other zombies it takes every time it is attacked.
would gain 2 extra dice to attack Only with a third hit in a single
with, for a total of 4. attack will a zombified model
be killed and removed from the
Regenerate: This ability has two board.
effects. Firstly, when the model
suffers any wounds, and before
you determine if it has been Piles of Bones
destroyed, it rolls a single dice.
On a roll of 5 or 6 it reduces the The Undead have another trick
number of wounds suffered by up their sleeve: Piles of Bones
1, down to a minimum of zero. counters. These represent squares
Secondly, at the end of each containing enough remains to
Round roll a single dice. On the be formed into another undead
roll of a 5 or 6 the model heals Minion by casting the Raise
one wound. Dead spell. This spell can be
cast by Overlord cards as well as
Skeletal: A model with this rule necromancer models that know
is made of nothing but bones, and the spell.
will fight on through wounds that
would injure a living creature. Piles of Bones can be raised
A skeletal model will ignore the into either Skeleton Warriors,
first hit that it takes every time Skeleton Archers, or Revenants.
it is attacked. The second hit When using the spell card, the
that it takes in a single attack range will determine which types
will reduce the model to a Pile of Minion can be raised.
of Bones replace it with the
counter. Only with a third hit in a When the Raise Dead spell is
single attack will a skeletal model cast, the Overlord simply replaces
be killed and removed from the the Pile of Bones counter with
board. a miniature of the appropriate
type, facing any direction he
Tough: At the end of each Round chooses. This counts as both the
roll a single dice. On the roll of a Minions Move and Action for
6 the Hero can remove one wound that Turn. If the Minion is raised
counter from his Hero card. in one or more enemy front arcs,
then each of those enemy models
Walk Through Walls: the model gets a Free Strike as the undead
can move through solid walls. creature tries to reassemble
A wall counts as one space himself. Resolve these in an order
regardless of its actual size. A chosen by the player making
model cannot end its Turn inside the Free Strikes. A Minion that
a wall. When moving, the square is raised from a Pile of Bones in
immediately before and after a the Overlords Turn cannot do
wall must lie in a straight line anything else in that Round.
from each other.

Wounds (X): every hit counts as

a wound place a wound counter
on the base of the model for
each wound taken. The model is
destroyed when it has a total of
X wounds on it at one time. The
model never counts as Injured.

95
 Dungeon Dwellers
MODEL LEVEL CHARACTER NOTES
Giant Rat 5 2 1 1 Cunning Stealth
Giant Spider 5 3 1 2 Cunning Wounds (2)
Bat Swarm 6 2 1 2 Cunning Swoop, Wounds (3)

Stealth: The model cannot be Swoop: The model can glide

seen (and therefore Shot at) for small distances. Treat their
beyond Short range. However, move as if they are not touching
they may still be targeted by a the floor. This means that they
Long range spell as long as it can freely move over map traps
does not need line of sight. without triggering them. They
can also move over lava, water or
When playing solo games, a furniture that a model can Shoot
model with this ability that is over. They cannot end their
not adjacent to an enemy model movement on any square which
counts as half the Threat it would normally be prohibited.
would otherwise.
Wounds (X): every hit counts as
a wound place a wound counter
on the base of the model for
each wound taken. The model is
destroyed when it has a total of
X wounds on it at one time. The
model never counts as Injured.

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