Updated November 2, 2006
Following are the frequently asked questions, errata, and Selling Treasure from Chests
clarifications for the DESCENT: JOURNEYS IN THE Heroes can no longer immediately turn in a treasure card
DARK board game. Material that is new to this version of from a chest to receive its full value. Instead, they must
the FAQ and above is highlighted in red. carry the item back to town and sell it for half value in the
town shop.
Errata and FAQs for THE WELL OF DARKNESS
EXPANSION are on page 5 of this document. Buying Treasure Cards from the Shop
Heroes can only buy treasure cards from the shop if
Errata they’ve previously opened at least one chest of that color
this game. For example, until the heroes open at least one
A step is missing from the “Game Setup” rules on page 6
silver chest, they cannot buy silver treasures from the
of the rulebook: The overlord player should start with 3
town shop.
overlord cards and 0 threat tokens.
The power surges example on page 10 of the rulebook men- Pits and Line of Sight
tions a card named “Mace of Kellos.” This card was Figures in a pit can see into the spaces adjacent to the pit.
removed from the game late in development. (It may see This prevents a problem from occurring with the Grapple
later publication.) ability.
Vitality potions should cost 50 coins, not 25 as listed on Small Monsters and Staircases
page 20 of the Quest Guide. By using one movement point, a small monster may move
from one space containing a staircase to any space con-
Landrec the Wise’s special ability should state that he taining a staircase of the same color.
“receives 2 free surges on all attack rolls.”
Knockback and Large Monsters
In the first quest, one of the razorwings in Area 3 is placed Large monsters (monsters that occupy more than one
off the map. It should be placed one space to the south. space) are heavier and therefore less affected by
In some cases the Quest Guide calls for more monsters Knockback. For each space beyond the first that the mon-
than are included in the game. For these quests, use other ster occupies, it is moved one less space by Knockback.
monster figures or tokens to represent the extra monsters For example, an ogre occupies four spaces, so it would
as necessary. These instances are detailed on the errata move three fewer spaces when affected by the Knockback
sheet available on FFG’s website (http://www.fanta- ability. A dragon, on the other hand, occupies six spaces,
syflightgames.com/PDF/descentinsert.pdf). so it would move five fewer spaces.
Rule Changes and Clarifications Runelocked Doors and Named Monsters
Named monsters may open runelocked doors, whether or
The following rules have been changed or clarified to not the heroes have the runekey to that door. However,
improve gameplay. named monsters still cannot open any door leading into an
unrevealed area.
Drinking Potions
Each hero may only drink 1 potion (of any type) each Breath Template Clarification
turn. This prevents players from using certain overly pow- The flame from a Breath attack billows out and around
erful potion combinations. obstacles. It usually affects all figures under the breath
template, but the flame can be blocked by walls and
Discarding Overlord Cards for Threat closed doors. Essentially, if a small flying figure could
The overlord can discard cards for threat tokens at any trace a legal movement path from the square where the
time, even during a hero player’s turn. Breath attack starts to the target – while staying within the
breath template – then the target is affected. See the dia-
1
gram on page 3 of this FAQ for examples. Breath attacks item, dropping or placing other items in his pack to free
cannot be made through staircases. up the hands necessary for the just-received item.
Skye Q: Does a hero have 360 degree line of sight?
Skye has the Fly ability, but can also end its movement in A: Yes, as the rules state on page 4, “The direction a fig-
the same space as another figure. ure is facing has no effect in the game. Heroes and mon-
sters are assumed to be constantly looking around and can
Card Revisions therefore see in all directions.”
(Replacements for the following cards are included in The Q: Can stunned heroes perform movement actions (such
Well of Darkness expansion.) as drinking a potion)?
A: Yes, if the stunned hero chooses to receive movement
Beastman points rather than attacking or placing an order. A stunned
Beastmen now have +1 Damage instead if Pierce 1, hero can also freely spend fatigue for movement points.
and Master Beastmen have +2 Damage instead of Q: Can a hero that chooses the “Run” action use his
Pierce 2. movement points for purposes other than moving (such as
drinking a potion)?
Skeleton A: Yes. Whenever a hero receives movement points, he
Skeletons now have Pierce 1, and Master Skeletons can use them for any movement action, including moving,
have Pierce 2. drinking a potion, opening a door, etc.
Bow (a shop item) Q: In town, are you limited in how many items you can
The Bow now also has Pierce 1. buy or sell and do you have to buy and sell in any specific
order?
Bow of Bone (a silver treasure) A: You can buy and sell in any order and as often as you
like.
The Bow of Bone no longer has “: Burn.”
Q: Can a hero rest in town?
Golden Armor (a silver treasure) A: Yes.
The complete abilities of Golden Armor are now:
Q: On page 18, the rules for “Copper Treasure” state that
+3 Armor “each Hero draws one card from the copper treasure
Your base speed is reduced to 3. deck.” If a chest has 2 copper treasure tokens, does each
You cannot equip Runes. hero draw 2 copper treasure cards?
You are immune to Grapple and Daze. A: Yes.
Q: Can familiars jump over pits? Can they use transport
Dragon Scale Mail (a gold treasure) glyphs?:
The complete abilities of Dragon Scale Mail are A: No on both counts.
now:
The Overlord Player’s Turn
+4 Armor Q: When the overlord is controlling a hero through “Dark
Your base speed is reduced to 3. Charm,” who decides how to spend the surges and power
You cannot equip Runes. dice? Can the overlord move the character and attack, or
You are immune to Bleed, Burn, and Poison. just make a single attack without moving?
A: The overlord controls the hero for that attack, including
Frequently Asked Questions the hero’s use of surges and power dice. The overlord may
also play cards such as “Aim” with the attack. However,
The Hero Player’s Turn the overlord player cannot move the character, or force the
Q: Can a hero give any type of item to an adjacent hero, hero to spend fatigue to add to the attack.
or just weapons and potions? Q: Is the effect of the overlord’s “Dodge” card that the
A: A hero may give any item to an adjacent hero at the hero’s attack completely misses, or that the overlord can
cost of one movement point. A hero may never give force the hero to re-roll dice rolled for the attack, as with
money to another hero. the hero dodge orders?
Q: When can a hero equip items? A: The “Dodge” card allows the overlord to force re-rolls.
A: A hero can equip, drop, or place items in his pack at Q: Can a monster end its movement on or be spawned on
the beginning of his turn, just after refreshing cards. In to a glyph of transport?
addition, whenever a hero receives an item from another A: Monsters can end their movement on or be spawned on
player or from a chest, he may immediately equip that to unactivated glyphs, but cannot end their movement on
2
Breath Attack Blocking Examples
The diagram above shows how a section of the In the above example, the Breath attack billows
dungeon looks just before a Hell Hound makes a around the curve in the hallway and through the
Breath attack. rubble obstacle, reaching both heroes under the
breath template. Notice that a flying figure stand-
In the other three diagrams, the spaces that are
ing on the “start” (leftmost) space of the breath
shaded yellow show which spaces are affected by
template could trace a movement path to both
the Breath attack, and the red squares show the
heroes.
spaces that the Breath attack is unable to reach.
In the above example, the Breath attack is almost In this example, a door has been added. The door
entirely blocked by the dungeon walls. Even blocks the Breath attack, so only one of the heroes
though the breath template reaches the heroes, a is affected by the attack.
flying figure on the “start” space of the breath
template would not be able to stay within the con-
fines of the breath template and trace a legal
movement path to either of the heroes.
3
or be spawned on to activated glyphs. If a monster is on The Well of Darkness Expansion Errata
an activated glyph, the overlord must move it off the
glyph on his next turn, if possible. Monsters can always
and FAQs
move through or attack into spaces containing glyphs. Furr the Spirit Wolf
Q: Can the overlord receive threat tokens for making an Furr the Spirit Wolf’s attack is a melee attack even though
attack even though there are no valid targets (that is, no it rolls the white die. In addition, Furr can only attack
heroes within the monster’s range and line of sight)? when his owner has a clear line of sight to Furr and is
A: No. Only attacks that actually target a hero can grant within 5 spaces of him.
the overlord any threat.
Quest 1: Buried Alive
Q: Can the overlord play more than one “Rage” card on If a familiar or the Haunt is killed due to being on one of
a single monster? the map pieces that is removed because of the mine col-
A: No. lapse, the figure is immediately placed back on the board
in one of the remaining map spaces that is closest to the
Special Abilities figure’s previous location (if there are multiple closest
Q: Can an attacker using Knockback move the target in spaces, the overlord player’s chooses).
any direction, or just straight back? Also, can the target
be knocked back into a pit? Quest 2: Spider’s Web
A: The attacker with Knockback can move the target in Heroes may only use glyphs that they themselves have
any direction, including into a pit or other trap. activated until the glyph in Area 4 is activated.
Q: Do special abilities stack? Quest 4: A Small Problem
A: Special abilities that require you to spend surges are The contents of the gold chests in this quest were inadver-
designed to stack. So if you have an ability such as tently left out of the rulebook. They should be:
“: +1 Damage and Pierce 1,” and you pay 3 surges, you
gain +3 Damage and Pierce 3. Some items may explicitly Gold 1: 2 Conquest Tokens, 1 Curse, 1 Gold Treasure
limit your surge spending/stacking, but those are the Gold 2: 1 Conquest Token, 1 Healing Potion, 1 Gold
exception to the rule. Treasure
Miscellaneous Quest 8: The Spiral of Death
Q: How much fatigue would it cost a hero with Telekinesis The 2-space water obstacle in Area 1 should be a 1-space
to move a hero out of a pit? water obstacle, occupying only the southern half of the
A: One fatigue. corridor.
Q: Can a player with Telekinesis use it to move a hero What happens if you are on a lava space at the beginning
that is caught in a web? of your turn and you don’t move?
A: Yes. However, the web token would stay with the If you begin your turn on a damaging effect, such as lava
moved hero. or a monster’s aura, and do not move off of it, you are
damaged by it at the end of your turn.
Q: Can a hero kill another hero in order to trigger
“Divine Retribution”? If a hero with “Earth Pact” spends movement points in
A. No. Divine Retribution only triggers when an enemy town to shop, has he “moved” during the turn and is thus
figure kills the hero. ineligible for the ability's health bonus?
Yes, shopping in town counts as moving for purposes of
Q: If a flying monster passes through a hero that has Holy this ability.
Aura, does the monster suffer a wound for the space it
“shares” with the hero? Can the overlord play “Spiked Pit” or “Crushing Block”
A: No. if all 1-space pit and rubble markers are already on the
board?
Q: When a chest explodes because of the “Explosive Yes, as with monster figures, you can remove old trap
Rune” card, does the hero standing on the chest suffer markers in order to place new trap markers.
wounds, or just the heroes adjacent to the chest?
A: The hero standing on the chest suffers wounds.
Q: Why can’t I jump over water like I can pits?
A: As every hero knows, the dank water found in subter-
ranean caverns is usually infested with deadly blood-
squids, ready to pull an unwary hero to his doom at a
moment’s notice. As a result, only the most acrobatic
heroes dare to leap across even the most innocent-seeming
pools of water.
