Through their boundless light, the gods blessed the nomads Ra amassed en re libraries of archaic scrolls and forbidden

of the Inali desert with not one oasis, but three. Many flocked texts, pouring over their pages while he experimented on the
to the first, building homes and farms around the crystal-clear living and the dead. As his madness grew, so did discontent
water and erec ng temples to the divine beings who gi ed among some of his most loyal servants. Fearing the monster
them with life itself. The kingdom of Moka a grew faster than their pharaoh had become, Ho-Tem Ra’s vizier and other
its neighbors and with the speed of its ascension came advisers murdered him in his sleep, burying him deep beneath
arrogance toward the rest of the world. This ego sm was the city in a tomb sealed by powerful runes and obscure
never more apparent than under the rule Ho-Tem Ra, the magics.
ninth pharaoh of Moka a. A young king, he declared the
other two oasis kingdoms as an affront to his sovereignty and Thousands of years have passed since the reign of Ho-Tem Ra,
waged a bloody war upon them both. but his empire crumbled over less than a decade. Today, even
in the great city of Moka a, few recognize his name, let alone
Ho-Tem Ra used his natural affinity for dark magic to send dwell about the horrifying threat beneath their feet. There are
plague upon plague to Kantarak, its people forced to those that refuse to forget the Maka empire, however.
surrender without a fight. Retann was more resilient, relying Decedents of Ho-Tem Ra’s generals, hellbent on ruling the
on their nearby ally, the priests of Irynnath, to protect their world as their ancestors did, are known as the Ra-Sworn. Each
capital from the mad pharaoh’s spells. Ho-Tem Ra would not genera on has dedicated themselves to bringing Ho-Tem Ra
be denied, however. He marched his army across the desert back to the world, and each genera on has failed un l now.
and laid siege to Irynnath, se ng fire to the city and chasing At long last, the Ra-Sworn found the spell they needed to
its people into the mountains. bring their liege back to the land of the living, and in doing so,
helped sha er the world.
The army of Retann arrived too late to save the priests. They
watched in horror as the charred vic ms of Ho-Tem Ra’s wrath As Ho-Tem Ra rose from the dead, the people of Inali paid a
rose to their feet and a acked in full force. The ba le against terrible price. A massive storm covered the desert, turning the
the undead army lasted days, but Ho-Tem Ra was nowhere to sky red and filling the air with swirling sand. Almost all of the
be found. The weary Retann soldiers returned to their home people of Moka a perished, either by the mys cal backlash of
to find it surrounded by the Maka army. Ho-Tem Ra gave Ho-Tem Ra’s arrival or by their skin being seared off by the
them the choice of surrendering to his might or suffering the ini al sand and fury of the Storm. The people of Retann tried
same fate as Irynnath. Retann quickly surrendered. to flee to New Irynnath but lost their way and were never
heard from again. Kantarak was overrun by demons; the
With all three of the oases under his rule, Ho-Tem Ra set his survivors fled from their homes and journeyed through the
sights on the kingdom of Tarpi and beyond. Soon he Storm to seek refuge in Moka a. Led by the Nyere, they
controlled much of the known world, his conquests only entered the city into the open arms of Ho-Tem Ra.
aba ng when he found himself lost in mys c study. Ho-Tem

2
The Maka Empire ..................................................2 Fields and Zones ..................................................24
Table of Contents .....................................................3 Movement and Flanking ......................................25
Game Components...................................................4 A acking..............................................................26
Game Overview .......................................................8 Linked & Cone A acks .....................................28
Introduc on.........................................................8 Resolving an A ack..........................................29
Ini al Setup .........................................................8 A ack Dice.......................................................29
Naviga ng the Campaign Book.................................9 Status Effects............................................................30
Havens.................................................................9 Reviving and Injuries ................................................31
Wordsunder.........................................................10 Reviving Heroes ...................................................31
Tests ....................................................................10 Injury Deck...........................................................31
Stat Tests .........................................................10 Adversaries ..............................................................32
A endance Tests..............................................11 Ac va ng Adversaries..........................................33
Votes ...............................................................11 Adversary Deck ....................................................34
Mul ple Choice ...............................................11 Adversary Movement...........................................34
The Heroes...............................................................12 Fight, Kill, Rest and Repeat .......................................35
Ability Deck..........................................................14 Experience and Leveling.......................................35
Signature Skills.....................................................16 End of the Encounter ...........................................35
Loot Deck .................................................................17 Res ng (or Not)....................................................35
Equipment ...............................................................18 Titles....................................................................35
Companions ........................................................20 Con nuing Your Journey ......................................35
Consumables .......................................................20 Adina Demo Layout ..................................................36
Community Equipment ........................................20 Aleksander Demo Loadout .......................................37
Terrain......................................................................21 Aleksandra Demo Loadout .......................................38
Encounters ...............................................................22 Capac Roca Demo Loadout .......................................39
Setup ..................................................................22 Vanessa Demo Loadout ............................................40
Playing an Encounter................................................24 Wynter Demo Loadout .............................................41
Ac va ng Heroes.................................................24 Keywords .................................................................42

3
4
5
6
7
 INITIAL SETUP
To begin, collect all of the various cards, miniatures and tokens
for each hero in the party. For the demo, that includes Adina,
Vanessa, Aleksander, Aleksandra, Capac and Wynter.
INTRODUCTION Everything the heroes need is detailed in the back of this
The demo for Stormsunder: Heirs of Ruin is a solo/coopera ve rulebook, beginning with page 36. You will also need the two
board game for 1-4 players. Players begin their adventure in Fate dice and the Stormsunder Save sheet.
Tarpi , the city of vampires. A party of heroes has entered the
city as part of their quest to obtain mys cal ar facts that When the party is ready to leave the first haven, House Potra,
could help end the cataclysmic “Storm.” Players will take on the players much choose four of these heroes to control. If
the role of one or more of these heroes, figh ng vampires and there are less than four players, one or more players will need
other adversaries as they make their way around the city. The to control more than one hero. The remaining heroes stay at
players will be forced to make decisions great and small as the haven unless otherwise noted.
they navigate the story, ul mately impac ng the overall
outcome of the demo and gaining insight into the greater plot Once you have all of the heroes ready, you may open the
of Stormsunder. campaign book and begin reading “Tarpi , City of Vampires.”

Stormsunder combines interac ve story with skirmish-based

combat. Players will be asked to decide where the party
travels and who and how they engage the people they meet.
Each decision may have immediate or long-term
consequences, some beyond the confines of this demo. When
talking fails, the players will control their heroes in combat,
using a variety of equipment, skills and abili es to achieve
victory. Defeat does not always mean the end of the heroes’
story, however. Losing a ba le can change the course of the
plot, unlocking story paths otherwise unavailable. Regardless
of the outcome, the heroes will grow with experience,
gran ng them increased sta s cs and unlocking powerful new
abili es to make them stronger for the ba les yet to come.

8
 should go, but it is ul mately up to them if they want to
instead wander around and not bother saving the world for a
bit.

Loca ons can have specific hero restric ons, such as Davor’s
Havens are a safe place for the heroes to rest and prepare for Manor below, requiring the presence or exclusion of a hero or
their next adventure. Each haven consists of a list of loca ons heroes. Some loca ons also require a specific tle, or, more
the players may choose to explore. Some of these loca ons o en, may not be explored if the players have earned a
are simple storefronts, like Emilija’s Equipment below, while certain tle, such as all three loca ons below (see Titles and
others are self-contained quest chains that will eventually lead Con nuing Your Journey on page 35).
the heroes back to the same haven or a completely new one.
Many havens also allow players to roll on a random event Upon arriving at a new haven, players should immediately
table, allowing them to (usually) take a step away from the update the “Current Haven” page number on the top right of
main story and earn some extra loot and experience. their Save Sheet. Doing so ensures players can retrace their
steps should they ever lose track of where in the campaign
Players must decide what loca on they want to explore most, book they should be reading. This is especially important for
as they will never know for sure if the one they chose might when rolling on a region’s random event table, as most of the
close the current haven forever. The story that preceded the events tell players to return to their current haven without
haven o en has clues or outright tells players where they providing a page number.

DAVOR'S MANOR (Aleksander & Vanessa required)

Unavailable if you have the Vanessa's Vengeance tle. Advisor to the vampire High Council,
Davor is a greedy but pragma c vampire loyal only to himself. He has access to the High
Council's keep and, therefore, the royal vault. Davor's manor is close to House Potra, so travel
there can be made without rolling on the Tarpi Event Table.
(Turn to C3 on Page 74).

THE ARMORY
Unavailable to par es with the Arms for the Poor tle. The vampires turned one of the old city
garrisons into a full-fledged armory. It’s likely to be heavily guarded and robbing it will not only
be next to impossible, but also incredibly lucra ve. Some ac ons within the city cannot go
unno ced, however. Assaul ng such a place is likely to make the High Council wonder if there is
an insurrec on building within their city, and act accordingly.
(Turn to A2 on Page 33).

EMILIJA'S EQUIPMENT
Unavailable to par es with the Fire Sale tle. A modest establishment with a respectable
assortment of mar al weaponry and armor for sale.
(Turn to E1 on Page 178).

9
 1
Each Hero
2
When reading the story por ons of the campaign book, Agility (18)
players have two op ons: the carefully-cra ed story or the
incredibly lazy Wordsunder boxes. Wordsunder provides a Page 33, A2 Con nue
3
home for players who don’t want silly things like plot and
character development to get in the way of their ability to hit
vampires with hammers. In short, Wordsunder is the very
“abridged” version of the story. Players can safely skip to the
1 HEADING – Who or what is needed to a empt the test.
A heading may have a specific hero’s name or a specific
bo om of almost any block of text to find a Wordsunder box a ribute such as race or fac on. Aside from that, there
to shorten their me with sentences. A er reading a are three types of generic headings, not coun ng votes:
Wordsunder box, the players can interact with the following Hero – Any party member may be selected to
test box or bolded text to con nue their adventure. a empt the test.
Each Hero – All party members must a empt the
test and their individual roll results have consequences
(such as an Agility test to avoid falling rocks from a
cavern collapse).
Adina puts the kybosh on your Party – Each member in the party is affected and
whole “kidnap a prisoner to must roll. Usually one hero passing the test is enough
trade for magic stuff” idea. (such as a Percep on test to spot an ambush).
Davor offers an “explore the
catacombs” quest as a 2 DESCRIPTION – What test needs to be performed. Stat
tests iden fy a specific sta s c followed by the number
welcomed alterna ve. required.

3 BRANCHING PATHS – The branching paths tell players

where to go depending on the result of the test.

STAT TESTS
Stat tests require one or more heroes to roll against a specific
Tests represent key moments where the story splits sta s c. Determine which hero is a emp ng the test and roll
depending on your choices and ac ons. Each path has a the two Fate dice. Add the result to the hero’s stat iden fied
heading iden fying which hero or heroes is eligible for the test in the Descrip on of the test box. If that total number is equal
(except for Votes; see page 11). The bo om of each test box to or higher than the number in the Descrip on, the hero
has a green and red bar, each with page numbers or the word passes the test. Though o en passing a test is what players
“Con nue.” These tell you where to go depending on whether should aim for, some mes failing can unlock new paths or
the hero passes the test or the players’ answer to the path’s interes ng bits of story or loot. Stat tests may only be
ques on (Pass/Yes = Green and Fail/No = Red). If the result of a empted once unless otherwise noted, but the players can
the test is “Con nue,” simply keep reading the text below the always choose to automa cally fail a test, if they so wish.
test box. Unless otherwise noted, these decisions are final and
may not be reversed.

Vanessa
Spirit (15)
Page 79, A3 Con nue

In this example, Vanessa must roll the two Fate dice and add
her Spirit sta s c to the result. She rolls a 10, adding it to her
5 Spirit for a total of 15. As the total is equal to or higher than
the 15 required (equal, in this case), she passes the test and
turns to page 79. If she had rolled less than 10, her total would
have been lower than 15, causing her to fail the test. She
would con nue reading the text below the test box to see the
consequences of her failure.

10
 ATTENDANCE TESTS
The easiest of all tests; if the iden fied hero is in the party,
follow the green “pass” path. This may call out a specific hero,
such as “Adina” or an a ribute a hero may have such as
“Vampire” or “Altekha.” If the hero is not in the party, follow
the red “fail” path.

MULTIPLE CHOICE
Adina
The campaign book may have mul ple test boxes in a row.
A endance These will be separated by the words “Or” or “Else”. The
players must resolve any test boxes above the word “Else.” If
Page 104, E1 Con nue none of those tests can be performed (usually because a
specific hero is not with the party), the tests below the “Else”
can be a empted. If mul ple tests are separated by the word
“Else,” players must go down the list, top to bo om, and
VOTES a empt the top-most test they are eligible to perform. Players
may choose which test to follow if mul ple are separated by
Iden fied by having the word “Vote” in the heading of the test “Or.”
box, votes are a simple decision to be made by the players,
either selec ng an op on or choosing “yes” or “no” to a
ques on. Players are asked to decide collec vely what ac on Aleksander
they should take. There doesn’t need to be a formal raising of
hands or secret ballots; general agreement will suffice. Some A endance
of the most consequen al decisions in Stormsunder are votes,
such as le ng an enemy live, killing someone you meet or Page 47, B1 Con nue
betraying an ally.

(ELSE)
Vote
Aleksandra
Kill Davor
A endance
Page 46, A2 Con nue
Page 48, A1 Con nue

(OR)
Vampire
A endance
Page 49, A1 Con nue

In this example, we see three test boxes, the top test

separated by “Else” and the bo om two by “Or.” As the top
box is above “Else,” it must be a empted. If Aleksander is in
the party, players will turn to page 47 of the campaign book
and the other two boxes are ignored. If Aleksander is not
present, the top test is ignored instead, and players may
choose between the bo om two (as they are separated by
“Or”). In this case, if Aleksandra is present, the players can
decide to turn to page 48, or if another Vampire is present,
they can turn to page 49. If Aleksander, Aleksandra or any
other vampires are not present, the players will Con nue, as
directed by the fail op on of the branching paths.

11
 Heroes are the powerful adventurers players will control as they explore the world of Stormsunder. Each hero has their own
personality, strengths and weaknesses. When players make decisions, the heroes will comply based on who they are, not how the
players may view the decision. Choosing to spare an enemy’s life will not necessarily make Aleksander a be er person. He may
decide to manipulate or coerce the enemy to get something he wants, or another hero may step in to stop him. Making story
decisions that align with a hero’s personality may keep them happy, while constantly going against them may have dras c
consequences.

3 4 5
2
1

6 7

6
8

10
9 9

It's important that players do not consider a par cular hero to be “theirs” and get too a ached. While it’s en rely possible that hero
will stay with the party for the en re length of the game, it’s also possible that the players will make decisions that make the party’s
rela onship with that par cular hero untenable. Some heroes may also go through a metamorphosis or sorts, fundamentally
changing their character, perhaps for the be er (or worse). Character deaths are o en a drama c and exci ng twist of the plot, but
in a world of vampires and mummy liches, death is not always the end of a hero’s story. The more flexible the players choose to be
with their heroes, the more fun they will likely have, especially during repeated playthroughs.

12
1 LEVEL & CLASS SYMBOL – The hero’s current level and a 10 STATISTICS - A set of numbers that iden fies a hero’s
fancy symbol to represent their class. strengths and weaknesses both in and out of combat.
Sta s cs help a hero succeed in tests as well as
2 NAME – The name of the hero. determine what equipment they can use. Sta s cs also
determine the base damage (BD) a hero has with a
par cular weapon or ability (see page 19 for a chart and
3 ACTION POINTS – How many ac on points (AP) the hero
addi onal informa on).
gains at the beginning of their ac va on during combat.
Ac on points are spent to a ack and perform abili es.
Unlike Health, there is no maximum number of ac on Strength – The physical strength of a hero. The
points a hero may have (though any unused points are higher the hero’s strength, the more damage they do in
lost at the end of their ac va on). ba le with strength-based weapons.
Percep on – The hero’s general sense of
awareness. A hero with high percep on can spot
4 HEALTH – How much damage a hero may sustain before
ambushes and secret doors with ease. Percep on also
they are downed. A hero may not be healed beyond
their maximum Health unless otherwise noted. affects a hero’s damage with most ranged weapons.
Agility – The hero’s ability to move their hands
and body in quick and precise movements. Agility helps
5 SPEED – The number of fields a hero may move during
heroes avoid traps and cause greater damage with light
their ac va on. Any unused Speed during that
movement is lost. melee weapons such as daggers and one-handed
swords.
Spirit – A hero’s a unement to magic and the
6 EQUIPMENT SLOTS – How many and which types of
divine. Spirit helps a hero resist certain magic-based
equipment a hero may equip. Some slots offer op ons,
status effects and cast more powerful spells.
as with the Armor/Weapon slot on the bo om le of
Aleksander’s hero card. If the op ons are separated by a Vitality – The general hear ness of a hero, Vitality
“+” instead of a “/”, then the hero has two slots in one allows heroes to shrug off status effects and determines
and may equip both. As Aleksander has one such slot on how much Health they have a er being revived.
the bo om right of his card, he can equip a total of five Charisma – A hero’s ability to sway another
equipment cards. person, usually with sly words or occasionally outright
in mida on. Charisma is primarily used out of combat
but is an important sta s c for equipping some of the
7 BASIC SKILLS – Innate (and usually passive) abili es the
more powerful equipment in the game.
hero always has access to, including out-of-combat
(depending on the skill). For heroes, the top skill is
unique to them, while the bo om is a default skill of
their class.
THE FIVE ROLES
8 LORE – A brief introduc on to the hero.
DEFENDER – O en u lizing a variety of skills and
abili es to protect themselves and their allies,
9 ATTRIBUTES – A summary of who the hero is. Some skills
Defenders are the tanks of Stormsunder. They o en
and abili es (hero and adversary) reference these
a ributes and are also used to determine what ability have high Health and Vitality, but fewer ways to deal
cards the hero has access to as they level. From le to heavy damage.
right they are: WARRIOR – Frontline or back, Warriors are there to
deal consistent damage against the party’s foes.
Role – The role the hero plays in combat. There are Warriors are the most varied of all the roles as there
five roles; Aleksander is classified as a Rogue. isn’t a par cular stat they all excel in. They can just as
easily have high Strength, Percep on or even Spirit
Class – The hero’s class. Classes have a heavy depending on the Class.
impact on the hero’s strengths, weaknesses and growth. ROGUE – Rogues are typically high-movement damage
Aleksander is a Duelist. dealers who prefer to avoid a acks rather than defend
against them. Usually Agility or Percep on focused (or
Fac on – The region or people the hero is allied both), their skills and abili es allow them to fill a variety
with. Taking certain ac ons against a hero’s fac on may of gaps in a party’s arsenal.
cause animosity with the hero or make the hero leave
the party altogether. Aleksander hails from Tarpi , city SUPPORT – Priests, Bards and other backline heroes,
of vampires. Heroes with Unbound listed for their the Supports are a collec on of vastly different
fac on do not have a fac on. professions all trying to achieve the same goal: keep the
party alive. Many are healers with high Spirit, though
neither is prerequisite for inclusion.
Race – The hero’s race. A hero’s race determines
not only their star ng sta s cs and abili es but can also MAGE – The glass cannons of Stormsunder, mages are
determine how other people interact with the party. usually the weakest physically, but make up for their
Aleksander is a vampire, which is fine for Tarpi , but a frailty by being able to inflict an incredible amount of
bit of a liability in the holy city of New Irynnath. damage. Spirit is usually the only stat they need,
sacrificing most others in the name of absolute power.

13
 1
2
Each hero has their own deck of ability cards they draw from
during combat to give them addi onal op ons during their
ac va on. In the demo, a hero’s ability deck must always have
exactly 15 cards and their hand size is 5 cards. A hero may
draw up to 3 cards at the end their ac va ons, without going
over 5 cards. If a hero has more than 5 cards in their hand,
they do not discard the excess, but won’t draw any new cards
un l they have fewer than 5 ability cards.
3
To ac vate an ability, a hero pays the ac on point cost,
A
resolves its effects and then discards it. Cards with zero cost 4
may also be played outside of a hero’s ac va on, either to
defend against incoming a acks or aid an ally. There are five
types of ability cards: Standard, Class, Race, Trait and Other.

1 NAME - The name of the ability card.

2 COST - The number of ac on points required to ac vate

the ability. Players may discard the card to earn Power
equal to its cost. Power is used to ac vate signature
skills (see the next sec on).
B
3 EFFECT - The result of ac va ng the ability. Each effect
has a symbol that iden fies what it is and when it can be
used:
Default - The most basic of all effects; essen ally
the result of using the card. Occasionally these effects
will carry an addi onal cost, such discarding cards from
the hero’s hand. These effects are always op onal if
another effect is present, such as is the case with
Demonic Blade on the right. Wynter can choose to make
the a ack without assigning damage or discarding cards
to gain dice (or both).
Catalyst - An ability requiring a specific event to
take place before it may be ac vated (detailed a er the
symbol).
Enhance - An ability that adds to a hero’s exis ng
a ack. Only one enhance card may be used per a ack
unless otherwise noted in the effect text. Enhance
abili es are added to the a ack before dice are rolled; if
the a ack is dodged or otherwise fails, the effect is C
wasted.
Defensive - An ability that may be used in response
to an a ack (some mes specific types of a acks; consult
the text).
Passive - Non-op onal effects that are always
present while resolving the ability card (usually for
a acks and traits). Passive effects may persist beyond
the hero’s ac va on; consult the text.
No Icon - Exclusive to traits; if there is no icon, the
ability has no effect (and will instead contain story text
with quota ons). On nega ve traits, this o en means
the ability card automa cally spends the hero’s AP.

4 REQUIREMENT - Who is allowed to use the ability card D

(or, how the hero gained access to it). All heroes have
access to the six standard abili es, while class, race and
fac on abili es are iden fied with a number, indica ng
what level that type of hero must be to use the ability. In
the demo, trait cards are unique to a par cular hero,
iden fied with their name. Some a ack abili es have
base damage; the stat symbol is located on the right of
the requirement.

14
A STANDARD - Standard cards are a set of five universal
cards that serve as the backbone of a hero’s ability deck.
All heroes have access to each of the six Standard cards:
Dash, Self-Preserva on, Throw Rock, Take a Breather,
First Aid and Teamwork. Depending on a hero’s class or
race, they may unlock an ability card that replaces a
Standard card (such as the Sentry’s Recover, which
replaces First Aid). Once that occurs, the hero loses
access to the original Standard card and may only use
the new variant (if a hero gains access to mul ple ability
cards that replace the same Standard card, the player
may choose which replacement card to use).

B CLASS - Each class has its own set of ability cards,

beginning with the four they gain at level 1. At certain
levels a class may gain a more powerful version of an
ability (at level 3, Priests gain Holy Blast II to replace Holy
Blast, for example); if that happens the original ability is
removed and only the latest version is available to
include in the hero’s deck. Some cards have the word
“Legion” in their text, meaning that specific card may be
added to the hero’s deck even if another version is
already present.

C RACE - Race cards are very similar to class cards but are
earned based on a hero’s race. Like class cards, there are
race cards that replace standard ones or new abili es
that are upgraded as the hero grows in experience.

D FACTION - Similar to race and class cards, a hero’s

fac on grants them one card that upgrades as the hero
grows in experience.

E TRAIT - O en nega ve at first, traits evolve as the

players navigate the story. Some traits become more
debilita ng as a hero loses their way, while others may
see their effects become posi ve as the hero becomes a
be er person or overcomes their own personal failings.
Posi ve traits look like ordinary ability cards, while
nega ve traits are easily iden fied by the black banner
on their ability cost, like Survivor’s Guilt and Antagonis c
on the right. Nega ve traits must always be added to a
hero’s deck and are played immediately a er they are E
drawn (or on the hero’s next ac va on; consult the
text). They are not op onal and are discarded a er use.

F OTHER - Some abili es are earned via quests, tles or

come with equipment (primarily companions). These
abili es are generally sta c and do not ever increase in
power.

ABILITY DECK MANAGEMENT

Managing a hero’s ability deck and hand are an
important part of succeeding in encounters. Since
F
heroes can use their abili es outside of their ac va on
(and discard them for Power or to pay for other
abili es), there’s a lot to consider. The Teamwork card is
a great example. Teamwork costs 2 AP to use, gran ng
an ally 2 power. Because of its AP cost, the hero can
simply discard it to gain 2, but if another hero could use
a signature skill on their next ac va on, it may be
worth the AP lost.

15
 1
2

Signature skills are a hero’s most powerful abili es. A hero may only bring two
signature skills into combat, one u lity and one ul mate, and like equipment,
they are placed next to the hero card. Signature skills require Power instead of
ac on points to ac vate and are not discarded a er use. Some signature skills will
direct the player to a ack, which will be performed with one of that hero’s
equipped weapons, which may incur an addi onal ac on point cost. If the a ack
is iden fied as “Free,” the AP cost of the weapon is ignored.

A hero accumulates Power from loot cards, by performing ac ons detailed on

ability cards or discarding ability cards to earn Power equal to their cost. When a
hero gains power, it must be immediately applied to a signature skill. Any unused
Power on a signature skill a er use remains for future ac va ons.

3
4

Wynter’s Enchanted Ammo signature skill costs 5 Power to ac vate. She

discards Hit and Run for 1 Power (equal to its 1 ac on point cost) and
Quickshot for another 2 Power (also equal to its AP cost). Wynter now
has a total of 3 Power assigned to Enchanted Ammo; 2 more and she
will be able to use it to enhance one of her a acks, adding the Bleed
and Burn status effects to her target.

1 NAME - The name of the signature skill.

2 POWER COST - The amount of power required to ac vate the signature

skill.

3 EFFECT - The effect of ac va ng the signature skill. Signature skills share

the same sort of effects as abili es (see Effect on page 14).

4 TYPE AND REQUIREMENT – What type of signature skill the card is (u lity
or ul mate) and who is allowed to use it (or, how the hero gained access
to it). Most signature skills are either hero-specific or earned by gaining
levels in a par cular class.

16
The loot deck is a 50-card pile of dreams, full of money, The loot deck is always shuffled at the beginning of play and
equipment, consumables and some mes nothing at all. When whenever the heroes rest, either in between encounters or by
a hero slays an adversary, they draw loot cards from the deck arriving at a haven. However, players can choose to not rest
equal to the Loot sta s c on the adversary card. Loot cards between encounters (see Res ng (or Not) on page 35) as a
are always discarded a er the hero receives the reward, even way to keep the loot deck from being shuffled, thereby
if the card doesn’t specifically say so. If a Consumable is allowing them a greater opportunity to find the rare
drawn, the player draws a card from the Consumable deck equipment loot cards. Players cannot avoid res ng at a haven
(see Consumables on page 20). If a Weapon/Armor/Accessory unless they plan to go from one random event to the next
card is drawn, the player draws from the deck of the (unavailable in the demo).
appropriate equipment category using the rarity listed in the
encounter setup.

1 I HAVE TO DRAW AGAIN?

The best cards in the loot deck require the most work.
Finding a consumable or equipment loot card means
drawing from yet another deck. There’s only one
consumable deck, so simply draw from that if you
receive a consumable loot card. For equipment, you
must draw from the right deck based on equipment
type (weapon, armor or accessory) and rarity.
Encounters specify what rari es are available during
setup (see Setup on page 22) and any prerequisites
2 that are required.

1 NAME - The name of the thing you just found (even it’s
no-thing).

2 TEXT - Useless text you will probably stop reading at

some point.

3 REWARD - The thing you got (the Nothing cards say

“Discard this Card” simply because the space didn’t look
that great without text).

17
 Equipment consists of all the unique and powerful items a that weapon is the one the hero has in their hands and are
hero brings into combat. They include weapons and armor, as ready to a ack with. All other weapons are considered
well as accessories and even companions. In addi on to a “sheathed” and a hero must spend 1 AP to switch weapons
hero’s equipment slot requirements detailed on their hero (switch the token in combat, rather than the cards). If a hero
card, no hero can equip more than one of each armor has an addi onal weapon equipment slot on the right side of
category (head, chest, waist, back, hands, feet and shield). The their hero card, they may equip an off-hand weapon as well,
only limita ons on accessories are backpacks and ammo (one which is considered ready to be used in combat. If a hero
each). There is no hard limit on how many weapons or chooses to have a 2-handed weapon equipped on the top le ,
companions a hero can equip, as long as they have the all other weapons are considered to be sheathed.
appropriate slots available.
Shields are special armor that are also iden fied as an off-
The top le of a hero card always has at least one weapon hand. They must be equipped in an armor equipment slot on
equipment slot. Place a primary weapon token on that card as the top right side of a hero’s card.

1
2
5
3
4 6

10

7 7 7

8 9

1 NAME - Name of the equipment. are added to the green or blue dice, unless only red are
present. If an ability or skill adds dice to an a ack (+1
2 COST - The ac on point cost for a acking with the Dice, for example), that always goes toward the top-most
dice on the weapon or a ack ability.
weapon or ac va ng an effect on the equipment.

3 RANGE - The maximum number of fields away the hero’s 5 DEFENSE - The amount of defense the equipment
target can be from the hero and s ll a ack with the provides. Defense removes damage from each a ack
weapon. If a weapon’s range is 1, it can only be used to equal to the amount of defense a hero has.
a ack adjacent targets.
6 ARMOR -The amount of armor the equipment provides.
4 ATTACK DICE - The number of a par cular color dice that
are rolled and the results added to the base damage to
Armor acts like defense, removing damage from each
a ack equal to the amount of armor a hero has.
determine the total damage of the a ack. The color of However, armor is a diminishable resource; a hero loses
the dice determines what defense it targets: green for 1 armor every me their armor lowers damage from an
physical and blue for magical. The red “Impact” dice are a ack. A acks that ignore armor/defense (assign
the most powerful, targe ng whatever the other dice damage) do not lower armor. Armor can be increased in
color does, or player’s choice if there are only red dice. In combat via abili es and skills; there is no limit like
addi on, any dice added by skills, abili es or equipment Health.

18
7 EFFECT - Equipment cards usually have addi onal effects,
similar to ability cards.

Default - Ac vated abili es that usually have a cost

other than AP, such as Exhaust, which may only be used
once per encounter (place an Exhaust token on the
equipment to show it has been used). Unlike with
abili es, default effects on equipment are always
op onal.
Passive - Effects that are always ac ve, though
weapon passives only apply when that weapon is used to
a ack.
Roll - A catalyst-like effect that only occurs if the
specified symbol(s) are rolled.
Ac va on - A special ability within the equipment
that usually carries an AP cost, listed below the lightning
bolt.
Defensive - An effect that may be used in response
to an a ack (some mes specific types of a acks; consult
the text).
Aura - A passive effect with a range equal to the
number below the symbol.
Set Bonus - Effects with this symbol are only ac ve BASE DAMAGE EXAMPLE
if the hero has enough equipment cards from that set
equipped. The Bloody Girdle on the right requires 3
Vanessa has the Giantsbane Crossbow and Sinister
Bloody equipment cards, including itself, so a hero would
Chakrams equipped. The crossbow’s BD stat is
need two more to gain access to the girdle’s passive.
Percep on, giving Vanessa 3 base damage (based on
No Icon - Just like with ability cards, no icon means her 13 Percep on). Vanessa only has 9 Agility, giving
all the text is fluff and does not affect gameplay. her just 1 base damage for the chakrams. As the
illustra on on her hero card suggests, she’s be er off
CHARACTERISTICS – Details about what kind of with the crossbow.
8 equipment the card is. An equipment's characteris cs
can determine what abili es can be used with it as well
as if it counts toward a par cular equipment set.
Characteris cs with an asterisk (*) next to them are
addi onal requirements a hero must meet to equip the
item (usually based on their a ributes such as race, role
or class).

REQUIREMENTS AND BASE DAMAGE (BD) STAT - The

9 minimum sta s cs needed to equip the equipment. The
sta s c used to determine the weapon’s base damage is
always on the far right. The results of any dice rolls
(and/or enhance abili es) are added to the base damage
to determine the total damage of an a ack.

10 PRIMARY WEAPON TOKEN - Shows which weapon the

hero has in their hands and is ready for use.

BASE DAMAGE

Stat 3 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

BD -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
The above chart shows what a hero's base damage is for
a weapon based on the value of their sta s c for that
weapon. The numbers in between use the lower BD
(heroes who have 4 or 5 in a sta s c would have the
same -1 BD as those with 3). Place the diamond-shaped
BD tokens on your weapons to keep track of your base
damage so you don't have to look at your stats or this
chart.

19
 Companions are special equipment obtained through quests Consumables are one-use items that provide immediate in-
and purchased from vendors. There are three sizes of combat effects before being discarded. They can only be used
companions: small, medium and large. Small creatures, like during a hero’s ac va on and cost 1 ac on point unless
the Young Phoenix below, have an “X” for their Speed. Though otherwise noted. In the demo, a hero can carry up to two
they may add cards to their hero’s ability deck, small Consumable cards at a me and may discard them at any me
companions do not join their hero in combat. to make room for new ones.

Medium companions have a number for their Speed, may also

add cards, and have a token to represent them on the board.
Medium companions can a ack and otherwise par cipate in
combat, but usually cannot be a acked themselves. They also
do not block line of sight or movement, but can contribute to
flanking an enemy. A hero or adversary may enter a field
occupied by a medium companion, moving the companion to
the field the hero or adversary just occupied.

Large companions are the only companions with Health and

are treated like full-fledge heroes for the purpose of
movement and targe ng. Companions are a powerful addi on
to any hero’s arsenal, but can become a liability on smaller
The heroes can carry extra equipment cards equal to the
maps. Consider having some spare equipment to replace
number of heroes in the party plus one, capped at eight. In
them for fights where space may become an issue.
the demo, the party consists of six heroes (Adina, Aleksander,
Aleksandra, Capac, Vanessa & Wynter), so they may carry
seven unequipped equipment cards. This community “stash”
is useful for carrying equipment the heroes may not have the
RARITY stats to equip yet or for allowing the heroes to be able to
switch out equipment for specific encounters.

The back of the equipment card lists its rarity, but the
color on the front lumps them together: Light Purple
iden fies Common and Rare equipment while Orange is
for Epic and Unique. Unique equipment is earned by
comple ng quests/adventures while the other three can
be found randomly via the loot deck a er slaying
enemies.

20
Terrain are the objects and barriers that populate the map,
represented by cardboard tokens. Heroes cannot enter a field occupied
by terrain (except holes). There are four basic types of terrain:

HOLES – Not-so-bo omless pits, whoever walks into a hole (or

arrives there via knockback) must spend their next ac va on ge ng
out to an adjacent field.

FULL COVER – Large objects such as pillars and statues. If an

a ack’s line of sight crosses full cover, the a ack cannot be made.

HALF COVER – Medium-sized terrain such as altars and

barricades. If an a ack’s line of sight crosses half cover, the defender
has +1 Defense.

INTERACTABLE TERRAIN – Chests, racks, levers and more.

Interactable terrain usually contains something valuable (equipment or
a loot card) or causes something to happen (encounter specific).
Whether you are smashing urns or pulling a lever, interac ng with
interactable terrain costs 1 AP, unless otherwise noted in the
encounter setup, and the terrain is removed from the map a er use.

21
 When nego a ons fail, the heroes may have no choice but to take up arms and fight for their lives. Each encounter has its own
custom-built map, adversaries and objec ves. Depending on the choices the players have made (or the tests they have passed or
failed), the same encounter may have different star ng posi ons for the heroes and/or enemies. The opposite page contains a
sample encounter setup like the ones that can be found in the campaign book. It tells players everything they need to know to
create the encounter and begin combat.

1 CONDITIONS - The unique aspects of this encounter. The 6 MAP - Shows the placement of the map les as well as
condi ons always include how the players achieve all the enemies, heroes and terrain. The numbered box
victory or defeat as well as any special circumstances on each board (T1, in this example) shows which map le
that could affect the outcome. It also includes the to use.
contents of the Adversary deck (see page 33), iden fying
both the hero, basic and advanced cards to be used (the
la er two randomly drawn).

In the example encounter, the players must slay all

enemies to win and lose if all heroes are downed. The Place the map les as indicated in the encounter setup, then
players can choose to try to keep Guard Captain Sever place the adversary miniatures, adversary ini a ve tokens and
alive un l the end, thereby allowing her to escape (and terrain. Also place the heroes and any companions on the
poten ally show up later in the story). This par cular fields indicated. Line up the ac va on order using the
encounter does not allow the heroes to rest a erward, adversary ini a ve cards and hero ini a ve tokens (the
meaning they will not regain health once the fight is over players decide which hero ac vates in each empty slot). Line
(see Res ng (or Not) on page 35). up the adversary cards together (making sure the face-up side
is for the correct level for the encounter) and place the mer
2 ADVERSARIES - The number, names and level of token on the “1” space on the round tracker. Also don’t forget
adversaries the heroes will fight. The numbers in to place armor, defense and base damage tokens next to your
parenthesis at the end coincide with each adversary’s hero’s card, totaled up from that hero’s equipment and any
place in the ac va on order. When placing the adversary relevant skills (for armor/defense) and sta s cs (for base
miniatures, be sure to place the ini a ve token with the damage).
same number next to the adversary, so they can be easily
iden fied. That token stays with the miniature wherever
it is moved, even if the adversary is slain and removed
from the board. If that adversary somehow returns (by DECK SHUFFLING
being resurrected by an ally, for example), they return
with the same ini a ve token. The first encounter of each game session is a great me
to shuffle each of Stormsunder’s decks, especially the
3 TERRAIN - The terrain that needs to be placed on the various equipment decks. Shuffling all of these decks
every encounter would be agonizingly boring, so below
map. Some interactable terrain (see Terrain on page 21)
will also list the rarity of loot it contains. Loot rarity can is a list of what needs to be shuffled and how o en.
change depending on how quickly (or slowly) it is Once all that shuffling is done, you are ready to begin!
obtained; the numbers in parenthesis show which
rounds will yield that rarity of loot. In the example, the Every Encounter:
Armor Rack contains Rare armor if interacted with in - Adversary Deck (see page 33)
rounds 1 and 2, Common armor during rounds 3 and 4
- Injury Deck (see page 31)
and no loot a er.
- Individual Hero Ability Decks
4 RESOLUTION - A er the victory or defeat condi ons are First Encounter of Each Game Session:
met, the resolu on sec on tells players which page to - All Three Accessory Decks
turn to. - All Three Armor Decks
- All Three Weapon Decks
5 ACTIVATION ORDER - Shows what order the adversaries - Consumable Deck
and heroes ac vate in. There are four slots filled with
hero ac va on tokens, one for each party member in the Whenever the Party Rests (see page 35)
encounter. The hourglass token is the ac vated token; it’s - Loot Deck
placed on the hero or adversary who just ac vated to
keep track of the round.

22
1 3
ENCOUNTER TERRAIN

VICTORY OBJECTIVE: Slay all enemies. 1 x Weapon Rack (WR) - Rare Weapon (1,2), Common (3,4)
DEFEAT: All party members are slain. 1 x Armor Rack (AR) - Rare Armor (1,2), Common (3,4)
If Guard Captain Sever is the last enemy alive, she escapes. 4 x Ruined Column (a1, a2, a3, a4)
There is no me to rest. 2 x Improvised Barricade (b1, b2)
ADVERSARY DECK: Heroes (2 of each), Standard (5), 2 x Makka Urns (u1, u2)
Advanced (2).

2 4
ADVERSARIES RESOLUTION
4 x Tarpi Guardsman lvl 1 All enemies are slain: (Turn to A1 on Page 38)
3 x Tarpi Inquisitor lvl 1 Guard Captain Sever escapes: (Turn to B2 on Page 47)
1 x Guard Captain Sever lvl 1 All heroes are slain: (Turn to A2 on Page 32)

1 1 2 1 2 3 3 4

a1 a2

1 2 3 4

a3 b1 b2 a4

3 2 1 1

WR u1 u2 AR

23
 Encounters are broken up into a series of rounds, each
consis ng of every living (not downed or slain) hero and
adversary ac va ng once. The first round begins by ac va ng
the first adversary or hero in the ac va on order and moving
on to the next a er that ac va on is complete (any downed
Each square on the map (implied by the li le white crosses) is
heroes or slain adversaries are simply skipped; don’t forget to
called a field, while the larger do ed lines on some of the
move the ac vated token so you don’t forget where you are in
map les separate large areas of fields called zones. The edge
the order). When the last hero or adversary ac vates, players
of a map le is always considered the edge of a zone, so small
move the mer token one space forward on the round tracker
map les without any do ed lines are considered a single
and a new round begins back at the start of the ac va on
zone. Fields are important for movement and establishing
order. Players can also choose to switch up their hero’s
range, while zones are important for specific skills and abili es
ac va on order before the first ac va on of each new round.
that affect large areas. Any field that touches a hero’s current
Play con nues un l the victory or defeat condi ons of the
field (even diagonally) is considered adjacent while anything in
encounter are met.
a hero’s zone is considered nearby.

Heroes begin their ac va on by drawing up to three cards

from their ability deck to return their hand size to a total of
five cards. If a hero has more than two cards in their hand
before drawing, they will draw whatever number of cards
needed to get their hand to five cards. If they have five or
greater cards already in their hand, they do not draw at all.

Heroes have a variety of op ons available to them when they

ac vate. They may…
Move up to their Speed value in fields.
Discard one or more ability cards to gain Power for their
signature skills.
Ac vate one of those signature skills, if they have
enough Power to do so.

Each hero also begins their ac va on with the AP listed on

their hero card. They may spend their AP to…
A ack once with their primary weapon (or an off-hand
weapon). EXAMPLE 1: ADJACENT
U lize a variety of abili es from their hand.
Interact with interactable terrain for 1 AP. The eight highlighted fields are adjacent to Vanessa, but only
Switch out equipped weapons for 1 AP. the green fields are in her zone. The yellow do ed lines show
the edges of each zone. The blue fields are s ll adjacent to
Use a consumable for 1 AP.
Vanessa, but none of them are in her current zone.
Revive a downed ally for 5 AP.

24
 EXAMPLE 3: LARGE MINIATURE MOVEMENT
Large heroes and adversaries (ones that occupy four or more
fields instead of just one) like Ho-Tem Ra or the Maka Brute
have less mobility than smaller miniatures. They cannot move
A hero may move up to their Speed value in fields once for
diagonally, but s ll only move one “row” forward per 1 Speed.
free at some point during their ac va on. This movement
In this example, the Greater Unsated has drawn Adina’s
must be performed all at once; any ac on (even ones that cost
adversary deck card, so the priest is in for some pain. Vanessa
no AP) will interrupt the hero’s movement and any unused
is blocking the monster’s ability to charge forward at Adina, so
Speed will be lost. Heroes can move in any direc on (including
it must spend 2 Speed to move forward twice, 1 more Speed to
diagonally) but may not enter a field occupied by another
move to the right and 1 final Speed to move adjacent to Adina.
miniature or terrain, unless they have flight (see Example 5),
nor may they finish their movement on a field occupied by any
other miniature or terrain. Heroes or adversaries whose
miniatures occupy more than one field s ll move one set of
fields at a me (see Example 3).

Flanked is a condi on that requires the correct posi oning to

pull off. To flank a target, a hero must be adjacent to their
target and on the opposite side of an ally who is adjacent to
the same target. Any a ack made by either ally inflicts +2 BD
against the target. Companions who have a token or miniature
on the map may contribute to flanking a target, even if they
themselves cannot a ack.

EXAMPLE 2: MOVEMENT AND FLANKING

Aleksandra wants to help Aleksander kill that Maka
Spearman. If she was being aggressive (as in, being
Aleksandra), she would move diagonal forward twice for 2 EXAMPLE 4: FLANKING LARGE MINIATURES
Speed to be adjacent to her brother and the spearman and
start mauling. However, if she wanted to do more damage, Flanking large heroes and adversaries operates a li le
there’s a be er way. She could move behind the Maka differently than with 1-field miniatures. To be considered
Spearman by using 4 Speed, pu ng herself on the exact flanked, the large miniature must have adjacent enemies on at
opposite side of the spearman from Aleksander. Now least three sides. Unlike normal flanking, the enemies do not
Aleksandra and Aleksander will both inflict more damage need to be on exact opposite ends of each other. In this
against the Maka Spearman by flanking him. example, either Vanessa or Aleksandra can move away from
the Greater Unsated because it will s ll be flanked by enemies
(the heroes) on three sides.

25
 OTHER TYPES OF MOVEMENT

Some heroes have skills and abili es that allow them to

move in unusual ways. Heroes with flying ignore other A hero may make one a ack with their equipped weapon per
miniatures/terrain on the board, as long as they don’t ac va on. In addi on, if they have an off-hand weapon, they
finish their movement on an occupied field. Any skill or may separately a ack once with that weapon as well. There is
ability with the keyword place is similar to flying, in that no limita on on the number of ability cards a hero may a ack
the miniature is moved from their current field to the with, aside from their cost, even in combina on with a
new field, ignoring everything in between. Some weapon/off-hand weapon a ack.
encounters (especially in the Storm) prevent flying
movement but do not affect abili es that place
miniatures. Another advantage of being placed over
flying is that the movement is too quick for prepared
adversaries. The hero may make a single a ack or ac on
before triggering any nearby prepared adversaries (see
Ac va ng Adversaries on page 33).

EXAMPLE 5: FLYING MOVEMENT To make an a ack, a hero must first establish range and line of
sight to the target. Line of sight is established by drawing an
Vanessa wants to a ack the Maka Commander, Ra-Sworn, imaginary straight line between the hero and their target.
but a wall of Maka Warriors stands in her way. Normally she Range is simply the distance in fields between the two. Any
would have to fight her way through, but she happens to have miniature, ally or enemy, blocks line of sight, as does full
the incredibly useful Yaedra’s Wings accessory, giving her cover. Although this sec on focuses on a acking, the same
flying movement. She moves right over the Maka Warrior in principles are used for all targe ng, including healing spells
front of her, spending a total of 4 Speed to move 4 fields. Note and other abili es. If any part of an a ack’s line of sight
that there is no number for 2 Speed because she cannot stop includes an area off the map (like your dining room table), the
in a field occupied by another miniature. a ack can’t be made.

26
EXAMPLE 6: LINE OF SIGHT AND RANGE
Wynter has two weapons equipped, a Flintlock Pistol with a
range of 2 and the Scimitar of the Thief with a range of 1.
Council Enforcer A is adjacent to Wynter (which is also 1 field
away), so she may use either weapon against him. Tarpi
Inquisitor B is 2 range away, pu ng her within the range of
the Flintlock Pistol, but Council Enforcer A is blocking Wynter’s
view of her. Wynter will have to move if she wishes to a ack
the inquisitor. Tarpi Inquisitor C is also 2 range away and
nothing stands between her and Wynter, so Wynter may take
her shot. Wynter also has clear line of sight to Council Enforcer
B and Tarpi Inquisitor A, but they are 3 range away, pu ng
them out of reach of both of Wynter’s weapons.

NO RANGE AND ZONES

EXAMPLE 7: ZONE RANGE
Some weapons and many a ack abili es do not require Capac is on a separate map le from Vanessa, Aleksander and
line of sight; they will have no range icon on the card and Aleksandra (indicated here by the black do ed line). Since he
will instead establish what targets are affected in their is a on a separate map le, he is in a different zone than
effect text. The most common examples of these are Vanessa, even though there is no yellow do ed line between
“adjacent” (any of the 8 fields surrounding the hero; them. Capac is 1 zone away from Vanessa just as she is 1 zone
effec vely the same as 1 range) and “zone,” which uses away from Aleksander and Aleksandra, who are two zones
zones as the measurement for range instead of fields. A away from Capac. Since Aleksander and Aleksandra are in the
number a er zone, such as Zone 3, indicates the a ack same zone, they are considered nearby to one another. All of
or ability targets a zone that many zones away. Zone 1 the heroes currently have debuffs that Capac can remove
targets adjacent zones, while Zone 2 targets adjacent using his Ba le Cry ability, which removes all nega ve effects
zones and zones 1 zone away (or both; read the effect from allies within 1 zone. If Capac doesn’t move and uses
text). Ba le Cry, he and Vanessa are the only ones who will benefit.
If he enters Vanessa’s zone, he can remove the debuffs from all
heroes as they will all be within 1 zone of him.

27
 LINKED & CONE ATTACKS EXAMPLE 9: CONE ATTACKS
Capac has used his Slam signature skill, which is an x-range
Some a acks (and abili es) are labeled as linked. These
cone a ack (the “x” means it doesn’t stop un l it hits the edge
a acks hit mul ple targets, depending on their rela on to the of the map). The cone effect starts with the 3 fields in front of
a acker and each other. A linked a ack hits an ini al target, Capac, then the next 5 fields, then the next 7 fields and so on.
then a target adjacent to the first. This con nues un l no new Ra-Sworn 3 is within the first three fields and is slammed.
target is adjacent to the last target hit. Only the original target Maka Warriors 1 and 5 are on the outside of the effect and
must be in line of sight. A linked a ack cannot hit the same are unharmed. Maka Spearman 4 and Maka Warrior 2 are
target twice. not so lucky and are hit as the effect grows.

Cone a acks emanate from the a acker in a makeshi

triangle, expanding outward with each row and can cover a
large area depending on their range. Line of sight is not
required for cone a acks unless otherwise specified.

EXAMPLE 8: LINKED ATTACKS

Aleksander has the Lightning Orb consumable that damages
the target and all linked enemies, with 3 range. The range only
ma ers for the ini al target, the a ack will con nue to a ack
enemies even if they exceed the 3 range. If Aleksander a acks
Maka Spearman 1, the a ack will also damage Maka
Spearman 2, then 3 and finish with 4. Note that linked a acks
must always move in one direc on and never strike the same
target twice. Maka Spearman 2 is within 3 range; if
Aleksander chose him as the target, the a ack would either
also hit Maka Spearman 1 or 3 and 4, but not all three. Since
Maka Spearman 5 is not adjacent to any other enemies, the
only way to a ack him, is to select him as the target (thereby
was ng the linked effect).

RESOLVING AN ATTACK
If the hero has line of sight of their target and they are in
range, they may perform the a ack. If the player wishes to
use an enhance ability card, they must do so now before they
roll the dice. Roll the indicated dice on the weapon or ability
card and add the results to the hero’s base damage for that
a ack (see the Base Damage chart on page 19). If the total
damage is higher than the defender’s defense (plus armor, if a
hero), the defender has been wounded and receives wound
tokens equal to the excess damage. Heroes also discard 1
armor token, if the armor contributed to mi ga ng the
damage, even if the hero didn’t end up receiving any wounds.
A acks that do not exceed the hero’s defense do not damage
armor and thus no armor is removed. If the defender has
received wounds equal to or greater than their Health, they
are slain (if an adversary or companion) or downed (if a hero).
Remove the adversary or companion from the board and
place them on their card or lay the hero on their side where
they fell. Downed heroes may not ac vate un l they are
revived (see page 31).

28
 ATTACK DICE EXAMPLE 11: KNOCKBACK
Knockback is an effect that moves enemies away from the
Each color of a ack dice (Green/Physical, Blue/Magical and
a acker. Capac’s Serpent’s Tongue Flail has On Special:
Red/Impact) have a different series of sides. Here are all the Knockback 1, the 1 here standing for the number of fields the
possibili es and what they represent: target is moved away from the a acker (in this case, Capac).
Let’s assume Capac rolls a Special while a acking Myrmidite
1 1 4 1 3 2 Shaman 1. The shaman receives the damage from the a ack
(if any) and is moved 1 field away from Capac in the direc on
of the a ack. If Capac a acked Myrmidite Shaman 2 (and
rolled a Special), the shaman would be unable to move 1 field
away because it is blocked by a Myrmidite Skirmisher. Instead,
1 1 4 1 1 4 the shaman would be assigned 2 damage in addi on to the
damage from the a ack and remain where he is.

1 1 5 1 1 4

1 SWORD - One addi onal damage added to the a ack.

2 SWORD x2 - Two addi onal damage added to the a ack.
3 BLANK - Nothing happens.
4 SPECIAL - Any skill or ability that has “Special” is triggered
by rolling one or more of these. Specials are a finite
resource; if a hero has access to mul ple special abili es,
the player must choose which one(s) to ac vate.
5 CRITICAL - Three addi onal damage added to the a ack.
Some equipment and skills trigger off Cri cals, like
Specials.

EXAMPLE 10: ATTACKING

Aleksander wants to a ack a level 4 Myrmidite Skirmisher
with his Runed Gladius, cos ng 3 AP. The dagger uses Agility
for base damage, which Aleksander has 2 (based on his 11
Agility) plus 1 addi onal BD because of his Savvy basic skill. EXAMPLE 12: INFLICTING DAMAGE
Aleksander must roll the 3 green dice listed on the Runed Aleksander has the Puncture ability card in his hand. Cos ng 2
Gladius equipment card; he gets 1 blank, 1 Sword and 1 Sword AP, puncture inflicts the debuff Sha er on an adjacent target.
x2. He adds the 3 Swords to his base damage, giving him 6 Sha er causes the next a ack the target receives to assign
total damage for the a ack. A mighty blow that is mostly damage, meaning it ignores the target’s defense and hits the
mi gated by the Myrmidite Skirmisher’s 4 physical defense. poor soul for the full damage of the a ack. If Aleksander had
It’s not a bad a ack, but it certainly could have been be er if used Puncture first in Example 10, the Myrmidite Skirmisher
he used his 2 remaining AP before the a ack rather than a er. would have received 6 damage instead of 2.
Calcula on (2 + 1 + 3) – 4 = 2 wounds.
Calcula on (2 + 1 + 3) – 0 = 6 wounds.

29
 There are numerous status effects various skills and abili es can inflict. The keyword apply no fies the player that one of these
effects is in play and a corresponding token must be placed on the recipient. Some nega ve status effects can be avoided with a test;
the appropriate sta s c and value will be noted on whatever is applying the effect (be it adversary card or something else). When a
status effect has a number next to it, such as Poison 2, add two tokens to the afflicted instead of one. Skills that cause status effects
do not stack; if a hero is hit with Immobilize and then Immobilize 2, Immobilize 2 replaces the ordinary Immobilize and the hero has
2 tokens. Each status effect details how or when they will be removed; if a target has more than one of the same token (like
Immobilize 2 above), only one token is removed so the effect (in this case, the hero has zero Speed on their ac va on) will happen
again. Some skills and abili es can remove status effects immediately.

Not all status effects are nega ve; Regenera on, for example, is a powerful healing-over- me status effect any hero would be lucky
to have. Below is a list of the most common status effects; any others are detailed on the card inflic ng them.

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15

2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

1 BLEED - The target is assigned 1 damage at the beginning 12 TAUNT - When a hero or adversary uses Taunt, they
of each ac va on. Any healing on the target will remove place a Taunt token on themselves and on the target
Bleed (the target is not healed). (each with the same number). The target may may not
a ack any other enemy during their next ac va on.
2 BLIND - The target cannot target allies or enemies on
their next ac va on. A Blind adversary cannot become 13 BARRIER - The next a ack the target receives is negated.
prepared.
14 INVIGORATE - The target has +2 max Speed and AP un l
3 BURN - The target is assigned 3 damage at the end of the next me they end their ac va on.
their next ac va on.
15 STEALTH - The target can’t be targeted un l they a ack
4 FATIGUE - The target has -2 AP on their next ac va on. or use an ability/signature skill.

5 FEAR - Fear is iden cal to Stun, except it can be removed 16 OFFENSE - The target has +1 BD on their next a ack.
by receiving damage.

6 IMMOBILIZE - The target has zero Speed (nor can they

gain Speed) on their next ac va on. ETERNAL STATUS EFFECTS
7 INFECTED - The target cannot use signature skills on their
next ac va on.

8 POISON - The target has -1 Speed and -1 BD. Any healing

on the target will remove Poison.

9 SEVERE WOUNDS - The target has -5 max Health.

Remains un l removed. Use a square token whenever a status effect is labeled as
eternal. Eternal buffs/debuffs cannot be removed un l
the end of the encounter, unless the skill or ability
10 SHATTER - The next a ack the target receives assigns specifically states it removes eternal status effects.
damage.

11 STUN - The target skips their next ac va on.

30
A downed hero can’t do much but block movement (they do The injury deck determines what sort of malady a hero has
not block line of sight), but their fellow heroes can bring them been afflicted with due to being downed or, in some cases,
back to their feet. An adjacent hero can spend 5 AP to revive a a acked by an incredibly dangerous foe. When a hero draws a
downed ally. There are also a few skills and abili es that may card from the injury deck, they read the text describing the
revive. When a hero is revived, they return with Health equal injury and follow its instruc ons accordingly. Many injuries
to their Vitality sta s c and draw one card from the Injury have tests that can be performed at the end of the encounter
Deck. Revived heroes may resume combat on their next to “walk off” their ailment. Only one test may be a empted
ac va on as normal. Heroes with three or more injury cards per encounter end. In addi on, one injury may be removed
may not be revived un l the end of the encounter. while res ng (see Res ng (or Not) on page 35) and all injuries
are removed when arriving at a haven.

2
3

1 NAME - The name of the injury.

2 INJURY EFFECT - What the injury does to the hapless hero.

3 WILLPOWER TEST – The test the hero can perform to

overcome the injury at the end of an encounter.

31
 As the heroes journey on their quest to end the Storm, there will be many who stand in their way. Each adversary they face will test
their skill and me le on ba lefields great and small. The adversaries of Stormsunder each have their own unique skills and abili es,
but all share the same structured character card. Each adversary card details everything a player needs to know about them except
who they will target next; that informa on rests in the adversary deck.

2 3 4
1

8 9 10 11
7 7

1 NAME - The name of the adversary. 5 TACTICS - The various skills and abili es the adversary
has in their arsenal (see Ac va ng Adversaries on page
2 LEVEL - The level of the adversary. The higher the level, 33).
the greater the threat the adversary poses. Adversary
levels are based on that specific adversary (meaning 6 LORE - A brief bit of info about the adversary (space
they are good for understanding how hard that permi ng).
adversary is among adversaries with the same name, but
not how it compares to different adversaries of the same
level).
7 ATTRIBUTES - A summary of who the adversary is. Some
skills (hero and adversary) reference these a ributes.
From le to right they are:
3 HEALTH - How much damage an adversary may sustain
before they are slain. An adversary may not be healed Archetype - The type of adversary. Some
beyond their maximum Health unless otherwise noted. skills/abili es only affect certain archetypes. There are
six archetypes: Creature, Soldier, Commander, Elite,
4 SPEED – The number of fields an adversary may move Villain and Titan.
during their ac va on.

32
 CLASS - The adversary’s class. Classes are less Passive - Any passive tac cs will be listed next. Some of
important for adversaries than heroes, but are these affect combat, so be sure to read them when ac va ng
occasionally referenced in skills and abili es. an adversary.
On Defense - These tac cs are only used when the
FACTION - The region or people the adversary is adversary is a acked.
allied with. Adversaries o en have skills and abili es Auras - The last of the possible tac cs, auras provide
that support members of their race or fac on, especially passive effects to all allies (or enemies) in range of the aura.
Commanders. Adversaries with Unbound listed for their Like regular passives, its important players review auras at the
fac on do not have a fac on. beginning of the encounter so they are not forgo en during
any fran c figh ng.
RACE - The adversary’s race. Some skills and
abili es only affect adversaries of a certain race.

8 PHYSICAL DEFENSE - The amount of defense the ALLIES & ENEMIES

adversary has against physical (green dice) a acks.
Physical defense removes damage from each physical You may have no ced that the various cards in
a ack equal to the amount of defense an adversary has. Stormsunder almost never reference the word “hero” or
“adversary,” instead favoring “targets,” “allies” and
9 MAGICAL DEFENSE - The amount of defense the “enemies.” The reason for this is that there are some
Immobilize
encounters where the heroes may be allied with some
adversary has against magical (blue dice) a acks.
Magical defense removes damage from each physical adversaries while figh ng other adversaries. The
a ack equal to the amount of defense an adversary has. encounter setup will clearly establish who is figh ng
who, so when players read the cards, they will know
exactly who is considered an ally and an enemy for all
10 LOOT - The number of loot cards a hero draws a er
combatants (even if its just a massive free-for-all).
slaying this adversary.

11 EXPERIENCE - The amount of experience a hero gains for

slaying this adversary.

The adversary deck is a special deck of cards that determines

who an adversary will a ack during their ac va on. There are
two types of adversary deck cards in the demo: tac cal and
hero, easily iden fied as the hero adversary deck cards have
When it is me for an adversary to ac vate, players draw a the hero’s name and portrait on them. Each encounter details
card from the adversary deck and then follow the tac cs on the number and category of adversary deck cards that should
the le side of adversary’s card, from top to bo om. Most be used.
adversaries will not have every type of tac c, but their entries
will be organized like this: 1
On Ac va on - Various effects that occur at the
beginning of the adversary’s ac va on. Always move to the
next entry a er this one.

A ack - Both Physical – and Magical – . Many

adversaries have more than one a ack tac c. If that is the
case, the first one (or two, in the case of three a acks) usually 3
requires a specific range. If that requirement is not met, skip
that a ack and move on to the next un l the adversary can do 4 2
what the tac cs text states (always the last text before a line).
5
If none of the adversary’s a acks can be made, follow as much
of the last a ack text as can be performed (usually at least
1 NAME - The name of the tac cal adversary deck card.
moving the adversary) and place a prepared token next to
their miniature. Prepared adversaries will a ack the first hero 2 TARGETED HERO - The hero the adversary will target on
to enter their line of sight and range, priori zing the top-most their ac va on.
a ack skill on their card (the hero must be within 1 zone of
the adversary for this to trigger, regardless of how much range 3 TARGET - Who the adversary will target on their
the adversary’s a ack has). The prepared token is removed ac va on.
a er the adversary makes their a ack, receives damage or
ac vates again. 4 EFFECT - Any addi onal damage or boon the adversary
has for this ac va on.
Ac on - Some adversaries have ac ons they will take if
none of their a acks are possible. Just like a acks, the players
keep reading un l they find an ac on the adversary can
5 CATEGORY - In the demo, simply whether or not the
card is Basic or Advanced. In the full game, cards are
perform. added to the pool based on player decisions and ac ons.

33
 EXAMPLE 14: ADVERSARY MOVEMENT
The Myrmidite Skirmisher’s a ack, Hit & Run, has Retreat,
meaning he will run away from his target a er the a ack.
Adversaries move exactly as heroes do, using one of the Moving le or straight up are the same distance as the top
keywords below as a guide. The keywords are unique to le , but the skirmisher moves behind Sever because retrea ng
adversary cards and describe specific movements: adversaries always favor running toward allies and away from
other enemies. Guard Captain Sever’s a ack, Spinning Blades,
Advance - The adversary moves up to their Speed value in has Return. She advances to Aleksander and Aleksandra,
fields toward their target, stopping only if they move into a field makes her a ack, and then returns to the field she occupied at
adjacent to that target. If the target already has an enemy the beginning of her ac va on. Unlike Retreat, Sever’s Speed
adjacent to them, the adversary will favor a field that will flank is irrelevant; she always makes it back to her original field.
the target, if possible.

Careful Advance - Movement for adversaries with ranged

a acks, the adversary moves toward their target, stopping as
soon as that target is in range.

Halt - The adversary stops moving (or does not move at all).

Escape - The adversary leaves the encounter. As they are

not slain, they award no experience or loot.

Return - The adversary returns to the field they occupied at

the beginning of their ac va on a er they perform a specific
ac on (usually an a ack). Return is automa c and does not
consider the adversary’s Speed value.

Retreat - The adversary moves away from the target, using

their full Speed value (regardless of any Speed used earlier).

EXAMPLE 13: ADVERSARY ACTIVATION

EXAMPLE 15: PREPARED ADVERSARIES
Maka Spearman B draws Challenge from the adversary
deck, determining his target is the enemy with the highest Maka Warrior A draws Capac’s hero adversary deck card.
health (Capac). The Maka Spearman’s first a ack, Impale, is Since his Heavy Swing a ack has Advance and 1 range, he
only used if his target is within 3 range. Since Capac is 7 range moves his full Speed forward toward Capac and stops,
away, the spearman’s next a ack is used, Spear Throw, which receiving a prepared token because he cannot a ack this
has Careful Advance. The Maka Spearman moves 3 fields ac va on. If Wynter (E) ac vates, the warrior will immediately
forward to put him just within range to perform the a ack. If a ack her, as she is within his 1 range. Ideally, the heroes
the Maka Spearman had 10 Speed instead of 3, he s ll would want to ac vate Adina first, who can use a ranged
would only move 3 fields because of careful advance. The a ack to remove the prepared token and save Wynter from
Maka Spearman is able to a ack through Ra-Sworn C the Heavy Swing. The same is true for Capac; it would be
because his passive states his a acks are not blocked by allies. be er to have Vanessa a ack Ra-Sworn C to remove his
Prepared token before Capac moves forward to a ack.

34
When an adversary falls, it’s me for the hero to collect their A er encounters or making important (or relevant) decisions,
rewards. The adversary’s card lists both the number of loot the campaign book may award the party with a tle. Circle the
cards to draw (see Loot Deck on page 17) and the experience tle on the back of the Save Sheet so it can be referenced
they gained. Experience from slaying enemies goes to the later. Titles are how Stormsunder keeps track of your progress;
hero who lands the final blow. Add the experience to the it’s best not to dwell much on them beyond that.
hero’s total on the Save sheet. In the demo, when a hero has a
total of 2000 experience, they level up from 3 to 4 at the end
of the current encounter, flipping their hero card over. In
addi on to all the stat increases on the level 4 side, they also
gain access to new ability and signature skill cards (see the
bo om of the individual hero loadouts star ng on page 36).
Con nuing the heroes’ adventure is as simple as following the
direc on of the campaign book, making decisions or passing
tests and turning to the next page in the story. When you
finally reach the end of the demo campaign book, we hope
you’ll be en ced to play again, taking alternate paths and
trying different party setups to see how they affect the overall
At the end of the encounter, revive all heroes (heroes revived outcome of the game.
this way do not receive an addi onal injury), healing them for
their Vitality sta s c. In addi on, each hero may a empt 1
injury test to see if they can overcome (and therefore discard)
an injury. The rewards/results for the encounter can be found
by turning to the appropriate page listed in the Resolu on
sec on of the encounter setup (based on the victory/defeat
More components (and an incredibly longer campaign
condi on of the encounter). In victory, the heroes each
book).
receive experience, as well as gold and some mes items, tles
or something more. Defeat is o en less rewarding, though the
heroes will s ll learn from their mistakes and each gain a Special adversary deck cards; added to the pool of cards
moderate amount experience. depending on player decisions (tried to kill Davor but failed?
He sends bounty hunters a er you that might show up while
you are figh ng someone else).

Regional Implica ons. In Tarpi , many ac ons assign

“Tarpi Turmoil” or “Tarpi Readiness” (or both), depending
on the ac ons. What do they mean? Well… Let’s just say
When the party rests, heal each hero equal to their Vitality there’s kind of big event that happens at the end of Heirs of
sta s c and remove 1 Injury without needing to perform its Ruin and everything you do in and around Tarpi can affect
test. When heroes rest at a haven, they heal to full and how the whole thing goes down.
remove all injuries. Don’t forget to shuffle the Loot deck and
then con nue on the party’s journey. Players may choose to Ways to spend gold (equipment and ability vendors, etc).
skip res ng, if they so desire. The key advantage of this Gold is kind of useless in the demo (sorry, reviewers).
decision is to ensure the loot deck is not shuffled, allowing
players to push their luck to find the more valuable cards in The random event table. What’s an RPG without
the deck. Some encounters may have story implica ons for farming?
not res ng, such as giving the heroes more me to rescue an
ally or stop a villain from comple ng their master plan. If such
Proper hero progression.
a decision is available, it will be clearly marked in the
Resolu on sec on of the previous encounter.
Loads more…

35
 YAEDRA’S CHOSEN
Adina Shalit le the holy city of New Irynnath with a platoon of knights, marching through desert to reach Tarpi , home of the
Nyere. Only the Nyere could navigate the Storm, they thought, only the Nyere could lead them on their divine quest. Adina was the
sole survivor of the journey, and once she learned of Tarpi ’s fate, she made a pact with the Potra twins so her mission could
con nue. More than anyone else, the party’s travels have weighed on Adina. Virtuous, even for a priest, her faith has been tested
numerous mes, and she doubts both herself and even her god.

36
HAND OF THE COUNCIL
Aleksander Potra and his twin sister, Aleksandra, are enforcers for the vampire High Council. They le their home of Tarpi at the
council’s behest, tasked with hun ng down known terrorist Vanessa von Brandt. Upon finding Vanessa, the twins fought with her and
Adina un l the priest did something unexpected: she offered a pact with the vampires to lead her through the Storm. Aleksander did
something even more unexpected: he accepted. Aleksander is arrogant and certainly no hero, but his true mo ves remain a mystery.
Un l he shows his hand, he seems content to aid in Adina’s quest.

37
 HAND OF THE COUNCIL
Aleksandra Potra and her twin brother, Aleksander, are enforcers for the vampire High Council. They le their home of Tarpi at the
council’s behest, tasked with hun ng down known terrorist Vanessa von Brandt. Aleksandra and her brother have since joined
Vanessa along with other heroes in their quest to end the Storm. Aleksandra was both bloodthirsty and insane before she turned and
is o en disinterested in anything outside of combat. She is content to let her brother take the lead, sure in the knowledge that
Aleksander will always get them into trouble she can then eviscerate her way out of.

38
ALTEKHAN EXILE
The Altekhan sen nel Capac Roca has known Vanessa since they were both children, choosing to travel the world with Gerolt von
Brandt rather than spend me with his isola onist father. When the vampires marched on Tarpi , Capac pleaded with his people to
intervene, but to no avail. Capac le by himself to find the city occupied, its populace captured, dead or turned. Capac never returned
to Altekha, instead choosing to stay with Vanessa, bringing her supplies and woefully aiding in her self-destruc ve quest for
vengeance. Honorable and heroic, Capac did not need to be asked if he would join Adina’s quest to end the Storm.

39
 HEIR OF RUIN
Vanessa von Brandt is the daughter of Gerolt, last lord of the Nyere. The Nyere were slaughtered during the siege of Tarpi , their
numbers dwindled to perhaps fewer than a dozen across the world. Gi ed with an unerring sense of direc on, the Nyere were
explorers, guides and adventurers. Vanessa has forsaken her heritage, remaining close to Tarpi to exact her revenge on any
vampires she can. It’s not clear why she led the Potra twins so far away from the city, but a chance mee ng with Adina has changed
her life, perhaps forever.

40
HALF-DEMON PIRATE
Captain Wynter Thorne of the Sandskimmer vessel, the Wild Coyote, loves only one thing: gold. A er years of piracy and some even
more unsavory criminal acts, she had amassed a veritable dragon hoard of wealth she kept in a cave in the middle of the desert.
When the Storm hit, Wynter learned no map or compass could help navigate the Storm, so she started amassing her fortune once
again. An odd soul, she views everything through the lens of avarice, but without any of the malice usually associated it. A er a brief
alterca on with the party, Wynter joined enthusias cally as they possessed something she never knew she wanted: a Nyere.

41
 Legion - This ability card may be included in a
hero’s ability deck with another ability card of the
same name, but a different number (Burst Healing
and Burst Healing II can be in the same deck, but
not two copies of Burst Healing II, for example).
1D6 - The Fate dice (numbered 1-6). Some abili es
or items may ask a player to roll 1D6 or 2D6, as in, Max - Maximum, as in, the stat/thing/whatever
roll 1 or 2 of the Fate dice. can’t go higher.
2D6 - See above. Life Steal - Heals the a acker for 1 when they
a ack (2 and 3 heal for 2 and 3, respec vely). Life
Adjacent - In one of the eight surrounding fields. Steal X heals for the damage inflicted on the target.
Alter - Change a dice result to the listed result. Lost Health - How many wound tokens a hero or
adversary has.
Apply - A debuff is added to the target of the
a ack/ability. Melee - Weapons with a range of 1.
Assign Damage - A acks that assign damage ignore Nearby - In the same zone.
the target’s armor/defense. The target receives
wounds equal to the damage inflicted. On Defense On Encounter - The effect happens as soon as the
effects can s ll be relevant, but not if they add encounter begins, before any ac va ons.
armor or defense.
On Slay - The effect happens when the hero slays
Catalyst - Requires something to happen before an adversary.
can be used (like an adjacent ally being a acked).
Range X - The a ack or ability range is infinite (but
Discard - Discard a card, o en an ability card. may s ll be limited by line of sight).
Discard X means you pick the number of cards to
discard. If a weapon stated “Discard X to add X Blue Ranged - Weapons with a range greater than 1.
dice to the a ack” the number of cards you discard
would be equal to the number of blue dice you Refill - The hero draws ability cards un l they have
want to add to your a ack. their max hand size (5, in the demo).
Dismantle - Remove 1 card from the hero’s hand Remove - Remove a token or tokens.
(two cards for Dismantle 2, and so on).
Reroll - When dice are rerolled, the second result
Draw - Take a card from a par cular deck. Ability must always be used unless otherwise noted. Some
cards o en do not iden fy a deck, meaning they cards may say to reroll and add to the a ack. In
are to be drawn from the hero’s ability deck. those cases, the original roll is preserved and the
new roll is added to the a ack for more damage.
Gain - The target gains something, like more AP or
Speed. Self - The effect happens to the hero or adversary
performing it.
Ignore / Immune - The hero or adversary is not
affected by that a ack or debuff.

Exhaust - A weapon with this word has an ability

that can be used once an encounter. Place and
exhaust token on it a er use.

Enchant - Adds a new passive to that equipment

card that lasts the en re encounter.

Fate Dice - The pair of dice numbered 1-6 that are

used for tests.

Frenzy - Ignores the limit on number of a acks in

an ac va on with a single weapon (limited by AP,
of course).

42