His is a legacy drenched in the blood of the wicked and innocent alike.

When the orcs

invaded the elven lands, he was there with torches, setting fire to entire forests. When the elves
struck back at orcish villages, he was there murdering children so there would never be peace. From
the shadows he twisted the minds of kings and brought empires to ruin. On the battlefield, his blades
made countless orphans with every swing. To win his favor was tantamount to victory and to earn his
ire was to welcome death itself.

Even war has its end, however.

The races of Argalla grew weary of conflict and the God of War's power ebbed in a time of
unprecedented tranquility. He was still unmatched in combat but there were no more battles to fight
and the hatred of monarchs he had so relied on was relegated to the small and mediocre. War would
not begin from a drunken brawl or a farming dispute. It seemed as if war would never begin again.

Unrivaled in power and yet broken, he sat on his throne forged from the bones of his enemies
and watched. He looked to his children, bastard heirs to his mantle, as an opportunity to bring back
the world he remembered. These Demigods could prove their worth on the battlefield, as he did, and
whosoever could rise above the rest would take their father's place in the pantheon.

Now the Demigods are indeed rising and the shift in power has left no corner of Argalla
untouched. The orcs once again march upon elven lands while the elves send hunting parties as
deep into the human kingdoms as far as the capital itself. The armies of man have expanded their
colonies across the border with the dwarves while the dwarves dig ever further beneath the orcs in a
mad rush to secure enough ore to finish construction of their Golden God.

Wielders of dark magic have resurfaced in caves and forests the light does not touch.
Factions have broken out in every race as the world spirals ever closer to utter chaos. Each day the
Demigods wage war with their mortal proxies and every day their ranks swell with heroes who would
fight in the name of a future god.

War has returned to Argalla and the four races have no option but to choose a side. In defeat,
they may find eternal rest, but in victory they will earn the eternal gratitude of the next God of War…

2
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

COMPONENT LIST..........................................................................................................4
ACHIEVING VICTORY ....................................................................................................6
LEGEND..............................................................................................................................7
BATTLEFIELD .................................................................................................................8
Assemble the Battlefield .......................................................................................8
Place Obstacles ........................................................................................................9
HEROES .............................................................................................................................10
Hero Card ....................................................................................................................10
Hero Selection...........................................................................................................11
Hero Formation ........................................................................................................12
Divine Power .............................................................................................................13
Morale...........................................................................................................................13
Class Traits.................................................................................................................14
Base Attack .................................................................................................................15
Skills ..............................................................................................................................16
DEMIGODS........................................................................................................................16
Demigod Cards .........................................................................................................17
Demigod Items..........................................................................................................18
MINIONS .............................................................................................................................20
MOVEMENT.......................................................................................................................21
ATTACKING ......................................................................................................................22
Attack Dice..................................................................................................................24
BUFFS/DEBUFFS ..........................................................................................................25
PLAYING THE GAME......................................................................................................26
First Round .................................................................................................................26
Demigod Phase.........................................................................................................28
Hero Phase..................................................................................................................30
Preparation Phase ...................................................................................................34
SUMMERY .........................................................................................................................35

3
 COMPONENT LIST

1 RULEBOOK

19 RESIN MINIATURES
- 2 Demigods
- 9 Heroes
- 8 Minions

2 DEMIGOD CARDS

8 HERO CARDS

36 DEMIGOD ITEM CARDS

- 12 Weapons
- 12 Accessories
- 12 Armor

6 BATTLEFIELD TILES

30 OBSTACLES
- 3 BOULDERS
- 3 PITFALLS
- 3 SPIKE PITS
- 3 HIGH GROUNDS
- 3 MAGMA
- 3 PORTALS
- 3 FLASH FREEZE
- 6 ASCENDING STONE

22 CUSTOM DICE
- 12 Attack Dice
- 2 Demigod Dice
- 8 Divine Dice

54 BUFFS/DEBUFFS
- 16 Buffs
- 38 Debuffs

130 TOKENS
- 90 Wound
- 12 Cooldown
- 4 Your next!
- 12 Racial Links
- 12 Attack Links

4
RULEBOOK – A tome of knowledge containing BATTLEFIELD TILES – Battlefield tiles are
strategy, tactics, and a very comprehensive used to construct the battlefield on which the
component list. game will be played. The tiles are double
sided, allowing the construction of either
Arena of God of War or modular Dungeon
RESIN MINIATURES – This box contains 21 resin battlefield.
miniatures to physically represent specific
Demigods, Heroes and Minions on the battlefield.

OBSTACLES – The game include obstacles

HERO CARDS – Every hero in Demigods Evolution is which are used in order to add diversity and
unique. Hero cards are used to create formations unpredictability to the gameplay.
and track Hero statistics and skills during play.

CUSTOM DICE – There are 22 custom dice in

Demigods Evolution. Divine dice are colored
DEMIGOD CARDS – Each Demigod has its own card yellow, blue or red with sides numbered 1
with item slots that allow customization before every through 6. Divine dice are not rolled and are
battle. instead used for tracking the amount of
Divine Power each hero currently has.
Demigod dice are white, with numbers, and
are used to resolve initiative ties among
players. Attack dice come in a variety of
colors and symbols and are rolled when
taking actions including attacks and using
various skills and abilities.
DEMIGOD ITEMS – These cards are selected prior to
the start of the game to populate the slots on the
Demigod's card. There are three types of item cards:
Weapons, Accessories and Armor. Each slot on a
Demigod's card has a symbol identifying which item
type may be placed there.
BUFFS/DEBUFFS – Some dice, skills, abilities,
and Demigod items can cause positive or
negative effects on heroes and Demigods.
Buff and Debuff markers are used to keep
track of both the recipient and duration of the
effects.

TOKENS – These small cardboard markers allow

players to keep track of Demigod and hero health as
well as play order and stat-modifying links.

5
 ACHIEVING VICTORY

Demigods Evolution sets the sons and daughters of the God of War against each other in a battle to take
their father's place. The game can be played with either two or four players, the latter consisting of teams
of two. The more players, the more time declaring the victor may take. The victory condition you select
from below will determine what your Demigod must accomplish to become the next God of War.

SLAYER – A player or team wins by slaying all opposing heroes. In a 2-player game, each player will select
three to six heroes, while in a 4-player game each player selects three to four heroes. Note that in a Slayer
game, when a player loses all of their heroes, their Demigod leaves the battlefield in shame. In addition, if a
Demigod falls, their heroes will scatter from the battle even if an ally Demigod remains. In short, killing a
Demigod may not be the easiest path to victory, but it is the most direct.

If you're looking to jump immediately into the game, especially for the first time, pick four heroes per
player and follow the rules for the Slayer victory condition above. Simply ignore any rules pertaining
to demigods.

TACTICS – A 2-player duel between rival demigods, the first player to earn enough tactical points is
declared the victor. Each hero grants a predetermined number of tactical points to their opponent upon
death based on their class as shown in the table on the bottom right. Each player may select four to six
heroes, making sure not to exceed the maximum number of tactical points per team. The number of
tactical points needed for victory and the maximum allowed for team creation are available on the table on
the bottom left. Killing a demigod in a game of Tactics does not grant tactical points, but it does greatly
impact your opponent's chance of success.

Heroes Maximum Tactical points TANK WARRIOR ARCHER ROGUE MAGE

per player tactical points required
per team for winning

4 or 5 10 6
6 13 8 4 3 2 2 1

ADVANCED TACTICS – Follow the same rules listed under Tactics above, except each player also fields four
minions. Minions enhance the importance of control of the battlefield as whenever your minion exits the
game board on your opponent's side, you score one tactical point. Additional information about minions
can be found on page 20.

6
 LEGEND

Action Points Initiative

Action points are used for moving, rotating, Initiative determines the activation order of
attacking, performing skills and using items. heroes each round. Heroes with high initiative will
activate first.

Attack Wounds
The amount of damage an attack, skill or Demigod Wounds are the amount of damage a hero or
item inflicts. The color of the symbol determines Demigod has received. If a character receives
the type of attack. An illustration of attack types wounds equal to or greater than their health, they
can be found on the bottom of page 14. are killed and removed from the battlefield.

Physical Defense Magical Defense

Each point of physical defense negates one point Each point of magical defense negates one point
of incoming slashing, piercing or bludgeoning of incoming arcane, fire or ice damage per attack.
damage per attack.

Pure Damage Doesn’t end turn

Skills and items with this symbol ignore an After using skill or item with this symbol character
opponent's physical and magical defense when will be able to continue using remaining AP.
calculating damage.

Buff Debuff
Skills or items with this icon bestow positive Skills or items with this icon bestow negative
effects on the target. effects on the target.

Range Morale
The maximum range a skill or item can be used. A A hero's morale is passively added to (or in the
range of 1 signifies it must be used in melee range case of negative morale, subtracted from) their
while an ( ) signifies the skill must be used on the total damage and physical/magical defense.
caster or is a passive skill. A skill with a range of
( ) may target any field on the board, depending
on the skill description.

Dice Divine Power

At least one die is always rolled with each attack There are three types of divine power: rage, focus,
or damaging skill/item. If multiple dice are rolled, and mana. A hero's divine power is determined by
the first die on the card determines the attack their class. Rage is red, Focus is yellow and Mana
type. is blue.

7
 BATTLEFIELD

The Battlefield is where Demigods and their chosen heroes will fight to prove their supremacy. In the end,
there can only be one God of War.

ASSEMBLE THE BATTLEFIELD

Assemble the game board using the battlefield tiles of your choice. There are two battlefields you may
choose from to play the game:

ARENA OF THE GOD OF WAR

Surrounded by pitfalls, the God of War's personal

arena is large but unforgiving. Tactical
maneuvering will be vital as there is nowhere to
run. Use the six game board tiles as shown on the
right to create the battlefield. Note that when
entering the arena at the beginning of the game,
heroes and demigods will enter one space further
in (do not begin the match on a pitfall space).

THE DUNGEON

Deep in the underbelly of a forgotten kingdom, the

Dungeon extends miles in every direction,
twisting outward like the roots of an ancient tree.
1 2
The Dungeon is a modular battlefield that can be
created and adjusted to meet the needs of a 3
particular match. Smaller (or faster) games can
be played on two game board tiles, while larger
4 3
games can use all six game board tiles.

On the right is an example of a Dungeon 5

battlefield with randomly placed obstacles.
Obstacles add difficulty and tactical depth to the
game while also allowing particular heroes and
items to shine.

8
 PLACE OBSTACLES
Obstacles are optional gameplay elements that add peril and strategy to a battlefield. There are eight types of
obstacles in the game. Below are the rules for each of the eight types of obstacles. Some obstacles apply
debuffs or other damage types to a hero or demigod that moves or is pushed onto a space containing them.
Debuffs are explained on page 25.

There are no specific rules for obstacle placement. It's up to players to decide how they want to
customize their battlefields.

BOULDER – Boulders block line of MAGMA – Entering a magma field

sight and heroes and demigods adds one wound and applies the
can't move or be moved onto a field Burn debuff.
containing a boulder.

PITFALL - Heroes or demigods PORTAL – Entering a portal field

occupying a field with a pitfall instantly transports the Demigod or
cannot attack and receive three the hero to the another portal field
additional damage when attacked. without need for additional action
To exit, they must spend all of their points. If the other portal on which
action points to move to an adjacent the Demigod or the hero wanted to
field. If all adjacent fields are exit is occupied by another character,
blocked or otherwise unavailable, the portal cannot be activated.
the figure may be placed on the
closest unoccupied field.

SPIKE PIT – Spike pits act exactly FLASH FREEZE - Flash freeze fields
the same as pitfalls except any hero add three wounds and apply the
or demigod that moves or is moved Freeze debuff to any character that
into a spike pit receives five moves or is moved there.
wounds.

HIGH GROUND – Entering high ASCENDING STONE - Each demigod

ground requires an additional has its own Ascending Stone. Like
action point and attacking from high boulders, Ascending Stones block line
ground grants two extra damage. If of sight and characters may not move
a hero or demigod is pushed from or be moved onto them. However, a
high ground, they receive four Pure demigod can move onto their own
Damage in addition to the damage Ascending Stone allowing them to
caused by the action or attack that rotate in any direction and move one
pushed them (if applicable). field all at no AP cost. A demigod
cannot end their turn on an
Ascending Stone.

9
 HEROES

Demigods Evolution includes unique heroes from four different races. Each hero has two versions, found
on either side of their character card. Each version is distinguished with slightly different skillsets and, in
some cases, statistics. Heroes belong to one of five classes: tanks, warriors, archers, rogues or mages. Each
class has its own strengths and weaknesses and weighing those along with individual hero skills and
statistics is important for creating a well-balanced team.

HERO CARD
1 ACTION POINTS - Used to perform actions and
1 2
determines a character's mobility.
Sentinel
3
2 HEALTH - Total number of wounds needed to kill a
hero or demigod.
4 5
3 CALLING - A unique designation for every demigod
and hero.
4 INITIATIVE - Used to determine activation order of
heroes each round.

5 CLASS - Determines movement, class traits, and

divine power.

6 BASE ATTACK - The number of wounds a hero

inflicts when performing a base attack. The
background color identifies the attack type. An
illustration of attack types can be found on the
bottom of page 14.

7 PHYSICAL DEFENSE - Determines the amount of 6

damage reduction when attacked by slashing,
bludgeoning, or piercing attack types. 7 8
8 MAGICAL DEFENSE - Determines the amount of 9
damage reduction when attacked by fire, ice, or
10
3 Power Shot
arcane attack types.

9 RACE - The hero's race which can be distinguished

4 Arrow Rain
by the background color below the Base Attack. Blue Select a field. Arrow Rain attacks every character
for humans, green for elves, red for orcs and gold in a 3x3 area centered on that field.
for dwarves. Meditation
3 and 2 to the Sentinel.
10 CLASS TRAITS - Special passive bonuses and
disadvantages exclusive to each class.

10
 HERO SELECTION
The Heroes of Argalla each can provide unique strengths to the Demigods and disputes over selection
should be expected. If players cannot agree on who may play a particular hero, one of the following
selection methods can be used. In 4-player games each team should select their heroes together and then
decide which players will field individual heroes after.

CHIEFTAIN – The youngest player (or team with the youngest player) chooses one hero. The other player
or team then selects two heroes. The original player/team selects two heroes and so on until one player or
team has reached the agreed upon hero total. The other player or team will then select one final hero
(done correctly, both players/teams will finish with the same number of heroes). See the diagram below for
an example.

A viable strategy with Chieftain is to counter

your opponent's selections. If they are
attempting to form a team with heroes of the
same race, select any key members of that
race you can to counter them. Disrupting
your opponents racial/attack links by keeping
a close eye on hero initiative could be the
difference between victory and defeat.
Player/Team 1 Player/Team 2

DIVINE MIRROR – Divide the hero cards into three stacks by divine power; you should have a stack for all
Tanks and Warriors (Rage), all Archers and Rogues (Focus) and all Mages (Mana). Shuffle each stack and
then distribute the cards equally to each player or team. Remaining cards are returned to the box.

Divine Mirror is a great way to quickly select

heroes and ensure each team has equal
access to heroes with different types of
divine power. In the example to the right,
each player has created a balanced team of
one rage user, two focus users and two mana
users.

Player/Team 1 Player/Team 2

FREE PICK – Players are free to choose their heroes regardless of other player selections. Disputes can be
resolved by a coin flip.

11
 HERO FORMATION
After hero selection is finished, each player places their hero cards in a row on the table according to their
initiative, from highest to lowest (left to right). If two or more heroes have the same initiative, the player is
free to determine their order. Hero card formation can be very important as heroes of the same race or
attack type will receive bonuses when placed together. Be wary, however, as the bonuses are lost if one of
the linked heroes is slain.

Gunner Ogre Assassin Black Wolf

Switch heroes who have the same

initiative to link their race or attack
type with another hero.

1
3 Gunslinger Earthquake 3 Crossbow Shot 4 Steal Essence
Attack the target twice. Choose a field in melee range. Earthquake hits 2 to the target. Remove from Black Wolf equal to the
that field and every field after it in a straight line. inflicted on the target.

Racial link Attack link

4 Head Shot Fear 1 Open Wound 5 Bloody Cure
1 to all enemy heroes. On Critical: 2 to an allied hero.
Apply the Bleed debuff to the target. Remove all debuffs from that hero.

1 Grip Punch Blood Fury Bluff Wolf Form

Not affected by the Archery trait. 5 and 2 to the Ogre. Place the Assassin on an open field adjacent to the Switch to Wolf Form (flip this card over).
target before attacking.

6 Dwarf 5 Orc 5 Human 4 Orc

Heroes sharing the same race are granted one morale when placed adjacent to one another. If three heroes
of the same race are placed in a row, the middle hero receives morale bonuses from both sides. Place a
racial link token between each linked set of heroes as a reminder of the morale bonus.

Placing heroes of the same attack type next to each other allows both heroes to reroll one die when
attacking. This reroll is not mandatory. If the second roll is performed, the new result must be used. If three
heroes of the same attack type are placed in a row, the middle hero may reroll one die twice or reroll two
dice per attack. Place an attack link token between each linked set of heroes as a reminder of the reroll
bonus.

Gunner Assassin Ogre Black Wolf

By swapping the Assassin's position

with the Ogre, the player linked the
Ogre with Black Wolf, another orc,
giving both one additional morale.
1

The player also linked the Gunner with

the Assassin who both use the piercing
attack type, granting them each the
3 Gunslinger
Attack the target twice.
3 Crossbow Shot
2 to the target.
Earthquake
Choose a field in melee range. Earthquake hits
that field and every field after it in a straight line.
4 Steal Essence
Remove from Black Wolf equal to the
inflicted on the target.
option to reroll one die per attack.
4 Head Shot 1 Open Wound Fear 5 Bloody Cure
On Critical: 1 to all enemy heroes. 2 to an allied hero.
Apply the Bleed debuff to the target. Remove all debuffs from that hero.

1 Grip Punch Bluff Blood Fury Wolf Form

Not affected by the Archery trait. Place the Assassin on an open field adjacent to the 5 and 2 to the Ogre. Switch to Wolf Form (flip this card over).
target before attacking.

6 Dwarf 5 Human 5 Orc 1

Orc 4

12
 DIVINE POWER
There are three types of divine power: rage, focus, and mana. A hero's divine power is determined by their
class, but regardless of type only six divine power can be stored by a hero at any given time. Each hero
uses one divine die with the color corresponding with their divine power to track their current total. The
die should be placed on or near each hero card for easy reference.
RAGE is used by warriors and tanks. Rage heroes begin the game with one rage and gain one additional
rage each time they are attacked by an opposing character or attack an opposing character with their base
attack. Damage does not have to be received/dealt for Rage to be gained. Certain events may also increase
rage, such as rolling the “Enrage” effect with an attack die.
FOCUS is used by rogues and archers. Focus heroes begin the game with three focus. Whenever a focus
hero is attacked, regardless of whether or not they take damage, their focus is reduced by one. Focus is
replenished by two at the end of each round.
MANA is used by mages who begin the game with six mana. Mana is replenished by one at the end of each
round.

Tanks and Warriors gain 1 whenever they attack or are attacked

by an opposing character. They start the game with one rage.

Archers and Rogues receive 1 whenever they are attacked by

an opposing character. They begin the game with three focus and
gain 2 every round.

Mages start the game with six mana and gain 1 every round.

MORALE
A hero's morale can range from -3 to +3. A hero's morale total is passively added to (or in the case of
negative morale, subtracted from) their total damage and physical/magical defense. Heroes default at zero
morale unless they have one or more Racial Links established during setup. Many skills and items
temporarily alter morale, however, even if the total morale surpasses +3 or -3, the excess is not counted.

13
 CLASS TRAITS
The class traits listed below are passive abilities shared by all heroes of that class. Not all traits are
beneficial to the class they belong to. Being able to exploit the advantages and disadvantages of each class
is an important step toward victory. Note there are specific heroes that do not have each class trait or can
use certain skills to negate them.

ULTIMATE DEFENSE: Has no weak spot (does not receive additional damage when
attacked from behind).
DEFLECT: Has two additional magical/physical defense from frontal attacks.

FATALITY: Receives two additional rage when killing an opposing character.

RETALIATION: After being attacked from melee range, this character automatically
makes a free base attack against their attacker, rotating to face them if needed. This
character does not gain rage from retaliation.

ARCHERY: Suffers a four-damage penalty when an opposing figure is in melee range.

Also suffers a two-damage penalty when their target is four or more fields away.
MARKSMEN: Rolling a critical strike adds six damage to the attack instead of four.

BACKSTAB: Adds an additional three damage when attacking a character's weak spot (for
a total damage boost of five).
EVASION: Receives two less damage from physical ranged attacks.

SILENCE: Cannot use skills if an opposing figure is in melee range of this character.
BACKFIRE: When attacking an adjacent target, this character suffers two wounds if
attack succeeds.

BASE ATTACK
All heroes have a default attack they may use for action points without the need of divine power. A hero's
class determines how many action points are required as well as the range of the base attack (see below).
Once it is determined a hero has line of sight and is in range of its target, the player will roll one die based
on the hero's attack type and add the result to their damage value (as well as adding and subtracting any
applicable values). The die can add various effects to the attack depending on the attack type (see page 24
for further information).

Class
Slashing Bludgeoning Piercing
Action point
cost 1 1 1 2 3
Maximum
Range 1 1 1 5 6
Arcane Fire Ice

14
 SKILLS
Skills are active or passive special abilities each hero can perform. Some are advanced combat maneuvers
far superior to their base attack while others are more defensive in nature, providing aid to their allies or
weakening their foes. A reference of the various icons and symbols used for skills can be found on page 7.

1 ACTIVE SKILLS – Can be performed for a certain amount of

divine power and action points. Most active skills end a
hero's turn unless otherwise noted (such as the Hand of God 1 Armor Break
skill on the card above). Many skills require line of sight of 1 5 to the target.

the intended target to use, but some can affect the entire
1 Fortify
battlefield.
1 5 to an allied hero.

PASSIVE SKILLS - Always in effect without need of activation

Master Armor Passive
2 or fear of being disabled (such as the Master Armor skill
from the card on the right). Passive abilities can be easily
2 When defending against a physical attack,
roll a on a to ignore it.
identified as they will have no divine power or action point
cost, nor will they have a damage value.

Range Pure Damage Bludgeoning Die Rage Required

1 Armor Break
5 to the target.

Debuff Icon Skill Description Damage AP Required

Armor Break – This skill requires 3 action points and 5 rage to perform. It has
range of 1, so the Blacksmith's target must be in melee range. Armor Break has
pure damage, so it ignores its target's defense when calculating damage. It
applies a debuff, lowering the target's physical defense by 5 after the attack is
resolved. The player will roll one yellow (bludgeoning) attack die and add the
result to the skill's six damage.

Fortify – This skill also requires the Blacksmith's target be in melee range, but it
not an attack. It requires 2 action points and 2 rage two perform and applies a
buff of +5 physical defense to an allied hero. This skill has the free action
symbol, so using it will not end the Blacksmith's turn.

Master Armor – This is a passive skill. It has no cost and its range is irrelevant.
Whenever the Blacksmith defends against a physical attack, he rolls a green
attack die. If he rolls a *, he ignores the attack. Even if the Blacksmith ignores
the attack, he will still gain 1 rage for being attacked.

15
 DEMIGODS

Your Demigod is the commander of your squad of heroes. They are the dominant beings on Argalla and
their access to ancient relics and magical weapons allow them to prepare for almost any contingency. This
power is not without its constraints, however, as the God of War himself has placed special restrictions on
his offspring's participation on the battlefield.

The God of War's edict is clear: His progeny must adhere to the following rules or never take
his place.

Demigods…
- Cannot attack each other. Area of affect damage from other demigods is ignored.
- May not be healed or otherwise gain health through the actions of a hero.
- Always move before heroes and their initiative is determined by rolling the demigod dice.
- Are not affected by morale.
- Have restrictions for buffs and debuffs. All buffs and debuffs cast on demigods last for one
turn instead of two.

Demigods share many of the same statistics as heroes such as health, action points and physical and
magical defense. It's recommended you review heroes first as much of the information applies to
Demigods but is not repeated here.

16
 DEMIGOD CARD

Warlord

2
3
Warlord's Scythe
A1
Does not trigger Retaliation.

Enraged

1
1 to an allied tank or warrior.

Cleave Passive
The Warlord's melee attacks strike all 3 fields
in front of him.

1 SPECIAL ABILITIES - Both of a demigod's special abilities may be activated once per turn (if
applicable) at no cost before the use of action points. A reference of the various icons and symbols
used for abilities can be found on page 7.

2 PRIMARY ITEM – The demigod's signature item can be used every turn for the cost of one action
point. Using the primary item always ends the demigod's turn.

3 EQUIPMENT SLOTS - Slots to equip items and customizing your demigod for each battle.

Primary Item Weapon Armor Accessory

Players may choose their demigod by shuffling the demigod character cards and selecting at
random, or by simple agreement akin to the Free Pick option.

17
 DEMIGOD ITEMS
Each Demigod has three equipment slots players can use to cater to their playstyle. Items are divided into
three types: Weapons, Armor and Accessories. Demigods may have a slot for each type of item or multiples
slots of the same type. The Protector, for example, has a slot with all three item symbols on it, signifying he
may select any item for that particular slot.

Tornado Staff Commander’s Armor Swordmaster's Gauntlet

A 1 P On Critical: Apply the
Choose a hero during setup. That
Rotate enemy hero in any P hero has 2 for the entire game.
Knockdown debuff if target is
direction. If the hero dies, 10 to the wearer.
a hero.

Weapon Armor Accessory

A Active Ability – Triggered by expending one action point and followed by placing the
ability on a two-turn cooldown.

P Passive Ability – Effects are always present without need of activation or fear of being
disabled.

Range – The maximum range an item can be used. A range of 1 signifies it must be used
in melee range while an ( ) signifies the item must be used on the caster or is a passive
skill. An item with a range of ( ) may target any field on the board, depending on the skill
description.

Buffs and Debuffs – Abilities that provide temporary boons or afflictions. Buffs are
represented by a green banner and debuffs by a red banner.

Stat Boosts – Modification to the base statistics of the Demigod when equipped. These passive
bonuses are always active even if the item is on cooldown.

18
 Items grant to Demigods unique abilities separated into two categories: active and passive. Active abilities
are generally the most powerful but passives are more reliable. Use item cards to customize a Demigod to
your preferred play style.

Demigods don't use divine power to

activate their items' special abilities.
Instead, items require a two-turns
cooldown before they can be used again.
Elemental Sword
A1 Remove one cooldown token from each
item card at the end of the Demigod's turn.

A ACTIVE ABILITIES – Active abilities must be activated to take advantage of their power. Activation costs one
action point and ends the demigod's turn unless otherwise noted on the item card. After use, active
abilities may not be activated again for two turns. Place two cooldown tokens on the item card to signify it
is unavailable. At the end of the turn after that, the last token will be removed and the ability will be
accessible on the demigod's following turn.

P PASSIVE ABILITIES – These abilities are always “on” and do not require activation nor can they be
disabled. If an item card has both active and passive abilities, using the active ability does not place the
passive ability on cooldown.

Warlord

Warlord's Scythe
A1
Does not trigger Retaliation.

Enraged
1 to an allied tank or warrior.

Cleave Passive
The Warlord's melee attacks strike all 3 fields
in front of him.
Frost Staff Heavy Crossbow Scroll of Damnation
A5 A9 A Banish a hero. Banished
On Critical: Immobilize target. Choose a field in melee range. Heavy heroes cannot move, attack, or be
Crossbow hits that field and every field after
it in a straight line up to the maximum range.
attacked.

Players may select the items they wish, adhering to the type for each slot. Alternatively, players can
choose to randomly select equipment to avoid disagreement. To randomly select equipment,
separate the equipment cards into three stacks by type and shuffle each. Players will then draw three
of each type of equipment. Once players select equipment for each of the three available slots, the
remaining cards are returned to the box.

19
 MINIONS

Only available when using the Advanced Tactics victory condition, minions add another layer of strategy to
Demigods Evolution. Faithful servants of the Demigods, their sole purpose is to travel across the battlefield
and exit the same side of the board the opposing Demigod entered. Doing so earns favor of the God of War
and grants their Demigod one tactical point.

Each player begins the game with four minions. Minions are activated at the end of the hero phase, before
the start of a new round. Players may enter two minions onto the battlefield in the first round and one
minion every round after. Any minions already on the board may be activated in addition to the newly
arriving one. Unlike heroes, a player will move all applicable minions when it is their turn to do so, which is
performed in the same order the players' Demigods were activated that round.

These characteristics apply to all minions:

- Cannot attack.
- Only three available action points.
- One health and no physical or magical defense.
- Cannot rotate and may only move forward and left/right diagonal forward (if the direction the
minion enters the board is north, they may only move north, northeast and northwest).
- If a minion's path is blocked in all three directions, he may not move.

A minion's purpose is to serve. If destroyed, it returns to its player to enter the fray again. If a minion
manages to reach the last space on the edge the battlefield on its opponent's side (where the player's
heroes and Demigods entered the board), it is removed from play and set next to the game board to show
its owner has scored one tactical point. “Scoring” minions may not enter the battlefield for the rest of the
game.

This minion can reach the

opponent's side of the game board
1 and will count as 1 tactical point for
the player controlling it.

This minion must skip its turn as its

movement is blocked by two
1
2 opposing heroes and a pitfall.
Minions can't enter pitfalls unless
doing so would score a tactical point.
2

20
 MOVEMENT

Demigods, heroes and minions use action points to move across the battlefield. Moving one field (a square
on the board) or rotating 90 degrees on the character's current field costs one action point. Demigods and
heroes can dedicate as many or as few of their available action points to movement. Movement can be
performed at any time during a character's turn as long as he or she has action points available. Each
character moves differently on the battlefield depending on their class or type as seen in the diagram below.

Tank Warrior Mage Archer

Rogue Minion Demigod

The diagram above shows movement based on the direction a character is facing. Rotating will allow
classes with fewer movement options to reach a desired location on the battlefield. Minions may not rotate.

In the example on the right you can see

the Pegasus Knight getting in position to
strike Black Wolf. The Pegasus Knight
first needs to get in melee range. Since
she is a tank class hero, she can only
move forward and backward.
The Pegasus Knight moves forward two
fields, costing one action point per field.
She then must rotate 90 degrees to the
right for an additional action point and
then another two fields forward for a total
of five action points to reach Black Wolf.

21
 ATTACKING

In order to perform an attack, the target must be within range and in clear line of sight of the attacker.
There are six attack types divided into two categories: Physical and Magical. Physical attacks must exceed
the defender's physical defense and magical attacks must exceed the defender's magical defense in order
to inflict wounds.

PHYSICAL ATTACK TYPES - Slashing, Bludgeoning, and Piercing.

MAGICAL ATTACKS TYPES - Arcane, Fire, and Ice.

LINE OF SIGHT – Line of sight is an imaginary line between two figures. If this line crosses any other
figure, then the active Demigod or hero does not have line of sight and must either move or select a
different target. Certain obstacles block or otherwise impact line of sight (See page 9 for details on
obstacles). Demigods and heroes may only target figures in front of them, so line of sight must be drawn
from the three numbered directions in the diagram below. The first three fields in each of those directions
are considered, “melee range”.

Black Wolf has clear line of sight of the Trapper.

1 Black Wolf's base attack range is greater than
two, so she may perform an attack.

Black Wolf cannot attack the Pegasus Knight

1 3 2 because her line of sight is blocked by a
friendly hero.
2 Black Wolf cannot attack either the High Elder
3 or the Blacksmith because she doesnt have
clear line of sight to them.

LINKING ATTACK TYPES – If the hero cards of two or more friendly heroes of the same attack type are
adjacent to each other, those heroes may reroll one die when attacking. Page 12 has more information on
attack linking.

WEAK SPOT – Attacking a Demigod or hero from behind adds two additional damage. A figure's weak spot
is the exact opposite of their line of sight: backward and left/right diagonal backward (if you assume a
figure is always facing north, their weak spots are south, southeast and southwest).

FRIENDLY FIRE – Either by carelessness or ill intent it is possible to damage your own characters with
your attacks. Be mindful of area of effect abilities that may harm you and your allies and please note that
divine power is not affected by friendly fire (you cannot gain Rage nor lose Focus from friendly fire).

22
DAMAGE CALCULATION:
Attack + Dice Roll + Weak Spot + Attacker's Status Modifiers (Obstacles, Morale, Buffs and Debuffs) - Defense of
the Target (Including Any Status Modifiers)

Weak
spot
-1 2 -2 8

Let's calculate the damage based on the line of sight example on the previous page. Black Wolf
makes a base attack against the Trapper. Black Wolf has an attack of 9 with the fire (magical) attack
type. She rolls one fire die and gets a -1. Since Black Wolf is attacking the Trapper's weak spot, she
will inflict 2 additional damage for a total of 10 damage. The Trapper has a magical defense of 2 to
mitigate the attack. As there are no buffs, debuffs or other modifiers in play, Black Wolf reduces the
Trapper's health by 8.

What are the fields around character called? All fields bordering with the field the character is on (even on
edges) are considered adjacent fields (1-8). Three adjacent fields in front of character (1,2,3) are melee
range of attack. Attacks coming toward the character trough or from the three fields on his back (6,7,8) are
considered weak spot attacks.

1 2 3

4 5

6 7 8

23
 ATTACK DICE
Attack dice augment the various attacks performed by Demigods and heroes. Depending on the type of attack,
the dice will grant a flat damage increase (or decrease) or one of the below effects.

Slashing – Physical damage caused by Fire - Magical flames and searing heat from
swinging a sharpened blade, slashing dice various sources, fire dice have the following
have the following possible results: possible results: Burn, Failure, Critical, 2, 1,
Enrage, Enrage, Critical, 2, 1 and -1. and -1.

Piercing – Sharp physical thrusts such as Ice - The consequence of freezing blasts and
from spears or arrows, piercing dice have other chilling magical damage, ice attack dice
the following possible results: Critical, have the following possible results: Freeze,
Critical, 2, 1, -1 and -3. Failure, Critical, 2, 1, and -1.

Bludgeoning - The crushing blows of Arcane - Representing the magical damage of

physical damage caused by maces and countless sources, arcane dice have the
other heavy objects, bludgeoning attack following possible results: Pure Damage,
dice have the following possible results: Failure, Critical, 3, 2, and 1.
Knockdown, Push, Critical, 2, 1, and -1.

ENRAGE – Remove two wounds from the Demigod or hero making the attack. If rolled by a hero who
uses rage as their divine power, the attack grants one additional rage instead.
PUSH – The target is moved one field away from the attacker in the same direction as the attack.
CRITICAL STRIKE - Add four damage to the attack.
PURE DAMAGE – The attack ignores the target's armor, including any buffs (or debuffs) that affect
armor.
KNOCKDOWN – Applies the knockdown debuff to the target Demigod or hero. Characters suffering from
knockdown immediately lose all of their action points and cannot perform any actions for the rest of the
round. In addition, they receive three extra damage each time they are attacked. Characters suffering
from knockdown have no weak spot. All knockdown debuffs are removed at the end of the round.
FAILURE – If failure is rolled by a hero who uses mana as their divine power, subtract two from their
mana total in addition to the mana cost of the attack (if any). If the mana user does not have enough
mana to cover the cost, the attack is nullified regardless of the damage total. For all other Demigods
and heroes, rolling failure reduces the damage of the attack by two.
BURN – Adds the burn debuff, causing three wounds per round to the affected target.
FREEZE – Adds the freeze debuff, lowering the total possible action points of the affected target by two.

Enrage Knockdown Critical strike Burn

Push Failure Pure damage Freeze

24
 BUFFS/DEBUFFS

Many abilities and skills place temporary status effects on a Demigod or hero. Positive effects are known as
buffs and negative effects are referred to as debuffs. The typical duration for both buffs and debuffs is two
turns. Every buff and debuff has a token associated with it that can be placed on or below the Demigod or
hero card as a reminder the character's status has changed. Most tokens are numbered with a “2” on one
side and a “1” on the other so they can be flipped after the first turn and removed after the second.

Reinforce BUFFS - These tokens can be placed on or

P below the character card when a positive effect
is applied to a Demigod or hero. Bolt Shot
2
1
Crossbow Shot DEBUFFS - These tokens can be placed on or 3 Duration
2 below the character card when a negative Remaining
2 effect is applied to a Demigod or hero.
Effect

All non-passive buffs and debuffs are always flipped or removed at the end of the Demigod or hero's turn.
Note that debuff tokens with the symbol such as Bleed and Burn don't represent temporary negative
statistics but instead are a reminder to cause a certain number of wounds to the target every turn. This
damage is applied when the token is first placed on the character card as well as when the token is
flipped/removed.

Demigods are unique in that all buffs and debuffs inflicted upon them last only one turn. Tokens that
normally would start on the “2” side for a hero instead begin on the “1” side and are removed at the end of
the Demigod's next turn.

Global buffs and debuffs affect an entire team. They are flipped or removed during the Preparation Phase.
Global buffs and debuffs are more powerful than their individual counterparts and cannot be removed by
the effect of another skill or item. Global tokens should be placed on the affected player's side of the board
while active.

Passive buffs and debuffs are identified by a “P” on their tokens. These are permanent effects that cannot
be removed unless an ability or skill specifically says to do so (usually the same ability or skill that
provided them). Passive buffs and debuffs are not flipped or removed at the end of a Demigod's or hero's
turn.

After selecting your Demigod and heroes, you should collect the tokens that correspond with their
items and skills so they are ready for use during play.

25
 PLAYING THE GAME

Each game of Demigods Evolution is played in a series of rounds until the victor is determined. Each round
consists of three stages: the Demigod Phase, the Hero Phase and the Preparation Phase. The first round is
played slightly differently, the most important distinction being entering the battlefield.

FIRST ROUND
At the beginning of the game, players choose opposite sides of the board as their starting locations and
Demigods and heroes enter the board one at time. Entering the board costs one action point. Simply place
your figure on a space closest to the edge of your chosen starting location. Once on the board, heroes may
take their turns as normal. Demigods, however, may not attack as there will be no heroes on the board
when they enter and Demigods may not attack one another.

Demigods enter the battlefield first, their order determined by players rolling the Demigod dice. Heroes
enter after all Demigods are on the board. Heroes enter the battlefield according to their initiative, the
highest entering first.

If two or more players have heroes with the same initiative, the order should be determined by rolling the
Demigod dice, even if the players are on the same team. Players fielding two or more heroes with the same
initiative must use the formation order they established during setup (as shown on page 12), activating
from left to right. After the heroes have finished their turns (and if you are using the Advanced Tactics
victory condition), each player will select two minions to enter the board, using the same order the
Demigods entered by.

One You're Next! token is given to each player at the beginning of the match. The You're Next! token is used
to track which Demigod or hero activates next for that player and is placed on or below the character card
after the previous character completes their turn.

Once all characters have entered the battlefield and taken their first turn, the next round will begin. Read
the next two sections carefully for more detailed information on what actions Demigods and heroes may
take during the first round and beyond.

Please note that if more than one player has a hero with the same initiative, Demigod dice are rolled
every turn to determine activation order.

26
 1 2 3 4

9 6 4

Below is an example first round from one player's perspective. It includes entering the battlefield and
possible options during a Demigod's and hero's first turn.

1 The player has won the Demigod dice roll so his Warlord enters the battlefield first. Since this is the Arena
of the God of War, he enters one field in, skipping the pitfalls. The Warlord has an action point total of 4.
Based on the Demigod's items the player can choose to charge forward or hang back and wait for his
opponents to come to him. The player chooses to be slightly cautious and uses 1 action point to enter the
battlefield and another 2 to move for a total of 3 AP. Since there are no heroes on the board during the first
round, the player cannot attack and chooses to end the Warlord's turn, sacrificing his final action point.

2 After all the Demigods have taken their first turn it's time for the Hero Phase. Heroes enter the board one at
a time based on their initiative. The Knight's initiative of 9 is the highest in this game, so he enters the
battlefield first. The Knight has a total of 7 action points at his disposal. Since he is a tank class hero and
therefore able to withstand a lot of damage, the player chooses to be aggressive. He spends 1 AP to enter
the battlefield and 5 more to move adjacent to his opponent's Demigod. Now in melee range of his enemy,
he uses the Knight's final action point to make a base attack against the Demigod.

3 The player's opponent fields two heroes and it is now the player's turn to use his next hero, the
Weaponsmith. The Weaponsmith is a warrior which means he is not as tough as a tank, but still must be on
the frontline to be effective. The player chooses to have the Weaponsmith hang back for his first turn so he
can charge in and punish any heroes that venture too close in the following round. He uses 1 AP to enter
the battlefield and two more to move. The rest of his action points are forfeited.

4 The player's opponent fields the remainder of his heroes and it is now time for the player's Black Wolf to
join the battle. Black Wolf is a mage hero capable of great damage but dangerously fragile to physical
attacks. The player wisely chooses to not only keep her behind the rest of her team, but directly behind the
Weaponsmith so opposing heroes will have difficulty gaining line of sight. Black Wolf has 6 total AP, one of
which the player uses for her to enter the battlefield. He uses the rest to cast her Wolf Form transformation
skill and then perform Howl which will reduce the initiative of his opponent's heroes during the next round.

27
 DEMIGOD PHASE
Players roll the Demigod dice every round to determine the order Demigods are activated.

SPECIAL ABILITIES – Demigods can use their innate special abilities (listed below the portrait on their
Demigod card) before spending any action points. Note that Demigods can't use their special abilities
during the first round as there are no heroes on the battlefield.

MOVE – A Demigod can move one field in any direction without turning at the cost of one action point per
field. Rotating 90 degrees also costs one AP and is important even though a Demigod can move in any
direction. Demigods still need to face their target to have line of sight for most attacks and abilities. A
Demigod can move or rotate as many times as their action point total will allow.

ITEMS – Demigods can use active abilities from items if they have at least one action point remaining, are
in range, and have clear line of sight of their target, if applicable. Items with at least one cooldown token
cannot be used. All active abilities have a cooldown of two turns except the Demigod's primary item (on the
top right of their character card), which has no cooldown.

Once a Demigod has taken their turn, all buffs and debuffs are removed from their card as well as one
cooldown token from every item. The You're Next! Token is then moved to the player's hero with his highest
initiative. Below is an example of a typical Demigod's turn.

3
3 3

1
1

The Warlord begins his turn by activating his Enraged special ability to increase the Weaponsmith's
rage by one. The fact that the Weaponsmith is not in the Warlord's line of sight is irrelevant as
Enraged's range is global, able to target any allied tank or warrior on the battlefield.

28
2 Since the Warlord has only one active special ability, he now begins spending his action points. He uses
half of his 4 AP to move adjacent to the Blacksmith and the Trapper. He chooses to attack with his
Elemental Sword item which will use 1 action point but also end his turn so his remaining AP will be lost.

3
6 -2 2
Weak
spot
2 -1 14 1

Elemental Sword
-2 4 1
A1

-2 11 -1

Now that the Warlord is attacking his passive special ability comes into play. Cleave allows him to strike all
three fields in melee range with the Elemental Sword, hitting both the Blacksmith and the Trapper. The
Elemental Sword has a damage value of 10 in addition to three attack dice: ice, fire, and slashing. The
Warlord rolls all three dice and gets a Failure, Critical, and 1. As the Warlord is not a mana user, the Failure
counts as -2 damage. The Critical offsets this by adding 4 damage and the 1 adds 1 more damage for a total
of 3 additional damage from the attack dice. Since the Elemental Sword's first attack die is ice, the attack
type is magical and the two heroes must use their magical defense to mitigate the 13 damage each.
The Blacksmith's weak spot is exposed to the Warlord, so he must contend with 15 damage. His magical
defense is a paltry 1, so he takes 14 wounds, dropping his health to 24. The Blacksmith is a warrior, however,
so his retaliation class trait activates. He rotates to face the Warlord and makes a base attack of 6
bludgeoning (physical) damage In addition to +2 roll from bludgeoning die. The Warlod's physical defense
of 2 means he takes 6 wounds, lowering his health to 44. The Blacksmith gain 1 rage from being attacked
but none for his retaliation attack.
The Trapper's magical defense is 2 and she is facing the Warlord, so she receives 11 wounds from the
attack. Her health drops to 19 and she loses 1 focus.
After the attack is resolved, two cooldown tokens are placed on the Elemental Sword item card and the
Warlord's turn is finished. The player takes the You're Next! token and places it on their hero with the
highest initiative.

During the Demigod Phase be sure to keep a few things in mind:

- Use your active special abilities before you spend any action points. In 2v2 matches any ability that
allows you to target allied heroes allows you to assist your teammate's heroes as well as your own.
- Always look for instances when your passive abilities apply.
- In the Slayer victory condition losing your Demigod loses the entire game so be careful where you end
your turn. Proper positioning can be the difference between victory and defeat.

29
 HERO PHASE
Once the last Demigod takes their turn it's time for the heroes to act. The hero with the highest initiative
activates first, with ties settled by the Demigod dice. Remember the death of a hero can disrupt a team's
formation, both breaking and creating attack and racial links.

INITIATIVE – The activation order of heroes is determined by their initiative, the highest going first. If two
or more players have heroes with the same initiative, the order should be determined every round by
rolling the Demigod dice. A player with two or more heroes with identical initiative must follow the
formation order they created at the beginning of the game, the left-most hero activating first.

5 3
6 6
The Trapper and the Weaponsmith are on opposing teams but have the same initiative. Their players
each roll one Demigod die to settle the dispute. The Trapper's player rolls higher, so she may activate
first.

There are some buffs and debuffs that can alter a hero's initiative. The hero will activate using the new
value but it will not change the player's hero formation established at the beginning of the game.

MOVE – A hero can rotate 90 degrees or move one space in any direction allowed by their class at the cost
on one action point. A hero can move or rotate as many times as their AP total will allow.

BASE ATTACK – If a hero has enough action points, is in range, and has clear line of sight of their target, he
or she may make a base attack. Using a base attack ends the hero's turn.

SKILLS – Heroes may use any of their skills as long as they meet the action point/divine power
requirements to do so, have line of sight, and are in range of their target (if applicable). Note that mages
cannot use their skills if an opposing character is in melee range.

After a hero ends their turn, flip all non-passive buff and debuff tokens located on their character card. If
any token began the turn on the side with a “1” on it, they are removed instead of flipped. Place a You're
Next! Token on your hero with the next highest initiative in your formation (or on your Demigod if all of
your heroes have activated this round).

Minions are played at the end of the Hero Phase if you are using the Advanced Tactics victory condition.
One minion per player enters the board using the same order their masters took in the Demigod Phase. Any
minions already on the board may also be activated.

30
1 It's the Knight's turn to activate. In order to strike
the Pegasus Knight, the Knight needs to be in
melee range. As a tank, the Knight is limited to
moving forward and backward. He moves two
fields for 2 action points and rotates 90 degrees to
the right for 1 more AP. Finally, he moves forward
twice more for a total of 5 action points of his 7 AP
total. The Knight is now in melee range of the
Pegasus Knight.

Since the Knight began the turn with 3 rage, he can use his 2 remaining AP to either make a base attack
against the Pegasus Knight (forfeiting 1 AP) or use his Star Strike skill on her.

1 2 -5 3 1

The Knight makes a base attack against the Pegasus Knight. The Knight's base attack has a damage
value of 6. He rolls one bludgeoning die and gets a 2 for a total damage of 8. The Pegasus Knight
has 5 physical defense, lowering the number of wounds she receives to 3 and dropping her health
to 35. She gains 1 rage for being attacked and the Knight gains 1 rage for attacking. Even though the
Knight attacked the Pegasus Knight from behind, she is a tank and therefore has no weak spot, so no
additional damage was added.

Physical attacks are not very effective against tanks. Some attacks are able to penetrate even the strongest
of defenses, however, such as the Knight's Star Strike skill. Below shows the difference a powerful skill can
make over a simple base attack.

-3 2 3 11 1

The Knight spends 3 rage and 2 action points to attack the Pegasus Knight with his Star Strike skill.
Star Strike has a damage of 6 with two attack dice: bludgeoning and piercing. The Knight rolls both
and gets a 2 and a 3 for a total damage of 11. The Pegasus Knight's physical defense does not
mitigate damage from the attack because Star Strike has the * icon signifying it ignores the target's
defense. The Pegasus Knight still gains 1 rage for being attacked, but she receives the full 11
wounds, dropping her health to 27.

31
 Battlefield awareness is important to keeping your Demigod and heroes alive. What may seem like a strong
turn now may prove fatal the following round. Moving to attack an opponent's weak spot will cause more
damage but will it expose your hero to greater peril? The next example analyzes the consequences of
reckless actions and the importance of considering all of your options.

B
B

Our Weaponsmith has 6 rage and 6 AP at the beginning of this turn. Let us break down some possible
continuations from the position shown on the picture above.

A
Weak
spot
4 2 -1 12 -1

The Weaponsmith is close enough to be able to position himself behind the Trapper and make a
base attack against her weak spot. He spends 3 action points to move three fields forward and 1
additional AP to rotate 90 degrees. Since the Weaponsmith is a warrior, he only needs 1 AP to
perform a base attack. The Weaponsmith's base attack has a damage value of 7 and he rolls one
slashing die. The roll result is a Critical, which adds 4 to the damage value of the attack in addition
to the +2 from attacking the Trapper's weak spot for a total damage of 13. The Trapper's physical
defense is only 1 so she receives 12 wounds, dropping her health to 18. The Trapper's focus is
decreased by 1 while the Weaponsmith's rage remains the same as he is already maxed out at 6.

32
 The Weaponsmith's attack was well-executed and dealt heavy damage to the Trapper, but now he has back
to the Blacksmith, opening himself to an attack against his weak spot. Were there better options available
for the Weaponsmith?

B
Sharpen

-3 3
2

Instead of charging to attack the Trapper, the Weaponsmith decides to remain where he is. He
performs his Sharpen skill on the Assassin, which will buff his ally's damage by 3 at the cost of 3
rage and 3 action points. Normally using an attack or skill ends a hero's turn, but Sharpen has
the symbol, signifying using it does not end the Weaponsmith's turn.

-3 4 -3 9 1
Bolt Shot

1
3 3

The Weaponsmith now has the option to move one field forward and attack the Trapper with a
base attack or use a different skill, Bolt Shot, on the Blacksmith. The Weaponsmith chooses to
attack the Blacksmith. He has clear line of sight, enough AP and range to perform Bolt Shot, which
has a damage value of 8 in addition to one piercing die. The Weaponsmith rolls a Critical to add 4
damage to the attack. The die roll also activates the On Critical effect of the skill, applying a debuff
to the Blacksmith that lowers his attack by 3 for two turns. The Blacksmith has a physical defense
of 3 to subtract from the 12 damage of the attack. The Blacksmith's Master Armor passive skill
allows him to ignore a physical attack if he rolls a Critical on a piercing die, but he rolls a -3. The
Blacksmith gains 1 rage from being attacked but he takes 9 wounds and his health drops to 29.

The Weaponsmith's turn ends after the attack but he and his team are now in a much better
position. The Assassin will cause more damage on his next two turns while the Blacksmith will
cause less. In addition, while the Weaponsmith caused less damage than he would have if he
attacked the Trapper, his back is to the edge of the battlefield, protecting his weak spot from
attack.

As the previous examples illustrate, there are often several options to consider each turn. Weigh
every decision carefully and learn to plan ahead if you wish to become the next God of War.

33
 PREPARATION PHASE
After all Demigods, heroes and minions have ended their turns, the round ends. Complete the following
steps before beginning a new round:

1 All mage heroes increase their available mana by one and all rogues and archers increase their
available focus by two. Note that divine power can not exceed six rage/focus/mana.

2 Place the You're Next! token on or below your Demigod card.

3 Demigods or heroes who are on fields with a pitfall or spike pit obstacle are placed on an adjacent
available field.

4 Any knockdown tokens are removed from afflicted Demigods and heroes.

5 Flip or remove the tokens for each active global buff and debuff.

Play will continue round by round until a player or team meets the requirements established by the
game's victory condition.

34
 GAME MODE
- Number of players: 2 or 4 (two teams of 2)
- Victory condition: Slayer, Tactics, or Advanced Tactics
- Choose a battlefield
- Select obstacles (if desired)
- Choose heroes: Chieftain, Divine Mirror or Free Pick
- Select Demigods
- Choose Demigod items
- Collect buff/debuff tokens for all selected characters and items

SETUP
- Assemble the battlefield
- Place obstacles (if applicable)
- Create hero formation and place divine dice next to each hero card
- Place racial and attack links
- Equip Demigods with items and place You're Next! Token next to Demigod card
- Place passive buffs on affected character cards
- Place wound tokens and attack dice near the battlefield within reach of all players

FIRST ROUND
- Each player rolls one Demigod die.
- Demigods enter the battlefield in the order determined by the Demigod dice. Demigods can only move in
the first round.
- Heroes enter the battlefield based on initiative and formation. If two or more heroes from different players
have the same initiative, roll Demigod dice to determine order. Heroes have no first-round restrictions.
- If playing Advanced Tactics, minions enter the battlefield in the same order as the Demigods did.
- After all Demigods, heroes and minions have finished their turns, enter the Preparation Phase.

DEMIGOD PHASE
- Each player rolls one Demigod die.
- Demigods activate in the order determined by the Demigod dice. Demigods use all active special abilities
first, then may move and use items.
- At the end of each Demigod's turn, remove all non-passive buff and debuff tokens (excluding knockdown).
Also remove one cooldown token from each item card.

HERO PHASE
- Activate heroes in order according to their initiative, rolling Demigod dice if needed. Heroes may move,
use skills or make a base attack.
- At the end of each hero's turn, flip or remove each non-passive buff and debuff token (excluding
knockdown).

PREPARATION PHASE
- Mage heroes gain 1 mana and rogues/archers gain 2 focus. Divine power total cannot exceed 6.
- Place “You're Next!” token on your Demigod.
- Place Demigods and heroes on pitfall and snake pit fields on an available adjacent field.
- Remove any knockdown tokens from character cards.
- Flip or remove all non-passive global buffs and debuffs.
- Repeat Demigod Phase, Hero Phase, and Preparation Phase until one of the players or teams meets the
victory condition.

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