Descent: Journeys In The Dark - Fantasy Flight Games

Updated March 18, 2010Rule Changes and ClarificationsFollowing are the frequently asked questions, errata, andclarifications for the Descent: Journeys in the Dark boardgame. Material that is new to this version of the FAQ ishighlighted in red.The following rules have been changed or clarified toimprove gameplay.Blast and BreathThese abilities are not mandatory. If not used, the attack istreated as a normal ranged or magical attack.Errata and FAQs for The Well of Darkness Expansionare on page 9 of this document.Leadership (skill)FAQs for The Altar of Despair Expansion are on page10 of this document, all rules for Leap are there as well.You may not choose the same half action twice withLeadership. It is not possible to place an order on anotherfigure and an order on the figure with Leadership. It ispossible for a hero with Leadership to give another heroa Rest order, and then have that hero activate and recoverfull fatigue on their turn in the same round that the orderwas placed.Errata and FAQs for The Road to Legend Expansionare on page 12 of this document.Errata and FAQs for The Tomb of Ice Expansion are onpage 17 of this document.Erratta and FAQs for The Sea of Blood Expansion areon page 18 of this document.Drinking PotionsEach hero may only drink 1 potion (of any type) eachturn. This prevents players from using certain overlypowerful potion combinations. All potions are returned tothe Market when the effects of that potion end.Descent: Journeys in the DarkBase Game ErrataEmpty SpacesChests, Glyphs, Potions, Coin Piles, and Rune Keys donot count as empty spaces for the purposes of playingtraps. They do not block line of sight, and figures maymove through as normal.A step is missing from the “Game Setup” rules on page 6of the rule book: The overlord player should start with 3overlord cards and 0 threat tokens.The power surges example on page 10 of the rule bookmentions a card named “Mace of Kellos.” This card wasremoved from the game late in development. (It may seelater publication.)Discarding Overlord Cards for ThreatThe overlord can discard cards for threat tokens at anytime, even during a hero player’s turn.Selling Treasure from ChestsVitality potions should cost 50 coins, not 25 as listed onpage 20 of the Quest Guide.Landrec the Wise’s special ability should state that he“receives 2 free surges on all attack rolls.”Heroes can no longer immediately turn in a treasure cardfrom a chest to receive its full value. Instead, they mustcarry the item back to town and sell it for half value in thetown shop.In the first quest, one of the razorwings in Area 3 is placedoff the map. It should be placed one space to the south.Buying Treasure Cards from the ShopHeroes can only buy treasure cards from the shop ifthey’ve previously opened at least one chest of that colorthis game. For example, until the heroes open at least onesilver chest, they cannot buy silver treasures from thetown shop.In some cases the Quest Guide calls for more monstersthan are included in the game. For these quests, use othermonster figures or tokens to represent the extra monstersas necessary. These instances are detailed on the erratasheet available on FFG’s website.1

Pits and Line of Sight(trees, elevated terrain)should affect a creature onlypartly standing on it. Usethe following guidelines toarbitrate these instances.Figures in a pit can see into the spaces adjacent to the pit.This prevents a problem from occurring with the Grappleability.Small Monsters and StaircasesLarge monsters (monsters that occupy more thanone space) are heavier and therefore less affectedby Knockback. For each space beyond the first thatthe monster occupies, it is moved one less space byKnockback. For example, an ogre occupies four spaces,so it would move three fewer spaces when affected by theKnockback ability. A dragon, on the other hand, occupiessix spaces, so it would move five fewer spaces.The overlord may chooseto have a monster affectedby any terrain it partiallyoccupies. A monster MUSTbe affected by any terrainit completely occupies. Ifthe monster iscompletelyoccupyingmultipleterrains, the figurehas to be affected byone of the terrains (Overlord's choice).Runelocked Doors and Named MonstersCard RevisionsBy using one movement point, a small monster maymove from one space containing a staircase to any spacecontaining a staircase of the same color.Knockback and Large MonstersNamed monsters may open and close runelocked doors,whether or not the heroes have the runekey to that door.However, named monsters still cannot open any doorleading into an unrevealed area.BeastmanBeastmen have 1 Damage instead of Pierce 1, andMaster Beastmen have 2 Damage instead of Pierce 2.SkeletonBreath Template ClarificationSkeletons have Pierce 1, and Master Skeletons have Pierce2.The flame from a Breath attack billows out and aroundobstacles. It usually affects all figures under the breathtemplate, but the flame can be blocked by walls andclosed doors. Essentially, if a small flying figure couldtrace a legal movement path from the square where theBreath attack starts to the target – while staying withinthe breath template – then the target is affected. See thediagram on page 3 of this FAQ for examples. Breathattacks cannot be made through staircases.Bow (a shop item)The Bow has Pierce 1.Bow of Bone (a silver treasure)The Bow of Bone should not have “ : Burn.”Golden Armor (a silver treasure)Sorcery versus IronskinThe complete abilities of Golden Armor are:Sorcery may not add damage to any attack that includesa figure with Ironskin. It may add range to the attack, butnot damage. Yes, Laurel can get around this. The damageimmunity granted by Ironskin does extend to all figuresaffected by an attack that includes a model with Ironskin.This refers solely to the damage caused by the Sorceryskill. 3 ArmorYour base speed is reduced to 3.You cannot equip Runes.You are immune to Grapple and Daze.Dragon Scale Mail (a gold treasure)The complete abilities of Dragon Scale Mail are:SkyeSkye has the Fly ability, but can also end its movement inthe same space as another figure. 4 ArmorYour base speed is reduced to 3.You cannot equip Runes.You are immune to Bleed, Burn, and Poison.Soulbiter RelicThe Soulbiter Relic changes from a Melee to a Rangedweapon after the first seal is broken.Gauntlets of Power (a copper treasure in Altarof Despair)Large Monsters and TerrainReplace the text on Gauntlets of Power with thefollowing:When large monsters move, they can sometimes findthemselves moving across hazardous terrain (lava,scything blades) twice as often as other figures. Further,it can often be confusing whether or not beneficial terrain"All of your attacks gain the ability:Exhaust Gauntlets of Power and pay toRecover 1 fatigue."2

Breath Attack Blocking ExamplesThe diagram above shows how a section of thedungeon looks just before a Hell Hound makes aBreath attack.In the above example, the Breath attack billowsaround the curve in the hallway and throughthe rubble obstacle, reaching both heroes underthe breath template. Notice that a flying figurestanding on the “start” (leftmost) space of thebreath template could trace a movement path toboth heroes.In the other three diagrams, the spaces that areshaded yellow show which spaces are affected bythe Breath attack, and the red squares show thespaces that the Breath attack is unable to reach.In the above example, the Breath attack is almostentirely blocked by the dungeon walls. Eventhough the breath template reaches the heroes,a flying figure on the “start” space of the breathtemplate would not be able to stay within theconfines of the breath template and trace a legalmovement path to either of the heroes.In this example, a door has been added. The doorblocks the Breath attack, so only one of the heroesis affected by the attack.3

Descent: Journeys in the Dark BaseGame FAQQ: During setup, are all potions available for purchase,similar to the Advanced Campaign?A:Yes.The Hero Player’s TurnQ: If an item such as a shield is exhausted, are its passiveabilities (if any) disabled?A: No. The only limitation is that the item cannot useany ability that requires it to exhaust until it has beenrefreshed.MovementQ: When a hero is moved into a space at the end of aKnockback attack, does the figure have to pay any cost orpenalties for that space?A: Yes.Q: On page 18, the rules for “Copper Treasure” statethat “each Hero draws one card from the copper treasuredeck.” If a chest has 2 copper treasure tokens, does eachhero draw 2 copper treasure cards?A: Yes.Q: If movement point costs are ignored by figuressuffereing Knockback (or smaller movement styles likeSwinging on a Rope, Jumping, and Climbing out of aPit), do they still pay Fatigue penalties (such as Sea ofBlood's deep water?)A: Yes.Q: When can a hero equip items?A: A hero can equip, drop, or place items in his pack atthe beginning of his turn, just after refreshing cards. Inaddition, whenever a hero receives an item from anotherplayer or from a chest, he may immediately equip thatitem, dropping or placing other items in his pack to freeup the hands necessary for the just-received item.Q: Can stunned heroes perform movement actions (suchas drinking a potion)?A: Yes, if the stunned hero chooses to receive movementpoints rather than attacking or placing an order. A stunnedhero can also freely spend fatigue for movement points.Q: Can a hero give any type of item to an adjacent hero,or just weapons and potions?A: A hero may give any item to an adjacent hero at thecost of one movement point. A hero may never givemoney to another hero.Q: Can a hero that chooses the “Run” action use hismovement points for purposes other than moving (such asdrinking a potion)?A: Yes. Whenever a hero receives movement points, hecan use them for any movement action, including moving,drinking a potion, opening a door, etc.Q: How does the hero “Re-equip” movement action work?Under what other circumstances may a hero swap out hisequipped items?A: At the start of each of her turns, a hero may freelyexchange whatever items she has equipped with those inher bag. By spending 2 movement points for a re-equipmovement action, a hero may do the same thing at anypoint during her turn (so that she can, for example,un-equip a dangerous weaponfor fear of a Dark Charmcard). In addition, eachtime a hero acquires anew item for any reason,she may equip that itemand unequip (place inher bag of discard) anyitems necessary for herto do so. ForQ: In town, are you limited in how many items you canbuy or sell and do you have to buy and sell in any specificorder?A: You can buy and sell in any order and as often as youlike.Q: Why can’t I jump over water like I can pits?A: As every hero knows, the dank water found insubterranean caverns is usually infested with deadlybloodsquids, ready to pull an unwary hero to his doom ata moment’s notice. As a result, only the most acrobaticheroes dare to leap across even the most innocent-seemingpools of water.Items, Treasure, and EquipmentQ: If a potion or a Town Deck item is discarded, dothey go back to the pool of available items or are theyout of the game? If an item is sold back to the shop, isit discarded or added/shuffled back into its appropriatedeck?A: Town items and potions are replaced back into thedeck.Q: During step 5A of setup, when heroes are purchasingtheir initial equipment, can they sell items? Can they tradeitems among themselves?A: Heroes cannot sell items during step 5A of setup. Theymay also not trade among themselves.4