Overview 1. Table of Contents 2. Setup 3. Beginner Walkthrough 5. Parts of a Card 7. Playing Cards 8. Card Effects 10. Reclaiming 11.

Transcription

1 Overview As foretold, the living-god Hopesong has passed from the lands of Lyriad after a millennium of reign. His divine spark has fractured, scattering his essence across the land, granting power to a fated few The Chosen. But while the spark grants many gifts, it also brings with it a deadly compulsion to destroy all other Chosen and reclaim their spark. In keeping with tradition, the Empire has organized the Divine Melee. The deadly tournament has taken place with every god s passing, and as dictated by the ancient pact between the gods and the Sorcerer-Kings, the winner of the Melee will adopt the mantle of the living-god. Chosen nobles and peasants, wizards and warriors, bring skills refined over a lifetime in an attempt to gain immortality, exaltation, and the title of Paragon. Welcome to Paragon: Duels of the Chosen, a card game of skill, intuition, and resource management that provides endless opportunities for customization and strategy. You will construct a build of abilities and equipment cards, choosing from Martial (physical combat), Magic (wizardry and spells), Mythos (powers of light and dark), and Mischief (precision and skullduggery) for each game. Use your cards to reduce your opponent s health to zero, thus advancing in the Divine Melee. 1

2 Table of Contents Overview 1 Table of Contents 2 Setup 3 Beginner Walkthrough 5 Parts of a Card 7 Playing Cards 8 Card Effects 10 Reclaiming 11 Responding 12 Passive Cards 13 Companion Cards 13 Movement 14 Range 15 Turn Sequence 16 Defense Counters 17 Creating a Build 18 Schools and Disciplines 19 2

3 Setup Choose Your Build In order to play Paragon, you'll need a set of 11 cards, called a build. If you re a beginner, you can use one of the builds included in the Starter Set. But anyone is welcome to create a custom build out of the hundreds of cards available. See Creating a Build to learn how. The Chivalry/Divinity build included in the Starter Set 3

4 Enter the Arena Once you have your build, spread out your Weapon, Armor, Accessory, and Passive cards face up in front of you, then add the remaining cards to your hand. Your equipment and Passive cards start the game in play. You and your opponent each start the game with 20 health and 10 energy. You also start at range 7. You ll find a set of components to keep track of health, energy, and range in the Starter Set. Twenty-sided dice for health, a ten-sided die for range, black and white crystals for energy, and black shields for defense counters. Some of your cards may have powerful effects that require you to reduce your overall energy pool. If you have any cards with Ongoing effects ( ), permanently remove energy counters from your pool equal to their costs (printed within the Ongoing icon). The player with the larger starting energy pool goes first (with ties determined by Rock, Paper, Scissors ). Next, we ll walk through a couple example turns to get you acquainted with the flow of the game. 4

5 Beginner Walkthrough This section will explain how to jump right into the game without going into detailed rules. Later sections will elaborate. Follow along with the Chivalry/Divinity starter build included in the Starter Set for a hands-on tutorial. You can take the first turn here. Start Phase The first phase of each turn is called the Start Phase. In this phase, each player carries out card effects that happen at the start of a player s turn. 1. None of the cards in play have an effect that happens at the start of your turn, so you can start the next phase. Reclaim Phase In the Reclaim Phase, reclaim an energy counter from your movement pool and each of your cards. 1. You haven t spent any energy counters yet, so you can start the next phase. Main Phase During your Main Phase, you may play cards and/or move, in any order. 1. Since you started at range 7 and most of your cards have a shorter range, you ll want to get closer to your opponent. Spend 2 energy counters to move (create a pool of them next to the range die), putting you at range 5 (adjust the range die accordingly). 2. You can only move once per turn, but you can also play a card to make full use of your turn while you approach your opponent. Play your Smite card, which has a minimum range of 5 (place it face up in front of you with 3 of your energy counters on it). 3. Since Smite has an Instant effect ( ), it is carried out immediately. Follow the instructions on the card to deal 2 damage and take one of your opponent s energy counters. 5

6 End Phase Carry out any card effects that happen at the end of a player s turn. 1. None of the cards in play have an effect that happens at the end of your turn, so you can end your turn. Your Opponent s Turn Your opponent then follows the same order of events, carrying out card effects, reclaiming energy counters, moving, and playing cards. Start Phase Turn 2 1. If there are still no cards with effects that need to be carried out at the start of your turn, you can start the next phase. Reclaim Phase Turn 2 1. Reclaim an energy counter from your movement pool and your Smite card. 2. To reclaim something is to put it back where it started. This means you can either return one of your own energy counters on Smite to your energy pool, or return your opponent s energy counter to him. 3. Whenever you reclaim the final energy counter from a card, you also reclaim the card. Smite came into play with three of your energy counters and gained another when it took your opponent s. It can t be played again until it s reclaimed. Main Phase Turn 2 1. You may be still out of range to use some of your cards, which means you ll need to move toward your opponent again. This time, spend 3 energy counters to dash (move 3). 2. If you re within range, you can play any of your cards. End Phase Turn 2 1. Carry out any effects that happen at the end of your turn, then end your turn. Onward! You just learned how to move, damage your opponent, and apply a unique card effect. These are the basics of Paragon, but a well-piloted build will allow you to do so much more. Read on to explore the fundamentals of the cards, including how and when to play each type. 6

7 Parts of a Card (a) School A card s background color identifies its school. Blue is Magic, red is Martial, green is Mischief, and yellow is Mythos. Schools affect your overall strategies and build creation. (b) Type Equipment cards have one of three types: Weapon, Armor, or Accessory. Ability cards have disciplines that are derived from their schools, as well as levels to indicate their overall power. Each discipline specializes in a different area of combat, which can further refine your strategies. (c) Range Every card has a minimum and maximum range, which help determine whether the card can be played. If a card s effect is activated while you re out of range, it will miss (do nothing). Cards are still reclaimed when a miss occurs. (d) Effects Card effects allow you to deal damage, restore health, reposition yourself, and much more. You typically have to meet requirements before activating them, such as paying their energy costs. There are several types of card effects, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. See Card Effects to learn more. 7

8 Playing Cards To "play" a card is to place it face up in the middle of the board (the table or whatever surface you re playing on), then take energy counters from your pool and add them to the card. Add energy counters equal to the cost of the card s effects. To play a card, you must meet all of these requirements: The card has an Instant ( ), Cast ( ), or Channeled ( ) effect. It s your Main Phase (excludes cards with Instant effects). You have at least as much energy as the effect s printed energy cost. You are within the card's range (inclusive). The card has no energy counters on it. There are several locations where cards may reside: In Play Every card that is face up on the board is considered in play. Equipment and Passive cards start the game in play, whereas your other cards must be played from your hand. Attached If a card attaches to you, place it below your other cards in play. Players still reclaim energy counters from attached cards, so their effects tend to have limited durations. In Hand Your hand contains your non-passive ability cards. Keep your hand hidden from your opponent, but the number of cards in each player s hand is public knowledge. Exiled Some cards tell you to exile a card, which means to remove it from the game permanently (set it aside). 8

9 Example mid-game board. Your opponent s cards are green, and yours are blue. You have 7 cards in play, one of which is attached to your opponent (at the top). 9

10 Card Effects Every card in Paragon has at least one effect on it. There are different types of effects, each of which behave differently. Some schools and disciplines favor certain types of effects over others, but all have their uses. Cast Cast effects take a certain amount of time before they activate, but are usually quite strong to compensate. When you remove the last energy counter from a card with a Cast effect in play, activate the Cast effect (carry out the printed instructions). Cast effects with a cost of 0 activate immediately after the card is played. Dashing or playing a non-instant card will force you to immediately reclaim all of your cards with Cast effects in play. Channeled Channeled effects activate on each of your turns, allowing you to gain incremental benefits or damage your opponent over time. Whenever you remove one or more energy counters from a card with a Channeled effect in play, activate the Channeled Effect. Dashing or playing a non-instant card will force you to immediately reclaim all of your cards with Channeled effects in play. Instant Instant effects tend to be flexible but expensive, allowing you to surprise your opponent or quickly gain an advantage. After you play a card with an Instant effect, activate the Instant effect immediately. Cards with Instant effects can be played on either player s turn, during any phase of the game. There is no limit to the number of cards with Instant effects you can play each turn. 10

11 Ongoing Ongoing effects are always active while in range, thereby providing their effects continuously, even while in your hand. Ongoing effects do not require energy counters to be placed on them. Instead, at the start of the game, permanently remove energy counters from your pool equal to the costs printed on the Ongoing effects icons (even if the cards are out of range). Attached Similarly to Ongoing effects, Attached effects typically apply themselves continuously, but for a limited duration. When a card effect tells you to attach a card, the card s Attached effect activates. When you activate an Attached effect, place energy counters on the card equal to the Attached effect s cost. You may use any energy counters already on the card, as well as the energy from your pool. Then place the card on its target s side of the board. If you would try to activate an Attached effect but don t have the energy to pay its cost, reclaim the card. Reclaiming To reclaim something is to put it back in its starting position. When you reclaim an energy counter, add it to your pool of energy counters. When you reclaim a card, either add it to your hand or return it to your equipment and Passives area. Reclaiming energy counters from a card could help or hurt you, depending on the card s effects. Some effects activate when energy counters are removed, while other effects may become weaker or deactivate. If a card is reclaimed while it has energy counters on it, first reclaim the card, then reclaim the energy counters. In this case, the card s Cast and Channeled effects will not activate, because the card is no longer in play when its energy counters are removed. 11

12 Responding Sometimes you ll want to wait until just the right time to play a card, or your opponent will try to do something that could really complicate your plans, and you ll want to stop him before he can do it. Instant effects ( ) provide that possibility, allowing for surprise plays. Certain events in the game can be responded to by playing cards with Instant effects. Whenever you respond to an event (including your own), your Instant effect will be carried out before the event. Your Instant effect will activate, then the event will be carried out. Events and Timing Three events in the game may be responded to. They are: A player attempts to play a card. When you declare that you are playing a card, place it face-up onto the board and add energy counters to it, like normal. Then, before any effects on the card activate, a player may respond. A player attempts to move. When you declare that you are taking a move or dash action, choose which type of action (move or dash), and spend your energy counters like normal. Then, before you move, a player may respond. A player attempts to end a phase. When you declare that you are about to end the current phase and move to the next phase (such as ending your Start Phase and moving to the Reclaim Phase), a player may respond. When an Ongoing or Attached effect prompts you to do something because a certain condition was met ( At the start of your turn for example), it cannot be responded to. This is because the card is not being played; rather, it is already in play, and its effect is simply being carried out. Sometimes two or more Ongoing or Attached effects have the same timing for carrying out their effects (two cards in play with At the start of your turn for example). Whenever this happens, the turn player determines the order in which the effects are carried out (even if they are not his cards). 12

13 The Stack You respond to a card being played by playing your own card, which means it s possible for even more cards to be played in response to that. These responses can sometimes stack up before they all begin to resolve. The rule for remembering the order in which to resolve a stack of card effects is first in, last out. Resolve the last response first, followed by the second-to-last, and so on. Priority The turn player gets the first opportunity to respond to an event. Whether he does or not, his opponent then gets a chance to respond. Response priority alternates every time a response is added to the stack. When both players choose not to respond, resolve the stack. Passive Cards Passive cards cannot be played. Instead, they typically have Ongoing effects that continuously shape the game. Passive cards begin the game active and in play for both players, providing powerful effects that often can t be found elsewhere. Companion Cards When a Companion card is played, it behaves like any other card. However, when its Cast effect activates, the card is not reclaimed. Instead, its Ongoing effect activates, and it will stay in play similarly to Passive and equipment cards. If a Companion card is reclaimed through another means, it will lose its Ongoing effect until its Cast effect is activated again. 13

14 Movement Paying close attention to how far you are from your opponent can mean the difference between winning and losing. You ll have to properly position yourself while keeping a close eye on your opponent s movement in order to stand a chance. There are three ways to move in Paragon : through card effects, by taking a move action, or by taking a dash action. Whenever a player moves, update the range die accordingly. Movement Speed Players start with a movement speed of 2, which determines how far players move when taking move or dash actions. Some card effects will change your movement speed, but it can never go below 0. Move Action Once during each of your Main Phases, you may choose to take a move action or a dash action. A move action costs 2 energy counters and allows you to move up to your movement speed, either toward or away from your opponent. Dash Action A dash costs 3 energy counters and allows you to move up to your movement speed +1 toward or away from your opponent. When you dash, immediately reclaim all of your cards with Cast or Channeled effects in play. Card Effects with Move Some card effects will cause you to move a certain amount, or put you directly at a specific range. These effects do not count toward your one move action per turn. If a card tells you to simply move, it means you may move up to your movement speed toward or away from your opponent. However, if a card tells you to move 3, for example, it means you may move 0, 1, 2, or 3, either toward or away from your opponent. Your movement speed will not affect such a movement. A card that tells you to move to range 3 is different, because you are being instructed to move to a specific range instead of being given a distance you may travel. Your movement speed will not affect these kinds of movement either. 14

15 Range The distance between you and your opponent is called range. You start the game at range 7, and most cards require you to be at a certain range before they can be played. If you are not within a card s minimum and maximum range (inclusive), then you cannot play the card. Range: Self Some cards have a range of Self. These cards usually affect you in some way, and can therefore be played at any range. Cards with a range of Self are treated as if they have a range of 0 for any mathematical purposes. Range Checks If you are outside a card s range, you may not play the card. Also, any time that you would attempt to carry out the effect of a card, you must be in range. For example, if you have a card with Range: 1-7 but you are at range 8, you may not play the card. Similarly, if you are within range when you play the card, but then move out of range before its effect activates, the effect will miss (fail). This also applies to Ongoing and Attached effects, despite their effects always being considered active. 15

16 Turn Sequence This section describes the flow of each turn, including the order in which events are carried out during the game. Whenever events or card effects happen simultaneously, the turn player resolves them in the order of his choosing. 1. Start Phase a. Carry out effects that trigger at the start of your turn. (Example: At the start of your turn, deal 1 damage. ) 2. Reclaim Phase a. Reclaim an energy counter from your movement pool and each of your cards in play. 3. Main Phase a. Play a card and/or take a move or dash action, in any order. You may only play one card per turn 4. End Phase (excluding cards with Instant effects). a. Carry out any effects that trigger at the end of a player s turn. (Example: At the end of your turn, restore 1 health. ) 16

17 Defense Counters Defense counters represent a combination of toughness, armor, spell resistance, quickness and other factors that make you resistant to damage. Equipment (particularly armor cards) often grant defense counters throughout the game. When you gain defense counters, place them on your armor card. When you are dealt damage, instead of losing health, remove a number of defense counters equal to the damage dealt. If you do not have enough defense counters to cancel the total amount of the damage, the remainder is deducted from your health. Piercing damage ignores defense counters, which means it damages your health directly, but does not remove the defense counters themselves. If you are dealt impact damage, you will not move if your defense counters absorb all of the damage. Defense counters also help against draining damage, as your opponent will only restore health equal to the health you lost. 17

18 Creating a Build Your build must contain exactly 11 cards, comprising 8 ability cards and 3 equipment cards. Abilities To add an ability card to your build, your build must first contain an ability card with the same discipline whose level is one below the ability you wish to add. For example, to add a Pyromancy 3 ability to your build, your build must first contain a Pyromancy 2 ability. Your build may not contain more than two cards of any given discipline and level. For example, you may not have three Pyromancy 3 abilities in your build. Level 1 abilities have no requirements. You may add up to 8 of them to any build, even of the same discipline. Equipment Your equipment must consist of 1 weapon card, 1 armor card, and 1 accessory card. To add an equipment card to your build, your build must first contain an ability card with the same school as the equipment card you wish to add. For example, to add a Martial equipment to your build, your build must first contain at least one Martial ability. 18

19 Schools and Disciplines Every card in Paragon belongs to one of four schools: Magic, Martial, Mischief, or Mythos. Schools are known for their distinct fighting styles, allowing players to finely tune their builds using specialized disciplines. Magic Pyromancy focuses on dealing damage that feeds on itself and grows, overwhelming your opponents with rapid fire attacks. Chronomancy manipulates time by changing the the flow of energy, ensuring that events occur in a favorable order. Martial Brutality strengthens you as you lose health, and gives you a sizable advantage over your exposed enemies. Chivalry strives not only to mitigate incoming damage, but also to convert your defenses into powerful counterattacks. Mischief Marksmanship teaches the art of precision, ensuring that enemies movement and defenses are of little concern to you. Shadow employs stealth to allow you to flank your opponents, then execute devastating surprise attacks. Mythos Divinity calls upon the gods favor, resulting in healing yourself and blinding your enemies with radiant light. Demonology conjures demons from other realms to do your bidding, draining the very life force from your enemies. 19