Keywords

Keywords give the player information about a card's properties or effects in compact form. They are used most often for game mechanics and rules that come into play repeatedly on many cards, like Keep or Heal. Because using a keyword is shorter than writing out the whole explanation, more text can be written on a card. Players are expected to learn and recognize these words, but for many Blue Manchu also provides a helpful tooltip on mouseover.

Armor X

• In-Game Text: "Triggers on damage and prevents <x> points of that damage."

Armor works as a reaction that triggers after the game has determined that a character will take damage but before the total is calculated. The number following the "Armor" keyword is the amount of damage against which the card protects. If the triggering card would do damage less than or equal to the Armor rating, then that damage is reduced to zero. If the triggering card would do greater damage than the Armor rating, then that damage is reduced by the same amount as the rating. When a character holds multiple cards with this instruction, they activate in sequence from newest to oldest (left to right) until all damage is mitigated or all armor cards are used. (more info)

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Attach

• In-Game Text: N/A

Attach is an instruction to create a game effect that repeats over a set period of time. Cards that attach to a target character appear as miniature cards displayed at the base of the figurine. Cards that attach to the terrain appear as an overlay on top of the basic tile. Both kinds of attachment can be zoomed to see the card instructions. While attached, the card triggers a reaction whenever the conditions described in its instructions occur. Common conditions include when a certain color or type of card is played, or at the start of each round of play. Any sort of game effect can be part of attachment instructions.

Every attachment has a Duration measured in rounds that it remains in play. The current duration appears as a number inside a small circle in the upper right corner when zoomed in to an attached card. During the start of the round before players draw new cards, this number is reduced by one to reflect the age of the attachment; when the counter is reduced to zero the attachment is removed from the field of play and discarded. (more info)

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Block

• In-Game Text

Block any: "When an enemy plays a card affecting you, cancel that card. "

Block Magic: "When an enemy plays a Magic card affecting you, cancel that card. "

Block Melee: "When an enemy plays a Melee card affecting you, cancel that card. "

Block Projectile: "When an enemy plays a Projectile card affecting you, cancel that card. "

Block works as a reaction that triggers when two conditions are met: (1) a character is the target of a card played by an enemy character, and (2) the enemy playing such a card is in the forward line of sight of its target character. The four sub-classes of Block describe various types of attack in the game. It is not necessary that the card being blocked do damage or otherwise be an attack in the normal sense, only that it is controlled by an enemy. Nearly all Blocks roll for Chance before taking effect. If successful, it completely nullifies the card that triggers it, canceling all effects and attachments before they reach the targeted character. When a character holds more than one Block card, they activate in sequence from newest to oldest (left to right) until one is successful or all have failed. (more info)

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Burning X

• In-Game Text: "Attach to target. At the start of each turn, target takes <x> points of Fire damage."

(As of this writing, the in-game text is incorrect. It should read "At the start of each round...")

Burning works by attaching to a target character. At the start of each round before drawing new cards, the attachment triggers and causes Fire damage to that character in the amount given. See the Attachment page for general information on that mechanic. (more info)

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Burst X

• In-Game Text: "Affects all characters with <x> of the target square."

Burst creates an area of effect counted outward from the target square in all directions to any square within the given distance X that has line of sight with the target square. The area of effect is shown with a yellow overlay on the game board at the time a Burst card is played. Within the area of effect, the card's instructions are performed on every character and/or tile as if a number of identical copies were played to each one individually. The exact order in which the copies take effect is determined by the game engine; effects that target characters are processed before effects that target terrain if both are present on the same card. (more info)

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Cantrip

• In-Game Text: "Take another turn after playing this card."

Cantrip changes the ordinary passage of turns. Instead of switching to the opponent after a card is finished, the player who uses a Cantrip gets a new turn and may play any available card or pass. (more info)

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Chance

• In-Game Text: N/A

Chance appears as an icon that looks like a die in the left-hand icon box of reaction cards. The number of pips (spots) displayed on the icon shows what number, or greater, must be rolled on a six-sided die before that card's effects will activate. If the Chance roll fails, the card is marked as revealed and returned to the player's hand. If the Chance roll succeeds, all effects in the associated instructions take effect. In the case that cards have two sets of instructions, Chance must be specified for both; any set of instructions without a Chance icon always takes effect.

Chance #	⁄	Probability of success
1+		6/6, or 100%
2+		5/6, or 83.33%
3+		4/6, or 66.67%
4+		3/6, or 50%
5+		2/6, or 33.33%
6+		1/6, or 16.67%

Some cards have instructions that modify the die roll, moving the number originally rolled up or down in order to change a card's rate of success. The die roll can never drop below 1 or exceed 6. (more info)

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Cone

• In-Game Text: "Affects all characters or squares in forward arc."

Cone has an area of effect that starts from, but does NOT include, the square on which a character stands. On playing a cone card, the character may choose one of the four cardinal directions for the target area. The range of the card defines how far the cone will reach, with an area that is three tiles wide in the first row, five tiles wide in the second row, and so forth. However, Blocked terrain stops the cone, so only squares within the character's line of sight may be targeted. Within the area of effect, the card's instructions are performed on every character and/or tile as if a number of identical copies were played to each one individually. The exact order in which the copies take effect is determined by the game engine; effects that target characters are processed before effects that target terrain if both are present on the same card. (more info)

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Damage

Damage reduces the health points of one or more characters by a given number. It is not unusual for reaction cards to increase or decrease the amount of damage after the initial card is played. Damage may be listed in an Icon Box, or be included in a card's instructions either expressly or as part of another keyword. There are many types of damage, and every card that does damage should have a Damage Type listed in the Information Bar, card instructions, or as part of another keyword (for example, Burning always does Fire damage).

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Duration

Every attachment has a duration measured in rounds that it remains in play. The current duration appears as a number inside a small circle in the upper right corner when zoomed in to an attached card. During the start of the round before players draw new cards, this number is reduced by one to reflect the age of the attachment; when the counter is reduced to zero the attachment is removed from the field of play and discarded. (See Attachment for more info.)

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Encumber X

• In-Game Text: "Whenever you move, subtract <x> move points from that move."

Encumber works as a reaction that activates when a character holding an encumber card or who has an encumber attached plays a Movement card. The effect is to reduce the total length of the move by the given number, to a minimum move of zero. More than one Encumber can activate on a single move, resulting in multiple deductions. (more info)

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Fly

• In-Game Text: "You may move through impassable terrain. You are not required to stop when entering any square."

Fly describes a type of movement that allows a character to travel over any obstacles other than Blocked Terrain. The destination square cannot be impassable or occupied by another character. See Movement for a complete description of movement rules.

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Form

• In-Game Text: "Attach this card to yourself, discard all other Form cards attached to you, and swap your figure to match your new Form."

Castle Mitternacht introduced four different Form cards: Ethereal Form (Spirit), Lycanthropic Form (Werewolf), Vampiric Form and Zombie Form. (more info)

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Free Action

• In-Game Text: "If a monster in a group plays this card, it can still play additional Attack, Assist or Utility cards this round."

Free Action is a special mechanic designed to allow monsters to perform multiple actions per turn. As you might expect, cards with Free Action played do not grey out the monster playing it. This allows the same monster to play an Attack, Assist or Utility card in the same round. (more info)

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Free Card

• In-Game Text: "This card does not count against your hand limit when discarding."

Free Card is a special mechanic designed to allow players to keep more than two cards in hand when discarding. (more info)

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Free Draw

• In-Game Text: "Any cards drawn from play of this card do not count against draw limits."

Free Draw is a special mechanic designed to allow players to circumvent the draw limit. Playing cards with Free Draw do not decrement the draw limit counter. (more info)

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Free Move

• In-Game Text: "You are not required to stop when moving next to an enemy, into difficult terrain or for any other reason."

Free Move describes a type of movement that allows a character to ignore terrain costs and stops. The character must travel around Blocked and Impassable terrain types and squares occupied by enemy characters. See Movement for a complete description of movement rules. (more info)

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Frenzy X

• In-Game Text: "Add <x> damage to any Melee attack you play or <x-1> damage to any Magic or Projectile attack."

Frenzy works as a reaction that activates when a character uses a damaging attack. The effect of Frenzy is to increase the total damage that card may perform against the target; when a character has several Frenzy cards to draw upon, each activates in sequence for a cumulative effect. Frenzy triggers before the target checks for defenses. (more info)

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Halt

• In-Game Text: "Attach to target character. Target may not play Move cards."

At the start of each player's turn, the game engine checks for which cards include valid actions to play: Halt disables any Movement cards and prevents their selection for the affected character. This includes both pure and hybrid active cards with a Blue background component. (more info)

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Hard to Block X

• In-Game Text: "Subtract <x> when rolling to block this card."

Hard to Block triggers under a very specific circumstance: when a Block card with a Chance component reacts as a defense against a card with this property. The original die roll is made, then the Hard to Block number is subtracted from the result. Only if the final total is equal to or greater than the Chance prerequisite will the Block succeed. If more than one Block (with Chance) activates on a play, the modifier applies each time. (more info)

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Heal X

• In-Game Text: "Restore <x> points of health to target. Health cannot increase beyond it's starting value."

Heal is an effect that increases the HP of one or more characters by a given amount, up to but not exceeding the character's maximum health as determined by class, race, and level. (more info)

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Immediately

• In-Game Text: "Immediate effects take place before blocks."

Immediate is a special mechanic designed to allow cards to bypass blocks. (more info)

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Immune

• In-Game Text: "Immune always prevents all damage from the listed damage types."

Immune is a special mechanic designed to prevent all damage from listed damage types. Cards with the Immune keyword usually list damage types that the card bearer is immune to. The damage types include but are not limited to Acid, Arcane, Crushing, Electricity, Fire, Piercing, Poison, Slashing, Everything.

(more info)

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Immunity

• In-Game Text: "Immunity always prevents all damage from the listed damage types."

Immunity is a special mechanic designed to prevent all damage from listed damage types. Cards with the Immunity keyword usually list damage types that the card bearer is immune to. The damage types include but are not limited to Acid, Arcane, Cold, Crushing, Electricity, Fire, Piercing, Poison and Slashing.

(more info)

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Keep

• In-Game Text: "Return this card to hand or re-attach after it triggers."

Keep causes a card to return to a character's hand rather than discarding after using it. If a card has more than one set of instructions, Keep must be specified separately for each use. A card is Kept only when used according to the relevant instructions; Keep does not prevent the card from being discarded during a forced discard or at the end of a round. (more info)

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Keep Unless X

• In-Game Text: "Return this card to hand or re-attach after it triggers unless you roll exactly a <x>."

Keep Unless is a variant of the Keep mechanic. The card returns to a character's hand after using it unless a die roll condition is met. When the die roll is met, the card is automatically discarded. A card is Kept only when used according to the relevant instructions; Keep Unless does not prevent the card from being discarded during a forced discard or at the end of a round. (more info)

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Linear

• In-Game Text: "Affects all characters or squares in a line to the target square."

Linear creates an area of effect that looks like a line drawn from the center of the character's square to the center of the target square: the area includes every passable square that line crosses, and any characters in those squares, except the character's own square. The area of effect is shown by a yellow overlay at the time the linear card is played. The character must have line of sight with the target square, but not necessarily all the intervening squares, so the area may include squares a character could not normally target. Within the area of effect, the card's instructions are performed on every character and/or tile as if a number of identical copies were played to each one individually. The exact order in which the copies take effect is determined by the game engine; effects that target characters are processed before effects that target terrain if both are present on the same card. (more info)

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Linear Cardinal

• In-Game Text: "Affects all characters and squares in a line in all four cardinal directions (up, down, left and right)."

Linear Cardinal is a special mechanic designed to allow monsters to affect characters and squares in four cardinal directions. Most commonly found on cards belonging to the Rooks of the Astral Guardians. (more info)

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Linear Diagonal

• In-Game Text: "Affects all characters and squares in a line in all four diagonal directions."

Linear Diagonal is a special mechanic designed to allow monsters to affect characters and squares in four diagonal directions. Most commonly found on cards belonging to the Bishops of the Astral Guardians. (more info)

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Major Erratic Damage

• In-Game Text: "Roll a die. Add that much damage, rounded up. If you roll 2 or less, draw a random laser malfunction card."

Major Erratic Damage adds damage equal to the die role, and a possible additional drawback card to the original card's outcome. It is a special mechanic designed to give the impression of making mistakes that cause problems and not having exact control over the outcome of an attempt to fire a weapon. If drawn, the additional laser malfunction card is always a handicap card or a hybrid card with handicap from the Expedition to the Sky Citadel expansion. (more info)

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Mandatory Action

• In-Game Text: "You must play this card before playing any non Mandatory card."

Mandatory Action forces a card to be played regardless of other cards in hand, unless an attachment on the character prevents playing that card. Traits are played before mandatory actions are played. (more info)

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May Self Target

• In-Game Text: "This card may be used to target the owner."

May Self Target allows a card with a range greater than zero to include the controlling character as a possible target.

• Cards with no range and cards that affect a group of which the character is a member automatically apply to the character without this instruction. (more info)

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Melee Frenzy X

• In-Game Text: "Attach to target. Target adds <x> damage to any Melee attacks they play."

Melee Frenzy works as a reaction that activates when a character uses a Melee type attack. The effect of Melee Frenzy is to increase the total damage that card may perform against the target; when a character has several Melee Frenzy cards to draw upon, each activates in sequence for a cumulative effect. Frenzy triggers before the target checks for defenses. (more info)

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Minor Erratic Damage

• In-Game Text: "Roll a die. Add half that much damage, rounded up. If you roll 2 or less, draw a random laser malfunction card."

Minor Erratic Damage adds damage equal to half the die roll (rounded up), and a possible additional drawback card to the original card's outcome. It is a special mechanic designed to give the impression of making mistakes that cause problems and not having exact control over the outcome of an attempt to fire a weapon. If drawn, the additional laser malfunction card is always a handicap card or a hybrid card with handicap from the Expedition to the Sky Citadel expansion. (more info)

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Move X

This paragraph describes the use of 'Move' as a keyword, for more information see Movement.

Move is an instruction for a character to travel on the game board. It may appear in an Icon Box, or be included in a card's instructions either expressly or as part of another keyword (such as Step). The number X designates the length of the move, measured in squares counted away from the character's current square. See Movement for a complete description of rules for moving.

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Penetrating

• In-Game Text: "Ignore Armor when applying damage unless that Armor prevents all damage."

Penetrating causes the target's defense check to skip cards with the Armor keyword. The Armor reaction simply never triggers. However not all Armor cards rely on the Armor keyword. If the card's instructions say that the card "always prevents all damage" or some similar phrase, then that instruction still applies. (more info)

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Pivot

Pivot is an instruction that the character may change its facing to any of the four cardinal directions, without moving from its current square.

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Poison X

Poison describes a damaging effect that attaches to a character and activates at the start of each round for the duration of the attachment. The number X is the amount of damage performed by the card in each round. Once attached, Poison cannot be blocked or reduced by armor.

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Push X

• In-Game Text: "Move target character <x>."

Push is an instruction that the player may move the target character for a distance of up to X squares. This is made as a regular ground movement, so blocking terrain, difficult terrain, and zones of control all apply. (See Movement for an explanation of movement rules.) (more info)

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Range X

Range may be written but is usually displayed in an Icon Box, and describes the distance, in squares counted from the character that plays the card, at which a valid target may be found for the card's effect. Range may be counted to a number X of squares in any direction including diagonals. Unless special instructions apply, the character must have line of sight with the target square.

By convention, cards with a Range of zero omit this information. Zero range cards can only target the character or the character's square.

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Saving Roll

• In-Game Text: "Cancel this effect if you roll above the card's die number."

Saving Roll is an instruction only present for negative effect triggered cards. The card's negative effect is cancelled if the die roll is above the card's die number. So the saving roll on a card with 4+ die translates into a 50% chance that the card's effect is negated. (more info)

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Single Use

When a character plays a card with the Single Use property, that card may not be used again for the remainder of the battle.

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Slide X

• In-Game Text: "Move target character <x>. Do not change its facing."

Slide is an instruction that the player may move the target character for a distance of X squares. This is made as a regular ground movement, so blocking terrain, difficult terrain, and zones of control all apply. In addition, Slide does not change the target's facing. (See Movement for an explanation of movement rules.) (more info)

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Slide Back X

• In-Game Text: "Move target character <x> away from you. Do not change its facing."

Slide Back is an instruction that the target character is moved for a distance of X squares along a straight line directly away from the character that plays this card. Impassable or occupied squares will block this movement. The facing of the target does not change. (more info)

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Stealthy

• In-Game Text: "Target doesn't turn to face you."

When playing a card with the Stealthy propery, the target does not turn to face the character that played the card. (more info)

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Step X

• In-Game Text: "When you play this card, immediately move <x>."

Step is an instruction that the character using this card may make a move of up to X squares prior to following any other instructions on the card. This move is made as a regular ground move unless other instructions also apply (See Movement for an explanation of movement rules.). (more info)

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Stop

• In-Game Text: "When attached to a square, characters must end their move when entering this square."

Stop describes a terrain Attachment that creates difficult terrain, that is, it forces a character to end ground Movement when entering that square. (more info)

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Stun

• In-Game Text: "Attach to target character. Target cannot play non-Move cards."

Stun describes a type of Attachment that prevents a character from playing any card type other than Movement cards. (more info)

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Teleport

• In-Game Text: "You may move through any square. You are not required to stop when entering any square."

Teleport describes a type of movement accomplished by arcane magic. When counting squares, Teleport ignores all obstacles, although the destination cannot be an impassable square or a square already occupied by another character. (See Movement for more details on moving.) (more info)

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Trait

• In-Game Text: "You must play this card before playing any non Trait card. Playing this card does not end your turn. Draw a card."

Traits are highly useful and hold strategic importance during gameplay as deck cyclers.

(more info)

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Unblockable

• In-Game Text: "This card does not trigger Blocks."

Unblockable is a special mechanic designed to prevent players from triggering blocks from your opponent. As you might expect, this means the card can't be blocked and, therefore, won't trigger blocks from your enemies. (more info)

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Unbuffable

• In-Game Text: "The damage this card deals is not affected by effects like Frenzy."

The unbuffable keyword prevents damage from being modified (higher or lower) by cards affecting the caster (e.g. Righteous Frenzy, Arcane Aura, Wimpy, etc.).

It does not prevent damage from being modified by cards affecting the target (e.g. Vulnerable, Raging Strike, Curse of Fragility etc.). (more info)

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