Runewars: Valor of Heroes

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Expansion Structure....................................................................................................................4
Part 01: Armies.....................................................................................................................................5
Module 01.01: Not Today................................................................................................................6
Morale and Routs........................................................................................................................6
Assigning Routs..........................................................................................................................6
Rallying.......................................................................................................................................7
Optional: Hero Disillusionment..................................................................................................7
Module 01.02: Against the Odds.....................................................................................................8
Module 01.03: World at War............................................................................................................9
Setting Up...................................................................................................................................9
Non-Player Armies and Heroes.................................................................................................10
The Non-Player Faction Phase..................................................................................................10
Optional: Reinforcements.........................................................................................................12
Module 01.04: Might of the Runes................................................................................................14
Part 2: Heroes.....................................................................................................................................15
Module 02.01: Heroic Efforts........................................................................................................16
The Attributes............................................................................................................................16
The Basic Attribute Test............................................................................................................16
Opposed Tests...........................................................................................................................16
Opposition from Multiple Sources............................................................................................17
Actor & Opposition...................................................................................................................17
Difficulty Ratings......................................................................................................................17
Module 02.02: Tools of the Trade..................................................................................................20
Skill Descriptions......................................................................................................................20
Skill Tests..................................................................................................................................21
Improving Skills........................................................................................................................21
Module 02.03: On the Job Experience...........................................................................................22
Improving Attributes and Skills................................................................................................22
Improving Health......................................................................................................................22
Commanders.............................................................................................................................22
Module 02.04: Lords of War..........................................................................................................23

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 The Flow of Battle....................................................................................................................23
The Modified Combat Sequence...............................................................................................23
Duels.........................................................................................................................................24
Module 02.05: A Hero's Work.......................................................................................................25
Hero Actions.............................................................................................................................25
Heroes and Order Cards............................................................................................................26
Module 02.06: A Dangerous Business...........................................................................................27
Neutral Areas.............................................................................................................................27
Enemy-Held Areas....................................................................................................................27
Water Borders............................................................................................................................28
Winter Travel.............................................................................................................................28
Module 02.07: Urban Adventures..................................................................................................29
Main Action...............................................................................................................................29
Minor Actions...........................................................................................................................30
Module 02.08: Loyal Minions.......................................................................................................31
Recruiting Henchmen...............................................................................................................31
Moving Henchmen....................................................................................................................31
Module 02.09: Stewards of the Runes...........................................................................................32
The Acquire Action...................................................................................................................32
Wielding a Dragon Rune...........................................................................................................32
Hunting the Runes.....................................................................................................................33
Module 02.10: Behind Enemy Lines.............................................................................................34
Operations.................................................................................................................................34
Other Operations.......................................................................................................................35

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Introduction
Runewars: Valor of Heroes (VoH) is a Rules Expansion for FFG's Runewars Board Game, which
collects all the house rules, additions and modifications I've developed over the course of many
games between my partner and I. Many of these rules are focussed on making two-player games
more varied and exciting, but most should scale up well to multi-player games.
Valor of Heroes places the focus of the game squarely on Heroes and their exploits. One of the
main things that attracted us to Runewars was the idea of combining an adventure board game with
a wargame on an epic scale, but we were disappointed by how little the Heroes seemed to have to
do in the game. They didn't really seem to do all that much in combat, quests usually boiled down to
"go here and make a check", and there was very little besides they could do to influence the game.
VoH tries to capture that moment when the Hero of the story kills a DRAGON. With a SWORD.
(Think about that) Or when the rogue infiltrates behind enemy lines to bring back vital intelligence -
or an enemy leader's head. VoH gives Heroes way more to do, and makes their actions much more
central in determining the outcome of the game.
At the same time, Heroes should face real consequences. What they do shouldn't be easy -
otherwise everybody would be a Hero. Travelling through dark and dangerous wilderness should
be, well, dangerous, and making one's way through enemy lands during a frigid winter should be
equally fraught with peril. So VoH also adds many rules that increase the risks Heroes face, and the
deadly consequences of failure.

Expansion Structure
VoH is designed to be modular, allowing players to choose which rules to implement and which
to ignore based on their own preference and style of play. We've also found that modular rulesets
are much easier to learn, allowing players to add new concepts and systems one at a time without
breaking the game. Some of the rules in VoH do have prerequisites, but for the most part they are
independent.
Modules can also contain optional components that further deepen the module, but usual at the
expense of more complexity or bookkeeping
Have fun, and thanks so much for giving our expansion a try.

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 Part 01: Armies
Part 01 includes rules that alter gameplay around armies and warfare. These modules are
intended to expand the scope and scale of battle, and add mechanisms to enable and enhance one-
on-one play.
Modules included in Part 01:
• Not Today – Introduces a comprehensive morale system that reflects the bravery and
steadfastness of heroes and more powerful units.
• Against the Odds – “Against the Odds” allows for longer, more brutal battles by allowing
combat to take place over multiple engagements, reflecting the ebb & flow of war as forces
by turns concede ground and take losses, regroup & rally, advance, etc.
• World at War – This module is intended for solo or 2-player games, introducing a simple
board-AI to control the actions of opposing factions.
• Might of the Runes - “Might of the Runes” makes Dragon Runes more immediately
valuable to players beyond acquiring victory points by tying technological and magical
advancement more directly to their study.

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Module 01.01: Not Today
While not a requirement, custom tokens to represent accumulated Routs are useful in
using this module. In a pinch, Influence Tokens make a good substitute.

Powerful Units and Heroes are usually braver than the average soldier, remaining resolute in the
face of fear, pain and uncertainty that would cause lesser Units to flee a battle. The standard rules of
battle in Runewars don't reflect this reality. All Units and Heroes are treated in exactly the same
way, requiring only a single rout to break the Morale of anything from a lowly soldier to the most
powerful Hero. While this serves to simplify the game and streamline play, it doesn't really allow
for truly Heroic Heroes, or for powerful Units that serve as beacons of resolve for their comrades.
The "Not Today" module changes this by introducing the idea of Unit "Morale", "Shaken" and
"Broken" Units, and by using the concept of a "Rout" slightly differently to that of the base game,
or indeed the common definition of the word. A rout normally implies that a unit's resolve is utterly
spent, and that it flees the battlefield. With "Not Today" however, a rout is a demoralizing loss or
the onset of panic, which is indeed still enough to defeat weaker Units with only one point of health,
but not enough to send Heroes and captains fleeing the battle – at least, not immediately.

Morale and Routs

Unit "Morale" represents a unit or Hero's loyalty and resolve in the face of hardship. A unit's
Morale is equal to the amount of Health that unit has LEFT. So Units with only one point of Health
effectively have one Morale as well, while higher Health Units' Morale equal their Health total
minus the number of Damage Tokens they have accumulated.
Instead of becoming immediately routed when assigned a rout, a unit accumulates "rout tokens".
(influence tokens serve well if custom tokens aren't available) The unit is now considered "Shaken",
but not yet routed. It may continue to fight on, though panic is starting to creep up on it. As soon as
it has accumulated a number of routs that equals or exceeds its Morale (Which is equal to its
REMAINING health), it becomes "Broken". A Broken unit becomes routed as per the base game,
with the model tipped on its side and unable to draw Fate Cards. A unit may be Broken by EITHER
a damage token or rout token being assigned to it, as long as the number of routs it has accumulated
equals or exceeds its remaining health.
Sidebar 01: A Note on the Cursed Tomb
Assigning Routs
As with damage assignment, rout assignment The Cursed Tomb Development of the
follows a sequence of priority rules, as follows: Waiqar the Undying Faction reads:
• A player must assign a rout to a Shaken "Immediately before calculating
unit (a standing unit that has previously final Strength in battle, the
been assigned a rout), if able. defending player may discard this
token to force his opponent to rout
• If the player does not have any Shaken
three of his figures. This token is
Units, he or she must assign it to an
discarded after use, but may be
unshaken standing unit.
built again later."
• If no unbroken (standing) Units remain,
the rout must be assigned to a broken unit Interpret this rule as forcing the opponent
that has not yet accumulated routs equal to Rout any 3 Units, assigning enough Rout
to its total health. This assignment does Tokens to Break each Unit, rather than merely
not affect the battle in any appreciable assigning 3 Rout Tokens.

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 way, save that it presents the risk of demoralizing a Hero so utterly that it loses hope and
deserts.
Routs are always assigned one at a time.
As with the base game, Units do not retain wounds and routs between battles.

Rallying
To become usable again, Broken Units and Heroes must be "Rallied". Per the base rules, Routed
Units Rally automatically in the Spring, during the execution of the Spring Season Card's secondary
ability. Heroes may also be rallied during the Hero Questing Phase, or if using the "A Hero's Work"
module, during their respective "Hero Activations".

Optional: Hero Disillusionment

A Hero becomes "Disillusioned" with its side when it accumulates Rout Tokens equal to or in
excess of its TOTAL Health. Disillusioned Heroes "Desert” the faction they are aligned with,
taking all the equipment and artifacts they have accumulated with them, unless the controlling
player immediately pays Influence to convince the Hero otherwise. The influence cost to prevent
Desertion depends on the Alignment of both the Faction and the Hero, as shown below:
• 2 Influence if the Hero shares the player's Faction Alignment.
• 3 Influence if the Hero is of Neutral alignment.
• 4 Influence if the Hero's alignment opposes that of the Faction.
Paying this influence cost removes Routs from the Hero until it has one fewer rout token than its
total Health and Rallies the Hero if it has been Routed. Failing to do so forces the controlling player
to shuffle the Hero and all the Reward Cards it carries back into their respective decks. If using "A
Hero's Work", any runes carried by the Deserting Hero are left in the Area where that Hero deserts,
dropped face-down for anybody to find.

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Module 01.02: Against the Odds
"Against the Odds" is a module for players who prefer longer, more brutal battles that allow for a
wider variety of outcomes. With this module, battles potentially take place over multiple
"Engagements", allowing a losing Army to rally around Commanders or other powerful leaders, dig
in stubbornly despite heavy losses, and perhaps even turn the tide in their favour in the face of
overwhelming odds.
Instead of consisting of a single Engagement of Initiative-based Rounds of Combat, battles may
spill over into subsequent Engagements, repeating the Initiative cycle until one side is either forced
to flee due to broken Morale, destroyed entirely, or else voluntarily Retreats from the Battlefield.
Each Engagement proceeds as per the standard Runewars rules for battle, with Army Strength
tallied as normal after all "Initiative 5" Units have acted.
Instead of resolving the battle however, the player with the lowest tallied Strength has the option
to "Rally" his or her Army, forcing the battle to continue through another Initiative sequence. To
rally, the player adds the Army's current "Leadership" to their tallied Strength. Leadership is
calculated as follows:
• Start with the Wisdom score of the Commander;
• +1 for each additional standing Hero accompanying the Army;
• +1 for each standing "hexagon" unit in the Army.
As long as the losing player's Army Strength + Leadership equals or exceeds the winning
player's Strength, the losing player may Rally his or her Army and continue the battle by initiating a
new Engagement. The Army does not Rout and Retreat, though individual routed Units routed
during the previous Engagement remain so and do not take part in the remainder of the Battle. If the
total of tallied Strength + Leadership is still lower than the winning player's Strength however, the
losing player's Army is routed as normal and forced to retreat, Broken, to an adjacent Friendly or
Neutral Area. If using the "World at War" module, an NPF Army will ALWAYS immediately rout
and retreat when defeated.

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Module 01.03: World at War
*This module requires a d6 or equivalent randomizer.

"World at War" is aa module for 2-player games and for solo play that allows for all 4 Factions to
still be represented on the board, introducing powerful roaming threats to harass the players and
prevent the game from immediately degenerating into a head-to-head war of attrition. It also makes
for a much larger, longer game that is ideal for players who want to experience a truly epic scope in
their gaming.
Using this module, the factions not controlled by players are introduced into the game as "Non-
Player Factions" (NPF's). NPFs are controlled by a simple board AI, allowing them to act in their
own right to gain control of the Dragon Runes. They serve as powerful foils to the players, vying
for territory and control of Runes in much the same way as rival players would.

Sidebar 02: Determining Non-Player Setting Up

Faction Resources
as described below:
1. Reset the NPF's resource dials based on
newly Conquered Areas, as well as areas
held by Reserve Armies and Token
Reserves.
2. For each Development attached to a
stronghold or Citadel, the NPF gains
resources as follows:
• For each "Resource" Development
attached, add one resource provided by
the Area the Development is located in,
prioritizing the lowest if more than one
resource is available.
• For each "Diplomat" Development
attached, add one Influence token to the
NPF's total.
• For each "Training Ground"
Development attached, randomly choose
one +1 Training Token and attach it to the
NPF's current Commander Hero. Heroes
may have a maximum of one +2 Training
Token per Attribute. If the randomly
chosen Token would break this rule,
instead assign it to the NPF's second
Hero. If the rule would still be broken,
choose again.
5. Recruit a starting Army for each Non-Player Faction as per the "Recruiting Non-Player
Faction Armies" sidebar.
To use "World at War", modify game setup
1. During setup, construct the board as for
a four-player game, with the two
players' home realms at opposite
corners of the board and the two non-
player Factions' (NPFs') home realms at
the remaining two corners. players take
turns selecting and placing tiles as
normal, continuing until all the tiles
have been used. For a solo game,
choose a starting position at random.
2. Randomly place a stronghold for each
Non-Player Faction by rolling 1d6, both
players agreeing beforehand on the
numbering of the three areas in the
respective home realms.
3. Randomly choose a Development by
drawing from a bag, and attach to the
previously placed stronghold.
4. Determine starting resources for each
NPF based on its Home Realm. The
NPF also receives a number of
Influence Tokens equal to its starting
Influence. Follow the procedure
described in the "Determining Non-
Player Faction Resources" sidebar to
determine starting resources and
additional assets.

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 6. Recruit a starting Hero for each NPF as
Sidebar 03: Recruiting Non-Player
per the "Recruiting Non-Player Faction
Faction Armies
Heroes" sidebar.

Non-Player Armies and Check the NPF's current resource tally on ALL
THREE dials and recruit Units accordingly. If
Heroes playing with the "Banners of War" expansion
During the game, the non-player Factions' and faced with a choice between Units with the
armies roam the board searching for and same base shape, alternate in choice, starting
acquiring Runes and harassing opposing with Units from the base game.
Factions. An NPF always has one "Roaming"
Army searching for Runes and one or more
"Garrisoned" armies securing its strongholds. It may also have "Reserve" Armies holding other
Areas. There is always a Hero "Accompanying" the Roaming Army, while a second Hero is joined
to the Army securing the NPF's home stronghold.
When using the "Commanders of the Battlefield" module from "Banners of War", the Hero
Accompanying the Roaming Army is always the Commander of the Faction. If this Hero is ever
killed, discard his or her commander card and return commander tokens to the Faction's
reinforcements. A new commander rises during the Faction's next "Mobilize" action.

The Non-Player Faction Phase

NPFs act during the "Non-Player Faction Phase", which is placed between the Order Card
Selection and Order Card Resolution phases of each season. During each NPF phase, the NPF with
the highest Influence takes ONE of the actions described below, once per year, prioritizing from
first to last. Priority rules reset during execution of the Secondary Ability of each "Spring" season
card.
01. "Mobilize"
If it has not yet acted, activate and move the NPF's Roaming Army.
If there is a Rune Token located in an Adjacent Area, the Roaming Army will treat it as a Priority
Objective, move into that Area and attempt to Conquer it in order to claim the Rune. If multiple
Adjacent Areas contain Rune Tokens, randomly determine which the Roaming Army selects.
If there are no Rune Tokens in Adjacent Areas, roll 1d6, both players agreeing beforehand on the
numbering of the six possible directions in which the Army could move. Simply re-roll for
impassable borders, blank Area results or results that would see the Roaming Army move into or
deeper into its own Home Realm.
Once an Area has been selected, place one of the NPF's Activation Tokens in the indicated Area
and move the entire Army there. Unless driven back by a defending enemy or a Army of Neutral
Units, this Area is now considered "Conquered". The Roaming Army acts according to the
following guidelines - resolve all conditions that apply:
If the Area contains a Neutral Army:
Draw one fate card and resolve as follows:
• "Success" - The Neutral Units join the NPF's Roaming Army.
• "Neutral" - The Neutral Units are routed and retreat to a randomly chosen adjacent Area, as per
the base game's rules.

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• "Failure" - The Neutral Units repel the NPF's
Roaming Army. Rout and retreat them to the Sidebar 04: Recruiting Heroes
Area they had previously moved from.
1. Randomly choose a Hero matching the Non-
If the Area contains an Enemy Player Faction's alignment and place its
Army: model accompanying the newly recruited
The Roaming Army begins a battle. Resolve Army. This Hero always moves, fights and
as per the base game's rules, with the player attacks with the Army it accompanies, and
immediately to the left of the targeted player does not act independently.
taking control of the NPF's Armies for the 2. Draw two random Reward Cards and assign
duration of the battle. In the rare case where them to that Hero. Ensure that the Reward
two NPF Armies do battle against one-another, cards are of different types (Weapon, Armor,
players may each take control of one Faction's Item), randomly discarding duplicate types
Armies for the duration, or alternatively draw and redrawing until this proves true. If a
and resolve one fate card as follows: Timmoran Shard is drawn, immediately
• "Success" - The attacking Army is convert it to a revealed rune at the NPF's
victorious. The defending Army is routed and Home Realm stronghold or Citadel and
retreats to a randomly determined adjacent redraw. If using the "Power of the Rune"
legal Area. If none is available the defending module, randomly draw a Development
Army is destroyed. Card for the NPF, and apply any passive
effects the card specifies.
• "Neutral" - The two armies are locked in an
impasse. Retreat (but do not rout) the
attacking Army to the Area it had previously
moved from, remove the previously placed activation token, and instead activate the Area the
attackers have just been Forced to return to.
• "Failure" - The attacking Army is defeated. Rout and retreat the Army to the Area they had
previously moved from.
If the Area contains a Garrisoned Friendly Army:
The two Armies Merge and become a single, larger Garrisoned Army. The Commander loses its
status and becomes an Accompanying Hero. Any Units in excess of the 8-unit limit remain in the
Area from which the Roaming Army moves, becoming a small Reserve Army holding that Area. If
either the Roaming or the Garrisoned Army is already at maximum before the merger, simply re-roll
for the Roaming Army's movement direction.
If the Area contains a Friendly Reserve Army of the NPF's:
The Reserve Army merges with the Roaming Army to form a single, larger Roaming Army. Any
Units in excess of the 8-unit limit remain in the Area from which the Roaming Army moves,
becoming a small Reserve Army holding that Area. If the Roaming Army is already at maximum
before the merger, simply re-roll for the Roaming Army's movement direction.
If the NPF does not have a Roaming Army:
The next available Garrisoned Army with an Accompanying Hero becomes the Faction's new
Roaming Army, and if using "Commanders of the Battlefield", the accompanying Hero becomes the
Faction's new commander (Draw a new Commander card for this Hero). In such a case, activate and
move the new Roaming Army as previously described.

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 02. "Fortify" Sidebar 05: Notes on Development
Move Rune Tokens from any Areas Cards
Conquered by the Non-Player Faction to its
home stronghold. Runes moved to the NPF's • Development Cards grants a range of unique
Home Realm are immediately revealed. If using and powerful abilities to each Faction. Most
the "Power of the Rune" module, randomly are passive abilities that have a constant, in-
draw a Development Card for the NPF, and game effect and are easily applied, but a
apply any passive effects the card specifies. handful grant abilities that must be activated
to be used. When an NPF gains a
If a previously activated Area is more than Development Card with such an active
two areas away from any of the NPF's existing ability, the player or players at the table may
strongholds, and the Faction has stronghold prefer to simply redraw until a passive
tokens left in its reinforcements, build a ability is chosen instead of taking
stronghold. Randomly choose a Development responsibility to make choices on behalf of
and attach it to the newly-built stronghold. the NPF. Either option is fine as long as both
Finally, repair any damaged strongholds and players agree and keep the game fair by
rebuild destroyed Developments. playing the NPF as a real opponent would.
Once acquired, the Citadel cannot be lost,
03. "Harvest" unlike other Development Cards.
Reset the NPF's resource dials and determine • Each Faction's Development Card selection
other resources, following the procedure laid includes one that allows the construction of a
out in the "Determining Non-Player Faction heavily fortified Citadel in that Faction's
Resources" sidebar. Home Realm. When an NPF acquires this
card, it may immediately replace the
04. "Recruit" Stronghold in its Home Realm with its
Recruit an Army at a stronghold without a Citadel and attach two randomly chosen
garrisoned Army, choosing randomly from Developments to it.
among those available. Recruit per the
• The "Lands of Blight" (The Undying) and
"Recruiting Non-Player Faction Armies"
"Support of the People" (The Daqan)
sidebar.
Development Cards grant an NPF the ability
When battling an NPF, any effects that allow to leave a Reserve Army in the form of a
a player to take order cards, influence or other Reanimate or Peasant Token whenever a
resources from the NPF instead allow that force moves from that Area. These "Token
player to draw from the deck or take tokens Reserves" Hold the Area they are present in,
from the appropriate pool. Effects that allow the and may NOT move or reinforce into
NPF to do the same instead Army the player to Adjacent Areas. Reanimate Tokens may
discard such resources. NPFs never take part in defend a Held Area if attacked by an enemy
or are affected by Wizard's Councils or other Army, each counting as a single Reanimate
political or economic events. Unit. Peasant Tokens are removed
immediately when an enemy Army moves
Optional: Reinforcements into the Area.
As an option to make Non-Player Factions
more of a challenge, standing Reserve Armies may move to reinforce a Garrisoned or Roaming
force under attack, merging with that Army and temporarily forming a Host in excess of the usual 8-
unit limit. Reserve Armies may only reinforce from Areas directly adjacent to the Area in which the
Battle takes place, and may only respond in defense.
Should the NPF Host prove victorious, surviving Reserve Units are returned to their Areas of
origin. If defeated, the NPF Army retreats to a randomly determined legal Area adjacent to the

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Contested Area, all reinforcing Units included. Units in excess of the 8-unit limit are destroyed,
prioritizing weaker Units.

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Module 01.04: Might of the Runes
Requires the use of "Development Cards" from the "Banners of War" Expansion.

The "Might of the Runes" module adds a more immediate incentive for retrieving Runes beyond
requiring them to win the game.
Under this rule, Development Cards and the technology, tactics or magic they represent are tied
directly to the Runes. As a Faction acquires Dragon Runes, its alchemists and sorcerers harness the
powerful magics contained within the Runes to develop new spells, technologies and abilities,
represented by the various Development Cards.
Each Rune recovered and revealed by the Faction at its Home Realm allows the player to select
ONE Development Card when the “Harvest” Order Card is played, and apply its effects – in
essence, each Rune controlled by the player allows him or her to have one Development Card in
play. Factions who manage to acquire multiple Runes may select a new Development Card for each
not “tied” to an existing one.
A Faction may never have more Development Cards than it has control of Dragon Runes, so any
time the Faction LOSES a Rune, it must also discard one of the Development Cards it had
previously chosen, losing the benefits conferred by that card. The four Citadel Development Cards
are the lone exceptions to this rule. A player may not discard the Citadel Development Card until it
has discarded all others, and even once discarded, the faction does not lose its Citadel. Once a
Faction builds its Citadel, it keeps control of that Citadel until it is destroyed. Losing the card only
means that it cannot REBUILD the Citadel if it is ever lost.

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 Part 2: Heroes
Part 02 is squarely focussed on heroes, and is mainly an attempt to introduce more adventure &
roleplaying game elements into Runewars. It starts by building a comprehensive task resolution
system, and then building on that, introduces more things for heroes to do, be it in combat, in cities,
or while exploring. It also introduces greater risks and dangers for heroes to overcome, hopefully
making for a more thrilling, rewarding experience
Modules included in Part 02:
• Heroic Efforts – “Heroic Efforts” expands the basic Attribute Test system presented in the
base game into a comprehensive action resolution system. This module forms the foundation
for most of the other modules in Part 02.
• Tools of the Trade – This module further differentiates characters by building a skill system
on top of the basic Attributes used to describe characters.
• On the Job Experience – This module ties experience gain more directly to the tasks heroes
undertake such as questing, combat & the like.
• Lords of War – “Lords of War” expands the role of heroes in combat, placing them at center
stage in epic battles. Instead of simply providing support, heroes act as individual, powerful
units, allowing them to affect the course of battle more directly
• A Hero's Work – “A Hero's Work” spreads the activities of heroes out across the year, rather
than restrict it to the summer questing phase.
• A Dangerous Business – This module increases the risks and dangers that heroes face in
their travels, requiring them to navigate hazards, deal with dangerous enemies or even
negotiate treaties with neutral factions.
• Urban Adventures – “Urban Adventures” expands the role of cities, allowing heroes to
interact more directly with urban areas to acquire resources, training or intelligence.
• Loyal Minions – “Loyal Minions” allows heroes to recruit allies, building powerful
warbands that can be used for special operations, to navigate quests, etc.
• Stewards of the Runes – This module expands the role of the Dragon Runes by making them
powerful artifacts that both benefit & threaten the heroes who carry them.
• Behind Enemy Lines – “Behind Enemy Lines” adds opportunities for more direct conflict
between players by adding the ability to launch covert operations against enemy forces
using one's heroes.

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Module 02.01: Heroic Efforts
"Heroic Efforts" has no prerequisites, but works best in conjunction with "Tools of the
Trade" and "On the Job Experience".

The "Heroic Efforts" module expands on Attribute Tests as presented in the base game. The
procedure is fundamentally the same, though this module introduces changes and additions that take
the rule from the base game and expands it into a workable core mechanic suited to a more Hero-
centric focus to Runewars. "Heroic Efforts" forms the basis of most of the Hero-focussed modules
presented in VoH.

The Attributes
Runebound describes the natural abilities and talents of its Heroes in terms of three "Attributes"
representing physical, mental and spiritual Strength. Each is described in terms of a numeric
"Level", indicating the Hero's relative ability in that area, as compared to other Heroes.
The three primary attributes used in Runewars are:
Strength [Str]
Strength is a measure of a Hero's physical power, health and presence. It covers all primarily
physical feats, forming the basis for actions such as heavy melee combat, intimidation, feats of
athleticism, etc.
Agility [Agi]
Agility is a measure of a Hero's mental and physical quickness. It covers feats of mental acuity
and quick reflexes, and forms the basis for actions such as ranged combat, stealth, feats of
acrobatics, etc.
Wisdom [Wis]
Wisdom represents a Hero's mental and spiritual awareness, maturity and leadership, and forms
the basis for actions such as magical combat, negotiation, investigation, etc.

The Basic Attribute Test

As in the base game, an "Attribute Test" is made to determine whether a Hero succeeds or fails at
an action. Each action is based on one of the three Attributes, depending on the type of action
attempted, and involves the player drawing a number of Fate Cards equal to the Level of the
Attribute in question. Under normal circumstances, the player chooses ONE card to resolve from
amongst those drawn.
Tests are indicated by text along the lines of "Test Investigate [Wis]", where the skill in question
is listed first ("Investigate"), with the Attribute it is based on abbreviated in square brackets
( "[Wis]" ). If you are not using the "Tools of the Trade" module, simply ignore the Skill and Test
directly against the Attribute instead.

Opposed Tests
In VoH, basic Attribute Tests such as those described above and in the base game are called
"Unopposed Tests". VoH introduces the concept of "Opposed" Tests, where an opposing force such
as an enemy Hero or a monster, or the inherent difficulty of the task reduces the chances a Hero has
at succeeding. It's fairly easy to hit a stationary target, for example, but not nearly as easy when that

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target is defending itself and trying really hard to hit back.
An Unopposed Hero acts freely, the success or failure of its action determined entirely by its own
ability and the randomness of the Fate Cards. The player makes a basic Attribute Test, drawing
cards up to his or her Attribute Level, choosing one, and resolving it for either a "Success",
"Neutral" result or a "Failure".
An Opposed Test is directly resisted by an opposing factor, such as another Hero, or less
frequently, by circumstance or even by a Unit. In such a case, the Hero only draws a number of Fate
Cards equal to the DIFFERENCE between its Attribute Level and that of the Opposing Hero or
circumstance, down to a minimum of ONE. Opposition is usually indicated with "Oppose (Skill
[Attribute])", indicating which of the opposing Hero's Attributes or Skills come into play.
Suppose the Hero Ispher is involved in a pitched battle against an opposing faction led by Lyssa
of the East. Ispher makes a ranged attack (Agility 3), which would normally allow him to draw 3
Fate Cards and choose one to resolve. Lyssa opposes his attack however, pitting her Agility Level 1
against his. As a result, Ispher is only allowed to draw 2 Fate Cards.

Opposition from Multiple Sources

Opposition is cumulative, so a Hero going up against multiple enemy Heroes is going to be at
a distinct disadvantage, even if he or she is supremely skilled at the task in question. Keep in mind
though that a Test ALWAYS allows a Hero to draw one Fate Card, meaning that there is always a
chance at success, however small.

Actor & Opposition

When a Hero is "Activated" and gets a chance to do stuff, he or she usually makes an Attribute
Test to attempt an Action. The Activated Hero is said to be "Acting" and is named the "Actor". Any
Hero or Heroes Opposing the Actor are termed "Opposition". Heroes in Opposition are not
considered to be Activated themselves - Opposition is a passive reaction. At a later point in the
exchange, the rolls may switch, and see the second Hero, recently Opposing the first, now get a
chance to take its own Action in turn. These Actions are likely to be Opposed by an enemy Hero,
often the one that recently acted. The roles are reversed, with the first Hero now reacting to Oppose
the Action of the second.
Leading on from the previous example, during his Activation, Ispher is opposed by Lyssa of the
East. He draws the two Fate Cards allowed him and scores a hit, doing one point of damage. The
action moves along, and now Lyssa gets Activated. She makes a powerful magic attack (Wisdom 4),
but Ispher opposes with magical power of his own (Wisdom 2). Lyssa draws two Fate Cards, and
scores no hits.

Difficulty Ratings
Attribute Tests opposed by circumstances or the inherent difficulty of a task are usually
expressed directly, with the difficulty expressed as a simple modifier to the roll. An Easy task is
equivalent to being Unopposed, conferring no modifier to the task. A Difficult task, by contrast, has
a modifier of -2, meaning the Hero draws 2 fewer Fate Cards than he or she would normally be
allowed in attempting this task.

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 Table 1: Difficulty Ratings
Easy No Modifier

Moderately Difficult -1

Difficult -2

Very Difficult -3

Exceptionally Difficult -4

As an example, the Hero Andira Runehand is attempting to decipher the magical sigils inscribed
within an ancient tome she has discovered in a forgotten tomb. magical checks are usually Wisdom-
based, so normally, her Wisdom 3 would allow her to draw 3 Fate Cards. Because of the age of the
tome and the obscurity of the language it contains, deciphering it proves Very Difficult, conferring a
-3 modifier to the Test. Andira is allowed ONE Fate Card for this check, the minimum of one
overriding the fact that her effective Attribute Level for this check is 0.
Critical Successes
Heroes may improve their attributes over the course of a game as they gain in experience and
knowledge. Each Attribute may be improved by up to two points, the Hero gaining a +1 or +2
"Training Token" that may be applied to the attribute in question as a "Level Bonus". This Level
Bonus allows the Hero to draw additional Fate Cards during Attribute Tests, but more importantly,
potentially lets the Hero score a Critical Success.
A Critical Success is a Test that succeeds beyond expectation. These are the feats that inspire
songs and stories, where the Hero slays a giant troll with a single blow, decipher an arcane scroll
written in a language lost to time, or make a seemingly impossible leap to escape a rock-slide. Only
Heroes of considerable ability are able to score Critical Successes.
When choosing Fate Cards to resolve from those drawn for a Test, a Hero with a +1 or +2
Training Token for a particular Attribute MAY choose to resolve 1 or 2 additional Fate Cards,
respectively. Thus, a Hero with +1 Agility may resolve up to two Fate Cards for Agility Attribute
and Skill Tests, and a Hero with +2 to Strength may resolve up to 3 Fate Cards for Strength Tests.
Note that Heroes may only score Critical Successes on Tests that involve improved Attributes.
In the case of an Opposed Check, the Hero may still resolve additional Fate Cards, but only if
such are available from the draw after all modifiers have been applied. A Hero with Strength 3+2
may still resolve 3 Fate Cards if a modifier reduces his or her effective level down to 3, but may
only resolve what is available if a modifier reduces the level even further.
Critical Success doesn't make a difference in every scenario. Some Tests are a simple matter of
Succeed or Fail, with additional Successes having no impact on the final outcome.
Common Tests
VoH makes fairly frequent use of a small number of well-defined Tests for common activities
such as evading capture, identifying Runes and making attacks, amongst other things. These
standard Tests are detailed below:
• Evasion Test - To Evade capture by hostile forces, a Hero may make an Evasion Test, relying

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either on his or her wits to move quietly and carefully (Test Stealth [Agi]) or by relying on the
arts of misdirection and subterfuge (Test Diplomacy [Wis]). Enemy Heroes in the area oppose
this test by relying on their awareness and investigative skills (Investigate [Wis]).

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Module 02.02: Tools of the Trade
Requires use of the "A Hero's Work" and "On the Job Experience" rules options.

Requires use of Skill Cards or Tokens.

The "Tools of the Trade" module allows players to customize their Heroes by allowing them to
gain more specialized knowledge and ability. This specialist knowledge is represented by various
"Skills", each based on one of the three base attributes - Strength, Agility and Wisdom.
Like Attributes, each Skill has a numerical value that represents the Hero's relative Level of
expertise. A Hero's maximum Level in any particular Skill is limited by the Skill's base attribute,
with the maximum Skill Level allowed equal to the current level for the base attribute. So if the
Hero has a Strength attribute score of 4, Skills based on Strength may have a maximum of 4 points
each.

Skill Descriptions
Strength [Str]
• Heavy Melee Combat - The Hero's ability in combat using heavy melee weapons such as
longswords, axes, flails and bludgeons.
• Intimidation - The Hero's ability to instil fear and bend another to his or her will.
• Athletics - The Hero's ability to perform feats of physicality such as climbing, running, jumping,
swimming, etc.
• Endurance - The Hero's ability to resist the effects of poison, illness, and other effects that attack
the body's integrity, exhaustion and general hardship.
• Defend - The Hero's ability to use armor and shields effectively in defense against physical
attack.
Agility [Agi]
• Light Melee Combat - The Hero's ability in combat using light melee weapons such as daggers
or shortswords.
• Ranged Combat - The Hero's ability in combat using ranged weapons such as bows and slings.
• Stealth - The Hero's ability to hide, sneak and evade.
• Thievery - The Hero's ability at tricks of the hand, picking pockets, or distracting a mark while
lifting an item.
• Acrobatics - The Hero's ability to leap, tumble and roll, whether for artistic expression or to
lethal effect in combat.
• Tinker - The Hero's understanding of and ability to manipulate mechanical devices, devise
solutions and invent items.
Wisdom [Wis]
• Magical Combat - The Hero's ability in combat using magical spells and artifacts such as staves
or wands.

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• Diplomacy - The Hero's ability to communicate with and manipulate others, be it through lies
and misdirection, careful negotiation or sheer charisma.
• Resist - The Hero's ability to resist mental and magical effects such as fear, domination, sleep
etc.
• Investigate - The Hero's ability to uncover hidden knowledge, artifacts or individuals. Used to
identify Runes, track enemy Heroes and uncover quests.
• Lore - The Hero's command of knowledge, be it in knowing the history and politics of a region,
deciphering ancient tomes or understanding the workings of a magical spell.

Skill Tests
Skill Tests do not replace attribute tests - all tests are made using either Strength, Agility or
Wisdom. Instead, Skill Level translates as a bonus to the Attribute Test for the comparatively
narrow range of situations where that particular skill is relevant. Investigating the scene of a murder
would require a Wisdom Test for example, as would attempting to decipher an ancient scroll. The
two Tests would rely on different Skills however. The murder investigation would use the Hero's
Investigation Skill, while translating the ancient scroll would rely more on his or her knowledge of
ancient Lore.

Improving Skills
Skills are improved through training and study, and occasionally through direct experience.
Heroes may improve their Skills by taking "Train" actions during their activations, spending the
season practising the Skill and gaining a +1 Bonus up to a maximum equalling the current level of
the Base Attribute. Heroes also occasionally benefit from direct Skill improvements due to the
effects of Quest Cards, as explained previously.

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Module 02.03: On the Job Experience
Requires use of the "Heroic Efforts" and "Tools of the Trade" rules modules

"On the Job Experience" ties Attribute Level increases directly to questing and other dangerous
activities. Heroes no longer take "Train" actions to increase Attribute Levels, but instead have to
successfully complete quests in order to advance. This also provides added incentive to take one's
Heroes questing, which we have found generally takes a back seat to having Heroes provide
military support.

Improving Attributes and Skills

Whenever a Hero successfully completes a quest, the Hero may increase ONE attribute by +1
point, to a maximum of +2 for any individual Attribute. Attribute Levels may only be increased in
this way - Level increases specified by the Quest Card no longer benefit the indicated Base
Attribute, but instead allow the Hero to increase any ONE chosen Skill based on the indicated Base
Attribute instead. The choice of Skill is usually guided by the circumstances described on the card,
but this is not a requirement, unless all players agree to this beforehand.

Improving Health
Besides their Base Attributes, Heroes may also improve their ability to withstand damage by
increasing their Health, but they may ONLY do so once ALL THREE Base Attributes have
benefited from an equivalent Level increase. So, for example, a Hero may only increase their Health
by one once each of the three Base Attributes have increased in level by +1, and likewise, add a
further +1 to Health only once Strength, Agility AND Wisdom all have a +2 Level Bonus attached.

Commanders
Heroes commanding armies under the "Commanders of the Battlefield" module from "Banners
of War" generally do not get an opportunity to go questing and so improve their experience.
Commanders may instead benefit from "battlefield experience", gaining +1 to ONE attribute for
every battle WON under his or her command. Only commanders may earn experience in this way
though - other Heroes may only gain experience through questing.

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Module 02.04: Lords of War
Requires use of the "Heroic Efforts" module, and works best in conjunction with "Tools
of the Trade".

"Lords of War" is a module for players who would like their Heroes to take a more direct role in
combat, and for the Heroes' relative strengths and weaknesses to differentiate them more clearly.
With this module, Heroes act directly as powerful Units in battle, rather than acting to support
regular Units, and utilize different attacks based on their attribute scores.

The Flow of Battle

Battles take place between an Attacker and a Defender. Both parties will be launching attacks
and defending during the battle, but for the purposes of the game, the Attacker is the player
initiating the battle. Each player takes a turn to act at each Initiative Slot, with the Attacker
Activating his or her Units and Heroes first, followed by the Defender. The Activated Unit or Hero
takes an Action, usually an Attack, which may be Opposed by an enemy Hero. Heroes from both
sides are always Activated first, before regular Units.
As in the base game, the outcome of both the Attacker and Defender's Actions are applied
simultaneously at each Initiative slot, so a Unit or Hero that gets killed during the same slot it would
Activate still gets a chance to act before it dies.

The Modified Combat Sequence

At the beginning of the Engagement (or EACH Engagement, if using the "Against the Odds"
rules module), the attacking and defending players follow the steps outlined below to determine
how and when their Heroes act during the battle. Each Hero may only be Activated ONCE per
Engagement, and likewise oppose ONCE.
1. Attacking player announces, for each Attacking Hero, whether that Hero will be focussing on
ranged or light melee attacks, heavy melee attacks or magical attacks. Each type of attack is
based on a different Attribute and Skill, per Table 02.
2. Defending player announces, for each defending Hero, whether that Hero will "Oppose" an
attacking Hero, indicating the Attribute and Skill each Hero will be using, per Table 02. The
defending player may assign more than one Hero to Oppose each attacking Hero. with the
Opposing Levels cumulatively reducing the chances of success for the Attacking Hero.
3. The Defending player then announces what Action each defending Hero will take. The Defender
indicates the Attribute and Skill each Hero will use to Act, per Table 02.
4. Each Initiative Slot is resolved per the normal rules of combat for Runewars, except that Heroes
Act first on their respective slots, before regular Units. In the case of multiple Heroes acting on
the same slot, the attacker first announces the order in which attacking Heroes act, followed by
the defending player doing the same for defending Heroes. Attacker and Defender alternates,
with each Hero's actions resolved in turn before moving on to the next one, though these Actions
are considered to all be taking place at the same time)
5. Resolve regular Units' Actions per the base game after ALL Heroes at that particular slot have
acted.
6. On its turn to Act, each Hero in turn makes an Attribute or Skill Test for their chosen attack type,
reducing the number of Fate Cards drawn according to the Opposing Hero or Heroes' mode of

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 opposition. Consult Table 02 for details.
7. After all five Initiative slots have acted, the relative Strength of each side is determined as per
the normal rules for combat in Runewars. The side with the lowest total Strength breaks (Unless
playing with the "Against the Odds" module) and flees the battlefield, routed.
Unless otherwise stated, attackers always target the opposing Army, rather than individual Units.
Thus, the targeted player assigns damage, routs and the effects of special abilities. Certain special
abilities may allow a Hero or unit to target specific enemy Units, overruling this.
Table 2: Hero Attacks and Defenses
Attack Type Acting Skill Opposing Skill Initial- Resolve
[Attribute] [Attribute] tive

Light Melee Attack Light Melee Combat Defend [Str], 1 Triangles

[Agi]
Acrobatics [Agi]

Ranged Attack Ranged Combat [Agi] Defend [Str], 1 Triangles

Acrobatics [Agi]

Magical Attack Magical Combat [Wis] Resist [Wis], 2 Circles

Acrobatics [Agi]

Heavy Melee Attack Heavy Melee Combat Defend [Str], 3 Rectangles

[Str]
Acrobatics [Agi]

Duels
Under the "Lords of War" rules module, Duels are treated as regular battles, only with a single
combatant on either side, with each combatant Opposing the other. Damage and Routs are thus
automatically assigned to the opposing Hero.
Duels can involve more than two Heroes, with multiple allied Heroes fighting a single enemy
Hero. Treat these situations as regular battles, with the player controlling the multiple Heroes
deciding which of his or her Heroes take damage & routs from the enemy Hero.

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Module 02.05: A Hero's Work
The "A Hero's Work" rules module does not require the use of "Heroic Efforts", but it is
recommended.

"A Hero's Work" is an module for players who would like their Heroes to have more to do all
year round, rather than having to wait for the summer questing phase every year.
When using "A Hero's Work", Heroes act during their Faction's turn at resolving its strategy
Card, rather than during the Questing Phase as initiated by the secondary ability of the "Summer"
Season Card. The Summer Season's secondary ability does nothing when using this module.
The controlling player is free to decide the order in which his or her Heroes and Armies act,
keeping in mind that the order in which actions are taken represents the actual order in which events
occur. If a player chooses to move an Army adjacent to a Hero's Area further away, for example,
before the Hero acts, the player can't choose to have the Hero Join that Army, because it is no longer
adjacent.

Hero Actions
"A Hero's Work" uses a modified list of actions a Hero may take during his or her Activation. A
Hero only Activates ONCE per Turn, and chooses ONE action from the list below:.
Movement Actions
Movement tends to make up the bulk of Heroes' actions, allowing them to travel between
adventuring locations, join or leave armies and attack enemies.
• Move: The player may have the Hero move to an adjacent Area. The Hero may not take any
additional actions such as attempting a quest or visiting a city.
• Join: The player may have the Hero join a friendly Army in the immediate Area, or in an Area
directly adjacent (move the Hero there) to become an "Accompanying Hero".
• Attack: The Hero may move into an adjacent space and attack an enemy Army.
• Duel: The Hero may move into an adjacent space and attempt to track down an enemy Hero by
making an Investigate [Wis] Test opposed by the enemy Hero's Stealth [Agi]. On a successful
check, the Hero manages to locate the enemy Hero and initiate a duel.
Recovery Actions
Heroes can suffer a variety of setbacks during their adventures, facing injury, fatigue, loss of Morale
and unexpected delays as a matter of course. Recovery Actions allow Heroes to overcome these,
and additionally, to better themselves through study, contemplation and practice.
• Rest: The player may remove one damage token from the Hero, and if playing with the optional
"Not Today" rule, one rout token. The player may pay influence to remove additional rout tokens,
one influence per rout.
• Rally: If playing with the optional "Not Today" rule, the player may have a Broken Hero rally,
removing one rout token. The player may pay influence to remove additional rout tokens, one
influence per rout.
• Progress: If using the, "A Dangerous Business" option, the player may have a Delayed Hero take
a Progress action to no longer be delayed. Stand the Hero. It may move freely on a subsequent

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 Hero Phase.
• Train: Unless playing with the "On the Job Experience" module, The player may increase one of
the Hero's attributes by 1 point. A Hero may increase any one attribute by a maximum of +2. If
using "Tools of the Trade" and "On the Job Experience", this action instead increases one of the
Hero's Skills by one point.
Exploration Actions
Exploration is the cornerstone of a Hero's career. Heroes travel to far-off cities in search of rare
items or forgotten lore, or make their way through lost dungeons and dark woods in search of
powerful artifacts. Exploration Actions are the primary means by which Heroes earn experience and
rewards.
• Investigate: Make an Investigate [Wis] Test to Sidebar 06: Delay
investigate and identify runes in the immediate
Area. This check is opposed by enemy Heroes Various effects may cause a Hero to become
in the same Area using Stealth Agi. If "Delayed" - he or she may become lost,
successful, the player controlling the Hero may encounter impassable obstacles, be detained,
choose to Reveal the Rune. etc. A delayed Hero is effectively routed, and is
laid on its side to indicate as much. Delayed
• Quest: The player may have the Hero attempt Heroes may be rallied as-if routed using the
a quest in the Area he or she is in at the start of Progress Action.
the Hero phase.
• City: If using the "Urban Adventures" module,
the player may have the Hero attempt to do research, acquire an artifact, study or hire henchmen
at a city in the Area he or she is in at the start of the round.

Heroes and Order Cards

Using the "A Hero's Work" module, Heroes may not normally be activated or moved on an Order
Card resolution. Heroes are considered independent agents, and act on their own unless they
explicitly become "Accompanying Heroes" using the "Join" action. While "accompanying", the
Hero is subject to all the same movement benefits and restrictions as Units. If moving into an
activated Area, the Hero is locked in until the following spring, along with the accompanied Army,
unless it elects to abandon the Army. To abandon the Army, the player simply announces that the
Hero is doing so at the beginning of a Hero Phase. The Hero is once-again independent, free to
move and act on its own. If it wants to rejoin the Army at a later stage, it must again take a "Join"
action to do so.

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Module 02.06: A Dangerous Business
"A Dangerous Business" works best when used in conjunction with "A Hero's Work"

The lands of Terrinoth are wild and fraught with danger, pockets of civilization clustered around
cities and strongholds while the surrounding wilds are ruled over by wild beasts, warlords and dark
powers. The base game represents this danger somewhat in the form of Neutral Units, but these
rarely interact with Heroes, making adventuring a much less dangerous business than one might
argue it should be. Likewise, Heroes can move at will through and behind enemy lines, allowing
them to hunt down enemy Heroes or spy on enemy runes at will.
The "A Dangerous Business" module requires Heroes to negotiate, sneak past or fight their way
through these hazards of travel, hopefully giving adventuring a truer sense of danger and tension.

Neutral Areas
Heroes may move freely through empty Neutral areas, but must successfully make their way past
areas held by Neutral Units using either Stealth [Agi] or Diplomacy [Wis]. Heroes may also opt
instead to initiate battle with Neutral Units (Duel these Units as per standard Runewars rules, or use
the "Lords of War" module) in an Area, or if playing with the "Loyal Minions" module, attempt to
recruit them as henchmen, as per the rules presented there.
To Sneak or Talk his or her way through an Area containing Neutral Units, the Hero makes either
a Stealth [Agi] or Diplomacy [Wis] Test, and applies the results as follows:
• Success: The Hero successfully makes its way through the Area without alerting the locals to its
presence.
• Neutral: The Hero is delayed, though remaining undiscovered or unhindered. End the Hero's
movement. It may not attempt to quest this turn or take any further action. If making use of "A
Hero's Work", lay the Hero on its side to indicate that it is delayed. It must take a "Progress"
action before it may take any further actions, aside from "Rest", "Rally" or "Train" actions, which
are always allowed.
• Failure: The Hero is discovered. It must fight its way clear of the tile or negotiate its passage. To
negotiate, the Hero must spend One Influence to make a successful Diplomacy (Wisdom) Test at
a -1 penalty per Neutral Unit present. Additional Influence Tokens may be spent to draw
additional Fate Cards, one Card per Token spent.

Enemy-Held Areas
Heroes may move freely through areas held by an enemy Faction controlled only by Peasant
Tokens, but must successfully make its way past areas that contain enemy strongholds or Units. As
when dealing with Neutral Areas, the Hero may make his or her way either by stealth or subterfuge,
or may opt instead to take on any Units garrisoned in the Area. If playing with the "Loyal Minions"
module, the Hero may not attempt to recruit enemy Units, but may attempt to sway allied Neutral
Units to his or her side, as per the rules presented there.
To Sneak or Talk his or her way through an Area containing enemy Units, the Hero makes either
a Stealth [Agi] or Diplomacy [Wis] Test, and applies the results as detailed below. Enemy Heroes in
the area oppose this check using Investigate [Wis].
• Success: The Hero successfully makes its way through the Area without alerting enemy Units to
its presence.

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• Neutral: The Hero is delayed, though remaining undiscovered or unhindered. End the Hero's
movement. It may not attempt to quest this turn or take any other action. If making use of "A
Hero's Work", lay the Hero on its side to indicate that it is delayed. It must take a "Progress"
action before it may take any further actions, aside from "Rest", "Rally" or "Train" actions, which
are always allowed.
• Failure: The Hero is discovered. It must fight its way clear of the tile or negotiate its passage.
Unlike when dealing with Neutral Units, the controlling player must negotiate directly with the
enemy player for the Hero's free passage. If using the "World at War" module, use the same
negotiation procedure as outlined for Neutral Areas, but have any enemy Heroes present
"Oppose" the discovered Hero's Diplomacy [Wis] Check with its own Diplomacy [Wis].

Water Borders
Some creatures are born to water, while others learn to navigate it as easily as they might do an
open plain or forest path. When faced with a water border in a season other than Winter, a travelling
Hero may try to cross the border, either by swimming across, fording the river, building a raft, or
whatever other ingenious solution they might come up with. To do so, make an Athletics [Str]
check, with results resolving as follows:
• Success: The Hero successfully negotiates the water border and makes its way to the adjacent
tile.
• Neutral: The Hero successfully makes its way past the body of water blocking its way, but is
exhausted by the effort. The Hero takes 1 point of damage, and if using the "Not Today" module,
one Rout. If using "Tools of the Trade", a Hero with the Endurance [Str] Skill may Test to avoid
taking damage and routs.
• Failure: The Hero is unable to negotiate the water border, and is exhausted by the effort. The
Hero takes 1 point of damage, and if using the "Not Today" module, one Rout. If using "Tools of
the Trade", a Hero with the Endurance [Str] Skill may Test to avoid taking damage and routs.

Winter Travel
Combining "A Dangerous Business" with "A Hero's Work" allows Heroes to act and during all
seasons, rather than just during the summer questing phase. Aside from the usual hazards one faces
however, travelling during Winter is even more dangerous. Driving snow and frigid temperatures
will eventually wear down even the hardiest of travellers, and a lack of food and adequate shelter
spells almost certain death.
Whenever a Hero performs a "Move" action during the Hero Phase of the Winter season, the
player must make a "Strength" check for each Area it passes through, with the results resolving as
follows:
• Success: The Hero successfully makes his or her way through the Area.
• Neutral: The Hero makes his way through the Area, but the rigours of the journey inflict one
point of damage, and if using the "Not Today" module, one Rout. If using "Tools of the Trade", a
Hero with the Endurance [Str] Skill may Test to avoid taking damage and routs.
• Failure: The Hero is Delayed by the harsh conditions, taking two damage, and if using the "Not
Today" module, two Routs. If using "Tools of the Trade", a Hero with the Endurance [Str] Skill
may Test to avoid taking the first damage and rout. A Critical Success prevents the second
damage and rout.

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Module 02.07: Urban Adventures
"Urban Adventures" allows Heroes to interact with cities in a number of different ways. Heroes
may search through dusty tomes and ancient records in search of quests, attempt to acquire rare
artefacts, undergo training to learn new tactics for battlefield and negotiating table alike, and even
hire henchmen to accompany them on their travels.
To interact with a city, a player simply moves the Hero one or two areas to an Area containing
one, and then announces that the Hero will be taking the "City" action. Alternatively, if using the "A
Hero's Work" module, the Hero has to be in the Area containing the city at the start of his or her turn
during the Hero phase.
Every city offers a different mix of resources, training and lore to travellers, with some giving
rich access to ancient knowledge in the form of quest cards, while others allow the Hero access to a
rich store of battlefield or negotiation-table knowledge in the form of tactics cards. Accessing any of
these resources usually requires a certain amount of negotiation, bribery and simple direct payment,
so whenever a Hero does take a "City" action, his or her Faction must pay a certain number of
influence tokens representing bribe money, payment of fees, time spent negotiating access, and the
simple day-to-day living expenses of spending the season in the city. Influence costs are as follows:
• To access the resources of a city in an Area held by the Hero's Faction: 3 influence
• To access the resources of a city in a Neutral Area: 4 influence
• To access the resources of a city in an Area held by an enemy Faction: 5 influence
This cost is adjusted down by the Hero's Wisdom Attribute, though the Hero must always pay a
minimum of 1 influence.

Main Action
When taking a "City" action, the Hero is allowed ONE main activity for the season, each giving
access to ONE resource. Each resource accessed makes an Offer equal to the number of that item
listed on the face of the city token.
• The Hero may spend the season on RESEARCH activities, poring over ancient lore to gain
access to additional Quest Cards. The city's Offer of Quest Cards is as listed on the token-face of
each city.
• The Hero may spend the season negotiating access to the rare and magical ARTIFACTS held by
the city and its elite (In the form of the Reward Cards), with hopes of either convincing the
owners to part with such items, or to take them by force or subterfuge. Each city holds a number
of rare artefacts equal to the "Influence" total on its token-face.
• The Hero may spend the season in TRAINING to learn new tactics and Skills to pass on to his or
her Faction. These come in the form of Tactics Cards. The city's Offer of Tactics Cards is as listed
on the token-face of each city.
• The Hero may spend the season negotiating with and hiring mercenary HENCHMEN, in the
form of Neutral Unit Allies, to accompany him or her on their travels. The city's Offer of
mercenaries and adventurers is as listed on the token-face of each city. These Henchmen join a
friendly Army in the Area or directly adjacent to it (The Hero may not hire henchmen if there is
no such Army present), or if using the "Loyal Minions" module, they join the Hero directly.
To acquire an item in the Offer, the Hero must make a successful Attribute Test. Heroes may
attempt to acquire all the items in a city's Offer, but a successful test must be made for each, with

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tests subsequent to the first taken at a cumulative -1 penalty. Subsequent tests also cost additional
influence, at a cost of 1 influence token per test beyond the first. Heroes may attempt to take items
either by force, by subterfuge, or through careful negotiation and trade:
• Intimidation [Str]: A Hero may attempt to intimidate the city's patrons into giving aid by making
an Intimidate [Str] Test. A Hero may acquire TRAINING, MERCENARIES and QUESTS in this
way.
• Stealth [Agi]: A Hero may attempt to steal artifacts or sneak into libraries and vaults by making a
Stealth [Agi] Test. A Hero may acquire ARTIFACTS, QUESTS and TRAINING in this way.
• Diplomacy [Wis]: A Hero may attempt to negotiate or trade with the city's patrons to gain their
aid by making a Diplomacy [Wis] Test. A Hero may acquire ARTIFACTS, MERCENARIES and
QUESTS in this way.
Interpret the check results as follows:
• Success: The Hero acquires the item.
• Neutral: The Hero does not manage to acquire the item.
• Failure: The Hero does not manage to acquire the item, and suffers consequences as follows:
• Intimidation: The Hero is driven off, taking 1 wound. Additionally, he or she is unwelcome
in the city until the next Spring Season card is resolved.
• Subterfuge: The Hero is detained, but manages to escape, though becoming "Delayed". He
or she is unable to visit the city until the next Spring Season card is resolved.
• Negotiation: The Hero's words prove unconvincing, and more, temporarily turn the city's
patrons against Hero's Faction. The Hero is unwelcome in the city until the next Spring
Season card is resolved, and if playing with the "Not Today: module, the Hero takes one
Rout.

Minor Actions
While visiting the a city to acquire various items and information or hire mercenaries, the Hero
may also take any mumber of minor actions such as to seek out healers, sell second-hand goods or
purchase various useful goods and services. Goods and services are valued by the amount of
Influence needed to procure them, with Friendly Cities charging one Influence less, while cities
located in enemy Areas charge one Influence more.
• Purchase Healing - The Hero seeks out the healers and herbalists of the city, paying 3 Influence
to remove all damage taken.
• Purchase Resolve - The Hero seeks out the local temple of her faith, visits the academy of
philosophers, or simply spends time in the city's ale houses. However he or she chooses to do so,
the Hero strengthens hos or her resolve, removing all Rout Tokens for the cost of 3 Influence.
• Sell Goods - The Hero visits the city's collectors of rare and valuable artifacts to trade, gaining 3
Influence per Reward Card sold. The sale price is increased to 4 Influence in a Friendly city, but
decreased to 2 in an enemy city.

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Module 02.08: Loyal Minions
Requires use of the "Lords of War" module

With the "Loyal Minions" module, a Hero may recruit a number of Henchmen in the form of
friendly or allied Neutral Units that accompany him or her on their travels. This takes place during
the Summer Questing phase, on a "Recruit" action, or if using the "A Hero's Work" module, during
the Hero's Activation.

Recruiting Henchmen
The number of henchmen a Hero may have is determined by his or her Wisdom attribute, with
one henchmen allowed per point recruited from any "triangle", "circle" or "rectangle" Units
available. Hexagon Units never join Heroes as henchmen. The Hero may recruit from any friendly
Units in the immediate Area, by successfully negotiating with Neutral Units in uncontrolled areas,
or if using the "Urban Adventures" module, by hiring mercenaries at cities.
• Recruiting henchmen from friendly Armies require no additional action. Simply announce that
the Hero will be taking a "Recruit" action, and pick the appropriate Units from those available in
that Area.
• To recruit Neutral Units from an uncontrolled Area, pay one influence per Neutral unit in that
Area (including Hexagon Units, which are often leaders or powerful champions with a lot of
influence)
• Rules for recruiting Neutral Units from cities are detailed under the "Urban Adventures" rules
module.
• Rules for recruiting Neutral Units allied to enemy Factions are detailed under the "Behind
Enemy Lines" rules module.

Moving Henchmen
Henchmen move and act with Heroes during the Summer Questing Phase, or if using "A Hero's
Work", on the Hero's Activation. Henchmen do not activate on Order Cards, unless they have been
"Absorbed" into a friendly Army. Henchmen are Absorbed when a Hero joins a friendly Army,
either by acting on an Order card, or if using "A Hero's Work", when the Hero takes a "Join" action.
If using "A Dangerous Business", a large retinue of henchmen decreases a Hero's chances of
travelling quietly and discretely. To reflect this, apply a cumulative -1 penalty to the Stealth Agi or
Diplomacy [Wis] Test the Hero makes to move through Neutral and Enemy Areas.

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Module 02.09: Stewards of the Runes
Requires the use of "Not Today", "A Hero's Work", "Lords of War" and "A Dangerous
Business"

"Stewards of the Runes" allows Heroes to take a direct hand in the war for control of the Dragon
Runes by giving them the ability to acquire and carry Runes, directly benefiting from the power of
the Rune, or else carrying it to their Faction's Home Realm where it can be bent to the task of
winning the war.

The Acquire Action

This module adds the "Acquire" exploration action to those already outlined in "A Hero's Work,
which allows the Hero the module of picking up a previously Revealed Rune and placing it in its
inventory along with other Artifacts.
Acquire: A Hero may acquire a revealed Dragon Rune located in a Neutral Area by various means.
Runes are usually held by local powers or lost in forgotten tombs, and where an Army may march
in and simply take what it needs (As per the Runewars base rules), a Hero attempting to acquire a
Dragon Rune must often overcome great danger or enter into tense negotiation to do the same.
When a Hero announces that he or she wishes to take an "Acquire" action, roll draw a single Fate
Card:
• A "Success" result indicates that the Rune is held by a local group or individual of some
importance. The Hero must make a successful Stealth [Agi] Test to steal the Rune, or a successful
Diplomacy [Wis] Test to convince the other side to part with it.
• A "Neutral" result indicates that the Rune forms part of a powerful monster's Hoard. The Hero
must make a successful Stealth [Agi] Test to steal the Rune, or a successful Intimidate [Str] Test
to subdue the monster and take the Rune.
• A "Failure" result indicates that the Rune is located in a lost tomb or cavern. The Hero must
make a successful Investigate [Wis] Test to locate the Rune.

Wielding a Dragon Rune

A Dragon Rune is a magical artifact of immense power, and confers significant benefits upon
any who dare wield it. The Runes are tied to the powers of the terrifying Dragon Lords of old
though, their malevolent personalities bound to the stones, and they exercise an insidious corrupting
influence on those who carry them.
Any Hero carrying a Rune enjoys a +2 Level bonus to all Attributes (Including Health), in
ADDITION to any Level Bonuses earned through Questing experience. Thus, a Hero carrying one
Dragon Rune can effectively gain a +4 Level Bonus to each Attribute, resolving up to FIVE cards
when determining Critical Successes. This benefit is cumulative, so carrying multiple Runes can
turn a Hero into a truly frightening foe.
A Hero carrying a Rune is overcome by the arrogant confidence of the Dragon Lords, and is no
longer subject to the risk of being Routed. A Hero imbued with the power of a Rune will fight on in
the face of certain doom, blind to the possibility of defeat. These Heroes can never be Routed, and
if using the "Not Today" module are never assigned Rout Tokens in battle. The victor is still
determined as normal for any battles the Hero is involved in, but where his or her comrades will
break and retreat if defeated, the Hero remains behind and is captured instead, insanely confident to
the last. See the next section for further information.

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 Dangers of the Dragon Runes
Despite the great power the Dragon Runes grant, most would call it madness to seek them out,
for they are well known to destroy all but the most powerful of minds. They corrupt the mind and
consume the body, eventually leaving nothing but a shadow, or worse even another Dark Lord
intent on domination.
Every time the Hero is Activated, whether on its turn during the resolution of an Order Card or in
battle, the Hero must make a Resist [Wis] Check for each Dragon Rune carried, without the Level
Bonus normally conferred, and at a -1 penalty per Rune carried. Failure sees the Hero taking one
point of Damage, and if playing with the "Not Today" module, one Rout. A Neutral result reduces
the Damage and Routs taken to one each, while a Success means that the Hero resists the Rune's
effects. Each Critical Success allows the Hero to discard one Rout Token. As long as it carries the
Rune, the Hero cannot remove Rout Tokens through "Rest" actions, though it may still heal
damage.
The Hero will continue to take Damage and accumulate Routs from the dark influence of the
Rune until the total equals or exceeds his or her Health Total. At that point, the Hero is overcome by
the evil influence of the Rune, Deserting his or her Faction and travelling to distant lands where a
new Dark Lord might build its base of power undisturbed. If the Hero dies while carrying a Rune,
its soul is instead consumed and it is turned into a terrifying shade, doomed to haunt the place of its
death forever. In either case, remove the Hero and all items it carries, the Rune included, from the
game.
A Hero may discard a Rune at any time. It stays in the Area where the Hero drops it, Unrevealed,
unless at the Hero's Home Realm, where the controlling player may choose to Reveal or not. Once
rid of a Rune, the Hero no longer suffers its corrupting influence

Hunting the Runes

While carrying a Rune imbues a Hero with significant power, it also makes him or her a really
big target. Every enemy Hero and Army will be hunting the Hero, intent on killing him or her and
taking the power the Hero carries for themselves.
A Hero carrying a Rune caught in the same Area as an enemy Army must immediately make a
successful Evade Test (Test Stealth [Agi] or Diplomacy [Wis], Opposed by enemy Heroes'
Investigate [Wis] Skill) to evade that Army, with an additional -1 penalty to the check for each
enemy Unit present. Successfully evading the enemy army sees the Hero avoiding capture, but he or
she is Delayed. Failure means discovery, forcing the Hero to face the ENTIRE enemy Army in
battle.
If the Hero is killed in the ensuing battle, all items he or she was carrying, the Rune or Runes
included, drop to the ground. Any enemy Heroes present may claim the equipment. The Runes may
either be picked up by these Heroes or left in the Area for transport to the Faction's Home Realm on
a Fortify Order.
If the Hero is defeated but remains alive, he or she is taken captive, at which point the player
controlling the enemy Army may decide what to do with him or her. The most obvious course of
action is to simply execute the prisoner and be done with it, though, if playing with the "Prisoners
of War" module, the possibility of ransoming a Hero back to the Faction he or she supports is also
always a possibility.
If playing with the "World at War" module, a Roaming NPF Army will always treat a Hero
carrying a Rune in an Area adjacent to it as a Priority Objective, moving into that Area in order to
hunt down the Hero and claim the Rune as per the rules outlined above.

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Module 02.10: Behind Enemy Lines
Requires the use of "A Hero's Work", "Lords of War", "A Dangerous Business" and
"Stewards of the Runes"

The "Behind Enemy Lines" module is great for players who want to add more direct
confrontation with other players, and allow Heroes to more directly influence the outcome of the
Runewars. Using this module, Heroes may be used as spies or assassins, travel enemy lands
spreading propaganda, steal valuable items or even undermine enemy strongholds.

Operations
"Behind Enemy Lines" adds a new class of Hero Actions called "Operations" to those allowed
under "A Hero's Work". Heroes undertake Operations against enemy factions, attempting to
undermine their Strength through various activities. Operations are risky, but the potential rewards
of a successful operation are huge, often enough to sway the outcome of a battle, or even that of the
war itself.
Each of these actions require that the Hero already be present in the Area where he or she wishes
to act, and that the Hero first make a successful Evasion Test - Test Stealth Agi or Diplomacy [Wis]
Test to avoid detection, with the Test Opposed (Investigate) by any enemy Heroes present.
Discovery allows the enemy faction a free attack on the Hero by any Units and Heroes present in
the Immediate Area.
• Larceny - The Hero may attempt to steal ONE Revealed Dragon Rune in the Area. To do so, the
Hero may make either a successful Stealth [Agi] or Diplomacy [Wis] Test, opposed by any
enemy Heroes present using either Lore [Wis] or Tinker [Agi]. On success, the Hero acquires the
Rune, placing it in his or her inventory. Heroes may acquire and carry multiple Runes, but each
must be acquired on a seperate action. If the Hero is ever killed, the Rune falls where the Hero
dies, along with any equipment that Hero carries.
• Sabotage - By travelling to one of an enemy faction's strongholds, a Hero may attempt to
sabotage that stronghold's defenses. The Hero must make a Tinker [Agi] Test to do so
successfully, and any enemy Heroes in the area Oppose (Lore). On success, turn the stronghold or
Citadel to its damaged side. It may be repaired as usual per the Fortify Order Card.
• Assassination - By travelling to an enemy faction's Home Realm stronghold or Citadel, a Hero
may attempt to Assassinate that faction's representative to the Wizard's Council, preventing the
faction from taking part in Wizard's Council votes for the rest of the year. The Hero must make a
Stealth [Agi] Test to do so successfully, and any enemy Heroes in the area Oppose (Investigate).
On success, place an Influence Token next to the faction's Home Realm stronghold or Citadel as a
reminder that its representative has been killed. Remove this Token during resolution of the next
Spring Season Card's secondary ability.
• Dissention - The Hero may attempt to cause Neutral Units allied to an enemy to desert or even
switch sides through propaganda, negotiation and bribery. The Hero must make a Diplomacy
[Wis] Test to cause all Neutral Units in the Immediate Area to desert, retreating to an adjacent
Empty or Neutral Area, or if none are available, immediately starting a battle with the enemy
faction's Army. This check is Opposed (Diplomacy [Wis]) by any enemy Heroes present in the
Area, and the enemy faction may spend one Influence per Neutral Unit to prevent the desertion. If
using the "Loyal Minions" rule, each Critical Success scored sees one Neutral Unit of the Hero's
choice instead decide to join that Hero as a henchman. The Hero may opt to forego this benefit.

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 The Hero must make a second Evasion Test to avoid detection after an operation, whether that
Operation is a success or a failure. As before, discovery allows the enemy faction a free attack on
the Hero by any Units and Heroes present in the Immediate Area.

Other Operations
In addition to these Operations, Heroes may engage in Guerilla Warfare of sorts by attacking
enemy Armies in their own territory. The standard "Duel" action may also be considered an
Operation under the rules for "Behind Enemy Lines". Since these actions involve direct hostilities,
the standard pre-and post-Evasion Tests required for other Operations fall away.

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Index of Tables
Table 1: Difficulty Ratings.................................................................................................................18
Table 2: Hero Attacks and Defenses...................................................................................................24

***

Index of Sidebars
Sidebar 01: A Note on the Cursed Tomb..............................................................................................6
Sidebar 02: Determining Non-Player Faction Resources.....................................................................9
Sidebar 03: Recruiting Non-Player Faction Armies...........................................................................10
Sidebar 04: Recruiting Heroes............................................................................................................11
Sidebar 05: Notes on Development Cards..........................................................................................12
Sidebar 06: Delay...............................................................................................................................26

***

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