Document nization and Spoile
Hogwarts Battle is a game that is somewhat unique in that the game starts off with simple
mechanisms and gradually adds more components to make a larger game with more cards,
new kinds of cards, and new rules. Many people who buy this game would like to avoid
“spoilers” and not know what is inside future game boxes. This document is organized in a way
to minimize exposure to spoilers, but be aware that for various reasons some spoilers cannot be
avoided, The first section of this document addresses general gameplay questions. Most
‘examples in this section are explained using cards that appear in Games 1 or 2, However, there
are a couple of places where it is necessary to use cards from later games as examples.
Following General Gameplay Questions, any questions about specific cards or mechanism that
appear in a specific game box appear in under that game header. For example, there is a rule
clarification about a spell that doesn't appear until Game 3, so it is under the "Game 3” header.
With this in mind, you can choose to stop reading the document when you get to a particular
Game header you don't wish to know about.
There are several questions regarding how to resolve two different effects when triggered
simultaneously. Because the answer to this question is “spoiler heavy” it has been moved to the
end of the document (Page 9). However, be aware that you may need to refer to this question
before you open to the Game Seven box
Gens
Gameplay Question:
Q: Do I keep cards in my deck when going from one game to the next? Do | have to play the
same character each game?
‘A: No. Hogwarts Battle is not a “campaign game. Anything you acquire in a given game does
not carry over into the next. The game has no memory. Even though the rules and components
carry over, players will start from scratch every time they open a new game box.
Q: Where are cards that have been played located? Are they in the discard?
A; Although the rulebook does not explicitly explain this, you should consider cards that have
been played to be ina “play area.” This means they are neither in your hand nor in the
discard pile. As such, played cards do not trigger discard effects, they cannot be retrieved
using Accio, and on the rare occasion that you have to shuffle your deck in the middle of your
tum, they would not be shuffled into your new draw pile. Similarly, they are no longer in your
hand and cannot be used as payment for cards that require you to discard. During Step 4-4 of
the player's tum, the player will move all cards from this “play area” into his/her discard pile, but
this does not count as a discard for the purpose of triggering discard effects.
‘Source: hitps://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/24681778#24681778
Source: httos:/www boardgamegeek.com/article/24887751#24887751
Page 1 of 10Q: How often can | collect a reward on a card?
A: There are several questions on the forum about how often a reward on a card will tigger and
it would be time consuming to list every example. However, the general rule in any game (not
just Hogwart Battle) is that if a card uses the word “each’ it can be triggered multiple times.
Without this keyword, you should assume it can only trigger once for every time it is played
The easiest example of this is to look at Bernie Bott's and the Cleansweep from Ron's starting
deck. The Cleansweep does not say “each,” so you may only claim a total of one influence
even if you defeat two or three villains in one turn. In contrast, Bernie Bott's says “For each
Ally..." and thus can be triggered multiple times on the same turn.
Source: https:/Awww boardgamegeek.com/thread/1687954/
Q: Where do “revealed” cards go?
A: Starting in year three, some game effects will instruct the player to reveal the top card of their
deck and discard it under certain conditions, but does not instruct the player otherwise, The
standard rule in most board games is that revealed cards return to their original location unless
another instruction gives direction otherwise. In these cases, the player will return the revealed
card to the top of the player deck if the instruction does not tell them to discard.
Source: General board game standard; not yet contradicted by game's designer.
Q: Is a card discarded from the top of your deck still considered a discard?
A: Yes. In conjunction with the previous question, a player may be told to discard the top card of,
their deck. This still counts as a discard and would thus trigger any discard effects of that card
{such as Neville's Remembrall) and/or trigger Crabbe & Goyle’s attack if they are in play.
Players should treat the word “discard’ like a keyword, meaning any time two different cards use
the word “discard,” it they are referring the same effect
Source: hitps://www,boardgamegeek.com/arlicle/24787812#24787812
Dark Arts and Vi
in Cards:
Q: Ifa Dark Arts card or Villain card attacks all players, in what order should effects be
resolved?
A: The Dark Arts or Villain attack should be treated as if it attacks all players simultaneously.
Once resolved, any abilities gained from Discard effects or other player abilities can then be
resolved. For example, if Heir of Slytherin causes all players to discard a card, but one player
has Marauder's Map (all players draw one card if discarded), all players must perform their
discard before executing the benefits of the Marauder's Map.
Source: https://www.boardgamegeek.com/arlicle/23812356#23812356
Page 2 of 10Q: When a Dark Arts card or Villain attack offers the player a choice of losing health or some
other effect, can you choose to lose health when you are stunned? If you are not stunned, can
you choose to lose an item/ally/spell if you do not have one?
‘A: No. In short, you cannot choose a penalty you are unable to pay (unless you are unable to
pay either). For example, Relashio says to discard an item or lose 2 health. If a stunned player
draws Relashio they must discard an item, if they have one. Similarly, if a player is not stunned
and has no item, they cannot choose the “discard an item” option and must lose two health
‘Source: httos:/www,boardgamegeek.com/article/23849427#23849427
‘Source: httos://www,boardgamegeek,com/article/23802402#23802402
Source: https:/www boardgamegeek.comv/article/23991497#23991497
Q: In some circumstances, the order in which villain cards are resolved can produce different
‘outcomes. In what order are villain cards resolved?
A: Villain abilities should be resolved in order from left to right. The exception to this is Bellatrix,
whose ability should be resolved during the Dark Arts phase (Step 1). Similatly, if two villains
are defeated in one turn, empty villain slots should be filled from left to right.
‘Source: https://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/23840834#23840834
‘Source: https:/www,boardgamegeek,com/article/25666333H#25666333
Q: Ifa villain is destroyed during your tum, do any “Step 3" effects of that villain go away?
A: Yes. For example, normally when the Basilisk is in play you cannot draw cards. If you defeat
the Basilisk during your turn, you can draw cards on the same tum it was defeated
‘Source: httos:/iwww,boardgamegeek.comv/article/23849516#23849516
Q: Do Villain effects prevent the collection of other Villain rewards?
A: Yes. For example, If Barty Crouch is in play you may not remove control tokens from the
location. If a hero defeats a Dementor, they do not get to remove the control token as part of
the reward printed on the Dementor card. This rule also affects healing rewards if Fenrir is in
play.
Source: https:/Avww boardgamegeek.comv/article/23812263#23812263
Q; Ifa Villain blocks part of a card effect, can you or must you execute the rest of the action?
A: Yes. For example, Lockhart says “Draw one card, then discard any one card.” If the Basilisk
is in play and you choose to play Lockhart, you would not draw the card but you would still have
to discard. Neville could thus use Lockhart to discard his Remembrall to gain two influence.
Source: httos:/Awww boardaamegeek.comv/article/24479506#24479506
Q: Does a card count as played even if a villain card blocks its effects?
A: Yes. For example, the Basilisk prevents card draw while Lumos allows all heroes to draw a
card. You could play Lumos with no effect and it would still count as one of the four cards
needed to trigger Hermione’s hero ability.
Source: hitps://www boardgamegeek. com/article/24479506#24479506
Page 3 of 10Hogwarts Cards:
Q: When a Hogwarts card is purchased, is it immediately replaced in the purchase area or
replaced at the end of the hero's turn?
A: Per the rules as written, the cards in the purchase area are replaced at the end of the tun
However, the designer has clarified that immediate replacement is an acceptable variant
‘Source: hitps://www,boardgamegeek.com/arlicle/24031541#24031541,
Q: Is there any way to remove cards from the Hogwart’s Deck purchase area?
A: Yes, The rulebook, as written, does not allow you to do this. However, because players have
encountered issues of not being able to afford to purchase cards, the designer introduced the
following rule:
Once per game, one player may forego acquiring any cards during his/her tum. If s/he
does, take all six available Hogwarts cards, place them on the bottom of the deck, and
replace them with six new cards.
‘Source: https://www.boardgamegeek,com/article/2384 1048423841048
Q: How do you remove cards from your player deck?
A: Avid players of deck building games are aware of abilities that let you remove cards from
your deck, such as “Trash” in Dominion or “Destroy” in Ascension. Hogwarts Battle has no such
mechanism, Your ten starting cards will remain with you for the duration of the game, as will
any other purchases you make.
Q: Ifa Hogwarts card has a discard effect, do you get that effect when discarding your hand at
the end of your turn?
‘A: No. Page 14 lists the conditions which trigger discard abilities. End of turn discards are not
on this list. For example, if you do not play Remembrall during Step 3 of the player phase, you
do not gain 2 influence when discarding during Step 4. (However, note the changes to this rule
discussed in year six below.)
Source: Page 14 of manual.
Q: For Hogwarts cards that specify “If you play an item...” or similar, does it matter which order
the cards are played in?
‘A: No. “If you play.” cards have floating triggers, meaning you can satisfy the trigger either
before or after playing the requisite card. For example, if Ron has both Pigwidgeon and Bernie
Bott's in his hand, it does not matter when they are played. He will get the bonus attack token
from Bernie Bott's regardless of which order the two cards are played.
Exception: Sybill Trelawney's reward can only be triggered from the discard she causes.
‘Source: https:/www,boardgamegeek,com/article/24031977#24031977
Source: https:/www boardgamegeek.comvarticle/25195152#25195152
Q; If a Hogwarts card specifies that it affects two heroes, can you choose the same hero twice?
‘A: No. For example, when Butterbeer is played, you must pick two different targets.
Source: htips://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/24162614#24162814
Page 4 of 10Game.
Q Does Polyjuice potion count as an ally?
‘A: No. Item, Ally, and Spell are keywords printed on each card. Even though Polyjuice copies
the effect of an Ally, the keyword printed on the card says “Item.”
‘Source: https://mww,boardgamegeek,com/arlicle/25195207#25195207
Q Some Allies, such as Fawkes, give the player a choice of reward. If Polyjuice potion is.
played, must the player copy the previously chosen effect or do they get the choice again?
‘A: The player may choose a different effect from the Polyjuice copy.
Source: httos:/www boardgamegeek.com/article/25195180#25195180
Q: If the Basilisk is in play, do “search” abilities count as card draw?
A: No. As with a previous example regarding “discard,” the word “draw” is also a keyword. In
later years, the players will encounter abilities that allow them to search their discard or player
deck for a card and put it into their hand. Because these abilities do not use the keyword “draw”
they can be used while Basilisk is in play.
‘Source: https:/www,boardgamegeek,com/article/25006578#25006578
Game 3:
Q: Some Villains have abilities that trigger during step three of the player's turn. For example,
the Basilisk prevents players from drawing cards. Does Petrificus Totalus negate these effects
on the tum it was cast?
A: Yes. Ifa player casts Petrificus on the Basilisk, that hero may draw cards on their turn. This
rule also applies to other villains you will see in later game boxes.
Source: https /www boardgamegeek.com/article/24091729#24091729
Game 4:
Q: The third location for year 4 says that all heroes must discard an Ally when this location is
revealed. The third location for year 5 says all heroes must discard a Spell when revealed. This
contradicts the year 5 manual which says to discard an Ally, while the Year 4 manual makes no
mention of rules regarding revealing locations. Which is correct?
‘A: The rules as printed on the location cards are correct, This appears to be an error in the
printing of the manuals. The paragraph in the year five manual should be in the year four
manual
‘Source: https://www.boardgamegeek,com/article/24408251#24408251
Page 5 of 10Q: Does the Death Eater attack all heroes for one damage upon being revealed?
A: Yes. The Death Eater card triggers itself. Also, Death Eater is the only villain that triggers
during Step 4 of the player's turn, The “new villain” trigger happens during substep 2, before the
discard and draw actions (substep 4-6). Thus, if a Death Eater stuns the active player during
Step 4, it happens before the player draws their new five cards. Similarly, an already stunned
hero would not take damage as the Death Eater's altack occurs before slunned heroes recover.
Source: https /www boardgamegeek.com/article/23916325#23916325
Source: httos:/iwww,boardgamegeek.comv/article/25200725#25200725
‘Source: Page 10 and 13 of manual.
Q; Fleur Delacour has an ability that reads “If you play another ally, you may also gain 2 health.”
‘Suppose you play Fleur and then use Polyjuice Potion to copy her. Can the copy of Fleur use
the original Fluer as a trigger for this ability?
A: Yes. This may seem to contradict an earlier question, but it does not. In this example, there
are two Fleur's in the play area, Original-Fleur is an Ally. Copy-Fleur is an Item, because it was
created by the polyjuice potion. Original-Fleur requires an Ally to trigger, but there isn't one on
the board. Copy-Fluer requires an Ally to trigger, and Original-Fluer is an Ally. This satisfies the
condition of the ‘virtual text” of Copy-Fluer (Polyjuice) and thus triggers. The Original satisfies
the trigger of the Copy, but not vice versa
‘Source: https://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/25195207#25195207
Game
Q: There are two copies Confundus in the year five box, but this is a year six spell. Why?
A: This is a misprint with early printings of the game. Year five should come with two copies of
‘Stupefy. Ifyou don't have the Stupefy cards with your game, it is OK to use the Confundus
cards when playing a year five game. You can contact OP customer service for replacements.
‘Souree: hitos:/www boardaamegeek.com/article/23812328#23812328
Customer Service Link: hlips://theop.gamesi/replacements/
Q: When Voldemort is revealed, you cannot attack him. How does this affect the trigger on the
Confundus spell?
A: Confundus allows you to remove a control token provided you place one attack on each
villain. Since Voldemort cannot be attacked when other villains are in play, this prevents the
hero from satisfying the trigger. In contrast, once all “regular” villains are defeated, Voldemort is,
the only villain on the board. Attacking him is equivalent to attacking all villains on the board, so
itis very easy to satisfy the trigger.
‘Source: https://www,boardgamegeek,com/article/24091 815#24091815
Page 6 of 10Q: Ifa Hogwarts card with a discard effect is discarded as the result of a Proficiency or Horcrux
ability, does this still trigger the discard effect?
A: Yes. These two conditions are not mentioned on page 14 of the manual, but the designer
has clarified they are valid discard triggers. (Presumably they were omitted from the manual to
avoid spoilers.) The discard effect occurs before the Proficiency.
‘Source: httos://iwww,boardgamegeek,com/article/24091799#24091799
Source: https:/www boardgamegeek.comvarticle/25221633#25221633
Q: Can Arithmaney be used to re-roll Heir of Slytherin or Year Six Voldemort?
‘A: No. Arithmancy allows its controlling player to re-roll their dice. In this case, the villain is
[thematically] rolling the die, not the player.
‘Source: https:/www,boardgamegeek,com/article/25848223H#25848223
Q: Ifa hero has Defense Against the Dark Arts, does the hero gain attack tokens from this ability
when discarding cards as a result of being stunned?
‘A: No. DADA specifically states it only triggers from effects listed on the Dark Arts cards or
Villain abilities. Being stunned is considered a different effect, even if caused by one of these
cards.
Source: https:/www boardgamegeek.comv/article/23831155#23831155
Q: If you play an item allowing card draw with Divination in play, which effect happens first?
A: The played card would execute before Divination.
‘Source: hitps://www,boardgamegeek,com/arlicle/25848171#25848171
Q: Can you use Transfiguration to retrieve a starting card from your deck?
A: Yes. Starting cards effectively have an influence value of zero,
Source: https:/www boardgamegeek.comvarticie/24031563#24031563
Q: If your draw deck is empty, can you shuffle your discard pile when triggering
Transfigurations?
A: Yes. You may shuffle your discard to make a new deck and search for a card as normal.
Source: https://www,boardgamegeek,com/articie/24156496#24156496
Q: Ifa hero is at 8 or 9 health, is it possible for them to acquire a card draw from Herbology?
‘A: No, Heroes cannot gain health beyond 10, They cannot “gain” three health in this situation,
regardless of the healing value of any game effects.
‘Source: https://www,boardgamegeek.com/article/24316692#24316692
Page 7 of 10Game.
Q When Voldemort is in play, if a game effect allows you to remove multiple control tokens as a
single action, do you lose one health per token or one health for the entire action?
A: You lose one health per token. Using the Deluminator or Nagini will cause the heroes to lose
two or three health respectively.
Source: https:/Awww boardgamegeek.com/article/24214025#24214025
Horcruxes:
Q: When rolling a Hogwarts die, do you specify you are attacking a Horcrux before the roll?
‘A: No. When a Hogwarts card instructs you to roll a die, you roll the die first and then decide if
you want to apply the roll to a Horcrux or use the roll for its ability.
Source: https://www.boardgamegeek.com/arlicle/24281377#24281377
Q: Do all symbols required to destroy a Horcrux need to be rolled on a single turn or can this
span several tums?
A: A Horcrux can be destroyed over multiple turns. For example, if Hermione rolls a heart
against the Cup, you leave the heart token on the Horcrux at the end of her turn. Another hero,
or even Hermione, can roll an influence on a later turn and claim the Cup,
Source: https:/www.boardaamegeek.com/article/24194850#24194:
Q: May any hero use a Horcrux ability or only the hero who acquired it?
‘A: Only the Hero who completes the destruction of the Horerux may use it's power, and only on
his or her turn
Source: hitps://www,boardgamegeek,com/article/24031400#24031400
Q: Suppose a hero has only one health. If Tom’s Diary is in play and a hero plays an Ally that
grants healing, which card is triggered first?
‘A: The Diary triggers before the Ally. See the timing rules at the end of this document.
Source: hitos:/\ .egeek.com/article
Q: Does Harry's cloak protect him from Horcrux attacks?
A: No. The cloak only states that it protects against Dark Arts and Villains. The omission of
Horcruxes from the card is deliberate.
Source: https:/www boardgamegeek.comvarticle/24340315#24340315
Q: Can cards discarded via being stunned be used to pay for costs of Horcrux abilities?
‘A: No. The cost of triggering a Horcrux must be paid independently of any other effect.
Source: https://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/24416363#244 16363
Page 8 of 10General Timing Rules:
‘Once players reach Game 7, there are many different mechanisms in play. This has resulted in
several situations in which more than one card may be triggered simultaneously. Consequently,
many questions have arisen regarding which card or effect should be resolved first when this
happens. Some specific questions have been answered on previous pages of this document,
but this section attempts to prioritize all game effects in a manner that will answer most timing
questions that may come up.
As a general rule if there is a question about timing, cards or effects should be resolved in the
following order:
1) Stunning - If anything stuns a hero, the stun interrupts all game effects and happens
immediately. In some cases, this can even occur in the middle of executing a card.
2) Dark Arts Cards
3) The currently active Hororux (if any)
4) Voldemort
5) Villain Cards, from left to right. (Including rewards for defeating a villain)
6) Discard effects of Hogwart’s Cards.
7) Hogwarts Cards played by Heroes
8) Hero Abilities,
9) Proficiencies
10) Abilities eared from destroyed Horcruxes
Be aware that the printed text on the card always supersede these rules. For example,
Bellatrix's ability will always happen during the Dark Arts phase. A notable exception is that
Horcruxes always trigger after Dark Arts cards. The phrase “At the start of each turn...” on the
Cup, Diadem, and Nagini are only there to clarify that events from Steps 2 or 3 of the player's
turn cannot re-trigger the card. It is possible that a Dark Arts card could prevent the Diadem
from triggering. Similarly, Nagini’s attack occurs between Steps 1 and 2 of the player's turn.
‘An easy thing to note about the list above is that "bad stuff" like Dark Arts cards and Villain
attacks always happen before “good stuff’ like Hogwarts Cards or Abilities. So a general rule
you can follow is that if something harming the player and something helping the player are
triggered at the same time, the harmful thing is going to happen first.
Item six is particularly important because most timing questions revolve around discards. If
something "bad" is causing a player to discard, the bad things complete before the discard effect
triggers. In contrast, if the player herself does something to cause a discard, the discard effect
interrupts the player immediately, and then the player continues their action
Source: httos://www boardaameaeek.com/thread/1676260/ (entire thread)
Source: hitps://www boardgamegeek.com/article/25274813#25274813
Page 9 of 10Other issues:
Q: When playing a game with all three Voldemort cards, do the Year 5 & 6 Voldemort cards drop
into the villain space when revealed or stay in the topmost space?
A: The “Three Voldemorts” variant was intended to played with only one Voldemort in play at a
time. Thus the Year 5 Voldemort would stay on the upper villain location. Once defeated you
would reveal Year 6 Voldemort, and so on. However, the designer has commented that having
multiple Voldemorts in play as another variant would increase the difficulty. When played this
way, heroes must assign attack tokens to each Voldemort in year order.
Source: https:/Awww boardgamegeek.com/articie/24113539#24113539
Q: How is the Basilisk Fang card acquired?
A: The Basilisk Fang should be set aside at the start of the game. It does not go into the
Hogwarts deck. The player who defeats the Basilisk villain acquires this card for free, placing it
in their discard pile like any other purchase. (Note: Basilisk Fang is a promotional card that did
not come with the game.)
Source: https://boardgamegeek.com/article/24113483#24113483
Source: (Missing source post that it is placed in discard.)
Questions or corrections?
Feel free to contact me at davypi on Board Game Geek or post your comments here:
https://www boardgamegeek.com/thread/1687737/
‘POF version of this FAQ may be downloaded here’
https://www boardgamegeek.com/filepage/141111/
Many thanks go to Andrew Wolf for answering player questions on the BGG forums. Thanks
also to Kami Mandell for filling in for him on occasion. A final thanks also to USAopoly (now The
OP), not only for making the game, but also for the outstanding customer service they have
provided to many of us on “The Geek.”
Page 10 of 10