How to Play Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords – Base Set

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Choose your character

Each player selects a character card and its corresponding token, placing them in front of themselves

Create character deck

Build a deck matching the exact card types and quantities listed on your character card, selecting only cards with the "Basic" trait, then shuffle it

Exchange cards if desired

Before starting, players may freely trade cards from their character decks, maintaining the correct deck composition

Decide game mode

Choose to play a standalone scenario, an adventure (linked scenarios), or a campaign (series of adventures)

Place campaign card

If playing a campaign, place the campaign card face-up on the table

Place adventure card

If playing an adventure, place the appropriate adventure card face-up showing scenario list and completion reward

Select scenario

Place the chosen scenario card face-up on the table, noting special rules and objectives

Choose locations

Select location cards as specified on the scenario card based on player count, placing them face-up in the center

Build location decks

For each location, draw the specified card types and quantities without looking, creating a face-down deck beside each location card

Add Villain and henchmen

Create a stack with the Villain and henchmen listed on the scenario card, totaling one card per location; shuffle and place one face-down atop each location deck, then shuffle each location deck

Create blessings deck

Draw 30 random blessing cards from the box, shuffle them, and place face-down on the table

Arrange seating

Players sit around the table in any order; turn order proceeds clockwise

Place tokens at locations

Each player chooses a starting location and places their token beside that location card; multiple players may start together

Draw starting hand

Each player draws cards equal to their hand size shown on their character card; if no cards of your favored card type appear, discard and redraw until at least one appears

Select first player

Choose any player to take the first turn

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Advance the blessings deck

Discard the top card of the blessings deck face-up; if the deck is empty when you must discard, all players lose immediately

Give a card

You may give one card from your hand to another player at your same location; other players cannot give cards to you during your turn

Move to another location

You may move your token to any other location, potentially triggering effects on location cards for leaving or entering

Explore the location

Once per turn for free, you may flip the top card of your location's deck to encounter it; additional explorations require playing cards or using powers that allow them

Encounter revealed cards

When exploring, place the revealed card atop the location deck and read it, then proceed through encounter steps in order

Attempt to evade

If you have a power or card allowing evasion, you may shuffle the encountered card back into the location deck, ending the encounter

Apply before-encounter effects

Resolve any effects that occur before the encounter as specified on cards

Attempt the check

For boon cards, you may attempt to acquire them; for bane cards, you must attempt to defeat them by performing the listed check

Perform additional checks

If multiple checks are required (linked by "then"), complete each in sequence; even failed checks must be followed by remaining checks

Apply after-encounter effects

Resolve any effects occurring after the encounter regardless of success or failure

Resolve the encounter

If you succeed at defeating a bane, banish it; if you fail, shuffle it back into the location deck and take damage equal to the difference; if you acquire a boon, add it to your hand; if you fail, banish it

Determine the skill for checks

Choose one skill listed on the card; if you lack all listed skills, roll a d4

Determine difficulty

The difficulty number appears in the circle below the chosen skill on the card

Play cards and use powers

You and other players may play cards or use powers that affect the check; each player may play only one card of each type per step

Gather dice

Collect dice based on your skill value plus any modifiers from cards and powers

Roll dice

Roll all gathered dice, sum the results with all modifiers; if the total meets or exceeds the difficulty, you succeed

Take damage

When taking damage, discard cards from your hand equal to the damage amount; if you have fewer cards, discard what you can

Reduce damage

You or others may play cards or use powers that reduce specific damage types before discarding cards

Close a location

If you're at a location with no cards remaining and it's not yet closed, you may attempt to close it by fulfilling the "When Closing" requirements

Search for Villains when closing

Upon successful closing attempt, search that location's deck for Villains; if none found, banish remaining cards, flip the location card, and apply "When Permanently Closed" effects; if Villains found, they form the new location deck

Reset your hand

At turn's end, apply end-of-turn effects, optionally discard any cards from hand, then draw or discard to match your hand size exactly

End your turn

The player to your left begins their turn

Reveal a card

Show the card to all players, then return it to your hand

Display a card

Place the card face-up in front of you; its power remains active until discarded

Discard a card

Place the card face-up on your discard pile

Recharge a card

Place the card face-down on the bottom of your character deck

Bury a card

Place the card under your character card; it cannot be used for the rest of the scenario

Banish a card

Return the card to the game box, shuffling it into the appropriate stack; the card is permanently lost

Attempt temporary closures

When any player encounters the Villain, all other players may immediately attempt their location's closing requirements to temporarily close them

Fight the Villain

Resolve the Villain encounter like other banes, watching for special rules on the Villain and scenario cards

Close location on defeat

If you defeat the Villain, you may close that location without fulfilling closing requirements; search the deck for other Villains first

Villain escapes if locations open

If any locations remain open after defeating the Villain, it escapes; take blessing cards from the box equal to open locations minus one, shuffle with the Villain, and add one card to each open location deck, then shuffle those decks

Villain escapes if undefeated

If you fail to defeat the Villain, it escapes; take blessing cards from the blessings deck instead of the box, shuffle with the Villain, and distribute to open locations

Winning

How to claim victory.

Defeat the Villain with no escape

Win the scenario by defeating the Villain when all other locations are either permanently closed or temporarily closed

Trap the Villain

Ensure the Villain has no open locations to flee to when defeated; temporarily closed locations reopen after the encounter but prevent escape during it

Claim scenario reward

Upon winning, each player receives the reward listed on the scenario card, which may include loot cards or feat upgrades

Mark feat upgrades

When earning a feat, mark the appropriate checkbox on your character card; skill feats add to skill values, power feats enhance abilities, card feats increase deck size for that card type

Rebuild character decks

After any scenario, collect all your cards from deck, hand, discard, and buried piles; players may trade cards; rebuild decks to match character card specifications

Lose if time runs out

If you must discard from the blessings deck but it's empty, all players immediately lose the scenario

Lose if all characters die

If all characters die during the scenario, players lose

Character death

A character dies if they must discard or draw cards from their character deck but cannot; all their cards go under their character card and they take no further actions

Retry failed scenarios

If playing an adventure or campaign and you lose, you may replay the scenario; only winning advances you to the next scenario

Complete adventure for reward

After winning all scenarios in an adventure, claim the adventure card's reward

Complete campaign for reward

After finishing all adventures in the campaign, claim the campaign card's reward

Advance to next adventure

When completing an adventure in a campaign, add all cards from the next adventure deck to the game box sorted by type, then begin the first scenario of that adventure