Table of Contents

Rules Reference

The following section provides clarification on some of the mechanics of Dragon Dice®. Note that some clarifications refer to mechanics discussed in the Advanced Rules section.

Die Roll Resolution

Players do not roll dice simultaneously unless a specific rule says so. During a march, the marching player always rolls their army first, followed by any opposing players. Once the marching player has finished resolving their roll, the opposing players resolve their rolls in turn order. Each player follows this process one by one:

1 Roll the dice.
2 Check to see if any existing effects will force or allow a die to be re‑rolled. This includes SAIs that have a re‑rolling effect (for example, Bullseye). Apply these effects one at a time until all re-rolls have been made. Attackers apply their re‑roll effects before defenders.
3 Identify any applicable SAIs that have not already been applied and apply their effects one by one* in whatever order you choose. Any normal action results or roll modifiers that those SAIs generate are applied during the following steps.
4 Count up all non-SAI generated action results to obtain a subtotal.
5 Apply modifiers that subtract (results can never be reduced to below 0).
6 Apply modifiers that divide (results are rounded down).
7 Add SAI generated action results to obtain a new subtotal.
8 Apply modifiers that multiply.
9 Apply modifiers that add (any 'counts as' results are also added now) to obtain a final total.

*Multiples of the same SAI may be combined to create a single larger effect.

A die's effect will resolve at its assigned time. If a die's results are used and it then leaves the army, its results still stand. If a die leaves the army before its results are used, or a die enters the army after the roll, that die has no effect on that roll.

'Counts As' Results

A number of species abilities, and a few spells and SAIs, allow a unit to count one type of result they have rolled as another. For example, the species ability Coastal Dodge states: 'When at a terrain that contains green (water), Coral Elves may count maneuver results as if they were save results.' Such an ability is called a 'Counts As' effect. Only rolled results may be counted in this way. Results generated by spells may never be counted as another type of result. Any results that are counted as a different type of result are considered a modifier that adds, and as such are applied during step 9 of Die Roll Resolution.

Roll Modifiers

When a roll is made, it is not unusual for a number of game effects to modify that roll. To ensure the correct balance of the game, it is important to apply these modifiers in the correct order, as represented in the table in the section above.

There are also a number of important rules that must be obeyed with regards to applying modifiers:

Examples of this process are provided in the FAQ for Dragon Dice®, which can be downloaded from the Rules Page on our website.

Army Modifiers

Some effects have a stated duration (such as, “until the beginning of your next turn”). If an effect with duration targets an army, it applies to that army at a particular terrain or reserves. The effect ends if there are no units remaining in the army. This is checked at the end of each action. If all the units from the army are replaced with other units as a single action, the army is still considered to be present and so the effect remains active.

Effects that apply to an army apply to all units in the army regardless when they joined the army.

Combination Rolls

Certain actions call for a 'combination roll'. A combination roll involves making a single roll for an army, but counting multiple types of result, for example, following a dragon attack, an army makes a single combination roll counting any melee, missile and save results. Results are counted and applied as per the rules for resolving a dragon attack.

The following rules apply:

Damage

When armies meet in combat - melee, missile, or magic - units may take damage. If a unit takes damage equal to or greater than its health it is killed and put in its owner's Dead Unit Area (DUA).

The following points should be observed when inflicting damage:

Damage VS Killed

When a unit takes damage it is permitted to make a save roll unless an effect states otherwise. As stated above, if a unit takes damage equal to or greater than its health it is killed and put in its owner's Dead Unit Area (DUA).

If an effect states that a unit is killed then the unit is immediately put in its owner's Dead Unit Area (DUA), unless the effect provides an opportunity to roll a specific result to avoid it.

If some effect prevents a killed unit from entering the Dead Unit Area (DUA) (such as an Open Grave), any effects that take effect when the unit is killed, do not function.

Monsters

Monsters are worth four health each. The ID icon (marked with a triangle, circle or diamond for easy recognition) generates four of whatever results you are rolling for.

Unlike other units, normal action icons only ever appear singularly on the face of a monster. Any normal action icon rolled generates four results, so if a monster rolls a melee icon, that monster generates four melee results.

Promotion

Many effects in the game allow a player to promote a unit. To promote a unit, exchange it with a unit in your Dead Unit Area (DUA) (or Summoning Pool, if promoting Dragonkin) of the same species and one-health larger. If a player has no units in their Dead Unit Area (DUA) (or Summoning Pool), then promotion cannot occur.

The following rules apply to promotion:

Notes on exchanging units with the Dead Unit Area (DUA)

In addition to Promotion, a number of other effects cause an army to exchange units with those in a player's Dead Unit Area (DUA).

The following points must be observed: