The symbols on your Hero Card and Character Sheet are designed for quick reference:
Final Setup
With your heroes chosen and Character Sheets prepared, it’s time to bring the world to life. Arrange the components so the party can quickly access what they need. You will want everything within reach—because once the descent begins, there’s no turning back.
- Hero Cards – In front of each player as a reference.
- Character Sheets – Filled out and placed beside each player’s Hero Card.
- Location Deck – Face down in the center of the table, in order
(boss on the bottom, then 7, then 6 etc with 1 on top).
- Monster Deck – Also face down, matched to the location progression (similar to the locations).
- Item Deck – Shuffle and place where all players can reach.
- Battle Dice and Obstacle Dice – Grouped and ready to roll.
- Battlefields – Placed at the center of the table for combat resolution.
- Minion Deck – Nearby if your Hero or Scenario requires summoned enemies.
When everything is in place, your table should look something like this:
The descent begins now.
First Location Reveal
The table is set. The battlefield is empty—for now. The air is still, the weight of the unknown pressing down. It is time to reveal the first location.
Flip the top card of the Location Stack.
The world beyond the veil is revealed. A haunted forest, where the trees whisper warnings? A grim and crumbling graveyard shadowed by a foreboding presence? A cursed ruin, where footsteps echo in places no one stands?
Each location brings its own challenge. With the card revealed, observe the location’s passive effect. Some locations will create obstacles, others will test your resolve, and some may even change the structure of the battlefield itself.
Follow the instructions on the Location Card.
The location might force you to change the BATTLEFIELD. If it demands OBSTACLE DICE, roll them now or place them in the required pattern. If it introduces a hazard that will affect your heroes in battle, note that as well. Take heed—this world is cruel, and even the ground beneath your feet may seek to end you.
Locations may have icons or trigger effects that you don't recognize. Remember, if you need details on Status Effects, Mechanics, or other aspects of the game, visit the CODEX for a more detailed breakdown of each concept.
Once the location effect is resolved, it is time to face whatever lurks within.
Monster Reveal: Analyzing the Threat
The first battle has begun. Before rushing in, you must understand what horrors stand before you. Flip over the first monster card, in the same manner as the location card.
Study the enemy - know the aspects of your foe.
Every monster fights in its own dark and twisted way. Some are slow and relentless. Others are cunning and evasive. And some- like the Boglings -are more dangerous before they take damage.
Before you engage, study the enemy. What triggers its power? What does it punish? Some monsters strike harder when you are wounded. Others wait for a fumble to launch special attacks or inflict heroes with dire curses. Monsters never act on their own… but they will react the moment you slip.
Monsters may have icons or trigger effects (such as DOOMED or POISON) that you don't recognize. Remember, if you need details on Status Effects, Mechanics, or other aspects of the game, visit the CODEX for a more detailed breakdown of each concept.
Understanding Monster Stats
Health – How much punishment it can take before falling.
Attack – The damage it deals when striking a hero.
Armor – Damage reduction or resistances.
Passive Ability – Constant effects that shape the battle.- "At Start of Battle" Passive Effects – Some monsters trigger abilities (such as summoning minions) before the first attack.
Monster Passive Abilties
The Passive Ability on the Monster Card is one of the most important properties of the monster. Monster Passive Abilities are activated by certain conditions and have certain effects. Icons on the left side of the Ability indicate what triggers it (such as a Hero health being less than max, or on Player Fumble) And icons on the right indicate the effect that occurs under those conditions. Monsters often trigger nasty effects on Player Fumble, so keep an eye out for these effects when a player fails a roll.
Boglings: Their Passive Ability means that as long as they remain at full health, their attacks are stronger. The party must strike early and disrupt their aggression to avoid additional damage.
Your enemy stands before you - Now the Battle begins.
A session of Deep Dark Dice is composed of 8 Battles. Heroes begin the active part of the game by starting the first Battle (after Location and Monster have been Revealed). Each Battle is made up of a Location and a Monster. The Battle will continue until all players are Downed or the Monster reaches 0 health (dies).
⚔️ Who Will Act First?
The monster stands before you. Its breath is thick with rot. Its form towers in the gloom.
The battle has begun.
As the Battle begins, the Players must decide who goes first. The choice of the initiating hero can shape the entire encounter. Some heroes can stun, shield, or strike with deadly force—others may thrive when following an ally's setup or attack.
Choose one player to take the first turn. Turns will proceed clockwise around the table until the battle ends.
Discuss. Strategize. Then choose. The battle begins once the first hero takes their turn.
✴️ The Player Turn
A player turn consists of 3 Phases:
The Active Phase
Rolling to Attack
Resolving the Turn
The Active Phase
Each player may take up to 3 actions at the beginning of their turn:
-
Use an Item – Use a Consumable Item or an Item Ability
-
Use a Hero's Active Ability – May be used once per Hero per Battle.
-
Use a Hero's Ultimate Ability – May be used once per Hero per Session.
-
Roll to Attack – Your roll on the Battlefield determines the success of your strike.
You may only use one Item per turn — choose wisely.
Using Abilities
If you choose to use an Ability, use it carefully. This is a pivotal moment for your Hero!
Passive Ability – While your Passive Ability cannot be actively used, pay attention to its conditions and effects, as they might affect your other actions this Turn!
Active Ability – Active Abilities are unique for each hero and may be used once per Battle. These must be used at the beginning of the turn unless the 
Interrupt symbol is present to the left of the ability. This symbol indicates the Ability may be used at any time, or under very specific conditions. For example, the Champion's Body Block ability is only used immediately after a Hero would take damage to transfer damage from the target Hero to Champion.
Ultimate Ability – Ultimate Abilities are unique for each hero and may be used once per Session. Ultimate Abilities are very strong and can easily turn the tide of battle. Players may want to discuss and coordinate, as some abilities are best used to augment another Hero's actions. These must be used at the beginning of the turn unless the Interrupt symbol is present to the left of the ability. Make sure to mark on your Character Sheet when your Ultimate Ability has been used!
Monsters may have icons or trigger effects (such as STEALTH or REROUTE) that you don't recognize. Remember, if you need details on Status Effects, Mechanics, or other aspects of the game, visit the CODEX for a more detailed breakdown of each concept.
Once your action is resolved and the Active Phase is complete, the turn ends and the next hero takes their turn.
Use your abilities wisely, but remember - hold them for too long - and you might just be too dead.
Rolling to Attack
Your hand grips the die.
The enemy stands before you.
Now is the time to strike!
Items and abilities may tilt the odds—but in the end, all pales before the almighty dice roll.
In Deep Dark Dice, attacking is not just a random number and a stat check. It's a test of skill.
Your hand, your nerves, your accuracy—they all decide your fate.
Pick up your Battle Die and aim for the Battlefield.
The Battlefield
This is where your fate is decided. Every attack roll must land here to count.
CRIT Zone (Red Center) – Land your die here to deal DOUBLE DAMAGE. Precise... and brutal.
HIT Zone (Dark Grey Area) – A solid strike. Deal normal damage.
MISS Zone (Medium Grey Area) – You fail to connect. The monster hits you instead.
FUMBLE (White or Off-Battlefield) – A complete loss of balance and poise. The monster hits you, and its passive abilities may activate.
HITs and CRITs deal damage to the monster.
MISS or FUMBLE, and the monster hits you—without fail and without mercy.
🎲 Which Die Do You Roll?
The default die used for all attacks is the d20. It’s balanced, reliable, and fair.
Players will begin the game using this die.
However, the world of Deep Dark Dice is... unkind. As your hero gains Curse Levels, your attacks become harder to control.
The Curse Track on your Character Sheet determines which Battle Dice you must roll at each level of curse.
The higher your Curse Level, the stranger and more unwieldy the die become—eventually reaching the dreaded d24.
You’ll need to adapt your technique... or suffer.
And then, there is DOOM.
DOOMED is a Status Effect that can be inflicted upon a Hero by Monster Passives. DOOMED only lasts for a single turn, and overrides even the strongest curse. If you are DOOMED, your Attack Rolls during the next Turn must be rolled with the dreaded d60—also known as The Orb of Despair. Good luck, Hero.
⚔️🎲 Attacking - How to Roll
In Deep Dark Dice, attacks must be rolled with skill and precision. Your hand, your focus—this is a test of skill, not chance alone.
All attack rolls must enter the Battlefield by passing through the Dice Entry Zone: the clear area of table space directly in front of the Battlefield.
If your die doesn’t enter through this zone, the roll is invalid and counts as a FUMBLE.
Roll, flick, slide, arc—it’s your technique. As long as the die enters through the Entry Zone and comes to rest naturally, it’s fair play.
This rule ensures a consistent challenge for all players. No shortcuts. No dropping or rolling from the side. Just precision under pressure.
Roll with purpose. Each roll brings you closer to victory. Or defeat.
🎬 Rolling Examples
If you're still unsure how it all plays out, watch carefully. These are real examples of attack rolls during battle—one strikes true, the other... not so skillful.
HIT – Successful Roll
A clean hit. Just enough to keep the monster at bay.
MISS – Failed Roll
Too short... Not enough force behind the blow. The monster strikes back without hesitation.
🪓 Borderline Rolls
If your die lands on the line between two zones, examine the bottom face of the die - the one touching battlefield. If it is touching the line between to zones (miss/hit) or (hit/CRIT) use the better result. A borderline HIT still counts as a HIT.
A borderline CRIT still counts as a CRIT. Lucky you.
This counts as a HIT, but only by the razor's edge.
🩸 After the Roll - Resolving the Turn
Once the die has landed and damage is dealt, resolve the consequences.
If a hero’s Health reaches 0, they are 
DOWNED. They cannot act for the rest of the battle.
If the monster’s Health reaches 0, it is defeated and the battle ends.
Every strike brings you closer to death… or victory.
Victory? or Defeat
Victory
If the monster’s health is reduced to 0, the battle ends. You have survived—this time. All heroes still standing continue the journey.
Downed heroes will be back for the next battle, but do not level up.
The deeper you go, the harder it gets. Every victory must be earned.
Defeat
If all heroes are downed at the same time, the game ends in defeat.
No treasure. No escape. The dungeon claims another group of would-be legends.
Final Victory
The final boss falls. It last gurgling scream echoes into silence. The darkness is driven back—
for now.
🎁 The Treasure Phase
If the party survives...
Clear the battlefield of all obstacle dice. Victory brings reward—but the spoils come with a choice... and sometimes, a price.
🔹 Final Blow - Item Reward
The player who struck the Final Blow (with one of their heroes) draws
1 random item from the Item Deck.
- They may equip the item to that Hero or gift it to another hero (if that hero’s player accepts), or discard it out of play.
- Heroes cannot hold/equip two items of the same type (Weapon, Armor, or Mystical).
- If a hero already has an item of that type, the player must choose one to discard.
🕯️ The Hidden Treasure Phase
(If Present)
If the Location has the
Hidden Treasure icon at the bottom—like in the Forbidden Sanctum—this phase follows the standard Treasure Phase.
- The party elects one player to make the Treasure Roll for their Hero.
- If the chosen Hero is cursed, they must use their current curse dice.
- The player makes a standard attack roll on the Battlefield:
- MISS or FUMBLE → The dungeon yields nothing.
- HIT → Draw 1 random item from the Item Deck.
- CRIT → Draw 3 random items, keep 1, and discard the other 2.
- If an item is obtained, it may be kept or gifted like in the Final Blow step.
🧰 Items
Heroes can carry powerful Items—earned during the Treasure Phase, found as Hidden Treasure, or gained through other effects.
There are two main types of items:
Equipment Items
- Kept once equipped.
- Each hero may only hold one of each type:
Weapon ,
Armor ,
or Mystical .
- May have passive effects, Stat increases, or usable abilities.
- Many also inflict Curse Levels.
Consumable Items
- Used once, then discarded.
- Heroes may carry any number of consumables.
- Many have interrupts or specific battle-phase effects (e.g., healing, boost, cleanse).
🔸 Each hero may only use one item per turn. This can be a consumable or an ability granted by equipment.
The Level-Up Phase
After the Treasure Phase, the dust settles... and those who still stand may grow stronger.
Only players whose heroes were not downed at the end of battle may roll to level up.
🎲 How to Roll for Level-Up
- Each Hero's Player makes a standard attack roll onto the Battlefield using their hero’s current dice.
- If the hero is cursed, the player must roll with their curse dice.
The result determines whether your hero grows stronger:
- MISS / FUMBLE → No level-up. The dungeon denies you.
- HIT → Gain +1 Max Health
.
- CRIT → Gain +1 Max Health
and +1 Attack Damage
.
Make sure to record stat gains during the Leveling Phase on your Character Sheet! To do this, increase affected stats in the "Adjusted Max" and "Current" columns.
The threat of the Boss looms in the deep. Heroes who fail to level will fall behind—quickly.
🔁 The Loop Begins Again
With the Level-Up Phase complete, the party presses forward.
- Discard the defeated Monster and Location Cards. Let the past die.
- Advance to the next Location Card in the stack.
- Reveal it and resolve its effect immediately.
- Apply any obstacle patterns or passive rules.
- Reveal the next Monster Card.
- Study its Health, Damage, Armor, and Passives. The dungeon adapts.
- Trigger any “Start of Battle” effects (such as minions).
- Choose Turn Order. Decide who acts first. It may change everything.
- Begin the next battle. The dice await.
The journey spirals—each battle harder, each decision heavier.
A familiar return, but to a darker and more dangerous encounter.
The Battle Loop repeats until all characters are downed or the Boss is defeated.
Curse – The greater the curse, the more difficult the dice.
Bonus Damage. This is extra power added to your next attack, or sometimes your entire turn. Bonus Damage does not last—it fades after the effect ends.
Revive). The Downed State cannot be removed by healing, but can be reversed by 
