THE END OF THE WORLD

BALANCING

Over a thousand years ago, the mighty hero known as Valandor

the Great fell, dying as he had lived, fighting to protect the lives of
those around him as the waters of the Great Flood closed over the
land. In the years since, many legends have persisted about this
greatest of warrior-mages. The Elves of Walldeep claim to have
his mortal remains sealed at the top of their highest tower, where
they never age nor show any sign of corruption. The Dwarfs of
the Golloch Empire claim to hold the very axe that was crafted
for Valandor by the forges of Dolgarth at the instruction of Grund
Hammerhand himself. Many of the Orders of Magic within
the walls of the City of the Golden Horn claim direct lineage
from Valandor, whether through artefacts and trinkets held by
their masters or in some cases via the very texts that form the
foundations of their teachings, claimed to have been penned by
Valandor himself in an earlier age. Every single civilised city in
the modern world claims some special connection to this most
fabled of heroes. Valandor is even claimed by several races to be
linked to them in particular by his very blood.

These adventures are balanced so that Mortibris has the same chance of winning as the Heroes. At least, thats
the case among our testers. In reality, a lot of this balance is down to the relative skill of you and your friends, and
sometimes you may have a particularly strong necromancer player, or Heroes who just cant be stopped. In these
cases you may decide to tweak the adventures to suit your particular group. Id recommend having a couple of tries
through each adventure before you make any changes, as the best tactics arent always obvious the first time out.
However, if you do get stuck then try one of the following ideas:

They are all wrong.

The sorcerer known as Mortibris, once a pupil of the Order of
the Ardent Light in The City of the Golden Horn, long since
disgraced, believes that he has discovered the truth. Journeying
across the known world and beyond, this dark wizard has pieced
together every legend and myth that he can find about Valandor.
He has travelled to every sacred site, examined every sacred
artefact and absorbed every tale, driven ever onward by the voices
that babble in his head, demanding release. For Mortibris believes
that he hears the voices of the dead, lingering just beyond the veil
of this world and trapped in eternal torment, against the natural
order imposed by the gods at the dawn of creation. He believes
that he can part that veil and return the world to its proper order,
with no living or dead. And he believes that he has found the
location of the very article that will enable him to do this the
Tome of Valandor itself.
Thought to have been lost forever these last ten centuries,
Mortibris believes that the Tome lies buried beneath the plains of
Diffeth, deep within the dwarven ruins of Dolgarth itself. This
book, the distilled sum of the wisdom of Valandor himself, will
grant him unlimited power, and enable him to reshape the very
fabric of reality itself, and find peace from the babbling of the
dead.
Four heroes will journey into the darkness below to stop him.
Four very different individuals, thrown together by circumstance,
sent to face a threat that even those who send them do not yet
fully comprehend.
King Golloch has decreed that these four must root out the man
who dares despoil the restful peace of his ancestors, and bring him
to justice. Little does he realise, that the very fate of the whole
world rests on their success or failure

This Adventure Book contains all the adventures that the

four Heroes undertake on their quest to find and stop the
necromancer Mortibris. Each adventure builds on the
last, leading your through the whole story step by step.
Will they be in time to stop him, or will Mortibris be
triumphant? Only you can decide.

Give the Necromancer more or fewer Commands per Turn. The more you let him do, the easier he will find things.
Give Danor extra power crystals, or take them away.

If you are going to play this as a mighty

Hero, stop reading now!
Only the Overlord player should read further. He
will set up each adventure to preserve the element
of surprise and tension. Obviously this only really
works the first time a Hero player undertakes a
particular adventure, but that extra tension and the
element of the unknown is well worth the effort. Its
far more exciting to explore a dungeon when you
really dont know what lurks around the next corner!
Once the Overlord has set up the tiles and models,
he should read out the background to set the scene.
Then all that remains to do is to tell the Heroes what
they need to do to win the adventure, and youre
ready to start.

Allow the Necromancer to summon more or fewer types of undead, possibly including ones that werent
present in the adventure before.
You may also find that once you have played the same adventure a few times the Necromancer is slightly weaker
than the first time you play because he no longer has the element of surprise. Again, you can use these suggestions
to keep things fresh and make it more of a challenge for the Heroes again.

ADVENTURES
Adventures are described in a standard format consisting
of eight sections:
Story
Map

You can either play through the adventures from number

1 to 8 in order, or you can pick and choose to play your
favourites. Stringing the adventures together to make
a bigger story is called a campaign, and adds a whole
new dimension to the game. Each adventures takes off
where the previous one ended, with the Heroes having
learned a few new tricks and gained an item or two. If the
Heroes lose an adventure then simply reset it back to the
beginning of that adventure and try again. Think of it like
a video game with your last save point being the start of
that adventure.
Alternatively, you can play one of the adventures on its
own. This is a good option if you dont have time to play
more than one, or perhaps youve already played through
the whole campaign and have a favourite youd like to
revisit. As the Heroes and Mortibris all play so differently
you may also want to try your hand at a different role to see
how you can do. Maybe youre a natural Barbarian, or even
a natural necromancer! You wont know till youve tried.

Heroes
Overlord
Special Rules
Victory
Tactical Thoughts
Aftermath

ZONES
The map itself is divided into one or more zones by the
doors. When the Overlord lays out the tiles to start with
they will only lay out the tiles with the Heroes on, and
from there up to and including the first door(s). This is the
first zone. Each subsequent area that is separated off by one
or more doors is a new zone.
When a door is opened the Overlord lays down the tiles
for the adjacent zone, but no further. Depending on the
adventure, this may be the remainder of the map, or there
may be still more for the Heroes to discover. Only models
that are on zones that have been laid down take any part in
the adventure.

This sets the scene and continues the tale of these brave
adventurers. You should read this out to the group before
starting the game.

When the Overlord places any part of the board, he must

highlight all areas of importance to the Hero player(s). All
doors and chests must have a counter placed next to them
to show what type of lock they have, and the Overlord
must make the Heroes aware if one particular door is the
exit for the adventure.

MAP

HEROES

The map shows the layout of tiles for the adventure

together with starting positions for all the models and
furniture. It also shows the types of locks used on doors
and treasure chests.

As the Heroes gain experience and find magical items,

their game values change. Each adventure lists any
additions to the information found printed on each Heros
card. Among other things, this may include new spells,
items, feats or abilities.

STORY

There is a lot of information on the maps and it is worth

spending a little time to familiarise yourself with the
various icons so you can understand them easily.

22

[insert master key for all map icons]

OVERLORD

VICTORY

The core pieces of information for the Overlord are

how many cards are in his starting draw pile, how many
Commands he gets in each of his Turns, and which type(s)
of undead he can reanimate with the Raise Dead spell. In
addition, this section will list any spells or items for Bosses
present in the adventure.

This defines the way each side wins the adventure. In most
instances, the Heroes simply have to get through the area
and onto the next adventure. They are, after all, here to
stop Mortibris, not to sightsee. Occasionally this will be
different, in which case the goal will be explained.

OVERLORD COMMAND CARDS

This lists the number of cards available to the Overlord
player in the game. Before you start, shuffle the full deck
of Overlord cards and deal out the number listed in the
adventure to the Overlord player face-down. Put the rest
back in the box they will not be needed for this game.
The Overlord player should then take the top three cards
to form his starting hand.

RAISE DEAD
This lists the type(s) of undead that Mortibris can resurrect
with a Raise Dead spell. As the Heroes get closer to him
he is able to channel more power into the spell and so
raise ever more powerful servants to defend himself. If
more than one type is listed then the Overlord player may
choose which one appears.
Mortibris can only maintain a certain number of
reanimated followers at any one time. The number in
brackets after each type is the maximum number of that
type of undead which can be on the board at any one
time. For example, if the entry for that adventure said
Skeleton Warriors (4), Skeleton Archers (2) each use of Raise
Dead brings back either a Skeleton Warrior or a Skeleton
Archer. If there are already 4 Skeleton Warriors on the
table then no more may be raised until one has been boned
or destroyed. Similarly, no more Skeleton Archers can be
raised if 2 are already in play.
These limits only restrict what can be in play at one time,
not what you can summon in total. As long as you have
Piles of Bones on the board and models left to raise you can
keep raising new followers.

SPECIAL RULES
Any extra rules that apply to this adventure are listed here.
This will also list any items to be found in treasure chests.
Only read these out to the Hero players where noted;
otherwise the special rules should be kept secret.

In a similar vein, Mortibris is happy where he is and just

wants to keep the Heroes out. The longer he can hold
them off the better, and if he does so long enough then he
will have unlocked the secrets of the Book of Valandor and
nobody will be able to stop him.
Each adventure also has a time limit for the Heroes to
complete their objective(s). See below for how these work.
If the time limit runs out before the Heroes can achieve
their objective then Mortibris wins.
Even though the victory conditions dont change often, the
rest of the adventure changes around them, which means
that each game is quite different to the next. You cant stick
to the same routine every time or you will find yourself
coming unstuck pretty quickly. Try to adapt your tactics to
fit the layout of the rooms and the mix of foes as well as the
objective at hand.
Note that when you play through an adventure for the first
time, the Heroes will not have seen the map and so wont
know where they need to go to get out theyll have to
explore. Also, the door they need to exit by may not be part
of the initial tile layout.

Leave space for a section on Campaign Goals.

WINNING THE WHOLE CAMPAIGN

Dungeon Saga is more about having fun and telling a
good story with your friends than it is about winning
at all costs. However, its always good to know if
youve saved/conquered the world or not, and so you
can use the following system to determine whether
the Heroes are in time to stop Mortibris.
Allow the Heroes 15 hours to stop Mortibris,
starting with the two Journeys in the Getting Started
book. Each time you set up an adventure costs them
1 hour of this time, so the Heroes can lose a few
adventures and reset to try again, but they cant do
this forever. If they are not on the final adventure
when it comes to the 15th hour then they wont get
there in time and Mortibris automatically wins the
campaign. If the final adventure is the 15th hour then
they must succeed first time or the necromancer
wins. If the Heroes complete the final adventure on
or before the 15th hour then they win.
Individual adventures can be played as many times
as you like within this time constraint, though each
adventure must be won by the Heroes before they
can play the next.
Note that these game hours arent the same as the
real hours you take to play. Each adventure costs 1
campaign game hour regardless of whether it takes
30 or 90 real minutes to play.
To be edited with campaign goals..

TIME LIMITS
In addition to other ways of winning listed in each
adventure, the Overlord always wins if he can hold off the
Heroes for long enough. At the end of a Round, when the
Overlord goes to take a new card from his deck, the game
ends with an Overlord victory if there are no cards left to
take. He has held off the Heroes assault for long enough.
Reinforcements will arrive any second and the Heroes
must abandon this attempt.

TACTICAL THOUGHTS

How long the Heroes have to complete an adventure is

measured by the number of cards the Overlord has in their
deck at the start of the game. This is listed separately for
each adventure in the Overlord section.

AFTERMATH

At the start of the game, the Overlord should shuffle the

whole 22-card deck and deal out the number of cards listed
for that adventure. Any remaining cards are not used for
now and should be placed back in the box. The cards that
were dealt out now form the Overlords draw deck for the
adventure, and he takes his initial hand of 3 cards from
this.

These are a few hints and tips on winning this adventure,

from both sides. Its often helpful to have a few suggestions
to give you some ideas of what not to do. Of course, you
will probably want to play through yourself without
reading these to start with, and only come back to them if
you get stuck.

If the Heroes have been defeated by Mortibris then he

should feel free to gloat, and perhaps even cackle a bit.
After all, whats the point of being an evil Overlord if you
cant laugh at your defeated foes and revel in your victory?
If the Heroes have won then you should read aloud the
Aftermath section for that adventure. This describes what
happens next.

5
44

ADVENTURE A:

JOURNEY FROM THE WEST

The necromancers lips moved without sound as he caressed the intricate runes and magical symbols carved into the door.
He carried no torch not because of the glow that throbbed from the door as he worked, but because he had long since
stopped needing light to see by. So lost was he in the task at hand, so eager to gain entrance to the chamber beyond and
continue his quest, that he almost missed it. A disturbance in the upper levels of the hold. Something no, someone, had
broken in. He gave an irritated grunt and sent a tendril of awareness up to the entrance, feeling in the dust of ages and
the detritus of long ago battles. There! With a twitch of his senses he gifted a spark of unlife to the bones that lay there. He
returned to the door before the spell was even finished, dismissing whatever fools had broken in here from his mind. He had
a higher purpose...
All Im saying is that you could have waited a few more moments and I would have had it open.
The Barbarian grunted by way of a reply. He did that lot. It was beginning to get on Rordins nerves. His own people
werent noted for their sparkling conversational skills, but this was absurd.
He looked around him at the chamber. The main entrance hall into Dolgarth was a sorry ruin, coated in layers of dust and
the scattered debris of ages past.
A rustling sound up ahead in the darkness caught his attention, and he raised his torch to see what had caused it. The
flames picked out a sightless pair of eye sockets staring back at him from atop a rictus grin. Bony fingers clutched a rusted
old sword, and a half decayed leather breastplate hung loosely from the torso.
Well now, seems we have company...

HEROES
Only Orlaf the Barbarian and Rordin
the Dwarf are used in this adventure.

OVERLORD
Overlord Command
Cards: 12. This adventure
uses a specific set of cards:
Extra 1 Command x 5, Extra
2 Commands x 2, Extra 3
Commands x 1, Double
Commands x 1, Raise 1 Dead x 1,
Raise 2 Dead x 1, Raise 3 Dead x
1.

VICTORY
Heroes: Open the final door
marked X.
Overlord: Cripple one of the
Heroes (no time limit used in
this scenario).

Commands per Turn: 2

TACTICAL THOUGHTS

Raise the Dead: Skeleton

Warriors (4)

???

AFTERMATH
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66

ADVENTURE B

JOURNEY FROM THE WEST

The necromancers lips moved without sound as he caressed the intricate runes and magical symbols carved into the door.
He carried no torch not because of the glow that throbbed from the door as he worked, but because he had long since
stopped needing light to see by. So lost was he in the task at hand, so eager to gain entrance to the chamber beyond and
continue his quest, that he almost missed it. A disturbance in the upper levels of the hold. Something no, someone, had
broken in. He gave an irritated grunt and sent a tendril of awareness up to the entrance, feeling in the dust of ages and
the detritus of long ago battles. There! With a twitch of his senses he gifted a spark of unlife to the bones that lay there. He
returned to the door before the spell was even finished, dismissing whatever fools had broken in here from his mind. He had
a higher purpose...
All Im saying is that you could have waited a few more moments and I would have had it open.
The Barbarian grunted by way of a reply. He did that lot. It was beginning to get on Rordins nerves. His own people
werent noted for their sparkling conversational skills, but this was absurd.
He looked around him at the chamber. The main entrance hall into Dolgarth was a sorry ruin, coated in layers of dust and
the scattered debris of ages past.
A rustling sound up ahead in the darkness caught his attention, and he raised his torch to see what had caused it. The
flames picked out a sightless pair of eye sockets staring back at him from atop a rictus grin. Bony fingers clutched a rusted
old sword, and a half decayed leather breastplate hung loosely from the torso.
Well now, seems we have company...

HEROES
Only Orlaf the Barbarian and Rordin
the Dwarf are used in this adventure.

OVERLORD
Overlord Command
Cards: 12. This adventure
uses a specific set of cards:
Extra 1 Command x 5, Extra
2 Commands x 2, Extra 3
Commands x 1, Double
Commands x 1, Raise 1 Dead x 1,
Raise 2 Dead x 1, Raise 3 Dead x
1.
Commands per Turn: 2

VICTORY
Heroes: Open the final door
marked X.
Overlord: Cripple one of the
Heroes (no time limit used in
this scenario).

TACTICAL THOUGHTS
???

Raise the Dead: Skeleton

Warriors (4)

AFTERMATH
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88

ADVENTURE 2

INTO THE DEPTHS

TACTICAL THOUGHTS

The seal crumbled in a flash of powdered rock as the incantation ended, the syllables dragging across his vocal chords like
a dagger over silk. With a flick of his hand, the door in front of him swung open, yawning into the space beyond. Stale air
rushed to meet him, bearing with it the promise of so much. He was getting close now. He could feel it.
He was dimly aware at the back of his mind that in the levels above, his minions were being cut down by the interlopers he
had noticed earlier. Linking to the essence of one of his most powerful lieutenants, he sent forth the order to kill them. They
had proven more resourceful than he had expected thus far, but now they would face real power. Trolls were tricky creatures
to reanimate, their very biology fighting to restore them back to life and interfering with the process. It had taken him years
of study to perfect the technique. Fortunately, Trolls were rarely missed in the wider world.

Heroes usually lose a lot of time on the Troll when

they first play this adventure. The secret to success
here is that you dont all need to fight the Troll
to win. While one or two of the Heroes keep the
Troll busy, the others can sneak past on one side
or the other, and find the way through. Splitting
the Heroes up does make each group weaker, but
it also gives the Overlord more things to worry
about. The Heroes will always get a Turn each,
while he has to pick and choose which of his
models act.

He chuckled, the sound mirroring in the dead air that which coursed through his inner ear. As long as he remembered, the
voice had been there, guiding him, cajoling him, setting him on the path that had ultimately led him here. Hed almost be
sorry to lose it. Almost

HEROES

OVERLORD

In addition to your Hero Cards, take

the following:
Rordin, Dwarf Fighter: 2
Battle Potions.
Orlaf, Human Barbarian:
Frenzy (1).

VICTORY

Overlord Command
Cards: 11

Heroes: Open the final door

marked X.

Commands per Turn: 2

Overlord: Cripple one of the

Heroes, or stop the Heroes from
winning before the time runs
out.

Raise the Dead: Skeleton

Warriors (4), Skeleton Archers
(2).

Madriga, Elf Ranger:

Spidersilk Armour.
Danor, Human Wizard: 2
power 2 energy crystals.
Available spells: Flamebolt, Break
Ward, Burn, Feet of Stone.

AFTERMATH
I think its dead.

SPECIAL RULE CHEST

Orlaf and Rordin continued hacking at the dismembered corpse, spraying ichor, fetid blood and disgusting fluids around
them as they butchered the twitching mess. Even as Danor had said the words, hed seen the fingers clench again, and he
swore when he looked closely that the flesh of the neck was trying to reseal the head back to the body.

The chest marked X contains 1 Healing Potion and 1 Battle Potion.

Ok, carry on.

14
14

15

ADVENTURE 3

RESTLESS GUARDIAN
As they entered the crypt, a chill passed through Orlaf. Superstition hadnt held him in its grip for many years, but he
couldnt help but wonder as to the significance. The room was dominated by a huge stone pillar, inscribed with runes that
seemed to dance as he looked upon them. Other marks seemed to have been crudely scored into the stone, and these brought
a wave of nausea up his throat when his eyes drifted upon them.

TACTICAL THOUGHTS
If the Heroes are to win this they will have to split up there just isnt time to do it any other way. However, Elshara
and her friends are quite capable of killing a lone Hero if they can corner them, so you need to be very careful not to
let individuals get surrounded. Finding the right balance of being cautious to protect the weaker Heroes, and being
bold and aggressive to find all the pieces of the heart in time is the key here.

Beside him, Madriga hissed a bitter curse in the tongue of her people and spat on the floor.
He defiles the Guardian.
Danor looked to her, and Orlaf noticed the green cast to the mages face.
Hes bound her to this place she cant leave the crypt.
The elf was already striding towards one of the side passages, back ramrod straight and anger radiating from her.
Theres only one way he could have done that. And Im going to do the very same thing to him when I find his worthless
hide.
***
He felt the quickening as the restless spirit of Elshara awakened, the link between them twanging with resonance like a
fishing line with a catch. So, they had made it to the crypt. He allowed himself a smile. Let them try and deal with the
Banshee. She would be their doom

HEROES
In addition to your Hero Cards, take
the following:
Rordin, Dwarf Fighter:
Tough.
Orlaf, Human Barbarian:
Frenzy (1), 1 Haste Potion.
Madriga, Elf Ranger:
Spidersilk Armour, Sure Shot (1).
Danor, Human Wizard:
Magister, 3 power 1 energy
crystals and 1 power 2 energy
crystal.
Available spells: Flamebolt, Break
Ward, Burn, Feet of Stone, Brisk
Work.

OVERLORD
Overlord Command
Cards: 13
Commands per Turn: 1
Raise the Dead: Skeleton
Warriors (4), Skeleton Archers
(2).
Elshara, Banshee: Available
spells are: Banshee Wail, Faithful
in Death, Shriek.

Heroes: Lay Elshara to rest

by combining the pieces of
her heart from the four locked
chests.
Overlord: Cripple one of the
Heroes or stop the Heroes from
winning before the time runs
out.

Faithful in Death: Ghost (2)

SPECIAL RULE
CHEST
Each of the four chests holds a
piece of the banshees shattered
stone heart. When a single Hero
has all four pieces it recombines
itself magically into one piece.
The curse that holds Elshara is
broken, and she is finally laid
to rest.

16
16

VICTORY

SPECIAL RULE
PILLAR
The 2x2 square black area in
the centre of the middle tile is
a large stone pillar. It blocks all
normal movement and line of
sight. The Hero player(s) should
be made aware of this.

AFTERMATH
The screams of the tortured spirit faded into silence. Elshara was free at last, and could finally go to her well-deserved rest in
the beyond. Rordin had hoped to bind her for longer, to use her to gain the upper hand in the fights to come. Madriga might
have killed him just for the suggestion, but Danor had intervened, assuring them that he had gained the knowledge that
they required from the Elf s spirit. As it was, she had smashed the heart into tiny shards and ground those shards to powder
under her boot. The Dwarf had looked mutinous but remained silent. This was as well for the sake of his own health.

17