After reading the rules, a couple of questions.

By Ken on Cape, in Descent: Journeys in the Dark

I picked up the main game today. After readign the rules there were a couple of things that was not clear to me.

1. Traits: The rulebook says when you make an attack, you add a number of power dice equal to the trait of the type of attack. On the hero sheet diagramit shows the traits, but there are no numbers on them. Is it just base 1 for each? Do you add the number of starting skills you get to that trait? I feel the rulebook could have been clearer on this.

2. Overlord cards: On page 21 the card almanac says overlord cards have a threat cost and a threat value. On page 11 when it says you discard overlord cards you get a number of threat tokens equal to the cards discard value. Is this the same as the threat value listed on the card? Would have been nice if they used the same terms for the same stuff through the whole rulebook.

Ken on Cape said:

I picked up the main game today. After readign the rules there were a couple of things that was not clear to me.

1. Traits: The rulebook says when you make an attack, you add a number of power dice equal to the trait of the type of attack. On the hero sheet diagramit shows the traits, but there are no numbers on them. Is it just base 1 for each? Do you add the number of starting skills you get to that trait? I feel the rulebook could have been clearer on this.

2. Overlord cards: On page 21 the card almanac says overlord cards have a threat cost and a threat value. On page 11 when it says you discard overlord cards you get a number of threat tokens equal to the cards discard value. Is this the same as the threat value listed on the card? Would have been nice if they used the same terms for the same stuff through the whole rulebook.

1. The traits are the the number of black squares next to each attack symbol. They are found around the upper middle of the card. Most characters will have 3 black squares in one trait, or two in one and one in another, which tends to show their specialties. You roll one black die for each black square.

2. The discard value is the value in the lower right of the card. It is usually (with a single exception of an expansion card) the lower number value also. So for example, Dodge should have a threat cost of 2, but it has a discard value of 1.

You mean the grey squares that tell you how many skills you get? The boxes are grey on my hero sheets.

Also, how come the rules say you can jump over pits, but you can't jump over water?

Ken on Cape said:

You mean the grey squares that tell you how many skills you get? The boxes are grey on my hero sheets.

Also, how come the rules say you can jump over pits, but you can't jump over water?

Go look at the hero sheet diagram on pg8 of the rulebook again. The skills are listed on the bottom of the cards with the symbols for Starting Skills. Above that is the hero ability, then above that is the Traits box. Those are your trait dice. If there are no power dice shown on a symbol, then you don't have any trait dice for that type of attack.

Those boxes do not tell you how many skills you get, that is down below in the Starting Skills box.

As for the water, the given reason is that water in the dungeons is populated by bloodsquids that will drag any heroes jumping over their homes to their death.

ah thats right my bad on the traits I was confused and it was late.