Rules Tome 2.0.8
A fast, plain-language reference for Warlord: Saga of the Storm. Every feat and keyword is tied to its Rules Tome section and clearly separated from The War Room’s automation status.
Cores
Rules text wins over this summary whenever a card creates a specific exception.
Every action is an Order or React with costs, effects, and a defined resolution sequence.
Declare the action and performer, pay every cost, generate the effects, then resolve. An action must be legal before declaration unless a permitted React or effect can make it legal. Do as much of an effect as possible, but do not voluntarily stop or omit a legal part.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 110, 510Advantage keeps the higher of two d20s; disadvantage keeps the lower.
Multiple instances do not add more dice. Any amount of advantage and disadvantage cancel each other, producing one normal roll. Planar changes which eligible die is retained for affected strikes.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 105.2An attack spends a Character to perform its sequence of melee strikes.
Printed strikes are performed first in printed order. Additional strikes gained from effects may follow in an order chosen by the controller. The first strike is mandatory; later strikes may be forgone before their strike process begins, and new strikes gained during the attack may join the same attack.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 507.3Banished cards are public but outside play and the discard pile.
A card goes to its owner’s banish zone only when an action or effect says to banish it. Banished cards are visible to all players and are not in play.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 406A dying Character may perform this React before it leaves play.
Death React is shorthand for “React: Before this character is killed.” It occurs after the Character is determined to be dying and before it is placed in the discard pile.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 508.6.1Natural 20 is a critical success and natural 1 is a critical failure.
Critical results automatically succeed or fail and cannot be changed or rerolled. A natural roll is the die result before modifiers. If an effect rerolls a roll made with multiple dice, all dice are rerolled.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 105Killed, discarded, and destroyed cards normally go to their owner’s public discard pile.
Discard piles are not in play and are visible to all players. An instruction to discard a card means discard it from hand unless the instruction identifies another zone.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 405Discard any number of cards, then draw one at a time up to hand size.
Each player may discard any cards from hand, then draws until their hand equals their current hand size. A player already above hand size neither discards down nor draws.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 503Resolve end-of-turn abilities and expire turn-long effects before the next turn.
Beginning with the initiative winner, players may perform eligible end-of-turn actions, then resolve every effect that happens or expires at end of turn one at a time. Multi-card expirations resolve for each affected card before moving to the next effect.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 506This React occurs directly after its Character enters play.
Enter React is shorthand for “React: After this character enters play.” Entry requirements, loyalty, orientation, and legal formation handling still apply before or around the trigger as specified by the effect.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 508.6.3Characters occupy ordered ranks, with rank 1 closest to opposing formations.
Forward means toward the front rank and backward means away from it. Characters next to each other in one rank are adjacent. Your front rank and each opposing front rank are adjacent, and “within” a number of ranks includes the source rank plus ranks in both directions.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 401A rank with more characters than the rank in front must be repaired immediately.
Characters fall forward one at a time until every rank is legal. A ready character becomes spent, a spent character becomes stunned, and a stunned character simply moves. Formation repair interrupts normal resolution before the next step, except an eligible React to falling forward resolves first.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 401.6Warlords roll to determine the first player in the Order phase.
Each chosen Warlord rolls a d20 plus initiative modifiers. Highest acts first and play proceeds clockwise. Tied highest Warlords reroll under the Tome’s critical and preset rules.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 504The killer performs this React after the defeated Character reaches the discard pile.
Kill React is shorthand for “React: After this character kills target character.” It targets the killed Character using its game statistics at the moment it died.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 508.6.2A Limited Order or React may be performed only once each turn.
Limited applies to the granted action even if its source is temporarily lost and regained during the same turn. Older “once per turn” costs function the same way.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 510.7An off-faction Character normally enters your formation stunned.
A Character whose faction differs from your Warlord suffers the loyalty penalty when put into play and enters stunned. Mercenary Guild Characters never suffer this penalty.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 507.1.4Spend a Character to move one rank or change position within its current rank.
A maneuver moves its performer forward one rank, backward one rank, or to a different left-to-right position in the same rank. Any resulting illegal formation is repaired immediately.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 507.5Melee strikes normally target within one rank and use the Character’s ATK.
Choose a legal Character within one rank, roll a d20, and add the strike ATK including applicable bonuses and penalties. Meeting or exceeding AC normally hits for one wound. A strike that names a specific target can ignore normal rank distance.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 509.3Players alternate one Order at a time until all pass consecutively.
On priority, play a Character, have a Character perform an Order, or pass. After an Order resolves, priority moves clockwise. A prior pass does not prevent later action if another player breaks the consecutive-pass chain.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 505Orders are the actions performed one at a time during Order-phase priority.
Standard options include playing a Character, attacking, equipping an Item, maneuvering, using an Order card or printed Order, and format-specific Dungeon or Epic Class Orders. Spend Order means spending the performer is part of the cost.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 507Playing is the standard Character-from-hand Order; putting into play also includes other effects.
A normally played Character enters the rank equal to its level and cannot create an unfixable illegal rank. Effects that put a Character into play may specify another source or rank. Entry still observes applicable Unique, loyalty, formation, and additional card requirements unless text overrides them.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 507.1Ranged strikes normally target exactly two ranks away and use only their stated ranged bonus.
Choose a legal Character exactly two ranks away, roll a d20, and add the ranged strike’s own modifier plus effects that specifically modify that roll. Meeting or exceeding AC normally hits for one wound. A strike that names a specific target can ignore normal distance.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 509.4Reacts interrupt normal timing only when their printed trigger occurs.
Each copy of a React may be used once per trigger. Players take reaction priority beginning with the initiative winner, returning to the original trigger after each React. The reacting card and relevant rank conditions must have existed when the trigger occurred.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 508All players rotate their cards one step toward ready.
Spent cards become ready and stunned cards become spent simultaneously. The Ready phase also occurs on the first turn.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 502Orientation records whether a card can pay spend costs or perform actions.
Ready cards are upright, spent cards are turned 90 degrees, and stunned cards are turned 180 degrees. A stunned card is also spent. Stunned characters cannot perform actions; stunned items cannot provide printed actions, although their modifiers and other effects remain.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 107Roll a d20, add Skill and applicable modifiers, and meet or exceed the DC.
Every save is a skill check, but not every skill check is a save. A bonus to all skill checks applies to saves; a bonus only to saves does not apply to other checks. Checks and saves cannot be voluntarily failed.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 106Melee and ranged strikes resolve through declaration, targeting, roll, hit, wounds, and resolution.
Each strike declares its performer, chooses a legal target, rolls, determines hit or miss, determines wounds, inflicts wounds, then resolves. Each boundary can create its own React timing. Strikes are effects, not actions by themselves.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 509Actions and strikes target cards they name or directly affect in a targeted way.
Targeting includes direct stat, orientation, location, check, wound, action, attachment, cancellation, or similar changes described by section 511. Actions usually target only cards in play unless they state another zone. Mass and multi-target effects choose legal targets one at a time and affect them in that order.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 511Each turn has Ready, Draw, Initiative, Order, and End of Turn phases.
Resolve the five phases in order. Initiative establishes who acts first in the Order phase, and the Order phase continues until every player passes consecutively.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 501Defeat every opposing Warlord while keeping a Warlord under your control.
A player loses as soon as they do not control a Warlord character. The last player controlling a Warlord in play wins, unless a card effect ends the game first.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 101A character dies when its wounds equal or exceed its hit points.
Check wounds whenever wounds are placed or maximum HP is reduced. A dying character receives the appropriate React window, then it and its attached or equipped cards go to their owners’ discard piles in the prescribed order. Removing wounds does not stop an already determined death unless the effect specifically says the character no longer dies.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 104Cards move among formation, action, deck, hand, discard, banish, battlefield, and dungeon areas.
Formation, action, battlefield, and dungeon zones are in play. Deck, hand, discard, and banish zones are not. When a card leaves play, cards attached or equipped to it are discarded or destroyed in the required order.
Rules Tome 2.0.8 · § 400