The Sunless City

Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Playing the Game. . . . . . . . . 15 Enemy Turns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Game Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Winning and Losing the Game. . . . 15 Enemy Data Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Enemies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The Campaign Dashboard. . . . 16 Enemy Movement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Bosses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Exploration Basics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Enemy Attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Treasure Deck. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Getting Underway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Resolving Enemy Attacks. . . . . . . . 25
Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Encounter Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Enemy Attacks During Movement. 25
Tokens and Terrain Elements. . . . . . . 6 The Bonfire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Dice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Restin g at the Bonfire. . . . . . . . . . . 26
Setting up Encounters. . . . . . . . . . . 17 The Firekeeper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Turn Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Special Rules and Keywords . . . . . . 17 Returning to the Bonfire. . . . . 26
Treasure Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Using the Timer Track. . . . . . . . . . . 18 Blacksmith Andre. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Ending an Encounter . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Resuming Exploration. . . . . . . . . . . 27
Upgrades. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Rewards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Losing the Game. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Embers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Event Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Boss Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Tiles and Nodes. . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Character Turns. . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Boss Basics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
The Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Tiles During Boss Encounters. . . . . 28
Movement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Upkeep Phase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Boss Data Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Range. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Action Phase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Behaviour Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Node Model Limits. . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Character Movement. . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Boss Arcs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Terrain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Character Actions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Character Attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Boss Turns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Getting Started. . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Equipment Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Choosing Characters. . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Pushes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Boss Movement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
The Campaign Dashboard and Conditions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Boss Specific Movement Symbols. . 30
Setting Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Weapon Special Abilities. . . . . . . . . 22 Boss Attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Tokens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Defeating Bosses. . . . . . . . . . . 31
The Titanite Demon . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Dragon Slayer Ornstein and
Executioner Smough . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Dark Souls: The Sunless City Steamforged Games Team

Game Concept Sculpting Co-Founders Sculpting & Art Marketing & Community Commercial & Licensing
Mat Hart Russ Charles Mat Hart (CCO) Ben Charles Management Toby Davies
Rich Loxam (CEO) Russ Charles Ben Clapperton Steve Hough
Design & Development Graphic Design Holly Woolford Tom Hart Firoz Rana
Jordan Connolly & Layout Executive Chairman Chynna-Blue Scott Jo Turner
Sherwin Matthews Kelly Vizma Simon Spalding Graphic Design Ben Taylor
& Layout Operations & Fulfilment
Production Non-Executive Officers Jessica Santoso Judy Guan
Tom Rochford Ron Ashitiani Elliott Smith Richard Jennings
Abigail Thornton
Additional Playtesting Investment Director Joe Thornton
Adam Daily Rob Jones Kelly Vizma

Design & Development Production

Richard August Candy Chan
Jordan Connolly Matthew Elliott
Alex Hall Carl Matthews
Ginny Loveday Lu Mingjing
Fraser McFetridge Tom Rochford
Steve Margetson
Sherwin Matthews Finance & IT
Nick Niotis John Higham
Jamie Perkins Vanessa O‘Brien
Amy Rapaport

Dark Souls™& ©Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. / ©FromSoftware, Inc.

2
 Introduction
Once, at the dawn of time as humanity reckons it, the four lords rose from oppression, to stand
alone against the immortal dragons. Their conflict was not a short one; yet after untold ages,
at last they claimed great victory, driving their foes from the world.

In this new age, the greatest of their number, Lord Gwyn, founded Lordran, the most proud
kingdom the world shall ever see. His court was to be found in The Sunless City, the shining
jewel of that most magnificent land, where sacred spires and legions of knightly orders were
bathed perpetually by golden light.

Yet, the dominion of flame could not last. As the First Flame sputtered and died, Lord Gwyn
divined that he must sacrifice himself to prolong the light. And in that moment, Lordran was
doomed to slow decay.

In the ensuing time the Curse of Undeath wrought ruin upon the world. Although The Sunless
City remains it is shrouded now only by false light, an illusion created to hide the deceit of
an empty throne. In halls where once nobility reigned only lonely guardians and spirits now
roam, seemingly unaware or uncaring of the tragic fate of the world, and the pale existence left
to them in the ashes of a dead kingdom.

DARK SOULS: The Sunless City is a cooperative dungeon crawl board game for
1–3* players, culminating in an epic boss battle against Dragon Slayer Ornstein and
Executioner Smough. To be successful players must work together, defeating their
enemies by learning attack patterns and weaknesses.

If a character dies, all is not lost, but there will be a cost. Each time a character is
killed, the whole party must return to the bonfire, and each encounter resets. Visit the
bonfire too many times and it will burn down to embers, leaving the characters lost to
eternal darkness.

Use your resources sparingly, learn quickly, and…

Prepare to die.

*If players have a copy of DARK SOULS: The Board Game or an expansion with
additional characters, this game can be experienced by up to four players.

3
 Game Contents
Characters

4 6 9

Base Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Explosive Base Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Base Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3
Perseverence Berserk
Firepower Charge
Each character
gains 2 stamina. This character’s next Strength This character’s
Strength attack with the Strength
next attack gains
symbol gains an and does not cost
additional . stamina. Before
making the attack,
Dexterity Dexterity they can be placed Dexterity
in an adjacent node.

Intelligence Intelligence Intelligence

Faith Faith Faith

Herald Pyromancer Warrior

1x Miniature 1x Miniature 1x Miniature
4x Starting Equipment cards 4x Starting Equipment cards 3x Starting Equipment cards
1x Player Board 1x Player Board 1x Player Board

Enemies

Hollow Soldier Sentinel Crossbow Hollow

3x Miniatures 1x Miniature 3x Miniatures
1x Enemy Data card 1x Enemy Data card 1x Enemy Data card

Silver Knight Mimic Silver Knight

Greatbowman 1x Miniature Swordsman
2x Miniatures 1x Enemy Data card 2x Miniatures
1x Enemy Data card 1x Enemy Data card

4
 Bosses

Titanite Demon Dragon Slayer Ornstein &

1x Mini Boss Miniature Executioner Smough
1x Mini Boss Data card 2x Main Boss Miniature
8x Mini Boss Behaviour cards 2x Main Boss Data card
15 x Main Boss Behaviour cards

Treasure Deck

30x Class-specific Treasure cards 45x Common Treasure cards 4x Legendary Treasure cards 6x Boss Treasure cards

Pyromancer Starting Pyromancer Pyromancer Common

Equipment Class Treasure Transposed Treasure Treasure

Herald Herald Herald Legendary

Starting Equipment Class Treasure Transposed Treasure Treasure

Dragon Slayer Ornstein

Warrior Warrior Warrior
& Executioner Smough
Starting Equipment Class Treasure Transposed Treasure
Boss Treasure

Titaite Demon
Boss Treasure

5
 Cards Dice

5x Mimic cards
5x Black 4x Blue

2x Orange 4x Green
29x Encounter cards
30x Event cards

Tokens and Terrain Elements

8x 1 Wound 2x 3 Wound 1x 5 Wound 13x 1 Soul 5x 3 Soul 3x 5 Soul 1x 8 Soul 8x Shortcut

tokens tokens token tokens tokens tokens token tokens

3x Luck 3x Heroic 3x Estus 3x Ember 1x Aggro 1x Party 21x Condition 1x Spark

tokens Action tokens tokens tokens token token tokens dial

3x Treasure 5x Gravestone 8x Barrel 1x Turn 3x Lever 2xEnvoy 22x Trap 1x Fang 2x Boss
chest tokens tokens tokens Tracker token tokens Banner token tokens Boar token dial

2x Mimic 1x Sentinel
token token

4x Crossbow 4x Hollow
Hollow tokens Soldier tokens

3x Silver Knight 3x Silver Knight

4x Double-sided game tiles Greatbowman tokens Swordsman tokens

1x Campaign board

6
7
 Characters
Character Dashboards Equipment Slots
Each character has a unique dashboard which includes Character dashboards have dedicated slots for different types
the following information. of cards.

1. Name and symbol Armour cards have an armour symbol , and must go in the
2. Taunt level armour slot.
3. Equipment slots
a. Armour slot Weapon cards have either the or symbol and go in either
b. Backup slot of the hand slots. If a card is placed in a hand slot, the other
c. Hand slot hand slot must be empty.
4. Luck token slot
5. Estus Flask token slot The backup slot can hold up to two cards of any type.
6. Ember token slot
7. Heroic action token slot Cards in the armour and hand slots are always considered
8. Heroic action rules to be equipped. Cards in the backup slot are never
9. Stat progression track considered to be equipped.
10. Endurance bar

4 5

2
3 6 7

3a 1 3b

8 Keep the Faith 9 Base Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3

This character and
each other character Strength
on the same or an
adjacent node heals
2 damage.

Dexterity

3c 3c
Intelligence

Faith

10

Cleric Character dashboard

8
Stat Progression Track Character Tokens
The stat progression track lists the character’s base strength, There are four different types of character token. Each has a
dexterity, intelligence, and faith stats, and the upgrade tiers and ready and used side, and an effect, detailed below. A token’s effect
values for those stats. can only be used if the token’s ready side is face up.

Stats must be upgraded in ascending order—i.e., to upgrade to A character can only have one of each token type on their dashboard.
tier two, the character must first have upgraded to tier one. When
a character upgrades a stat, they punch out the corresponding Heroic Action
square from their dashboard, flip it over, and push it back into At any time during their turn, a character can
the vacant slot with the upgraded side showing in gold. flip their heroic action token to the used side to
resolve the heroic action on their dashboard.
Characters can only upgrade when they rest at the bonfire.
Estus Flask
At any time during their turn, a character can flip their
The starting stats for each character are as follows.
Estus Flask token to the used side to remove all stamina
and character wound tokens from their endurance bar.

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At any time, a character can flip their luck token to
Dexterity 11 17 26 34
reroll a die in one of their attack or defence rolls.
Intelligence 8 12 20 29
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Ember
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Faith 13 22 31 40
Unlike other character tokens, ember tokens do
Ti

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Pyromancer Base Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3
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Strength 12 17 26 35 1
token suffers 3 or more damage from a single attack, reduce the
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damage by 1. If a character with an ember token dies, discard the
Dexterity 9 13 20 27
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The Endurance Bar

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A character’s endurance bar is used to track their stamina and

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Warrior Base Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 how much damage they’ve suffered.
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When a character spends one or more stamina, they add an

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Dexterity 9 16 25 35 equal number of stamina tokens to the bar, starting from the left
edge and placing them in the first empty spaces available.
Intelligence 8 15 23 30

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When a character suffers one or more damage, they add an equal

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If a character recovers stamina or heals damage, remove the

corresponding number of tokens from the bar. If there are
insufficient tokens to remove, simply remove as many as possible.

If all of a character’s endurance bar spaces have tokens, and

another token would be added to the bar (because the character
spent stamina or suffered damage), that character dies.

9
 Treasure Cards
Equipment Upgrades
Equipment includes weapons, armour, shields, and spells, and Upgrade cards are used to enhance equipment. There are two
governs a character’s combat capabilities. Each equipment card types of upgrade cards.
includes the following information.
cards are used to upgrade weapons.
1. The equipment’s name.
2. The card’s type. cards are used to upgrade armour.
3. The equipment slot the card goes in on a character’s
dashboard. Upgrades can only be added to or removed from equipment
4. Which set of DARK SOULS: The Board Game the card is from. when the party is resting at the bonfire.
5. The range of the action or attack option(s) on the card.
6. The minimum stat requirements a character must meet before
they can equip the card.
7. The attack options a character can perform if this card is equipped.
8. The equipment’s block value.
9. The equipment’s resist value.
10. The equipment’s dodge value.
11. The number of upgrade slots the equipment has.

1
5 2
3
6
4 Weapon upgrade card Armour upgrade card

Embers
7 When an ember card is drawn, the players can
either choose a character to immediately resolve
the text on the card, or place it in the inventory.

8 9 10 11

Ember card

10
 Tiles and Nodes
The Basics The edge of each tile is a wall, which models cannot move across.
Models can only move between tiles by using doorway nodes,
The action in DARK SOULS: The Sunless City takes place on the which allow them to leave their current tile and be placed on an
game’s tiles. adjacent doorway node on another tile. After the model is placed
it must stop its movement.
Each tile has a number of nodes, used to measure
movement and range. Models are always placed
on nodes.

Some nodes have a different colour and icon, used to indicate

the starting position of specific elements during setup. Models
can move onto these nodes and use them to measure movement
and range as normal.

Character Start nodes are used when placing

characters. These are only shown on encounter
cards, and not printed on the tiles.
Range
Enemy Spawn nodes are used when Attacks and effects have a range, measured between nodes in the
placing enemies. same way as adjacency.

An attack or effect with range 0 0 can only be used if the

Terrain nodes are used when
target is on the same node. An attack or effect with range 2 2
placing terrain.
can target a model up to two nodes away.

An attack or effect with ∞ can affect any model on the same tile.

Movement Actions and attacks cannot target a model on a different tile.

When a model moves, place it on an adjacent node, either
horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Nodes have guidelines
printed on them to aid in determining adjacency. Node Model Limits
Up to three models can share the same node, even if it’s
awkward for them to fit—as long as players know which models
The green nodes are adjacent to the Pyromancer.
are on which nodes, models can overlap or spread out as needed.

If there are three models on a node and another model moves onto
that node, the players must choose a model already on the node
and place it on an adjacent node to make way for the new model.

Only one boss can be on a node. If a boss moves onto a node

that already contains another boss, place the boss already on the
node on an adjacent node to make way.

11
 Terrain
Terrain is represented by tokens. Individual encounter cards will
indicate when and where to place a token. Each token occupies Chests
a single node.
Models cannot move onto a node containing
a chest.
Terrain features come in the following types.
Chests always begin encounters with the
closed side face up. A character in an adjacent
Gravestones node to a closed chest can spend their action
Models cannot move onto a node containing a gravestone. to draw a card from the treasure deck and
place it in the inventory. After drawing, flip
Gravestones always begin encounters with the illuminated the chest token so the opened side is face up.
side face up. A character in an adjacent node to an illuminated
gravestone can spend their action to look at the top card from
the treasure, event, or encounter deck, then return it to either the
Traps
top or bottom of the deck. After the card has been returned to If a tile has traps on it, during setup shuffle
the deck, flip the gravestone to its diminished side. the trap tokens, then place a random token
face down on each of the tile’s nodes,
excluding character start, enemy spawn,
terrain, and doorway nodes.

When a character is placed on a node with a

trap, flip the token.
Illuminated side Diminished side
• If the token is blank, discard it.
• If the token has a dodge and damage
Barrels value, the character must make a defence
If a model moves onto the same node as a roll using only their dodge dice.
barrel, discard the token.
- I f the roll is equal to or greater than the
dodge value, discard the token.
At the end of an encounter that includes
- If the roll is lower than the dodge
barrels, roll a black die for each remaining barrel, and gain a
value, the character suffers the damage
number of souls equal to the number of pips.
shown on the token. After applying the
damage, the token is discarded.
Lever Traps do not affect enemies and are not flipped if an enemy
A character on the same node as the lever can moves onto the same node.
spend their action to activate it. Encounters
that include the lever will detail the effect of
doing so on their card.

Envoy Banner
If a character is on a node containing an
Envoy Banner, they can spend their action
to be placed on the node containing the
other Envoy Banner.

Fang Boar
At the end of each character’s turn, move the
Fang Boar one node towards the character with
the aggro token. The Fang Boar cannot move
through doorways.

If the Fang Boar moves onto the same node as a character,

the character suffers and .

12
 The Campaign Dashboard
The campaign dashboard serves as the party’s base camp, and allows them to track their progress through the game.

1 2 3 4

5 6 7

8
9

1. Encounter Decks 8. Timer Track

This is where encounter cards are placed, in three face down The timer track is used to record the number of player
decks. turns during encounters, and is used by several cards to add
additional challenges and/or rewards.
2. Spark Dial Slot
The spark dial tracks the status of the bonfire. 9. The Encounter Track
The encounter track shows how far the party has progressed
3. Soul Cache through the game, measured in spaces. Each space has an
When the party gains one or more souls, they are placed encounter level, and a slot for the encounter the party must
here. When souls in the soul cache are spent, they are play when on the space.
discarded.

4. Inventory
This is a communal slot where the party stores the items
they’ve discovered.

5. Treasure Deck
When the players find treasure, they draw from the treasure
deck in this slot to see what they’ve discovered.

6. Blacksmith Andre Item Slots

These slots are used when the party visits Blacksmith Andre
and purchases items.

7. Event Deck
This is where the event deck is placed.

13
 Getting Started
Choosing Characters
At the start of the game, each player chooses a character and
places the corresponding model and dashboard in front of them.
Collectively, these characters are known as the party. 3

Each player places an Estus Flask, heroic action, and luck token
on their dashboard, with the ready side face up. Then, each player Keep the Faith
This character and
Base Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3

takes the starting equipment cards with their character’s symbol

each other character Strength
on the same or an
adjacent node heals
2 damage.
and places them in an equipment slot on their dashboard. Dexterity

Intelligence
Punch out the squares on the endurance bar. Keep the punched-
out squares handy, as these will be used to track stamina and Faith

wounds during the game.

Do not punch out the character stat squares. These will be

removed and flipped over during gameplay.

Setting Up the Dashboard

Card Decks Encounter Track
At the start of the game, shuffle the level one encounter cards, Place the party token on the bonfire slot. Then, take the Black
then place them face down in the encounter deck slot. Shuffle Knight and Gravelord Nito encounter cards, and place each face
the level two cards and place them to the left of the level one up on the corresponding encounter track slot.
cards; then shuffle the level three cards and place them to the left
of the level two cards, creating a row of decks in ascending levels.
Tokens
Take the class specific treasure cards for the characters being used, and
Separate any remaining tokens and dials by type and place them
shuffle them together with the common treasure cards to create the
to one side, within easy reach of each player.
starting treasure deck. Place this deck face down on treasure deck slot.

Shuffle the event cards and place them face down in the event
deck slot.

Place the transposed, legendary, and boss treasure cards, and

enemy and boss cards face up to one side for the time being.
These will be used later in the game.

Spark Dial
Place the dial on top of the spark dial slot, displaying
a number of sparks corresponding to the number of
players, as shown on the table below.

1 Player 5 Sparks

2 Players 4 Sparks

3 Players 3 Sparks

4 Players 2 Sparks

14
 Playing the Game
Winning and Losing the Game
Players win a game of DARK SOULS: The Sunless City if Dragon If the party is defeated during an encounter all is not lost. The
Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough are killed. players return their characters to the bonfire, and can try again.

In order to reach Ornstein and Smough, players will need to However, the players cannot do this indefinitely. Each time they
complete several encounters as they fight their way to the great return to the bonfire, they’ll use up a spark. If the spark dial has
cathedral. This will not be easy, however. Powerful and deadly reached 0, and the players return to the bonfire, they lose the
enemies roam the city, waiting to repel any intruders. game—the fire has burned too low and they are forever lost to
the darkness.

15
 The Campaign Dashboard
Exploration Basics Encounter Cards
In order to progress, the players make their way across the Encounter cards provide all of the information necessary to set
campaign dashboard encounter track from left to right, stopping up an encounter.
at each space to play an encounter.
1. The encounter’s name.
Encounters are where combat happens and take place on the 2. Which set of DARK SOULS: The Board Game the encounter
game tiles, as described on the following pages. is from.
3. The objectives the characters must achieve in order to
At the end of an encounter the players return to the dashboard, complete the encounter.
before moving on to their next encounter. 4. The rewards for completing the encounter.
5. The encounter’s special rules.
6. The encounter’s map.
Getting Underway 7. The enemies that appear in the encounter and the nodes they
are placed on during setup.
When the players are ready, move the party marker to the first
8. The terrain that appears in the encounter and the nodes it is
space on the encounter track. Then, draw two cards from the
placed on during setup.
encounter deck that matches the symbol on the space below it.
Each encounter is different, providing the players with a wide
The players choose which of the cards they’d like to attempt, variety of challenges to overcome.
and place it in the encounter card slot below the party marker.
The other card is shuffled back into the deck. 1
When moving to a new space on the encounter track, if there is
2
already an encounter card in the slot (because the players have
attempted the encounter before) setup and play the existing card 3
instead of drawing new cards.
4 5

6 7
8

Number of Players Symbol

Several encounter cards include the symbol. This symbol
represents a value equal to the number of players.

Boss Encounters
If the party marker is moved onto an encounter track space with the
Black Knight or Gravelord Nito encounter card, the players must play
the boss’s encounter instead of drawing from the encounter deck.

The rules for playing boss encounters are detailed on pg. 28.

16
 Encounters
Setting up Encounters Objective Keywords
Place the tiles shown on the map in the middle of the table. It These keywords are used in the objectives section of
doesn’t matter which individual tiles you use, as long as they encounter cards.
have the corresponding enemy and terrain spawn nodes, and you
Survive – The characters meet this objective if they can avoid
ensure adjacent tiles are connected by doorway nodes. Note tiles
being killed for a set number of turns, shown in brackets next to
might be isolated from the others or greyed out and only placed
the keyword.
once certain conditions are met—players must discover a way to
access them during the encounter. Exit – Exit nodes are not represented by tokens, and only appear
on encounter cards, indicated by the symbol. Exit nodes have
Place enemies and terrain on each tile on the corresponding
an increased node limit of four. If an encounter’s objective is to
nodes shown on the card. Once this is done, each player chooses
reach the exit and all characters are on the exit node, the party
a character start node, and places their character on that node.
completes the encounter.
Choose one character to receive the aggro token.

The encounter can then begin.

Special Rules Keywords
These keywords are used in the special rules section of encounter cards.
Turn Order
Onslaught – Each tile begins the encounter as active (see pg. 24).
Gameplay during encounters takes place over a series of turns,
starting with an enemy turn and then alternating between Timer – If the timer marker reaches the value shown in
brackets, resolve the effect listed.
character and enemy turns.
Respawn – Place additional models using the enemies and
During an enemy turn, all enemies take a turn. During a
enemy nodes shown on the encounter card.
character turn, only a single character takes a turn.
When respawning, if there are insufficient enemy models (because
When it’s time for the first character turn of an encounter, the some enemy models are already in play), place as many enemies
players choose the character. From then on, characters take their as possible, then place an enemy token for each missing enemy on
turns in clockwise order around the table. the node it would spawn on. As soon as the corresponding model
becomes available, replace the token with the model.

For example, in a game with the Pyromancer, Herald, Trial – Trials offer an extra objective providing additional
rewards if completed. This is shown in brackets, either in writing,
and Warrior the turn order might be as follows.
or as a number of turns in which the characters must complete
1 Enemy Turn all enemies take turns the encounter’s main objective. Completing trial objectives is not
mandatory to complete an encounter.
2 Character Turn the Pyromancer takes a turn
Gang – If a character is attacked by a Hollow enemy and
3 Enemy Turn all enemies take turns another Hollow enemy is within one node of the character,
increase the attacking model’s damage and dodge difficulty
4 Character Turn the Herald takes a turn values by 1 when resolving the attack.
5 Enemy Turn all enemies take turns Illusion – During setup, only place tile one. Then, shuffle one
6 Character Turn the Warrior takes a turn doorway trap token and four trap tokens with damage values,
and place a token face down on each of the highlighted nodes.
If a character moves onto a node with a token, flip the token.
If the token has a damage value, resolve the effects normally. If
Special Rules and Keywords the token is the doorway, discard all face down trap tokens, and
place the next sequential tile as shown on the encounter card.
Although some objectives are straightforward, simply requiring Then, place the character on a doorway node on the new tile.
the characters to kill enemies, others are more complicated. After placing the character, if the new tile has highlighted nodes,
In addition, each encounter also features unique special rules, repeat the steps above.
adding thematic elements and challenges. Once a doorway token has been revealed, it counts as the
doorway node that connects to the next sequential tile.
Although unique rules are explained in text, more commonplace
rules are represented by keywords, detailed on the right. Mimic –If a character opens a chest in this encounter, shuffle
the chest deck and draw a card. If a blank card is drawn, resolve
the chest rules as normal. If the teeth card is drawn, replace the
chest with the Mimic model instead.

17
 Using the Timer Track
Some objectives and special rules require the party to track the number of turns during an encounter.

During setup for these encounters, place the timer marker at the start of the timer track, marked 0. At the end of each character’s
turn, move the marker to the next space.

Ending an Encounter
Each encounter has set objectives, detailed on its card. If the players meet these objectives, they have completed the encounter,
and it immediately ends.

If a character dies during the encounter, the party is defeated and the players fail the encounter.

Completing the Encounter Failing the Encounter

Return the tiles and all models and tokens on them to the side Return the tiles and all models and tokens on them to the side
of the playing area, then remove all tokens from each character’s of the playing area, then remove all tokens from each character’s
endurance bar. endurance bar.

The players then return to the campaign dashboard and follow The players then return to the campaign dashboard and follow
the steps below, in the order shown. the steps below, in the order shown.

• If the completed encounter card has one or more soul tokens • If any encounter card on the dashboard has one or more soul
on top of it, add them to the soul cache. tokens on top of it, discard the tokens.
• Gain any rewards listed on the encounter card. • Place any souls in the soul cache on the encounter card the
• Tilt the encounter card 90°, to indicate it has been players failed.
completed.
• Draw a card from the event deck. The players then return to the bonfire (see pg. 26).

The players can then move the party marker to the next space
on the encounter track, repeating the steps listed under “Getting
Underway” to choose and then play their next encounter; or,
should they wish, return to the bonfire instead (see pg. 26).

If the players choose to attempt the next encounter, before

setting up, their characters can exchange any number of
equipment cards between their dashboards and/or the inventory.

Remember that in order to equip a card to a slot on their

dashboard, a character must meet the minimum stat
requirements on the card.

18
 Rewards Event Cards
If the characters complete an encounter, they gain the rewards Event cards represent a variety of unpredictable occurrences that
listed on the encounter card. The types of reward are detailed below. might befall the characters on their journey.

Souls – Add the corresponding number of souls to the soul cache.

Draw – Draw a number of cards from the corresponding deck.

Treasure cards are placed in the inventory, event cards are
resolved as described in the next section.

Search – Search the treasure deck for the named card and place
it in the inventory. Then, shuffle the treasure deck. If the named
card is not in the treasure deck, this reward cannot be claimed.

Refresh – Each character can flip the player token shown to the
ready side.

Trial – Trial rewards can be any of the reward types above, and
are resolved as described in those entries.

Trial rewards can only be gained if the characters met the trial Event card
objective during the encounter.

 hortcut – Place a shortcut token on the encounter

S There are three types of event card.
card. After resting at the bonfire, instead of returning
to the starting space on the encounter track, the Immediate
party can instead choose to be placed on a shortcut Immediate cards are resolved when they are drawn and
token, allowing them to skip earlier encounters. then discarded.

Consumable
When a consumable card is drawn, one player places the
card next to their character’s dashboard. The text on the
card will dictate when its rules come into effect, and how
to resolve them.

Rendezvous
When a rendezvous card is drawn, place it below the next
non-boss space on the encounter track. The text on the
card will dictate when its rules come into effect, and how
to resolve them.

An encounter track space can only have one rendezvous card. If

a space already has a rendezvous card and another card would be
placed there, discard the existing card.

19
 Character Turns
Overview Character Actions
A character’s turn is made up of two phases—the upkeep phase, The most common way a character will spend their action is by
and the action phase, which are resolved in that order. making an attack.

Some encounter special rules and terrain provide characters with

The Upkeep Phase an alternate way to spend their action. If a character spends their
action interacting with a special rule or a piece of terrain, they
During a character’s upkeep phase, they follow the steps below,
cannot attack during their turn.
in the order shown.

•
•
The character recovers 3 stamina.
The character gains the aggro token.
Character Attacks
• The character can swap any number of items between their To perform an attack, choose which card is being used and
backup slot and hand slots. follow the steps below. Characters can only attack with weapons
• Each other character can move one node. equipped to their hand slots.

Once these steps are complete, the upkeep phase ends, and the 1. Choose one of the card’s attack options, and spend the
action phase begins. number of stamina shown next to the option.
2. Choose an enemy in the card’s range to be the attack’s target.
3. Roll the dice shown on the attack option.
The Action Phase 4. Add the face up pips from the roll together. The result is the
damage total.
During the action phase the character can move and perform
5. Subtract the target’s block value from the damage total.
an action. They can either move and then perform an action; or
6. The target suffers any remaining damage.
perform an action and then move.
7. Place a number of wound tokens beside the target’s model
equal to the damage it suffered. If the model has a number
Should they wish, a character can skip their move and/or action.
of wound tokens equal to or greater than its starting health,
it is killed and removed from the tile, along with any tokens

Character Movement it had.

When a character moves, they can be placed in an adjacent node. If the character has a weapon equipped to their other hand slot,
they can then perform an attack option with that weapon as part
After doing so, the character can run. When a character runs, of the same action, following the steps above.
they can move any number of additional times, at a cost of one
stamina per additional node of movement. Once the character has performed or skipped their move and
action, their turn ends.

Example of a movement using a walk and three runs.

This movement costs 3 Stamina.

20
 Equipment Modifiers Conditions
Some attack options have modifiers that add or subtract a value Some attacks inflict conditions. Conditions are persistent effects
from the damage total. Apply these modifiers during step 4 of that remain in play until the token is discarded.
the attack sequence.
If an enemy is hit by an attack with a condition symbol, or a
condition symbol appears after an enemy’s attack behaviour and
the enemy’s attack hits, place the corresponding condition token
next to the target after the attack is resolved, even if the attack
doesn’t cause damage.

Models cannot have multiple condition tokens of the same type

at the same time. If a character has a condition token when an
encounter ends, discard the token without effect.

When making the second attack option, the player rolls 2 black
dice and adds +1 to the total. For example, if 2 and 1 were
rolled, the damage total would be 4.
Bleed
When a model with a bleed token suffers damage,
it suffers 2 additional damage, then the token is
discarded.
Pushes
Both characters and enemies have attacks and
special rules that can inflict a push against
Poison
another model. When a model is pushed, it At the end of a model’s turn, if it has a poison
is placed on an adjacent node to the one it token, it suffers 1 damage, then the token is
currently occupies. Models cannot be pushed discarded.
onto a different tile.

Pushed models are always placed on an adjacent node that is frostbite

further away from the source of the push. If there are multiple
• Characters with a frostbite token recover one
equidistant nodes, the players choose which node the model is
less stamina at the start of their turn.
pushed onto.
• Enemies with a frostbite token reduce the
value of their move symbols by 1.
Boss models cannot be pushed by a character’s movement
or attacks.
At the end of a model’s turn, if it has a frostbite token, the token
is discarded.

Stagger
• Characters with a stagger token must spend
1 additional stamina when performing attack
options.
• Enemies with a stagger token reduce the value of their
attack symbols by 1.

At the end of a model’s turn, if it has a stagger token, the token

is discarded.

21
 Weapon Special Abilities
Although most weapons only inflict damage, some also have This weapon has three attack
special abilities. options.

Although more complicated abilities are explained in text, The first costs 0 stamina, and
simple abilities are represented by symbols shown on the attack rolls one black and one blue dice.
option, next to the attack dice. It causes magical damage, and
cannot be used against targets on
Common examples are shown below. the same node.

When resolving attacks with the magical symbol, during The second costs 4 stamina, and
step 5, subtract the target’s resist value from the damage rolls one black and two blue dice.
total instead of subtracting the target’s block value. It causes magical damage, and
cannot be used against targets on
Some attack options specify an option-specific range. When the same node.
4 resolving attacks with this ability, replace the weapon’s
normal range with the option-specific range. The third costs 4 stamina, and rolls two blue dice. It causes magical
damage, cannot be used against targets on the same node, but has an
When resolving an attack with the shift symbol, the increased attack range of 4.
1
character can move up to the number of nodes shown on
the symbol.

• If the shift symbol appears before the attack dice, the

character moves during step 1 of the attack sequence.
• If the shift symbol appears after the attack dice, the
character moves after the attack is resolved.

Movement from the shift symbol does not spend stamina

and does not replace the character’s normal move.

Attacks with the area of effect symbol can damage all

enemies on a node, instead of just the target.

When making an attack with the area of effect symbol,

follow the attack sequence as normal until step 4, then
apply steps 5, 6, and 7 to each enemy (including the
target) in the target’s node individually, in an order of the
player’s choosing.

Attack options with the shaft symbol cannot be used

against targets on the character’s node.

An attack option with the repeat symbol allows the

2
character to perform the attack up to the number of times
shown on the symbol. The extra attacks do not have to
target the same enemy, do not cost additional stamina,
and do not prevent the character using a weapon card in
their other hand slot, if they have one.

22
23
 Enemy Turns
Enemy Data Cards Enemy Movement
Each enemy type has a data card, which includes the following An enemy movement symbol indicates the enemy performs
information. a move. Various smaller symbols appear around this symbol,
indicating how to resolve the movement.
1. The type of enemy.
2. The enemy’s threat level.
3. The enemy’s starting health.
2
4 1
4.
5.
The enemy icon for this enemy.
The enemy’s attack range.
2
6. The enemy’s block value
7. The enemy’s resist value.
8. The enemy’s dodge difficulty.
9. The enemy’s behaviour symbols.
5
10. Which set of DARK SOULS: The Board Game the enemy is from.
3

1. This is the target of the enemy’s move.

2 1 3 • The character with the aggro token is the target.
• The closest character is the target.
If multiple characters are equidistant when determining
the closest character, the enemy targets the character with
the aggro token. If none of the tied characters have the
aggro token, the enemy targets the tied character with the
highest taunt value.
4
2. A number in this position indicates the enemy moves that
many nodes towards the target. If the enemy moves onto
5 6 7 8 the same node as the target during this movement, it will
stop moving.
3. A number in this position indicates the enemy moves that
many nodes away from the target. If the enemy can’t increase
the number of nodes between it and the target during this
movement, it will stay where it is.
4. If the appears in this position, the enemy pushes any
9 characters on its current node at the start of its movement,
and on nodes it moves onto during its movement. If there
is a number on the symbol, any characters that are pushed
10 suffer an attack after the push is resolved (see pg. 25).
5. If the symbol appears in this position, the enemy is
placed on the target’s node.

Overview If two or more nodes are equidistant to the target during

movement, the players choose which node the enemy
During an enemy turn, all enemy models on active tiles take a turn. moves onto.

A tile becomes active if a character is placed on it. Once a tile

becomes active, it remains active for the remainder of the encounter. 2

The order in which enemies take their turns is determined by their threat 1
level, beginning with the model with the highest value. If there is a tie,
Move 1 node Move 2 nodes
the players choose the order in which the tied enemies take their turns.
away from the towards the
character with the nearest character,
How an enemy moves and attacks during their turn is determined
Aggro token. pushing characters
by the behaviour symbols on their data card, which are resolved
it passes through.
from left to right.

24
 Enemy Attacks Resolving Enemy Attacks
An enemy attack symbol indicates the enemy performs an When a character attacks, players roll dice to establish the
attack. There are two different enemy attack icons, indicating the damage total and then subtract the enemy’s block or resist values.
type of damage the attack causes. Enemy attacks instead have a fixed damage total, and players
make defence rolls to determine how much of this they suffer.
attacks cause physical damage.
When an enemy attacks, follow the steps below.
attacks cause magical damage.
1. Check the enemy’s attack range. If the target is not in range,
As with movement, various smaller symbols appear around these the attack misses and the following steps are not resolved.
symbols, indicating how to resolve them. 2. Gather a number of dodge dice equal to the target’s
equipped cards’ dodge value.
3. If the attack causes physical damage, add a number of dice
4 1 equal to the target’s equipped cards’ block value. If the attack
2 causes magical damage, add a number of dice equal to the

3
target’s equipped cards’ resist value instead.
4. Roll the dice.
5. If the number of face up dodge results is equal to or greater
3 than the enemy’s dodge difficulty, the attack has missed and
the following steps are not resolved. The target can then
choose to spend 1 stamina to move one node if they wish.
1. This is the target of the enemy’s attack. 6. If the number of face up dodge results is less than the

3
3
• The character with the aggro token is the target. enemy’s dodge difficulty, the target is hit.
• The closest character is the target. 7. Subtract the combined value of the face up pips from the
If multiple characters are equidistant when determining the attack’s damage total.

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ee

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closest character, the enemy targets the character with the 8. The target suffers any remaining damage.

he ter rac n s
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Fa and ter
2

at
aggro token. If none of the tied characters have the aggro 9. Apply any conditions or push effects from the attack, even if

it
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token, the enemy targets the tied character with the highest the attack caused 0 damage.

n s
h

h
taunt value.
2. The attack’s damage total.

St

St
re
ng Dex
3. If appears in this position, the attack affects all characters

th te
D
ex
in the target’s node. Each character makes their defence roll

te Int
5

ri

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ty lli

t
and suffers damage individually.

y
In
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4. If appears in this position, after the attack is resolved any

ig th

ge
en

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Fa

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character(s) hit by the attack are pushed.

e
it
h
The Thief does not successfully dodge the attack in step 5. They
add the pips on their other dice together, reducing the attack’s
damage total by 3, then suffer the remaining 2 damage as
character wound tokens on their endurance bar.
5 4 3

Attacks all Attacks all Attacks the Enemy Attacks

characters on the characters on the character with the During Movement
node of the nearest node of character Aggro token for 3
Some enemy movement includes an attack, indicated by a
character for 5 with the Aggro magical damage.
number within the push icon. This attack is resolved individually
physical damage, token for 4
against each character the enemy pushes during its movement.
then pushes them. physical damage.

These attacks cause physical damage, and characters make

defence rolls as normal, starting at step 2 of the attack sequence.

25
 Returning to the Bonfire
The Bonfire The Firekeeper
After completing an encounter, the players can return to the When visiting the Firekeeper, each character can spend
bonfire instead of moving to the next space on the encounter souls from the soul cache to upgrade one or more of their
track. If the players failed the encounter they won’t have a stats. Upgrading stats allows characters to equip more potent
choice—they’ll have to return to the bonfire. weaponry—players should look at the cards in their inventory to
help them determine which stats to upgrade.
The bonfire is a safe haven where characters can rest for a
short time. When they do so, they can access their inventory, Stats must be upgraded in ascending order—i.e., to upgrade to
and if they have souls to spend, visit Blacksmith Andre and tier two, the character must first have upgraded to tier one. When
the Firekeeper. a character upgrades a stat, they punch out the corresponding
square from their dashboard, flip it over, and push it back into the
vacant slot with the upgraded side showing in gold.
Resting at the Bonfire
The cost of upgrading is shown on the table below.
When the party returns to the bonfire, resolve the following
steps, in the order below.

1. Place the party token in the bonfire slot. Base to Tier 1 2 Souls
2. Turn the spark dial down one number.
Tier 1 to Tier 2 4 Souls
3. Flip each character’s heroic action, Estus Flask, and luck
tokens to the ready side. Tier 2 to Tier 3 8 Souls
4. Return each encounter card to its normal orientation.
Inc.

Dark Souls™ & ©BNEI / ©FS, Inc.

Inc.

Dark Souls™ & ©BNEI / ©FS, Inc.

©BNEI / ©FS,
/ ©FS,

After performing these steps, the party can visit the Firekeeper 4
©BNEI

A character can upgrade multiple times in a single visit, if they

&&
Souls™
Souls™

and/or Blacksmith Andre. have the souls to do so.

Dark
Dark

Tier
Tier 33 Tier
Tier 22 Tier
Tier311
Tier Base
Tier
Base2
Base Tier
Tier 113
Tier Base22
Tier
Tier Tier3 1
Tier Base
Perseverence
Each character
gains 2 stamina. Strength Strength
Strength Strength Strength

Dexterity Dexterity
Dexterity Dexterity Dexterity

Intelligence Intelligence
Intelligence Intelligence Intelligence

Faith Faith Faith

Faith Faith

The Herald decides to upgrade their strength stat to Tier 1,

and their faith stat to Tier 2. They discard a total of eight souls
from the soul cache.

The next time they visit the Firekeeper they’ll be able to

continue upgrading their improved strength and faith stats, or
begin upgrading their dexterity and/or intelligence instead.

26
 Blacksmith Andre
The party can visit Blacksmith Andre to purchase treasure,
change equipment, and upgrade equipment.

Purchasing Treasure
When purchasing treasure, draw the top four cards from the
treasure deck, and place them face up in the slots next to the deck.

Players can purchase any number of these cards by spending

one soul from the soul cache per card, placing the purchased
card in the inventory.

After the players have made their purchases, return the

remaining cards to the bottom of the treasure deck.
This Morning Star has been This Sunless Armour has
upgraded with a Titanite been upgraded with the
This step can only be done once per visit to the bonfire.
Shard, giving its attacks +1 Chloranthy Ring. The
damage. As it has only one Sunless Armour card has two
upgrade slot, this weapon upgrade slots, and a second
Changing Equipment cannot be upgraded again. upgrade card could be added
When the party changes equipment, characters can exchange later if desired.
any number of equipment cards between their dashboards and/
or the inventory.

Remember that in order to equip a card to a slot on their Resuming Exploration

dashboard, a character must meet the minimum stat
Once the characters are done visiting the Firekeeper and/or
requirements on the card.
Blacksmith Andre, they must resume exploration. Place the
party token on the first encounter track space.

Upgrading Equipment Because all of the completed encounter cards have been reset,
Each character can use upgrade cards from the inventory to the players will have to complete them once more in order to
upgrade items on their dashboard, by sliding the upgrade card(s) progress—but things are not as bleak as they seem. By replaying
underneath the equipment card(s). encounters, players can collect the rewards for completing them
again too.
cards are used to upgrade weapons.
When moving to a space on the encounter track, if there is
cards are used to upgrade armour. already an encounter card in the slot (because the players have
attempted the encounter before) setup and play the existing
A character can only equip an upgrade card if they meet card instead of drawing new cards.
the minimum stat requirements on both the equipment and
upgrade cards. If a character doesn’t meet the minimum stat
requirements of an upgrade card, they cannot use it to upgrade Losing the Game
a card on their dashboard.
Remember, the party cannot visit the bonfire indefinitely. Each
time they return to the bonfire, they’ll use up a spark. If the
Each equipment card has an upgrade slot value. If a card
spark dial has reached 0, and the players return to the bonfire,
already has a number of upgrades equal to this value, it can’t be
they lose the game—the fire has burned too low and they are
upgraded, unless one or more of these upgrades is removed.
forever lost to the darkness…

If an upgraded card is placed in the inventory, turn the cards to

the side to make it easy to track the upgraded equipment within
the pile of spare cards.

Individual upgrade cards can be removed from equipment and

returned to the inventory at any time during this step.

27
 Boss Encounters
Boss Basics Tiles During Boss Encounters
If the party marker is moved onto a space with the Titanite Demon During boss encounters, models can move freely between tiles as
or Executioner Smough encounter card, the players must setup and though they were a single large tile, and treat the nodes shown
play the boss’s encounter instead of drawing from the encounter deck. below as being adjacent to each other.

These encounters are a true test of player skill and readiness.

Each has a great deal more health than normal enemies, and an
arsenal of devastating attacks that can quickly defeat the party.

Bosses are a type of enemy and can be targeted by character attacks as

normal. When facing a boss, follow the standard rules for enemies and
enemy turns, except for the differences outlined in the following sections.

There are two types of bosses—mini bosses and main bosses.

In DARK SOULS: The Sunless City, the Titanite Demon is a

mini-boss, and Executioner Smough is a main boss.

Boss Data Cards Behaviour Cards

1. The boss’s name. Instead of following behaviour symbols on their data cards, each
2. The boss’s threat level. boss uses a unique deck of behaviour cards. Each behaviour card
3. The boss’s starting health. includes the following information.
4. Whether the boss is a mini boss or a main boss
5. The boss’s behaviour deck size. 1. Name 1
6. The boss’s block value 2. Heat-up symbol
7. The boss’s resist value. 3. Attack range
8. The boss’s heat-up value. 4. Dodge difficulty
2
9. The boss’s special ability. 5. Behaviour symbols
10. Which set of DARK SOULS: The Board Game the 3 4
boss is from. Bosses use these cards when taking
2 1 3 turns, to represent the wide variety 5
of attacks they are capable of
performing. Each card has its own
behaviour symbols, and an attack
range and dodge value for when resolving attacks on the card.
4 10
After setting up a boss encounter, shuffle the boss’s behaviour
cards that do not have the heat-up symbol, then draw a number of
5 6 7 8 cards equal to the boss’s behaviour deck size. Place these cards face
down without looking at them to create the boss’s behaviour deck
for the encounter. Return the other cards to the side of the playing
area—these cards will not be needed during the encounter.
9

Heat-Up Cards
Cards with a heat up symbol indicate particularly powerful attacks that do
not start in the behaviour deck. When the boss’s health is reduced to equal
to or lower than its heat up value, shuffle its heat-up behaviour cards,
then draw a random card and shuffle it into the boss’s behaviour deck.

From this point onwards the players will not only need to relearn
the boss’s attack pattern, but also contend with a powerful new card.

28
 Boss Arcs
The base of a boss model is separated into four distinct arcs— Characters observe the following rules for movement and
front, left, right, and back. positioning when on the same tile as a boss.

• When a character is on the same node as a boss, they must

be placed in one of the boss’s arcs, touching the boss’s base
within that arc.
• When a character moves onto the same node as a boss, the
character must remain in the same arc they were in before the
movement began. If the character was on a line between two
arcs, they can choose which of the two arcs to be placed in.
• When a character on the same node as a boss performs a
Executioner Smough is facing the top of the page. Above is the
move, instead of moving to another node, they can remain
front arc, to the left is the left arc, to the right is the right arc,
on the same node and be placed in an adjacent arc instead.
and behind is the back arc.
• If a character moves away from or is pushed off a boss’s node,
the character must remain in the same arc. If the character
When placing a boss on a node, the centre of the boss’s front arc is pushed and there are no available nodes in the same arc
must always directly face an adjacent node, as shown below. due to a wall, the character can move to any adjacent node
touching that wall instead.
This splits the tile into four areas defined by the four arcs of the • If a boss’s attack misses a character and the character spends
boss, with each node in at least one of the arcs. Nodes along the 1 stamina to move, they can ignore the rules for boss arcs,
lines between arcs count as being in both arcs. and either move onto any adjacent node or remain on their
current node and be placed in any of the boss’s arcs.

The Boss is facing the Pyromancer. The nodes with

To move from the front arc to the back arc, the Pyromancer
green highlighting are in his front arc, the nodes with
spends 1 Stamina (0 to walk + 1 to run).
purple highlighting are in his left arc, the nodes with
blue highlighting are in his right arc, and the nodes
with yellow highlighting are in his back arc.

Attacking Bosses and Weak Arcs

When a character attacks a boss, they attack the arc they are
currently in. If the character is on a line between two arcs, they
can choose which arc to attack.

Some boss attacks leave the boss vulnerable in one or more arcs.
When a character performs an attack against a boss, look at the
top card in the behaviour deck discard pile. If the card shows
the symbol in the arc being attacked, the character rolls an
additional black die during step 3 of the attack sequence.

29
 Boss Turns
Overview Boss Specific
At the start of a boss’s turn, draw the top card from the
Movement Symbols
behaviour deck, and follow the behaviour symbols on the card. The turn symbol indicates the boss turns 90°
After resolving the card, place it face up on top of the behaviour to the left or right as shown by the direction of
deck discard pile. the arrow.

If there are no cards remaining in the behaviour deck at the start The rotate symbol indicates the boss turns 180°,
of a boss’s turn, reset the deck by flipping the discard pile face reversing its current facing.
down once more. When doing so, take care not to shuffle the
deck. By carefully watching the boss’s attacks, players can learn
the boss’s move and attack patterns and gain the edge they need Boss Attacks
to defeat their foe.
Boss attacks follow the same sequence as enemy attacks, but can
also include the symbols outlined below.

Boss Movement Bosses do not change facing when they make attacks.
Although bosses follow most of the enemy movement rules,
exceptions and boss-specific symbols are outlined below. The area symbol indicates that instead of targeting
a specific character, the boss attacks in multiple
7
• When a boss moves towards its target, first turn the boss so arcs instead.
the centre of its front arc faces an adjacent node that is closer
to the target, then move the boss onto that node, repeating The area symbol is always accompanied by an arc
this for each node of movement the boss has. diagram below the attack. Any characters that are
• When a boss moves away from its target, turn the boss so in an arc that has the symbol and within the
the centre of its back arc is facing an adjacent node that is behaviour card’s attack range are targeted by the
farther away from the target, then move the boss onto that attack, and must make defence rolls as normal.
node, repeating this for each node of movement the boss has.
• If a boss would move towards a target that is already on the
same node, turn the boss so the centre of its front arc faces
the target instead.
• If a character is on the same node as a boss when it turns,
the character remains where it is and does not move to stay
in the same arc.
Normal Boss Arcs Attack Boss Arcs Weak Boss Arcs
• When a boss moves onto the same node as a character, the
character is placed touching the boss’s base in the same arc
they were in before the movement began. If the character
was on a line between two arcs, they can choose which arc to
Repeat
be placed in. Similar to the equipment symbol, some boss cards also feature
• If a boss’s movement symbol doesn’t show a target, the boss the repeat rule.
simply moves the number of nodes in the direction shown,
without changing its facing. If this symbol appears on a behaviour card,
• If the boss is placed in a character’s node as a result of
movement, keep the boss’s current facing. Characters pushed
2 the boss resolves their entire row of behaviour
symbols the number of times shown.
by this movement can be placed on an adjacent node of their
choice, ignoring arc restrictions.

30
 Defeating Bosses
Bosses have so many wounds they use a health dial to track their wounds instead of tokens. Boss dials begin the encounter at
the boss’s starting health value, and count down by the corresponding value each time the boss suffers damage.

If the dial reaches 0, the boss is killed, and the players successfully complete the encounter.

The Titanite Demon Dragon Slayer Ornstein

When the players kill the Titanite Demon, add the Titanite
and Executioner Smough
Demon treasure cards (Titanite and Titanite Catch Pole)
If the players kill Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner
to the inventory. Then, shuffle the legendary treasure cards,
Smough they have completed DARK SOULS: The Sunless City!
Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough treasure
cards, and transposed treasure cards for the characters in
Well done! The world has moved one step closer to ushering in a
the party and shuffle them into the treasure deck.
new Age, and perhaps an end to the Curse of Undeath!
Increase the spark dial by 1, then each character gains
an ember token.

Flip the Titanite Demon’s encounter card face down to reveal

the bonfire side. For the remainder of the game, when the
characters rest at the bonfire, place the party token on this space
instead, allowing the players to avoid the earlier encounters.

Before resuming their journey, the party can now choose

to return to the bonfire without spending a spark.

31
 Encounter Cards
Primary spawn node Encounter level 1 Hollow Soldier Treasure Chest

Secondary spawn node Encounter level 2 Crossbow Hollow Barrel

Primary terrain node Encounter level 3 Silver Knight Swordsman Gravestone

Secondary terrain node Silver Knight Greatbowman Lever

Sentinel Fang Boar

Trapped encounter

Mimic Envoy Banner

Enemy Statistics
Block Resist
(vs physical) 2 1 (vs magic)
6 Threat Behaviour deck size 24 Starting Health 12 Heat Up Point
4

Enemy Movement Enemy Attacks

Deal damage Move towards the Attack the nearest
while pushing 5 nearest character character
Push characters
while moving 1 Move towards the
character with the
Push characters
hit by attack
Attack the character
with the Aggro token
Leap to specified
character (either
Aggro token
6
Attack all characters
the nearest or the Move number of nodes in on target node Deal physical damage
character with the indicated direction
Aggro token) Attack all nodes in
range in specified arcs

Turn 90° right Turn 90° left Turn around Neutral Attack Weak Deal magical
boss arc boss arc boss arc damage

Equipment Icons Character Attacks

One-handed weapon Weapon upgrade 1 Black dice Deal magical damage

Damage all enemies

Two-handed weapon Armour upgrade 2 Blue dice on target node
Shaft
Armour Block (vs physical) 3 Orange dice (can’t attack at Range 0)
Move indicated number
Upgrade slots Resist (vs magic) 1 of nodes in any direction Push affected enemies

Other Icons
6 Taunt Attack range 2 Repeat behaviour or attack 3 Dodge
1

Conditions
Bleed Frostbite Poison Stagger