Chapter 1: The Rules of the Arena

Your Objective

The primary goal in a standard duel is simple: Be the last Demigod standing. To achieve this, you must overcome your rivals through combat and strategy. A Demigod is removed from the battlefield if any of the following conditions are met:

  • Health Depletion: Their Health Points (HP) are reduced to 0.
  • Toxic Overload: They accumulate 20 or more Poison Ticks.
  • Corruptive Decay: They accumulate 20 or more Disease Ticks.

The Flow of Battle

Time in Demayth is measured through the interplay of individual actions and the passage of rounds. It is vital to distinguish between a Turn and a Rotation.

The Turn

A Turn is your specific window of activity.

  • Start: Your turn begins when the previous player concludes their actions and play passes to you.
  • End: Your turn ends once you have utilized all of your available actions (typically 3) and you explicitly announce to the table that your turn is finished.

The Rotation (or Round)

A Rotation is the universal measurement of time used for tracking spells, item effects, and Ticks.

  • Tracking: A single rotation for your character begins at the exact moment your turn starts and concludes the moment your very next turn begins.
  • Persistence: Spells that last for "2 Rotations" remain active while every other player at the table takes their turn, ticking down only when play returns to you.

The Pre-Battle Ritual

Follow these six steps in order to prepare for the clash:

  1. The Deck: Each player takes their 32-card Demigod Deck and shuffles it thoroughly. Place it face-down in your play area.

  2. The Hand: Draw the top 5 cards of your deck. This is your starting hand.

  3. The Mulligan: If you are unhappy with your starting hand, you may take a one-time Mulligan. Shuffle your entire 5-card hand back into your deck and draw 5 new cards. You must keep the second hand.

  4. Initiative: Every player rolls a d6. The player with the highest result is the Lead Player and will take the first turn. In the event of a tie, the tied players re-roll.

  5. Deployment: Starting with the Lead Player and proceeding from highest to the lowest rolled, place your Demigod miniature on the battlefield.

    • The Yellow Line: All Demigods must be placed on an unoccupied space behind the yellow starting line on their respective side of the board.

  6. Battle Ready Gear: Review the items recorded on your character sheet. Any item featuring the (Battle Ready) Enchantment is automatically equipped at the start of the game. You do not need to spend actions or play cards to equip these; they are ready the moment you step onto the battlefield.

Character Sheet and Loadout

The Demigod Character Sheet is the most important document in your arsenal. It is a permanent record of your Demigod's identity and capabilities. Before the duel begins, you must finalize your sheet using the following guidelines.

Identity and Stats

  • Backstory (Optional): Every Demigod has a history. Writing a brief backstory helps bring your character to life.
  • Health Points (HP): All Demigods begin with 20 HP. If this reaches 0, you are defeated.
  • Armor Points (AP): You begin with 0 AP. Armor acts as a buffer, absorbing damage before it touches your Health.
  • Geni (G): You are granted 5,000 Geni to "shop" for your initial loadout using the Item Compendium.

The Power of Choice

Your power is not random. By consulting the Game Guide, Item Compendium, and Grimoire, you choose your tools. Once your sheet is filled out, these choices are locked for the duration of the duel.

Step 1: Creating Your Spellbook

Consult the Demayth Grimoire to master the arcane:

  1. Select Schools: Choose up to three Schools of Magic (e.g., Destruction, Necromancy, Restoration).

  2. Select Spells: Choose up to a total of nine unique spells from your chosen schools.

  3. Assign Chapters: Organize your spells into your sheet's slots:

    • 3 Spells for Chapter 1
    • 3 Spells for Chapter 2
    • 3 Spells for Chapter 3
    • Note: You cannot have copies of the same spell in multiple chapters.

Step 2: Assembling Your Inventory

Spend your 5,000 Geni to buy gear. You are limited to the following loadout per duel:

  • Weapons: Max 2
  • Armor and Shields: Max 2
  • Magical Trinkets: Max 2
  • Consumables: Max 3 (Potions, Bombs, Arrows, or Scrolls)

Step 3: The Demigod (Action) Deck

Every player uses an identical 32-card Demigod Deck. This deck is the "engine" of your Demigod.

  • One-Time Reshuffle: Resources are finite. You may only reshuffle your discard pile into your deck once per duel.

  • Deck Exhaustion: When your deck is empty, shuffle your discard pile to create your "Second Deck."

  • Finality: Once your Second Deck is empty, you cannot reshuffle again. You must win with the cards remaining in your hand. If you have no cards left, you can no longer fight.

  • Game Draw: If both players are unable to play cards, the duel is declared a Draw.

Ready for Conflict

With your deck shuffled, your hand drawn, and your Demigod standing ready behind the yellow line, the duel is ready to begin. The Lead Player may now commence their first turn of the first rotation.