SpellCaster Basics
Requirements: Graph or hex game mat/paper for a playing field, 2 playing pieces and 2 standard poker decks (52+Joker) or 1 piece and 1 deck for each player.
Set up
Players shuffle their decks.
Burn card -Draw the first card from your deck and place face up next to your deck to create a discard pile. Burn cards help honesty.
Each player Draws a hand of 7 cards.
Spell Preparation:Charge cards by placing them from your hand face down in front of you, creating prearranged spells if possible. You may refer to the spells list. You do not have to Prepare any spells, but you may not continue until your hand equal 5 cards. It is acceptable to achieve this by discarding two cards or by Drawing only 5.(It just is not a good strategy.)This is a rare time when you may Charge more than 1 card or even every card in your hand.
Burn card 2- Play high card by drawing 1 card from the top of your deck and placing it to the front of your deck to create a MOVE card(do not discard).If Your cards match, Burn another card. This card determines player turn order and starting movement. high card goes first, low second. You may move your playing piece in any direction to a maximum number of spaces equal to your MOVE card's CV.
Replenish your hand to 5 cards before the first turn.
It is the high card winner's choice to place their piece first on the board, or second. The first turn begins after all players' game pieces are in play.
Playing Cards
Suits
Spades-Strike
Clubs-Energy
Diamonds-Block
Hearts-Dodge
Card Values (CV’s)
Each card has a numerical value
called Card Value (or CV for
short). Below are the CV’s for
each of the cards.
2 = 2 9 = 9
3 = 3 10 = 10
4 = 4 Jack = 11
5 = 5 Queen = 12
6 = 6 King = 13
7 = 7 Ace = 14
8 = 8 Joker's Wild
To play a card, choose a card
from your hand and place face
up on the play area.
Drawing Cards
Whenever you play a card, immediately draw a card from the deck to your hand.
Discarding Cards
Once a card has been played, it
is discarded to the discard pile next to the deck face up.
Cards are discarded in the
order that they are played or lost.
Replenishing your Deck
If at any time you cannot draw a
card because the deck is empty,
shuffle the discard pile and place face down as the new deck. Burn 1 card to start a
new Discard pile and Draw.
After you Draw to replenish your hand
once, you may choose to change
your MOVE card by discarding it
and replacing it with the next card
on the top of your deck.
Note that your new MOVE card CV takes effect at the start of your
next turn and does not effect turn sequence between rounds.
Time
Time in Spellcaster is divided up into Rounds and Turns.
During your turn you may choose to move and take 1 action.
On your opponent's turn, you may take 1 Defensive action,
in response to a strike or cast spell.
When your movement and all actions are resolved,your turn
ends and the next turn starts. After both players have taken
a turn, a new Round begins.
Actions
During your turn you may choose to Move your piece any number of spaces up to your MOVE card's CV. Note that a player can strike any adjacent space to their playing piece. You may move into, but not through these threatened spaces.
You may also choose 1 of the following actions Attack, Cast a spell, Prepare a Spell or Discard.
Attack
Play a Spades/Strike card, Assuming your opponent is within reach, occupying a space adjacent to your piece.
Damage equals the CV of the card played.
Cast a Spell
Uncover your Charged Spell card(s) and announce your spell.
Follow the spell 's instructions, spells that require more than 1
card are required to have all their Active Spell cards face up.
Prepare a Spell
Charge a spell card by playing it face down.
Spells that have more than 1 card required
should be organized so that they are clearly
grouped and combined correctly, before the spell
is cast.
Discard 1 card from your hand, Draw 1 card from your deck.
Defensive Actions
Before a player is dealt damage or a freshly cast spell can
take effect, the defending player may choose to take 1 of the following actions:
Block, Dodge or cast a Counter Spell.
Block
Play a Diamonds/Block card. Reduce the damage by the amount of
the CV of the card played.
Dodge
Play a Hearts/Dodge card. Reduce the damage by the amount of
the CV of the card played. In addition if the CV is greater
than The CV of the Strike/Attack card, you may move your
playing piece a number of spaces equal to the difference,
ignore opponents' reach.
Cast a Counter spell
Some spells may be played defensively, you may cast 1 Counter Spell
or use 1 Active Spell Card (see spell descriptions) in response
to an Attack or Cast Spell. Follow the spell 's instructions to
resolve.
Damage
If a player is dealt Damage,
that player must discard
cards from their hand with a
combined CV equal to or higher
than the Damage dealt. Do not
redraw cards discarded due to
Damage. Also, if the player has
any Charged cards, they must choose
and discard one of them.
When a player's hand is reduced
to 0 cards the game is ended, but not
before the defeated casts any final
spells from any and all remaining Charged cards.
(The only other time a player may cast more than 1 spell.)
This can turn a defeat into a stalemate. Beware the Dying Curse.
Spells
Magic Melee
Charge a Spades card
, cast by turning face up, Once the spell is cast do not discard the now Active Spell card.
Player may Strike by attacking with a second spades or clubs, played from the hand (use this CV vs Block or Dodge), if the attack is successful use M.Melee's CV for Damage. As a desperation measure a player
may Strike once by discarding M.Melee's Active Spell card.
Magic Shield
Charge a Diamonds card
and turn face up to cast. Play to to Block a strike or negate 1 Blast/ranged energy attack.
Teleport
Charge a Hearts card and turn face up to cast. Play Teleport defensively to Dodge 1 Attack, if successful you may move a number of spaces = CV, instead of the difference.
You may also cast Teleport on your turn to move an extra number of spaces = CV.
Blast
Charge a Clubs card, turn it face up to play, Blast has range in spaces, moving in a straight line and damage = to CV
.
Energy Enhancements
Charge a pair (2 of a kind), including 1 Clubs, turn face up to cast and
if second card is Hearts: Play Clubs from hand as a Blast w/out Charge
if second card is Spades: Option to Play Clubs cards from hand as a Strike
if second card is Diamonds: Option to Play Clubs cards from hand as a Block
Keep the Active Spell cards face up, do not Discard the now Active Spell cards. If 1 Active Spell card in the pair is dispelled, the Energy Enhancement is lost (Discard both Active Spell cards.)
Circle of Protection (C.o.P.)
Charge four of a kind (All the same CV.), turn them face up to play and do not discard the now Active Spell cards.
C.o.P. Provides immunity to Blast attacks up to CV(four Aces=total immunity, Deuces near worthless.) or immunity to all attacks up to CV, but Player may not move, Dodge or cast Teleport, lest the spell circle be broken. If 1 card in C.o.P. is Dispelled, the spell is broken.(Discard all four C.o.P. Active Spell cards.)
Haste
Charge 3 or more Hearts, place face up when the spell is cast. Discard 1 Active Haste Spell card each turn and play 1 extra action or take 1 extra movement = to the CV of the Active Spell card used.
When all of Haste's Active Spell cards are Discarded, Haste ends.
Berserk
Charge 3 or more Spades, place face up when the spell is cast, player may Strike once per spell card, using the card if opponent is in range or use 1 Active Spell card to move its CV towards opponent. Player must use all Active Berserk Spell cards in the same turn as the spell is cast. May use with M.Melee,(as though the Active Spell cards were from the player's hand, using M.Melee's CV for damage)Remember players can ordinarily only take 1 defensive action.
Dispel
Charge 3 or more Diamonds, turn face up to play. Player may now force an opponent to discard charged cards, 1 for each Active Spell Card used in Dispel or cancel one opponent Active Spell card if club's CV = or > Target Active Spell card's CV. You may cast Dispel on your opponents turn, to force an opponent to burn through a cast spell 's Active Spell cards, before the spell takes effect. If your opponent has no Charged cards or Active Spell cards, you may force Discards from their hand on a 1 for 1 basis.(Player replenishes cards from their deck.)
Hadou Hame Ha ken (Surge Destruction Wave Technique) (from bastardized anime Japanese)
Charge 3 or more clubs, place face up when the spell is cast. Use Active Spell cards all at once as Blast spell cards the same turn that Hadou Hame Ha ken is cast,Active Energy Enhancement spells, if any, also apply.
Remember players can ordinarily only take 1 defensive action.