When a reference is made to a rule or component from a product other than the one being discussed, it is followed by an abbreviation to indicate which product is the source of that rule or component. The abbreviations are:
| Abbr | Title |
|---|---|
| [AH] | The Arkham Horror Board Game |
| [CotDP] | The Curse of the Dark Pharaoh |
| [CotDP(R)] | The Curse of the Dark Pharaoh (Revised Edition) |
| [DH] | Dunwich Horror |
| [KiY] | The King in Yellow |
| [KH] | Kingsport Horror |
| [BGotW] | The Black Goat of the Woods |
| [IH] | Innsmouth Horror |
| [LatT] | The Lurker at the Threshold |
| [MH] | Miskatonic Horror |
Jenny Barnes should start with 2 Common Items rather than 1, and Bob Jenkins should start with $9 rather than $8.
Corrected versions of the above investigator sheets are included in the revised edition of Arkham Horror.
Flesh Ward (Spell) should have a Sanity cost of 1, and its text should read: “Any Phase: Cast and exhaust to ignore all Stamina loss being dealt to you from one source. Discard this spell if the Ancient One awakens.”
Healing Stone (Unique Item) should cost $8 and include the text “Discard this card if the Ancient One awakens.”
Lantern (Common Item) should cost $3 and read “+1 to Luck checks.”
Corrected versions of the above cards are included both in the revised edition of Arkham Horror and in Dunwich Horror.
Elder Sign (Unique Item) should say “Arkham Encounter Phase: When closing a gate…” instead of “Any Phase: When sealing a gate…”
A Police Station encounter begins “If you succeed at a Luck (–1) check, then Deputy Dingby absentmindedly leaves you holding his gun.” The reward should be the “.38 Revolver” instead of the “.45 Revolver.”
The following rules have been changed or clarified to improve the game.
(page 5 in the first printing of the Arkham Horror rules)
If a Rumor is drawn during step 14 of Game Setup, discard it and draw again until you draw a mythos card that isn’t a Rumor.
The above change has been incorporated into the rulebook included in the revised edition of Arkham Horror.
If a mythos card with no gate is drawn during step 14 of Game Setup, discard it and draw again until you draw a mythos card that depicts a gate.
The rulebook assumes that each player is controlling only one investigator. In the event there are more investigators than players, all rules and components that refer to the number of players should refer instead to the number of investigators.
Note that some effects use either the phrase “at the start of the Upkeep Phase” or “at the start of a turn.” In cases where the text refers to refreshing a card (or to not refreshing a card), the effect is resolved during the “Refresh Exhausted Cards” step. In all other cases, the effect is resolved during the “Perform Upkeep Actions” step.
To represent that a card is exhausted, rotate it 90°. At the start of the Upkeep Phase, each investigator refreshes all of his or her exhausted cards by rotating them back to their upright positions. Those cards can now be used again.
(page 6 in the first printing of the Arkham Horror rules)
Investigators do not make an upkeep roll for Bless, Curse, Bank Loan, and Retainer cards during the first Upkeep Phase after an investigator acquires them.
The above change has been incorporated into the rulebook included in the revised edition of Arkham Horror.
“Location” is typically defined as the circular space represented in the neighborhoods (for example, the Woods or the General Store). In some cases, however, the word “location” is used but not meant to be restricted to these circular Arkham Locations. The following paragraphs outline usages of the word “location” which are not meant to be limited to just Arkham locations.
The following investigator abilities can be used in any location, street area, or Other World area, unless otherwise noted: Carolyn Fern’s Psychology ability, Kate Winthrop’s Science! ability, Minh Thi Phan’s [IH] Synergy and Team Player abilities, Silas Marsh’s [IH] Able Seaman ability, Tommy Muldoon’s [IH] Hero ability, and Vincent Lee’s Physician ability.
The Implant Suggestion [KH] Spell can be used in any location, street area, or Other World area, unless otherwise noted. Summon Monster [BGotW] can be used in any street area or location, but not in an Other World area.
An investigator using the Carcosan Page [KiY] Unique Item may choose another investigator in any location, street area, or Other World area. Milk of Shub-Niggurath [BGotW] can be used in any street area or location, but not in an Other World area.
The investigators chosen when using the Psychic Benefit card [CotDP(R)] may be in any location, street area, or Other World area.
Any investigator who ends his movement in the same street area or Other World area as an investigator with the “The Skin Crawls” Corruption card [BGotW] must pass a Will (-2) check or lose 2 Sanity, in the same manner as if the investigators were in the same location.
An unstable location is a location that has a red diamond printed above it on the board and does not have an elder sign on it. Any location that has a green diamond printed above it on the board or has an elder sign on it is considered a stable location.
(pages 8-9 in the first printing of the Arkham Horror rules)
If an investigator is drawn through a gate that appears as a result of an encounter (such as “A gate appears!” or “A gate and a monster appear!”), then he is delayed, just as if he had been drawn through a gate in the Mythos Phase.
The above change has been incorporated into the rulebook included in the revised edition of Arkham Horror.
(page 9 in the first printing of the Arkham Horror rules)
When opening a gate in a location where there is no elder sign or gate, if there are five or more investigators playing, then draw and place two monsters instead of one.
When, at the beginning of the Mythos Phase, the first player draws a mythos card that shows a location that already has an open gate (and therefore a monster is placed at every location with an open gate), this is now called a monster surge. When a monster surge occurs, the number of monsters drawn and placed is now equal to the number of open gates or the number of players, whichever is greater. When placing monsters, they must be divided as evenly as possible among the open gates, with no gate having more monsters placed on it than the gate where the monster surge occurred this turn. If there are more monsters to be placed than allowed by the monster limit, the players should decide where monsters will be placed. The players must make this decision before monsters have been drawn from the cup. If the players cannot agree where the monsters are to be placed, the first player decides the placement.
Example: *There are 3 open gates (at the Black Cave, Science Building, and Unvisited Isle), 7 players, and no monsters in play when a mythos card is drawn that opens a gate at the Black Cave. This causes a monster surge: 7 monsters are drawn from the cup and placed on the open gates. They must be distributed as evenly as possible, so each of the 3 gates has 2 monsters placed on it, and the 7th monster is placed on the Black Cave, where the monster surge occurred. The Black Cave now has 3 monsters, while the other 2 open gates each have 2 monsters on them.
The above changes have been incorporated into the rulebook included in the revised edition of Arkham Horror.*
Some encounters or other card effects state that a gate closes or that the investigator may close a gate if they wish. In such cases, the gate marker is not taken as a trophy, but is instead placed on the bottom of the gate marker stack. This gate cannot be sealed, even if the current player has an Elder Sign, sufficient Clue tokens to seal it, or both.
Occasionally, a game effect may make it possible to close a gate either in a stable location or in the streets. A gate may only be sealed when it is located on an unstable location. Gates in a stable location or in the streets can be closed, but cannot be sealed.
(page 15 in the first printing of the Arkham Horror rules)
A spell or weapon that gives you a bonus (even one that says it lasts until the end of combat) only continues to give you the bonus while you devote the required number of hands to it. You can choose to switch weapons/spells in later combat rounds, but as soon as you “release” a spell or weapon, it stops working for you. Similarly, spells that are refreshed (such as at the beginning of each combat round in the Final Battle) cease to work and must be re-cast.
The above change has been incorporated into the rulebook included in the revised edition of Arkham Horror.
(page 16 in the first printing of the Arkham Horror rules)
If an investigator is reduced to both 0 Sanity and 0 Stamina at the same time, that investigator is devoured.
If an investigator’s maximum sanity or maximum stamina is reduced to 0, that investigator is devoured.
The above change has been incorporated into the rulebook included in the revised edition of Arkham Horror.
(page 18 in the first printing of the Arkham Horror rules)
Once the terror level has reached 10, if it ever increases again (via a Mythos card special ability, for example), instead of moving the terror track marker, add one doom token to the Ancient One’s doom track for each point the terror level should have increased.
The above changes have been incorporated into the rulebook included in the revised edition of Arkham Horror.
When the Terror Track reaches 10, return all monsters in the Outskirts to the monster cup.
(pages 18-19 in the first printing of the Arkham Horror rules)
The Ancient One also awakens if a monster should be drawn from the monster cup, but there are no monsters in the cup.
The Ancient One also awakens if a new gate would open, but there are no gate markers available.
The Ancient One also awakens if the terror level has reached 10 and there are monsters in play equal to twice the normal monster limit (for example, 16 monsters in a five-player game).
The above changes have been incorporated into the rulebook included in the revised edition of Arkham Horror.
For determining if the Ancient One will awaken after the terror level has reached 10, only count those monsters in the Sky or an Arkham neighborhood. Do not count monsters on an expansion game board.
(page 19 in the first printing of the Arkham Horror rules)
Before the final battle begins, discard any active Environment or Rumor cards. Additionally, once the final battle begins, investigators should no longer collect money or roll for Retainers or Bank Loans.
The above change has been incorporated into the rulebook included in the revised edition of Arkham Horror.
Once the final battle begins, investigators can no longer gain Clue tokens.
(page 20 in the first printing of the Arkham Horror rules)
Many encounters state that “A gate and a monster appear!” For these encounters, both the monster and the gate stay on the board. However, many other encounters state that just a monster appears. For example, one of the Black Cave encounters states “A monster appears!” and one of the Hibb’s Roadhouse encounters states “A horrible monster appears!” When a monster but not a gate appears in an encounter, the monster does not stay on the board. If such a monster is defeated, players may take it as a trophy (unless its special ability states otherwise). If the monster is not defeated, it is returned to the monster cup, regardless of whether the investigator evades the monster or is knocked unconscious or driven insane by it.
The above change has been incorporated into the rulebook included in the revised edition of Arkham Horror.
The following questions have been frequently asked about Arkham Horror.
Q: When does an investigator pick up Clue tokens on the
board?
A: Investigators pick up Clue tokens in only two cases:
- During the Movement Phase, if an investigator ends his movement in an Arkham location or street area containing Clue tokens, he picks them up after evading or combating any monsters in the same location or area. Investigators cannot pick up Clue tokens from a location or street area and then continue moving.
- During the Mythos Phase, when a Clue token is placed in the same location as one or more investigators, one of them may immediately pick it up. If they cannot agree who gets the Clue token, the first player decides.
Note that investigators do not pick up any Clue tokens when they are sent to a location with a Clue token during the Upkeep Phase, the Arkham Encounters Phase, or the Other World Encounters Phase.
Q: When must an investigator evade or fight a monster?
A: Investigators must evade or fight monsters in only two
cases:
- During the Movement Phase, if an investigator ends his movement in an Arkham location or street area containing one or more monster tokens, or attempts to leave a location or street area containing one or more monster tokens, he must evade or combat those monsters (one at a time, in any order of his choosing). Investigators must do this during their Movement Phase even if they are delayed.
- During the Arkham Encounters Phase and the Other Worlds Encounter Phase, when an encounter says “a monster appears,” he must evade or combat that monster. If an investigator is instructed by an encounter to move to a different location or street area during the Arkham Encounters Phase or the Other World Encounters Phase, he does not evade or combat monsters there.
When an investigator returns from an Other World to a location or street area that contains monsters, he is not required to evade or combat any of those monsters during that Movement Phase. However, he may choose to evade or combat any number of those monsters.
Q: When is an investigator drawn through a gate?
A: Investigators are drawn through gates in only three
cases:
- During the Arkham Encounters Phase, if an investigator without an explored token is in the same location or street area as a gate, he is drawn through that gate. Note that some encounters may cause a gate to open in an investigator’s location or to move on to the location. When this happens, the investigator is drawn through the gate and delayed.
- During the Mythos Phase, when a gate opens in the same location as an investigator, he is drawn through the gate and delayed. The same is true if a gate is moved on to the investigator’s location or street area.
- An investigator is instructed to be drawn through a gate by a specific card or ability. In this case, simply follow the instructions provided.
Notice: the following question and answer combination is a correction of previous versions of this FAQ.
Q: Exactly where, when, and what can investigators
trade?
A: Investigators may trade any time during the Movement
Phase when they are in the same location, street area, or
Other World area except during combat. They may trade
before, during or after movement, which means trading
does not end a move. Investigators who are delayed or
who have lost their turn may still trade with other investigators in the same location, street area, or Other World
area during the Movement Phase. They may also trade at
any point during the Investigators Refresh step of battling
the Ancient One.
They may trade Common Items, Unique Items, Spells, the Patrol Wagon, the Deputy’s Revolver, Exhibit Items [CotDP(R)], Rail Passes [DH], and Money. They cannot trade Clue tokens, Allies, Skills, Retainers, Deputy of Arkham, Loans, a Blessing, a Curse, an Injury [DH], a Madness [DH], The White Ship [KH], The Great Seal [KH], Monster trophies, Gate trophies or any other card not specifically stated as tradable.
Q: Does the Strong Mind ability (reduce all Sanity loss
by 1) of the professor, Harvey Walters, apply to the casting of spells?
A: No. The professor’s ability works on losses, not costs.
The same distinction applies to the gangster, Michael
McGlen, and his ability to reduce Stamina losses.
Q: What happens when characters that get to draw
extra encounter cards at locations (Darrell Simmons for
Arkham encounters and Gloria Goldberg for Other World
encounters) have an encounter that instructs them to draw
2 cards and choose 1 to encounter?
A: When instructed to draw 2 cards and choose 1, these
investigators draw an extra card – which means they draw
3 cards and choose 1 to encounter.
Q: If a Gate Burst [DH, KH, BGotW, IH, LatT, MH]
occurs at Kate Winthrop’s location, what happens? Does
she prevent a Gate Burst from removing a seal?
A: The Gate Burst is completely prevented. The seal
remains.
Q: How does Kate Winthrop’s Science! ability affect
Summon Monster (Spell) [BGotW]?
A: She can’t use it, nor can it be used by an investigator in
her location or street area.
Q: Does Kate Winthrop’s Science! ability prevent encountering specific monsters (such as the Mi-Go mentioned in
a specific encounter at the Science Building)? Does it prevent monsters from appearing due to Other World encounters (such as the God of the Bloody Tongue in the Other
World encounter [CotDP(R)])?
A: Yes to all of the above.
Q: Does Kate Winthrop’s Science! ability prevent a Spawn
monster [DH, KiY, IH] from appearing?
A: No.
Q: If Kate Winthrop has an explored token in the same
location as a gate that has a monster surge, does her
Science! ability cancel the surge or does she only prevent
the monsters appearing at that location (and monsters
may appear in other locations)?
A: The surge is completely canceled.
Q: When happens during a monster surge when Kate
Winthrop has an explored token in the same location as a
gate other than one that has the monster surge?
A: The surge is resolved as it normally would be, except
monsters do not appear at Kate’s location. The total number of monsters is distributed as evenly as possible among
the remaining open gates, with no gate having more monsters placed on it than the gate where the monster surge
occurred this turn. (Note: her ability does not reduce the
number of monster tokens drawn as a result of the surge, it
simply redistributes them to other gates.)
Q: If Kate Winthrop has an explored token in the same
location as a gate that has a monster surge, and her
Science! ability cancels the surge, is an uprising token
added to the Deep One Rising track?
A: Yes.
Q: Can investigators be double delayed?**
A: Delayed is a binary condition, you are either delayed
or not. You cannot be “double delayed.”
Q: Can an investigator do anything besides stand his
marker up during the Movement Phase after he has been
delayed*?*
A: During the Movement Phase after a player’s investigator has been delayed, the only things that player may do
during his Movement Phase is stand his investigator marker up and participate in trades with other investigators in
his location, street area, or Other World area. (Although
once the player has stood his investigator’s marker up
again, the investigator must still combat or evade each
monster in his location or street area. Note that the investigator still cannot move, use movement points, use any
item or ability that replaces his normal movement, or cast
spells during this Movement Phase to do so.)
A player whose investigator has been delayed during combat cannot stand up his marker until the Movement Phase of his next turn.
Q: If an investigator who has only one item is knocked
unconscious or driven insane, does he lose that item?
A: No. An investigator who has been knocked unconscious or driven insane loses one half of his items, rounded down.
Q: If I discard a card to pay a cost (e.g., to get rid of the
Rumor “The Stars Are Right”), do I also get the listed benefit for discarding that card (e.g., the ally Duke may be discarded to immediately restore your Sanity to its maximum)?
A: No. If you discard a card to pay a cost of some kind,
you get no other benefits for discarding the card.
Q: Characters in Other Worlds receive no movement
points. But if a character in an Other World has an item
that gives the character movement points, such as the
Motorcycle or the Ruby of R’lyeh, can the character use
an item that requires the character to spend movement
points, such as the Necronomicon?
A: No. You cannot receive movement points or use any
items requiring movement points while in an Other World.
Q: How do you resolve “searching the deck” for a specific card?
A: Look through the entire deck for the card, take it, and
then reshuffle the deck.
Q: How do you resolve “searching the deck” for the first
of a specific type of card, such as a Tome or Weapon ?
A: Flip cards over from the top one-at-a-time until a card
of the appropriate type is found. Take that card and place
the other cards that were revealed on the bottom of that
deck.
Q: For the purposes of losing and trading, what exactly is
considered an “item?”
A: The following are considered items: Common Items,
Unique Items, Spells, Patrol Wagon, Deputy’s Revolver,
Exhibit Items [CotDP(R)], and Rail Passes [DH]. Any
Investigator Card not specifically mentioned above is not
considered an item.
Q: Some Items state that they cannot be lost or stolen
unless you choose to allow it. When does this ability come
into play?
A: It would come into play when an investigator goes
insane, gets knocked unconscious, or defaults on a bank
loan. It would also come into play when any other game
effect specifically instructs you to lose an item or tells you
an item is stolen.
Q: If an investigator gains a second Blessing, Curse,
or Retainer when he already has one, does he roll a die
to keep or lose it next turn? In other words, has he just
acquired a new card, or does he simply keep the old and
roll normally in the next Upkeep Phase?
A: Treat the card as if it were newly acquired, so do not
roll during the next upkeep to see if you lose it.
Q: Why wouldn’t an investigator take out a Bank Loan,
give all of his items and money to other investigators, and
then default deliberately on the loan?
A: Although an investigator can gain a Bank Loan and
give all of his money and items to another investigator, he
cannot deliberately default on the loan. When a player is
rolling for his Bank Loan during the Upkeep Phase, if he
rolls a 4–6, he does not have the option to lose the Bank
Loan. An investigator may not wish be without any money
or items for an uncertain amount of time.
Q: Can you be arrested as the Deputy and do you stop
being Deputy if you are arrested?
A: Yes, you can be arrested, but if you are, you do not
stop being Deputy.
Q: When using the Patrol Wagon, do you need to find a
route to your chosen destination that is free of monsters,
or do you simply relocate your investigator to the chosen
location?
A: You simply relocate your investigator to the chosen
location, ignoring monsters that would be passed through.
However, if you begin or end your movement in a space
with monsters, they must still be evaded as usual.
Q: Can the Patrol Wagon be used to move to The Causeway
[KH], Wireless Station [KH], Strange High House in the
Mist [KH], Devil Reef [IH], or Y’ha-nthlei [IH]?
A: No. Note that the Patrol Wagon replaces an investigator’s movement entirely, so he could not, for instance, use
the Patrol Wagon to move to the Harborside street area
and then continue moving to The Causeway during the
same turn.
Q: Can the Patrol Wagon be used when an investigator begins his Movement Phase in The Causeway [KH],
Wireless Station [KH], Strange High House in the Mist
[KH], Devil Reef [IH], or Y’ha-nthlei [IH]?
A: No. If an investigator begins his Movement Phase in
any of those locations, he cannot use the Patrol Wagon
this turn.
Q: Can an investigator trade in trophies to become the
Deputy if another investigator is already the Deputy (the
existing Deputy would stop being Deputy)? If so, do they
acquire the Patrol Wagon and/or Deputy’s Revolver if they
are still in the other investigator’s possession?
A: No.
Q: Do I have to be using the Bullwhip or Cross in combat
to gain their special abilities?
A: No, in the case of these two cards, you do not have to
use them in combat to make use of their secondary abilities.
Q: Can the Bullwhip be equipped to use for its combat
bonus even if it is exhausted?
A: Yes.
Q: Does a Gate Box allow an Investigator to return to
Arkham through any gate even though there is no gate
open to the Other World he is coming from?
A: Yes. That is the intent.
Q: When an investigator returns to Arkham using a Gate
Box, does he gain an “explored” marker? Does he gain an
“explored” marker even if the gate he returns to doesn’t
correspond to the Other World he left from?
A: Yes in both cases.
Q: How exactly does Flute of the Outer Gods work? Must
you first make an Evade or Horror check or are those considered “Combat” checks as well?
A: Evade checks and Horror checks occur before the
Combat check is made. The Flute of the Outer Gods only
applies to the Combat check specified in step 2 (“Fight or
Flee”) of combat.
Q: Are spells considered items? When an encounter
instructs you to discard items, can you discard spells?
A: Yes. Spells are considered items for all purposes. This
doesn’t always make perfect thematic sense, but it keeps
things simple.
Q: When exactly can Flesh Ward be cast?
A: When you are told to lose 1 or more points of Stamina,
you may cast Flesh Ward to prevent that loss. For instance,
this can work on the Stamina from a single failed Combat
check. This does not make the investigator immune to further harm from that source, it only prevents it one time.
Q: Can a delayed investigator in an Other World cast
Find Gate?
A: No the only things a player whose investigator is
delayed in an Other World may do during his Movement
Phase is stand his investigator marker up and/or trade with
another investigator in the same Other World area.
Q: When an investigator casts a spell, can he spend all of
his Sanity to pay the spell’s Sanity cost?
A: Yes. If he does so, once the Sanity cost has been paid
the investigator makes his Spell check and, if he passes,
the spell takes effect. Whether the check is passed or not,
the investigator then goes insane. Note that if an investigator were to cast a spell to gain combat bonuses, he would
go insane before having a chance to get into combat.
Q: When an investigator casts a spell, can he spend all of
his Sanity to pay the Sanity cost, even if his current Sanity
is insufficient to pay the cost?
A: No. If an investigator must pay a Sanity cost to cast a
spell but cannot even by spending all of his Sanity, he cannot cast the spell.
Q: Can an investigator who entered the Other World
during the Movement Phase because of the Nightgaunt’s
combat ability immediately cast Find Gate and return to
Arkham, experiencing no Other World encounters?
A: Yes.
Q: Can an investigator use the White Ship [KH] to move
to the first area of an Other World and then cast Find
Gate to return to Arkham, experiencing no Other World
encounters?
A: No, using the White Ship replaces an investigator’s
movement.
Q: Are you allowed to cast Movement Phase Spells when
you are delayed?
A: No.
Q: If one has multiple copies of a Spell can one immediately attempt to cast again using a second copy if the first
attempt fails?
A: Yes. However, even though the attempt to cast the first
spell failed, the number of hand icons on the first spell still
count against the limit of weapons and spells an investigator may use at one time.
Q: Can Mists of Releh be used to pass a Martial Law
[IH] Evade check? Does it actually mean pass any Evade
checks in general?
A: Yes to both.
Q: If you fail to cast Mists of Releh, can you still make the
Evade check normally?
A: Yes.
Q: Is the bonus gained from casting Voice of Ra affected
by Magical Resistance/Immunity?
A: No.
Q: During combat, how long does a failed attempt to cast
a spell use up an investigator’s available hand(s)?
A: A failed attempt to cast a spell uses the specified number of hands for an entire round of combat (i.e., for one
iteration of combat steps 2 and 3.). In subsequent rounds
of combat, the investigator may switch to a new weapon
or try to cast a different spell.
Q: Are there any restrictions on when “Any Phase” spells
(like Enchant Weapon, Shrivelling, Wither, Dread Curse
of Azathoth, and Red Sign of Shudde M’ell) can be cast in
the combat sequence?
A: “Any Phase” spells can be cast at any point in the combat sequence. For example, an investigator could legally
use a Red Sign to cancel a monster’s Nightmarish special
ability before being forced to make a beginning-of-combat
Horror Check, or an investigator could determine his success in casting a spell that gives a combat bonus before
deciding whether to fight or flee.
Q: Can Flesh Ward protect an investigator from all damage caused by a given monster during a whole combat?
A: No. (In combat, the “one source” of damage Flesh
Ward allows an investigator to ignore is the Stamina loss
from a single failed Combat check, not all damage caused
by a particular monster for the duration of the combat.)
Q: Does Red Sign of Shudde M’ell allow one to ignore
“abilities” other than the boldfaced ones - for example,
the special damage on a Nightgaunt or Elder Thing, or the
instructions on the Masks that have them?
A: No. Only bolded special abilities.
Q: The Skill card “Sneak” (and other Skill cards named
after skills) says “+1 Sneak” in bold letters, then says
in normal font “When you spend a Clue token to add to
any Sneak check, add one extra bonus die.” Are there two
potential bonuses on this card, or is the text in normal font
explaining what the bolded “+1 Sneak” means?
A: These are two different bonuses. The Sneak card gives
you a permanent +1 Sneak bonus, as well as the separate
ability to add one extra die to Sneak checks whenever you
spend a Clue token.
Q: If a card causes a location to temporarily close, what
happens to any monsters or investigators at that location?
A: They are immediately moved into a street area as if the
location had closed permanently.
Q: How exactly do location special abilities work?
A: The investigator may use the printed action on a location rather than draw an encounter card for that location
during the Arkham Encounters Phase. An investigator may
only use a location’s special ability if he is able to meet the
ability’s requirements (either have at least $1 to shop with,
or have the necessary Clue tokens, gates trophies, or monster trophies to spend, etc.). In other words, players cannot
use the special ability of a location if they cannot actually
resolve it. (Note: although some Common Items in the
Dunwich Horror expansion cost $0, investigators still need
at least $1 to use the special ability in the General Store.
Also, if an investigator has the Credit Rating skill [KH],
Mask of Vice Exhibit Item [CotDP(R)], or any other ability that would allow him to acquire or purchase items for
sale without using money tokens, he does not need at least
$1 to use a location ability that requires spending money.)
Q: When spending monster trophies, do you count any
modifiers to toughness currently in effect?
A: Yes, use the modified toughness. This bonus applies to
the use of any monster trophies spent at any location.
Q: Why wouldn’t investigators just camp out at the
Curiositie Shoppe and buy the four elder signs?
A: If an investigator shops at the Curiositie Shoppe or
General Store, the investigator must purchase one of the
three items drawn if he or she has enough money to do so.
The other two items drawn are discarded to the bottom of
the deck. This makes it significantly harder to “browse”
the Unique Item deck looking for elder signs.
Q: If at the Curiositie Shoppe or General Store, can I purchase more than one of the three items drawn if able?
A: No.
Q: When spending monster trophies, do you have to have
them in exact groups of 5, 10, etc?
A: No, but you may overspend only as much as is necessary and you get no “change” back.
Q: At locations where trophies can be traded for items,
can I use the location’s special ability more than once in a
turn?
A: A location’s special ability may only be triggered once
per turn per investigator, unless a game effect specifically
allows him to activate it more than once (for example, the
Summoning Glass Exhibit Item [CotDP(R)]).
Q: Are locations’ special abilities considered “encounters?” A: No.
Notice: the following question and answer combination is a correction of previous versions of this FAQ.
Q: If a location card tells an investigator that he may
move to another location and have an encounter there,
what happens if the location has any monsters, clue
tokens, and/or a gate on it?
A: Ignore all monsters and clue tokens at the new location. Monsters on the board are only dealt with during the
Movement Phase. The investigator has a normal Arkham
Encounters Phase at the new location, following either
the “Gate” or “No Gate” instructions on pages 8-9 of the
rulebook.
Q: If a location card tells an investigator to go to another
location, have an encounter, and return; what happens
if the second encounter directs the investigator to move
again? Does the second encounter cancel the first or is the
first encounter resolved completely? If they are in conflict,
which trumps?
A: After subsequent encounters have been fully resolved,
the investigator returns to the location in which he had
the first encounter. In the event of conflict between the
resolution of the first and subsequent encounters, the first
encounter takes precedence.
Q: If an encounter instructs that an investigator must
“stay here for two turns and gain two Clue tokens,” must
the player forfeit the Clue tokens if some effect (such as
the appearance of a gate) forces the investigator to leave
that location before the two turns are up?
A: No; the two effects (“stay here” and “gain Clue tokens”)
are not interdependent. If, for example, a gate opens before
the investigator has spent two turns in the location, the
investigator is drawn through the gate and delayed in an
Other World. The new condition – being delayed in an
Other World – can supersede the “stay here” instruction
without affecting the “gain Clue tokens” instruction.
Q: When a location card says “a gate and a monster
appear,” which appearance is resolved first?
A: The gate appears first, and any investigators at the location are drawn through the gate. Then the monster appears.
Monsters that appear as a result of these encounters stay
on the board, count against the monster limit, can go to the
Outskirts, etc., as normal.
Q: When a location card says “a gate and a monster
appear,” is a doom token added to the doom track?
A: Yes.
Q: Do I receive an “explored” marker if I enter the first
area of an Other World, have an encounter, and become
lost in time and space?
A: No.
Q: Do I receive an “explored” marker if I enter the first
area of an Other World, have an encounter, and am sent
back to Arkham?
A: Yes.
Q: Do I receive an “explored” marker if I enter the first
area of an Other World, cast “Find Gate,” and return to
Arkham?
A: Yes. In general, whenever you “return to Arkham,” you
reappear at a gate that leads to the Other World you were
in and gain an “explored” marker.
Q: Why is an investigator delayed when a gate opens up
in their location, but not delayed if he enters the gate normally?
A: If the investigator was not delayed by a gate opening up in his location, he would be able to get through
the Other World having only one Other World Encounter
rather than two.
Q: If an investigator is delayed in the Other Worlds and
draws an encounter that returns him to Arkham, is he still
delayed when he returns?
A: Yes. Returning to Arkham doesn’t affect the fact that he
is delayed.
Q: If a gate with the + symbol is closed, are + symbol
monsters removed from the Outskirts too?
A: Yes. All monsters showing the same symbol as the gate
being closed or sealed are returned to the monster cup,
even those in the Outskirts.
Q: What happens to a monster that emerges from a gate
that appears at a closed location? Or if a location closes
while there is a monster and a gate at the location? Is the
monster trapped inside the closed location?
A: The gate replaces the location, so while the gate is open
there is no closed location for the monster to be “trapped”
in. Put the gate over the closed marker. If the gate is later
closed, then resolve the effects of a closed location – i.e.,
any monster or investigator at the location that appeared
with the gate is tossed out into the street.
Q: Under what circumstances does an investigator
leaving an Other World place an explored marker under
his marker?
A: An investigator receives an explored marker any time
he moves directly from either area of an Other World space
to an Arkham location where there is an open gate that
corresponds to the Other World he came from. This circumstance includes when he moves normally from the second area of an Other World, when he has an Other World
encounter in the first area of an Other World and it instructs
him to return to Arkham, and when he casts a Find Gate
spell. An investigator does not receive an explored marker
when he is lost in space and time while in an Other World,
because even though he will eventually return to Arkham,
he won’t have travelled directly from the Other World to an
Arkham location with a corresponding gate.
Q: When a location encounter states that an investigator has an Other World encounter and then immediately
returns, what should occur if the Other World encounter
delays the player?
A: The investigator immediately returns to the location in
which he had his location encounter and is delayed there.
Q: When an encounter in the Other World refers to “the
gate you entered” does it mean the exact gate or does it
mean any gate that leads to the Other World you’re in?
A: The exact gate.
Q: An Abyss encounter says “the caverns split” and make a Luck check. If the result is 0-1 successes, the investigator must “Move to the Black Cave.” If there is a gate on the Black Cave location (not necessarily to the Abyss), would the investigator get an explored marker since the card does not say “return to Arkham?” A: No. The investigator got spat out of an unexpected exit and was not returned to Arkham.
Q: Are doom tokens added even if a gate doesn’t appear
(i.e. if a gate opens on Kate Winthrop’s location)?
A: No.
Q: Is the Deputy subject to the “Curfew Enforced” Mythos
card? In other words – if the Deputy stays on the streets at
the end of his turn, can he be sent to jail?
A: No. The Deputy is not subject to the penalty for being
on the streets when Curfew is active.
Q: Do cards that affect monsters at Miskatonic University
(such as the “Campus Security Increased” Mythos card or
the “Flute of the Outer Gods” Unique Item) affect monsters spawned by “The Terrible Experiment”?
A: No. Those monsters are not actually on the board; they
can only be fought as if they were.
Q: What do activity markers do? Are they just referenced
by cards that I haven’t seen yet?
A: Activity markers are just reminders of activity that is
occurring in an area. They are most often used to mark
where a Rumor is active, but may be used for other activities that occur from the Mythos cards as well.
Q: Do environment cards affect investigators in Other
Worlds? Since most cards specifically state “in Arkham,”
does the absence of this phrase include the Other Worlds?
In particular, do cards that increase the toughness of monsters also increase any monsters that appear in the Other
World as a result of an encounter?
A: Yes. If the phrase “in Arkham” is not within the text of
the effect, then it affects investigators in the Other Worlds.
Q: Does the All Quiet in Arkham! Mythos Card affect
investigators in Other Worlds? Does the Ill Wind Grips
Arkham Mythos Card affect the first player in Other
Worlds?
A: Yes. The text of the effect does not mention “in
Arkham.”
Q: When a card or other game effect instructs a player to
draw a Mythos Card outside of the Mythos Phase, does the
card have any effect beyond that described by that specific
game effect?
A: No. It is discarded without further effect.
Q: If a special ability activates by the drawing of a Mythos
Card, such as Ghroth’s Mystic ability (Herald) [KH], when
does it activate? Are these special abilities activated if
Mythos Cards are drawn for ancillary information, such
as to find a gate location for a new Servant of Glaaki
(Monster) [DH]?
A: The special ability is resolved before any part of the
Mythos card is resolved. The ability is only triggered if the
Mythos Card is being resolved in full.
Q: When the Fourth of July Parade! is resolved, where
does an investigator go if he is kicked out or Barred
[CotDP(R)] from a location in the Merchant District?
A: Immediately move the shortest distance needed to
leave. If 2 or more spaces are tied for the shortest, the
player chooses.
Q: If investigators fail The Terrible Experiment while the
Raining Cats and Dogs environment is in play, would that
send Fire Vampires that were on the card to the cup?
A: Yes.
Q: When a Mythos Card says all Chthonians and Dholes in Arkham are returned to the cup, does the Outskirts count as “in Arkham?” A: No.
Q: Do the effects of environment cards supersede other
game effects, for example if the Planetary Alignment card
is in play (which sets Sanity costs of spells at zero) at
the same time as the Miriam Beecher Blight Card [KiY]
(which increases the Sanity costs of spells by one), how
are the two effects reconciled?
A: The environment card takes precedence, even in conflicts with other mythos cards. In the example, Sanity costs
for spell would be zero and the increase in the cost mentioned of Miriam Beecher’s Blight Card is disregarded.
Q: If an investigator with an explored marker is in the
same location or street area as a gate and a Clue token is
placed in that location or street area during the Mythos
Phase, does the investigator gain the Clue token or does it
not appear due to the gate?
A: The Clue token does not appear due to the gate.
Q: What happens when combat is a stalemate (for example, when Michael McGlen can’t roll enough dice to kill
the monster, he continually absorbs the combat damage,
but can’t evade either)?
A: His sanity is reduced to 0, he goes insane, and the combat ends immediately.
Q: When encountering multiple monsters as a result of an
Arkham or Other World encounter, do you draw them all
at the same time? Can you choose the order in which you
encounter them?
A: Yes, you draw them all at the same time and may
encounter them in any order you choose.
Q: The rules state that an investigator does not have to
engage monsters during the same turn that he returns from
an Other World. Can an investigator choose to engage a
monster if he wishes to?
A: Yes, provided he returned during the Movement Phase.
If he returned during any other phase, he must wait until
the next Movement Phase to engage the monsters.
Q: During the turn in which an investigator returns from
an Other World, if there is more than one monster on his
location, can he choose to engage one and ignore the
other?
A: Yes, provided he returned during the Movement Phase.
If he returned during any other phase, he must wait until
the next Movement Phase to engage the monsters.
Q: In an area with both monsters and Clues, may investigators pick up Clues before fighting the monsters or must
they defeat or evade all monsters before picking up Clues?
A: Monsters first, then Clues.
Q: How long do Combat bonuses from investigator cards
last?
A: It depends on the type of weapon or spell granting the
bonus. All weapons or spells fall into one of the four categories below, and have durations as follows:
Standard weapons, whose rules text takes the form “+X
to Combat checks,” have bonuses that last as long as
the investigator devotes the required number of hands to
their use. They can be used for multiple rounds of combat
and in multiple battles each turn. Examples include .38
Resolver, Shotgun, and Axe.
One-shot weapons, whose rules text takes the form “+X to
Combat checks (discard after use),” have bonuses that only
last for one Combat check, after which the item is discarded. Examples include Dynamite and Molotov Cocktail.
Burst weapons, whose rules text takes the form “Exhaust
before making a Combat check to gain +X to that check,”
have bonuses that last for one Combat check and are then
exhausted and cannot be used again until refreshed.
Spells, whose rules text takes the form of “Cast and
exhaust to gain +X to Combat checks until the end of this
combat,” last until the end of the combat in which they are
cast (i.e., for multiple combat rounds until the combat is
over), as long as the investigator continues to devote the
required number of hands to keep the spell going. If the
investigator stops devoting the required number of hands,
the bonus expires. Since the spell is exhausted at the time
of casting, it can only be used to fight one monster each
turn. In the final battle against the Ancient One, however,
such spells must be re-cast for each attack (and can be,
since they refresh at the beginning of each round of the
final battle). Examples include Wither and Shrivelling.
Q: What happens if you draw a Nightgaunt (special ability: if you fail a Combat check against a Nightgaunt, you
are drawn through the nearest open gate) as an Other
World Encounter?
A: The nearest gate is the gate back to Arkham, so, if
you fail a combat or evade check against the Nightgaunt,
you are immediately returned to Arkham and given an
“explored” marker. Thematically, as servants of Nodens,
Nightgaunts sometimes helped investigators.
Q: Does a Nightgaunt also move when dropping you into
a gate or does it stay where it is?
A: It stays in its current street area or location.
Q: If an investigator fails a combat check against a Nightgaunt while in Arkham and no gates are open, what happens? What about while in an Other World and no gates are open? (Note that this can occur if all gates have been closed but the investigators do not collectively have enough gate trophies to win.) A: The combat immediately ends with no effect.
Q: Who determines where a Hound of Tindalos moves if
two investigators are tied in being nearest to the hound?
A: As per the rules governing flying monsters, the hound
will go after the investigator with the lower Sneak value.
In case of a tie, the first player chooses.
Q: When monsters that move to the “closest investigator”
are on a board with no investigators, how do they move?
A: They move towards the investigator with the lowest
Sneak value on any board. First player chooses if tied.
Q: Does Physical/Magical Immunity/Resistance prevent the
secondary effects of a Physical/Magical Weapon or Spell?
A: No. These monster abilities only reduce and/or eliminate the bonus to the combat check provided by a weapon.
This has no effect on the item’s other abilities.
Q: Does the Chthonian’s ability to inflict Stamina loss
instead of moving affect investigators in Other Worlds?
A: No, the Chthonian creates an earthquake that only affects
Arkham and the investigators located there. This is one of
the few times investigators are safer in Other Worlds.
Q: Can weapons be used against The Dark Pharaoh
(Mask monster) as normal?
A: Yes, because you are still making a Combat check.
You are merely using Lore to make it instead of Fight.
Presumably you’re coming up with clever ways to use
items.
Q: Please clarify how flying monsters move.
A: Flying monsters move according to the following rules:
- Flying monsters only move when their symbol comes up in the Mythos Phase, just like other monsters.
- Flying monsters will not leave a space that already contains an investigator.
- When a flying monster in a street area or location moves, it will either move to an adjacent street space that has an investigator in it, or failing that, move to the Sky.
- When a flying monster in the Sky moves, it will move to any street space on the board with an investigator in it. If there’s more than one investigator to choose from, the monster moves into the space of the investigator with the lowest Sneak value. If the investigators’ Sneak values are the same, the first player chooses which investigator the monster moves toward, as usual. If there are no investigators in a street space, the monster remains in the Sky.
Q: If a Gate Burst [DH, KH, BGotW, IH, LatT, MH] is
prevented for whatever reason, do flying monsters still
move? If Atlach-Nacha [KH] is the Ancient One, does
every Mythos Card with a gate cause the flying monsters
to move?
A: Yes to both.
Q: If the number of monsters in Arkham is at the monster
limit, and a monster that is on an expansion board moves
to the Sky, what happens to that monster?
A: The monster is moved to the Outskirts. The Sky is considered part of Arkham, so a monster moving to the Sky
from an expansion board counts against the monster limit.
Q: Can you give an example of how the monster limit and
the Outskirts work?
A: The monster limit is equal to the number of players
plus three. If adding a monster to the board would bring
the number of monsters above the monster limit, the
monster is placed in the Outskirts area instead. When the
Outskirts become too full, the terror level is increased by
1 and all the monsters in the Outskirts are returned to the
monster cup. The maximum number of monsters that may
be in the Outskirts without raising the terror level is 8
minus the number of players, as listed in the chart on page
18 of the rulebook.
Example: In a 3-player game, the monster limit is 6 and the maximum number of monsters in the Outskirts is 5. There are 3 open gates on the board, 6 monsters in Arkham, and 4 monsters in the Outskirts. During the Mythos Phase, you draw a location that already has an open gate, so you have to draw 3 more monsters. You would first draw 2 monsters and place them in the Outskirts. The Outskirts limit would be exceeded upon placing the second monster, so you would then increase the terror level by 1 and return the six monsters in the Outskirts to the cup. Finally, you would draw the third monster and place it in the Outskirts.
Q: Ithaqua’s “Icy Winds” power says “All Weather cards
are discarded without their special effects taking place.”
What happens in a game with Ithaqua if a non-Weather
Environment is already in play, and a Mythos card with a
Weather Environment effect is drawn?
A: Do not replace or discard the existing non-Weather
Environment card. Do the basic upkeep portions of the
new Weather Mythos card (gate, clues, monsters move),
but ignore its special ability and then discard it.
Q: Yog-Sothoth’s The Key and the Gate power states that
“the difficulty to close or seal a gate increases by 1.” Does
this mean 6 Clue tokens are required to seal gates?
A: No. It means only that 2 successes are required on the
Lore or Fight check to close gates.
Q: In combat with Ancient Ones, do investigators get a
full Upkeep Phase, or is the Upkeep Phase limited in some
way during the final battle?
A: Investigators get a full Upkeep Phase.
Q: In combat with an Ancient One, how do cumulative
successes in the “Investigators Attack” step work?
A: To defeat the Ancient One, the players must do a total
number of successes equal to the number of players multiplied by the number of doom tokens on the Ancient One.
So, if 4 players are facing Yig (doom track of 10), they
need 40 successes to win. For every 4 successes they do,
they remove 1 doom token to track their progress. If the
investigators get 9 successes in the first round of combat,
they would remove 2 doom tokens, and 1 success would
carry over to the next round of combat.
Q: At the start of battle with Ithaqua, how do you roll to
see if you lose items? Do you choose each item one at a
time and roll to see if you lose it, or do you roll all the
dice at once and then choose which items you lose?
A: You roll separately for each item.
Q: Are weapons and items that can’t be lost or stolen
immune to Ithaqua’s Start of Battle ability?
A: Yes.
Q: Does the Ancient One’s “Stirs in his Sleep” ability stop
once the Final Battle begins?
A: The ability is in effect during the entire game, including the Final Battle.
Q: The base game rules instructed you to stop collecting money once the Final Battle began. Given that some
weapons require money to be spent to refresh them, does
this restriction still apply?
A: Yes.
Q: During the final battle, are investigators considered to
be in the same location for purposes of trading, character
abilities and other game effects?
A: Yes.
Q: The Warding Statue Unique Item reads: “…can also
be used to cancel an Ancient One’s entire attack for 1
turn.” What happens with those Ancient Ones who have a
decreasing modifier for the Skill check, does the cancelled
attack count when counting the turns in the final battle?
For example, if the Investigators are fighting against
Hastur and one of them uses the Warding Statue on the
first turn, what is the Luck check modifier on Hastur’s
attack on the second turn, +1 or +0?
A: The modifier decreases even if the attack was canceled.
In the example, the Luck check modifier would be +0.
Q: If a card tells you to “lose your next turn,” does this
mean skip all phases, including Upkeep?
A: Yes, all phases except the Mythos Phase. Note that this
is different from being told to “stay here next turn,” which
means you are delayed. Any effect that applies to being
delayed, applies when an investigator is instructed to “stay
here next turn.” (Even if an investigator is delayed, he
must still combat or evade each monster in his location or
area during the Movement Phase. Note that the investigator cannot move, use movement points, or cast spells during this Movement Phase to do so.)
Q: When can a character perform actions during a phase?
For example, if a player with the ally Duke (“discard to
immediately restore your Sanity to its maximum”) draws
an encounter and has to roll a die and lose that much
Sanity, when can he discard Duke to restore Sanity: not at
all once the encounter card is drawn, before the roll, or
after the roll?
A: He may discard Duke after the roll, provided he
has not been driven insane. Actions can be performed
at any time during their listed phase as long as any given
conditions are met. How ever, once an encounter is drawn,
it must be resolved before any more actions can be performed. So, in the case of Duke, you can use him before
or after drawing an encounter card, but if you draw the
encounter card and it inflicts Sanity loss that reduces you
to 0 Sanity, you go insane before you can use Duke. Flesh
Ward is one exception to this rule because it prevents a
Stamina loss and is intended to be used in response to such
events. The Premonition Spell [CotDP(R)] is another exception.
Q: How does a re-roll work? Can you re-roll only the skill
dice that you have before spending Clue tokens, or can you
re-roll all the dice you’ve rolled on a given check, including
the extra dice gained from spending Clue tokens?
A: You re-roll all the dice you’ve rolled for the skill check
so far, so you can re-roll dice gained from spending Clue
tokens as long as you spend your Clue tokens before using
your re-roll.
Q: Do you immediately gain any Clues at locations
you move to during Upkeep (from being Lost in Time
and Space)?
A: No.
Q: Do you immediately gain any Clues at locations you
move to during Arkham Encounters (through being redirected by an encounter)?
A: No.
Q: How do you resolve an encounter that says “your turn ends?” A: Your investigator may do nothing further for the remainder of this turn until the Mythos Phase.
Q: Is “cost” and “sacrifice” the same thing? For example
Harvey Walters (Investigator) is working on Sealing the
Beast’s Power (Unique Item) [DH], would his Strong Mind
ability stop him from losing the Sanity or would it be considered a cost like a Spell?
A: Yes, sacrifice is meant to be synonymous with cost.
Harvey would not reduce the Sanity loss.
Q: What happens if the general supply of Clue tokens
is depleted?
A: Use pennies, poker chips, or some other small items
to stand in for the Clue tokens until the general supply
is replenished. Alternatively, if no more Clue tokens are
available, track any Clue tokens that are gained or placed
in play with paper and pencil.
Q: Can you voluntarily fail a check, or ignore successes
(e.g. when you roll dice during an encounter and consult
a table)?
A: No, you cannot ignore successes or voluntarily fail
a check.
Q: If an encounter or other event tells you to give or spend
all of some resource (Money, Stamina, Sanity, Clue tokens,
Focus, etc.), but you have zero of that resource, does this
count as having given or spent that resource?
A: No, you must have that resource to give away or spend
in order to meet the requirements.
Q: If the devouring of an investigator is what leads to the
Ancient One waking up – such as by successfully casting Call Ancient One (Spell) [BGotW] or using Massa di
Requiem per Shuggay (Unique Item) [KH] - do you draw a
new investigator for the Final Battle?
A: No, the player who’s investigator was devoured is
eliminated from the game. The number of successes necessary to remove a doom token from the doom track is not
reduced as a result, however.
Q: When starting a new investigator after a previous one
has been devoured, at what point in the turn does the new
investigator start?
A: The new investigator starts at the beginning of the
next turn.