The rules

Codex

Every keyword in the game: what it does, what it adds to a card’s cost, which factions can use it and which cards have it.

Abilities

Keywords a card always has.

Powera point of printed power1 pt
Defencea point of printed defence1 pt
ProtectEnemies must attack this before creatures without Protect.1.7 + 0.45 def
Life DrainHeals you for as much damage as it deals.0.2 power
ImpulseMay attack the turn it lands.¾ power
HiddenCannot be targeted until it attacks, or until the end of its owner's next turn.0.55 pts
Ember ShieldBlocks the next damage it would take. Then the shield is gone.1.6 pts
Spell PowerYour spells deal that much more damage.0.45 pts
DeathmarkAnything it damages but does not kill dies a turn later.1¼ pts
BreakthroughWhen it kills a creature, the damage left over hits the enemy player.0.1 power
SpellproofSpells cannot target it. Attacks, Shouts, Onslaughts and terrains still reach it.0.35 pts
Kindred+1/+1 for each other creature of its family you control.0.86 pts
HardenGains +1/+1 at the start of each of your turns.1.58 pts

Moments

When a card acts. What comes after the colon happens at that moment, and is priced for how often the moment is expected to come round.

ShoutDoes something when it lands.× 1
Last breathDoes something when it dies.× 1
OnslaughtDoes something every time it attacks.× ¾
FlareDoes something whenever you cast a spell.× ¾
MournDoes something whenever another of your creatures dies.× 1
RallyDoes something whenever you play a creature of its Faction.× 1.4
UpkeepDoes something at the start of each of your turns. Terrains only.× 2
EchoDoes something whenever you play a creature or spell of this terrain's Faction. Terrains only.
WeldDoes something whenever you play a creature of its other Faction.× 1½
0 Cards

Effects

What a card does.

Direct damagea point dealt, by a spell or an ability1 pt
Spell healingtwo points healed is worth one½ pts
Effect healinga point healed1 pt
Deal damageDeals that much damage to a creature or a player. A creature's damage heals when the turn ends.0.65–1 pts
KillDestroys a creature outright, whatever its defence. Ember Shield does not stop it.9 pts
BuffGives +X/+X to a creature, or to every creature in your row.1.05–3.15 pts
DebuffGives -X/-X to a creature. At zero defence it dies.0.95 pts
DrawDraw that many cards from your deck.1 pt
DiscardThe enemy discards the first card in their hand.3¼ pts
ErodeSends that many cards from the top of the enemy's deck to their graveyard.0.68 pts
ReclaimReturns the last creature that died to your hand from your graveyard.1.2 pts
RaisePuts the last creature that died back into your row from your graveyard.4½ pts
SuppressRemoves all of a creature's abilities, permanently.4 pts
StunIt sits out its owner's next turn. It cannot attack until that turn ends.2½ pts
DismissReturns a creature to its owner's hand, as it was printed.6½ pts
SeizeTake control of an enemy creature until the turn ends.5¼ pts
KindleGain that much ember, for this turn only.1.15 pts
AuraYour creatures of the Faction or family this terrain names get the bonus while it is in play.0.41–1.88 pts
ScaledRepeats once for each creature of the Faction or family it names that you control, up to five.× 1–1¼
Hostile groundIts amount counts the Factions among the enemy's creatures after the first: nothing against an army of one Faction, more for every Faction it mixes in.0 pts
SummonPuts the named creature into your row.1¾ pts
HealRestores that much of your life. Creatures are not affected.0.33–1 pts
ScourDeals N damage to every enemy creature.2¼ pts
SchemeEvery Nth creature or spell of this terrain's Faction you play, it does this and starts counting again. The count is on the terrain.0.33–7 pts
AlloyIts Alloy line is active while you control a terrain of each of its two Factions.0.08–0.34 pts

States

RestingPlayed this turn. It can act on your next turn.It has attacked this turn.
StunnedIt sits out its owner's next turn. It cannot attack until that turn ends.
SuppressedIt has lost all its abilities, permanently.
SeizedYou control it this turn. It returns to its owner when the turn ends.
DeathmarkedIt survived a Deathmark's blow. It dies a turn later.
Ember Shield spentThe shield has absorbed a blow and is gone.
WoundedDamaged this turn. It heals fully when the turn ends.
Alloy awakeYou control a terrain of each of its two Factions, so its Alloy line is active.

Card types

Making cards

How a cost is made

Add it upeverything the card does, in points
Halve ita point is half an ember× ½
Take the tier's shareNormal pays all of it× 100%
Round to the nearest halfdown below .35, up from .65, half between
The floora card that does anything is never free1 ember

What a point costsEmber

Base ratea 3/3 is six points, so it costs three½

What the game assumesHow many

Terrain lifeturns a terrain is assumed to survive2
Swingstimes a creature is assumed to attack¾
Killscreatures a creature is assumed to kill1½
Your rowcreatures an effect on your row reaches, and a terrain scaled by its Faction counts3
Kindredcreatures of one family assumed together, for Kindred and for a terrain naming its family, where that family's own count was not measured1.15
Harden turnsturns a Harden creature is assumed to live1½
Flaresspells a Flare creature is assumed to see cast¾
Mournsfriendly deaths a Mourn creature outlives1
Ralliescreatures of its Faction a Rally creature sees played1.4
Weldscreatures of its other Faction a Weld creature sees played1½
Plays of a Factioncards of its Faction a terrain is assumed to see played; a Scheme fires this over its period2½
A terrain's sharewhat a terrain pays of the price of what it prints75%
Alloy sharewhat a conditional half pays of the word it prints15%
Random favourwhat a Buff landing on a random friendly creature pays of an aimed one75%
Split aimwhat each hostile deed of a split card pays for a creature of its own125%
Last breath sharewhat a deed waiting for its creature to die pays of the same deed done now50%
An Object's defencewhat a point of defence pays on a body that cannot attack30%
A dear card's lifewhat a Rally, Weld or Harden pays of its count on a card of 8 ember, against one of 540%
A dear card's pricewhat each ember of a card's price past 6 pays85%

Averages, over every cardPoints

A permanentwhat a typical creature is worth6.65
Its powerthe power a granted ability is priced against2.71
Its defencethe defence it is priced against3.94

How your deck is shuffledHow many

Kinds spreadcreatures, spells, objects and terrains, each spaced evenly through your deck, so every hand holds about the share of each that your deck does and a long run of one kind never comes4
Wanderhow far a card may land from its even place, counted in places of its own kind, so what comes next cannot be read2