Three Marks effects: Down, Out, Shaken, Slowed and Worn
Effects are the little words that appear on a hero's card during a battle, like Worn 2 or Exposed. Bad effects on a target are called afflictions, and a target with at least one is afflicted. Good effects from your own cards last "through this hero's next action". This page explains every one of them, and how falling Down and being rescued work.
To see all effects on a hero, hover over it, focus it, or press and hold it on a touch screen.
Down, Out and rescue
| State | What it means |
|---|---|
| Down | The hero's life reached 0. They cannot act, but they can still be rescued. |
| Out | The hero is gone for the rest of the battle. |
| ◇ One rescue available | This hero has not been rescued yet in this battle. |
| ◆ Rescue used. Next fall: Out. | This hero was rescued once. If they fall again, they are Out. |
How a hero ends up Out:
- A hero who was already rescued falls to 0 life again.
- A Down hero is struck again and the strike is a graze or better. A Down hero can always be reached: by ranged heroes, and by close fighters standing in the front rank. Cover does not protect Down heroes.
Ways to stand a Down ally up again:
| Way | Life after rescue | Who can do it |
|---|---|---|
| Stand up ally (basic action) | 3 | Any standing hero, from any rank |
| Stand With Me (Warden card) | 4 | The Warden, on any Down ally |
| Lift the Chorus (Voice card) | 3, and the Voice gains 1 note | The Voice, only on the ally it protects |
Each hero can be rescued once per battle, whatever the way. The rescued hero goes back to their old place, or to the back rank if that place is taken now.
When a hero falls Down, a Slow spell they were preparing breaks, and boosts they gave to others end. Their cards in your hand are swapped for new ones at the start of your next turn.
The monsters can rescue too, and they like to. More on that in advanced tips.
Afflictions
| Effect | What it does | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Shaken on a defense | That defense is 1 lower, for example "Shaken on Guard". | As the card says, usually 1 or 2 turns |
| Slowed | The hero acts only after all their allies have acted. | Usually 1 turn |
| Worn | Armor is 1 lower (never below 0). | 1 or 2 turns |
| Exposed | The next strike against this target is one step better: a graze becomes a hit, a hit becomes a crit. | Until the target is struck. Even a miss uses it up. |
A miss is never turned into a graze by Exposed. The steps are explained on the dice and damage page.
How turns are counted
- A "turn" here means a turn of the side that has the effect. "Slowed for 1 turn" on a monster lasts through the monsters' next turn.
- The turn when the effect is put on does not count.
- On a graze, the effect lasts only 1 turn. On a crit, it lasts 1 turn longer than the card says.
- The same effect does not stack. If a target already has it for longer, nothing changes; if the new one is longer, it replaces the old one. Shaken on two different defenses counts as two separate effects.
The number after the effect on the hero's card shows how many turns are left, like "Worn 2".
Which cards cause which affliction?
| Affliction | Cards |
|---|---|
| Shaken | Warn Them (Guard), Headbutt (Will), Verse Tap (Will), Last Word (Will), Three Notes (Will), Feint (Reflex), Mind Tap (Will) |
| Slowed | Body Check, Discord, Low Cut |
| Worn | Measured Blow, Open Cut, Bleed Them, Kidney |
| Exposed | Name Them, Three Notes, Nick, Mark, Flick |
The full rules of each card are on the card list.
Flanked
A target is flanked when one of your heroes in the front rank has already landed a strike on it this turn (a graze or better), and that hero is not a Quick. The target must be in the front rank too. Flanking ends when the turn ends.
Flanking matters for the Quick: its strikes are one step better against flanked targets, and Between Them can only be played on a flanked target. So strike first with your Warden or Scarred, then with your Quick.
Boosts that last "through this hero's next action"
Many help cards give a short boost. It lasts until that hero has taken one more action, so it protects them through the enemy's whole turn. The hero's details show it with the words "Through next action".
| Boost (as shown) | From | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Hold Fast | Hold Fast | Guard +2. The hero cannot step back or be pushed back. |
| Armor +1 | Brace, Guard the Pain | Armor +1 |
| Cover | Cover | Your back-rank heroes cannot be chosen as targets. |
| Wall | Wall | Strikes against your front-rank heroes are one step worse. |
| Challenge | Challenge | Enemy front-rank heroes must strike this hero if they can. |
| Body +2 | Take the Blow | Body +2 |
| Accuracy +1 | Pair Up, Focused, Quiet Chord | Accuracy +1 (Quiet Chord gives it to the protected ally, through that ally's next action) |
| Guard song +2 | Hold the Song | The Voice's protected ally gets Guard +2 instead of +1. |
| Cannot retreat | Pin (on an enemy) | The target cannot step back or be pushed back, through the striker's next action. |
| Shared Heat | Shared Heat | Gains a spark for each ally hit or crit, until the Spark plays another Spark card. |
Boosts end early if the hero who gave them falls Down. Hold Fast, Cover, Wall and Challenge also end if the Warden leaves the front rank.
Voice protection
A Voice protects one ally, chosen in the Formation step. While the Voice is standing and has at least 1 note, that ally has +1 Guard. This is always on; it is not a card. Monsters with a Voice protect one of their own in the same way.
Slow spells waiting
When a hero has prepared a Slow spell, their card shows Slow: and the spell's name. The spell strikes on the hero's next action, unless it is broken first by a hit or crit on the caster, by the caster falling Down, or by Counterverse or Snuff. See Slow spells.
See also
- How battles work
- Dice and damage
- All 60 cards
- Glossary
- Play Three Marks on the portal.
