Heroes

Hero Cards are an important resource in Boss Monster. They can be seperated into two main types, Ordinary heroes and Epic heroes. The main functions of the hero cards are to provide souls to help players win the game and wounds to potentially cause players to lose the game.  

Hero Classes[]

Most heroes in Boss Monster are one of the four classes (Fighter, Mage, Cleric and Thief). The hero's class determines the type of treasure that a player would need to have in order to lure it into their dungeon. Most hero cards also contain a lore that gives the backstory of the character.

An 'advance' class of heroes, called Hybrid heroes, were introduced as Kickstarter-exclusive promo cards. Hybrid heroes classes are members of two Hero classes and are drawn to the dungeon with the highest combined amount of the two treasure types that attracts the classes that they are of. There are now 6 Hybrid Heroes. The first two were Kickstarter Exclusives to the original Boss Monster,the Monster Hunter and Trap Master. Four more were introduced in Boss Monster: The Next Level, which include the Archer , the Druid , the Nercomancer and the Swordmage .

Ordinary Heroes[]

Ordinary Heroes have low HP (2-8). They are worth 1 Soul when killed and cause 1 Wound to the player when they make it to the boss chamber of the dungeon. Examples of ordinary heroes are Tieg and the Magic Bubble, Kerberos Dirtbeard, Canine Warrior and Dartteon, Elf Pyromancer.

Dark Heroes[]

Dark Heroes are a new type of Hero introduced in Boss Monster: The Next Level. They are the Barbarian, a Fighter, the Hitman, a Thief, the Witch, a Mage and the Vampire, a Cleric. All four have 6 health, and are worth 1 soul when killed and cause 1 wound if they make it to the boss chamber.

What makes Dark Heroes unique is that their effects allow them to be "paid" to take out another Boss, by means of any player discarding a Room card with a matching treasure icon to give the Dark Hero +3 health. This effect technically makes Dark Heroes amongst the strongest Ordinary Heroes, as they can reach 9 health.

However, when Items are in play, these Heroes cannot equip them.

Epic Heroes[]

Epic Heroes have more HP (generally in the teens), are worth 2 Souls when killed and cause 2 Wounds to the player when they make it to the boss chamber of the dungeon.

Other examples of Epic heroes would be Demigod, Blackbeard Jake and Cecil Leoran, Master Factotum.

Ordinary Hero Deck and Epic Hero Deck[]

The Hero cards are seperated into two decks, the Ordinary Hero deck (sometimes just called the Hero deck) and the Epic Hero deck. The Ordinary Hero deck is played first and only after all cards in the Hero deck are used does the Epic Hero deck come into play.

The number of Hero cards that should be used in the game deck depends on how many players are playing the game:

2 Players: 13 Ordinary Heroes, 8 Epic Heroes

3 Players: 17 Ordinary Heroes, 12 Epic Heroes

4 Players: 25 Ordinary Heroes, 16 Epic Heroes

This is to make sure that with less players Ordinary Heroes will not be played the entire game.

With Item cards introduced in the Tools of Hero Kind expansion Hero can become more powerful by acquiring Items of the same Treasure Type as themselves.

Gameplay[]

During the Beginning of Turn Phase as many Heroes as there are players are placed into Town (for example if 3 people are playing 3 Heroes are put into town each turn). These Heroes wait in town until the Bait Phase . During the Bait Phase the Heroes will head to the Dungeon with the most Treasure of their Treasure Type. If there is a tie of the treasures held by players, the Hero will stay in the town and not enter a dungeon until a Bait Phase whereby the tie is broken.

Any Hero drawn to a Dungeon enters that Dungeon in the Adventure Phase going from the left most Room until they reach the Boss Chamber at the very right. Rooms and spell cards used by the players may cause damage and/or effects to the Hero. If the Heroes HP drops to 0 or below, or if an effect kills them they are placed in the Bosses Soul collection. However, if the Hero makes it through the Dungeon and reaches the Boss chamber the Hero instead becomes a Wound.

Heroes go through the Dungeons one at a time and the first Hero to enter the Town at the Beginning of Turn Phase is the first Hero to enter a Dungeon in the Adventure Phase.

Trivia[]

• In the alpha version of the game, some Epic heroes were upgraded versions of Ordinary heroes and could be thought of as going back to the dungeons for a second round of adventure or revenge. Two of such upgraded heroes would be Jarek and Scarlet Anja, with both having Ordinary and Epic versions.
• Ordinary Heroes in the Base Set have card numbers BMR056 to BMR080. Epic Heroes in the Base Set have card number BMR081 to BMR096.
• The "Hidden Heroes" created as part of the Boss Monster Video Game Kickstarter are contained in the 4th Edition printing of Boss Monster.