Eldritch Horror · Board game rules
How does combat work with multiple monsters?
Quick answer
If an investigator's space has multiple Monsters, they must fight each one, one after another, in an order they choose — resolving all non-Epic Monsters before any Epic Monster.
Details
During the Encounter phase, if an investigator is on a space containing at least one Monster, they must resolve a Combat Encounter against each Monster on that space, one after the other, in whatever order they choose [p.9 — PHASE 2 : PHASE DE RENCONTRE]. This is confirmed in the reference guide as well: an investigator must encounter each Monster on their space before choosing any other encounter [p.28 — RENCONTRES].
There is one ordering restriction: the investigator must fight every non-Epic Monster on the space before fighting any Epic Monster on that same space [p.29 — RENCONTRES COMBAT].
Each individual Combat Encounter follows the normal steps: check the Monster's special effects, resolve a Willpower (☞) test (losing Sanity equal to any shortfall against the Monster's Horror), then resolve a Strength (☞) test (losing Life equal to any shortfall against the Monster's Damage, while the Monster loses Life equal to the successes rolled) [p.15 — TEST DE VOLONTÉ / TEST DE FORCE; p.29 — RENCONTRES COMBAT]. A Monster is defeated once it has lost Life equal to or greater than its Resistance, and it's returned to the Monster pool [p.11 — GÉNÉRER DES MONSTRES; p.25 — MONSTRE].
Once all Monsters on the investigator's space have been defeated during their Encounter phase, the investigator may immediately resolve one additional encounter of their choice [p.9 — RENCONTRES COMBAT; p.29 — RENCONTRES COMBAT]. If any Monster remains undefeated on the space, no additional encounter can be resolved that turn.
Watch out: If an investigator is ambushed by a Monster (via a card or ability effect), the rules differ slightly — even if the Monster is defeated, the investigator cannot resolve an additional encounter afterward, unlike a normal Combat Encounter [p.15 — EMBUSCADE; p.22 — EMBUSCADE].