Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion · Board game rules
How does monster focus work?
Quick answer
Monsters focus on the closest character they can reach with the least movement. If adjacent, that character is the focus. Ties go to the earliest initiative character.
Details
Monsters determine their focus at the start of their turn (initiative 50 in Scenario 1). The process is:
- Identify valid targets: Any character on the map.
- Calculate movement cost: Find the shortest path (in hexes) to get adjacent to each character. This path must be valid (no walls, obstacles, or occupied hexes blocking movement).
- Select focus: The character with the shortest path becomes the focus. If multiple characters have equal movement cost, the one with the lowest initiative order goes first.
- No valid path: If no path exists to any character (e.g., blocked hexes), the monster does nothing.
Key exceptions:
- Focus does not require line-of-sight.
- If a character is already adjacent, they automatically become the focus.
- Monsters act on their focus once determined, moving toward it (if needed) and attacking if adjacent.
Example: A monster with "Move 1" cannot reach its focus in one turn but still focuses on it. If all adjacent hexes are blocked, the monster skips its turn.
Watch out: If multiple monsters share the same focus, they may cluster around one character. Players should spread out to avoid this.