Deep Madness reference sheet

Overview

• 1–6 players, cooperative sci-fi horror set in the Kadath deep-sea mining facility [p.3 — Game Overview]
• Players control investigators trying to complete chapter-specific objectives before losing conditions trigger [p.3 — Game Overview]
• The facility is progressively 'devoured,' spawning more monsters each round [p.10 — Playing the Game]
• Lose if any investigator is killed, the devour marker reaches the last track space, or the monster reserve runs out [p.23 — Winning the Game]
• Each chapter has unique win/lose conditions; play in order for the full story [p.6 — Setup]

Setup

1. Choose a chapter; assemble the board per its diagram; place devoured effect markers face down (spawn side up) [p.6 — Setup]
2. Prepare Room Deck (face down) and Devoured Deck (face up) from chapter's listed room cards [p.6 — Setup]
3. Assemble the Devouring Track with matching blocks and markers [p.7 — Setup]
4. Each player chooses investigators: 1P=4, 2P=3 each, 3P=2 each, 4–6P=1 each; take investigator card, activation card, drowning dial (set to 6), starting search card [p.7 — Setup]
5. Shuffle activation cards face up into a row; draw 6 normal monster cards face up beneath them to complete the activation track [p.7–8 — Setup]
6. Shuffle spawn cards for the 6 drawn monsters into the spawn deck; place matching figures in monster reserve [p.8 — Setup]
7. Remove 'Syringe' cards from search deck; shuffle madness and consciousness decks separately [p.8 — Setup]
8. Place activation marker on first activation track card; place devour marker on first devouring track space [p.8 — Setup]

Turn structure

Each round resolves four phases in order [p.10 — Playing the Game]:

1. Devour Phase — Advance devour marker; resolve hazard or devour a room (flip tile, place spawn marker, place devoured effect markers) [p.10 — Devour Phase]
2. Spawn Phase — Resolve spawn cards (count determined by devour marker position); place monsters in spawn spaces of devoured rooms [p.11 — Spawn Phase]
3. Activation Phase — Activation marker moves left to right; investigators get 3 actions, then monsters activate per their action pool [p.13 — Activation Phase]
4. Refresh Phase — Resolve 'end of round' effects; flip all face-down search cards face up [p.14 — Refresh Phase]

Actions

Investigators get 3 actions per activation, in any order; Search is once per round only [p.13 — Activation Phase]

Combat

Investigator Attacks a Monster:

1. Select melee (all monsters in space) or ranged (one monster in LOS within range) weapon [p.16 — Attack Action]
2. Roll dice equal to weapon's dice rating; each result ≥ accuracy = 1 hit × damage value [p.17 — Calculate Damage]
3. Distribute total damage among targets freely; reduce by monster's resistance; remainder = wounds [p.18 — Distribute Damage]
4. Monster dies when wounds ≥ max health; return figure to reserve [p.18 — Distribute Damage]
5. After kill: flip sanity tokens equal to monster's horror to madness side; if madness tokens ≥ madness limit (usually 3), discard that many and resolve a madness card [p.19 — Fight Against Madness]
6. For each horror point with no sanity token to flip, resolve a consciousness card instead [p.19 — Fight Against Madness]

Monster Attacks an Investigator:

• Targets nearest investigator within range/LOS; deals damage equal to monster's damage value [p.21 — Attack Action]
• Investigator rolls 2d6; each success reduces damage by 1; remainder = wounds [p.21 — Attack Action]
• Investigator dies when wounds ≥ max health [p.21 — Attack Action]

Locked Hatch vs. Monster:

• Nearest investigator behind hatch may roll exactly 2d6; successes ≥ monster's horror = monster stopped [p.19 — Monsters Moving Through Locked Hatches]

End of game

• Win: Meet the chapter's winning condition (varies per chapter) [p.23 — Winning the Game]
• Lose (any of the following): [p.23 — Winning the Game]
  • Chapter's losing condition is met
  • Any investigator is killed
  • Devour marker reaches the last devouring track space
  • No monster figures remain in the reserve (excluding horror 0 monsters) when a spawn is required

Glossary

• Devoured Room: A room tile flipped to its devoured side; contains a spawn space and devoured effect markers [p.10 — Devour Phase]
• Spawn Space: The space in a devoured room where monsters are placed when spawned [p.10 — Devour Phase]
• Linked Monster: The monster card directly beneath an investigator's activation card on the activation track [p.8 — Setup]
• Drowning Dial: Tracks an investigator's oxygen (max 6); spin counter-clockwise before each action in a flooded space [p.20 — Taking Action in Flooded Spaces]
• Escape: Investigator stat; if total monster trap in same space ≥ escape, investigator cannot move out [p.14 — Escape and Trap]
• Trap: Monster stat; sum of trap of all monsters in a space is compared to investigator's escape [p.14 — Escape and Trap]
• Horror: Monster stat; determines how many sanity tokens flip to madness after killing it [p.19 — Fight Against Madness]
• Resistance: Reduces incoming damage before wounds are taken; investigators roll 2d6 (successes = resistance) [p.15 — Investigator Card Breakdown]
• Slowed: Figure discards slowed token instead of moving on its next move action [p.24 — Slowed]
• Weakened: Figure discards weakened token instead of attacking on its next attack action [p.24 — Weakened]
• Paralyzed: Figure is tipped on its side; next action must be standing up (investigators) or activation ends immediately (monsters) [p.25 — Paralyzed]
• Devoured Ability: Monster ability (marked with devour icon) that only activates when the monster is in a devoured room [p.21 — Devoured Abilities]

FAQ

• Q: Can an investigator perform the same action multiple times? — A: Yes, except Search, which can only be performed once per round [p.13 — Activation Phase]
• Q: What happens if there aren't enough monster figures to spawn? — A: Spawn as many as possible, then substitute other monsters until their combined horror equals or exceeds the missing monsters' horror [p.12 — Spawn Phase]
• Q: Can an investigator move through a locked hatch without unlocking it first? — A: Yes; moving through a locked hatch automatically unlocks it [p.14 — Move Action]
• Q: Does a rest action cost oxygen in a flooded space? — A: No; rest is the one action that does not require exhausting oxygen in flooded spaces [p.19 — Rest Action]
• Q: When is oxygen restored? — A: Only at the end of activation if the investigator is in a non-flooded space; entering a non-flooded space mid-activation does not restore it [p.20 — Checking the Drowning Condition]
• Q: If both madness cards and consciousness cards must be resolved after an attack, which comes first? — A: Resolve madness cards first [p.24 — Consciousness Cards]