Gloomhaven reference sheet

Overview

• Cooperative dungeon-crawler for 1–4 players; play through linked scenarios as a campaign or standalone [p.2 — Play Overview]
• Each player controls a unique character class with a hand of ability cards [p.6 — Character Mats]
• Goal: meet each scenario's victory condition (usually kill all monsters or reach an objective) [p.12 — Scenario Page]
• Core loop: select 2 cards → determine initiative → take turns → monsters act automatically [p.16 — Round Overview]
• Characters gain XP, gold, and levels between scenarios; retire when personal quest is complete [p.38 — Personal Quest Cards]
• Losing = all characters exhausted before victory condition met [p.28 — Exhaustion]

Setup

1. Open Scenario Book; place map tiles, door tiles, and overlay tiles as shown [p.12 — Scenario Page]
2. Place monsters in starting room only; randomize standee numbers; use BLACK/WHITE/GOLD key for 2/3/4 players [p.13 — Scenario Page]
3. Set scenario level (recommended = avg. party level ÷ 2, rounded up) [p.15 — Scenario Level]
4. Each player picks hand of cards equal to hand size; equip items (add −1 modifier cards if applicable) [p.12 — Scenario Setup]
5. Deal 2 battle goal cards to each player; each keeps 1 secretly [p.10 — Battle Goal Cards]
6. Place money tokens and overlay tiles in starting room; apply any road/city event effects [p.12 — Scenario Setup]
7. Players place figures on any empty starting hex (marked on scenario map) [p.13 — Scenario Page]

Turn structure

Each Round:

1. Card Selection — Each player secretly selects 2 cards (or declares long rest) [p.16 — Card Selection]
2. Reveal Initiative — Flip player leading cards and draw 1 monster ability card per active monster type [p.18 — Determining Initiative]
3. Act in Initiative Order — Lowest initiative acts first; ties: player beats monster, non-leading card breaks player ties [p.18 — Determining Initiative]
4. Character Turn — Use top action of one card + bottom action of the other; use items any time [p.18 — Character Turn]
5. Monster Turn — Each monster focuses, moves, then attacks per its ability card [p.29 — Monster Turn]
6. End of Round — Shuffle modifier decks if 2x/Null drawn; wane elements; discard round bonus cards; optional short rest [p.32 — End of Round]

Actions

Combat

Attack sequence (repeat per target):

1. Apply attacker's modifiers (bonuses from cards, items, conditions) [p.20 — Attack]
2. Draw 1 attack modifier card from attacker's deck [p.20 — Attack]
3. Apply defender's Shield or other defensive bonuses [p.20 — Attack]
4. Remaining value = damage dealt; monster dies at 0 HP, drops money token [p.20 — Attack]

Advantage: draw 2 modifiers, use better; rolling modifiers add together [p.20 — Advantage and Disadvantage]

Disadvantage: draw 2 modifiers, use worse; rolling modifiers ignored [p.20 — Advantage and Disadvantage]

PIERCE X: ignore up to X points of Shield during damage calculation [p.22 — Attack Effects]

Area attacks: each target draws its own modifier card; only 1 red hex needs to be in range for ranged area [p.21 — Area Effects]

Scoring

• XP during scenario: earned by specific card actions (shown by XP symbol); tracked on dial [p.27 — Gaining Experience]
• Bonus XP on success: 4 + (2 × scenario level) [p.33 — Finishing a Scenario]
• Gold: money tokens converted at end; value per token set by scenario level chart [p.15 — Scenario Level]
• Battle goal checkmarks: every 3 checkmarks = 1 additional perk; max 6 bonus perks per character [p.44 — Additional Perks]
• Leveling up: XP thresholds: L2=45, L3=95, L4=150, L5=210, L6=275, L7=345, L8=420, L9=500 [p.44 — Leveling Up]

End of game

• Scenario ends when victory condition is met OR all characters are exhausted (failure) [p.33 — Finishing a Scenario]
• Remainder of the round is always played out after condition triggers [p.33 — Finishing a Scenario]
• Failure: all characters exhausted; no battle goal rewards [p.10 — Battle Goal Cards]
• Success: collect XP, gold, battle goal checkmarks, and scenario rewards [p.33 — Finishing a Scenario]
• Exhausted characters still earn rewards if scenario is won [p.33 — Finishing a Scenario]
• Campaign: success unlocks new scenarios, grants achievements, and may increase prosperity [p.49 — Scenario Completion]

Glossary

• Discard pile: played cards returned here; recovered by resting [p.17 — Resting]
• Lost pile: cards with lost symbol; only returned via specific Recover abilities [p.17 — Card Selection]
• Exhausted: character at 0 HP or unable to play/rest; removed from map, scenario continues without them [p.28 — Exhaustion]
• Focus: monster's chosen target — enemy reachable with fewest movement steps [p.29 — Monster Focus]
• Shield X: reduces incoming attack damage by X; stacks; only vs. attacks [p.25 — Shield]
• Retaliate X: deals X damage to adjacent attackers after being hit; does not trigger if figure dies first [p.26 — Retaliate]
• Infusion (Strong/Waning/Inert): elemental tokens created by abilities; wane each round end; consumed to power augments [p.23 — Elemental Infusions]
• Persistent bonus: card stays in active area until condition met; then goes to lost pile [p.25 — Active Bonuses]
• Advantage: draw 2 modifier cards, use better result [p.20 — Advantage and Disadvantage]
• Disadvantage: draw 2 modifier cards, use worse result; rolling modifiers ignored [p.20 — Advantage and Disadvantage]
• Prosperity: town-wide level; unlocks new items and higher character starting levels [p.48 — Gloomhaven Prosperity]
• Scenario level: 0–7; sets monster stats, trap damage, gold value, bonus XP [p.15 — Scenario Level]

FAQ

• Q: Can a player choose not to perform abilities on their card? — A: Yes, except abilities that cause negative effects on self or allies must be performed [p.18 — Character Turn]
• Q: Does a ranged attack targeting an adjacent enemy get Disadvantage? — A: Yes, always [p.19 — Attack]
• Q: When does end-of-turn looting happen? — A: At the end of the character's turn for the hex they occupy; summons do not loot [p.27 — End-of-Turn Looting]
• Q: If a POISON token is on a figure, what does a Heal do? — A: Removes POISON but has no healing effect [p.22 — Conditions]
• Q: Can elements be created and consumed on the same turn? — A: No; but a later-initiative figure may consume an element created earlier in the same round [p.24 — Elemental Infusions]
• Q: What happens if a monster cannot find any valid focus? — A: It does not move or attack but performs other listed abilities [p.30 — Monster Focus]
• Q: Do summoned monsters act on the round they are summoned? — A: No, never [p.26 — Summon]