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Welcome to Zealots of Zaldar

Zealots of Zaldar is a tabletop adventure/role-playing game for 2 to 5 players. One player takes on the role of Zaldar, the unseen sorcerer who guides and referees the game. The other players take on the roles of Heroes, customized characters who explore and interact with the world of Emara.

This guide is streamlined for online play, so much of the detail relevant to the Zaldar player has been omitted.

Getting Started

Before starting Zealots of Zaldar, one player must be designated as Zaldar. This player will be responsible for running the game: directing the flow of activity, describing the outcome of actions, and acting as the referee and conductor of the game's events.

In other games with a similar referee vs. player dynamic, the Zaldar or "referee" player is known as the "Dungeon Master" (Dungeons & Dragons), "Game Master" (GURPS), "Zargon" (HeroQuest), and so on. In Zealots of Zaldar and throughout the rulebook, this player is simply known as Zaldar. Zaldar controls the game world of Emara, and determines how the world and its denizens react to the Heroes' actions and dice rolls.

Once a Zaldar player is designated, the other players create Heroes. These players decide how their Hero characters interact with the game world, including what they say, the actions they perform, and any other details a player wishes to impart upon their Hero.

Creating Characters

To create Hero characters, Zaldar will hand each Hero player a blank Character Sheet. Players may begin the game immediately using one of the ready-to-play Level 0 Hero characters, or spend Character Points to advance to Level 1 or beyond before the game session, at Zaldar's discretion.

Character Sheets

The character sheet is an ongoing record of a Hero's status. It contains basic information about the character, as well as their skills, attributes, and so on. The various fields represent the following:

Name, Figurine

This is the name of the Hero, which can be anything the player chooses, along with the figurine used to represent the Hero. The figurine shortname will be something like "ORC 1," "HUM 2," and so on.

Level

This represents the Hero's growth, progress, learning, and overall capabilities. In general, a character or creature with a high level will be particularly strong, smart, or otherwise powerful.

Kind

Kind refers to one of the 5 playable creature types. The five options available for Hero characters are Dwarf, Elf, Goblin, Human, and Orc, whose various attributes are described below.

Size

Size is a number that represents the character's overall height and general mass. It is always a multiple of 10, and roughly corresponds to height: a Size of 60 is approximately 6 feet tall. Each Kind has a base Size listed in its stat table.

HP (Health Points)

HP or Health Points / Hit Points are a measure of a character's current overall physical health. Whenever a character takes damage (e.g. from a punch, stab, explosion, bite, bludgeon, and so on), their Current HP is reduced.

A character whose Current HP value is the same as their Maximum HP value is considered to be functioning physically at their top form; whereas a character with 1 HP has likely suffered multiple severe injuries, and is very close to death.

MP (Mind Points)

MP or Mind Points represent a character's overall mental state, as well as their ability to focus closely on tasks.

STR

STR is short for Strength, and represent's a character's raw physical strength, as well as the amount of weight they can lift and carry.

DEX

DEX is short for Dexterity, and represent's a character's ability to dodge and defend themselves from physical attacks, their general physical agility, and so on.

CHA

CHA is short for Charisma, and represent's a character's ability to communicate effectively, persuade others, lead and inspire people with speech, as well as lie and deceive.

INT

INT is short for Intelligence, and represent's a character's perception, ability to understand difficult concepts, arcane knowledge, and so on.

ATTACK

This represents a character's ability to inflict physical damage.

Base - Every creature has a Base Attack, which corresponds with one of the dice.

Current - This is how much HP damage the creature can inflict with their current weapon. By default, an Unarmed Attack -- i.e., any attack that occurs without a weapon -- is the creatures Base Attack + STR.

For example, an unarmed Level 0 Goblin has a Base Attack of d4, and a STR of 1. If this Goblin were to punch another creature, it would roll the Base Attack die (d4), then add their STR (1).

The result would be the total HP damage inflicted by the punch, which would be reduced by the subsequent Defense roll made by the punch recipient.

DEFENSE

This represents a character's ability to deflect, absorb, or avoid physical damage.

Base - Every creature has a Base Defense, which corresponds with one of the dice.

Current - This is how much HP damage the creature can prevent when attacked. By default, a character without any armor rolls their Base Defense + DEX when attacked.

For example, a Level 0 Goblin has a Base Defense of d4, and a DEX of 3. If a Level 0 Goblin received a bashing from a club that inflicted 6 HP damage, they would roll their Base Defense die (d4), then add their DEX (3).

Let's say the result of the Goblin's Base Defense d4 roll was a 2. The Goblin would add their DEX, for a total Defense Roll result of 5.

Deducting this value from the club-wielding assailant's Attack Roll of 6, the final outcome of the attack would be 1 HP deducted from the Goblin's Current HP. While not perfect, the Goblin was able to reduce most of the damage inflicted by the club strike.

Move

This represents how many spaces on the game board a character may walk on their turn. There are many different ways of moving around -- walking, running, jumping, crawling, and so on -- which are outlined in the Movement section of the rulebook.

Action Points

Action Points or AP represent things a character can do on their turn that aren't related to traveling around: talking, attacking, searching, casting spells, digging holes, opening doors, and so on. The various actions have varying AP values, as detailed in the Actions section of the rulebook.

Recovery

This represents the minimum number on a d20 that must be rolled in order to recover after being knocked out. Each Kind has a base Recovery value (shown as a number followed by "+", e.g. "15+" means the character must roll 15 or higher on a d20). A lower Recovery value is better, as it makes recovery easier. Recovery can be improved by spending 2 Character Points to reduce it by 1, to a minimum of 10.

When a character is Down (reduced to 0 HP), they may attempt a Recovery Roll at the start of each turn. When a character is Unconscious (from rolling a 1 on a Down Recovery Roll), they may attempt a Recovery Roll once per hour. See the Recovery action and the Down and Unconscious statuses for full details.

Dark Stars

Dark Stars are rewarded by Zaldar throughout the game sessions. Sometimes, they are explicitly listed in the Quest Book as rewards for finding hidden things and achieving certain tasks. Other times, Zaldar may choose to give a Dark Star to a player if they have done something particularly impressive, or otherwise played in a way that enhances the game's enjoyment or immersion for all participants.

Any player may, at the conclusion of their turn or another player's turn, spend a Dark Star to immediately take a full turn. Only one Dark Star extra turn may occur per round, across all players. For example, if Susie takes a turn in the normal turn order, then Doug takes a turn, Susie may spend a Dark Star to take an extra turn after Doug. No other player (including Susie) may spend a Dark Star for an extra turn until the next round.

Character Points

Character Points are used to advance a Hero's Level. They are rewarded based on accomplishing goals in the campaign, as described in the Quest Book or in Zaldar's notes if running a custom campaign.

At any time, a Hero may exchange 3 Dark Stars for 1 Character Point.

Inventory

This is a listing of all the items, weapons, armor, and other goods a Hero has on their person.

Without any containers (backpacks, belt pouches, quivers, etc.), a character can only carry what they can hold in their two hands — one item per hand. To carry additional items, a character must acquire a container such as a Backpack, Utility Belt, or Quiver, each of which has its own capacity. See the Wearables section for available containers and their limits.

Skills

This section lists all the unique Skills a Hero can perform. These are described in greater detail in the Skill section of this rulebook.

Notes

This is an area for any miscellaneous information a player may wish to jot down -- conversations had with other characters, secret codes, and so on.

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Gameplay

Once the Heroes have filled out their character sheets, they're ready to play. The Quest Book contains all the details necessary for Zaldar to run the included Dawn of the Dark Star campaign. Starting at Quest 1: Midnight in Moonshine Ravine, Zaldar introduces the narrative, and the players immediately start the Quest.

The game alternates between the turn-based Quest Mode, which takes place on the Quest Mat, and the Campaign Mode, a more free-form conversational role-playing format. In both cases, the core of the gameplay remains the same: Zaldar provides details about the Heroes' current circumstances, the Heroes react to and engage with those circumstances, and Zaldar reveals the outcome. This continues for the entirety of the game session.

Game Sessions

Unlike a game of Chess or Checkers in which one participant triumphs, Zealots of Zaldar is an episodic game, in which the characters and game state persist over numerous game sessions. It's unrealistic to play through an entire campaign in one sitting, so instead, break the campaign into smaller game sessions.

While everyone's preferences differ, a suggested format for a Zaldar game session is two hours in length, with a 5-minute intermission after one hour. This is sufficient time to cover a lot of territory given your game group's play speed, but not so long that it's an unreasonable ask on a weekday night. You should always consider the game participant's time to be of the highest importance, and as Zaldar, you have the most control over how the game time is spent. Spend it well, and you and your players will be hungry for more!

You don't necessarily have to finish a Quest, or achieve some other specific objective, in order to end a game session. If there's more to explore on the Quest Map, record on a Notes sheet the current status of the gameboard: the rooms visible, the coordinates of the characters, and any other pertinent details. This will allow you to quickly resume gameplay at the next game session. (For Roll20 online play, this is not a concern.)

Rounds & Turn Order

In Quest Mode, gameplay is divided into rounds. Each round consists of two phases: the Heroes' phase, followed by Zaldar's phase.

During the Heroes' phase, each Hero takes one turn. The Hero players collectively decide the order in which they act, and they may change this order from round to round. Once every Hero has taken a turn, the Heroes' phase ends and Zaldar's phase begins. Zaldar then takes turns for all creatures and characters under his control. When Zaldar's phase is complete, a new round begins.

In Campaign Mode, there is no formal turn order. Zaldar directs the flow of conversation, and players act and react as the narrative demands.

On a Hero's Turn

On a Hero's turn, they may Move and perform Actions.

By default, all characters have 3 Action Points they may spend per turn. They can also move as many spaces as indicated by their Move attribute.

There are numerous different types of movement, including Running, Swimming, Jumping, and more. These are detailed below.

Direction Die

The Direction Die is a d4, with the values N, S, E, and W. It is used to determine a random direction on the Quest Mat whenever one is needed, such as when a thrown object misses its target and veers off course, or when a creature moves erratically (e.g. a shambling Zombie).

Critical Hit Die

The Critical Hit Die is a black d6, with four blank faces and two faces bearing a white "CRITICAL HIT" icon. It is rolled when a character uses the Aim / Focus action, alongside their Attack, Defend, or Skill roll. If a CRITICAL HIT face comes up, the roll's total is doubled. See Aim / Focus for full details, including Chained Criticals.

Facing

Every character on the Quest Mat faces one of the four cardinal directions: N, S, E, or W. A character's facing is represented by the orientation of their figurine on the board.

Changing which direction your character faces costs 0 Move Points and can be done freely at any time during your turn. When a character attacks, both the attacker and the target are considered to be facing a specific direction at the moment of the attack.

Because changing facing is free, it is trivial to face an opponent before attacking them. Facing matters primarily for determining Back Attacks and Flank Attacks (see Specialty Attacks under Attack).

On Zaldar's Turn

On Zaldar's turn, he controls all the non-Hero characters.

Damage Types

Every source of damage in Zealots of Zaldar has a damage type. There are seven damage types, one for each of the six magic schools plus Physical:

Type	Sources
Physical	Weapons, unarmed attacks, falling, environmental hazards, traps
Fire	Fire school spells, fire-based creature abilities
Air	Air school spells, lightning-based creature abilities
Water	Water school spells, ice- and water-based creature abilities
Emara	Emara school spells, nature-based creature abilities
Heart	Heart school spells
Chaos	Chaos school spells, curse-based creature abilities

For most combat, damage type does not change how damage is dealt or received. A sword deals Physical damage and a Searing Spear deals Fire damage, but in both cases the target rolls Defense as normal.

When Damage Type Matters

Damage type becomes relevant when a spell, item, or ability specifically interacts with it. These interactions are always described on the item or ability itself. For example:

• An item might say: "Any time your character takes Fire damage, immediately roll a d4 to recover that amount of HP, not exceeding your Max HP."
• An artifact might say: "All Air damage directed at the bearer is reflected back at the attacker."
• A creature ability might say: "Deals 2d6 Fire damage. The target does not roll Defense against this damage."

There are no global resistance tables or weakness multipliers. If an item or ability doesn't mention a damage type, the type has no special effect — damage is simply dealt and received normally.

Identifying Damage Type

• Spells deal damage of their school's type. A Water spell deals Water damage; a Fire spell deals Fire damage.
• Weapons and unarmed attacks deal Physical damage unless otherwise stated.
• Creature special abilities specify their damage type in their description (e.g., "fire breath dealing 2d6 Fire damage").
• Environmental damage (falling, drowning, lava, traps) is Physical unless the source is clearly magical.

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The World of Emara

Emara is an ancient world of vast continents, deep oceans, and untamed wilderness. Its surface is a patchwork of dense forests, scorched plains, towering mountain ranges, and sprawling underground cavern systems known collectively as the Undermara. Civilizations rise and fall across its landscapes, and the common thread binding them all is survival — against the land, against each other, and against forces no mortal fully understands.

The Great Thaw

According to the oral traditions shared across nearly every culture on Emara, the world was not always the lush and living place it is today. Long ago — so long that no written record survives — Emara was a frozen, barren wasteland. Howling storms ravaged the surface, and the ancestors of all living creatures huddled in the vast underground cavern systems beneath the ice, surviving on cave moss, root plants, and whatever fauna lurked in the deep.

Over countless generations, isolated clans developed into distinct peoples — Dwarves, Elves, Goblins, Humans, Orcs, and others — each shaped by the particular caverns and tunnels they called home. Then, slowly, the storms subsided. Sunlight returned. Dormant seeds and deep root systems erupted across the surface, and Emara bloomed.

The peoples of Emara emerged from the caves and into a world reborn. What they found on the surface — and what drove the great freeze in the first place — varies depending on who you ask. Every culture has its own origin story, its own explanation for why the world froze and why it thawed. Some credit wrathful gods, others speak of a great celestial cycle, and still others shrug and say the world simply does as it pleases.

The Undermara

Beneath the surface of Emara lies a sprawling network of caverns, tunnels, and underground realms known as the Undermara. It is where every race traces its ancestry, and where Dwarves, Orcs, and Goblins continue to live and thrive to this day.

The Undermara is illuminated by Moonblossom, a bioluminescent plant that clings to cavern ceilings and canyon walls. It glows a dim yellow when the sun shines on the surface above, and shifts to a vivid cyan-purple at night — giving the underground world its own quiet rhythm of day and night.

The Undermara is also home to ancient ruins of unknown origin, buried beneath shifting tectonic plates. These crumbling structures bear strange inscriptions in a language no living scholar can fully decipher. Who built them — and when — is a matter of endless speculation. The ruins are dangerous, unstable, and irresistible to treasure hunters.

The Nations of Emara

Sylvaris

Sylvaris is the most powerful and prosperous nation on Emara, and its capital — Silver City — is the jewel of the known world. Founded in ancient times by members of every race, Silver City began as a shared settlement built around rich silver deposits that lured creatures from across Emara. Rather than descending into conflict, the settlers chose cooperation, and that founding spirit endures.

Sylvaris is a democratic republic with a constitutional monarchy. All races are welcomed as citizens, all languages spoken, and no state religion is imposed. Its towers gleam with silver, its markets bustle with traders from every corner of Emara, and its military is formidable. If any place on Emara resembles a true civilization of equals, it is Sylvaris — though whether it lives up to that ideal depends on who you ask.

Greenhaven

Greenhaven is the Elven homeland — a vast, ancient forest nation governed by principles of self-reliance, armed neutrality, and deep reverence for the natural world. The Elves of Greenhaven worship Mother Emara, a spiritual tradition centered on communion with the trees, water, wind, and living earth.

The government is minimal by design: it exists to protect its people from aggression, enforce property rights, and little else. Elves prefer it that way. Deep within Greenhaven's forests stands the Laughing Tree, a sacred site with no roads leading to it — only those who know the forest can find it.

Goldhammer

Goldhammer is the Dwarven mountain nation, a kingdom of underground cities, cavernous lakes, and great forges lit by Moonblossom and Dwarven ore lanterns. The Dwarves of Goldhammer are proud, generous, and fierce — they take immense pride in their craftsmanship, their thriftiness, and their ability to thrive in conditions that would break lesser folk.

Dwarves see themselves as stewards of the Old World — the first to master life underground, and the last to forget it. Their cities are marvels of engineering: freshwater channeled through hand-drilled mountain aqueducts, heated by geothermal vents, and illuminated by the soft glow of subterranean gardens. Their dead are honored at the Dwarven Forge, a great lava lake where the departed are returned to Emara's core in ceremonial rites.

Goldhammer's faith is polytheistic and Norse-inspired — a pantheon of gods who govern different aspects of life, war, craft, and death. The nation has never been conquered, and it has always come to the defense of Sylvaris and Greenhaven when called upon.

Magmire

Magmire is a vast Undermara nation governed by the Dwarven Trade Council — a body of elected leaders drawn from the powerful trade unions that drive Magmire's economy. Orcs and Goblins maintain their own unions but historically elect Dwarves to represent them on the Council.

Life in Magmire is rugged and independent. Law enforcement is sparse — local sheriffs operate with loose authority from distant cities, and many regions are essentially lawless. The economy revolves around mining, manufacturing, and trade, and the culture leans libertarian: weak government, strong commerce, and a general attitude of mind-your-own-business.

Magmire was devastated during the Great War. Many of its cities were destroyed and remain overrun with undead — crumbling ruins that are visited only by the brave or the foolish. Despite this, Magmire endures. Its capital region, Magma Falls, is a marvel: a massive eastern city built where a river of lava cascades over an obsidian cliffside, producing steam and fresh water that power the forges, smelters, and blacksmith shops that are the backbone of Dwarven industry.

The Empire of Zaldar

The Empire of Zaldar is an absolute theocracy — a cult-state built around the teachings and prophecies of the sorcerer Zaldar. Its flag bears a white Z inscribed within a pentagram on a black field, and its territory has expanded like a cancer across the face of Emara, now covering nearly half the known world.

Zaldar's domain is a wasteland of ravaged cities, undead legions, and fanatical followers who carry out acts of terror in his name. The empire has no economy to speak of, no culture beyond obedience, and no future beyond the apocalypse its followers eagerly await. It is, by any reasonable measure, the single greatest threat to life on Emara.

The State of the World

The Dark Star

The Dark Star is an astronomical phenomenon — a black spot in the sky, visible over the eastern horizon at dawn. Its appearance is rare and deeply unsettling. Ancient cultures across Emara reference it in myth and oral tradition, though no consistent pattern has ever been established. Some believe its appearance heralds catastrophe. Others consider it a natural cosmological event, no more meaningful than a comet.

Zaldar famously predicted the Dark Star's return, claiming it as proof that the end of Emara was imminent. When it appeared in the sky exactly as he foretold, it lent terrible weight to his prophecy — even among those who despised him.

The Great War

The Great War — also known as the War of Zaldar — ravaged Emara for years, pitting the allied nations against the expanding Empire of Zaldar and its undead armies. Cities were destroyed. Entire regions were overrun. The war created lasting enmities between nations that persist to this day, as former allies accuse each other of cowardice, betrayal, or collaboration.

The war ended not with a decisive victory, but with Zaldar's unexplained disappearance. He vanished without a trace, and his empire — while still vast and dangerous — lost its central guiding force. The allied nations declared an uneasy peace, though few believe it will hold.

The Present Day

The world sits tensely. The Great War is over, but its scars are everywhere. The Dark Star has reappeared over the eastern horizon, and with it, old fears have resurfaced. World powers play a delicate game of brinkmanship. Zaldar's followers remain active and dangerous. The undead still roam the wastelands. And somewhere, in a tavern or a cave or a forest clearing, a group of unlikely Heroes is about to have a very bad night.

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Quest Mode vs. Campaign Mode

Quest Mode is the turn-based portion of the game. It takes place on the Quest Mat, where Heroes and creatures move on a grid and take turns performing Actions. Quest Mode is used for combat encounters, dungeon exploration, and other situations where precise positioning and timing matter.

Campaign Mode is a more free-form, conversational style of play. In Campaign Mode, there is no Quest Mat, and Heroes interact with the world through dialogue and narration. Campaign Mode is used for travel, social encounters, shopping, and other situations where strict turn order is unnecessary.

The game naturally transitions between these two modes. For example, Heroes might begin in Campaign Mode as they travel to a dungeon, then switch to Quest Mode when they enter the dungeon and encounter enemies. After the encounter, they might return to Campaign Mode to explore the dungeon's non-combat areas.

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Resting, Health, and Food

Heroes need to eat, drink, and rest to stay in fighting condition.

Food and Water: A Hero should consume at least 1 Food and 1 Water (or equivalent) per day. Going without food progresses through the following statuses: after 1 day without food, a Hero becomes Hungry; after 2 days, Starving. Going without water follows a similar progression: after 1 day, Thirsty; after 2 days, Dehydrated. Consuming the appropriate supplies immediately removes the corresponding status.

Resting: A Hero who rests for at least 8 hours (typically overnight) recovers all HP and MP to their maximum values. If the Hero is Hungry, Thirsty, or suffering from a similar status, they still rest but do not recover HP or MP until the status is resolved.

Travel

Travel between locations occurs during Campaign Mode. Zaldar narrates the journey and may introduce encounters, obstacles, or points of interest along the way. The Quest Book or Zaldar's notes will indicate travel durations between key locations.

During travel, Heroes consume food and water as normal (1 of each per day). Zaldar may call for random encounters or events during the journey, temporarily switching to Quest Mode if combat occurs.

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Buying and Selling

In towns and settlements, Heroes may purchase goods from merchants. Items are listed with a Cost in gold. To buy an item, the Hero must have enough gold and the item must be available.

Rarity is a number from 1 to 9 that indicates how difficult an item is to find. Low-rarity items (1-3) are common and typically available at most merchants. Mid-rarity items (4-6) may require visiting a specialized shop or a larger settlement. High-rarity items (7-9) are extremely scarce and may not be available for purchase at all — Zaldar determines whether a merchant has a rare item in stock based on the location and circumstances.

Heroes may also sell items they no longer need. By default, merchants will buy items at half their listed cost, rounded down. Heroes with the Trickery skill may attempt to negotiate a better price.

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Leveling Up

Every Hero starts at Level 0, and starts with 1 Character Point to spend. Spending this Character Point on an improvement (see below) advances the Hero from Level 0 to Level 1.

From Level 1 onward, advancing a level requires spending 3 Character Points on improvements. Character Points are accumulated by completing Quests and other accomplishments throughout the campaign. In a typical campaign, a single Quest might reward 1-2 Character Points just for completing it.

To advance a level, spend your accumulated Character Points on any of the following improvements. Each Character Point spent may be used for one of:

• Increase a Primary Attribute (STR, DEX, INT, or CHA) by 1
• Increase HP by 3
• Increase MP by 2

The following improvements cost more than 1 Character Point:

• Acquiring a Skill (the number of Character Points required varies based on the Skill). When a Skill has multiple tiers (e.g. Basic, Intermediate, Advanced), purchasing a higher tier replaces the previous one — a Hero only ever has one tier of a given Skill at a time.
• 2 Character Points: Reduce your Recovery by 1. The minimum Recovery for a Hero is 10.
• 3 Character Points: Increase your MOVE by 1. The maximum base MOVE for any Hero is 10. Artifacts, spells, and other effects may increase effective MOVE beyond this cap.


Any one type of improvement may only be taken twice per level gain. Each Primary Attribute (STR, DEX, INT, CHA), HP, MP, Recovery, MOVE, and each individual Skill counts as a separate type.

For example, when advancing a level, a Hero may spend 2 Character Points to increase their CHA by 2, but may not spend the third Character Point to increase their CHA again. They must instead spend it on a different improvement, such as increasing their HP by 3, learning the First Aid (Basic) skill, increasing their DEX by 1, and so on.

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Dying

When a Hero's HP is reduced to 0 or below, they become Down. A Down Hero attempts a Recovery Roll at the start of each turn. Rolling a natural 1 on a Recovery Roll while Down causes the Hero to become Unconscious. An Unconscious Hero attempts a Recovery Roll once every 30 rounds in Quest Mode, or once per hour in Campaign Mode. Rolling a natural 1 on a Recovery Roll while Unconscious results in the immediate death of the character.

A Down Hero can also be killed outright by the Coup de Grace action performed by an adjacent enemy.

When a Hero dies, their belongings remain on the Quest Mat where they fell and may be looted by other characters. Whether the player creates a new Hero or the story provides a means of resurrection is at Zaldar's discretion and depends on the campaign.