The Elemental Heresy: Rules & Compendium

Core Rules

Components:

• Uses components from all core D&D Adventure Board Game systems
• Primary Sets:
• Temple of Elemental Evil (TOEE)
• Dungeon of the Mad Mage (DOTMM)
• Secondary Sets:
• Tomb of Annihilation (TOA)
• Legend of Drizzt (LOD)
• Wrath of Ashardalon (WOA)
• Castle Ravenloft (CR)

Rules:

• Recommended Players: 5–7 Heroes
• For the village of Graybriar, the Town tiles (reverse elemental node tiles) from the TOEE board game are used.
• Please setup the town as per instructions in the TOEE adventures.
• Only Book 1 Adventure 0, 1 and Book 3 Adventure 2 takes place exclusively in the village of Graybriar.
• The starting location for Books 1 - 3 take place in Graybriar.
• All the Adventures have a permanent environmental condition in play. These may not be cancelled as per encounter cards or by any fortune/ blessing card.
• Each Adventure will indicate the XP cost (starting at 5XP) for cancelling encounter cards.
• Adventures also make use of the action & NPC dice from the Dicemasters game sets. These are exclusive for Cultists and Elementals

• If you are unable to get hold of these dice, please use a standard D6 and consult the tables below:

Cultist NPC Dice:

Roll	Face	Effect	Tactic
1	Decoy	Spawn decoy (0 XP, 1 AC, 1 HP)	Heroes must attack decoy first
2	Fist	Extra attack	Attacks nearest hero
3	Mask	Summon monster	Spawn monster on tile
4	Shield	+2 AC	Until next Hero Phase
5	Bolt	+1 damage	All attacks
6	Question	Encounter	Draw & resolve Encounter

Elemental Action Dice

Roll	Effect
1–3	+2 to attacks
4	+1 extra attack
5	+1 attack, +1 damage
6	+1 attack, +2 damage

·       Cultist & Elemental Dice Rules: 

o   Books 1: 2 Elemental Dice, 1 Cult die

o   Books 2 - 3:  3 Elemental Dice, 2 Cult dice

o   Books 4: 4 Elemental Dice, 3 Cult dice

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Treasure & Gold System

·       Treasure Deck: The Elemental Heresy campaign does not use a traditional Treasure Deck.

• When a Level 1 monster is defeated, instead of drawing a Treasure Card, a Hero rolls 1D4 and gains gold equal to:
  (D4 roll − 1) × 100 gold
• This gold is gained immediately by the active Hero.
  Example:
  Thorgrim skewers a Kobold with his Lance of Faith. Instead of drawing a Treasure Card, he rolls a 3 on a D4:
  (3 − 1) × 100 = 200 gold

• Treasure items are reserved for:
• In-town trade
• Levelling up via NPCs
• Defeating specific villains
• Completing stated adventure objectives

Treasury Table

Enemy / Monster Level	Dice Rolled	Gold Gained
Levels 1–2	1D4	(D4 − 1) × 100
Levels 3–4	1D4	D4 × 100
Levels 5–6	1D6	D6 × 100
Level 7+	1D8	D8 × 100

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Adventure Completion & Boon Gains

• Upon successful completion of an Adventure and achievement of its objectives:
• All Heroes receive a share of gold as specified in the Adventure.
• The party gains Boons, typically 2–3 unique Treasure Items.
• Boon cards are sourced from the TOEE and DOTMM board games.
• Distribution of Boons is decided by the party.
• Each Adventure specifies its own Boon, Bane, and Gold Gain conditions.
• No Boons are awarded for the final Adventure of the campaign.

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Adventure Failure & Bane Conditions

• If the Heroes fail an Adventure for any reason:
• The party receives a Bane condition that applies to the entire group in their next Adventure.
• No gold is gained on failure.
• Banes:
• Cannot be cancelled or nullified by any effect.
• Persist until removed.
• A Bane may be removed by replaying and successfully completing the failed Adventure.
• Note: No Boons are awarded for replayed Adventures.
• Each Adventure specifies its applicable Bane conditions.
• There is no Bane for the final Adventure of the campaign.

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Levelling Up System

Graybriar is not merely a town — it is a progression engine.

• Heroes may spend XP and Gold with unlocked NPCs to advance their abilities:
• Between Adventures
• During select town-based Adventures
• All Heroes begin the campaign at Level 4.
• Levelling:
• Can only occur between Adventures or during town Adventures
• Requires interaction with specific NPCs
• Unlocks progressively as the campaign advances
• XP spent on skill training is permanently removed.
• Each level requires one or more NPC investments.
• Multiple upgrades may be purchased at the same level if costs are paid.
• Success or failure in Adventures may:
• Change availability
• Increase or reduce costs
• Lock or unlock NPC services

Heroes are encouraged to engage with Graybriar’s NPCs for both mechanical progression and narrative roleplay.

Death saves:

When a hero is reduced to zero hp any other hero within LOS may make a roll on a d4:

Roll 1: "Alas! Poor Yorick" - Nothing happens.

Roll 2: "Mummy!" - The LOS hero gains disadvantage and retreats 1 tile.

Roll 3: "It's a miracle!" - The LOS hero moves adjacent to the fallen hero and the fallen hero gains 1 Heroic hit point

Roll 4: "Cavalry!" - 3 + the LOS Hero makes 1 additional attack.

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Grinding & XP Farming

• The nine Adventures in the Elemental Heresy campaign vary in difficulty.
• Each Adventure specifies a minimum required Hero Level, starting at Level 4 and progressing to Level 8.
• Players may replay Adventures to:
• Gain XP
• Unlock NPC training
• Progress skill trees
• Restrictions:
• Grinding is permitted only for Adventures 1–8
• At the start of Adventure 9, all levelling progression is locked
• No Boons are awarded for replayed or farmed Adventures

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Side Quests

• Adventures may feature optional side quests, usually triggered by:
• Interacting with Graybriar NPCs
• Discovering specific tiles, locations, or events
• Side quests:
• Grant unique bonuses or rewards
• Expand the campaign’s narrative and lore
• Examples range from simple to complex:
• Mushroom Spores for Drusilia (easy)
• Restore the Ley Lines (hard)
• Once completed, a side quest:
• Cannot be replayed Even if the main Adventure is replayed

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Adventure 0:

• There is an Adventure 0 which serves mainly as a prelude (or a "session 0") to the overall campaign.
• This Adventure is completely optional and is not-mandatory for campaign completion.
• However, this adventure does add a lot of RPG flavor and is a great way to get your players exploring Graybriar and getting to know the villagers and all the NPCs.
• There is no win/ lose condition for Adventure 0.

You may use the NPC media materials below for flavor:

NPC Dialog (For Media/ Capcut Videos):

NPC	Accent Suggestion	Prose & Delivery Style	Conversational Dialogue (Self-Introduction Included)
Geralt GorstagTown Elder, Head of Mage Council	Deep Northern English / Lowland Scots	Calm authority, reflective, deliberate	“I am Geralt Gorstag, Elder of Graybriar and keeper of its Mage Council. This town was built where the ley lines crossed naturally, and for centuries we honored them by restraint rather than conquest. Each season has its voice, and each element its time. Lately, though, the land has begun to answer questions no one here remembers asking. That is why I sent for you — not because we are weak, but because we are wise enough to know when something is wrong.”
Flamebearer Ivy D’CinderPyromage of the Sacred Fire	Southern European / Mediterranean	Sultry, confident, playful	“I’m Ivy D’Cinder, Flamebearer of the Sacred Fire — and yes, I know what you’re thinking. Summer suits me. Fire builds, reshapes, and sometimes clears away what’s grown stale. Graybriar understands that… or it used to. Recently I’ve heard people whispering about power without cost, and that’s not fire — that’s fantasy. Real flames always leave a mark.”
Windseer Heian MalevGrand Mage of the Air Academia	Fast Italian-British	Energetic, cerebral, flowing	“Ah! Heian Malev — Windseer, lecturer, occasional nuisance. Air governs Autumn here: planning, harvesting, preparing for what comes next. Words travel quickly in Graybriar, and lately I’ve noticed some of them arriving from nowhere at all. When ideas start moving without a source, I get… curious. And concerned. Usually in that order.”
Stonewarden Calabra of WildemarshSavant of Elemental Earth	Gruff Eastern European / Russian	Minimalist, weighty, intimidating	“Calabra. Stonewarden of Wildemarsh. Earth does not need many words. Spring is when we build foundations — not when we dig wounds. The ground beneath Graybriar has begun to feel… hungry. That is not natural. Someone is teaching it to drink.”
Eldon Von HexavileBroker of Wares	Flamboyant French / Continental	Playful, theatrical, charming	“Eldon Von Hexavile, at your service — broker of wares, stories, and occasionally terrible decisions. Air favors trade, travel, and good timing, and Autumn has always been kind to me. But lately, people aren’t buying because they want to — they’re buying because they’re afraid. Fear is bad for business, darling, and worse for towns.”
Madam DrusiliaAlchemist & Fortune Teller	Eastern European / Balkan	Lyrical, indulgent, ominous warmth	“You may call me Madam Drusilia. I brew, I heal, and sometimes… I warn. Winter is my season — water teaches patience, preservation, and the dangers of stagnation. My fortunes have grown cloudy of late. Too many futures bleeding into one another. When water loses its reflection, something is disturbing it from below.”
Skillsmaster Borivic of Kir SabalMartial Trainer	Germanic / Central European	Direct, pragmatic, blunt	“Borivic of Kir Sabal. I train those who intend to survive. Earth discipline, spring labor — that’s how Graybriar stays standing. I don’t care about cultists or gods, but I care very much about fools promising strength without effort. Those promises usually end with graves.”
Runeseer Federick FodelSpellbinder	Soft Welsh / Academic British	Thoughtful, philosophical	“Federick Fodel, Runeseer and spellbinder. Magic is neither good nor evil — it simply responds to attention. Fire answers in summer, as it should. But something beneath Graybriar is being focused, shaped, encouraged. Spells don’t mind being used. They mind being rushed.”
Amber RuinstoneArtificer & Forgemaster	Irish brogue	Warm, earthy, practical humor	“Amber Ruinstone — artificer, forgemaster, and yes, I do the grilling as well. Earth and fire together, that’s my creed. Steel’s been behaving oddly lately, singing when struck, cracking where it shouldn’t. That tells me the pressure’s coming from below. Whatever’s stirring down there, it’s leaning hard.”