HOW TO PLAY DEMONIAC
2-4 Players | 15 - 45 Minutes | 13+
INTRODUCTION
Hell-o and welcome to Demoniac!
A Demoniac is a person possessed by demons. Your task in DEMONIAC: THE POSSESSIVE CARD GAME is to do the possessing! Win the game by turning your hapless victim into a powerful demoniac to defeat the holy exorcist. Disturbances will help you sow chaos among your fellow players, while the exorcist's divinity will unleash goodness and thwart your progress. Will you be the first to take down the exorcist once and for all? Choose your victim, prepare your possessions, and get ready for a devilishly good time!
SETUP
Shuffle the BODY POSSESSION, MIND POSSESSION, and DISTURBANCE cards together. This is the deck; place it to one side of the playing area.
Each player selects a VICTIM and places it in front of them with the innocent, non-possessed side up. The rest of the victims can be returned to the box.
Setup the EXORCIST by choosing one of the six as a group, and placing that card face-up at the head of the table where everyone can see. Shuffle the WEAKNESS cards (featuring the large symbols on them) and deal five of the six cards symbol-side down around the exorcist in the shape of an inverted cross (see image). Return the last symbol to the box without looking at it, along with the exorcists not in play. Finally, shuffle the DIVINITY mini cards and deal one on top of each of the cards surrounding the exorcist, number side up. The remaining divinity cards can be placed back in the box as well.
Deal three cards from the deck to each player.
You’re ready to play DEMONIAC!
HOW TO PLAY
The most evil player goes first, with turns proceeding clockwise.
Start your turn by drawing three cards from the deck.
You will then take up to three actions per turn.
Actions can include playing a card from your hand, or attcking the exorcist by rolling/re-rolling dice.
PLAYING CARDS
There are two types of cards that you can play:
POSSESSIONS are used to strengthen your attacks and turn your victim into a demoniac. Possession cards are played from your hand to one of the five spots surrounding your victim.
DISTURBANCES cause an immediate effect that give you an advantage. Read the card aloud as you play it, apply the effect, and then place it in the discard pile.
ATTACKING THE EXORCIST
You can also attack the exorcist by rolling dice. You'll roll one dice for each possession surrounding your victim, plus a bonus die if your victim has become a demoniac (more on that later). Each roll counts as an action, and you may use subsequent actions to re-roll any number of dice. For instance, you may use the first action of your turn to roll five dice, and then use your second action to re-roll three of those dice.
Each pentagram at the end of your rolls counts as a hit, which you can use to destroy one of the five divinity cards surrounding the exorcist. Once all of the divinities are destroyed you can prepare for the final showdown to defeat the exorcist once and for all. More on defeating the exorcist later…
Once you've completed three actions, you'll end your turn by discarding until you hit the maximum hand size of six. Play will then continue to the player on your left.
The game continues until all of the exorcist's weaknesses have been revealed, and a victim with the proper possessions successfully attacks them. That player wins the game!
POSSESSING YOUR VICTIM
Playing POSSESSION cards will strengthen your victim and turn them into a Demoniac. Each possession represents a unique demon that inflicts its own brand of suffering - read the flavor text at the bottom of every card to learn more about them!
Possessions are played in the five spaces surrounding your victim, creating the shape of an inverted cross. You can play a possession in an empty spot, or replace a previously-played possession by moving it to the discard pile.
There are two types of possession cards: MIND POSSESSIONS and BODY POSSESSIONS. Mind possessions have a purple border and body possessions are green.
TO TURN YOUR VICTIM INTO A DEMONIAC, you must possess them with cards that match their MIND and BODY strengths. You can find the victim's strength in the circles at the bottom of their card; the green circle holds their body strength, and the purple circle holds their mind strength. Surround your victim with a corresponding number of mind and body possessions to convert them to a demoniac. As soon as your victim is properly possessed you may flip the victim card over to reveal their Demoniac state. Becoming a Demoniac is permanent, even if the body and mind possessions around your victim change.
For instance, Little Linda has a body strength of 4 and a mind strength of 1. Possess Little Linda with four green cards and one purple card to turn her into a Demoniac.
You'll notice that possession cards also have one of three evil symbols at the bottom of the card. These symbols relate to the exorcist's weaknesses, and will be important in defeating them. More on that soon...
The exorcist starts the game strong, surrounded by five divinity cards that each have unique holy powers. These cards have a number on their back, showing their strength. When a player successfully attacks the exorcist with a hit equal or greater to that number, they destroy the divinity, unleashing the holy effect on their opponents and then exposing the exorcist's weakness underneath. The attacking player is immune to this divinity effect, giving them an advantage for their successful attack.
For example, player one might attack the exorcist with a power of 4. There is a divinity with a value of 3, which they choose to destroy. The card is revealed to be "Holy Spritz," which forces opponents to discard three cards. Player one is immune to this effect as they were the one who attacked, but all other players must immediately discard three cards.
After resolving a divinity, the underlying card is flipped over to reveal one of three evil symbols. These are the same symbols found on the bottom of each possession card, and represent the exorcist's spiritual weakness.
THE EXORCIST
The specific placement of the symbols around the exorcist is important. You must have possessions surrounding your victim whose symbols match the placement of those surrounding the exorcist.
For instance, if there is a 666 to the left of the exorcist, your victim must have a possession card placed to its left that also has a 666 on it before you can win the game.
Once all of the exorcist's weaknesses are exposed, the first player that attacks for six points while having possessions that match all of the symbols will defeat them and claim victory!
ATTACKING
You can attack the exorcist on your turn, using one of your three actions to roll dice.
When you choose to attack, you'll roll one die for each possession surrounding your victim. If your victim is a demoniac, you'll get an extra die, bring the total to six.
Each dice has three pentagrams, which count as hits at the end of your attack. There are two blank sides which have no effect. Be careful of the final side - the holy cross. If you're stuck with a cross at the end of your attack, it will activate the power found on the exorcist's card. Multiple crosses will trigger the power multiple times, so be careful when you're attacking!
After your first roll, you may use another turn action to re-roll any number of die. This can be repeated as long as you have remaining actions.
Example: A player uses their first turn action to attack the exorcist. Their victim has four possessions surrounding them, so they get to roll four dice. They are also a demoniac, giving them a bonus die for a total of five. Their first roll has three pentagrams, one blank, and one cross. They use their second action to re-roll the blank and cross, resulting in an additional pentagram and a blank. The player decides to end their attack, and hits the exorcist with a power of 4. After resolving the attack, they still have one additional action on their turn.
creating disturbances
Disturbances are drawn from the deck, and can be played as one of your three turn actions. A disturbance causes an immediate effect. Read the card aloud, resolve the effect, and then place the card in the discard pile.
Disturbances can give you a major advantage in Demoniac! Consider your timing and targets for them to maximize your chances.
WINNING THE GAME
Once all of the exorcist’s weaknesses are exposed, they are vulnerable to defeat.
A victim must have possessions matching each of the exorcist’s weaknesses, in the correct positions, before they can deliver a fatal attack.
Once a victim is properly possessed they must attack with a strength of SIX to win the game.
Rolling six pentagrams can be a challenge, even with three actions. Try your luck, or keep an eye out for Disturbances that can increase your chances.
Once a properly-possessed victim deals six damage to the exorcist, they defeat holiness and win the game! The winning player flips over the exorcist’s card and shares the grisly details of their defeat with their fellow minions.
THE EVIL RELICS EXPANSION
Once you’ve mastered the base game, you’re ready to introduce EVIL RELICS.
These cursed objects grant immense power to one demoniac, though will also draw the ire of other players who want to steal the relics for themselves.
Start by choosing one of the four relics. The others will not be used and can be returned to the box.
The relic starts in the possession of the exorcist (no pun intended) - place it nearby the exorcist’s inverted cross.
You’ll notice that the relic has a number on it. That represents its strength. Players may attempt to “steal the relic,” which functions the same as attacking the exorcist. If a player chooses to steal the relic, they will roll and re-roll dice over a number of their turn actions. If the resulting number of pentagrams is equal or greater than the relic’s costs, they take control of it. Note that holy crosses rolled during an attempt to steal the relic do not trigger the exorcist’s special power - they are simply disregarded.
A player in control of the evil relic gains the power on the back of the object. Abilities take effect immediately, and remain in effect unless the relic is stolen.
Players may attack each other in order to steal the relic from one another. Stealing a relic from a player works exactly like stealing from the exorcist - roll dice equal to the number of possessions surrounding your victim (+1 if they’re demoniac), use subsequent actions to re-roll any number of dice, and steal the relic if your final roll has enough pentagrams to match the relic’s strength.
Each of the four included relics brings a different game-changing power to the game. Have fun experimenting with all of them!