Keywords

When a keyword is present on a card, it assumes the definition that is contained here, regardless of its normal definition in the native language. A keyword may include its usage in multiple parts of speech, which may not be defined individually. Erudia uses the following keywords:

Acolyte: A unit that contains the Acolyte rank, usually designated by the presence of the Acolyte symbol. See Unit Rank

Adjacent: A Battlefield is adjacent to another if it can be reached by moving horizontally or vertically, but not diagonally.

Advantage: An ability that may be triggered for free if its condition is met. Unless otherwise specified, it may only be used during your Battle Phase. A card may always be played using its normal tactic instead of its Advantage.

Affect: A unit is affected if it is damaged, removed from play by any means, moved, changed in power, changed in controller, has a token attached or removed, has an attachment attached, has a weapon attached.

Aligned: Two cards are aligned if they belong to the same class and have the same class identifier.

Ambush: An ability that may be used during the Ambush subphase of the Capture Phase. See Phases of a Turn

Assign: A unit enters play directly without being played. The unit resolves any Ready abilities but does not resolve any attacks. The unit does not trigger any reactions to being played. Other non-attack abilities are still eligible to be used after the assignment resolution has completed.

Base Power: The power printed on a card in its power slot. When a card is in your hand, deck or discard pile, its power is equal to its base power. When an ability references a card’s base power, it references this number.

Command: An ability that may be used once per turn during your Battle Phase. Only the controller may use the command of a card. Battlefields may also have Commands. Each command creates its own separate resolution stack. Commands may not be used during an existing card resolution.

Conscript: Become the controller of a rival card. You cannot conscript cards you control.

Constant: An ability that applies at all times until the card is removed from play or the ability is cancelled.

Controller: The current player to which a card applies. When a card is in one of your play areas, you control it; likewise, when you play a card, you control it as well. The controller is usually the owner, but the controller can change if the card is played by your rival or conscripted after play. When you control a card, you may use its abilities, gain any presence it provides and its power counts towards your overall power on a battlefield.

Damage: Place damage tokens equal to the amount specified by the ability and check if the unit is defeated. See Damage, Destruction and Defeat. A unit is damaged if it has one or more damage tokens on it.

Daybreak: The start of a player's next turn. See Phases of a Turn

Defeat: A unit has either been destroyed or received damage that meets or exceeds their health. The unit is placed in its owner’s discard pile. If the unit was defeated by your rival, the unit’s controller at the time of the defeat loses one Morale.

Deploy: See Deploying Units

Destroy: Defeat a unit immediately who matches the condition specified by the ability.

Event: An ability that triggers at a specific part of the turn, usually Daybreak or Nightfall. Event abilities may only be triggered on cards in play or in Limbo, unless the card indicates that it may be played from hand.

Fate: A choice in abilities. By default, the controller of a Fate card chooses which abilities trigger. Each Fate card indicates how many Fate options may be selected; by default, you may only choose one Fate ability per card.

Heal: To remove a negative token from a card.

Hunt: When you hunt for a card type, reveal cards from the top of your deck one at a time until you reveal a card of the chosen type. Draw the revealed card, then shuffle any unrevealed cards into your deck. If you reach the end of your deck and have not found the chosen card, set those cards aside, shuffle your discard pile into your deck and continue Hunting. If you do not reveal the card type then, the Hunt ends. Shuffle all cards set aside into your deck.

Loot: Abilities that are triggered when a battlefield is captured. See Phases of a Turn

Nightfall: The end of a player's turn. See Phases of a Turn

Tactic: The basic abilities given to a player during their Battle Phase. They may use each of their Tactic in any order, up to their specified Tactic limit. The default limit is three Tactics per turn.

Morale: A measure of your army’s willingness to fight. Morale is lost when an ability modifies it or when a player defeats a rival unit. Morale cannot be gained unless an ability allows it. Morale can never go below zero.

Move: Reposition a unit in play on another battlefield. A unit must actually arrive at the new battlefield in order to be credited with a move.

Must: A player must take the specified course action, even if it is bad for them, or prove that they cannot. When a player is given a choice in abilities, if one of them is a must condition, the player must be available to execute that choice successfully in order to choose it.

Nearby: A card is nearby if it is either on the same battlefield or on an adjacent battlefield

React: An ability that is triggered in response to a card being played or an ability being used. See Resolution Order

Ready: The state in which a unit enters play. It can never be canceled, even if the unit is assigned. Ready abilities apply before a card is attached or equipped and may determine which cards are eligible. See Resolution Order

Repeat: An ability that is meant to be resolved in iterative fashion. The ability is carried out once, resolved, and then repeated (with additional resolutions) one at a time until the number of repetitions has been met. Any part of the ability that occurs after the Repeat is not repeated.

Retreat: Abilities that trigger during the Capture Phase, specifically after the winner has been determined and VP have been assigned. Cards that only have the Retreat option must be played from hand.

Return: Remove a unit from play by means of returning the unit to the indicated hand.

Sacrifice: A player willingly removes their unit from play and places it in their discard pile. It is not considered defeated and does not trigger reactions to defeated units or place objective markers on Plains.

Shield: Short for Shield token. When a unit gains Shields, place shield tokens on it equal to the amount of Shields gained.

Strength: Short for Strength token. When a unit gains Strength, place strength tokens on it equal to the amount of Strength gained.

Support: an ability that may be triggered during your Battle phase by using your Support maneuver. Each player has one support maneuver by default.

Target: A target is something that can receive damage. When new card types are introduced, if they are targets, old cards can immediately interact with them. Currently, units and constructs are targets; battlefields are not.

Temporary power: This is shorthand for a change in power that applies until the end of the current turn. Temporary power may be either gained or lost. Once temporary power is applied, such as the card that provided it going out of play, the previous temporary power cannot be removed, though further changes to temporary power may result in a net new power level.

Then. An instruction linking two abilities together. The second ability is contingent on the first ability actually occurring. When abilities are linked by a then clause, carry out the first ability and resolve its effects before carrying out and resolving the second.

To: When linking abilities together, to is a placeholder for then.

Transfer: Reposition a card in play to another card. Transfers may only occur between cards of the same primary card type. For example, Attachments may only be transferred between cards of the same Attachment type. Transferring a card does not change the card’s controller. If card specifies a transfer and there is no valid target, discard the card instead.

Unavoidable: An ability that bypasses protection that would otherwise prevent the effect. Unavoidable cannot be prevented.

Unit: The primary card type. See Units. Note – Units may always be played as a maneuver even if it has abilities that allow it to be played at other times.

Winner – You are the winner if you have more power than your rival on a battlefield. If both players are the winner, than neither is the loser. The same rules apply outside of the Capture Phase with respect to cards that check for winning/losing.