Active: Units that can take turns and be interacted with are considered active.
Adjacent: Two hexes are adjacent if they share a side. Units/spires/landmarks in those hexes are considered adjacent to each other.
Attack: A stage of the Onslaught Phase. When a unit attacks, it deals its attack stat in damage to its target. When a spire attacks, it deals damage equal to its rolled result on spire attack dice..
Attack Upgrade: Orange chip with icon. Increases the attack stat of a unit by 1. Increases the number of spire attack dice rolled by a spire by 1.
Attack Stat: The amount of damage dealt when attacking or retaliating.
Barracks: The chip organizer where faction units and spires are kept when not in play. The area beside this organizer where you place market purchases and heroes that have been previously deployed is also considered part of your barracks.
Basic Side: The side of faction chips that does not have . This is the default side of units and spires. They will generally be deployed/constructed on this side and may only be flipped to their promoted/advanced side if a talent, fortress advancement, or other effect specifies for this to occur.
Blocked: When an opposing unit or friendly minion occupies a hex that your minion could otherwise move into or through to make progress on your mark using your full movement.
Build Option: The different choices you are able to make during your turn in the Build Phase. Build options are as follows: construct a spire, upgrade a spire, place an earthscape, and advance your fortress.
Campfire Mode: When your heroes become inactive because no other faction has units in play (but you still have minions in play).
Closer: If the ending distance to a unit's mark is shorter than the starting distance, counting in hexes using your unit's terrain allowance. Count through units but not through spires or landmarks.
Command Points (CP): Granted and used during the Prep Phase to select units from your barracks for deployment. Each faction is designated an equal amount of CP, determined by the current wave.
CP Cost: The amount of CP you must pay in order to select this unit from your barracks for deployment. Units beside your barracks do not cost CP to deploy, nor does your starting hero.
Convert: Taking control of a unit as if it were your own. The converted unit is considered one of your own faction minions for game effects. When it is defeated, it is returned to its original faction's barracks (or discarded, if a landmark/merc minion).
Defeated: When a unit or spire loses its last health, it is considered defeated. Other defeated faction minions and spires are returned to their barracks. Defeated merc minions and spires are discarded. Defeated heroes and landmark minions are removed from play.
Deploy: To move a unit out of your fortress gate and onto a hex group.
Discard: Place component in its corresponding discard pile. Do not remove from the game. Discarded components will be reshuffled and drawn from if initial stack/deck is depleted.
Earthscape: The small hex groups that are available for purchase in the market. Once purchased, can be placed during the Build Phase where you have influence. You may cover Source Wells and paths, but there must always be path terrain connecting every fortress.
Equipment: A chip (with blue borders) that gives additional talents to a hero it is equipped to. Each hero can have, at most, one piece of equipment. Equipment cannot be removed from a hero once it is equipped. When the hero is defeated, the equipment is discarded.
Event: A card drawn at the start of the Event Phase. Events may alter the rules, create a side quest, or impede players in some way for the current wave.
Exploration: The only way unrevealed landmark chips can be interacted with. After spires have fired, you may explore any landmark that is adjacent to one or more of your units. Look at its facedown side without showing it to your opponents, and choose whether or not to reveal it.
Faction: One of the selectable races in the game of Cloudspire. Each faction has its own unique fortress, reference sheet, and array of units and spires.
Faction Unit: Any minion or hero belonging to a faction. This includes purchased merc units and converted landmark minions.
First Player: The player to act first in each phase and each round of the Onslaught Phase. When a new wave begins, the first player designation will pass clockwise.
Fortification Upgrade: Yellow chips with the icon. A fortification upgrade on a unit effectively acts as an extra health chip and is removed first, in place of a health chip, when taking damage. A fortification upgrade on the bottom of a spire protects the spire, as the spire must be dealt at least 2 damage (instead of 1) from a single attack or talent in order to remove it.
Fortress: Your faction's home base. Holds your faction's supply of Source, as well as fortress structures with advancements unique to your faction.
Fortress Advancement: May be built during the Build Phase. These allow you to improve your faction in significant ways and also count towards your fortress power at the end of the game.
Fortress Gate: The foremost hex in your fortress, and what protects your fortress from your opponent(s). This is where your units are deployed from, and where opposing units will target when attacking your fortress. The fortress gate will always retaliate when damaged. This retaliation deals 1 damage, has unlimited range, and will occur even if the gate is defeated. This damage cannot be reduced.
Fortress Power: The combination of your fortress gate health and number of fortress advancements you currently have. Your fortress power will determine the winner at the end of four waves of play, unless the game is ended before this through the defeat of all but one fortress gate in a single wave of play.
Fortress Structure: A group of fortress advancements that must be purchased in the order shown on your faction reference sheet.
Friendly: Refers to a unit or spire that belongs to you or an ally.
Gate Health: Tracked using the gate health tracker chip. Anytime your fortress gate is attacked or repaired, your gate health is reduced by the amount of damage received. Your fortress gate health tracker starts the game at 10 health, and if it is reduced to 0 health your fortress gate is defeated.
Grouped: Minions that are grouped act as one unit, using the stats and talents of the topmost minion. When the top minions health reaches 0, the next minion in the group is immediately given health chips equal to its health stat. Heroes may not be grouped.
Health Units: The amount of damage that can be sustained before it is defeated. Indicated by the number of red health chips underneath the unit chip.
Health Spires: The amount of attacks that can be sustained before it is defeated. Indicated by the number of upgrade chips underneath the spire chip
Health Stat: The number of health chips that are placed underjjhis unit when deployed or revealed, and the maximum number of health chips this unit may have.
Hero: A faction unit (with a gold border) that has free choice in movement and attack, restricted only by its stats and terrain allowance. You may not have more than 2 heroes deployed at a time.
Hex: One space on an isle or earthscape. The fortress gate is also considered a hex.
Hex Group: May refer to an earthscape or an isle
In Play: Any chip or hex group currently on the play area.
Inactive: Any unit that cannot take a turn or be interacted with in any way (i.e. heroes in campfire mode and minions grouped underneath another minion).
Influence: Required to construct a spire on a Source Well or place an earthscape. You are considered to have influence over a hex group if it is adjacent to your fortress gate, it already contains a spire controlled by you, or is adjacent to a hex group containing a spire controlled by you. You also have influence over your fortress Source Wells, and no other faction may have influence over them.
Isle: The large hex groups that are placed at the start of the game to make up the play area.
Item: A chip that can be picked up by adjacent heroes. Heroes may only carry one item at a time. When the hero is defeated, the item is dropped and placed on the hex the hero was occupying.
Landmark: Chips that are placed facedown during set-up, covering each isles' Source Wells. Landmarks can only be interacted with through exploring until they are while they are unrevealed.
Landmark Minion: Revealed landmark with a bronze border. Landmark minions do not move or attack, but will retaliate. They are considered opposing units to every faction.
Leading Minion: Your minion that is the closest to your mark. The leading minion is always the first minion to move during your turn in the Onslaught Phase.
Level Up: Unit is either promoted or receives an upgrade. Heroes level up when they defeat an opposing unit or spire. If they are on their basic side and at max upgrade capacity, they are promoted, otherwise they receive an upgrade. Minions have unique ways in which they may be promoted depending on their faction. Minions generally do not receive upgrades.
Limited Build Option: Build options available at the start of your turn during the Onslaught Phase. You are limited to constructing or upgrading a spire, and perform a maximum of 2 limited build options during a single Onslaught Phase.
Mark: Determined at the start of the Prep Phase. This indicates which faction's fortress gate all of your minions must make progress towards.
Market: Comprised of merc minions, merc heroes, merc spires, equipment, and earthscape hexes. Each player is able to make a purchase from the market during the Market Phase. Only one earthscape may be purchased each Market Phase.
Merc: Short for "mercenary". These are units and spires that are acquired through a purchase from the market.
Minion: A unit (with a bronze border) that must make progress each turn. Additionally, they must attack if there is a valid target.
Minion Type: The name of a minion is its type (i.e. harrier, battleborn, etc)..
Movement Stat: The number of hexes your minions must move if possible, while adhering to terrain allowances and making progress. Your heroes may use as much or as little of their movement stat as you wish.
Non-Path Hex: A hex of any terrain type except for path. Any effect referring to a "non-path hex" cannot occur on a Source Well.
Opposing: Refers to something that belongs to an opponent. Landmark minions are considered opposing to all factions.
Path: A hex terrain that must connect every fortress. Can be traversed by all units.
Pillage: Occurs when you defeat a fortress gate and the game does not end. Increase your Source by the amount of Source the defeated faction has (up to your Source capacity) and reduce their Source to 0.
Play Area: All of the isles used during set up and any earthscapes added during play. Also includes fortress gate hexes.
Progress: A unit ending its movement closer to its mark than where it started.
Promoted: When a unit is promoted, the chip is flipped over to its promoted side, removing all upgrade chips. If this occurs during the Onslaught Phase, it is granted the difference in health chips from its basic side's health stat to its promoted side's health stat, if any. Heroes can be promoted if they level up while at max upgrade capacity on their basic side. Minions have unique ways in which they may be promoted depending on their faction.
Promoted/Advanced Side: Side of faction chips indicated by . Units and spires will generally not be deployed/constructed on this side unless a talent, fortress advancement, or other effect specifies for this to occur.
Range: The number of hexes away a unit or spire can attack from. All units and spires have a default range of 1. Not to be confused with the talent # Range.
Range Upgrade: Green chip with icon. Increases the number of hexes a unit or spire may attack and retaliate from by 1. This upgrade may only be applied to a unit if it has the talent # Range.
Repair: Recovering your fortress gate health to 3 after it has been defeated. This occurs in the Income Phase.
Relic: A card awarded to a player, generally for defeating a landmark. Relics will have abilities that may be used to give the player an advantage in the +game.
Relic Reward: Defeating faction draws a relic card.
Remove from Play: Place component back in the box, as it is no longer available for use this game.
Retaliation: An automatic reaction a unit will perform when attacked. A target will retaliate the first time each turn that it is attacked by a unit within its range each turn unless it is defeated. Retaliation deals damage to the attacker equal to the target's attack stat.
Revealed: When a landmark chip is faceup. Once revealed, a landmark can be interacted with.
Round: During the Onslaught Phase, a round consists of each player taking a turn. A round begins with the first player and ends when the player to the right of the first player finishes their turn.
Select: Choosing heroes and minions from your barracks during the Prep Phase that you will deploy for the upcoming Onslaught Phase. You must pay the corresponding CP cost.
Source: The main resource of the game. Source is gained in the Income Phase and by defeating units and spires. It can be spent on a number of things from constructing and upgrading spires to advancing your fortress and making purchases in the market.
Source Cost: The amount of Source you must spend in order to construct or purchase this unit or spire.
Source Reward: The amount of Source a faction gains by defeating this unit or spire.
Source Well: The blue circle feature found on some hexes. This is where players can build spires, provided they have influence over the hex that the Source Well is on.
Spire: A stationary non-unit faction chip (with a silver border) which attacks enemy faction units that end their movement within its range. They are constructed during the Build Phase or during the Onslaught Phase at the start of your turn (using one of your two limited build options). They must be constructed on Source Wells that you have influence over.
Spires Fire: The stage of your turn during the Onslaught Phase that takes place after your units have moved. Following turn order, each opposing player checks if you have any units within range of their spires. If so, their spires will attack and roll for damage. Each spire may fire only once per turn.
Spire Reward: The defeating faction may immediately build' a spire on this Source Well at no cost, and ignoring influence restrictions.
Starting Hero: Your faction hero that requires 0 CP to deploy. This is the only hero you are allowed to deploy in Wave 1.
Starting Upgrades: Upgrade chips that a spire starts with when constructed. These can be placed under the spire in any order.
Talent: Special abilities that a unit or spire has access to. Specific talent abilities and when they trigger are listed on the corresponding reference sheets.
Terrain: The types of hexes found on the hex groups. Different terrain types require different terrain allowances for units to move on or through.
Terrain Allowance: The icon that indicates the most difficult type of terrain a unit is able to traverse. If no icon is shown, the unit can only move on path terrain.
Ungrouped: Units that are not grouped with additional units underneath them. Heroes must be deployed in this way.
Unit: A minion or hero. Does not include spires or non-minion landmarks.
Unrevealed: A landmark chip that is facedown. Can only be interacted with through exploration.
Upgrade: Attack, range, or fortification chips that may be added to units or spires to increase their stats. Upgrades on spires also act as their health.
Upgrade Capacity: The number of upgrade chips you may not exceed when upgrading a unit or spire.
Valid Target: Opposing units (including landmark minions), opposing spires, and opposing fortress gates within range.
Wave: The major segments a game of Cloudspire is divided into. A typical game is played over 4 waves. Each wave consists of 6 phases
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