Overlord Cards
Main Game Concept, Journeys in the Dark
I - Rules
(see JITD, p. 11; FAQ, p. 1)
The overlord player starts the game with 3 overlord cards.
Each turn, the overlord player draws two cards from the overlord deck. The overlord plays or discards these cards to spawn new monsters, trigger special abilities and game effects, and collect additional threat tokens.
When the overlord player draws the last card in the overlord deck, the heroes immediately lose three conquest tokens. The overlord player then shuffles the discarded cards and creates a new overlord deck.
Discarding Overlord Cards
The overlord player can never have more than eight overlord cards in his hand. After he draws two cards at the beginning of his turn, the overlord player must discard cards until he has no more than eight cards in his hand.
The overlord player collects threat tokens from all discarded cards, and he may discard more cards than required in order to collect additional threat tokens. The overlord may discard cards at any time (during his turn or even during a hero player's turn as rectified in the FAQ) to collect additional threat tokens.
For each overlord card he discards, the overlord collects a number of threat tokens equal to the card's discard value. Discarded overlord cards have no other game effect and cannot be used to trigger any game effect.
Playing Overlord Cards
The overlord player must always pay a card's threat cost when playing it. He simply returns the indicated number of threat tokens to the pile of unused threat tokens, making change if necessary. The overlord player cannot play a card if he doesn't have enough threat tokens to pay for it. He can, however, discard one or more other overlord cards from his hand to collect the additional threat tokens he needs to play the card.
Important: The overlord player never collects threat tokens for cards that are discarded after he has played them and their effects have been resolved.
Types of Overlord Cards
There are four types of cards in the overlord deck:
- spawn cards
- event cards
- trap cards
- power cards
II - References
There is a total of 136 overlord cards with all expansions: 36 in JITD, 39 in WOD, 49 in AOD and 12 in TOI. Here is the complete list of overlord cards in Descent. Sort by clicking on any header or sort multiple columns simultaneously by holding down the shift key and clicking a second, third or even fourth column header.
Overlord Card | Expansion | Type | Threat Cost | Treachery Cost | Discard Value | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aim | JITD | Event | 2 | - | 1 | 3 |
Alarm | AOD | Trap (Chest) | 13 | 2 (purple) | 4 | 1 |
Alarm | WOD | Trap (Chest) | 13 | 2 (purple) | 4 | 1 |
All-Concealing Shadows | WOD | Power | 17 | 2 (green) | 5 | 1 |
Ambush | AOD | Event | 5 | 2 (green) | 2 | 1 |
Ambush | WOD | Event | 5 | 2 (green) | 2 | 1 |
Animate Weapons | AOD | Trap | 20 | 2 (purple) | 4 | 1 |
Bane Spider Nest | AOD | Spawn | 5 | 1 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Bane Spider Nest | WOD | Spawn | 5 | 1 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Bane Spider Swarm | JITD | Spawn | 4 | - | 2 | 2 |
Beastmen War Party | JITD | Spawn | 4 | - | 2 | 2 |
Black Order | AOD | Spawn | 5 | - | 2 | 1 |
Blood Ape Tribe | AOD | Spawn | 5 | - | 2 | 1 |
Brilliant Commander | JITD | Power | 17 | - | 5 | 1 |
Charge | JITD | Event | 4 | - | 1 | 2 |
Cloud of Gas | AOD | Trap (Door) | 10 | 2 (purple) | 3 | 1 |
Critical Strike | AOD | Event | X | 1 (green) | 2 | 2 |
Crushing Block | AOD | Trap (Space) | 7 | - | 3 | 1 |
Crushing Block | JITD | Trap (Space) | 7 | - | 3 | 1 |
Crushing Blow | WOD | Event | X | 1 (green) | 3 | 2 |
Curse of the Ancients | AOD | Trap (Door) | 11 | 1 (purple) | 4 | 1 |
Curse of the Monkey God | AOD | Trap (Chest) | 11 | 1 (purple) | 4 | 1 |
Curse of the Monkey God | JITD | Trap (Chest) | 11 | - | 4 | 1 |
Cursed Treasure | AOD | Trap (Chest) | 7 | 1 (purple) | 3 | 2 |
Dance of the Monkey God | AOD | Trap | 25 | 3 (purple) | 5 | 1 |
Danger | AOD | Event | 0 | 1 (green) | 10 | 1 |
Danger | AOD | Event | 0 | - | 10 | 1 |
Danger | WOD | Event | 0 | 1 (green) | 10 | 1 |
Dark Armor | WOD | Power | 19 | 1 (red) | 5 | 1 |
Dark Balm | AOD | Event | 5 | 1 (green) | 2 | 1 |
Dark Balm | AOD | Event | 5 | - | 2 | 1 |
Dark Brothers | AOD | Spawn | 6 | 2 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Dark Charm | AOD | Trap | 8 | 1 (purple) | 2 | 1 |
Dark Charm | JITD | Trap | 8 | - | 2 | 1 |
Dark Masters | WOD | Spawn | 6 | 2 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Dark Power | AOD | Event | 3 | 1 (green) | 2 | 1 |
Dark Power | WOD | Event | 3 | 1 (green) | 2 | 1 |
Dark Relic | AOD | Trap (Treasure) | X | 2 (purple) | 4 | 2 |
Dark Servant | AOD | Event | 8 | 1 (red) | 3 | 2 |
Death on the Wing | WOD | Spawn | 5 | 1 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Dire Warnings | WOD | Power | 18 | 2 (green) | 5 | 1 |
Dodge | JITD | Event | 2 | - | 1 | 3 |
Dogs of War | WOD | Spawn | 6 | 2 (red) | 2 | 1 |
DOOM! | AOD | Power | 20 | 1 (red) | 5 | 1 |
DOOM! | JITD | Power | 20 | - | 5 | 1 |
Drinkers of Blood | WOD | Spawn | 5 | 1 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Drugged Darts | WOD | Trap (Door) | 9 | 2 (purple) | 3 | 1 |
Elite Beastman War Party | AOD | Spawn | 6 | 2 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Elite Beastman War Party | WOD | Spawn | 6 | 2 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Empower | WOD | Event | X | 1 (green) | 2 | 1 |
Enraged | AOD | Event | 6 | 1 (green) | 2 | 2 |
Envy | AOD | Power | 15 | 2 (green) | 5 | 1 |
Evil Genius | JITD | Power | 25 | - | 5 | 1 |
Explosive Door | JITD | Trap (Door) | 9 | - | 3 | 1 |
Explosive Rune | JITD | Trap (Chest) | 12 | - | 4 | 1 |
Ferrox Tribe | WOD | Spawn | 5 | - | 2 | 1 |
Fire Runes | WOD | Trap (Chest) | 9 | 1 (purple) | 4 | 1 |
Frozen Path | TOI | Trap | 3 | 1 (purple) | 2 | 2 |
Gluttony | AOD | Power | 22 | 2 (purple) | 5 | 1 |
Greed | WOD | Power | 18 | 2 (purple) | 5 | 1 |
Guiding Forces | WOD | Power | 17 | 2 (green) | 5 | 1 |
Gust of Winds | JITD | Event | 6 | - | 2 | 2 |
Hell Hound Pack | JITD | Spawn | 5 | - | 2 | 1 |
Hordes of the Things | JITD | Power | 18 | - | 5 | 2 |
Host of Haunts | TOI | Spawn | 5 | 1 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Jungle Drums | AOD | Spawn | 6 | 1 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Killer Chest | WOD | Trap (Chest) | 12 | 2 (purple) | 4 | 1 |
Kobold Horde | WOD | Spawn | 7 | 1 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Kobold Swarm | WOD | Spawn | 4 | - | 1 | 2 |
Lava Beetle Colony | TOI | Spawn | 5 | 1 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Lava Beetle Scouts | TOI | Spawn | 4 | - | 2 | 1 |
Legions of the Dead | AOD | Spawn | 5 | 1 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Legions of the Dead | WOD | Spawn | 5 | 1 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Lightning Runes | WOD | Trap (Door) | 11 | 2 (purple) | 4 | 1 |
Lone Assassin | AOD | Spawn | 6 | 2 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Lone Golem | WOD | Spawn | 6 | 3 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Lone Manticore | WOD | Spawn | 6 | 1 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Lone Medusa | TOI | Spawn | 4 | - | 2 | 1 |
Lone Naga | WOD | Spawn | 6 | 1 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Lone Ogre | WOD | Spawn | 6 | 1 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Lone Troll | AOD | Spawn | 6 | 1 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Mimic | JITD | Trap (Chest) | 8 | - | 3 | 1 |
Mother Medusa | TOI | Spawn | 6 | 1 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Paralyzing Gas | AOD | Trap (Door) | 5 | - | 3 | 1 |
Paralyzing Gas | JITD | Trap (Door) | 5 | - | 3 | 1 |
Poison Spikes | AOD | Trap (Chest) | 4 | 1 (purple) | 2 | 1 |
Poison Spikes | WOD | Trap (Space) | 4 | 1 (purple) | 2 | 1 |
Poltergeist | AOD | Event | 7 | 1 (green) | 2 | 1 |
Pride | AOD | Power | 14 | 2 (green) | 5 | 1 |
Prowling Wendigo | TOI | Spawn | 6 | 1 (red) | 2 | 1 |
Rage | JITD | Event | 4 | - | 1 | 2 |
Razorwing Flock | JITD | Spawn | 5 | - | 2 | 1 |
Rolling Stones | WOD | Trap (Space) | 14 | 3 (purple) | 5 | 1 |
Scything Blades | WOD | Trap (Space) | 6 | 1 (purple) | 2 | 1 |
Shade Spooks | TOI | Spawn | 4 | - | 2 | 1 |
Skeleton Patrol | JITD | Spawn | 4 | - | 2 | 2 |
Sloth | WOD | Power | 16 | 2 (purple) | 5 | 1 |
Smash! | AOD | Event | 3 | 1 (green) | 1 | 1 |
Smash! | WOD | Event | 3 | 1 (green) | 1 | 1 |
Sneak Up On The Prey | TOI | Event | 3 | 1 (green) | 2 | 2 |
Sorcerer Circle | JITD | Spawn | 5 | - | 2 | 1 |
Spell of Binding | WOD | Event | 8 | 2 (green) | 2 | 1 |
Spell of Burning | AOD | Event | 7 | 1 (green) | 2 | 1 |
Spell of Frost | AOD | Event | 10 | 1 (green) | 3 | 1 |
Spell of Thunder | TOI | Event | 9 | 2 (green) | 3 | 1 |
Spiked Pit | JITD | Trap (Space) | 3 | - | 2 | 2 |
Time Slips Away | AOD | Event | 7 | 1 (green) | 3 | 1 |
Trapmaster | AOD | Power | 16 | 1 (purple) | 5 | 1 |
Trapmaster | JITD | Power | 16 | - | 5 | 1 |
Unholy Swiftness | AOD | Power | 16 | 2 (red) | 5 | 1 |
Urgency | AOD | Power | 19 | 2 (green) | 5 | 1 |
Weakness | AOD | Event | 3 | 1 (green) | 2 | 2 |
Welcome Mat | WOD | Trap (Door) | 6 | 1 (purple) | 2 | 1 |
Wrath | WOD | Power | 25 | 2 (red) | 5 | 1 |