Draw, score, spend
Draw each round, then use score as both victory track and resource. Score also determines initiative. Recruit Heroes by paying their Soul value, or summon Undead by paying their Attack value.
1-4 players · 6 rounds · race to 100
Score with the Living. Scale with the Undead.
A competitive engine-building card game where Living Heroes generate score, while Undead units scale the multiplier and disrupt your opponents. Death is not the end - it is rebirth.
- Players
- 1-4
- Rounds
- 6
- Victory
- 100 score
What is Deathmancer?
A duel across the Living and Dead Realms.
Deathmancer is a card game for 1-4 players. Each player controls a Commander and fights across two connected realms: the Living Realm above and the Dead Realm below. Living Heroes shoot for the heavens by generating score. Undead units increase your multiplier, attack opposing Heroes, and disrupt the opponent.
How it plays
Every turn asks where your power should be spent.
Take two actions
On your turn, take one Living Action and one Undead Action. Post score, recruit, summon, attack, trigger an Undead ability, or use Commander Override.
Transform into The Fallen
When a Living Hero reaches 0 Soul, it dies. But death is not the end. Non-Commander Heroes become one of The Fallen in the Dead Realm; whilst Commanders flip to their Undead side.
Commanders
Your Commander defines your tempo and afterlife.
Each Commander has Living and Undead sides. While Living, your Commander can summon Undead (or score/recruit with the Living). If killed, it flips into the Dead Realm and gains access to Commander Override: score or summon during the Undead Action instead of attacking or using an ability with your Undead.
Archimedes, The Virtuous
Starts with initiative. Has increased power in the Living Realm. Defensive and consistent scoring.
Balthazar, The Ascendant Angel
Has greater command over the Undead for an increasingly scaling army. Comes back stronger in Death.
Commanders In-Progress
The Gatekeeper and Chronos control Space and Time. One commands the boundary between the Living and Dead Realms; the other commands the passage of the rounds.
Auto-Summons
Each Commander has an Auto-Summon that enters play at the start of Round 2 for no action point and no score cost.
Rulebook
Playtest rules for a six-round race to 100.
The v2 playtest rulebook covers setup, round structure, Living and Undead Actions, scoring, multiplier order, terrain, Purgatory, Fallen tokens, and endgame timing.
Characters
Browse the Living and Undead by Commander.
Explore the artwork designs and character backgrounds behind each Living and Undead unit.
Development Log
From the Deathmancer studio
- Deathmancer found its home online. The first rulebook, solo rules and scorekeeper gave players everything they needed to begin exploring the two realms.
- Archimedes and Balthazar's forces took their place in the character gallery, bringing Glen's illustrations together with the stories behind the cards. The first animated artwork offered another glimpse into their world.
- With prototypes ready for players, work turned to refining the rules and expanding the lore. Solo adventurers gained a hard-mode challenge, while the scorekeeper became more compact for use alongside a physical game.
- The Kickstarter pre-launch is live, and you can now join our mailing list for news from Joe and Glen. The latest main rules and Solobook are available alongside a new how-to-play video. Fifteen new and updated illustrations join the character gallery, including The Gatekeeper's first reveal and Vissago, formerly Saemus. At the table, tied rounds now pass initiative to the player who went second in the previous round.
Scorekeeper
A companion for score, multipliers, terrain, and round flow.
The scorekeeper helps players track current score, Living POW totals, Undead multiplier values, terrain effects, and the race to 100 before Round 6 ends.