Chimera Turn

To resolve a Chimera turn, first resolve any status (green box) abilities on aspects on its battlefield, from left to right. Then, the Chimera does one of the following, based on the game state:

• Roll: If there are one or more face down aspects, the Chimera will (1) roll one basic rage die and then (2) roll the behavior die and take the action(s) indicated on the Chimera behavior card.
  » Note: Side actions on the behavior card are dice power effects.
• : Attack. If there are no face down aspects, the Chimera attacks with the leftmost unit that can attack.
• : Pass. If there are no face down aspects and no units that can attack, the Chimera passes. The player turns phase ends when the player(s) and Chimera all choose Pass on consecutive turns.

Chimera Reveals

When the Chimera Reveals, flip over the leftmost face down aspect. If the revealed aspect has a status ability, it comes into play with status tokens on it equal to the pips on the top of the green box. 

After revealing, resolve any abilities on that card that trigger when it comes into play (if any), targeting the opposing player.

Chimera Attacks

When the Chimera Attacks, it declares one attacker: either the specified unit or the leftmost unit that can attack. Aspects will target the opposing player’s leftmost or rightmost unit (as indicated by the Claw icon on the left or right of the card), or their Phoenixborn (as indicated by the Jaw icon in the center).

If your PHOENIXBORN is targeted for an attack (jaw icon), you may assign up to one unexhausted unit you control as a blocker for each attacker.

• If Blocked: The attacker battles its blocker and the blocker counters.
• If Unblocked: The attacker battles your Phoenixborn.

If a UNIT you control is targeted for an attack (claw icon), you may guard with your Phoenixborn or an unexhausted unit with the Unit Guard ability. A Phoenixborn can only guard once per round, but may do so even if exhausted.

• If Guarded: The attacker battles the guard. If the guard is a unit, it counters. If the guard is a Phoenixborn, rotate it 90º to indicate it is unable to guard again this round.
• If Unguarded: The attacker battles the target unit. If it is unexhausted, you may counter with it.

After the Chimera attacks with a unit, place 1 exhaustion token on that unit.

Targeting:
Special Circumstances

Some card effects may prevent an aspect from targeting/attacking a unit. In such a case, the aspect will target the next left/rightmost unit. If it cannot target any unit for an attack, it will target the Phoenixborn instead.

The Chimera may end up in control of a non-aspect unit. When the Chimera attacks with a non-aspect unit, that unit will always target the Phoenixborn.

Fatigued Chimera

When the Chimera empties its draw pile, it becomes fatigued. During setup the fatigued card is placed on the bottom of the Chimera’s draw pile as a reminder of that and instructs what to do when the Chimera becomes fatigued and the ongoing effects of its being fatigued.

Draw and Hand Effects

Because the Chimera has no hand of cards, when the Chimera is forced by an effect to draw cards, it will immediately discard those cards. When the Chimera is fatigued, it cannot draw cards.

When an effect would affect the hand of the Chimera, set aside the top 5 cards of the Chimera’s draw pile (or as many as you can) to create a hand. After resolving the effect that affects the Chimera’s hand, return the set aside cards to the top of the Chimera’s draw pile in a random order.

Red Rains Tokens and the Ultimate Card

Red Rains tokens represent the Chimera’s growth in power as it prepares to progress to its next phase. They are placed when there are still aspects during the recovery phase, when raising rage dice, and as otherwise directed.

After placing Red  Rains tokens, if there are Red Rainstokens equal to or greater than the Ultimate value on the Chimera card, resolve the following steps in order as they are listed on the Chimera’s current Ultimate card:

• Remove Red Rains tokens equal to its Ultimate value from the Chimera.
• Discard all cards on the Chimera’s battlefield(s) that it does not own.
• Resolve the phase-specific effect printed on the Ultimate card.
• Remove the topmost Ultimate card and behavior card from the game to reveal the Chimera’s next phase (unless it is already at phase III). The Chimera is now stronger!
• Note: Increase the Chimera’s Ultimate value by 1 for each exhaustion token on the Chimera or the Ultimate card.

Laws of the Chimera

There are some effects in Ashes Reborn that do not translate directly into the Red Rains game mode. The following rules are adaptations of these effects:

• Choices: If a player’s effect would require the Chimera to make a choice between multiple options, that player chooses which option the Chimera selects.
• Card Draw: After the Chimera draws cards from an effect, immediately discard those cards. When the Chimera is fatigued, it cannot draw cards from effects.
  • e.g. Abundance draws 2 cards for the Chimera, which are immediately discarded. Once the Chimera is fatigued, Abundance instead deals 2 damage to the Chimera since it cannot draw cards.
• Hand: When an effect would affect the hand of the Chimera, set aside the top 5 cards of the Chimera’s draw pile (or as many as you can) to create a hand. After resolving the effect that affects the Chimera’s hand, return the set aside cards to the top of the Chimera’s draw pile in random order.
• Blocking: If a card effect forces the Chimera to block an attacking unit and it has no eligible Defender units, it will block with the first eligible non-Defender unit, assigning from left to right. If a unit can choose its blocker, you may choose any eligible unit, including non-Defenders.
• Guarding: If a player’s attacking unit cannot be guarded against (such as from the Bypass or Stalk ability), the Chimera does not roll to guard. If a Defender unit cannot guard due to effects like Terrifying or Gigantic, select the leftmost Defender that can be declared as a guard, if any.
• Countering: Aspects always counter if unexhausted, and they do not become exhausted as a result of countering.
• Type: While playing the game, aspects are considered to be allies, conjurations, and units, and the Chimera is considered to be a player, opponent, and its own Phoenixborn.
• Non-aspect units on the Chimera’s battlefield: Units like Blood Puppet that can be placed onto any battlefield can always be placed onto the Chimera’s battlefield. During the recovery phase, non-aspect units are not counted when adding Red Rains tokens to the Chimera or aspects to the battlefield.
• Targeting: When an attack or effect from the Chimera or a card it controls targets a leftmost or rightmost unit the opposing player controls but cannot target the specified unit due to another effect, it targets the next left/rightmost unit.
• Area of Effect (2p): When resolving an effect that affects all/each/every of something in play (e.g. dealing damage to all units), it only affects your own battlefield and the opposing Chimera battlefield. For example:
  • Nature’s Wrath will deal 1 damage to all units you control and to all units on the opposing battlefield.
  • Kneel will place 1 exhaustion token on each unexhausted unit you control and each unexhausted unit opposing you.
  • When Abundance instructs all players to draw cards, only you and the Chimera are affected.
• Laws: A ready spell with “Law” in its title only affects (a) its controlling player and any cards they control and (b) the Chimera and any cards it controls when interacting with that player and the cards that player controls.
• Removed From Game: When adding aspects to the Chimera’s battlefield(s), if you have removed so many aspects from the game that it cannot add the required number, shuffle the aspects that were removed from the game and continue adding from those.