Cavern of Soloth
Credits
Game Specifications
Game Overview
Cavern of Soloth is the first expansion for Catacombs 3E, the award-winning dexterity dungeon crawler. The expansion introduces six new heroes who embark on a quest to explore the mysterious Cavern of Soloth.
This expansion adds new cards and wooden components that extend gameplay for experienced Catacombs players. New mechanics include Flame Column obstacles, the Repeat shot type, expanded Suppression rules, and the Altar of Soloth special room.
Catacombs 3E is required to play with this expansion. All components integrate seamlessly with the base game, allowing players to mix new heroes, monsters, and rooms with existing content.
Key Features
Six New Heroes
The expansion introduces a complete party of new heroes, each with unique abilities and playstyles:
Hanev the Paladin is a holy warrior with divine powers that protect allies and smite enemies. Katrine the Ice Princess masters frost magic, using ice shots to freeze enemies at range. Ulselu the Centaur Warrior combines swift movement with deadly combat prowess.
Vysara the Sorceress wields arcane magic for powerful spell combinations. Beeble the Dwarf Miner brings toughness and resourcefulness, purchasing items at discounted prices. Zacalan the Witch Hunter specialises in defeating dark forces with specialised abilities targeting monsters.
Each hero comes with Rule Cards, Portrait Cards, and wooden disc pieces. Heroes integrate with the existing Catacombs 3E hero roster, allowing players to form custom parties mixing base game and expansion characters.
Four New Catacomb Lords
The expansion adds four powerful Catacomb Lords to challenge hero parties. These villains serve as final bosses with unique mechanics and increased difficulty.
The Queen of the Underworld commands dark powers. The Shapeshifter transforms mid-battle, changing tactics. The Hydra and Orc Warchief provide alternative boss encounters with distinct challenges. Each Catacomb Lord has multiple cards showing different configurations and abilities.
Catacomb Lords from the expansion can be mixed with base game lords, providing variety in dungeon conclusions.
Eighteen New Monsters
Cavern of Soloth includes 18 Monster Cards representing new enemies. The Phoenix rises from ashes after defeat, dropping Phoenix Feather items. The Siren uses suppression to disable hero abilities. The Wyvern and Remorhaz are large flying and burrowing threats.
Fire Salamanders bring flame-based attacks. Gargoyles use stone defenses. Lizard Men form coordinated groups. Sirens enchant heroes. Wights drain life force. Elder Vampires command undead powers.
The Rust Monster destroys equipment. Shades move through shadows. Manticores strike from the air. Infernal Acolytes summon demons. Orc Wolf Riders provide mobile ranged threats.
Each monster has unique shot sequences, defensive properties, and tactical considerations. The variety forces heroes to adapt strategies for different encounters.
Flame Column Obstacles
The expansion introduces Flame Column obstacles represented by orange wooden pieces. These towering columns of flame create hazardous terrain for experienced players seeking added challenge.
The Overseer can replace standard brown obstacles with Flame Columns during room setup. Each time a hero hits a Flame Column, either directly or indirectly through ricochet, that hero loses one health point. Some monsters can also be damaged by Flame Columns under specific conditions detailed in monster vulnerability rules.
Flame Columns force heroes to plan shot paths carefully, as errant flicks carry penalties. They increase difficulty while creating interesting tactical situations where heroes must choose between safe conservative shots and risky aggressive plays.
Repeat Shot Type
Cavern of Soloth introduces the Repeat shot, a new shot type that forces monsters to perform their shot sequence again. When a monster is hit by a Repeat shot, it immediately executes its entire shot sequence a second time.
The Repeat shot itself deals no damage. It only affects monsters that have already taken their turn in the current round. If a monster has not yet acted, the Repeat shot has no effect. When multiple monsters are hit by a single Repeat shot, the Overseer chooses which one repeats.
This mechanic creates tactical opportunities. Heroes can force dangerous monsters to exhaust their attacks early or manipulate turn order by making threats act out of sequence. Antients and Catacomb Lords can perform Repeat shots but are not affected by them.
Expanded Suppression Rules
The expansion expands Suppression mechanics. Some monsters, like the Siren, suppress specific shot types, preventing heroes from using those attacks while the monster remains in play.
The Siren suppresses missile, ice, fireball, and target shots. Heroes relying on these attacks must adapt tactics or focus on defeating the suppressing monster first. Suppression is indicated on Monster Cards with a Suppresses box listing affected shot types.
This system adds strategic depth. Parties must consider team composition and have backup options when key abilities are suppressed. The Overseer can use suppression to create challenging scenarios where heroes operate outside their comfort zones.
Altar of Soloth
The Altar of Soloth is a new Special Room Card. When heroes reach the Altar, they can pay five gold coins to make an offering. The Overseer shuffles the Item deck and reveals the top card.
Heroes decide as a group whether to accept the offered item. If accepted, they assign it to one hero. If declined or unusable, the item returns to the bottom of the deck. Heroes can make multiple offerings, paying five gold each time.
This risk-reward system creates interesting decisions. Spending gold on unknown items might yield powerful equipment or situational cards. Teams must weigh immediate purchases against gambling on altar offerings.
Components
Cavern of Soloth includes:
- 12 Hero Cards (Rules and Portraits for 6 heroes)
- 12 Catacomb Lord Cards (for 4 Catacomb Lords)
- 18 Monster Cards
- 39 Room Cards
- 13 Ability Cards
- 15 Item Cards
- 1 Antient Card
- 40 Wooden Pieces:
- 6 Extra Large Orange Pieces (Flame Column obstacles)
- 9 Large Pieces (heroes, bosses, large monsters)
- 23 Medium Pieces (heroes and monsters)
- 2 Small White Pieces (Ice Shot)
- 5 Sticker Sheets (to apply to wooden pieces)
- 1 Instruction Manual
The wooden pieces include:
- 6 Hero pieces (Paladin, Ice Princess, Centaur Warrior, Sorceress, Dwarf Miner, Witch Hunter)
- Catacomb Lord pieces (Queen of the Underworld, Shapeshifter, Hydra, Orc Warchief)
- Monster pieces (Phoenix, Wyvern, Remorhaz, Siren, Gargoyle, Lizard Man, Wight, Elder Vampire, Fire Salamander, Rust Monster, Shade, Manticore, Infernal Acolyte, Orc Wolf Rider, Stone Antient)
All components are fully compatible with Catacombs 3E and can be mixed with base game content.
Awards & Recognition
Resources
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