Betrayal at House on the Hill rules summary

Object: You play one of a group of explorers in a creepy old house. Players try to collect
items to make their characters stronger until the Haunt scenario begins. Then one explorer
becomes a traitor and the first side to complete its victory condition wins the game.

Setup: Each player chooses a character card and picks one of the two explorers on it to play.
Set the clips on the card to match the characters green starting numbers for his traits.
Shuffle the Omen, Item, and Event decks.
Place the Basement Landing, the Entrance Hall/Foyer/Grand Staircase, and the Upper Landing
room tiles apart from each other on the table.
Mix the rest of the tiles into a face down draw pile.
Each player places their matching colored explorer figure in the Entrance Hall room.
Randomly determine who goes first.
Character cards and possessed Item and Omen cards are public knowledge.

On Your Turn: You can move, discover new rooms, and use Item or Omen cards in any order
you want. After the Haunt starts, you can also make an attack once per turn.
A sample turn would be to move, make an attack, and then move some more.
If you drew an Omen card during your turn, you must make a Haunt roll at the end of your
turn. (Note: ignore the roll now text on the Omen cards).

Moving: You may move up to a number of rooms equal to your characters current Speed.
Whenever a game effect requires you to draw a card, you must stop moving for the rest of your
turn.
You cant leave the house or use the front door unless the Haunt says otherwise.
The Grand Staircase connects to the Upper Landing.
The Stairs From Basement leads to/from the Foyer through a secret door. However, the Stairs
From Basement tile needs to be discovered in order to use these stairs.

Discovering a New Room: When you move into an unexplored area, you will place a tile there
from the draw pile.
If the top tile matches your floor, place that tile face up with a doorway connected to the
doorway you entered (and to any other adjacent rooms, if possible), and move your figure into
the room. Any connections between the new tile and other existing tiles that dont match will
create false doors.
If the top tile doesnt match your floor, set it aside in a face down discard pile and repeat the
process until a tile is placed.
If the players go through all of the tiles, shuffle the discard pile to make a new draw pile.
If you run out of tiles for a given floor, there is nothing more to explore on that floor.
Do not place new tiles so that they seal off a level. If placing the tile would seal off a level,
discard it and draw a new tile that leaves a free doorway. If all undrawn tiles for a level would
seal off the level, the current player may rearrange the level until there are more free doorways.
Drawing Cards: The first time you place a room tile that has a card symbol, you must end
your movement (but not your turn) in that room, draw the appropriate card, and read it out
loud.
If anyone later enters the room, they dont draw a card. If a room is placed by the Haunt, no
card is drawn if it is later entered.
Event cards are executed and then discarded (unless stated to have an ongoing effect).
Item cards are placed face up in front of you and are in your possession.
Omen cards are placed face up in front of you and are in your possession. When an Omen is
initially drawn, you must make a Haunt roll at the end of your turn.
After drawing a card for a new room, follow any text on the tile.

Using Item and Omen Cards: You can use an item (to attack, make a roll, or any other
action) only once at any point during your turn (unless it states otherwise).
Once during your turn, you can give an item to another player in the same room (if you both
agree). This is also called trading.
Once during your turn, you can drop any number of items and place an Item Pile token in that
room.
Once during your turn, you can pick up one or more items from an Item Pile.
During your turn, you can only perform one of the following actions with each individual item:
use it, give it away, drop it, steal it, or pick it up.
The above all apply to Omen cards as well except for the companions (Girl, Dog, Madman)
and Bite.
You can use as many items as you like on your turn, even after your movement has ended. You
cannot make the same roll more than once per turn (e.g., you cant keep rolling to open the
Vault).
The only items/omens you can use outside your own turn are Angel Feather, Lucky Stone, and
Skull.

Trait Rolls: Roll as many dice as your explorer currently has in that trait and add the results
together. Note that a trait roll referenced on a card is not the same as a combat roll.
If a trait gets raised above its highest level, keep track of how far it went over since that
amount counts if the attribute is later lowered.

Making the Haunt Roll: At the end of each turn that a player draws an Omen card, he must
roll 6 dice. If the roll is less than the total number of Omen cards that all players have drawn
this game, the Haunt starts. The rolling player is called the Haunt Revealer.

Revealing the Haunt: On the Haunt Chart, cross reference the name of the last Omen card
drawn with the name of the room it was drawn in. The result is the Haunt number. Then look
at the Haunt Traitors list the Haunt number identifies which explorer is the traitor (i.e., it is
not necessarily the Haunt Revealer).
If multiple explorers could be the traitor and one of them is the Haunt Revealer, then he is the
traitor. If the Haunt Revealer is not one of those explorers, then the closest possible player to
his left is the traitor.
Haunt Setup: The traitor takes the Revised Traitors Tome booklet and leaves the room to read
the corresponding Haunt number page (only).
The rest of the players become the heroes and read the corresponding Haunt number page
(only) in the Revised Secrets of Survival booklet. They can talk briefly about their plan for
survival.
Once ready, the traitor returns to the room and both sides do anything listed in the Right
Now sections of their booklets.
After the Haunt starts, players no longer make Haunt rolls, although Omen cards can still be
drawn in new rooms.
A Haunt that states something must be done a number of times equal to the number of
explorers includes explorers that have been killed.
A Haunt that directs the heroes to go through the deck to get a certain card will result in giving
the card to a hero chosen by the group.

Haunt Turn Order: The first turn after the Haunt is revealed starts with the player to the
traitors left.
After each hero takes their turn, the traitor gets a traitor turn and then any monsters controlled
by the traitor get a monster turn. Then return to the hero turns and so on.
The heroes and the traitor have to state what theyre doing during their turns but not why, nor
do you have to reveal the number you need to roll for a Haunt-specific action.
The heroes and traitor are still explorers. They can do the same things they did before the
Haunt.
After the Haunt begins, explorers can die. Your items are marked by an Item Pile and any
companions token is left in the room for another player to take upon entering.
The hero players may freely share information as if the heroes have walkie-talkies (i.e., the
distance between the heroes doesnt matter).

Attacks: After the Haunt starts, once per turn you may attack an opponent in the same room.
Each combatant rolls a number of dice equal to their Might. The higher roller defeats the
lower and inflicts physical damage equal to the difference between the rolls. If theres a tie, no
one gets hurt.
When you take physical damage, lower your Might and/or Speed by that amount.
Before the Haunt starts, your traits can never go below their lowest number.
Once the Haunt starts, if any of your traits moves down to the skull symbol, your explorer dies.
A card or Haunt may state that both combatants fight with a trait other than Might. If attacking
with Sanity or Knowledge, the damage is mental damage and is instead applied to the Sanity
and/or Knowledge traits.
You cant use a trait to attack an opponent that doesnt have the same trait.
Monsters are only stunned when defeated, unless the Haunt says otherwise.
The Revolver item and some monsters can make distance attacks (along a line of sight through
doorways). The attacker takes no damage if defeated when making a distance attack.
If you attack someone and inflict 2+ physical damage, you can steal a tradeable item instead of
doing damage [EXC: not with a distance attack].
You can make a Haunt-specific action on your turn and also attack.
The Traitors New Powers: The traitor can use or ignore any non-damaging room effects.
The traitor can decide where the Mystic Elevator goes when he uses it.
The traitor must stop and draw a card upon entering a new room but he can choose not to be
affected by Event and Omen cards.
Negative events (Debris, Webs, Lights Out, or Grave Dirt) that currently affect an explorer are
discarded if he becomes the traitor.
If the traitor dies, that player still controls the monsters.

The Traitor and Monsters: Traitors and monsters can use any beneficial text on a room tile
(such as the movement from the Collapsed Room or Gallery) while ignoring any harmful text
(such as damage or the turn-ending text on a barrier room).
Traitors and monsters can also pass through the Revolving Wall without rolling.

Monsters: At the start of the monster turn, roll dice equal to each monsters Speed to
determine how far it can move. For groups of the same type of monster, roll once for the
whole group. Monsters are moved and take actions one at a time. If the Speed roll comes up
all blanks, the monster(s) can still move one room.
If a Haunt forces a monster to move toward a hero, it will follow whatever path would get it
there in the fewest moves.
Most monsters cant be killed. If it suffers any damage, a monster is flipped over to its stunned
(S) side, misses its next turn, and is flipped back at the end of its next turn.
Attacking a stunned monster has no further effect although you could try to steal an item from
it and if the hero loses such a combat, he takes no damage.
If using an item that stuns monsters, a monster that is normally destroyed when defeated will
be stunned as per above even though it doesnt have a stunned (S) side.
A monster can only attack once during its turn. Monsters cant make distance attacks or steal
items unless allowed by the Haunt.
A monster ending its turn in a barrier room must decide which side of the barrier it is on.
Monsters can use the Mystic Elevator, Secret Stairs, Secret Passage, Revolving Wall, and
Mystic Slide.
Monsters cant explore new rooms. However, if a monster is unable to reach the heroes from
or into the basement, on his turn the traitor may go through the room stack until he finds the
Stairs From Basement tile and put it into play next to any open basement doorway. This does
not apply if the Haunt allows monsters to explore new rooms.
Monsters cant carry items (unless allowed by the Haunt). If a monster allowed to carry items
is stunned, it drops any items into an Item Pile.
Monster traits are made public knowledge when the monster has to roll dice for a specific trait.

Moving Past Opponents: A figure wanting to leave a room with an opponent in it must
expend an extra point of Speed per opponent in the room. You can always move at least one
room. However, stunned monsters dont slow a heros movement in this way.

Winning the Game: The first side that completes its Haunt goal wins. At least one hero must
survive for the heroes to win. Some haunts allow for the traitors monsters to win the game
even if the traitor dies.
Room FAQ:
Barrier rooms Each has a barrier that can prevent you from moving to the other side of the room. You can
Catacombs attempt the listed trait roll once per turn. Crossing the barrier doesnt count as moving a room.
Chasm If you fail the roll, you stop moving, but you can attempt to cross again or move back the way you
Tower came on a subsequent turn.
You cant fight or interact with another explorer on the other side of the barrier.
If anything transports you to a barrier room (e.g., Collapsed Room or Secret Passage), you decide
which side of the room to end up in and place the appropriate counter on that side of the room.
Attic If you fail your roll, you are still allowed to exit the room or you can choose to stay in the room
Graveyard and try again next turn instead of taking damage.
Junk Room If something like Mystic Slide causes you to leave one of these rooms involuntarily, you still must
Pentagram Chamber make the roll.
If failing the roll in the Attic results in not having enough Speed to exit the room, you still make it
out.
Chapel An explorer can only get a trait boost from a room once per game.
Gymnasium If desired, keep a record of which rooms your explorer has visited.
Larder Monsters cant use these rooms although a transformed traitor with traits could.
Library
Coal Chute Entering this tile moves you to the Basement Landing as part of the same one room of movement.
An explorer or monster cant end its turn on the Coal Chute tile they must slide down.
If you use the Rope to climb the Coal Chute, you cant end your move on the Coal Chute tile you
must have enough Speed to get past it.
Collapsed Room Only the explorer who discovers this room needs to make the listed Speed roll. Thereafter,
explorers can enter the room and ignore its ability or use it intentionally (falling and taking
damage).
The first explorer to fall will place the Below Collapsed Room token on a newly drawn basement
tile which is placed adjacent to any basement tile in play. Falling to the basement doesnt count as
moving a room.
If all of the basement tiles are in play or if a monster is the first to enter this room, you choose an
existing room to place the token into.
Gallery You cant jump down from the Gallery to the Ballroom if the Ballroom is not in play.
Mystic Elevator This tile moves when entered based on a dice roll. If there are no connecting doors on the rolled
floor or if this tile would seal the level off, the tile stays in place.
If there are already other explorers on the elevator when you use it and a 0 is rolled, the other
explorers take damage as well.
You can only use the elevator once during your turn.
During the entire set of traitor and monster turns, the elevator can only be used once.
Heroes can roll for their destination floor if they spend their entire move in the elevator.
If another room (e.g., Collapsed Room, Secret Passage, etc.) leads to the Mystic Elevator, the
corresponding token stays on the elevator.
Underground Lake It is a misprint that this tile is found on the upper floor.
When drawn, the floor collapses, plunging you down to a lake in the basement.
Place the tile next to any door in the basement.
The spot where this tile was to be placed on the upper floor is still open for a different tile to be
played there.
Vault You can attempt the Knowledge roll once per turn.
The traitor must roll to open the Vault just like the heroes.
Once opened, you draw two Item cards and then place the Vault Empty token on the tile.
If anything transports you to the Vault, you are placed on the door side of the room.
Omen Card FAQ:
Bite When drawn, you make a defensive Might roll as if being attacked by a monster.
Crystal Ball Despite the cards text, this item can only be used to search through the Item or Event card decks.
Dog The Dog cant be sent down the Collapsed Room, Coal Chute, Gallery, or Mystic Slide, nor
through one-way passages or any passage that requires a roll like the Revolving Wall. It cant use
the Mystic Elevator either.
The Dogs movement is not slowed by monsters.
If the Haunt indicates that carrying a Haunt-specific item takes two moves to enter a room, the
Dog cant carry that item.

Item Card FAQ:

Armor Armor is not limited to one use per turn. It is always on.
Armor does not protect you from things that cause you to lose Might or Speed (such as a failed
room roll or a loathsome illness).
Armor does not protect you from having items stolen through combat if someone beats your roll
by 2+.
Axe The dice bonus for these weapons only applies when you attack, not when you defend.
Blood Dagger You can carry more than one of these and decide which to use in combat.
Spear You dont have to use a weapon unless you want to.
Bell The traitor can use the Bell and its effect of 5+ if he makes the roll.
The Bell cant be used to free heroes who are trapped in Webs, under Debris, or in the clutches of a
monster.
Druidic Charm If an effect causes it to be dropped accidentally, it does not go off.
Dynamite A monster that fails its Speed roll is treated as if defeated in physical combat, so some monsters
will be stunned and others killed, depending on the Haunt.
Incorporeal monsters such as ghosts that cant be attacked physically are not affected by Dynamite.
Monsters that start the Haunt without a Might score or a Speed score are not affected by Dynamite.
Healing Salve Cant be used on a dead explorer.
Rope You need to be moving to use it, even though using it doesnt count as moving a room.
Smelling Salts Cant be used on a dead explorer. Can be used on yourself.
Toy Monkey Once the monkey attacks, it cannot attack again until next turn.
If the room contains several possible targets, the owner chooses which one it attacks.

Event Card FAQ:

The Beckoning If there is no clear path to get you where the card tells you to go, you go there anyway and you
Burning Man cant remember what route you followed to get there.
Funeral
The Lost One
Debris While buried or stuck, the only thing you can do is roll and attempt to free yourself (i.e., you cant
Webs take any other action in the room such as rolling a die).
Gaining 1 Speed or 1 Might can only occur if you succeed your roll when you first draw the card.
Image in the Mirror Omens that are also items, such as the Book, are not affected by this event.
Image in the Mirror Ignore the boldface paragraph that begins with, If you dont have any item cards
(reversed)
It is Meant to Be The option allowing you to use a die roll for a future die roll must be for a die roll you are making.
A Moment of Hope This card should state Each hero... instead of Each explorer
Mystic Slide A level below the Slide means either the ground floor or the basement if it is found on the upper
floor.
Revolving Wall The card text should state that any icon in the new room does affect you when you enter.
Secret Passage These rooms lead to a room thats already been discovered.
Secret Stairs The passage/stairs does not use up a door space in either room.
You can use the passage/stairs on the turn they are discovered even if youve used up all your
movement.
Only the person who drew the Secret Stairs gets to draw the event card in the new room, and only
if the stairs are used on the same turn.