Crimson Scales · Starting class

Inox Chainguard

A bruising Damage Soak who pins enemies in place with Shackle and flings them through traps with Swing. Evolution of the Brute — more control, more teeth.

10HP

10Cards

2Builds

9Levels

Unique mechanic Shackle

Places a character token on an enemy. A Shackled enemy cannot perform Move abilities while adjacent to the Chainguard, and does not factor the Chainguard into its Focus pathing. Token removed if the enemy dies or you Shackle a different enemy. Enemies immune to IMMOBILIZE are immune to Shackle.

Mechanic Swing

A modified Push/Pull that moves a target X hexes in a circle around you — clockwise or counterclockwise. The target cannot end up further from or closer to you. Movement ends when the target hits something that would normally block movement.

Role in party

Chainguard holds monster aggro and soaks damage for the party. He struggles with AoE — his only reliable way to hit multiple targets is Bottom Attack actions and Traps. Jump is scarce at Level 1. Initiative Control is a recurring challenge: cards skew 10–60. Comes fully online as a Damage Soak around Level 5 but requires creative play before then.

Level progression

XP04595150200275345420500

HP101214161820222426

⚔

Bruiser build

Shields, Retaliate, raw melee damage

▾

Shackle a target, then attack it repeatedly for stacking bonus damage. Use Shields and Retaliate to survive incoming hits. The most straightforward path — strong from Level 1 with cards that clearly serve a single purpose.

Playstyle

Lead with Untouchable Keeper (Init 14) or Chokehold (Init 22) to establish Shackle early. Use Wrapped in Metal (Init 82) as your emergency Stun when something dangerous is about to activate. Stack Retaliate with Spiked Knuckles and perks to punish your Shackled target. Champion of Chains at Level 9 lets you Shackle three targets simultaneously — each getting Wound — fundamentally changing the class's threat level.

Core cards

ChokeholdShackle + stacking attack bonus (+7 damage over 3 hits)

Follow the ChainsAttack 3 + repositioning, pairs well in rest cycles

Wrapped in MetalUnconditional Ranged Stun — your emergency brake

Untouchable KeeperFastest card (Init 14), Shield + Heal 3 Self

Locking LinksPersistent True Damage clock — great vs Shielded targets

Merciless BeatdownHigh-ceiling Loss Attack + forced enemy-on-enemy attack

Level-up path

2Iron Thrust — Jump + ally chain combos

3Sweeping Collision — Pierce 2 for party + grounds Fliers

4Double K.O. — two Attack 4s, Init 92

5Impending Power — defensive capstone, good for both builds

7Meteor Hammer — Disarm + Shield Ignore vs Shackled

8Syndicated Assault — ally-chain AoE, Attack 9–15

9Champion of Chains — 3 Shackles + Wound on each

⚙

Trap build

True Damage, Shackle-delivery, Shield bypass

▾

Place traps, Shackle a nearby enemy, then force or lure it through them. Traps deal True Damage — bypassing Shields entirely. More setup-dependent than Bruiser but scales better against high-armor enemies.

Playstyle

Place a trap adjacent to you, establish Shackle, then use Pull abilities (Latch and Tow, Titanic Chainwhip) to drag the target through it. Latch and Tow top combo makes traps deal minimum 5 True Damage + Muddle. Dizzying Release + Latch and Tow is your signature combo: 7 True Damage, Wound, Muddle, 2 XP in one round. Impending Power at Level 5 extends trap placement to Range 2 and adds 2 bonus damage whenever you trigger one.

Core cards

Locking LinksBottom 2-damage Trap — always better than Bottom Attack 2

Rusty Spikes3-dmg Poison Trap + Move 2 Shackle, fast Init 18

Latch and TowPull into trap for +3 True Damage + Muddle + XP

Dizzying ReleaseWound Trap — 7 True Damage combo with Latch and Tow

Impending PowerRange 2 trap placement + 2 bonus damage on spring

Clamping SnareFirst AoE Trap — 5 True Dmg + Muddle + 2 splash

Level-up path

2Latch and Tow — core trap-trigger Pull card

3Sweeping Collision — Pierce 2 + grounds Fliers

4Dizzying Release — Wound Trap combo centerpiece

5Impending Power — near-mandatory for Trap builds

7Clamping Snare — first AoE Trap

8Pivot and Smash — Swing + trap trigger + Jump

9Unending Torment — double Trap damage victory lap

Cards good for both builds

Untouchable Keeper

Fastest card (Init 14) and only self-Heal at Level 1. Almost never cut.

Wrapped in Metal

Unconditional Ranged Stun + Shackle. Repeatedly saves the party on key turns.

Impending Power (Lvl 5)

Top serves Bruisers (Shield/Heal), Bottom serves Trap builds (range + bonus damage).

Sweeping Collision (Lvl 3)

Pierce 2 for everyone + grounds Fliers. Addresses both builds' core weaknesses.

Tap a checkbox to mark a perk as taken. Perks reinforce the class themes: Shackle, Shields, Retaliate, Wound, and Traps. Remove -1 cards first, then prioritize rolling modifiers.

0 / 0 taken

Milestone card (front)

What is a Milestone?

Each Crimson Scales and Trail of Ashes character has a personal Milestone card with a unique goal. When the character accumulates the required number of checkmarks toward that goal, the Milestone is complete and they permanently add their Level M ability card to their hand. The Level M card does not count against hand size — it is an extra card earned through play.

Chainguard milestone goal

See the milestone card image for the specific goal condition. The Chainguard milestone requires 10 checkmarks to complete.

Reward — Rope Pit (Level M)

Once complete, Rope Pit is permanently added to your hand. It is one of the most impactful early-game upgrades for the Trap build — a Range 2 trap that auto-Shackles on trigger, letting you maintain momentum without spending a card action on Shackle setup. Even Bruiser builds benefit from carrying this for most of the campaign.

Level M card — Rope Pit