Munchkin (card Game) - Card Types

Card Types

Munchkin has 2 basic card types, doors and treasures:

• Door: These are the basic cards turned over every turn and include:
  • Monster: Monsters in Munchkin range in level from 1 (e.g. Potted Plant, Lame Goblin or Goldfish) to 20 (e.g. Plutonium Dragon, Kali or Great Cthulhu) and when a player defeats them they go up one or more levels and draw a certain amount of treasures, both depending on the particular monster and bonus effects.
  • Curse/Trap: Curse cards take effect immediately if drawn when a player kicks down the Door, or can be used to curse other players if drawn at other times. Their effects range from Squidgilator 's "Lose one level." to Dwarven Ale 's "-4 to your next combat due to uncontrollable drunken singing."
  • Monster Enhancer: These are cards which affect combat by either enhancing or subtracting from the combat skills of a monster.
  • Class: Each player may have one class card in play at a time, unless using the Super Munchkin or Ultra Munchkin card, where he may have two, the Ultra Munchkin from Munchkin Blender that allows three or the Super Duper Munchkin which allows an unlimited number of classes. Each class gives the player special abilities. If a player draws a class card face up, he/she may become that class. If they already have one in play, he/she may choose to replace their current class and discard it, or choose to place the new class in their hand for later.
  • Race: Each player may also have one race card in play at a time, again increased to two with Half-Breed and three with 1/3-Breed from Blender, or unlimited with Chimera. Each race gives the player special abilities.
  • Helpers: There are various types of helpers like the Hirelings in base Munchkin, Sidekicks found in Star Munchkin and Munchkin Cthulhu, Minions in Munchkin Bites and Mooks in Munchkin Fu. These Helpers allow players who have them to sacrifice them to escape from any combat.
  • Portals: Portals are cards that allow the player to enter and exit dungeons. Some portals will help the player enter dungeons, others will harm others.
  • Other: There are also a multitude of other cards, some of which affect combat, some of which give players in-game bonuses, and a bunch which just have weird effects.
• Treasure: These are drawn when a player defeats a monster or by certain door and treasure cards (like Arms Locker) and include:
  • Item: Item cards typically give permanent benefits to the player who equips them. They can give abilities or bonuses. Many items go to a specific "slot" (Hand, Armor, Footgear and Headgear) indicated on the card, while some do not. Items also come in two sizes, Big and Small. Each player can carry (i.e., have in play) any number of Small items, even if they cannot use them, but only one Big Item. "One shot" items also exist; these can be played from a player's hand or from the table, and have various effects, including giving a combat bonus to the player or the monsters in a combat, canceling or removing a curse, removing a monster from combat, or modifying a die roll.
  • GUAL: GUAL (or Go Up A Level) cards allow the player to place them in the Treasure discard pile in order to gain a level (they cannot be used to gain the winning level). Most of these cards can be used at any time (such as Bribe the GM or Shiny Dice... Spinning... Spinning...) but some have special requirements and/or effects.
  • Other: There are many Treasure cards which have a huge range of effects that do not fit into any other category.
• Dungeon: Dungeon cards are double sized cards introduced in the sixth Munchkin deck, Demented Dungeons. These cards affect game play both positively and negatively. Certain dungeons can increase treasure, make the player an epic munchkin, make it harder to run away, or add death to the "Bad Stuff" of monsters.
• Spell: Introduced and only found in the Munchkinomicon mini-expansion, Spell cards function and have effects similar to most regular curse or door cards. By equipping the Munchkinomicon as an item, the player is allowed to draw one card, face down, from a separate card deck labelled "spells".
• Fairy Dust: Introduced in Munchkin Fairy Dust, these cards can only be acquired by helping someone in combat, curing a curse on someone else, or killing the Sparkly Good Fairy. These cards are always beneficial and can often be used more than once.