Triggered effects
This page is about the timing of card effects. For the type of card, see Event.
The default time in Dominion at which a card has an effect is when it is played. If an Action or Treasure card's text doesn't state specifically when the instructions on it are to be carried out, it is when the card is played. Since cards are played one at a time in Dominion (even Treasure cards), there is never any ambiguity about what order to resolve these effects in: play one card, resolving its effects; then play the next card, resolving its effects. Similarly, Events by default are resolved when you buy them.
A great many cards, however, and several Events, have effects at specifically-stated other times. This page is an index of the various situations that can cause a card's abilities to be triggered. This can be interpreted as data for a flow chart: if, for example, you are buying a card, you can look at the list of "when you buy a card" triggers to see if any of those effects apply, and if they do, execute them; then you can see if any of the effects triggered by buying a card themselves trigger other effects, and so on. It is often the case that a single trigger can activate multiple cards' abilities simultaneously, and then the abilities must be resolved one at a time using the rules below.
Some effects that take place at times other than when a card is played are thought of as being "set up" by playing a card: even though the effect itself takes place at a later time, the act of playing the card is what causes it to happen, and so, for example, playing the same card twice will cause the later effect to take place twice, moving the card out of play will not prevent the set-up effect from taking place, and so on. Similarly, some Events "set up" effects for later when bought. Such "set-up" effects are in general not listed below. Other effects are caused by a card being in a particular location, such as the play area, regardless of how or why it got there.
Official Rules
- If multiple cards resolve at the same time on your turn (for example, Duration cards that do something “at the start of your next turn”), you choose what order to resolve them.
- A card that affects multiple players during your turn still resolves in player order, affecting you first if it affects all players and then proceeding clockwise.
Other rules clarifications
- If an effect causes you to gain or draw multiple cards, you always in principle gain or draw them one at a time, resolving any on-gain or on-draw abilities of one before moving on to the next. However, if you are instructed to trash or discard multiple cards, unless that effect is explicitly sequential, they are trashed or discarded at the same time. For example, Steward can trash 2 cards; if you choose that option, you may not trash one card, resolve an on-trash effect (such as Market Square), then trash the other card. Both cards must be trashed simultaneously, and on-trash effects dealt with afterwards. On the other hand, Remake also trashes two cards, but it instructs you specifically to trash them one at a time.
- At the end of the game, your discard pile, your hand, cards you have in play, cards you've set aside, and cards you've put on mats are put in your deck..
Punctual effects
These are abilities that are executed at a single point in time: you fully resolve the card's ability by following the instructions on the card in order, and then move on to the next ability to be resolved.
At the beginning of the game
- Trade Route: Put a token on each Victory card Supply pile.
- Young Witch: Add an extra Kingdom card pile costing or to the Supply. Cards from that pile are Bane cards.
- Knights: Shuffle the Knight pile.
- Baker: Each player takes a Coin token.
- Black Market: Make a Black Market deck out of one copy of each Kingdom card not in the supply.
At the start of your turn
- Haven: Put the set-aside card into your hand.
- Lighthouse: +
- Fishing Village: +1 Action, +
- Caravan: +1 Card
- Merchant Ship: +
- Tactician: +5 Cards, +1 Buy, +1 Action.
- Wharf: +2 Cards, +1 Buy
- Horse Traders: If you set this aside, +1 Card and return this to your hand.
- Ratcatcher: You may call this, to trash a card from your hand.
- Amulet: Choose one: + ; or trash a card from your hand; or gain a Silver.
- Caravan Guard: +
- Dungeon: +2 Cards, then discard 2 cards.
- Gear: Put the set-aside cards into your hand.
- Guide: You may call this, to discard your hand and draw 5 cards.
- Transmogrify: You may call this, to trash a card from your hand, gain a card costing up to more than it, and put that card into your hand.
- Bridge Troll: +1 Buy
- Haunted Woods: +3 Cards
- Swamp Hag: +
- Hireling: +1 Card
- Teacher: You may call this, to move your +1 Card, +1 Action, +1 Buy, or + token to an Action Supply pile you have no token on.
- Prince: Play the set aside Action, setting it aside again when you discard it from play.
Playing a card
There are surprisingly many different triggers at slightly different times that take place between selecting a card to play from your hand and resolving its own on-play effects.
When you would play an card, first:
- Vanilla bonus Adventures tokens (Teacher, Seaway, Lost Arts, Training, Pathfinding): If the card's supply pile has your token on it, get the vanilla bonus.
- The rules state this timing as "when the player plays a card". However, the actual timing must be when you would play a card, because Adventures tokens on Band of Misfits still have their stated effect, even though in principle Band of Misfits never actually gets played. This must take place "first" because you don't get to choose whether or not to resolve a token's effect before choosing a card for Band of Misfits to imitate; the token resolves first.
When you would play this
- Band of Misfits: Play this as if it were an Action card in the Supply costing less than it that you choose.
When you play a card
These effects take place after the card enters the play area but before you resolve any of its own on-play abilities.
If the played card is an Attack…
- Moat: Another player may reveal this from his hand; if he does, he is not affected by the Attack.
- Secret Chamber: Another player may reveal this from his hand. If he does, he draws 2 cards, then puts 2 cards from his hand on top of his deck.
- Horse Traders: Another player may set this aside from his hand.
- Beggar: Another player may discard this [from his hand]. If he does, he gains two Silvers, putting one on top of his deck.
- Urchin: You may trash this from play if it is not the played Attack card. If you do, gain a Mercenary from the Mercenary pile.
- Caravan Guard: Another player may play this from his hand.
If the played card is an Action…
- Champion: +1 Action.
On-play effects
The vast majority of Action and Treasure cards have on-play effects of some kind. Several Treasure, plus the Action card Noble Brigand, use phrasing along the lines of "when you play this". Despite the similarity of this wording to things like "when you play an Attack card", this is not the same trigger. On-play effects of cards always take place after the "when you play a card" effects of other cards.
Since most cards have on-play effects of their own, we do not list them all here. However, one card has an effect that modifies the on-play ability of another card:
- Coppersmith: Copper produces an extra this turn.
Directly after you resolve an Action
- Coin of the Realm: You may call this, for +2 Actions.
- Royal Carriage: If the Action is still in play, you may call this, to replay that Action.
When you buy a card
When you buy any card:
- Embargo: Gain a Curse card per Embargo token on that pile.
- Talisman: If the card costs or less and is not a Victory card, gain a copy of it.
- Goons: +1 .
- Hoard: If it is a Victory card, gain a Gold.
- Haggler: Gain a card costing less than it that is not a Victory card.
- Hovel: If it is a Victory card, you may trash this from your hand.
- Merchant Guild: Take a Coin token.
- Haunted Woods: Put your hand on top of your deck in any order.
- Swamp Hag: Gain a Curse.
- Plan: If the bought card has your Trashing token on it, you may trash a card from your hand.
When you buy this card:
- Mint: Trash all Treasures you have in play.
- Noble Brigand: Each other player reveals the top 2 cards of his deck, trashes a revealed Silver or Gold you choose, and discards the rest. If he didn’t reveal a Treasure, he gains a Copper. You gain the trashed cards.
- Farmland: Trash a card from your hand. Gain a card costing exactly more than the trashed card.
- Stonemason: You may overpay for this. If you do, gain 2 Action cards each costing the amount you overpaid.
- Doctor: You may overpay for this. For each you overpaid, look at the top card of your deck; trash it, discard it, or put it back.
- Masterpiece: You may overpay for this. If you do, gain a Silver per you overpaid.
- Herald: You may overpay for this. For each you overpaid, look through your discard pile and put a card from it on top of your deck.
- Messenger: If this is your first buy in a turn, gain a card costing up to , and each other player gains a copy of it.
- Port: Gain another Port.
Events have on-buy effects by default, and are not listed separately here.
Gaining
When you would gain
When you would gain a card:
- Possession: The player to your right gains it instead.
- Trader: You may reveal this from your hand. If you do, instead, gain a Silver.
When you would gain this:
- Nomad Camp: Gain it to the top of your deck instead of your discard pile.
- Nomad Camp's wording says "when you gain this". However, Nomad Camp's self-topdecking ability does not have the same timing as other when-you-gain abilities; Nomad Camp does not visit the discard pile and then get moved to your deck. This has the same timing as effects that change the gain location of cards they gain (effects that change locations of other effects' gains, listed below, trigger afterwards): when instructed to gain a Nomad Camp to a specific location, such as your hand, you may choose which target takes precedence.
When you gain
When you gain any card:
- Trade Route: Move the pile's Trade Route token to the Trade Route mat.
- Watchtower: You may reveal this from your hand. If you do, either trash that card, or put it on top of your deck.
- Royal Seal: You may put that card on top of your deck.
- Travelling Fair: You may put that card on top of your deck.
- Duplicate: If the gained card costs up to , you may call this, to gain a copy of that card.
When you gain this:
- Cache: Gain two Coppers.
- Embassy: Each other player gains a Silver.
- Ill-Gotten Gains: Each other player gains a Curse.
- Inn: Look through your discard pile (including this), reveal any number of Action cards from it, and shuffle them into your deck.
- Mandarin: Put all Treasures you have in play on top of your deck in any order.
- Border Village: Gain a card costing less than this.
- Death Cart: Gain two Ruins.
- Lost City: Each other player draws a card.
When you gain another specific card:
- Duchess: If the gained card is a Duchy, you may gain a Duchess.
- Fool's Gold: If the gained card is a Province, another player may trash this from his hand. If he does, he gains a Gold, putting it on his deck.
Trashing
When you trash
When you trash any card:
- Possession: Set aside the trashed card.
- Market Square: You may discard this from your hand. If you do, gain a Gold.
When you trash this:
- Overgrown Estate: +1 Card.
- Squire: Gain an Attack card.
- Feodum: Gain three Silvers.
- Fortress: Put it into your hand.
- Rats: +1 Card.
- Catacombs: Gain a card costing less than this.
- Cultist: +3 Cards.
- Sir Vander: Gain a Gold.
- Hunting Grounds: Gain a Duchy or 3 Estates.
End of turn
At the end of your Buy phase
- Wine Merchant: If you have at least unspent, you may discard this from your Tavern mat.
At the start of Clean-up
- Scheme: You may choose an Action card you have in play.
- Walled Village: If you have this and no more than one other Action card in play, you may put this on top of your deck.
Discarding from play
When you discard this from play:
- Treasury: If you didn’t buy a Victory card this turn, you may put this on top of your deck.
- Herbalist: You may put one of your Treasures from play on top of your deck.
- Alchemist: You may put this on top of your deck if you have a Potion in play.
- Hermit: If you didn’t buy any cards this turn, trash this and gain a Madman (from the Madman pile).
- Page: You may exchange this for a Treasure Hunter.
- Peasant:You may exchange this for a Soldier.
- Soldier: You may exchange this for a Fugitive.
- Treasure Hunter: You may exchange this for a Warrior.
- Fugitive: You may exchange this for a Disciple.
- Warrior: You may exchange this for a Hero.
- Disciple: You may exchange this for a Teacher.
- Hero: You may exchange this for a Champion.
When you discard another card from play:
- Scheme: If it is the chosen card, put it on your deck.
- Prince: If it was played by Prince this turn, set it aside again.
When you would draw your new hand
- Outpost: Only draw 3 cards (instead of 5).
When you draw your new hand
- Expedition: Draw 2 extra cards.
- This must take place after Outpost's effect, since if both Outpost and an Expedition are active, you end up drawing five cards.
At the end of your turn
- Possession: Return the set-aside cards to your discard pile.
- Save: Put the set-aside card into your hand.
After this turn
- Outpost: Take an extra turn, if doing so won't cause you to take more than two consecutive turns.
- Possession: The player to your left takes an extra turn, during which you can see all cards he can and make all decisions for him, any cards he would gain you gain instead, and any cards of his that are trashed are set aside.
- Mission: Take another turn in which you can't buy cards.
Miscellaneous
When you would make any decision
- Possession: The player to your right makes the decision for you.
When you discard this other than during a Clean-up phase
When you shuffle your deck
- Stash: If this is in your deck, you may put it anywhere in your deck.
When you would earn +
- –token (Bridge Troll, Ball): Earn less and lose this.
When you would draw a card
Persistent effects
These cards don't have effects that are resolved at a specific, unique point in time. Instead, they have effects that persist over some extended period of time. Many of them have the effect of setting up a trigger for a punctual event as listed above, which can be triggered any number of times as long as whatever factor conditions the persistent effect remains active. Others cause more general changes to gameplay while they obtain, such as changing the costs or other characteristics of cards.
While cards are in play
While this is in play:
- Lighthouse: When another player plays an Attack card, it doesn’t affect you.
- Quarry: Action cards cost less, but not less than .
- Talisman: When you buy a card costing or less that is not a Victory card, gain a copy of it.
- Royal Seal: When you gain a card, you may put that card on top of your deck.
- Goons: When you buy a card, +1 .
- Hoard: When you buy a Victory card, gain a Gold.
- Princess: Cards cost less, but not less than .
- Haggler: When you buy a card, gain a card costing less than it that is not a Victory card.
- Highway: Cards cost less, but not less than .
- Band of Misfits: This is the chosen Action card.
- Merchant Guild: When you buy a card, take a Coin token.
- Bridge Troll: If it is your turn, cards cost less, but not less than .
While something else is in play:
- Grand Market: While you have Copper in play, you can't buy this.
Turns
During your Buy phase
For the rest of this turn
- Bridge: All cards cost less, but not less than .
- Coppersmith: Copper produces an extra .
- Contraband: You can't buy the named card.
- Travelling Fair: When you gain a card, you may put it on top of your deck.
For this entire turn
- Possession: The player to your right can see all cards you can and makes all decisions for you. And cards you would gain, he gains instead; any cards of yours that are trashed are set aside.
- Mission: You can't buy cards.
Until your next turn
- Haunted Woods: When any other player buys a card, he puts his hand on top of his deck in any order.
- Swamp Hag: When any other player buys a card, he gains a Curse.
Longer
While your token is on a supply pile
- Ferry: If it is your turn, cards from the pile cost less, but not less than .
- Plan: When you buy a card from the pile, you may trash a card from your hand.
- Vanilla bonus Adventures tokens (Teacher, Seaway, Lost Arts, Training, Pathfinding): When you play a card from the pile, first get the vanilla bonus.
For the rest of the game
- Embargo: When you buy a card from a pile with an Embargo token on it, gain a Curse card.
- This in principle could also be considered a "while a token is on a supply pile" effect; but, unlike the tokens listed above, it's not possible to move an Embargo token off a supply pile once placed.
- Hireling: At the start of each of your turns, +1 Card.
- Champion: When another player plays an Attack, it doesn't affect you, and when you play an Action, +1 Action.
- Inheritance: Your Estates have the types and abilities of the set-aside card.
- This has the same caveat as Embargo above.
- Prince: At the start of each of your turns, play [the set aside] Action, setting it aside again when you discard it from play. (Stop playing it if you fail to set it aside on a turn you play it.)