How Stun Works in Riftbound — Rules & FAQ

423.1.

Stunning is the act of selecting one or more Units on the Board and rendering them Stunned.

423.1.a.

Stunned is a binary state. A Unit is Stunned or it isn't.

423.1.a.1.

A Stunned Unit can not be Stunned again. Example: Eclipse Herald has the ability "When you stun an enemy unit, ready me and give me +1 [M] this turn." Its controller plays a spell that reads "Stun a unit." They may choose a unit that's already stunned, but if they do, Eclipse Herald will not trigger.

423.1.a.2.

Stunned Units lose the Stunned status during step 3d of the end of turn cleanup.

423.1.b.

A Stunned Unit does not contribute its might to damage in the combat damage step. See rule 465. The Combat Damage Step for more information.

423.1.c.

A Stunned Unit must still have damage applied to it equal to, or greater than, its full might value to be killed.

423.2.

Stunning is a Limited Action.

423.2.a.

Players may only Stun Units when directed to by Game Effects.

Related FAQ (4)

What happens if units from both sides in combat survive, either because of Kayn or a stun?

In this case, both sides will still assign damage to the other side as normal (stunned units will not deal damage). Units will still die if they are assigned damage equal to or greater than their Might (unless they don't die, for example because of Kayn's ability). Then if units from both sides remain alive at the battlefield, any remaining attacking units will be recalled to base and the defending player will maintain control (no score, though).

Does Blast Cone stun my empowered Gangplank, Naval? What if I then play Back Off choosing him?

Blast Cone stuns him — its stun trigger doesn't choose units, so Gangplank's replacement effect can't apply. Back Off on an already-stunned Gangplank doesn't perform the stun game action at all (the instruction is negated), so there's no event for his replacement effect to replace and he doesn't get +3 Might. Likewise, under a "friendly units can't be stunned" effect, a stun choosing Gangplank generates no event to replace.

Does a stunned unit still deal damage in Riftbound? Can a stunned attacking unit still be killed?

A stunned unit deals no combat damage but can still be killed. A stunned unit does not contribute its Might to damage in the combat damage step (rule 423.1.b), so a stunned attacker or defender adds nothing to its side's total. It is still part of the combat: it must still be assigned damage equal to or greater than its full Might to be killed (rule 423.1.c). The Core Rules define Stun only in terms of combat damage. Nothing in rule 423 stops a stunned unit from moving, attacking, or being chosen by other effects.

When does Stun wear off in Riftbound? Can a unit be stunned twice?

Stun lasts until the end of the current turn. Stunned units lose the Stunned status during step 3d of the end-of-turn cleanup (rule 423.1.a.2), the same step in which all "this turn" effects expire (rule 317.2.c), whether the unit was stunned on its controller's turn or an opponent's. Stunned is a binary state, so a stunned unit cannot be stunned again (rule 423.1.a.1). You may still choose an already-stunned unit for a "stun a unit" effect, but nothing new happens: Eclipse Herald's "When you stun an enemy unit" ability does not trigger. Players can only stun when a game effect tells them to (rule 423.2.a).