Final Girl – Carnage at the Carnival: Item Card Glossary

Reading time approx. 8–10 minutes

The item deck of Carnage at the Carnival comprises 18 regular item cards, 3 item trap cards, and 2 character-specific weapons. In the combined setup, three item decks of four cards each are built – each hiding a trap. This glossary breaks down all 23 cards with values, effects, and tactical notes.

Note: These descriptions are unofficial and not authorized by Van Ryder Games. When in doubt, the English original card text always takes precedence.

The complete setup and the item deck special rules for Carnival of Blood can be found in the quick-start guide post (in German). A complete overview of all Terror cards is available in the Terror card glossary (in German).

Overview: All Regular Item Cards

* Throwing Axe: if thrown at range 1, the axe is discarded after the attack. | Strong | Medium | Weak

Overview: Item Trap Cards (3 Traps)

The three item trap cards aren't regularly visible in the item decks – they're mixed in hidden and only revealed while searching. All three must be resolved immediately once drawn (exception: Asami is immune, Zappo negates the trap once).

Overview: Character-Specific Items

These cards can optionally be mixed into the item decks before the game starts. They can only be used by the corresponding Final Girl.

The Cards in Detail

Aluminum Bat

"Almost like someone answered this softball champ's prayers."

Range 0, attack 1★, 2 hands. The Aluminum Bat has a unique special ability: every time you deal damage to Geppetto with it, you may immediately discard a Minor Dark Power card from the Killer Board – including any health markers still resting on it.

Tactics: the only item in the game that actively removes Geppetto's permanent buffs. "Weapons Graft" (Puppets deal double damage) and "Massive Abominations" (Puppets ignore the first point of damage) can be directly countered with it. Prioritize the Bat as soon as a dangerous Minor Dark Power becomes active.

Bullwhip

"Probably not the time to be singing to myself about whipping something."

Range 0, attack 1★, 1 hand. If you deal damage to an enemy with the whip, you may immediately move that enemy 1 space.

Tactics: its main use is positional control – pushing Puppets away from Victims or temporarily removing Geppetto from a critical space. Especially valuable before the rescue phase, when enemies are blocking Exit Spaces.

Crystal Ball

"Fortunes favor the bold!"

0 hands (sits in front of you). Once per Action Phase, you may roll a die. On 5–6: look at the top Terror card and place it back on top or on the bottom of the deck.

Tactics: with the "How Dangerous Can It Be?" event card active, the Crystal Ball is indispensable – it lets you push Terror Trap cards to the bottom of the deck and leave the affected spaces in time. Combined with Found Footage, you get double protection against permanent traps.

Disguise & Makeup Kit

"I knew Theater would pay off!"

0 hands. When an enemy targets you specifically as the Final Girl, you may play this item: you count as a Victim for that attack. The enemy switches to the nearest Victim and attacks that Victim instead.

Tactics: especially strong against Terror cards where Geppetto or Puppets prioritize attacking the Final Girl (e.g. "Bring Her to Me!"). The Kit completely bypasses the attack – ideal when no Guard card is in hand. Requirement: there must be a Victim within the enemy's range.

Energy Drink

"Ready to run with the bulls, hunt monsters, and party like a rockstar."

0 hands. Discard during the Action Phase: choose either +3 Time or move immediately 1 space.

Tactics: +3 Time equals half an Action Phase gifted to you – extremely valuable when the time marker is nearly exhausted. The movement option is useful for reaching one more space toward an exit or search station after a long sequence.

First Aid Kit

"Stay calm. Stop the blood loss. You aren't dying today!"

1 hand. Passive permanent effect: every time you play an Action card that regenerates health points, you regenerate an additional +1 HP.

Tactics: combines excellently with Short Rest and Long Rest Action cards. Especially valuable for Asami with her low HP pool. The First Aid Kit makes every healing action more efficient without any time cost.

Found Footage

"It looks like whoever was here before didn't make it..."

0 hands. Discard: fully negate the effects of an Item Trap or Terror Trap. For a Terror Trap, the card is discarded without applying any effects at all – no token is placed.

Tactics: the strongest protection against permanent Terror traps. Since trap tokens never disappear, preventing a token on a key thoroughfare space is often decisive for the whole game. Save Found Footage specifically for the most dangerous trap – preferably the Spinning Floor Blade Trap.

Knife

"Never been in a knife fight before."

Range 0, attack 1★, 1 hand. No special effect – a simple base melee item with no distinguishing feature.

Tactics: the weakest attack item in the deck. Since the Knife Bandolier and Asami's Knife Belt require the same number of hands and both let you split damage across multiple enemies, the plain Knife is the worse choice in most situations. Only useful as a backup weapon when a hand is free.

Knife Bandolier

"I feel like this is too many knives... Nah, no such thing."

Range 0–1, attack 0–1★, 1 hand, 3 charges. Special feature: you may freely split the damage dealt across multiple enemies within range.

Tactics: ideal for weakening or killing multiple Puppets at once – especially important when Massive Abominations is active, since each Puppet then ignores the first point of damage. Split the damage so that as many Puppets as possible drop below 1 HP.

Mysterious Pills

"Hopefully these calm my nerves or dull the pain."

0 hands. Discard during the Action Phase: choose to fully ignore an enemy attack OR regenerate +2 HP.

Tactics: a flexible emergency option. The ignore-attack option saves you in situations where no Guard card is in hand. The 2-HP heal is especially valuable for Asami. Hold onto the pills for critical moments rather than using them pre-emptively.

Old Revolver

"Hopefully this still works – have to make every shot count."

Range 1, attack 1★, 1 hand. Restriction: the Old Revolver can only be used in combination with the Weak Attack Action card.

Tactics: Weak Attack is one of the weakest Action cards. The Revolver extends its range to 1 space distance, which can be useful in certain situations – e.g. hitting a Puppet from a safe distance. In most games there are better weapons; only mix it in once you already have the Knife Bandolier.

Pepper Spray

"Strong enough for a grizzly, good enough for a psychopath?"

1 hand. If Geppetto is in your space, you may discard this item to immediately and fully end the Killer Phase – all remaining movement, all attacks, and all further effects are ignored.

Tactics: the only item that actively cuts the Killer Phase short. Especially valuable after "Master Showman" (Geppetto teleports to you) or when multiple Puppets and Geppetto would attack simultaneously in your space. Pepper Spray saves lives in situations where even two Guard cards wouldn't be enough.

Strongman Hammer

"Time to show them who's worthy and play super sized whack-a-mole."

Range 0, attack 3★, 2 hands. Requires at least 4 HP to attack. Cannot be stored in the Backpack. You lose 1 HP after the attack.

Tactics: the highest raw damage output among all location weapons (tied with Charlie's Giant Hammer). Since it doesn't fit in the Backpack, it permanently occupies both hands – a real trade-off. Best for high-damage attacks on Geppetto regardless of character, or for quickly killing Puppets when Massive Abominations is active.

Super Lucky Dice

"Luck be my lady tonight."

0 hands. Usable on any dice roll: re-roll any number of dice. Then roll a single die: on 1–4 this card is discarded. On 5–6 you may keep it.

Tactics: essentially a Close Call with a self-preservation chance. Especially valuable for decisive rolls – such as the final attack on Geppetto or a critical Horror Roll. With a 40% chance of keeping the card, don't hold onto it too long.

Telescoping 10' Pole

"I wasn't necessarily a track star, but no time like the present to learn."

2 hands. Passive permanent effect: once per Action Phase, you may skip a space while moving. No effects trigger in the skipped space, and Victims cannot follow you into or across the skipped space.

Tactics: one of the strongest mobility cards in the game. Skipping trap-token spaces is its most important use. Also useful for bypassing Geppetto blockades or reaching exit spaces faster. The 2-hand requirement is its only real drawback.

Throwing Axe

"I'm about to axe them to leave me alone."

Range 0–1*, variable attack, 1 hand. Special feature: you may throw the axe into an adjacent space and attack an enemy there. If you do, the axe is discarded after the attack.

Tactics: ranged combat without moving is especially valuable on this location – you can attack Puppets in adjacent spaces without having to step into a trap-token space. If you don't throw it and stay in melee range, the axe is kept.

Trashcan Lid

"Didn't expect to cosplay an American hero..."

1 hand, 3 charges. Each charge lets you ignore 1 point of damage from an attack.

Tactics: solid passive protection with 3 uses. Especially effective when Weapons Graft is active, since Puppets then deal 2 damage – one charge reduces that to 1. Combined with Guard cards, the Trashcan Lid gives you noticeably more room to survive.

Zappo the Carnival Monkey

"Such a cute monkey, always ready to lend a helping hand."

0 hands. Zappo sits as a regular item card in the item deck and can be drawn through normal searching. If the "So Much Junk" event card is revealed, Zappo is immediately pulled from the deck and placed directly in your Backpack – no search required. Zappo lets you execute a Search Action card from up to 2 spaces away from a search station. If an Item Trap is revealed this way, Zappo flees: the trap's effects are ignored and Zappo is discarded. If you lose Zappo – for any reason – you roll 1 die less for the rest of the game on Search Action cards.

Tactics: Zappo's remote search lets you comb through item decks without having to enter dangerous spaces. His one-time trap protection is especially valuable if you don't have a Found Footage card. Asami is already immune to item traps, but for Charlie, Zappo is worth his weight in gold. If you find Zappo via "So Much Junk," you get him for free and can use your search time for other actions.

Character Items in Detail

Asami's Knife Belt

"I feel like a porcupine with all these knives on me."

Range 0–1, attack 0–1★, 1 hand. Only Asami may use this item. When attacking with the Knife Belt, you may freely split the damage across multiple enemies within range.

Tactics: functions identically to the Knife Bandolier, but exclusive to Asami and with a slightly different look. Since Asami is already immune to item traps and finds items early thanks to her search bonus, the odds are high you'll find the Knife Belt early. Excellent for simultaneously damaging multiple Puppets.

Charlie's Giant Hammer

"Just like I practiced in cross fit, but with a moving tire."

Range 0, attack 3★, 2 hands. Only Charlie may use this hammer. Requires at least 2 HP. You lose 1 HP after the attack.

Tactics: a lower HP requirement than the Strongman Hammer (2 instead of 4) and no Backpack restriction make it ideal for Charlie. Combined with Charlie's active ability (taking Critical Blow directly into hand), this hammer is the most reliable way to take down Geppetto in a single round.

Item Deck Strategy by Priority

This assessment is a tactical community evaluation, not an official rule.

Commonly Misplayed

The Strongman Hammer can't go in the Backpack: it permanently occupies one of your two hands and can't be stowed away. If you plan to simultaneously carry Crystal Ball or Found Footage (both 0 hands), that's not a problem – but other 1-hand or 2-hand items can no longer be carried at the same time.

The Knife Bandolier / Asami's Knife Belt have 3 charges: after 3 uses they're spent and discarded. Charge markers must be placed on the card as soon as you pick it up.

Zappo only protects against Item Traps once: if he reveals a trap, he flees and is discarded. After that he's no longer available – not even for further searches in the same round.

Pepper Spray only works against Geppetto, not against Puppets: the card only ends the Killer Phase if Geppetto is in your space. Puppets alone in your space aren't enough.

The Throwing Axe is only kept if not thrown: if you use it in melee (range 0), it's kept. Only when thrown at range 1 is it discarded after the attack.

The Disguise & Makeup Kit requires a Victim as a redirection target: if there's no Victim within the enemy's range, the redirection can't work. In that case, the item is considered unusable.

Conclusion

The item deck of Carnage at the Carnival is tactically very rich – from Crystal Ball and Found Footage as indispensable trap countermeasures, to the Aluminum Bat as the only direct Dark Power counter. The special interplay between Zappo, the "So Much Junk" event card, and Asami's trap immunity makes her the strongest Final Girl for this location. Charlie's Giant Hammer, on the other hand, delivers the most reliable single strike on Geppetto once he's vulnerable. The three item trap cards – especially the Steel Bear Trap – are the greatest danger while searching and should never be underestimated.

Here's the link to the original rulebook.

Note: this is an unofficial fan glossary and has no connection to Van Ryder Games. Final Girl, along with all associated names, cards, and game content, is the property of Van Ryder Games.

We accept no liability for the content of linked pages. If any rights violations become known, the affected links will be removed promptly.

Original text, translations, and compilation: © ReDesign.