Below is a list of all the special abilities used in Glyphmaster's Gateway. A special ability is a word or phrase (usually one or two words) that appears in a card's text section to indicate a card's special talent or trait. These are typically used by Hero Cards, but can apply when a character has a common ability or trait that other cards may also share.
Current
| Keyword | Used by | Text |
|---|---|---|
| Agile | Can maneuver to 1 adjacent space when attacked for 1 Talent Point. | |
| Alert | Has full defense power while engaged. | |
| Autonomy | Can enter the battlefield without a Legend present by recalling cards from hand; use Influence Points if Legend is in play. | |
| Blast | Deal X explosive damage to ranged attack, where X is the number of Talent Points spent. | |
| Blight | ||
| Bond | Gain +1 defense power if (unit type) is also on the battlefield. | |
| Daunt | Enemy units may not use Autonomy while this unit is on the battlefield. | |
| Donor | Can donate vitality points to help deploy another unit (in lieu of Influence Points). | |
| Flying | Can only be attacked with range unless grounded. May fly over other units (but not occupying their space). Must be grounded to enter the Gateway. | |
| Leech | This unit's cost is paid in friendly vitality points instead of Influence Points. | |
| Lethal | Deals 1 automatic damage during attacks before regular combat is factored. | |
| Martyr | This unit may sacrifice all its vitality to pay for Influence or Talent points. | |
| Mercenary | This unit's cost is paid in gold instead of Influence Points. | |
| Nimble | Can maneuver immediately upon entering the battlefield. | |
| Pacify | Cannot be attacked by Creature Units. | |
| Poison | Units engaging in combat with this unit suffer poison damage. They lose 1 vitality per owner's turn until dead or it enters the Gateway. | |
| Retreat | If this unit's vitality reaches 1, it returns to its owner's hand. | |
| Rush | Can attack immediately upon entering the battlefield. | |
| Shatter | Sacrifice this unit to destroy an enemy machine unit or barricade. | |
| Spectral | Can only be killed by relic weapons or spell talents. | |
| Stay | Pay 3 Talent Points to prevent a unit from entering the Gateway. That unit returns to its previous space. | |
| Subdue | Can occupy an enemy unit's space. While there, that unit cannot maneuver, attack, or equip items. | |
| Swift | Can maneuver multiple times in a turn. | |
| Tantrum | Deal 2 automatic damage to select unit upon defeat when leaving the battlefield to the boneyard. | |
| Toxic | When dealt damage in combat, equal damage is dealt to the attacker in return. | |
| Undead | Cannot enter the Gateway. | |
| Wielder | Permanently equipped with a relic weapon. |