Pocket Telescope

Pocket Telescope

There's a lot of back and forth here so just want to clear this up, if the Q&A above is accurate, it's clear that:

  1. Attacks of opportunity do NOT occur when the targeted location for investigation has an enemy. This is because attacks of opportunity occur when you spend the action, which happens at your current location before the investigate.

  2. I believe in reading that, it can be assumed that attacks of opportunity do NOT occur when the target location has a massive enemy either. For the same logic above, attacks of opportunity happen before the application of an actions effect. Meaning there's no additional check for AoO on the targeted location.

I've still seen some doubt about massive enemies, but based on the Q&A here I don't see why there would be any doubt.

EDIT: Does seem to still be some confusion about massive enemies, really because the FAQ description of "As If" seems to be at least a bit at odds with the Q&A here.

jrec15 · 1
It's quite different between massive and non-massive enemy. As I know, non-massive enemy does not AoO because it is not (physically) engaged. As an example, Luke provokes AoO since he is engaged. The case of massive enemy, there is no timming to engage and whenever the investigator is in a location, they are treated as "engaged with the enemy." Therefore, for massive enemy case, it is possible that the massive enemy is engaged with the enemy when initiating the ability. Since the FAQ states "as if" alters the game states **from its initiation**, AoO may be provoked. — elkeinkrad · 485
But didn't you pay the costs an then initiate the effect? Luke is a bad example because his ability triggers before you pay the costs — Tharzax · 1
It's important here that the ability you are being instructed to perform "as if" you were at another location is not itself an action, it's just the Investigate action designator (yes, yes, I know, but action designators are invoked by abilities or parts of abilities that aren't actions all the time). If Pocket Telescope for some reason said on two separate lines "=>: Investigate." and "You may perform the above action as if you were at any revealed connecting location.", then you would be performing AOO at the new location (and not at the original location). — Thatwasademo · 57
@elkeinkrad I see you're point I just feel like this line trumps all else "Attacks of Opportunity occur immediately after the cost of initiating the action, but before the application of the action’s effect" It seems to me there is no additional check for AoO during the application of the action's effect, so massive or not I don't see how an AoO could trigger when fulfilling the investigate, as that as only the application of the action's effect. — jrec15 · 1
Ok reading more into it I do see how the FAQ states "as if" alters the game states **from its initiation**. Meaning since the "as if" here is being at that location, massive enemies may engage. But I really feel like the Q&A here is just at odds with that description then. FAQ says as if can alter when AaO occur, Q&A here indicates more so that AaO only ever occur when you spend the action. Those kind of conflict each other — jrec15 · 1

Improvised Shield

Improvised Shield

I am writing this fresh off of deck-building, running across a combo that makes this item far more viable than it might initially seem: Forced Learning.

This card, along with some other Survivor cards, suffers from only being useful when it is in your discard pile, which it is hard to get it into efficiently when not playing Wendy or Ashcan Pete. Having this in your hand means you have a dead card, and more often than not it'll be stuck there for a while.

Forced Learning solves this issue. Now, every upkeep, you get to put a card into your discard pile from your hand, without losing card advantage in the process! And the obvious beneficiary of this combo is Darrell Simmons, who may appreciate extra health soak in some campaigns due to his 6 base health (hello TFA), and also loves to have Winging it in his discard for more efficient clue-gathering. Plus, he can run Scavenging shenanigans as well due to his high base Intellect and tendency to lower difficulty naturally, which also synergizes with Forced Learning.

I'm excited for this, and I may have to update my review if it does not work out the way I'm expecting it to right now.

Looking at it again, maybe I should've put this review on Darrell Simmons, it seems quite specific. Although, Minh Thi Phan can also use all the cards mentioned.

Shandras · 3
Forced learning only allows you to discard one of the cards you draw with it, not any other you might have in your hand — Django · 5070
True, overlooked that in my first rush of enthusiasm. Still seems to work OK for the most part, the anti-synergy with extra draw is about the only concern I have. I'll try it out some more. — Shandras · 3
Maybe we'll get a level 1 shield with a '?' icon someday? That's about the only thing that would make me even consider playing it. I mean, even then it would be worse Leather Coat (hand slots are far more valuable than body slots) but then you could at least get it into play without relying on a secondary discard effect. — olahren · 3358
Unlikely, olahren. Improvised cards are meant to need ways to get them into the discard pile. Which isn't that hard in survivor anyway. Wendy, Duke and (to a lesser degree) Patrice have it build into their ability, and there are cards like Cornered and "Short Supply", that can help. I agree, though, that the hand slot is in most decks too expensive for this card. — Susumu · 362
I think these cards are meant to enable stuff that discards, not the other way around - most of the time, you wouldn't consider Forced Learning because it dilutes your deck too much to make up for the powerful filtering effect, not to mention the horrendous interaction with weaknesses. With cards like this though, you can add more power to that to potentially make it worth your while. I do agree this is not the most powerful card of the bunch, but in that context, it's more playable than I (and probably most people) gave it credit for. — Shandras · 3
It seems to me that you use this to get out of taking “real” damage and it’s easily overplayed with other useful cards you may also pull from discard. Maybe take a look at Moonstone (I think) to see the lengths you don’t have to go to in order to play this card. — Staticalchemist · 1
Regarding your statement about the dead card in hand: You can get it out with Sleight of Hand, since it does not count as playing. — AlderSign · 236

Miskatonic University

Miskatonic University

If you take the action, do you have to take a tome? For example, if I am playing Daisy and the Necronomicon is my only spell in the top 6, do I have to draw it? The wording is a bit confusing.

thegarbageman25 · 88
I want to encourage you that this is the review section and there are other good question locations such as BGG, reddit, FFG, or mythos bustor discord. For the question, it is your choice "whether you trigger the ability or not", but if you are choose to trigger the ability, you should resolve the effect as much as possible unless the effect is stated with "may." In this case, you should draw Necronomicon. — elkeinkrad · 485
In fact, this question is one of the famous question and you can check the answer at the FAQ in the [Arcane Initiate](https://arkhamdb.com/card/01063) with Dark Memory. — elkeinkrad · 485
I guess the better answer on this question is FAQs for 'Necronomicon' card: — proma_2023 · 1
https://arkhamdb.com/card/01009 - If you add this to your hand without drawing (e.g. via Research Librarian), the Revelation ability still triggers. — proma_2023 · 1

Lab Coat

Lab Coat

Limited applications, but say Darrell Simmons fails a skills test on a Seeker Asset by 2. Granny Orne intercedes and he’s down only one. He immediately triggers the reaction on his Lab Coat to pass by zero. Could be worth the setup if you’re already recurring Fingerprint Kit, on a higher difficulty, for example.

PJFrigate · 336
How about Granny Orne (0), instead of Granny Orne (3)? With Granny Orne (0), regardless of the value of token except auto-fail currently arguable ruling, the test can be succeed by 0 whenever the difficulty of the test is equal or less than 2. — elkeinkrad · 485
Rex can do the same thing if you're using Granny 0, and given his deckbuilding is arguably *more* likely than Darrell to fail Seeker-based skill tests by simple dint of having more Seeker cards in his deck. Though, Darrell can more easily get tests to difficulty 1 or 2, so... swings and roundabouts? They both sound at least plausible takers? — Prinny_wizzard · 251
I meant to add - Rex can also treat his Elder Sign as the autofail to draw 3 cards. Getting to pass the skill test *as well* seems pretty fun. — Prinny_wizzard · 251
I don't think Granny Orne 0 would work here -- she doesn't change your skill value, only your margine of failure. — OrionAnderson · 60
Oops, nevermind, I'm being silly — OrionAnderson · 60

Shed a Light

Shed a Light

A sequel to all the fight/evade reduction cards for Exploit Weakness, lets do the same for Shed a Light:

Guardian

Seeker

Rogue

Survivor

Neutral

A few notes:

Lucaxiom · 4304
Yes, you're correct. Wendy seems ideal to try to abuse Skeleton Key / Shed a Light. — dscarpac · 944
Actually, The Skeleton Key into Flashlight (3) DOES work. It's The Skeleton Key into Flashlight (0) that doesn't work. — Nenananas · 251
I think Unearth the Ancients(2) could be good to use for Shed the Light. — elkeinkrad · 485
@Nenananas: Oh so it does. I didn't see they changed the language from reduce the shroud to reduce the difficulty between the two flashlights. — Lucaxiom · 4304
There's one more interesting mechanic to add to all this: Automatic successes set the difficulty to 0. I'm trying out a blessed+cursed alternate Wendy Adams with a group and just realized Paradoxical Covenant's auto success should also work with this. — Kejardon · 53
sorry, ignore my last comment, I thought I was on Old Keyring's page — Kejardon · 53