Unrelenting

Cool card, what wins me over is the straigth flexibility.

  • Do you want to beat a test? Dump out some real big tokens!

  • Do you fear the token symbols? Use it like a faux-Defiance and remove the scary stuff.

  • Are you playing a + combination? Mess with the chaos bag for the sake of cards that need to hit or avoid specific tokens.

  • Do you really need card draw and think you can beat the worst the bag can throw at you? Dump out some beneficial stuff.

  • Would a specific token brick a card you want to play? (+1 and "Look what I found!", worst pairing ever!).

So, yeah, that's actually a lot of viable strategic options, something skill cards dont typically have in such volume. usually it's just "Hurr, Durr, hit hard.". I'm real happy to see my favourite card type get some nuanced love!

On the note of the card draw bit, which will pull in the interest of many of you, make sure you can actually beat the test, trading a card and a failed action for 2 cards is rather weak, so either make sure youre failing upwards or beating the action.

Finally: The seal mechanic happens before a test, the release mechanic has been set into motion by committing the card, this means that Silas Marsh can commit the card, seal some tokens, draw a token, return the card, resolve the test, return the sealed tokens. If Silas didnt make you all hot and giggly before this card was released, he should now.

Tsuruki23 · 2568
This doesn't actually help with the +1/"Look what I found!" combo, due to having a wild icon... — Thatwasademo · 58
It does if you're trying to work with a restricted window, where entering a test you cannot go too low. So a 2int character can try a 4 shroud test, from a starting point of 3, with no risk of netting that 4 in a +1. — Tsuruki23 · 2568
I do love the flexibility that this card can offer — Zinjanthropus · 229
I think the other benefit is that it means the card actually works with Try and Try Again, rather than failing due to timings the way Take Heart would. — Ruduen · 1015
Enchanted Armor

For the sake of clarity.

When Enchanted Armor "dies", the only reassinged pain, is the pain you just placed, so if you're playing with some buffs and youre running around with 5 or 6 total pain on there, and you take another point of pain that fails you the test and the armor breaks, you're only reassignigng that bit of pain that broke the camel's back, not the whole pile. This is how I read the card initially and it felt real bad.

So anyway, on the actual correctly read card:

There is'nt much to say. Buff your as high as you can, bring Arcane Studies and/or Physical Training to routinely buff yourself to high heaven, and just keep stacking those tokens high! Brother Xavier can help, so can Holy Rosary. I think you can reasonably expect to soak 4-6 total pain in this way before the dam breaks.

The best part is the straight and simple flexibility of soaking both horror and damage, as required at the time, most of you should be familiar with the bad bookkeeping feeling of loosing an ally because you're taking on too much of one kind of pain.

The downside of the card is the severe reduction in playability if you -dont- build into it, a Diana Stanley or Sister Mary will really make it shine, and so can anybody with Physical Training, but outside of those decks and builds, it's a dud card, especially on harder difficulties.

Tsuruki23 · 2568
not really "build around" to want your willpower high, that thing you use to defend against 11/10 treacheries seems like something you want even in a flightier guardian (since they have less sanity typically anyway), A cheaper, less XP elder sign amulet that sits in the body slot seems pretty good in alot of peps. — Zerogrim · 295
Fun target for Lonnie. — MrGoldbee · 1484
Lonnie can only fix items, not armors and rituals. — Susumu · 381
At harder difficulties, it's nearly unplayable even if you do have 6-7 will with static bonuses . It costs just 1 xp more to take 3 copies of Spiritual Resolve over 2 copies of enchanted armor. Technically there's a downside that you can't play it on other investigators, but practically if you really want to soak for other investigators Hallowed Mirror and Solemn Vow do a much better job. — suika · 9499
This card looks fun but I'm pretty low on it from a power level perspective. Maybe I'm underestimating it, it's certainly not easy to evaluate, but to me the fact that you get zero soak if you fail the first test is kind of unacceptable for an XP soak card. I also really hate gratuitous skill tests on Hard/Expert, so there's that, too. — CaiusDrewart · 3183
Not exactly _good_, but note that Skids or Leo could commit Three Aces to the test to automatically succeed. You could use it against BTV (though they can both take Delay the Inevitable, which is much better in that context). I wonder if you'd be able to tank the 100 horror from the final Agenda Flip in Carcosa? — Zinjanthropus · 229
Looks like you could. Soaking the horror isn't preventing it. https://arkhamdb.com/card/03045 — Yenreb · 15
In which case...what happens? You continue playing without an agenda? — suika · 9499
It would just prevent the mental trauma you get, the game ofcourse will be over anyway. Bruiser seems now a better option than "Physical Training" to buff the tests. — Susumu · 381
Eye of the Djinn

Even if you're not using or mechanics, Eye of the Djinn is a pretty cool card.

At worst this is a 1/turn buff that takes one skill to 5, generally a buff of +2 or more, nearly a Physical Training except it goes for all the stats. It's a great way to brute force scenario-specific tests (for example Parlay's, which usually ask for , not a strong suite), use it to force a clutch evade or an elusive clue, land an event like Followed or Slip Away. This thing does brick a good slot, but the bonus you gain especially with XP allies in place lets you hit really impressive numbers to snag some clues and hit some punches.

So, at the steep cost of 4 xp, I've probably established that this is a perfectly playable card, but here's the kicker, if anybody is playing either or both of or , this thing may get a heap better. More actions, more bonuses! It's a bit unpredictable (actually, it's very unpredictable!) but bonuses, are bonuses! the dependability of the base card is'nt made any worse by the unpredictability of the random boosts. Go with the flow, and if it's boosts you want, grab Favor of the Moon and/or Favor of the Sun and just brute force the bonuses whenever you like!

On the note of Eye of the Djinn and Favor of the Moon specifically, you can actually simultaneously generate bonus actions and resources under controlled circumstances, testing something like a 1-shroud location for clues while speeding yourself up, "Skids" O'Toole's paralell money generation test, the test on Liquid Courage. That's really rather epic!

The only real reasons not to play this card in a deck, is the hand slot and 4XP, both of which are steep prices for a 1-off card, 1-off's allways run that risk of not showing up in a scenario, you might have filled your hand slots at that time, and if Eye of the Djinn shows up in the last few turns of a game, like drawing a Physical Training or similar value-generating cards, it's just too late.

Tsuruki23 · 2568
It's pretty good even with just Olive McBride, though the Favors take it to a whole other level. It's also pretty wild in parallel Skids. Use it with favors on his zappyboi to net actions. He has really good generation for both bless and curse as well. — Zinjanthropus · 229

Fey

Fey

A large 3-icon skill card with no conditions but also no straight buffs, for 1 XP it's a little underwhelming.

2 and 1 means that it's a perfectly good defensive bulwark card, although in most decks you'dd probably rather have a Guts, in-faction you'dd probably rather take Inquiring Mind, and for 1 XP it's supposedly as good as Sharp Vision and Brute Force, but I beg to differ.

Once you add curse tokens to a bag. you up the risk factors in a token pull quite a bit, Fey helps you keep up with the risks a bit, brave the odds more safely and every now and then, you can do some combos.

Namely, Gloria Goldberg, Daisy Walker and Luke Robinson can all dip into a build with the cursed spell trio The Eye of Chaos, Armageddon and Shroud of Shadows. There's also the characters dipping into "Lucky" Penny, Eye of the Djinn and other themed payoff mechanics.

I'm not quite seeing it yet. But plying the waters of a 10- deck with a Fey committed feels a lot safer than not, and playing it over and over into test after test sure is going to help you get through all those self-inflicted penalties.

Tsuruki23 · 2568
Pair with Blasphemous Covenant & Favor of the moon. Clean the bag and profit. — MrGoldbee · 1484
Enchant Weapon

One of my favourite new cards, especially useful on high difficulty where test difficulty can get wild.

TL:DR. The straight up 1/turn accuracy boost can be phenomenal and the damage boost is far from shabby.

So, delving into it a bit, 3 cost for a card that is supposed to deal damage, but is'nt actually a usable weapon in of itself, that's steep! There is a lot of opportunity cost here, the two willpower pips make it bearable as a dud because at least it can shield you from treacheries. Also there is the fact that a second copy is, probably, a dud, if you get into the spot where you're equiped with one ecnhanted weapon in each hand youre officially in "win-more" mode.

So, now that I've established that Enchant Weapon is rather bad in vacuum, lets see what good it does. What you get depends on what you've enchanted.

With an inaccurate weapon, .32 Colt or Knuckleduster for example, this thing bridges the gap quite a bit, land the hits, keep moving forward.

With an infinite use weapon like Machete you'll really be able to just keep going and going and going. Commit the Enchant Weapon on your first attack to land one hit, commic a skill card for the second, efficiency!

With a weapon with undependable damage or limited charges, you can nail exactly the damage you need on a case by case basis, killing a 3-health enemy with one .45 Automatic shot, or saving your Enchanted Blade charges against 2 health foes and retaining access to 2 damage hits once the charges run out, or guaranteeing the kill with a Blessed Blade when you're not willing to risk fishing for a . Pump a Lightning Gun to 4 damage and blitz some monsters!

.

Usually when you're adding to stuff, you'll only want those cards for the characters with literally maximum , but the multifaceted benefits of Enchant Weapon mean that characters with middling can give this card a fair try, a roundly +3 to fight for Roland Banks or Mark Harrigan, a Becky centric Tommy deck will really love it.

Obviously, a higher makes it a little bit better, Sister Mary becomes a reliable hitter with this in play, with card's like Physical Training to back her deck up you can get a rather dependable Mary combat build once set up.

Finally if you're building a straight up support character, an Enchant Weapon can be played for firendly characters too, Carolyn Fern can pack this and use it to pull out a roundly 3 damage hit with a pistol, or play it on behalf of someone else.

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All in all, I think Enchant Weapon is going to be a relatively common upgrade among character's henceforth, and once in a blue moon you might encounter a Paralell Agnes Baker doing something weird.

Tsuruki23 · 2568
Two enchants for more than 1 fighter. Adds flex. — MrGoldbee · 1484
Enchant Weapon does nothing on Boxing Gloves, they don't have a "Fight" action. — tdctaz · 48
Why not on a sword cane for parallel Agnes ? One fight action a round +10 willpower +1 damage on hard/expert difficulty seems nice to me — LeFricC'estChic · 86
I really like Enchant Weapon with low XP weapons like Hungering Blade (on Zoey right now). That kind of deck is running a bit cheaper (infinite uses on a 3 cost weapon) and you might need the buffs until you get other buffs into play. — The Lynx · 993