Long Shot

Long Shot

Obviously an excellent card for many reasons, but there are some interesting implications to the extra point of damage happening after the test is completed. In particular, I think the synergy with Hatchet should be noted. Hitting a 3 health enemy for 2 with the attack and then finishing them off after the test with this card's extra point of damage is a sneaky way to have your cake and eat it too.

Wundle · 5
But the damage from Long Shot applies in ST.7 together with the standard damage, not after the test. Sorry, no particular Hatchet synergy to be found here. — TheNameWasTaken · 3
I'm not sure that's true TheNameWasTaken. I think this could go either way unless there's been a ruling. While you are right about the timing of the damage there may be a positive interaction with hatchet. Hatchet discards if the attack defeats the enemy. And what exactly this means isn't well defined. Long Shot is different from e.g. vicious blow in that it doesn't increase the attacks damage by 1, its just a card that deals 1 damage that can trigger off of a successful attack. It probably wouldn't be the case that if you started a fight with hatchet, then played a fast card that defeated the enemy that you would discard hatchet, because even though it happened during the attack, the attack itself didn't defeat anything. That being said, it could easily be ruled the way you are saying because a damage as a result of a successful fight test could be sufficient to count as the attack, even if its not strictly speaking the attacks damage — NarkasisBroon · 10
I’m pretty sure the combo works. When you have multiple effects to resolve at ST.7, you choose the order. Like if you have to gain a clue from investigating and draw a card from Perception, it can be either order. I don’t see why this would be different. And as for the question of whether the Long Shot damage attaches to the weapon’s attack, there are two reasons to doubt that. One is that MJ Newman ruled six years ago that even Vicious Blow didn’t do that, in response to a question about killing the Broods of Yog-Sothoth in Undimensioned and Unseen. (I admit that is a peculiar ruling, but I do not believe it was overturned.) The second reason is that Long Shot also does a point of damage during an Evade attempt, and even from another player’s Evade attempt. What is the source of damage in that case? In other words, if I evade an 1-health enemy and you throw in a Long Shot, it’s you, not me, who gets to play Glory. — Holy Outlaw · 268

Pocket Telescope

Pocket Telescope

Note that the FAQ entry above stating "you can't interrupt one action with a second action" appears incomplete, based on this response from FFG:

Q: "Hello! I am Roland Banks taking a fight action against an enemy. In one of the timing windows of the skill test, I want to activate a Shortcut (2) that is attached to my location in order to move to an adjacent location in hopes of discovering a clue from killing the enemy. Can I do this?"

A: "Thank you for your interest in Arkham Horror: The Card Game. To answer your question(s): Yes; as Roland Banks, you can use Shortcut (2)’s free triggered ability during an attack skill test to change locations so that you will be able to discover a clue from the new location if successful. Feel free to reach out to us if any more questions arise!"

Because Shortcut reads: " Exhaust Shortcut: Move." It counts as performing a Move action, which is apparently legal during a Fight action. It's not clear what principle prevents the Chuck Pilfer / Pocket Telescope / Pilfer combo.

Holy Outlaw · 268
you can perform an action during a skill check, but you cannot make a skill check during a skill check — Adny · 1
The longstanding rule has been that a skill test can be initiated during another, but it won’t take place until the first test finishes. The questioner above obviously understands that and baked it into his question but was still rejected on the grounds that “you cant interrupt one action with a second action.” If that is no longer the case, then the FAQ entry above is obsolete. — Holy Outlaw · 268

Surprising Find

Surprising Find

Note that the September 2023 FAQ entry stating that "If it's discovered during a skill test, it must be committed to that skill test" is not entirely accurate, at least according to this response from FFG:

Q: "Hello! If I see Surprising Find when I search my top three cards from Eureka! During ST.7, does the Surprising Find commit to the current test and draw me a card for its success?"

A: "Thank you for your interest in Arkham Horror: The Card Game. No. Eureka’s ability resolves after the point in which you can commit Surprising Find to the skill test; there is no longer an eligible skill test for it to be committed to. You’d have to commit Surprising Find to a future test. Feel free to reach out to us if any more questions arise!"

In other words, there appears to be an indefinite moment between ST.3 - ST.7 in which the current skill test ceases to be "the next" skill test.

Holy Outlaw · 268
It's not about it ceasing to be "the next test" it just simply doesn't allow you to break the normal rules of a skill test by committing more cards after it is already over. — Spamamdorf · 5
No, that’s not the reason. On 4/5/24, I asked, “ Hello! I hear that you have ruled that if Surprising Find is discovered during a skill test, it must be committed to that skill test. Would that be true even if it were discovered by Practice Makes Perfect in the window after cards are committed in ST.2? Thank you.” FFG answered on 9/4/24, “ Yes, Surprising Find must be committed to that test, because its own ability says to do so. Through the Golden Rule, card abilities can override the default rules of play, including how cards are normally committed during step 2 of a skill test.” — Holy Outlaw · 268
Note that the skill test is not over until after ST.8 and the question is about ST.7. If the current test is “the next test” during ST.1 - ST.3, and if the 9/4/24 ruling that Surprising Find commits immediately and waits for nothing is accurate, there must be some indeterminate moment between ST.3 - ST.7 at which the current test ceases to be “the next.” — Holy Outlaw · 268
Writing on behalf of a friend, whose name is The English Language. The current skill test is never the next skill test. Not in ST.1, not in ST.7, and not in ST.22. Rulings to the contrary are too stupid to waste brain space or word count on. That is all. — Eudaimonea · 5
You said "no" then proceeded to not at all disagree with what I said. The ruling you listed says Practice makes Perfect breaks the rules and allows you to commit a card when played, Surprising Find does not have an effect that asks you to break the rules of skill test timing on its own. If it makes it easier for you: try to think of it as "the next time you are allowed to commit this card, you must". — Spamamdorf · 5
I think we’re talking past each other a little. The ruling I quoted says that if Practice Makes Perfect finds Surprising Find *after* the part of the skill test when cards are committed, it still commits. After ST.2, there is no window when cards commit, and Practice Makes Perfect does not commit Surprising Find, so the part of your most recent response I don’t understand is, even if I read this card the way you suggest—which would be an errata, not an interpretation—when does that “next time” arise? During ST.3? ST.4? ST.5? When is the magic moment, if not during ST.2, when cards are committed via standard means? — Holy Outlaw · 268
We're not talking past each other, you just aren't parsing the words in my post. Cards can make exceptions to rules, this card does not make one, PmP does. — Spamamdorf · 5
I encourage you to re-read FFG's ruling from my first response to you. It says that the text of Surprising Find requires it to commit. Then I encourage you to re-read all of your statements in this thread, which declare that Practice Makes Perfect requires Surprising Find to commit. — Holy Outlaw · 268

"Where's Pa?"

"Where's Pa?"

Apparently, the "if able" clause on this card is intended to prevent it from fizzling as easily as similar effects like Smite the Wicked. At least, that's what I glean from this response from FFG:

Q: "Hello! I have a question about Arkham Horror: The Card Game. Hank Samson's signature weakness, "Where's Pa?" reads: "Revelation - Discard cards from the top of the encounter deck until an enemy is discarded. Attach 'Where's Pa?' to that enemy and spawn it at a connecting location, if able."

I am wondering what happens if there is no connecting location, for example if I’m in the Study in the first part of The Gathering or in Rainy Streets in the first part of Riddles and Rain. The “if able” clause is attached to a sentence with two instructions (attach the card and spawn the enemy), so what if I’m not able? Thank you."

A: "Thank you for your interest in Arkham Horror: The Card Game. To answer your question(s): If there’s no connecting location when you draw “Where’s Pa?”, you will spawn the enemy at your location instead. Feel free to reach out to us if any more questions arise!"

Note that the answer says "your location," and not "following its typical spawn instruction." Maybe an oversight.

Holy Outlaw · 268

Subject 5U-21

Subject 5U-21

Can Suzi devour the individual event cards attached to Crystallizer of Dreams, or would she have to devour the entire Crystallizer asset?

If the former, that seems pretty enormously powerful; it means you have a steady stream of event cards to devour and aren't likely to have to resort to eating your assets (or your teammates). Even better, you could use it to juggle multiple copies of Regurgitation back into your hand, healing damage and horror with every cycle.

If the latter, what happens to the attachments; are they devoured as well? Or simply discarded?

Unrelated: unless I'm mistaken, Suzi can benefit greatly from cards that cause her investigator card to be treated as blank (e.g. the Stubborn Detective weakness). If she builds up a healthy statline from Ravenous (Controlled Hunger), blanking her investigator card prevents her from being forced to devour one of the cards she draws during upkeep and switch back into Uncontrolled Hunger mode, but she still keeps the stat boots from Ravenous.

krumpvrank · 1
I'm pretty sure the attached events are considered out of play due to being face down, therefore while Suzi does control them, they aren't eligible targets for the devour ability. And if she devours the Crystallizer, the attached events are discarded. — TheNameWasTaken · 3
That's seems to be right. For comparison look at the faq for Diana. — Tharzax · 1