Book of Shadows

I have never used this card, and I don't think I ever will. Even back when this came out in the original core set, my attitude was always that I would rather just play another copy of my important spell, especially because if you don't have spells to recharge, this will just sit on the table and do nothing. Deep down inside, though, ever since I first saw this in the core set, I've had a tiny hope that maybe, someday, a spell will come out that will make me want to pay 4 resources and 3 xp to recharge and keep in play alongside two other spells; but to this day, almost 8 years later, this hope has yet to become reality.

Bewitching

This seems to be mis-labelled, my physical card has this as an Asset, rather than an Event. Given it's a permanent that lets you draw cards to attach to Bewitching before your opening hand, Asset makes more sense, right?

NotYAWS · 3
Yes. The original card is an asset. It's mislabeled on this page. — toastsushi · 74
This has already been fixed, but will take a bit untill it will be updated on the server. — Susumu · 371
Clarification: 'Engaging Enemies vs Being Engaged by Enemies: When an investigator engages an enemy, that enemy has also engaged that investigator, and vice-versa. There is no difference between engaging an enemy and being engaged by an enemy. Effects that trigger “after an enemy engages you” will trigger at the same time as effects that trigger “after you engage an enemy.”' - FAQ v.1.3, May 2018: — zman7791 · 5
Sorry, meant to post as review, not a comment. — zman7791 · 5
Prismatic Spectacles

This is a card that seems specifically targeted at non-seekers. Most people with normal access to Level 0-2 seeker cards have better ways to get multiple clues (deduction, fingerprint kit, extensive research, ice pick, seeking answers). The bonus skill value also probably isn't super critical for most seekers too, especially when balanced against a curse token somewhere down the line. There is the benefit that this doesn't take up the competitive hand slot for Seeker, with the accessory slot being less competitive in Yellow. That still doesn't balance out an effect that costs 2 resources and an action to play and requires you to hit a curse token to resolve (meaning you leave it to chance or use Favor of the Moon).

That leaves us with non-Seekers who can take this card.

Kohaku is the obvious primary use case for this. With his Book of Living Myth, it's trivial to proc this effect once per turn for lower shroud locations (he still needs to pass the test, but his investigate skill is high).

Parallel Wendy is probably the next base case. She can directly resolve curse tokens using Tidal Memento or her elder sign effect.

Darrell probably doesn't need the additional effort involved in this card (slowly dripping curses into the bag, sealing with Favor of the Moon, then proc-ing). His synergies go other ways.

Trish can take this card and there's a reasonable amount of potential for a curse-focused Trish build. She can take some combination of Blasphemous Covenant, Lucky Penny [maximize the number of times she can get a curse token], Diabolical Luck, Eye of the Djinn, and Control Variable. In that case, the Prismatic Spectacles give her pretty straightforward curse token generation for a basic investigate action, something she'll probably want to do during a scenario anyways. Similar arguments can be made for Monterey Jack as well.

Luke and Subject 52-U1 can take these as well - both of those investigators are mostly shenanigans anyways, so this card is probably as good as any with them...

In short, this card won't be a Seeker staple, but will see limited use in certain Curse builds.

AdamMal4444 · 12
Parallel Jim would love these things. — HanoverFist · 739
This works with Ursula's ability, for a curse-focused Ursula deck this could be very useful. — SKThunder · 1
I have to ask: The card text does not mention a successful skill test. Can you exhaust the spectacles as soon as you draw a curse token? Does it not depend in the investigation being sucessful? — dr31ns5mf · 1
I asked FFG and they said the skill test must be successful to get the curse clue bonus. — MindControlMouse · 44
So do you have to exhaust the spactacles as soon as the curse token appears (before seeing if the test was successful)? — Son_of_Gothos · 112
Ice pick level 1 doesn't give extra clues, it's the 3xp variant that gets you that. — Olimarrex · 2
Cat Mask

This card singlehandedly makes Ceremonial Sickle and to a much lesser extent its upgrade not absolutely terrible. The problem with the sickle is the secondary attack having no bonus to hit, requiring some expenditure of resources into an already expensive card to deal a single point of damage. But with the mask, because you're going to be clearing and re-applying doom constantly, you'll have no shortage of +2s to help overcome the missing attack bonus.

CombStranger · 269
I want to point out that this is the only mask that recharges two offerings on the trigger. — Staticalchemist · 1
Vamp

Simple notes:

  • With Fine Clothes, the difficulty of the test becomes (0), which means that each test will succeed except auto-fail().
  • A clue at a connecting location could be discovered via Vamp(3) by testing to move the enemy to a connecting location (only for non-Elite) before test.
elkeinkrad · 499
Your second point doesn't work. It specifies discovering a clue at your location not the location of the enemy — azazeloth · 1
The card imagem says "at that enemy's location", which one is the right one? — Gsayer · 1
The bigger problem seems to be the wording "one at a time". For me it seems you make a test and resolve it after you make another one. So I suppose you can't move the enemy with the agility test and then try the intellect test since he's not at your location anymore. — Tharzax · 1
As far as I can tell you choose the enemy at the start. Then you can perform the tests even if the enemy moves away. Once you've chosen an enemy at your location and any number of skills, nothing else requires you to be at that enemies location to resolve things — NarkasisBroon · 10
An added bonus I see is that it doesn't require being engaged with the enemy for any of this either. Great tempo saver when it comes to aloof enemies! — k3nkn33 · 1