Newbie Questions

By Sekreth, in Arkham Horror Second Edition

1. Can you fight the monsters guarding gates when you return to Arkham from an Other World so you don't have to waste a turn sneaking or fighting them the next turn?

2a. Are the Mythos cards from Curse of the Dark Pharaoh really that weird? Regarding the one that has you get three Maniacs or two ghosts from the outskirts, monster trophies and cup, what if it makes it over the monster limit? Do they all go back to the outskirts?

2b. Regarding the one with exhibit items that end up in the streets, when the environment goes away, can you still pick them up?

2c. Regarding the one with Mummies in the streets, is it active everytime you enter a street or when you just end your movement there?

3. When you gain an ally like Duke, do you also get a sanity token for getting him or does it just move your maximum sanity?

4. When it says look for the first Tome/Weapon you find, do you search from the bottom going to the top or top going to the bottom?

5. Why is a raven like a writing desk?

I'd appreciate any answers you might have and I apologize in advance if these have been asked before.

1. Yes, you can fight them if you want. The rules say you MAY ignore them, so it's your call.

2a. I would say "no, they're not really that weird"...except then you bring up two of the weirdest ones there are. Unless someone clarified it further, yes, they would go to the Outskirts if you can't fit them inside the monster limit.

2b. ...........I don't know anymore.

2c. ...........YES. SOME OF THEM ARE THAT WEIRD. (Will someone gets Dark Pharaoh Tibs in here???)

3. During the game, if your Max San/Stam is boosted for any reason, you don't raise your Current San/Stam until you "heal" it back. The exception to this rule is "Ashcan" Pete (or any Investigator who starts with Duke as a random Ally): since he STARTS with Duke, he does indeed start with his Current Sanity at its new Maximum.

4. Top to Bottom. You are essentially drawing cards blindly until you reach the first Tome/Weapon from the top.

5. ........I beg your pardon?

Sekreth said:

3. When you gain an ally like Duke, do you also get a sanity token for getting him?

5. Why is a raven like a writing desk?

3. Duke only increases your current Sanity (as opposed to max Sanity) if you start the game with him.

5. Because the notes for which they are noted are not noted for being musical notes. Because Poe wrote on both. Because there is a B in both and an N in neither. Because it slopes with a flap.

Thanks, guys. You've been a big help.

Sekreth said:

1. Can you fight the monsters guarding gates when you return to Arkham from an Other World so you don't have to waste a turn sneaking or fighting them the next turn?

2a. Are the Mythos cards from Curse of the Dark Pharaoh really that weird? Regarding the one that has you get three Maniacs or two ghosts from the outskirts, monster trophies and cup, what if it makes it over the monster limit? Do they all go back to the outskirts?

2b. Regarding the one with exhibit items that end up in the streets, when the environment goes away, can you still pick them up?

2c. Regarding the one with Mummies in the streets, is it active everytime you enter a street or when you just end your movement there?

3. When you gain an ally like Duke, do you also get a sanity token for getting him or does it just move your maximum sanity?

4. When it says look for the first Tome/Weapon you find, do you search from the bottom going to the top or top going to the bottom?

5. Why is a raven like a writing desk?

I'd appreciate any answers you might have and I apologize in advance if these have been asked before.

The above answers are correct to my knowledge, but I'll clarify if I can:

1. I assume you can. "May" is the operative word. However, I don't know if that means that if you choose to encounter one that you are forced to encounter all of them, or if you can ignore some and encounter others. For simplicity, I will say the latter: that you can choose.

2a. Dark Pharaoh mythos cards are indeed weird. The monsters do go to the outskirts, so if there are too many monsters on the board when you gather the maniacs up, then they won't all be on the board and you won't be able to receive the Exhibit prize (unless you get lucky and have some way of defeating Outskirts monsters, which is RARE). There is also a question of how many Exhibits are handed out when fighting the Maniacs: if three investigators defeat one Maniac each, do they all get an Exhibit Item? I suspect the Exhibit is handed out when the last one is killed, to the investigator who killed him. Also note that there are only three Maniacs total, so you will have to put your previously collected trophies onto the board if possible. The term "up to 3" means that if any have been returned to the box somehow, they aren't placed.

2b. By a strict reading, yes the Exhibits remain. I guess the only consequence of this card being an Environment is that it will cancel the one in play, and won't take effect if Ithaqua or Cthuga are the AOs.

2c. It is as if there was a mummy monster token in every street space. So every time you enter a street space via movement, you have to face the mummy as you would a normal monster. If you started your movement in the street, you have to face the mummy, regardless of if you plan on moving out of the street.

3. When you gain such an ally, your maximum is raised by 1, but you have to "heal" back that point yourself (i.e. your current sanity/stamina does not change). However if the character starts with such an ally (Pete and Duke, for example), his sanity and stamina start at maximum.

4. When searching for the "first of a type," you search from the top down until you find it, placing the other cards underneath the deck in the order they were drawn. When searching for a specific item (referenced by name or if you are able to take one of your choice—"Search the CI deck for a Whiskey card"), just locate it within the deck and shuffle afterwards.

Note that Y'Golonac's tome ability should not trigger by the unused cards; only if the one you're searching for is a tome. In other words, if you have to search for the first Weapon in the deck, and you came across three tomes on the way down to find it, you should not gain 3 doom tokens.

5. What they have in common is that I don't own either of these things.

Thank you so much for the clarifications. I shall hate that Environment with a passion.

Now I shall continue playing my Live-action Arkham Horror. It just feels weird playing as Sister Mary.

Sekreth said:

1. Can you fight the monsters guarding gates when you return to Arkham from an Other World so you don't have to waste a turn sneaking or fighting them the next turn?

2a. Are the Mythos cards from Curse of the Dark Pharaoh really that weird? Regarding the one that has you get three Maniacs or two ghosts from the outskirts, monster trophies and cup, what if it makes it over the monster limit? Do they all go back to the outskirts?

2b. Regarding the one with exhibit items that end up in the streets, when the environment goes away, can you still pick them up?

2c. Regarding the one with Mummies in the streets, is it active everytime you enter a street or when you just end your movement there?

3. When you gain an ally like Duke, do you also get a sanity token for getting him or does it just move your maximum sanity?

4. When it says look for the first Tome/Weapon you find, do you search from the bottom going to the top or top going to the bottom?

5. Why is a raven like a writing desk?

I'd appreciate any answers you might have and I apologize in advance if these have been asked before.

re: #5. Because they're both involved with engravin'

I'm sorry, but here are more inane questions.

1. If the first Mythos card drawn is 2 doom tokens are added to the doom track or a monster surge occurs, do you get a new card?

2. Regarding the Mythos card from Dark Pharaoh where you have to discard a common item in an Other World, is this done during the Arkham Encounters Phase like the other Rumors or can you do this anytime you're in an Other World?

3. If you encounter an Elusive monster through an Encounter, can you choose not to fight it?

4. Can you use the skills that grant one success after rolling if you didn't roll any dice due to having 0 for a skill check?

5. Do handcuffs work on Tcho-Tcho Priests?

6. There are a carrot, a pile of pebbles, and a pipe lying together in the middle of a field. How did they get there?

Once again, I'd appreciate any answers you might have.

I have a noob question to add. How do you resolve combat if there are two investigators in the same square as one monster? Can they fight the monster together?

Sekreth said:

I'm sorry, but here are more inane questions.

1. If the first Mythos card drawn is 2 doom tokens are added to the doom track or a monster surge occurs, do you get a new card?

2. Regarding the Mythos card from Dark Pharaoh where you have to discard a common item in an Other World, is this done during the Arkham Encounters Phase like the other Rumors or can you do this anytime you're in an Other World?

3. If you encounter an Elusive monster through an Encounter, can you choose not to fight it?

4. Can you use the skills that grant one success after rolling if you didn't roll any dice due to having 0 for a skill check?

5. Do handcuffs work on Tcho-Tcho Priests?

6. There are a carrot, a pile of pebbles, and a pipe lying together in the middle of a field. How did they get there?

Once again, I'd appreciate any answers you might have.

1. Nothing has been said officially about this, so I'd say you keep it. A "monster surge" is extremely lucky, as you would get no monsters. A double-doom is not so lucky.

2. If it doesn't say during any particular phase, then I guess it's anytime you like.

3. Yes; in fact, you have to exert extra effort in order to fight it.

4. Add a success means add a success. I've used the KH "free-evade" skill to dodge monsters. In other words, successes are not necessarily dependent on dice.

5. I don't think so. It's a disctinctly different monster. It sucks that the expansion that includes the Handcuffs doesn't even come with any Tcho-Tchos, but it does come with a confusing "Tcho-Tcho Priest."

6. Trick question. The Colour Out of Space activated its special ability, and you're hallucinating. They're not really there.

Djangoman2k said:


I have a noob question to add. How do you resolve combat if there are two investigators in the same square as one monster? Can they fight the monster together?

This has been asked a lot.

Investigators can't team up to defeat monsters. The best teamwork you can hope for is to send the character who moves first to kill any monsters blocking someone else who you need to go somewhere specific. I also believe it's legal to trade items between investigators before doing combat, but I'm not sure if you have to deal with the monsters first (seems to make more thematic sense).

Sekreth said:

I'm sorry, but here are more inane questions.

1. If the first Mythos card drawn is 2 doom tokens are added to the doom track or a monster surge occurs, do you get a new card?

2. Regarding the Mythos card from Dark Pharaoh where you have to discard a common item in an Other World, is this done during the Arkham Encounters Phase like the other Rumors or can you do this anytime you're in an Other World?

3. If you encounter an Elusive monster through an Encounter, can you choose not to fight it?

4. Can you use the skills that grant one success after rolling if you didn't roll any dice due to having 0 for a skill check?

5. Do handcuffs work on Tcho-Tcho Priests?

6. There are a carrot, a pile of pebbles, and a pipe lying together in the middle of a field. How did they get there?

Once again, I'd appreciate any answers you might have.

1.I'd say no. Only rumors have a redraw ruling.

2.If it doesn't specify, I'd say anytime.

3.Yes.

4.Yes.

e.g. "Mental Fortitude. Any Phase: After making any Horror check, exhaust to add 1 success to the result." It says nothing about needing to roll dice before hand.

5.I'd say no.

6.The carrot and pipe clearly got there by walking. Then they fornicated, giving birth to the pebbles.

Tibs said:

Investigators can't team up to defeat monsters. The best teamwork you can hope for is to send the character who moves first to kill any monsters blocking someone else who you need to go somewhere specific. I also believe it's legal to trade items between investigators before doing combat, but I'm not sure if you have to deal with the monsters first (seems to make more thematic sense).

Thanks a lot man

avec said:

5. Because there is a B in both and an N in neither.

I like that answer. I'll have to remember it. =)

#6 . . . and your new name shall be "Snowman"

Ha ha! Brilliant! I didn't think there would be an actual answer. We should start a riddle section in the off topic area.

I also had a question about the Mythos Rumor from CoTDP that Sekreth is referencing. I can't remember if it was Tibs or Avi or Mageith that said that CoTDP has some of the poorest card wording of any expansion because many times I've looked at the new cards I'm seeing and went "huh?"

Mythos140.png

Now, nowhere in the rules does it state that you can discard items at will...so upon first looking at this I thought the only way to pass would be to have a monster encounter or something else that would let you "use" a common item and then roll a 1 or a 2 to "discard" it...thereby passing the rumor. That seems pretty hard and unlikely and I originally thought this rumor sucked seriously. If you read the ongoing effect section though it says "wether by applying its bonuses to combat, exhausting it, or discarding it, roll a dice" So this leads me to believe that you can discard an item in the other world on demand, the only caveat with this rumor being that if you attempt to discard an item you have to make the roll avoiding 1 or a 2 or the item falls apart before it can be "discarded" kind of absurd line of reasoning if you ask me heh.

Thoughts?

Oh and Sekreth a raven is like a writing desk because you watch / read too much Lewis Caroll / Alice in Wonderland.

Pipe, Carrot, Pebbles? No idea but I blame Yog-Sothoth.

::Shrug:: I think that you just toss away an item and can pass the rumor, but looking at the card you have a point, there should be an official clarification. You should post this in the F.A.Q. section.

Vaxsythrakul said:

Now, nowhere in the rules does it state that you can discard items at will...so upon first looking at this I thought the only way to pass would be to have a monster encounter or something else that would let you "use" a common item and then roll a 1 or a 2 to "discard" it...thereby passing the rumor. That seems pretty hard and unlikely and I originally thought this rumor sucked seriously. If you read the ongoing effect section though it says "wether by applying its bonuses to combat, exhausting it, or discarding it, roll a dice" So this leads me to believe that you can discard an item in the other world on demand, the only caveat with this rumor being that if you attempt to discard an item you have to make the roll avoiding 1 or a 2 or the item falls apart before it can be "discarded" kind of absurd line of reasoning if you ask me heh.

Thoughts?

If you go by that logic, then it's not just a CotDP issue. From base game:

Mythos59.png

Nothing in the rules about discarding Spells at will either.

Good call Dam. End of discussion :')

Your main question has already been answered: If a rumour asks you do discard something, this also grants you the right to do so in the correct place(s). Any other interpretation breaks all the rumours, as none of them explicitely allow you do discard things to pass them. I'd just like to add something else:

Vaxsythrakul said:
If you read the ongoing effect section though it says "wether by applying its bonuses to combat, exhausting it, or discarding it, roll a dice" So this leads me to believe that you can discard an item in the other world on demand, the only caveat with this rumor being that if you attempt to discard an item you have to make the roll avoiding 1 or a 2 or the item falls apart before it can be "discarded" kind of absurd line of reasoning if you ask me heh.

It does make sense if you think about what kind of items there are. There are items that give you something for discarding it (Research Materials, Whiskey, Food, you name it). So while this rumour is in effect, if you roll a 1 or 2, you still discard the item, but you don't get an effect from doing so.

That about clears it up !