Amazingly, someone was actually available to play AH over the weekend, and we played with KiY, but there was one encounter that we encountered that seemed a bit odd:

Unvisited Isle

A monster is attacking a huddled figure in the shadows. If you pass the first Combat check you make against the monster, you may draw a random Ally or Spell.

So, does that mean that we draw a monster similar to "a monster appears", or is it more like the vampire encounter in rivertown, and this is implicitly a Combat (+0) check?

Not that I have KiY, but I would judge by the wording you've got there that it would resolve like the vampire encounter (although it is worded in a very ugly and ambiguous way).

Yup treat this as any other check. So add up your fight +items to combat checks...roll those dice and if you get a success you get a spell or ally!

Yup treat this as any other check. So add up your fight +items to combat checks...roll those dice and if you get a success you get a spell or ally!

MrsGamura said:

When we had that encounter this weekend we decided to draw a monster from the monster cup which makes more sense, imho.

You definitely draw a monster for this encounter. It specifically says that you get the Ally or Spell if you pass the first combat check. The only way you can have more than one check is if you draw a monster and fail the first combat check against it (in which case you don't get the spoils, even if you defeat it on a subsequent check).

Completely agree with Morgaln. Seems to be the only logical conclusion unless the "first" is a misprint.

I disagree, I think the reason card states specifically the "first" combat check is because you might have a spell, item, ally or skill that allows for a second check if you fail the first.

I would not draw a monster and instead just make a combat check of +0 as a previous poster suggested.

Yeah, the "first" thing is a bit vague. Technically, even a single-check skill resolution has a "first" check (the first, last, and only one), but it would seem to imply the potential for multiple, which would then in turn imply drawing a monster from the cup. However, it's still unclear.

Well, since it's worth a Skill, I guess that we'll run it as drawing a monster from the cup until we get an official ruling.

I believe this makes perfect sense. You are to draw a monster from the cup. This is indicated by the text reading that "a monster" emerges rather than a specific monster. You now must pass the first combat check, which means make your horror check as normal-Then pass the combat check. If you don't, then you take the damage the monster deals and now you have failed the "first combat check" so do what the card says in that case.

Also, I would consider things like Mandys re-roll to be a "Second combat check" and thus not getting the benefit if you have to use such a thing, but do not know if this is official, just something I would do to make it harder as the reward is pretty great.

This encounter should probably be treated as a "A Monster Appears!" encounter. Fight it as normal and keep it as a trophy if you win. You have the added bonus that if you win in a single round - the first round - you also get to draw an Ally or Skill.

Mandy's ability is a re-roll of failed dice of that Skill check so it is still considered a first round roll if you use it. So you could fight a monster, fail, use Mandy to re-roll, defeat the monster, and still meet the conditions on the card to draw the Ally or Skill.

OK, I seem to have gotten confused earlier and said "Skill" when I meant "Ally". I knew that it was one of those powerful hard-to-get small cards, though I did find it odd that it was one of those plus Spell, instead of "Skill or Ally", or one, or the other, or an anything. It just seems like an odd combination.

P.S.: I'll get back to the "search for items in decks" thread later this week.