So, I got Dunwich yesterday and drew a skill card that reads: Mythos Lore / -1 Maximum sanity / exhaust instead of spending one clue token...

Why would I want -1 sanity? Is is a misprint???

It's not a misprint; what you do want is the ability to exhaust a card instead of spending a clue token, which is incredibly useful - the sanity penalty is there just to prevent the card from being horribly overpowered.

-Villain

Ok.. sure... I get it... exhaust instead of needing a clue token... so i can close gates with 4 clues...cool.

It also very much depends on who draws it. Harvey Walters, pfft, Sanity 7 or 6, no biggie. Mark/Monterey/Michael draw it in a Cthulhu game, maximum Sanity of 1, might not be the ideal draw.

I had that happen with Monterey once. It was rough

Normally I'm happy to see it though; in most cases spending one free clue token per turn is well worth taking the hit.

Edit: wow, editing a post can really mess up the quote function, huh?

Joseph_Lavode said:

Naw, this forum can mess up the quote function. I miss the old days: narrower posts, always editable, forum tags worked, personal avatars.... good ol days.

I used Mark Harrigan, I started with Mythos Lore (2 max sanity). Then I ended up with Scizophrenia (-1 max sanity). But somehow I was the sole survivor against Yig in final battle and won.

Yeah, old days with free avatars is awesome. Why did FFG decide to give pre-set avatars anyway?

OP, this is a VERY cool and useful skill. Note that when you exhaust the card the penalty no longer applies until its refreshed again. In rare cases this can be exploited as the "extra" max point can be filled and used while the skill is face down.

I've always wondered about that. Does this mean Granny Orn's stat boosts no longer apply if you use her clue?

And what about the enchanted spear? Wouldn't that mean it is useless as an enchanted weapon?

Also, I once got Granny Orne and Mythos lore in the same game. We were playing with Kingsport, and for the rest of the game I abandoned my duties to try and get changed, so I could seal with 2 clue tokens (or 0 if Noden's favor showed up). But the AOO awoke and we lost.

Note that when you exhaust an ally card, that card still provides its stat bonuses. With Orne, that means that you have to refresh her to use her clue ability again.

The idea behind the Ancient Spear is that you can use it an unlimited number of times in a round as long as a Physical Weapon. For one combat check each round, you can exhaust it to use it as a Magical Weapon instead, and after that combat check you can't use it at all until it's refreshed.