What is the purpose of the Servants Gather effect for Glaaki's signature attack?

Sheet info

Combat rating: -5

Defenses: Physical Resistance

Worshippers: Glaaki's worshippers are relentless undead creatures. Cultists are Undead and stalkers. Place the 5 Servant of Glaaki monsters on this sheet. Servants of Glaaki that are defeated return to this sheet. They can never be claimed as trophies.

Power: Undead Servants - While Glaaki stirs in his slumber, each time an Ally is discarded or removed from the game, draw a mythos card and place a random Servant of Glaaki on the gate location shown (even if it is sealed). If all 5 Servants of Glaaki are already on the board, Glaaki immediately awakens. If an investigator is devoured, raise the terror level by 2.

Attack: Raise the terror level by 1. If it is 10 or higher, all investigators are devoured.

Doom Track: 12

When a servant of glaaki enters play it does nasty things to each investigator, like making them discard clues or items.

Yep, every investigator loses 1 Unique, 1 Common Item, 1 Spell, 2 Clues and 1 Skill.

But doesn't that indicate that only the Servants already in play (on the board, not on Glaaki's card) are considered to re-enter the game? In other words, all five Servants won't re-enter unless all five are on the board, correct?

All 5 servants being in play will wake him. This appears to be the only scenario that would have all 5 do their thing again with this card. Unless terror rising from his attack still caused ally's to be returned to the box and brought a servant into play during the final battle but I don't think that is the case.

Yeah. Assuming he wakes up via the Doom or Deep One Rising track or any other method not involving his Servants, there will be four or fewer Servants in play. If and when the card appears, only those four (or fewer) will re-enter and "steal" items/clues/etc from the investigators. I highly doubt the increasing Terror track during the Final Battle results in Allies being returned to the box, nor Servants entering play ... but I could be wrong.

Veet said:

Actually that is the case. It should say so in the Dunwich rules. One clarified rule is that all AO slumber abilities are still in effect during final combat. This also means that for each investigator devoured during battle with Glaaki, the terror level increases by 2. Aside from using Epic Battle, this doesn't really happen, but when it does it's a huge blow.

Yeah, but does the rising terror level still necessitate the removal of Allies, even during the Final Battle? I suppose it could, should ... does?

To quote the Dunwich Rulebook, Page 8: "The Servants of Glaaki can come into play-and their special abilities take effect-even during the final battle, although the Servants cannot directly participate in the fight. At the end of the game, keep track of which Servants of Glaaki were in play. Those Servants not in play can still enter play as Glaaki's attack raises the terror level, causing allies to be discarded. Once all of the Servants have "entered play" they have no further efffect on game play(emphasis added)."

Always read the rulebook clarifications of the AO's; those answer a lot of questions.

ah thanks guys I feel stupid for not reading the servants =P.

thanks for the answers. I did not have the servants on me while deciding to read all of the AO Epic attacks deck.

Awesome. Thanks, Solan!

Actually, doesn't Glaaki's Undead Servants mean that there can be 5 Servants on the board, but if a sixth one would appear, then Glaaki awakens? At least, that's how I would read the meaning of the word "already" in:

"While Glaaki stirs in his slumber, each time an Ally is discarded or removed from the game, draw a mythos card and place a random Servant of Glaaki on the gate location shown (even if it is sealed). If all 5 Servants of Glaaki are already on the board, Glaaki immediately awakens."

-Villain

Villain said:

Presumably you are correct; however, it's possible FFG expressed itself poorly :')

Yes, the 6th servant will cause Glaaki to awaken. The key word is "already" 5 in play. Clearly there can't already be 5 in play when you go to put the 5th into play.

Ah. Good point regarding the 6th.

I actually played my first Glaaki game just the other day. Won. BUT, I wasn't introducing Servants every time he raised the terror level. Looking back on it, I don't think it would have cost me the game. I had a plethora or useless items to discard alongside the combos I used to put him down.

Deek said:

Those I don't care about. Sure, they can bite you in the ass, but having 2+ of each type of Item, you know you can chuck some garbage (Tasks and Missions FTW ). I do know I'll most likely be without Skills in a Glaaki game. However, the one Servant that hurst the most is the "discard 2 Clues". He's a total no-vaseline treatment Servant . Hopefully, he'll hit early and in Arkham, so I don't have to worry about killing him, thus making another appearance (and since he is in Arkham, he can't jump into a vortex).

Dam said:

Those I don't care about. Sure, they can bite you in the ass, but having 2+ of each type of Item, you know you can chuck some garbage (Tasks and Missions FTW ). I do know I'll most likely be without Skills in a Glaaki game. However, the one Servant that hurst the most is the "discard 2 Clues". He's a total no-vaseline treatment Servant . Hopefully, he'll hit early and in Arkham, so I don't have to worry about killing him, thus making another appearance (and since he is in Arkham, he can't jump into a vortex).

Yeah, that particular Servant showed up right away in my last game. BUT, he appeared while two of my three investigators were in the OW w/ five clue tokens apiece. Thaaaaanks. So yeah, no elder signs for me. Then I realized I was trying to close a -2 Abyss gate with the Bootlegger and had a little fit (max 3 Will/Fight). There came a tipping point where gearing up was the only hope. Thankfully, the Professor succeeded at his Story and managed to find Shriveling, a Carbine Rifle and the bullwhip for a d6 reroll (which never failed, bucking the odds in a big way) ... he saved our bacon.