Rules question: Cloak of Deception

By Ispher, in Descent: Journeys in the Dark

In our campaign, one of the heroes wears the Cloak of Deception (for which there unfortunately is no entry in the CRRG): " If you roll a blank on any of your defense dice, you may exhaust this card to test awareness. If you pass, you are not affected by the attack. "

Which, if any, of the following things do have an effect on a hero who has successfully passed the test on Cloak of Deception:

1) Does the hero gain an infect token from Airborne?

2) Can the hero be moved with the Hellhound's use of a surge with Hunt ( surge: After this attack resolves, you may remove the target from the map and place it in an empty space adjacent to this monster )? I am sure Knockback doesn't work, but for Hunt I am not sure because it says " after this attack resolves".

3) Can the OL use surge effects that do not affect the hero, like the Flesh Moulders' Mend or the Shadow Rune's surge: draw 1 Overlord card?

Thanks for any help.

1) Since the Monster dealt no damage on their attack, and they did target the hero, I would say yes, the hero would gain the infection token.

2) The attack still resolves even if the hero is not affected by the attack, and he still was targeted, so I would say that yes, Hunt can be used.

3) I would say yes to both.

I've seen no ruling that says that if a target becomes 'not affected' by an attack then they are no longer a target of the attack, or that the attack is somehow cancelled and doesn't go through its normal steps.

I would imagine this would apply to other abilities that make a hero 'not affected' by an attack as well, such as Conversion Kit Nanok of the Blade's heroic feat.

A precise definition of not affected would be nice, but I'm going on the assumption that it simply means the hero can't be damaged. You may want to e-mail FFG for a more definitive ruling. Does a hero becoming 'not affected' mean they aren't a target anymore? That could lead to more complications. What happens to an attack with no targets mid-resolution?

Edited by Charmy

I would actually lean toward removing the hero as target of the attack, because I don't know how you can be a target and not be affected (you can absolutely be affected and not be a target). Not affected means not dealing with the attack results at all (range, surges, damage).

1) The attack was performed and resolves with no wound dealt, agreed. Airborne triggers.

2) I disagree about Hunt. The cloak works during step 3, before any surges are being spent.

3) Again, I don't know that the attack would ever get to step 4 (assuming there were no other affected figures).

Definitely worth an FFG question.

2 hours ago, Zaltyre said:

2) I disagree about Hunt. The cloak works during step 3, before any surges are being spent.

My thought process isn't related to when the cloak works - its about the definition of 'not affected'. My argument is that the hero is still the target of the attack even if they weren't affected. Hunt simply states: "After this attack resolves, you may remove the target from the map". The attack did resolve - and the hero was a target - so the requirements for Hunt are met.

Of course this is going by the idea that 'not affected' simply means the hero can't suffer damage from the attack. However, if the "not affected" definition is extended to "the hero is no longer the target of the attack" or the attack steps are modified to include "if there are ever no 'affected' targets the attack immediately fails as if it were a miss and no surges can be spent", then Hunt wouldn't work.

Edited by Charmy

I agree with your reasoning. I think it hinges on whether the hero remains the target.

On 3/13/2018 at 6:02 AM, Zaltyre said:

[...] I don't know how you can be a target and not be affected [...]

Wouldn't an attack that deals less or equal damage than shields rolled be an instance of targeting and not affecting? Or when a hero passes the awareness test on Pit Trap, wasn't he targeted but not affected?

In any case, I asked FFG. Thanks for your help!