Really liking the look of this one. 🙂

Anyone want to fill me in on the riastrad lore and theories as to why that is tied to Rogue faction?

"you'll find a full assortment of player cards for every aspect"

Seems like someone's been doing double duty on Champions articles

Interesting cards. There's definitely playing full speed (pun intended) into the bless/curse tokens.

7 hours ago, Soakman said:

Anyone want to fill me in on the riastrad lore and theories as to why that is tied to Rogue faction?

I did not recognize it at first, but as I read your question I remembered where I had seen it.

"Riastrad" was the state of "battle frenzy" attributed to Cu Chulainn in Irish tales. During it, his body would twist and warp monstrously. From the Tain Bo Cualigne:

" The first warp-spasm seized Cúchulainn, and made him into a monstrous thing, hideous and shapeless, unheard of. His shanks and his joints, every knuckle and angle and organ from head to foot, shook like a tree in the flood or a reed in the stream. His body made a furious twist inside his skin, so that his feet and shins switched to the rear and his heels and calves switched to the front... On his head the temple-sinews stretched to the nape of his neck, each mighty, immense, measureless knob as big as the head of a month-old child... he sucked one eye so deep into his head that a wild crane couldn't probe it onto his cheek out of the depths of his skull; the other eye fell out along his cheek. His mouth weirdly distorted: his cheek peeled back from his jaws until the gullet appeared, his lungs and his liver flapped in his mouth and throat, his lower jaw struck the upper a lion-killing blow, and fiery flakes large as a ram's fleece reached his mouth from his throat... The hair of his head twisted like the tangle of a red thornbush stuck in a gap; if a royal apple tree with all its kingly fruit were shaken above him, scarce an apple would reach the ground but each would be spiked on a bristle of his hair as it stood up on his scalp with rage."
- Thomas Kinsella (translator)

Pretty nasty stuff.

As to how that relates to rogues, I am not sure. Cu Chulainn has some roguish attributes, and was fated to become famous but die young, so perhaps that is the connection.

Certainly sounds Lovecraftian. An attack spell that doesn’t use willpower but adds curses instead. Mechanically it feels like a gamble so that makes sense. I just wonder about its place in rogue, title/theme, and how it arrived there. Maybe a question for a future AMA.

It wouldn't fit in Guardian or Survivor because they don't do curses, and it wouldn't fit in Seeker or Mystic because they tend to avoid physical conflict.

It's also the case that the two investigators who explicitly have Irish roots are Skids O'Toole and Michael McGlen - Skids is a Rogue with a combat focus, and it seems a safe bet that Michael will be the same.

10 hours ago, Allonym said:

It's also the case that the two investigators who explicitly have Irish roots are Skids O'Toole and Michael McGlen - Skids is a Rogue with a combat focus, and it seems a safe bet that Michael will be the same.

Pretty sure Finn is Irish too. He speaks in an Irish accent in his story in the "Investigators of Arkham" book.

Pity about that art though. 😝

5 minutes ago, Villefere said:

Pity about that art though. 😝

It's confusing to be honest. I cant tell if the spell is supposed to mutate and damage an enemy or if it supposed to be case on yourself to mutate and shred someone to bits.

The guy looks as confused as I felt, lol.

16 minutes ago, Soakman said:

It's confusing to be honest. I cant tell if the spell is supposed to mutate and damage an enemy or if it supposed to be case on yourself to mutate and shred someone to bits.

The guy looks as confused as I felt, lol.

Riastrad means YOU mutate before a battle. This art is quite bad though, just look at his tie and torn shirt, it doesn't even look finished... I hate to see this in an Arkham game. Its a heck of a good card though.