Background:
Several cards, in particular Animate Weapons and Dance of the Monkey God, state that they affect ‘heroes in the dungeon’. During outdoor encounters, of course, there are no heroes *in the Dungeon* so these cards have no affect.
Of course, when these cards were written there were *only* ‘in dungeon’ operations for the heroes (barring an individual hero being temporarily in town). Many people argue that because of this, 'in the dungeon' should be treated as meaning 'in play' (or something similar) so that these cards would work during encounters.
An argument can be made that these cards are too powerful for use in Lt encounters anyway. Although they are expensive in terms of Treachery, with a 2 Event and 3 Trap Treachery, which is entirely reasonable by mid-late campaign, an OL can guarantee casting DotMG on his first turn. Upgraded (Silver/Gold/Diamond) monsters make very, very short work of monkeys!
Wind Pact is a counter, but becomes a *required* skill, something which is probably best avoided. These cards are also prime examples given when people ask for recommendations of cards that should be banned or modified in order to improve the game.
Question:
Q. Can Dance of the Monkey God, and similar cards which affect figures “in the dungeon” affect figures during outdoor encounters?
A1. Yes. Treat ‘in the dungeon’ as meaning ‘in play currently’ for outdoor encounters.
A2. No. These cards cannot be played during outdoor encounters.
A3. No. The OL can play these cards during outdoor encounters but they have no effect, beyond wasting a lot of precious resources!