Just two questions relating to KiY and LotT:

a) Do effects of Blight cards (relating to Upkeep phase, i.e. refreshing cards....) take place also during a battle with an Ancient One, or do they end before a start of this battle?

b) May power tokens (gained from the Lurker) be used during a battle with an Ancient One, even when this Herald is removed from game (before a final battle begins)? His powers and effects should end with his departure, but who knows.

Thanks for feedback.

The herald may leave play, but Blights remain in play. Some of them can sting a little, and one is specifically designed to make final combat worse.

There's nothing saying you have to do away with Lurker's pacts if the AO awakens, but we play that way. Clearly the Bound Ally is supposed to make final combat worse, but the risk element for the other two pacts ends the moment the AO awakens, so they become nothing but a strategic benefit. That is why we discard them when the AO awakens.

If you do not wish to do this, then, like clue tokens, investigators should never receive power tokens during final combat.