hi all,

I play the french version of this game and I hope I will use the good terme, and Sorry for my spelling,

Can we use spell as we use Clue Token (to cast a spell when loosing a Combat checks to roll more dices)

Nothing specifique agaist it but I would like to have comfirmation.

ie: Shrivelling Any Phase: Cast and exhaust to gain +6 to Combat checks until the end of this combat.

ie

During a combat (one hand weapon + free hand)

Using a clue: (small recall)
- Combat checks -> failure
- Using a clue
- Combat checks (using only one dice ) -> success

Using a spell:
- Combat checks -> failure
- Using Shrivelling, spell check -> success
- Combat checks (rolling 6 dice ) -> success

unless we must declare and cast the spell before rolling the first dice of the Combat checks... do we?

As far as I know you have to select and cast the weapons and spells to use for a combat check before making that check, thus spells that add combat dice cannot be cast after failing a combat check.

Even if the rules did allow you to cast the spell afterwards, does the investigator still have the hands free to cast the spell? Why would you fight with a free hand for "just in case" when you could equip another weapon or spell and get more dice for the original check?

On a side note, you are allowed to see if spells like shrivelling cast successfully before deciding whether to fight or evade.

Got to agree with thorgrim on this. Besides, it seems unrealistic that an investigator would be able to cast a spell partway through the combat.

The Sanity cost can be expencive...
so using a spell like a clue you have the opportunity to avoids waste of Sanity by defeat the enemy without magic.

But using this methode will remove the possibility to evade if the spell check failled.

There is an equilibre between the two way:
1 - you prepare the spell first and if you fail the Spell check you can decide to evade the combat without doing the Horror check.

2 - you enter the combat:
- Horror check phase
- Combat check phase begin(round 1)
- rolling the dice -> fail
- rolling the spell check dice -> success
- rolling the aditional spell dice -> fail
- rolling the aditional clue token dice -> fail
- Combat check phase end
- resolving the damage
- Combat check phase begin (round 2)
- rolling the dice + spell -> success
- Combat check phase end

This offer more fexibility more choices on the spell ...
And do not forget we talk about Magic, the power of the WILL, bolt spell or other instant spell... so unrealistic seems quite right

anyway after re-reading the rule book, as they are not describing that kind of use I assum spell can not be use like the Clue tokken.

But I might doing it as a rules of the house if I got trouble to win.