Str reducing attachments and duplicates.

By Disguise, in 2. AGoT Rules Discussion

Hi everyone, I did a quick ctrl+f of the FAQ and couldn't find an answer to this question so I thought I'd ask here. Forgive me if this is an obvious question.

Say, for instance, that I was to play Flame-Kissed (Reduce attached character str by 2, and character is killed if str 0). What happens if I attach this card to a str 2 character with a duplicate card on it? My personal interpretation is the character dies regardless of the duplicate since the attachment continues to have the same effect on the saved character that it had on the original character (i.e. killing it). Does anyone agree or have an alternative interpretation?

Disguise said:

Hi everyone, I did a quick ctrl+f of the FAQ and couldn't find an answer to this question so I thought I'd ask here. Forgive me if this is an obvious question.

Say, for instance, that I was to play Flame-Kissed (Reduce attached character str by 2, and character is killed if str 0). What happens if I attach this card to a str 2 character with a duplicate card on it? My personal interpretation is the character dies regardless of the duplicate since the attachment continues to have the same effect on the saved character that it had on the original character (i.e. killing it). Does anyone agree or have an alternative interpretation?

Not only are you correct, you can't even attempt to save it because Flame-Kissed is a terminal effect - a killing effect which continues to apply even if the target is saved. The only way to stop a terminal effect is to save the character using an effect that simultaneously makes it so that the terminal effect is no longer applicable, such as saving and returning a Maester to hand using Citadel of Oldtown, or, in the case of Flame Kissed, pumping up their STR and creating an attachment using Risen from the Sea.

For the record, the FAQ covers this on page 9:

(3.20) Terminal Effects
A "terminal effect" is any effect that would
cause a card to become Moribund and would
still cause that card to be Moribund even after
the card was saved.
A card cannot be saved from a terminal effect
unless that saving effect also removes it from
the terminal state.
For example: Flame-Kissed (CORE T103)
is played on Selyse Baratheon (CORE B70),
who has a STR of 2. Selyse cannot be saved
from the effect of Flame-Kissed unless the
save also removes her from the terminal state,
either by boosting her STR, discarding the
Flame-Kissed card, or removing Selyse from
the play area. Viserys Targaryen (CORE T108)
is an example of a card with a save effect that
would remove itself from the terminal effect of
Flame-Kissed.