Is the FIGHT skill considered physical damage? Is this value altered by a monster's combat rating? Lets say my FIGHT skill is 2, the monster's combat rating is -3, does this mean I cannot fight the monster and that I must evade? What if I can't evade or fight? Do I automatically go to ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL and suffer the consequences?

I read somewhere last night that the FIGHT skill is unaltered and not considered physical or magical damage. You ALWAYS have that value to fight with no matter the monster. So anyways, I played a game last night with 2 characters, my 3rd game I think, not expecting to win. I was up against NYARLATHOTEP, got to the final battle and easily kicked his ass using my unaltered FIGHT value to defeat him. It was really easy actually since I had about 6 CLUE TOKENS on each character. Was this blind luck, or is NYARLATHOTEP really this easy to kill? Or am I not playing right and my FIGHT skill should be altered by his -4 combat rating? Note that I did use his combat rating to reduce the number of die my bonus weapons would have provided for one of my characters. The other character I assume was barehanded and unaffected by his combat rating.

Thanks for any help you guys might be able to provide.

IntoTheCasket said:

If you have no weapons to give you more dice, then having Fight at 2 with -3 mod means you don't roll any dice. Clues can of course give you extra dice.

IntoTheCasket said:

You're confusing physical/magical immunity/resistance here with combat rating. A Tommygun is a Physical Weapon that gives you +6. Against a Phys. Immune, it gives +0, but your Fight still remains; against Phys. Resistant, Tommygun gives +3 on top of your Fight. Combat rating is always added/deducted from the dice you roll, so you'd need Fight of 5 to roll 1 die against Nyarlathotep if barehanded.

Nyralathotep is the easiest AO to defeat overall, and the second easiest to defeat in battle. This is including the 8 AOs in expansions.

Remember that Physical/Magical immunity only affects combat bonuses. So you can still use a Shotgun against a physically immune monster, and your 6s rolled will count as two successes. Likewise, you can still cast Bind Monster or Red Sign of Shudde M'ell on a magically immune/resistant monster.

Thanks guys I think that helped clear things up. So if you're fighting a physical immune monster with 0 combat rating, your fight rating is 3 and you're bare handed, you still use 3 dice to deal damage?

Also, another quick noob question:

For the skill cards, those that say for example; +1 SNEAK and then below is printed "Gain one bonus die when spending a clue token", is the +1 SNEAK ALWAYS in effect, and then if you spend the clue you get another bonus die for SNEAK?

Here is a simple formula for determining Combat Dice.
Fight + (Weapon/Spell Bonus - Resistance/Immunity) - Combat Rating = Dice Rolled, minimum 0

As for the skills. Yes, the +1 Sneak is always in effect, and if you spend a Clue on Sneak checks you roll 1 extra die.

IntoTheCasket said:

Yes, but don't think of it as "dealing damage," think of it in terms of what it is in game mechanics: passing a check. You need to roll as many successes on your one roll as the monster has toughness (blood drops). The successes don't carry over between checks like damage: if you're in combat with a 2-toughness monster, you can't roll one success, take stamina damage, and then roll another success to kill it: you have to roll 2 successes at once. Therefore, if you're rolling only 1 die, and you have no way to add dice to your roll (clues, weapons, other items), you can't defeat the monster.

Thanks, dkw. That's very helpful. Last question on this topic...

So if your fight is reduced to zero and you're unable to inflict damage, I assume you must then evade. Lets say you can't evade either because your sneak is too low and their alertness reduces it to 0. Must you then go immediately to the hospital and suffer the effects?

Thanks again dudes!

If you are unable to Evade or defeat the Monster in 1 single roll, and either don't have or don't wish to use any items, special abilities, clues, or whatever to roll more dice, then you have to suffer the effects of losing the round of combat.
Most often you will suffer Stamina Loss, or suffer the ill effects of the Monster's Combat Special Ability, per round that you can't win. The fight will keep going, round by round, until you end up with 0 Stamina, or the Monster's Special Ability results in the end of the Combat.

Just remember that there are 2 types of Combat Bonuses, Magical and Physical, as there is also Magical and Physical Resistance/Immunity.

dkw said:

Generally, yes this is true. However, there are some rare cases in expansions where a combat bonus is neither physical nor magical; in which case Physical/Magical Resistance/Immunity does not affect it. Just keep that in mind when and if you get any expansions

• Some allies from Dark Pharaoh give you "neutral" combat bonuses.
• Martial Arts skill from Kingsport gives you a combat bonus.
• Cryptozoology Collection from King in Yellow can give one.

dkw said:

What happens if you can't evade, can't get any combat dice, but use something like Flesh Ward to ignore all damage the monster does. Will this result in an infinite loop or is there a way out of this?

Shad0wdrag0n said:

Flesh Ward just ignores the damage from the one failed combat check. You'd still go unconscious because you'd fail the next check(s). "One source" in this case means the one failed combat check, not the entire monster. At least Flesh Ward will allow you to lose sanity to cast if, and it could be your last sanity, rendering you insane instead of unconscious. Who knows, that may be more beneficial.

But in the event of an infinite loop (such as with Michael McGlen's -1 stamina and certain monster situations), I think the official rule is that the battle would just end.

Tibs said:

"Look...we've been doin' this for a couple of hours...and we're not gettin' anywhere."

"Rrr."

"Yeah...so...uh...I'm jus' gonna go, right?"

"Rrr."

"Right. See ya."

"Rrr."

Not sure if I would kill a monster that say, "Rrr" I may just take it home as my new pet...

Joe ~Hey, McGlen is your cat thing suppose to have all tenacles and eye stalks?

McGlen ~Sure why not?

McGlen ~Isnit that right Mr. Pumkin?

Mr. Pumkin ~Rrr

MrsGamura said:

Alternatively:

Joe: JESUS McGlen, what the hell is that???

Mike: Cat.

Joe: ???

Mike: He's named Squiggles. He likes liquor.

Squiggles: GrrgleBlarf

Joe: Man, you gotta stop bringin those home.