The ultimate showdown! The most powerful unique item versus the most powerful skill. Who would win?

vs.

For an investigator that starts with at least 1 random unique item, which of the following options would you choose?

1. A guaranteed Healing Stone as one of your random unique items,

or

2. A guranteed Mythos Lore as your skill.

For me it's a very difficult decison as both items impact the game dramatically. But I would go with Healing Stone. Sure, it can be lost, but I'm willing to take that chance. A Healing Stone in you arsenal means that you never have to visit the Asylum or Hospital unless you're driven insane or knocked unconscious, and even then you don't have to be there any more than you have to and you save 2$. As much respect as I have to Mythos Lore, I'm going to have to go with Healing Stone. Sorry Mythos Lore.

Links for all the previous Great Debates can be found here.

Ooh, this is a good one!

I've long regarded Healing Stone of one of the best—if not the best all-round—unique items. It's a great thing to have at almost all points in the game. Thanks to Healing Stone, I managed to keep Rex Murphy alive for two rounds more against Yig last night (that is, he healed to full before battle, where he would have had two fewer sanity if he didn't start with the stone. I realize it is discarded during final battle).

On the other hand, the Healing Stone is only useful if you're not at full health—the Mythos Lore skill is only useful if you've failed a check. Except that it is also useful when laying seal on a gate, effectively making your clue cost 4 instead of 5.

Reluctantly, I'll have to go with Mythos Lore.

Tibs said:

Even in a Cthulhu game on a normally Max Sanity 3 char ?

Dam said:

Listen. In all of these debates, there are certainly times I would take any given item over the others. However, all of my responses to these debates have been which I feel is generally better.

And besides, I have had Mark Harrigan in a Cthulhu game where he started with Mythos Lore. It was awesome. He was at full sanity for the entire game!

Dam said:

lol... I wonder if it ever happened...

edit: guess that answers it...

I remember once a player's investigator got devoured and as a replacement he drew Harvey with Mythos Lore. It was against Cthulhu, so he started with a max of 5 Sanity. I tried to convince him that it was a good thing, but he was pretty bummed about it. (And we lost shortly thereafter.)

avec said:

Wha? Harvey is the second best character to have Mythos Lore after Carolyne, and maybe even the best if Cthulhu is involved.

Oh geeze... This is a tough decision, and it doesn't even make sense (as there is no situation in the game where you would have to choose between the two— except perhaps after beating the Dunwich Horror— at which point I would probably go for a Mythos Lore). Mythos Lore... Depends on character's sanity, obviously. I'd usually prefer a Healing Stone as a matter of habit, but I love Mythos Lore (despite it having screwed up a character or two over the years).

This is really a difficult decision. My inital reaction was to go for the Healing Stone. After some further thought Mythos Lore is probably more beneficial in the long term. At least you get to keep it in Final Combat. Both items are excellent in certain combos. Most of my games that went remarkably well included one of these two cards.

this

trumps both though

no losing it during final battle, no penalty to sanity, and even a bonus for two skills... bah-roken!

kroen said:

::Laughter:: not broken, just powerful. And lets face it, the odds of you even being able to get it if you play with all the allies aren't so great. Besides, the skills she gives aren't very useful. It's mostly the +1 clue bonus that's useful.

I'm gonna go with Healing Stone

Healing stone without question. This probably relates to the fact that I play as part of a 2 investigator team where there are always clues available if you want to go get them. One extra clue each round just doesn't tempt me that much, particularly when you factor in the sanity hit of mythos lore. Now in a smaller game where there is more of an onus on each player continually contributing to keeping on top of the mythos I don't want to spend valuable time in the hospital or asylum restoring myself whilst everything goes to hell. Healing stone favours my naturally aggressive style and helps to keep me out in the thick of it enjoying myself. You can keep your punitive mythos lore.

Healing stone .. Best thing is that it can be traded back and forth as needed.

I really like the healing stone and never have had Granny Orne but the possibility of clue every turn goes toward our real goal. What's our measley life in comparison to sealing a gate! On the other hand, $8 is easier to come by than 10 bloods and you can use bloods to buy clues. The situation in the game would make the difference.