Chief Technical Officer
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We are considering adding the following sidebar in Mummy's Mask. If you can think of any cards that are exceptions to these situations, please let me know.
RULES: ACTIVE AND OPTIONAL POWERS
In the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, there are always a lot of cards in play. But you don't need to worry about doing what all of them say all the time. Generally, powers on cards are only active in certain situations.
• Cards in your hand
Powers on cards in your hand are active only when you choose to play them.
• Cards you examine
When you examine cards, only powers that say they happen when you examine the card are active.
• Banes you encounter
All of a bane's applicable powers are active while you encounter it.
• Boons you encounter
When you encounter a boon, the only powers that are active are ones that say they happen when you encounter it, if you acquire it, or if you fail to acquire it.
• Other cards you encounter
When you encounter a card that isn't a bane or a boon, the only powers that are active are ones that say they happen when you encounter it.
• Cards in the blessings deck and discard pile
With regard to these cards, the only powers that are active are ones that say they happen when they are discarded from the blessings deck or while on top of the blessings discard pile.
• Other cards on the table
Powers on cards on the table—including story cards, character cards, and displayed cards—are active whenever they are appropriate.
Playing cards from your hand is always optional. Active powers on all other cards are only optional if they say "you may" do something.
For cards in hand: "Powers on cards in your hand are active only when you choose to play them."
I've played that the Fulsome Queen cohort's start of turn power was mandatory (due to the wording "reveal this card and examine" -- don't have my cards with me right now so can't quote the full power). If it is indeed meant to be a mandatory power, then that would be an exception to your cards in hand rule.
No, the Fulsome Queen's power is optional; it's similar to powers on character cards that are phase-limited.
Note: don't have cards on me so quotes are from memory, but generally reflect the cards.
Fulsome Queen is however not a character card. Powers on cards you play are generally worded "play this card TO do something." For example "Reveal this card to add 1 to your check" (Besmara's Tricorne). If it's phase limited it still uses that general construction, eg "At the start of your turn, reveal this card to examine the top card of your deck" (Handy Haversack). Fulsome Queen on the other hand is worded "At the start of your turn, reveal this card AND examine the top three cards of the location deck." This does not fit the general prose used to denote an optional power, therefore I believe that makes it mandatory. Furthermore, there is a penalty attached to not finding demons that makes the Queen bounce to another character and makes you take some damage. This penalty makes it so I would generally never want to play her if doing so was optional, but is fitting for a tenuous partnership with a demon you don't have full control over.
Good to know. In that case I cannot think of any exceptions to the OP.
Is the card 'Unstable Accelerant' an exception to the last line of the OP?
It says "...each other character who can play a boon of the same type does so", which seems to violate 'Playing cards from your hand is always optional'.
No, it is not an exception. Unstable Accelerant falls under "Powers on cards on the table—including story cards, character cards, and displayed cards—are active whenever they are appropriate." and "Active powers on all other cards are only optional if they say "you may" do something." The card does not say "may", so it is not an optional effect. Furthermore, we have the Golden Rule that says cards trump the rulebook if the two are ever in conflict unless the rulebook says "never." The proposed rule does not use the word "never", so Unstable Accelerant can trump the rulebook per the Golden Rule and force people to play cards since it's an active effect on a displayed card.
Some examples of exceptions would be a card in your hand that forces you to play it, or a card in your hand that has an active power simply by being in your hand (and doesn't need to be played for that power to work).
That being said, the Accelerant does mean that playing cards from your hand is not "always" optional, so it's a bit of a contradiction there and would cause issues if the golden rule was expanded to make "always" have the same priority as "never".
I think so. The rulebook says if a card contradicts the rulebook, the card wins. This looks like such a case.
To be fair, it's still optional to play a card; it's just that _everyone_ plays a card if you take that option.
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The Golden Rule actually says cannot only trumps can when two cards are in conflict, not when a card contradicts the rulebook. The only time the rulebook trumps a card is when the rulebook says "never".
So Sajan's power can override the rulebook, as can numerous cards (Belt of Incredible Dexterity, etc).
In your Unstable Accelerant example, each player plays one blessing. Unstable Accelerant says you must play a boon if you can. (It doesn't say if you have it in your hand, you must play it.) The rulebook says you can only play one blessing on a check. So player 1 doesn't play a second blessing, because he/she can't.
This is the same reason that if Player 1 plays a weapon, other players don't play a weapon (unless they have a weapon that can be played to aid another character), if Player 1 plays an armor, other players don't play an armor (unless it is an armor that can help another player), etc.
Pertinent rule:
You may not activate a power or play a card that doesn’t apply to your current situation. For example, you may not play a card to reduce damage when damage is not being dealt, and you may not play a card to evade a monster when you are not encountering a monster.