[ACG][OutPost I]Hawkmoon269's Season of Plundered Tombs Table 3 (Inactive)

Game Master Hawkmoon269

No worries, though we did have blessings to provide as a team would it have come to that. Admittedly, with only a 1d4 to work with, we'd have wanted multiple, so fair enough.

Anyway, sorry for the delay, was busy for longer than anticipated. Writing my turn now.

EDIT: Skizza, I had a look at your deck handler. Seems you need to fix your spelling of Thieves' Tools.

Alright, my turn is posted and I'm just editing in my flavor texts, so feel free to post.

Qualzar has some actions to undertake, and it is Gronk's turn. No more worries about The Second Law now, either.

Oh right. Qualzar has a free evade.

XD

Any sign of Wei Ji?

Sorry, getting eaten by Holy Daze, will look at shortly.

Well while we wait, I've been looking through my full boon selection in my class deck, and it's triggered a sudden question for me, as I may have been misplaying (to my detriment) one of my cards.

Cards like "Spiritual Ally" in my class deck refer to "your Perception modifier". In Spiritual Ally's case, it allows me to decrease the difficulty of a combat or charisma check by "1 plus my Perception Modifier", which given that my Perception is equal to "Perception: Wisdom +2" I've treated as "1 plus 2" (3).

The question is, is your 'Perception modifier' (or any similar terms) completely static, or does it include skill feats that are modifying the 'base' skill? I have a Wisdom +1 skill feat for Estra, so my Perception check looks more like "Perception: Wisdom +2 (+1)". Is my 'perception modifier' 2 or 3?

Honestly, I had assumed my perception modifier was static (and thus always 2) because I didn't think about it too deeply (and Spiritual Ally already seemed good at "3"), but as I think about it I think I'm wrong. Especially since some other cards in higher deck numbers of the Occult Adventures Class Deck include phrases like "your Intelligence or Perception modifier", which implies these are mutable (since Intelligence would only have a modifier through skill feats).

Now that I've actually thought about it, I'm reasonably sure my Perception modifier is, for all intents and purposes, now "Perception: Wisdom +3" due to my skill feat, and I've been slightly underplaying my Spiritual Ally, but I'd just like to confirm that's correct?

For context, I think a big reason why I wouldn't have intuitively recognized that the Wisdom Skill feat affects my perception "modifier" is that I mentally store that information as follows (to share my thought process):

My Perception skill is a modified version of my Wisdom skill. Improving my Wisdom skill therefore increases how strong my Perception skill is, because I'm changing the foundation. However, the amount in which a Perception skill is modifying a Wisdom skill is always "+2". As a result, though my Perception skill gets stronger as I put skill feats into Wisdom, my Perception "Modifier", as in, the modifier it applies to my Wisdom, will always remain "+2".

I applied the word "Modifier" to mean "Modifying Wisdom" not "Modifying the check as a whole, summed-up", basically. Which I think is wrong?

I get confused by this too, but it looks like the rulebook calls this out with an actual example!

RULES: SKILLS, DICE, AND MODIFIERS

If your character card says “Strength d10,” and the “+1” box next to that has been checked, your Strength skill is d10+1, and your Strength die is d10. (The “+1” is called a “modifier.”) If your character card also says “Melee: Strength +3,” your Melee skill is d10+4, your Melee die is d10, and the Melee modifier is +4.

So it sounds like, basically, the "modifier" is the total constant number that gets added to the variable dice roll.

Aw man, damn rulebook making me look a fool!

Thanks EmpTyger! Well, my Spiritual Ally is stronger than thought. Twice as strong as Black Spot, can be used alongside other spells... but restricted in location and can only be used on Combat and Charisma, not 'any check to defeat a monster'.

Huh.

Sorry for not posting yet, this holiday weekend is eating my ACG brain. I went to post last night and... crickets.

EDIT:

Posted, sorry for inconvenience and delay.

Gogogogo!

Explanations in order:

This weekend was a combination of significant drug/grocery retail events:

The holy days of Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and Easter

PLUS

Loyola was playing Michigan in the Final Four (Loyola is relatively close -- less than thirty miles away) and everyone was having viewing parties

PLUS

We're currently down a manager (due to a broken limb and not expected back for at least a month)

PLUS

We're down a part-timer expected to carry some of the normal weekend load with Flu Strain B.

The past three days I've gotten home and tried to sit at the computer and parse ACG and my brain just went "HAHAHAHAHAHA! No." #Mbakutrollin

I should be back now, barring more stupid.

Sorry team :( Qualzar's turn for bad luck.

I know we're running low on time, but without anyone having Diplomacy, we do need to hold onto blessings in order to make this Diplomacy 5 check.
And watch out when examining, because of that Void Glyph.

I'm going to try to save the Elemental Treaty for the Factory, but if any elemental damage is triggered here, Qualzar can cast it.

Also, I don't have the exact card text for Burst Bonds- I'm going by another game I'm simultaneously playing. Please let me know if it doesn't work that way?

Wei Ji:
I figured that your absence was holiday related, but that sounds like a rough spell! Hope things get less chaotic for you soon.
(Btw I'm also in the Chicago area. Albeit with 0 interest in basketball.)

It lets anyone evade a barrier with the Trap or Obstacle trait, then explore again if they want. So, you are good.

It really looked like that was going to be an awesome turn till I saw the close condition. Fear not for we can still pull this off...maybe.

I finished one card but had no way to explore further but dug for a Blessing someone can use.

I'm going to be away for a few hours. I went ahead and built the Alchemical Laboratory. But, remember, you can't move there until you've closed the Dilapidated Plaza.

What a day for me to wake up late. I'll be posting in the next 11 hours, how soon or late depending on a lot of work-related factors outside of my control. Might be as little as 3 hours with luck.

Anyway, here we go!

I've read and caught up on the thread, and will be taking my turn where possible. I've noticed a mistake, though.

Wei Ji:
Gronk could not recharge Wolfhide Armor. It was discarded to use his Dexterity die, and that last line of text "[...] you may recharge this card when you reset your hand" only works whilst it's in your hand. Basically, if you want to optionally discard cards at the end of your turn, you can instead recharge armors like that (it's an ability that's on most magic armors).

As a rule of thumb, unless explicitly mentioned otherwise, card effects and powers can only be used whilst they are in your hand.

Turn posted. I've only taken one exploration, but all in all it turned out as well as could be expected, and I've got a good hand reset.

I wrote up my own little immediate strategy-analysis for my and Gronk's turn. I'll say it a third time - I STRONGLY recommend Gronk use his Speak with Dead spell.

Gronk also needs to take a couple more actions and fixes to his deck handler. Wolfhide Armor and Burst Bonds both need to be handled, as have also been mentioned.

To recap again, for Wei Ji and Skizza's benefit...

Gronk's turn
Gronk will encounter Void Glyph. With his Speak with Dead, he has 2 dice to accomplish that. Given the consequences of failure (in both time and cards) is enormous, I strongly recommend that Gronk also use my Blessing of the Gods.

That will give him 3d10 to make a Wisdom 12 10 check.

Then, with an empty deck, Gronk may attempt to close the location. I'd recommend recharging my Falto and using Skizza's Blessing of Alkenstar on the Diplomacy check to close. Falto adds a die, and Blessing of Alkenstar, if I recall correctly, can add a full 1d12, so that will be 1d12+2d4 for a Diplomacy 5 check.

Then Gronk has to try to recharge Speak with Dead, and his turn will be over. From there, the game-plan for all of us is pretty straightforward. Try to close the Laboratory without dying!

EDIT: To make sure I got it right, I pulled up the text of Blessing of Alkenstar. And sure enough, it's crazy good, and probably the single best individual card in any of our decks.

Isn’t the Void Glyph only Wisdom 10, not Wisdom 12?

I’m wondering whether it would make sense for Gronk to use only the blessing of Alkenstar for the closing check, and *not* Falto?

Using Alkenstar + Falto:
If Gronk succeeds: Qualzar and Skizza each get 1 explore at the Alchemical Laboratory.
If Gronk fails: then Qualzar and Skizza both forfeit their turns.

With just Alkenstar:
If Gronk succeeds: same as above, plus Estra still has Falto, which is another possible explore/bonus.
If Gronk fails: then Qualzar can try to close the Dilapidated Plaza using Falto.

(Something similar ran through my head after I used up 2 blessings on my failed attempt at closing, as in hindsight I was wondering if that had been a mistake. But it’s late, so someone please check my logic!)

Oops, yep. Made the same mistake Wei Ji did early in the scenario. I'll edit my post to fix that.

Regarding the use of Falto; whilst 1d12+1d4 (just blessing) is 87.5% odds, that's annoyingly low for my liking (to be fair, based on my luck, since I've failed similar rolls many times this adventure. Gronk seems to have excellent rolls, based on his Stabbing Spear Staircase check last turn).

Also, on Estra's turn, I'll be burying a card for my character-power exploration, and I'll still have my Shock Lizard at minimum. It seems highly unlikely that I'd get to take 4 explorations (character power, exploration, ally, ally) without coming up against a bane that stops me in my tracks. In fact, I have NO weapons or attack spells at all - just a 1d4 - so I probably can't explore much at all.

My exact plans for my next turn are character power (I can always choose not to encounter, Triggers excluded, and I DO get a combat bonus if I do choose to encounter), then Augury, then explore. It seems unlikely another ally would be very helpful. The Spiritual Ally would almost certainly be my throwaway card for my character power if I need it.

Nor can I hand off any cards I won't personally use (like allies), since I won't be starting my turn with anyone.

TL;DR: Estra is in no shape to be exploring anything she can't examine first unless there's no other choice, and certainly not chain-exploring. But, it's 100% up to Gronk as to whether the 1d4+1d12 is enough or not, but the Blessing of Alkenstar - in my opinion - is at least non-negotiable.

The fact that Qualzar can then try to use Falto to close if Gronk fails is a compelling argument, though. Ultimately, it's up to Wei Ji/Gronk how to handle the checks. Gronk would probably redraw a blessing, so it's not entirely 'all hope is lost' if he fails the check, but you're right that it is debatable whether the extra 7% odds (roughly) gained from Falto offsets the resource cost and future opportunity cost.

My cards - assuming they're legal to play - are free for the team to use. We need all the help (and explorations) we can get.

P.S. For the record, the use of 2 blessings on your closing check was absolutely the correct play, in my opinion. I'd have done the exact same thing, and you had a 93.75% chance of success. You seem to have picked up my luck there - sorry. (Though I would've used Surgeon on a Blessing, not an attack spell. You only have 1 turn left, and at the end of that turn, drawing a Blessing can still help the next player, but an Attack spell won't.)

EDIT: I've also just had a thought. People should make heavy use of handing off cards. This can help stuff our hands full of potential and let us redraw more blessings/etc to help out with finishing the game. For example, Gronk may want to hand off his Sickle to me, since he won't be getting into combat this turn, and it will allow me to actually fight on my next turn (or giving me chaff to bury for my exploration power). As for the turn after that for him, he'll be at the very last turn of the game and there wouldn't be an issue using his character power (discarding cards from his hand) to fight if he absolutely has to, but hopefully the game is over by then.

Also, Gronk should probably discard his remaining hand when he ends his turn anyway. That way he'll draw 2 blessings and a Cure spell (no hidden information there - he'd draw 4 cards and only 3 cards in his deck aren't in his Recharged column, so we have full information as to what he'd draw).

Sorry for the super strategy-talk, but we're on the absolute verge of victory and defeat here, and a single blessing at the right time can absolutely determine how this scenario ends. Either a close victory or stinging defeat at the last hurdle.

[...]

Regarding the use of Falto; whilst 1d12+1d4 (just blessing) is 87.5% odds, that's annoyingly low for my liking (to be fair, based on my luck, since I've failed similar rolls many times this adventure. Gronk seems to have excellent rolls, based on his Stabbing Spear Staircase check last turn).
[...]

In the morning I'm kind of liking it, actually.

(Gronk using Alkenstar = 85%)
Gronk using Alkenstar and Falto = 97%
Gronk using Alkenstar + Qualzar using Falto is 95%

So comparing the bolded strategy to the italicized:
85% of the time we gain an exploration (Qualzar can explore and we still have Falto to use)
10% of the time we lose an exploration (Qualzar can't explore; either way Falto is used up)
3% of the time we were doomed no matter what
2% of the time is disastrous (Alkenstar and Falto together would have closed, but using them separately failed)

As you said, it is ultimately up to Wei Ji what to do. But I wanted to point out that it may not be the end of the world if he fails to close on his turn.

[...]

Also, on Estra's turn, I'll be burying a card for my character-power exploration, and I'll still have my Shock Lizard at minimum. It seems highly unlikely that I'd get to take 4 explorations (character power, exploration, ally, ally) without coming up against a bane that stops me in my tracks. In fact, I have NO weapons or attack spells at all - just a 1d4 - so I probably can't explore much at all.
[...]

I probably shouldn't jinx this until after the Void Glyph is gone, but Qualzar can pass you the Viper Strike attack spell (Divine + 2d4 Poison).

[...]

(Though I would've used Surgeon on a Blessing, not an attack spell. You only have 1 turn left, and at the end of that turn, drawing a Blessing can still help the next player, but an Attack spell won't.)
[...]

I would have too! But the Surgeon, who cures her card at random, felt otherwise. We'll have to take that up with her. :)

In the morning I'm kind of liking it, actually.

(Gronk using Alkenstar = 85%)
Gronk using Alkenstar and Falto = 97%
Gronk using Alkenstar + Qualzar using Falto is 95% [...]

The exact percentage of 1d12+1d4 is 87.5%. Statistically, the numbers turn out almost identical in terms of overall odds of spending both cards first vs spending BoAlkenstar and Falto seperately. But; do keep in mind Gronk will certainly redraw 2 blessings if he ends his turn with nothing in hand (as I said before - his deck handler actually shows guaranteed draws, with 3 'unknown' cards left in his deck prior to hitting his Recharged column), so failing with Falto does not actually end our chances for sequential attempts.

[...]

I probably shouldn't jinx this until after the Void Glyph is gone, but Qualzar can pass you the Viper Strike attack spell (Divine + 2d4 Poison).

Also, Estra could pass one of the allies to Gronk if you are concerned about running out of steam.[...]

Good idea! I'd also thought about handing off one of my own allies, but I'd convinced myself that nobody would be sharing my location at start of turn, like my turn just then. But of course, since Gronk still needs to deal with Void Glyph, that's simply untrue. We (probably) won't be at the same location if he fails to defeat Void Glyph, mind, but that's basically scenario over at that point, short of a top-of-deck Henchmen on the Laboratory.

I think a great irony here is that, by you pointing out the Viper Strike and hand-off-Lizard strategies, and by me pointing out that Gronk will draw up blessings... I'm kind of convinced that it's a little better not using Falto on the first check to close. Meanwhile, I seem to have convinced you that it's a little better to use Falto to close. It seems we've convinced each other to oppose our starting opinions.

[...]

Right, don't know why I thought it would've worked differently. There are virtually no targeted heal effects in PACG anyway (let alone early-game), so I just had a bad mind blank, whoops.

As an aside, these moments have to be the absolute best part of PACG for me. The super-close points where literally every decision has so much potential weight, and the discussion back and forth as to how to approach a moment optimally, with so much on the line.

Of course, it'll kind of suck if we get to the Lab and the henchmen's on the bottom. But Augury is a very powerful potential last-minute wildcard for dealing with that (either finding and topdecking the henchmen on the second last turn of the game, or at least shuffling the deck for one more chance).

Math hurt Gronk Brain.

Just to make sure there's not a communication lapse, since I've seen Gronk post and it's been about 24 hours since my turn.

Is the GM waiting for Wei Ji/Gronk to play Speak with Dead (and catch up on his recharge/deck handler fixes), before applying the Scenario Update, since my turn technically doesn't end until Gronk chooses whether to play or pass on Speak with Dead?

And/or is Wei Ji/Gronk waiting for the GM to post a scenario update before making his gameplay post/posts?

Because if both are true, we're in a stalemate forever, just pointing that out.

1. Gronk's player is getting snowed under by many maths and much conjecture.

2. Gronk's player does not want to make the 'wrong' move and lose the game.

3. Gronk's player is uncertain how to proceed, because lot of discussion and maths and 'mights' and 'could bes'.

4. Gronk's player stopped playing Flatcrack: The Addiction Magic: The Gathering almost two decades ago because it became many maths and conjecture and 'one true build' and 'only this way wins'.

Don't worry about it, Wei Ji. Sorry for going off on a tangent. I think both EmpTyger and I have said our full piece on the matter.

(Personally, I'm a big card game fanatic, MTG included, and I thrive on the hard decisions and the statistical assessments, but everyone plays games for different reasons.)

Ultimately, play your turn out how you want. You only have one card to explore and then one check to close. It's just a case as to what cards (from yourself or team members) you want to spend to pass those checks. I can give you my opinion again (summarized) if you ask for it, but the choice is yours and yours alone.

4. Gronk's player stopped playing Flatcrack: The Addiction Magic: The Gathering almost two decades ago because it became many maths and conjecture and 'one true build' and 'only this way wins'.

I'll disagree here, though. The reason there's so much discussion is because there are multiple valid ways to take your turn, as opposed to "one true build" or "only this way wins", hence why EmpTyger and I are going back and forth on rather minor elements.

EDIT: And I'm deeply sorry if my suggestions or theorizing has damaged your enjoyment of the game. We're all here to have fun, and I'll attempt to reign in my strategy tangents for the future.

I didn't post the scenario update because you hadn't ended your turn and thought you were waiting to resolve some part of your strategy. I've posted it now.

Wei Ji: Just do what you think best. You don't need to over think it. There is no perfect strategy. Go ahead and take your turn as soon as you are ready.

Wei Ji:
As I mentioned earlier, I think that a party is strongest when we have different playstyles. And I think that the most important thing when playing a game is to have *fun*. So if you play best when you can ignore the pressure, and if it's more fun for you to not consider the math- please do that!

And I don't think anyone here will fault you if things do go awry- just as no one blames Agent Eclipse or me for failing to close our locations, nor does anyone blame Yewstance for [take your pick among any of his untimely rolls].

(Maybe we could even say that your distaste for conjecturing is your roleplaying Gronk's d4 Intelligence! :)

FYI, we now have a lodge specifically for online card game recruitment, the Flaxseed On Deck Lodge

Gronk posted turn.

Gronk moving fast for woodwose.

What? You expected him to be a speedster?

Hope I didn't screw everything up.

Awesome work, Gronk! Plaza closed and we can now go for that last location with our final turns!

To just note a couple of points and respond to your question.

• Despite what common sense might indicate, you cannot use your Charisma for your Diplomacy check, so the latter dice roll was used. Basically, if any skill/check type is not listed explicitly on your character card, it's treated as a 1d4 and it is not modified based on any of your other skills. None of us in the group have Diplomacy listed, so we'll always just roll a 1d4 for it (which was why the Blessing of Alkenstar was so critical, and why Qualzar couldn't use his 1d10 Charisma to close earlier).
  
• To explain this a little better, its worth noting that there's no skill that is 'tied' to another skill. Arcane, for example, is usually associated with Intelligence (mostly for Wizards), but it's sometimes associated with Charisma (mostly for Sorcerers and Bards). So if a skill isn't stated, it's the equivalent of having no proficiency in that, so you're just using your smallest die.
  
• The Wisdom check to defeat the Void Glyph was 10 rather than the 8 listed (because it was increased based on double the adventure deck number of the scenario, which is '1'), but you passed either way, so no problems there.
  
• When handing off a card to another character at your location, it must be the very first action of your turn (you're not even allowed to move first, so you have to start at their location). It wouldn't have made a difference this turn, though, so I don't think there's any issues here!

Once again, awesome work, and nothing screwed up. I'll update my Deck Handler as required now.

I've noticed some oddities in your deck handler which the GM might want to check out (probably just a typo somewhere). I can try to clean it up if asked, but I'll stay hands-off for now.

The whole thing about how skills relate to each other is a fairly common misunderstanding for people that have played the RPG before playing the card game.

Oh, and awesome job posting the "alternative" of Diplomacy in case Charisma didn't work. Thinking ahead like that really keeps things moving.

Oh, don't forget we can now reroll a die once on our checks by burying a card thanks to the Plaza's closed effect, team.

Qualzar's out of turns, but at least he went out with a bang! :)

Sorry for continually rolling d12 instead of d10 on my checks; I'm playing as Amaryllis concurrently in my other game online, and I keep conflating her d12 Charisma and Qualzar's d10.

Skill mismatching will work out to Qualzar's advantage someday, as in the distant future he'll get to use Charisma for his Stealth checks!
In the meantime, I'm sure that whatever our political affiliation, we each could think of countless political figures who demonstrate that Charismatic doesn't necessary mean Diplomatic...

As an aside, I'm not surprised that Skizza has the Craft skill - because Gunslinger - but I keep forgetting that the Ratfolk of our team is tied for the highest Intelligence die, at a full 1d10. In the unlikely situation that Aspis Analysis is on top of the deck, then this scenario should be over with a combination of his Thieves' Tools and his strong craft check (plus blessings from everyone, plus the potential reroll).

Sadly I got the agent instead but I got rid of him and recharged a blessing.

I was hoping I could get to the Barrier too but we still got this!

About to take my turn. Quick note: Skizza had to bury Scale Mail, not recharge. He took fire damage, and like most standard armours, Scale Mail can only be recharged by combat damage.

EDIT: Actually, Skizza only needed to discard the Mail... or any other card from his hand he wished (might I recommend the Pistol?). His '2 fire damage' was decreased to 1 because Elemental Treaty is still displayed at this location from Qualzar.

Nice combo that spell has with Skizza's (repeatedly useful) power, by the way.

2nd EDIT: Also, Qualzar's notes pointed out that you should've used his Black Spot since that was the last combat check of the scenario... but as it turns out, that would've led to the location rule kicking in. In the end, no real difference either way, but something to consider in the future.

3rd EDIT (Having finished my turn): :D

Great work everyone! I got nervous, but we managed it with a single turn's buffer. Special prizes surely have to go...

• To Skizza (for that ridiculous Blessing of Alkenstar on a check we had just a 1d4 for)
  
• To Gronk (for closing that troublesome Plaza and dealing with two of the most deadly barriers in that location)
  
• And to Qualzar (for just... evading the Voice of the Spire henchmen to nullify it on the spot, and I think for acquiring the most boons of all of us? I ended up with more, but I kept being handed them).

So, time to wait for the GM to make the scenario finish official, and to provide us with the list of boons we've acquired.

So everyone else knows, my preference for new boons are as follows:

1. Spell 1
2. Spell B
3. Blessing 1
4. Item B

I'm going to also post in Discussion as my Estra alias from now on. It gives faster access to my Deck Handler for people.

Well done team! See Yewstance, plenty of time left :)

I thought we also get a Power Feat since it's the 2nd scenario?

I'd like an Item 1 and Spell B for Qualzar, and it looks like we have enough to go around of each.

• Bracers of Protection -> Crown of Charisma (no more getting stumped by Diplomacy!)
  
• Black Spot -> Mirror Image

(For the record, I think Estra actually got the 'Most Boons Acquired' award. Qualzar only picked up 6, to Estra's *10*!)

Gronk sees pile o lewt.

Gronk lost at material obsession of fellow adventurers.

Yes, you gain a power feat as well.

As part of Outpost, for every 2 scenarios we complete, you get to roll for an RPG boon as a reward. Roll 1d20 in this discussion thread. You win on a result of 1 or 20.

Boon roll: 1d20 ⇒ 6

Boon roll: 1d20 ⇒ 19

I'm probably going to be boring and just take +1 hand size for Qualzar's power feat.
I had been expecting to take the power to put an evaded monster on the top of the location deck instead of shuffling it in. But based on how it's been playing Qualzar so far, I'm not really sure what circumstances I'd make use of it. All I can think of is the narrow case where Qualzar's evading a [non-undead] villain or henchman? In any other instance, it seems like just shuffling the monster in is going to be better. In fact, I'm actually not sure I'll ever take that power.
(My other option is +1 when I transform a card into an attack spell, but it seems more useful to take the extra card first.)

From the wording of the reward, "1 character may temporarily replace 1 spell in her deck with the spell Remove Curse", it seems only 1 player in the team can do so? Interesting. I'll have a think about that after everyone's finished swapping out their boons.

I don't intend to play the RPG anytime soon, but...

Boon Roll: 1d20 ⇒ 7

No worries, I suppose.

So for Estra's Power Feat, I'll take a +1 hand size. Estra now has a hand size of 6.

So we get 2 card upgrades? Nice. I'll wait to make sure there isn't anyone else looking for the Spell 1, but my plans are to make the following replacements.

• Telempathic Projection -> Inflict Pain
  
• Dowsing Rod -> Dreamcatcher

Those aren't fully locked in, though.

EmpTyger & Hawkmoon:

Hm... Actually, I'm very likely to continue to use Sunburst Market to switch out my Dowsing Rod for a basic that suits each scenario we go to (failing that, then I'd just switch it out for a second Cure spell each scenario). Sunburst Market is brilliant for letting me switch out a card type that isn't very strong in my class deck (Items, at least in the early game) for much more impactful cards from Mummy's Mask (Cure is always a great fallback).

So I'm actually leaning to replacing something else besides the Dowsing Rod. I could switch out a blessing of the gods for a new Sign blessing, but BotG is actually pretty nifty on its own with the kind of kickass Mummy's Mask blessings deck. I'm actually now leaning more towards an Armor B card, to switch out my padded armor for the far better Straightjacket, which I can switch with a spell from my discard pile at the end of my turn (a wonderful ability if I fail to recharge a Cure spell, or even if I choose not to recharge it just to get it back into my hand to cure again!).

Unless I change my mind again, my new choices are Spell 1 and Armor B.

If anyone wants me to add card texts to their Deck Handler like I have, by the way, just ask. I can copy across my format and manually enter the texts (I have access to the card texts for the Druid and Gunslinger) when I find the time.

Also, I don't know about other people, but I moderately recommend un-merging the merged F2 (FG2) cell in the provided deck handlers if you copy+paste contents frequently to draw cards. Currently, copy and pasting is technically copying two columns (one treated as blank), so you have a tendency of accidentally overriding cards in the Buried column when pasting cards into your Hand to draw them (a problem I kept coming across as a bury-heavy character like Estra).

Boon: 1d20 ⇒ 2

I am struggling with what cards to take but Armor B looks pretty good. For my second possibly an Item 1.

My Armor B would be a buckler gun to use on my own combat checks letting my other weapons be used primarily for aiding other combat checks.

My Item 1 would be Entangling Shot to allow me to stop a monster from being shuffled into the location I am at.

Otherwise a Blessing of Erastil or Samurai.

Careful with the Buckler Gun. Shields generally can't be used to eliminate all damage dealt to you (and I think it's restricted to just combat damage?) so if you take multiple points of damage (like from an AoE attack from a Hydra or a trap, or from your own ability which you're improving anyway) then you risk losing a full hand. From the looks of it, Mummy's Mask is pretty full-on with the AoE damage and elemental (non-combat) damage it throws at you (almost certainly to try to make armors more useful than they are in other sets).

I don't really know your options, though. I might check again to settle my own curiosity when I next check them up.

Teh Boon Fail! (Seriously, haven't seen ANYONE get one in four tables): 1d20 ⇒ 13

Still not sure what to do for what cards upgrade what?

[Power feat choice]

[...]I note that on your Deck Handler you have listed the powers of one of your two role cards (we haven't unlocked a role card yet, but I assume that's the one you're going to choose)? If that's the role you'll be choosing, Wisdom rolls become a bit better, because you become so adept at adding blessings to them so you'll probably be picking up and casting more spells.[...]

I did mention this before (as quoted above), but you don't actually have your role card, Gronk. That power feat you've mentioned isn't available for Gronk before then.

Characters only get their role card and 'extended power sets' (in your case, you have a choice between Woodwose and Feral Shifter) after Adventure Deck 3. That's a very long way away, and well outside the scope of our current adventure. You have to pick a power that's on your normal card.

Still not sure what to do for what cards upgrade what?

Normally we get to pick a card from the boons we've acquired, and switch it for a boon of the same type and deck number from our class deck. Then we can use this new card from our class deck rather than the basics (for the most part) we have instead. You choice to pick an Armor 1 last time for your Wolfhide Armor.

The difference here is, because of the special Reward listed, we get to pick 2 card upgrades. So you could pick an Item 1 and an Ally B, for example. Take a look at your class deck and see what B and 1 cards look nice to you, and check to see if we've got a boon of the same number and type from the list that the GM posted in gameplay.