How many cards?

[fine_young_misanthrope]

My wife and I often play together. She's the bard, and I'm the pirate. My question are how many cards can you play? Does number of hands matter? If you get to play one of every kind of card for a check, the magic seems really powerful! When I roll my sword its 1d10+1d6+2, but the bard can lay down a fire sword spell and musket with 1d10+1d6+1d8+1d10. I like the game, but will my swashbuckler even matter at higher levels?

[pluvia33]

You can only use one card to represent your Combat Check roll, so you can't typically play both a weapon and an attack spell against the same check.

[csouth154]

Only the person attempting the check can play a card or power that begins with "For YOUR combat check...". These are played during the "determine which die you are using" step of a check, and only ONE card may ever be played during this step. A card played during this step adds all of its traits to the check. If you don't play such a card, you can only use strength or melee for your combat check.

[Hawkmoon269]

S&S Rulebook p10 wrote:

Encountering a Card During each of these steps, you and the other players may perform only the specified actions. Players may only play cards or use powers that relate to each step (or relate to cards played or powers used in that step). Each player may play no more than 1 card of each type during each step; for example, no one player may play more than 1 blessing while attempting a check, though multiple players could each play 1 blessing during that check. Each player may activate any power no more than once during each step. Players may not play any cards or activate any powers between those steps.

And one of the steps of the encounter is "attempting the check". So when attempting a check, each character can play 1 card of each type. But, as was mentioned, you can only play 1 card at all to determine the skill.

S&S Rulebook p12 wrote:

Some cards may allow you to replace the required skill for a check with a different one. As part of this action, you may play only 1 card or use only 1 power that defines the skill you are going to use.

As was said, for combat checks cards that replace the required skill with a different one say "For your combat check..." So you can only play 1 "for your combat check" card per check.

[Mighty Vexing]

fine_young_misanthrope wrote:

I like the game, but will my swashbuckler even matter at higher levels?

Yes, in the endgame all Characters are close wether weapons or spells. Due to the hand u draw it sometimes seems unbalanced. Just remember the caster most of the time discards/ recharges. Weapons always seem to just "reveal"

[fine_young_misanthrope]

pluvia33 wrote:

You can only use one card to represent your Combat Check roll, so you can't typically play both a weapon and an attack spell against the same check.

So only one card per combat check? Can my wife cast a spell that aids on a check like Aid while I use a sword? Can you use an item on a combat check as well as a weapon or is it the same-one combat check per combat?

[Raynair]

fine_young_misanthrope wrote:

pluvia33 wrote:

You can only use one card to represent your Combat Check roll, so you can't typically play both a weapon and an attack spell against the same check.

So only one card per combat check? Can my wife cast a spell that aids on a check like Aid while I use a sword? Can you use an item on a combat check as well as a weapon or is it the same-one combat check per combat?

Think of it like this:

When you encounter a monster, the check to defeat, 99% of the time, says Combat. Simply put, this means you have to beat it with your Strength or Melee skill. Instead of doing that, you may play one card that CHANGES your combat check (hence, a weapon or spell). Once a card has been played that specifically changes what you are using for a combat check, you CAN NOT play another card that changes it. Everything is still applicable (such as items, spells, allies, etc... AS LONG as they do not specifically say they CHANGE your combat check).

Make sense?

[csouth154]

fine_young_misanthrope wrote:

pluvia33 wrote:

You can only use one card to represent your Combat Check roll, so you can't typically play both a weapon and an attack spell against the same check.

So only one card per combat check? Can my wife cast a spell that aids on a check like Aid while I use a sword? Can you use an item on a combat check as well as a weapon or is it the same-one combat check per combat?

The rule is one card per type per character per check. There is also a rule that only ONE card that determines the die for a combat check may be played. So you can't ever play more than one card or power that says "For your combat check". Only the character attempting the check may play such a card or power, and only one per check. If no such card or power is played, you must use strength or melee skill for your combat check.

[Hawkmoon269]

It isn't one per combat check, you can only play one card that defines your combat check. Longsword and Force Missile both say "For your combat check" so they both define your combat check. So you can't play both of them. But Aid, for instance, doesn't define your combat check. It adds to a check. So you could play Longsword (during "Determine Which Skill You're Using) and Aid (during "Play Cards and Use Powers That Affect the Check").

Each character is limited to one card of each type per check/step of an encounter. But the character attempting the check can only play a single card during the "Determine which skill your using" part of the check.

Does that make sense? Not sure if I'm being clear or not.

[fine_young_misanthrope]

Makes perfect sense. I was wondering why everybody wasn't playing casters. Under my misunderstanding of the rules, a caster would DOMINATE with even a crappy strength. But this balances things a bit and will make the game a bit harder. Thanks guys/gals!