Kyra's Power, Spells, Recharging, and Discarding

[Cliff Etters]

I have a perplexing question: Kyra's ability to reveal a card with the Divine trait to effectively Cure a character at her location states that you "then discard the card you revealed."

It seems pretty straightforward especially when you reveal a Blessing or a Divine Item like Holy Water, they go straight into your discard pile.

But what if you reveal a spell with the Divine trait? Do you get to attempt to recharge it instead of discarding it? The Spell card itself usually states something to the fact that you if you can make a check at a certain difficulty, the card is recharged instead of discarded AND that text never makes reference to the spell being cast only recharging instead of discarding.

I apologize if this question has been asked and answered elsewhere, I tried searching the forums several times in several different ways, but my Google-Fu was weak.

Thanks in advance for the help!

[Edge of Dreams]

You only apply the effects of the card text when you play the card. When you reveal-then-discard the card for a power like Kyra does, you haven't "played" the card, so you don't get to use any of the abilities on the card, including the recharge check.

[Cliff Etters]

I guess part of my confusion was coming from the difference between "reveal" and "play." Thanks for the clarification!

[Hawkmoon269]

Just to further explain why:

RotR Rulebook p9 wrote:

Playing a card means activating that card’s power by revealing, displaying, discarding, recharging, burying, or banishing that card. Doing something with a card that does not activate that card’s power does not count as playing that card. For example, if Kyra discards a spell to activate her healing power, it doesn’t count as playing that spell (meaning she also can’t recharge it).

And

RotR Rulebook p15 wrote:

Recharge: This explains circumstances under which you may recharge the card—put it on the bottom of your deck—after playing it.

That "after playing it" part is the key. When Kyra uses a card for her healing power, she doesn't activate any powers on the card. So she hasn't played the card. Therefore, she can't attempt the recharge check, which requires her to have played the card.

In Skull and Shackles, the recharge box (and the text about it in the rulebook) are gone, but the spell would instead say "After playing this card, if you do not have the Divine skill, banish it; otherwise you may succeed at a Divine X check to recharge this card instead of discarding it."

So the same thing principle still applies, you can only do that after playing it, and you only play it when you activate a power on the card.

Similarly, RotR Lini doesn't play a card she discards to roll a d10 for her Strength or Dexterity, so if it is an animal, she can't recharge it. (Her "recharge animals" power requires her to play them.") Valeros can't recharge a weapon he discards as part of taking damage. And Seoni can' recharge a spell she discards to fuel her "fireball" power. All those things require them to play the card they want to recharge.

[Cliff Etters]

Thanks for the great clarification Hawkmoon! Obviously I need to read the rulebook a bit closer!