I don't have my cards on me so I don't have the exact wording, but I'm pretty sure that the card says when you discard it for its power (either at the turn start/end/whatever) you can attempt the recharge. So yes, if you discard it for the extra dice, you'll be able to attempt the recharge check. If I'm wrong I'm sure Hawkmoon will be around to correct me shortly :)
The wording on the Orb suggests you don't get a chance to recharge, but this FAQ entry clarifies that actually you do.
On the spell Aqueous Orb, replace "At the end of your turn, if you do not have either the Arcane or Divine skill..." with "This counts as playing a spell. At the end of your turn, or when you would discard this card when playing it, if you do not have either the Arcane or Divine skill..."
I've got two scenarios left in S&S and that's when I see this...
Oh well. Added challenge is cool, too.
So you would always discard it for the extra 2D6 at some point during your turn then right? I got the impression this spell allowed me to use a single card to use on multiple combat checks in a turn, but if I wanted the burst I would discard.
Now my understanding is if I want the burst then I no longer get to use it for the rest of the turn, that's the only downside.
So if I know I'm only doing 1 combat check then I would always discard it right away.
Compared to Geyser (from same AP) it seems very strong (extra D6 for 1 more on recharge and an optional weaker use to allow multiple combat checks.)
This is a good point. I've carried Geyser all the way to AP 6 on my Divine caster because I apparently misunderstood how the Orbs worked and valued the recharge. Now I fear there's no point to Geyser...
That being said, I think this is how the Orbs should work. I just think spells like Geyser are pretty bad (by comparison) now.
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Yes, discard the Orb for an extra 2d6, leaving you with 3d6, IIRC.
Do this with a character who can also recharge a weapon at the same time to add another 3d6. Won't mention which character that might be. Now you have 6d6.
Use that character's powers to recharge the Orb spell from the discard pile. Congratulations, you just did 6d6 damage (without bonuses, blessings, or other cards) at very little cost to your overall resources. Great for taking down villains, henchmen, and high-powered monsters that require combat checks.
So you can't discard multiple orbs to add extra dice?
..and if you can't play attack spells you can't use the orb even if it was already in play?
So you can't discard multiple orbs to add extra dice?
..and if you can't play attack spells you can't use the orb even if it was already in play?
Correct, discarding the orb while displayed counts as playing a Spell, and you can only play 1 card of each type per check. You can still play other spells if they have an exception for that rule (such as Quickened Ray). If you don't discard the orb though, it being displayed does not count as playing a spell since you aren't using any powers on it. Therefore, you can play other spells that say "For your combat check..." instead of playing the orb even while the orb is displayed if you want.
It sounds like the additional wording means discarding the spell counts as playing a spell but using it for your combat check without discarding it also counts as playing a spell.
I saw an errata'ed copy of an orb and boy is the text crowded.
Can I use a weapon for my combat check and discard the Aqueous Orb for the additional 2d6?
I would say no because the "for an additional" is in the sentence containing the "for your combat check" key words.
If they wanted us to be able to blast the Orb while using a weapon they would have split the power in two and make something separate like:
"While displayed, you can discard to add 2d6 to your combat check"
... Until proven guilty.
Frencois is correct. One paragraph = one power, you can't pick and choose sentences (or sentence fragments) from a power to apply without applying the others.