Divine check vs Divine trait

[Platypus]

Imrijka has a power that lets her "...add 1d4 and the Divine and Magic traits to her check against a monster".

There's a Blessing -- I think it's Blessing of Abraxas -- that lets you add two dice to an "Arcane or Divine check".

If Imrijka fires her crossbow at a monster, then adds the Divine trait to her check, can she then apply the Blessing of Abraxas to add two dice to her Divine check?

[First World Bard]

No. You are making a Divine check when you actually roll your Divine skill for your check. Typically, this means that either the card will say "Divine" and you roll that, or it will say "Combat" and you play a spell like Viper Strike that says "For your combat check, roll your Divine skill + 2d4". Kyra has an ability that says something like "For your check to defeat a monster with the Undead or Demon trait, you may [do x] to use your Divine skill + 1d8.", so that would still count.

However, just because you might *add* a skill to a check, doesn't mean you are making that check. For example, Padrig lets Balazar add his Arcane skill to a Strength check. However, it is still a Strength check and not an Arcane check. In both of these situations, it is the Blessing of Shax (iirc) that would add two dice, not Abraxas.

[Zenarius]

It's a strength check when firing that crossbow for imrijka. Shax is the blessing you want :)

That being said I always forgot it says checks against a monster and not just combat checks...

[elcoderdude]

Her power doesn't add a skill, it adds a trait. Adding the Ranged trait (for example) makes a check a Ranged check. Why doesn't adding the Divine trait make a check a Divine check?

[Hawkmoon269]

It adds the trait, which means it is now a divine check.

[Zenarius]

Whoa... I learned again. So imrijka ability makes it (in this example) a strength, ranged, Magic and divine "check".

So anything that adds the *trait* makes it that type of check. But if it says use the skill, it doesn't make it that type of check.

[Hawkmoon269]

Almost. If it says "use" the skill, that skill counts as a trait. (Look at any "for your combat check..." card for an example.) If it says "add" a skill, then that skill is not a trait. (Look at Greyflame Mace for an example.) See this FAQ.

And the "X check" language means "a check with X trait." So no matter how the trait gets there, if it had the trait, it is that kind of check.

[First World Bard]

Whoops, got that one wrong.

[Zenarius]

Fascinating. Somehow when playing I keep failing my rules knowledge check and have to come back and read hawk's posts... :D

[Inquisitor60504]

As the alternate to what Imrijka is doing, if Seoni is firing off a spell using her Charisma: Arcane and pops off the Blessing of Abraxas, she DOES get the extra 2 dice because she's doing a DIVINE COMBAT check?

Which would allow her heropath of Archmage to add that 1d20 when expending a mythic charge, correct?

[Malcolm_Reynolds]

If the spell she's casting has both the Arcane and Divine traits, then yes. Not all spells have both traits. You will want Seoni to cast spells with the Arcane trait, and probably not spells that have Divine but not Arcane, since her Divine skill would be 1d4. In either case, as long as the check has either the Arcane or Divine trait (or both), Abraxas will add two dice.

The Archmage mythic power is only usable with Intelligence or Charisma checks. Traits like Arcane or Divine have no influence on that mythic power. Since her Arcane skill uses her Charisma, any Charisma check, including Arcane attack spells, is eligible for the mythic path powers. Playing a blessing of Abraxas has no influence on when you can use the Archmage power.

[Inquisitor60504]

I accidentally overcomplicated my question.

When a spell is cast for combat, is it then considered an "arcane" check if the spell has the Arcane trait, thus allowing you in turn to pile on Abraxas?

Whereas someone wielding a sword, would be conducting a "strength" check (that happens to be combat).

Sorry, if I'm being "thick" about this.

Thanks.

[Malcolm_Reynolds]

No worries! There's a lot to the game and it's not easy to grok it all at once.

If the spell played for combat has the Arcane trait, then yes it is considered an Arcane check Abraxas gives two dice.

When using a sword, it will usually be a combat Strength check (some characters can use Dexterity instead if the sword has the Finesse trait).

There are a lot of subtle differences that you'll pick up the more you play. In the first PACG set, for example, there was one set of blessings that would add two dice to non-combat Strength checks and another set that would add two dice to combat Strength checks. Keep going (and keep asking questions) and you'll have it in no time!

[skizzerz]

The terminology "an X check" can be considered shorthand for "a check with the X trait." So, any check with the Arcane trait is therefore an Arcane check by definition. I made a post here a while back that delves more deeply into this topic, you may find it helpful.

[Pyrocat]

I additionally found this FAQ errata to the S&S rulebook to be quite helpful.

Quote:

Determine Which Skill You’re Using. Cards that require a check specify the skill or skills you can use to attempt the check. Each check to defeat or acquire a card lists one or more skills; you may choose any of the listed skills for your check. For example, if a check lists Dexterity, Disable, Strength, and Melee, you may use any one of those skills to attempt your check. Even if your character doesn’t have any of the skills listed for a check, you can still attempt the check, but your die is a d4.

Some cards allow you to use a particular skill for a specific type of check, or to use one skill instead of another. (These cards generally say things like "For your combat check, use your Strength or Melee skill," or "Use your Strength skill instead of your Diplomacy skill.") You may play only 1 such card or use only 1 such power to determine which skill you're using. A few cards that can be used on checks don’t use any of your skills; they instead specify the exact dice you need to roll or the result of your die roll.

The skill you're using for the check, and any skill referenced by that skill, are added as traits to the check. For example, if your character has the skill Melee: Strength +2, and you are using your Melee skill, both the Strength and the Melee traits are added to the check. When you're playing a card to determine the skill you're using, that card’s traits are also added to the check; for example, revealing the weapon Dragon Pistol for your combat check adds the Firearm, Ranged, Piercing, and Elite traits to the check. (This isn’t the same as giving you a skill; for example, playing the spell Fireblade adds the Divine trait to your check, but it does not give you the Divine skill.) If a power adds an additional skill to a check, that skill is not added as a trait to the check. For example, a card that adds your Craft skill to your combat check does not add the Craft trait to your check.