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WotR's second adventure, "Sword of Valor," introduces a unique new Item card, called the Planar Tuning Fork. What it does is weird:
"While at a permanently closed location, bury this card to choose and display a location from the box next to your location; that card does not count as a location. While displayed, treat the closed location as having the displayed card's 'At This Location' power; at the end of the turn, banish the displayed card."
In other words, you bridge the nilspace between where you are and somewhere you'd like to be for a moment. Pretty cool, right? But which locations are useful for this, considering that you need to be at a closed location to use it?
Well, that's what this guide is for: to identify the locations that COULD be useful.
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1. A matter of timing: Many locations have start-of-turn effects; they're useless for the Fork's purpose, since start-of-turn has passed before you can play the Fork. End-of-turn works, but those aren't common.
2. Exploring the never: Unless you're at a closed location that has cards, explore-based powers are kinda silly. But if you ARE at such a location, the Fork may be useful.
3. Transforming how you play: some powers interact with your card plays in a useful way. (Don't try this with the Abyssal Rift, because its "face-up" side is the bad side.)
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A list of useful locations - comprehensive as of AD2.
-End of turn effects:
Citadel: grab an ally or cohort from your deck; useful for a deck shuffle.
Tower of Estrod: recharges a corrupted card from your discard.
-Play-altering effects:
Corruption Forge: bury Corrupted cards that you play, if that's somehow useful to you.
Forsaken Cloister: gives an expensive evade-and-move option.
Laboratory: play "banish" items and bury them instead.
Temple of Iomedae: give your blessings the Iomedae power (+2d non-combat Cha) PLUS auto-recharge.
-Defencive effects:
Cell: Avoid being moved unless your (Strength or Disable) can reach 7.
Molten Pool: All damage you take is Fire, in case you anticipate taking damage and have fire protection...
-Encounter-altering effects, in case your closed location has cards:
Armory: Draw a card if you acquire a weapon.
Cathedral of St. Clydwell: Scout (and maybe gank a monster at) a location if you acquire a blessing.
Cemetery: Give Undead to monsters. Kyra likes this one.
Dark Forest: Scout as you explore.
Defender's Heart: Recharge your allies to help kill banes.
Manor House: Draw possible replacements for encountered boons.
Marketplace: Get +1+AD to your checks to get boons.
Sacristy: Use your Divine to get boons.
Watchtower: Kill stuff to get boons instead of making checks like civilised folk.
So tempting to use that item in previous AP...
Would family tomb maybe work for this? I'm assuming not, but still posing the question. If so, you could keep the deck there after the location had closed in case you thought there was loot you really wanted.
If you mean displaying some location with a nice At This Location effect (possibly making it easier to acquire the boons or giving you extra explores) at the Family Tomb after you close it, then sure.
If you mean displaying the Family Tomb as part of a contrived way to keep the location deck of somewhere else intact after closing it, then no you cannot. 1) You banish all the cards as part of closing locations and the Planar Tuning Fork can only be played on closed locations, and 2) You only gain the "At This Location" power of the chosen location, nothing else on the card. The part of Family Tomb that saves the boons is not an At This Location power.
You can certainly close Family Tomb, then use the Fork while there; you'll want to pick one of the encounter-altering locations to help you grab stuff.
The only thing you get from "calling" Family Tomb to your closed location is possible suicide, since it only gives you the (open) at-location power.
Which, for Family Tomb, is "if someone else dies, so do you."
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There aren't actually that many locations that keep cards in them after they're closed - so despite the options that Fork gives you for modifying encounters, you won't get to use that aspect much.
It's mainly useful for some of the other effects, such as Citadel's friend-fetch or Temple of Iomedae's buff to your blessings - or calling Molten Pool to yourself because you have a Sweet Dragon Costume and expect to take damage.
Is that the exact text?
Very important wording: Does it say at the end of *the* turn or *your* turn?
It doesn't seem to indicate you have to play it on *your* turn. It could be played during anyone's turn.
If it says "at the end of *the* turn" I would assume the effects end at the end of whatever turn it was played.
If it were "at the end of *your* turn" then it's a whole different story and suddenly potentially very useful, since other players could jump in on the effect as long as you start the effect on someone else's turn. Alas I assume it is not this great and I will probably leave it for something I perceive to be more useful.
It says the turn, and the effect ends at the end of the turn in which it's played. It takes some team strategy to use it as a tool of teamwork. :)
It says the turn, and the effect ends at the end of the turn in which it's played. It takes some team strategy to use it as a tool of teamwork. :)
I find that interesting and unique but ultimately underwhelming...
Like a potion of supreme utter invulnerability... With an effect duration of .5 seconds and the effect will start 2 years from now.
I mean it's a fabulous idea! But how often will I find a use for it? As opposed to a eyepatch I can add to a ton of checks out of the class decks.
Might be great for a character like Feiya or anyone else who can use any type of card for a power.
You can't do that. The Corrupted Forge is a location that redeems in the When Permanently Closed power, and the Planar Tuning Fork only copies the At This Location power.
Hmmm...Would anything stop you from choosing Abyssal Rift and putting the "d12 blessing" side faceup?
I think a Summon Shark spell may be in order for that one; but my instinct is that the "face-up" side is its starting side, namely the Abyssal / d4 location.
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Copy the tavern. You never have enough taverns.
Manor House on a boon-filled location. I loooooove the Manor House.
Unfortunately you use the Fork at a permanently closed location. So no cards left, typically.
Abyssal Rift is indeed confirmed to be useful, because you get to pick the side on two-sided locations.
Also Celestial Beacon is an encounter-altering location that gives you +1d8 vs. demons.
But now for AD3. Nothing too exciting.
Cathedral of Chaos - encounter-altering: same thing as Manor House.
Eagle Rock - encounter-altering: put Demon trait on any bane.
Tower of the Fourth Spire - encounter-altering: gank non-villain demons instantly.
Wintersun Hall - play-altering - bury a boon to gain +1d8 to Strength or Melee check.
And now for an improbably BRUTAL combo.
Tome of Mental Prowess: (item) RFG to gain a skill feat of Int, Wis, or Cha --- Knowledge 30 to banish instead of RFG.
Tuning Fork with Laboratory: shifts the banish to bury.
Good luck pulling it off, but SWEET NISTUS if you can.
Just wanted to inquire if anyone has found this card even remotely useful, aside of the insane Laboratory-Tome of Whatever combo?
I think Abyssal Rift is pretty useful to tune in, with the d12 side face up.
There's another laboratory (forgot the exact name) that says when you play a book banish it. also works with the tome of whatever.?