As weird as it is, I don't see anything in the rules that would prohibit it.
Several Allies have a Check to Acquire of Combat. Can Mavaro Display one of these to gain the (otherwise nonexistent) "Combat" skill? Can the Combat skill then be used to make a check of the type "Combat"?
I'll just say this one of the repercussions that make me think "Combat" should never be given a 'skill' status on its own... even though Vic spoke for the opposite, IIRC? (In the Varryl <was it? the Class Deck guy that uses Wisdom for all his checks> thread, I believe).
Weapons and many other cards that can be used during combat generally tell you what skill to use when you attempt a combat check; if you aren’t playing one of those cards, you must use your Strength or Melee skill.
I was confused by the "used" in the first part of the sentence and overlooked the "playing" in the second. Tricky because "displaying" the card (as part of Mavaro's power) is playing it but that card isn't exactly telling you what skill to use (it changes the dice you roll).
Good candidate for the weekly can'o'worms...
That's already a little fuzzy, because there are character powers you can use for combat checks which are not defined as playing a card (for example: WotR Kyra, whose channel energy power most definitely does not count as playing a spell).
Tricky because "displaying" the card (as part of Mavaro's power) is playing it but that card isn't exactly telling you what skill to use (it changes the dice you roll).
Good candidate for the weekly can'o'worms...
Uhm, no. You're not displaying the card for a power written on the card, therefore you're NOT "playing the card". You're only playing Mavaro's power.
Agreed
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The only reason I'd say that "Combat" itself can be a skill that Mavaro can appropriate is that cards like weapons and spells as well as character powers (and cohort powers) specify "For your combat check". This allows those cards to be used for your combat check. So the skill of "Combat" would seems to be skill that you are allowed to use other methods to apply to it. The bare Strength or Melee is again being used as a default for Combat.
My impression is, OP's proposition is that whenever he comes across a non-combat check, and he has PREVIOUSLY (i.e before the encounter, if currently in one)displayed a card with Combat check to acquire, he can than apply his Combat "skill" as trait to the check (even though he cannot use the skill for the check itself!), in order to play cards and powers that affect Combat checks specifically.
Effectively, if (for example) fighting a Syren, he would have the check in question be:
Wisdom, Non-Combat, Combat
There's nothing in the rules to suggest that applying Combat as a trait removes the Non-combat trait, except maybe, that oddly enough, the Non-combat trait is never defined in the game as anything else, but the player *attempting a check other than Combat*. If that is the case, the the player would have something like:
- Encounter a Syren
- Define the Skill You're Using: Wisdom. At this point, the check is Non-combat Wisdom check
- Play Cards and Powers that affect the Check: use Mavaro's power to apply "Combat" as a trait; at this point, the check becomes Combat Wisdom and sh*t hits the fan, the game breaking at its seams:
=> since the check is now Combat, the player should default to Strength/Melee (so is now the check Wisdom Combat Strength ?!?) instead of using his "Combat skill"
=> player can no longer play weapons/Attack spells to boost his newly-Combat check, as they define his skill for the check, and he's past the DSYU step
=> he can no longer play powers that affect Non-combat checks (but what happens if he already played some? nothing says they're canceled/not applied since this is not a case of "immunity", and "cards don't have memories", etc. - is he double-dipping now??)
=> lastly, since making the check Combat should default him to Strength/Melee, this move (making the check Combat) should be illegal in the first place, as he is past the DSYU step - and changing his skill for the check at this point is not allowed...
In short, trying to treat Combat as a skill (and therefore a Trait that player can chose to apply to Non-combat checks) seems like exercise in absurdity. The way I see it, all of a card's checks to defeat/acquire are Traits, but not all of them signify Skills. "Combat" is just a shorthand for "Play powers to use your most advantageous skill OR use your Strength/Melee skill".
In Therion's example:
The only reason I'd say that "Combat" itself can be a skill that Mavaro can appropriate is that cards like weapons and spells as well as character powers (and cohort powers) specify "For your combat check". This allows those cards to be used for your combat check. So the skill of "Combat" would seems to be skill that you are allowed to use other methods to apply to it.
- the wording on those cards is meant to be read as "For your check with the Combat trait...", as opposed to "You may use your X skill, instead of the Combat skill". I.e. this wording refers to the bolded part of the Rulebook quote below, as opposed to its second part:
Some cards allow you to use a particular skill for a specific type of check, or to use one skill instead of another.
RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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I don't see how you'd ever be able to apply the trait "Combat" to your checks... Mavaro's power is written like this:
"You may display a card to gain all skills listed on the check to acquire for that card equal to your Intelligence until the end of the turn. ([ ] You may also add any of that card's traits to your checks during this turn.) At the end of the turn, recharge the displayed cards."
Note that if you've got the power feat checked, it lets you add the card's TRAITS... NOT the skills required to acquire that card. So I'm pretty sure you'll never have the Combat skill being added, since there isn't going to be a card with "Combat" listed under its traits.
Someone with better archiving skills might be able to find a topic where the devs were talking about making Combat a skill (which implies that, unless it's stated otherwise, it is NOT)...
This thread had this post if that is what you are referring to.
While not out and out saying that "combat isn't a skill" this post implies that since Combat doesn't count as a "listed skill" Combat isn't a skill.
