TL;DR: Should Hungering Staff have the Melee trait? Should it NOT allow for the use of the Melee skill? Should it allow for the use of the Arcane skill? Full description below.
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So, I really hope this isn't a significant misprint, because otherwise my Organised Play character may be significantly nerfed, but here we go.
Hell's Vengeance Character Deck 2 has the Hungering Staff, a Weapon 1 that I'd use over any of the other weapons, of any AD# in HV2, for a dedicated arcane caster. Specifically, the effect reads (emphasis added):
"For your combat check, reveal this card to use your Strength or Arcane skill + 1d6+2; you may additionally discard a spell to add another 1d6 plus the spell's adventure deck number. If you fail this check and this card has the Corrupted trait, shuffle a monster from the box into your location deck."
So first unusual aspect; it allows you to use your Arcane skill in combat simply by revealing it. I assumed this was intentional, as a unique Staff that lets you use your arcane skill natively. Seems extremely powerful for a reveal power , since even deck 6 weapons in the deck won't be as powerful when revealed if you're a low-Strength caster without weapon proficiency, but given that it's Corrupted and themed towards a character, I took that as intentional.
However, now that I look at it closely, I can't help but notice it doesn't let you use your Melee skill. Weapons that allow for non-traditional skills to be used in combat often read like "Strength, Melee or Acrobatics" and stuff like that, and this doesn't. This is particularly odd, since it even has the Melee trait on the weapon itself, and Melee is on the Check to Acquire. I don't think I can think of a weapon that invokes the Melee trait and can be acquired with the Melee skill without allowing for the use of the Melee skill in combat. Intentional or oversight?
There is one weapon in the Runelords that is accuired by using strength but is used by agility! starknife if I don`t remember incorrectly. Have to check out...
But that staff does not seems to be a melee weapon for some reason, Until it is in faq.
So clarification would be nice!
The staff does have the Melee trait, but it's not intended to be particularly useful to you if you're not a spellcaster. It's primarily used for its spells to create toothy maws to bite or swallow your opponents and is otherwise largely decorative. I mean, awesomely decorative out of your favorite metal music video. But, decorative.
Phew, what a relief!
Still seems weird that you can't use Melee to fight with it, but you can happily use it to acquire it and it will invoke the trait, but I'll happily bow to Keith on this!
Hannibal_pjv:
I seem to recall Starknife was FAQed to require Ranged/Dexterity, actually.