Ashbringer CotCT Weapon 6

[Sathar]

Ashbringer wrote:

For your combat check, reveal [...] If any die rolled on this check shows 1, count it as a 3 or [...] 6, then discard the top card of your deck.

I use Ashbringer and roll a fistful of dice. I get x 1's (let's assume x > 1), do I:

a) Count a single 1 as a 3/6 and discard the top card of my deck (apply the power once)

b) Count "x" 1's as "x" 3/6's and discard the top card of my deck (apply the change to all applicable dice and pay the "price" once)

c) Count "x" 1's as "x" 3/6's and discard the top "x" cards of my deck (apply the power in full once per occurrence of "1")

I've been reading this as c), but it could definitely be dangerous as this appears to be a mandatory effect, and could easily be fatal especially if you're rolling a lot of dice.

[Brother Tyler]

I suspect that every die that rolls a 1 is counted as a 3 (or a 6 if you are proficient), but you discard only one card.

The phrasing driving this interpretation is the "If any..." that starts that rule. If it used "Each" instead, then you would discard 1 card for each die that rolls a 1.

And this is a mandatory power since there's no "you may" in the rule, but it's not as dangerous as you suppose if I'm correct that you only discard 1 card regardless of the number of dice. It's a level 6 card, though, so your character/party should have a sufficiently large deck size and sufficient healing abilities that you shouldn't run into any self-inflicted deaths except in extreme circumstances (and you probably shouldn't be using this weapon if there's a potential of cutting your own throat with it).

Just a guess.

[skizzerz]

I read it as c; you discard as many cards as you roll 1’s. This can turn lethal if you have lots of dice and poor luck, so my suggestion there is to not have lots of dice.

If the discard was meant to only happen once, I’d expect a semicolon or other “harder” break between the two instructions.

[Frencois]

Interestning...
I would have played b) so indeed it is unclear.

I would have preferred, depending what the intent was:

a)
If any die rolled on this check shows 1, count one of them as a 3 or [...] 6, then discard the top card of your deck.

b)
If any die rolled on this check shows 1, count each of them as a 3 or [...] 6, then discard the top card of your deck.

c)
For each die rolled on this check showing 1, count it as a 3 or [...] 6 and discard the top card of your deck.

The "for each" missing in the original card let me think you only discard a single card but I'm ready to be corrected.

skizzerz wrote:

If the discard was meant to only happen once, I’d expect a semicolon or other “harder” break between the two instructions.

Yep but you want also to make sure people don't see it as you need to discard even if you don't roll any "1" (unless that was the original intent, which would be a "d" case that the OP didn't mentionned).

[Droideka]

As it doesn't say for each die rolled, I would say b) also.

[Sathar]

Much to my party's chagrin, when the wording is ambiguous I tend to take the least favorable interpretation (well, most of the time), so I'll probably keep doing c) until Vic tells me to stop even though my party thinks I'm crazy.

So far, the "worst" that has happened was one case of turning a partial roll of "4" into "24", which was pretty powerful for the price of losing 4 cards. My deck had enough at the time to spare, but I do wince now when Blackjack Valerian asks me, "Would you like another d4?"

Addendum:

Cliff wrote:

If any die shows a 1 or 2, count it as 0

Does this "conflict" with Ashbringer's power, in which case the Golden Rules would mean 1 counts as 0, or do these simultaneous events resolve in player-chosen order, so 1 counts as 6, which is not 1 or 2 so does not become 0?

We played the latter, but seeing them side-by-side I'm thinking maybe the Cliff should play through. It could even be worse if a 1 counts as 6 is negated, but the fun of "discard the top card of your deck" isn't (the "die shows a 1" so you discard, but it "counts as 0").

[Frencois]

Sathar wrote:

Cliff wrote:

If any die shows a 1 or 2, count it as 0

Does this "conflict" with Ashbringer's power, in which case the Golden Rules would mean 1 counts as 0...

Well if that doesn't conflict, I don't know what will.

So IMHO the Golden Rules apply exactly in that case.

So I use Ashbringer for my combat check at the Cliff.
Some of my dice show 1.
Those 1 are counted as 0.

But "then" indeed, since the Ashbringer uses "then", we have a potential issue :

- Should I keep reading the power and apply the "then" (i. e. discard the card)
- Or should I consider that I should "reread" the power after counting 1 as 0, and since there is no 1 left, I do not have to discard?

I would play you discard a card.

Bottomline: change weapon at the Cliff.

[Vic Wertz]

Added to FAQ, but spotted an issue with the revised wording. The answer is correct, but I will need to revise the resolution later.