Question about use of Mavaro's search power (CD Occult Adventures 2)

[Norby]

Hi,

Mavaro in the Occult Adventures 2 CD has two key powers. One, is that the top card of his deck is kept faceup and he gains all skills in its check to acquire equal to his knowledge skill. Two, "you may discard ([] or recharge) a card to search your deck for a card and set it aside; shuffle your deck, then put that card on top". My question concerns the second power.

Say I encounter a henchman that has a before you act power requiring a fortitude check and then a combat check to defeat. Would the following be legal? Could I discard a card to put an armor on top (assuming it was on the deck) to give me fortitude and then discard another card to put a melee weapon on top to give me the melee skill for the combat check?

I assume that his ability to search his deck for a card is considered to "apply to the check" and that since there are two checks I can do it once for each check.

Thanks.

[Hawkmoon269]

Yes. As long as you use the skill you gain, Mavaro's power directly affects the check (i.e. it doesn't require another action to make it affect the check). That is how I've seen Mavaro played.

[Norby]

Thanks. I have two more questions.

One, once you mark the power feat to recharge a card instead of discarding it, is the recharged card an option for the card to put on top? i.e. if you recharge a card to use his power, is that recharged card considered to be part of the deck and therefore eligible?

Two, can I use this ability repeatedly outside of an encounter / check to cycle my deck? It seems to be a legal play, but I'm not sure and also think it's against the spirit of the power.

For instance, say I want to put Cure on top of my deck and to be able to draw it at the end of the turn, but I'm a card over my hand size. To draw it, I'll have to be a card below hand size. Could I recharge a card to put an arbitrary card on top and shuffle and then recharge another card to put Cure on top as I wanted? This would allow me to put Cure on top but also free a space in my hand to draw it.

[Hawkmoon269]

One, yes.

Two, yes (but I feel the same way).

[Norby]

Thanks again! Regarding the second point, I think I'll avoid using the power in this manner. I'll do it just for checks or if I want to draw a particular card at the end of the round.