Sword Cane

I'm surprised there isn't a review for this card, so I'll write my first one!

So, for 2 XP the card becomes fast, you get a free damage on an engaged enemy, AND you get +1 Skill Value on the test. It might seem a little lackluster on the surface level, but in reality... It's pretty good. It gaining fast makes it a big action saver, as when you play it you essentially get 3 actions (Playing it, the damage, and using it without exhausting). Meanwhile with Sword Cane you play it for one of your 3 actions and activate it's ability. I don't know about you, but I like getting some more bang for my XP.

I'd also like to point out that playing it basically is like using a Shrivelling charge as you get a free damage (who doesn't like free damage?) and the free attack from playing it, with an extra skill value. The extra skill value aspect of the card is also something not to scoff at. I mean, who doesn't like a boost when their testing?

This card is also a huge helper for mystics who may not have enough resources for their spells, or ran out of charges like Dexter Drake and Gloria Goldberg, while also being a handy card for other investigators like Norman Withers. Other reviews on Sword Cane also just apply to this card, with typically unused hand slots and is a good alternative if an enemy has 1 health left so you don't need to waste your charges! This card can definitely be a good upgrade at any point of a playthrough and should be considered if running Sword Cane!

arcaneical · 1
Disruptive Poltergeist

The problem I encountered with this weakness and Frenzied is that it's either a non-issue if you're already doing what they ask you to do, or pretty much unsolvable if you're not. Having to use the specific action on the card insead of, say, oversucceeding an attempt made from another source, means that either you have a crapload of skill icons to drop into this (unlikely, if your deck is doing something else entirely) or no amount of XP will ever make you able to avoid the 1 damage-per-draw that this card will cost you. Packing heals is the only thing you can feasibly do, and even then you're not solving it, you're just delaying the inevitable trauma.

tinybreeder · 38
Somebody else can take the action on the card to get rid of it, so you can leave Morbid Curiosity to your neighbour-friendly Seeker. But yes, if you are not good at what they are asking you to, and have no teammates that can help you with it, these weaknesses are rough, and I'm not a fan they force you to test with a skill penalty. It makes sense when balanced around what a class does best, but Frenzied landing on Ursula is damn near impossible for her to counter alone. — HeroesOfTomorrow · 86
Martyr's Vambrace

Since this is an "armor" asset, you can add a Hidden Pocket to it to give you an additional hand or accessory slot for an "illicit" asset.

If you bring any item in with I'll Take that, making it illicit, you can essentially get a free slot for almost any item in the game. Cheaper than a three xp cost Relic Hunter.

Oubliette · 2
Is it? This card itself costs 3 XP and the combo you describe includes 3 different cards that you first have to find and occupy you deck slots. On the other hand, your synergy works differently than Relic Hunter - it makes Martyr's Vambrace either "slotless" or gives you another hand slot, while Relic Hunter gives you a slot that is independent from this card. — AlderSign · 455
Also note that most investigators that can take these 3 cards are not particularly good at oversucceeding at investigaton or evasion tests. Although they could trigger "I'll Take That" with Bolas, Handcuffs, or Crowbar more easily. — AlderSign · 455
Yep, that's fair. I stumbled upon this whilst making a parallel Montgomery Jack and needed more slots for relic cards. If you're playing Martyr's anyway and can play lv 0 green, it's cheaper than a Relic Hunter. :) — Oubliette · 2
Even better if, like Montgomery, you can play Underworld Market with your Hidden Pockets and I'll Take Thats already tucked away. But yeah, thats pretty niche. — Oubliette · 2
Snakescourge

what will happend if it works on The Chthonian Stone(sorry i cant type hyperlink in this site)?Should i put those chaos tokens i sealed back before it ends?Or it just keep sealing them,and ingnore the autofail discard effect?

MrMcCrispy · 1
The token remains sealed and you ignore the forced effect — Django · 5236
Summoned Servitor

I have never used Summon Servitor, but I do not intend for this review to be based on the concept of actually playing the card and utilizing its ability to perform as a remote agent. I'm sure there are some interesting edge cases, something something Luke Robinson, but I haven't explored those possibilities of this card, though perhaps one day.

What I am here to comment on is that this card lets you do something oddly specific that is very hard to find: Return an asset of ANY kind from your board to your hand. Rogues can do this with Item assets in several different ways, Scavenging can pull items from your discard, and William Yorick can play any type of asset from his discard. But there aren't many ways to remove literally any asset from your board, with no restrictions on level, class, or type.

Why does this matter? What's so important about the ability to put ANY asset (besides weakness/permanents) back into your hand? Well, we can start with the above Luke and his Gate Box. Replaying it is a way of recharging it, although if you're spending 3 XP and 2 card slots you can do way better. There are plenty of ways to place charges/secrets/ammo/supplies on cards, and they'd all do a better job than this card. But consider for a moment things that DON'T use those kind of resources, and instead use weird ones you can't refill. Think about: -Daisy Walker and her Archive of Conduits -Dexter Drake/Sefina Rousseau wanting to cheat their Geas a little bit -Building around Hyperphysical Shotcaster as a Mystic and not having access to Rogue or Survivor level 0 cards. -Father Mateo wanting to get a couple extra uses out of The Codex of Ages -Sister Mary trying to repair her Guardian Angel

Okay, ya, those are all the use cases I could find, and they aren't a lot, and the only one that seems all that decent to me is the first one. But there's a LOT of potential here depending on future investigators/assets that are released.

ClassyD · 5
I think you missed the best one: Powder of Ibn Ghazi. This asset for dealing with the Broods of Yog-Sothoth from Undimensioned and Unseen normally only has an extremely limited number of clues, part of which makes the scenario so challenging. With Summoned Servitor, you can simply replay it and regain all the clues! Yippee!! — Nenananas · 277