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Rules Team Rulings - 20 October 2000

Rules Team Rulings 20-OCT-2000

RULINGS

1. COMBAT CARDS

that are played at the end of a round of combat or at the end of combat (either implicitly or explicitly), such as Pulled Fangs, Disarm, and Amaranth, are playable when the round is ending by a strike or other effect (e.g. Elysium) to end combat, or when the round is ending due to one of the combatants being burned or sent to torpor, or when the round is ending for lack of a press to continue. This is a reversal of the ruling in RTR 28-SEP-1998. Note that a card like superior Psyche! can still not be played if another combat is already being started (if the first combat was ended with Illusions of the Kindred, for example).

Example: if a vampire plays a S:CE as an additional strike, the opposing vampire can still play Disarm (if he's inflicted sufficient damage already in the first strike resolution phase, of course).

2. SUDDEN REVERSAL and DIRECT INTERVENTION

can only cancel cards that are played from the hand in the normal fashion.

Cards put in play (from the hand, ash heap, library, or elsewhere) by some means other than being played as normal are not subject to being canceled by Sudden Reversal or Direct Intervention.

In particular, this ruling reverses the RTR 08-JUL-1996 ruling that Sudden Reversal can target the cards put into play by Bindusara's special ability. It also reverses LSJ 04-MAY-1999 regarding the canceling of the weapon brought into play with Disguised Weapon (The Disguised Weapon can be canceled, but if it is not, the weapon brought out cannot be canceled by Direct Intervention). Other things that cannot be canceled by Sudden Reversal or Direct Intervention: Equipment brought out by Magic of the Smith or Vast Wealth or Horrid Reality, Discipline cards played when an Embrace or Third Tradition or Creation Rites is played (or when a vampire diablerizes an older vampire), etc.

Note: playing a card "as a vampire of capacity X with discipline D" or paying less than the usual cost to play a card is still playing a card in the normal sense. Cards played in these ways can still be canceled as normal.

3. ASTRID THOMAS

Q: If Kindred Coercion (sup) is used to change the votes of a Tremere after Astrid has voted, does Astrid's ability still cause the Tremere's votes to be cast "with" Astrid?

A: Yes. Astrid's ability is "checked" or "activated" when the votes are tallied. The way her votes are cast at that time is how all other (non-abstaining) Tremere's votes are cast.

4. ILLUSIONS OF THE KINDRED:

Q: If the vampire brought into play by Illusions of the Kindred is burned in combat, is he put in the ash heap (being burned) or put out of play (by Illusions of the Kindred's card text)?

A: The two effects (burn and remove from play) are occurring at the same time (combat ends when the vampire is being burned), so the acting Methuselah can order the events in any order she likes. If the burn is done first, then the vampire will not be removed from play (similar to the reason a Horrid Reality weapon won't be returned to the library if it is burned first).

ADDENDUM FROM THE DESIGN TEAM

Of the cards reprinted in the Sabbat War, a pair have been unintentionally changed from the original:

5. CREATION RITES

The sentence "You may move a blood from the acting vampire to this card." is omitted from the Sabbat War card. So there will be errata to add that sentence once the Sabbat War is released.

6. POWER STRUCTURE

requires Lasombra. The Sabbat War card omits the Lasombra symbol, so this will be errata once the Sabbat War is released.