Sharp Fangs behind the Leaves

Frequently Asked Questions

Elements and Elemental Thresholds

• Can the different thresholds of an innate power be used separately?
  No, the thresholds are all part of a single power. All effects must be used on the same target land (or same target Spirit), and you use the effects of every threshold you meet{1}, in the order they're printed{2}.

  For example, Lightning's Swift Strike's innate power of Thundering Destruction used with 5 Fire, 4 Air, and 1 Water can destroy two buildings in the same land, but it cannot destroy two buildings in different lands. Even the final threshold on Serpent Slumbering Beneath the Island's Serpent Rouses in Anger targets a single land, although it affects all lands on the board in addition to the one that it targets.

  One sort-of-exception: innate powers that say "Repeat this Power," like A Spread of Rampant Green's innate Creepers Tear into Mortar. When a power is Repeated, you use the power from the beginning, which means you can target a new land.

  {1} = You are allowed to pretend you have fewer Elements than you really do — e.g., to activate only the lower level of an innate — but that decision is made for the entire Power, not each threshold individually. Once you've chosen, you must activate every threshold those elements qualify for. Particularly, for Shadows Flicker Like Flames' innate power Darkness Swallows the Unwary, there is no set of elements which can activate the second threshold without also activating the first threshold. If you destroy 2 Explorers to earn fear, you must first gather an explorer (if able).

  {2} = Effects which modify Speed, Range, or targeting obviously apply when you check Speed / Range / targeting.
  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Elements, Lightning's Swift Strike, A Spread of Rampant Green, Serpent Slumbering Beneath the Island, 15 more...
• Can you use the threshold effects of Innate Powers, even if you can't use the effects above them?
  Yes, each line is evaluated independently, depending on the Elements you activate the power with.

  (You are allowed to pretend you have fewer Elements than you actually have, but need to be consistent for the whole power.)
  (Discussion elsewhere) (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Elements, Sparking Aspect (Lightning's Swift Strike), Haven Aspect (River Surges in Sunlight), Foreboding Aspect (Shadows Flicker Like Flame), 54 more...

Play Options

• When playing without Events, what type of Action is Commanding Beasts? Can you use your special rules to modify what the Beasts do?
  It is a separate Event Action for each land with Beasts (JE p. 20). A Spirit's special rules generally don't apply, since they usually only affect their Powers in particular or their Spirit Actions in general.

  For example, Sharp Fangs Behind the Leaves can move their Presence with the commanded Beasts, since their "Ally of the Beasts" special rule apply when Beasts move for any reason. On the other hand, Many Minds Move as One can't Push Beasts to lands 2 away, since their "Fly Fast as Thought" special rule only applies when they move the Beasts with Spirit Actions, not when Events move Beasts.
  Tags: Actions, Playing Without Events, Beasts, Sharp Fangs behind the Leaves, 13 more...

Power Cards

• If a Power has a conditional effect (e.g., Defend if a Sacred Site is present), does the effect persist when the condition changes?
  Yes, unless specified otherwise.

  You evaluate the condition when the Power is executed, not when the effect happens. For instance, "The Trees and Stones Speak of War" (without the threshold) gives Damage and Defense per Dahan present at the time you execute the power, not Dahan present during the Ravage Step.

  This only applies to Powers with a localized effect. “Everywhere” effects that modify an entire class of things operate differently.
  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Defend, Guardian Serpents, Prey on the Builders (Sharp Fangs behind the Leaves), The Trees and Stones Speak of War, 13 more...

Presence and Sacred Sites

• What happens to Presence when it gets removed or replaced?
  If it is removed or replaced during play, it goes to the destroyed Presence pile in the supply unless the particular effect says to put it elsewhere. From there, it can be restored by any effect that returns destroyed Presence to the island.

  Anything removed or replaced during setup is out of the game.

  As of the release of Nature Incarnate, only four Presence-removing/replacing effects send the Presence somewhere special: "Transform to a Murderous Darkness," "Call Forth Predators" (Sharp Fangs Behind the Leaves special rule), and both Bargains remove replaced Presence from the game. (Though Bargains put the Presence on reminder cards, this is just to help players track how many times they made the Bargain; Bargains scale with the number of times they are made, not the number of Presence on the reminder card.)
  Tags: Replace, Presence, Remove, Bargain, 13 more...

Setup

• If a Spirit has multiple legal ways to set up on the island, can it choose the one it likes best?
  Yes, when there are multiple choices that equally meet the setup conditions, the player gets to choose the one they like. For some Spirits, this will only happen on the thematic side or against specific Adversaries/Scenarios.
  Tags: Spirit setup, Thunderspeaker, A Spread of Rampant Green, Ocean's Hungry Grasp, 10 more...

Spirit Phase

• Do I have to do everything shown in a Growth option I pick?
  Yes. You must do everything shown if possible, though you can do it in any order.

  Usually, there's no downside: Reclaiming, gaining Energy/Power Cards, and adding Presence are almost strictly good. (You can always reposition a Presence already on the island when adding Presence [p. 14], so "running out" isn't a concern.) Spirits with "Move a Presence up to Range N" Growth effects can Move it 0. However, a few Spirits do include things you'll have to work around, including:

  • Ocean's Hungry Grasp often requires you to Push or Gather Presence;
  • Heart of the Wildfire often adds Blight along with Presence, so being required to add Presence can be dangerous;
  • Downpour Drenches the World and Ember-Eyed Behemoth both discard Power Cards as part of one of their Growth options;
  • Breath of Darkness Down Your Spine must let pieces escape the Endless Dark.
  • Several Spirits have Growth options that add Presence to particular land types, which could force Presence outside of that land type to be repositioned accordingly in the unlikely case where the Spirit has no Presence left on Presence tracks and no Presence on the island is already in that land type (else it could be repositioned into the land it's already in). Note that "a land with your Presence" can't cause this problem, since that allows any Presence to be repositioned into a land its already in.

  If you can't do something in a Growth option, do as much as you can and skip the rest – you're free to pick Growth options where you can't successfully complete all of the instructions. (E.g., if you Push Presence from each Ocean, and there's a board where none of your Presence is in the Ocean, you simply don't Push Presence on that board.)

  Nevertheless, you can't skip paying an explicit "cost" for a Growth option, which must be paid in full order to pick that option and perform the associated actions.
  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Growth, Repositioning Presence, Ocean's Hungry Grasp, Heart of the Wildfire, 15 more...
• With Spirits that choose more than 1 Growth option, can I see the results of one choice before picking the next?
  Yes — you can completely finish resolving your first Growth choice before making your second choice.
  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Growth, Sharp Fangs behind the Leaves, Keeper of the Forbidden Wilds, Serpent Slumbering Beneath the Island, 3 more...
• With Spirits that get to choose multiple Growth options, if more than one option has "Gain Power Card", can I gain a Power Card *then* pick which Growth choice I was using?
  No. You choose a set of things to do, then do them all. If you have multiple Growth choices, you then do this again, and cannot choose one you already picked this turn.
  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Growth, Keeper of the Forbidden Wilds, Sharp Fangs behind the Leaves, Starlight Seeks Its Form, 0 more...

Spirits and Innate Powers

• When can Sharp Fangs behind the Leaves use the Call Forth Predators special rule, turning a Presence into a Beast token?
  This can be used during the Spirit Phase, anytime during before, between, or after actions in Growth. It's possible to delay it to after gaining Energy from the top Presence track or even after playing Power Cards, though there's no particular benefit to waiting that long. Once players have started activating Fast Powers, it can no longer be used.
  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Replace, Sharp Fangs behind the Leaves, Call Forth Predators (Sharp Fangs Behind the Leaves)
• Can Thunderspeaker keep its Presence with Dahan when they are "moved" rather than Gathered or Pushed?
  Yes.
  Tags: Thunderspeaker, Ally of the Dahan (Thunderspeaker), Sharp Fangs behind the Leaves
• What does "-X Cost" mean on a Growth option or Power threshold?
  It means you have to pay that much Energy to pick that Growth option or use that level of your Power. [B&C p. 15, JE p. 11]

  If you don't have the Energy, you can't pick that Growth option. If you don't have or don't want to pay the Energy, skip over that Power level and continue resolving the rest of the Power.
  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Energy, Sharp Fangs behind the Leaves, Keeper of the Forbidden Wilds, Serpent Slumbering Beneath the Island, 4 more...
• If a Spirit reveals two 'Reclaim 1' spaces on their Presence tracks, can they Reclaim two cards?
  Yes, you get the benefit of both spaces during the Spirit phase.
  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Reclaim 1, Sharp Fangs behind the Leaves, Serpent Slumbering Beneath the Island
• If a Power moves Dahan into the Ocean when Ocean's Hungry Grasp is in play, can Thunderspeaker move its Presence with them into the Ocean?
  Yes, Presence can end up in the Ocean this way. The same is true with Sharp Fangs Behind the Leaves moving with Beasts.

  These special rules modify the action of the Power, which is allowed to to target the Ocean as a Coastal Wetland by the special rule Ocean In Play.
  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Ocean's Hungry Grasp, Thunderspeaker, Sharp Fangs behind the Leaves, Ocean In Play (Ocean's Hungry Grasp), 0 more...