Sparking Aspect (Lightning's Swift Strike)

Frequently Asked Questions

Aspects
  • What can the Intensify Aspect spend its Element markers on, aside from its Powers?
    Any other Spirit action that Shifting Memory of Ages is doing. However, almost all of the Spirit actions that the Intensify Aspect can usefully boost are either the use of one of their powers or a triggered action created by their powers (e.g., increasing the Damage from Vengeance of the Dead).
    They generally can't spend Element Markers to boost the Powers of other Spirits, even if those Powers involving Shifting Memory of Ages making choices, since using a Power is the action of the Spirit targeting the Power, not the Spirit being targeted.
    To cover some of the more unusual cases:
    • Intensify can spend Element markers on actions granted to it by other Spirits to use at a later point in the turn, like adding a Disease with Scream Disease Into the Wind or doing Damage with Gift of the Sparking Sky.
    • Intensify can spend a Fire marker on a Ritual of Destroying Flame.
    • Intensify can't spend Element markers on benefits that aren't actions, like the ongoing defense from Bargains of Power and Protection.
    Tags: Action Modifiers, Element markers, Triggered Actions, Scream Disease Into the Wind, 4 more...
Definitions
  • What are "your Actions"? (e.g., for "Responsibilities to the Dead" or "Spread Tumult and Delusion")
    As a general guideline, anything done by your Spirit Panel or Power Cards, including any consequences directly following from the game rules (e.g., destroying Invaders/Dahan that have taken Damage equal to or greater than their Health, earning Fear from destroying Towns/Cities, destroying Presence / cascading when adding Blight).
    In particular, the following are your Actions.
    • Using one icon in a Growth option during the Spirit Phase [*]
    • Gaining Energy from your Presence track during the Spirit Phase
    • Playing and paying for all of your cards during the Spirit Phase
    • Using one Presence Track icon during the Spirit Phase [†]
    • Using one Power, whether the original use or repeating that Power (even if other Spirits make choices as part of resolving that Power)
    • Performing a triggered Action set up by one of your Powers (e.g., "Vengeance of the Dead") or Special Rules (e.g., "Ocean in Play")
    • Using a special rule that has an immediate, stand-alone effect (e.g., Sharp Fangs Behind the Leaves replacing its Presence with "Call Forth Predators")
    • Doing something a Power grants you the option to do later at your discretion (e.g., adding a Disease with "Scream Disease Into the Wind," dealing Damage with the stone Beasts created by "Unearth a Beast of Wrathful Stone")
    Note that some special rules refer to "your Powers", which is more restrictive than "your Actions".
    [*] If a Growth icon has an "xN" (e.g., for Fractured Days Split the Sky) it means that you have N copies of that Growth icon; each one is its own action. If a Growth icon does something in "each" land that meets a condition (e.g., for Ocean's Hungry Grasp), it's one action in each of those lands.
    [†] Passive bonuses on Presence tracks, like Elements and Range bonuses, are always available; there is no action to gain them.
    Tags: Actions, Presence track, Triggered Actions, Responsibilities to the Dead (Finder of Paths Unseen), 10 more...
Elements and Elemental Thresholds
Event Cards
General Play
  • Do powers have to be resolved in order, or can you choose to do the effects in the order that's most convenient for you?
    Powers must be resolved in order from top to bottom. If a Power has thresholds, resolve all thresholds you hit, in the order they are listed (skipping over the ones you don't hit).
    There are a small number of exceptions:
    If a Power changes its own Speed, Range, or Targeting, those changes (and corresponding thresholds / costs) are checked when relevant during targeting, not during normal Power resolution. Examples:
    • "You may pay 1 Energy to make this Power Fast." ("Dry Wood Explodes in Smoldering Splinters")
    • "Increase this Power's Range to Range 1." ("Sap the Strength of Multitudes")
    • "This Power can target lands with Blight." ("Inspire the Release of Stolen Lands") – but note that the rest of this threshold effect still resolves at the end, like normal.
    (By the time you're resolving the rest of the Power text, it'd be too late for these modifiers to do anything!)
    If a threshold modifies how an earlier part of the Power resolves, that modifier applies at the sensible time. Examples:
    • "Do not destroy any Dahan." ("The Jungle Hungers")
    • "Damage from this Power may be dealt into adjacent lands." ("Vengeance of the Dead")
    Technically, every use of "Instead..." in an innate power works this way; it's pretty simple for human minds to understand the intent, but the formal specification is messier. Note that a "+" in a threshold effect (like "+2 Damage" in "Walls of Rock and Thorn") is not a modifier, but rather a new Damage instruction – this is occasionally relevant for timing purposes.
    If a Power specifies that something happens later, do it at that time (remembering that these ongoing effects expire when Time Passes unless specified otherwise). Examples:
    • "Once this turn, target Spirit may ..." ("Powerstorm")
    • "After the next time Invaders are destroying in target land: ..." ("Blood Draws Predators")
    • "At end of turn, ..." ("Gift of Constancy")
    "Repeat this Power" as a threshold also falls into this category, since it's short for "After resolving this Power and all Actions triggered by it, Repeat it."
    If a Power explicitly specifies to resolve part of a threshold earlier in power resolution, follow that order. Examples:
    • "+3 Fear, before the Terror Level check." ("Twisted Flowers Murmur Ultimatums")
    • "Before Pushing, Explorers and Towns/Cities do Damage to each other." ("Dissolve the Bonds of Kinship")
    • "First, Gather up to 3 Dahan." ("Wrap in Winds of Sunlight")
    Also related: A Power that is 100% internal modifiers doesn't do anything, so can't be targeted/used for things like "Scream Disease Into the Wind."
    Tags: Resolving Powers, Range Boosts, Speed (Fast/Slow), Targeting, 59 more...
Scenarios