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Spirit Island

20 Questions Answered

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Answered Questions

Answers are grounded in the game's rulebooks and written to clarify how the rules work during play.

Mode: inferred

If you must choose between multiple lands or multiple pieces for the effects of a Fear Card or Power, who decides which is chosen?

If the decision springs from a Power, the Spirit using the Power makes the decision. For other situations, players should try to come to a consensus. If agreement is not possible:

  • For decisions about or within a land: Each Spirit makes choices regarding the lands on their starting board.
  • For other cases: The game owner/organizer makes the call.

This is specified on page 8:

WHO DECIDES? When the game calls for a decision (where Blight cascades to, which Invaders to do Damage to, etc) and it’s not specified who makes it, what do you do? If the decision springs from a Power, the Spirit using the Power makes the decision. For other situations, players should try come to a consensus. But in the rare event that agreement is not possible: • For decisions about/within a land: Each Spirit makes choices regarding the lands on their starting board. • For other cases: The game owner/organizer makes the call.

Source: page 8

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 13, 18, 20, 5, 8)

Mode: inferred

When Invaders Explore, if a land is both adjacent to the Ocean and adjacent to a land with a Town or City, do you add one or two Explorers to that land?

You add only one Explorer to that land.

Explanation

According to the Explore rules:

  • "Add an Explorer to every land of the shown type which either: • Contains a Town or City; or • Is adjacent to a Town, City, or Ocean."
  • "No matter how many sources are in or adjacent to an Explored land, you only add one Explorer."
    (Page 10)

So, even if a land is adjacent to both the Ocean and a land with a Town or City (multiple sources), you still add only one Explorer to that land.

Source: Page 10

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 10, 11, 15, 32, 9)

Mode: inferred

Are you allowed to target a land with a Power if only some of its effects can be performed, or must all effects be applicable to the chosen land?

You are allowed to target a land with a Power even if only some of its effects can be performed. According to the rulebook:

  • "When resolving a Power’s effects, do as much as you can. If one part does not apply or cannot be done, skip it and do the rest. The only targeting restrictions are those in the target bar."
  • "You do not have to be able to use every part of a Power Card’s effect to be able to play it."

This means you do not need all effects to be applicable to the chosen land; as long as the land meets the requirements in the target bar, you may target it and resolve as much of the Power as possible.

Source: page 17

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 17, 18, 19, 20, 31)

Mode: inferred

If a Power effect says 'instead,' does it replace all previous effects on the card at all threshold levels, or only the most recent threshold effect?

If a threshold says “Instead,” it replaces the effects of previous levels.

This is stated on page 17:

Exception: If a threshold says “Instead”, it replaces the effects of previous levels.

This means that when you reach a threshold with the word “Instead,” you do not apply the base effect or any earlier threshold effects; you only apply the effect at the “Instead” threshold.

Source: page 17.

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 14, 17, 18, 20, 31)

Mode: inferred

When Invaders Ravage and there is both Defend and Dahan present, if the Invader Damage is completely prevented, do Dahan still fight back?

Yes, if the Invader Damage is completely prevented by Defend, the Dahan still fight back.

This is supported by the following rule:

  • On page 9, under 3a. Ravage, it states:

    "After Invader Damage has been fully resolved in a land, any surviving Dahan there fight back. Each Dahan deals 2 Damage to the Invaders. (See page 15 for Invaders’ Health.) The Dahan will fight back even if the Ravaging Invaders deal no Damage (for example, due to Defend Powers), but not if the Ravage Action has been skipped or stopped from happening altogether."

Summary

  • If Defend reduces Invader Damage to zero, Dahan still fight back and deal 2 Damage each to the Invaders in that land, as long as the Ravage Action was not skipped or stopped.

Source: page 9

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 15, 16, 21, 24, 9)

Mode: inferred

If a land has Blight and a Power would simultaneously add more Blight and remove all Blight, which effect takes precedence and in what order are these resolved?

I don't know based on the rulebook. The provided context does not specify a general rule for resolving simultaneous effects, nor does it address the specific interaction between adding and removing Blight in the same land at the same time. The rulebook excerpts discuss how Blight is added (including cascading, p. 9), and how some effects remove Blight, but do not clarify the order or precedence when both would occur simultaneously due to a Power.

To answer this question, the rulebook would need to include a section on timing or priority of simultaneous effects, or a specific ruling for this interaction.

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 21, 5, 8, 9)

Mode: inferred

If a land is targeted by both a Power that removes Invaders and another that Damages Invaders in the same phase, which effect is resolved first, and can Damage be dealt to Invaders that have already been removed?

I don't know based on the rulebook. The provided context does not specify the order in which simultaneous or overlapping Power effects (such as removal and Damage) are resolved when they target the same land in the same phase. It also does not explicitly state whether Damage can be dealt to Invaders that have already been removed by another effect in the same phase.

What is clear from the context:

  • Removal: "Some effects remove Invaders, representing them fleeing in terror. Return the specified pieces to the supply." (page 18)
  • Damage: "Whenever a Power or other effect says 'Damage', it always means 'Damage to Invaders' unless explicitly specified otherwise. When dealing Damage, it is done to any Invaders in the target land, divided among them however you choose." (page 18)
  • Order of Effects: The rulebook does not provide a general rule for resolving multiple effects targeting the same land in the same phase.

To answer this question definitively, the rulebook would need to specify:

  • Whether players choose the order of resolving simultaneous effects, or if there is a default order (e.g., all Damage before all Removal, or vice versa).
  • Whether Invaders removed by one effect are still valid targets for Damage from another effect in the same phase.

Source: page 18, and general absence of a rule for effect order in the provided context.

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 10, 15, 18, 21, 9)

Mode: inferred

When repeating a Power (via another effect), can you choose entirely new targets, and are all range, speed, and target restrictions for the repeat use determined by the current state or the original use?

Answer

When you repeat a Power, the following rules apply:

  • You may make different choices when repeating a Power.
  • If a Repeat specifies where to use it, obey those instructions (instead of the usual Range and Target restrictions). Otherwise, you can choose any valid target by the usual rules, including the same target as its first use.
  • Changes to a Power carry over to the Repeat use. For instance, if a Power is made Fast or given additional Range, that also applies to the Repeat.

Range, Speed, and Target Restrictions

  • Range and speed for the repeat use are determined by the current state (including any modifications made to the Power before the repeat).
  • Target restrictions are determined by the usual rules unless the Repeat effect specifies otherwise.

Source

This is supported by the following from page 19:

• Changes to a Power carry over to the Repeat use. (For instance, if a Power is made Fast or given additional Range, that also applies to the Repeat.) • You may make different choices when Repeating a Power. • If a Repeat specifies where to use it, obey those instructions (instead of the usual Range and Target restrictions). Otherwise, you can choose any valid target by the usual rules, including the same target as its first use.

Summary

  • You can choose new targets for the repeat use, unless the Repeat effect says otherwise.
  • All range, speed, and target restrictions for the repeat use are based on the current state (including any modifications), not the original use, unless the Repeat effect specifies otherwise.

Source: page 19

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 14, 17, 19, 31, 8)

Mode: inferred

If a Power is made Fast by another effect, can it be used in both the Fast and Slow Power Phases, or only in the phase corresponding to its current speed?

If a Power is made Fast by another effect, it can only be used during the Fast Power Phase, not both phases.

This is supported by the following rule:

  • "If something makes a Slow Power Fast, you only get to use it during the Fast Phase, not both."
    (page 17)

Therefore, a Power may only be used in the phase that matches its current speed, not in both phases.

Source: page 17

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 14, 17, 18, 19, 8)

Mode: inferred

If a land receives Defend from multiple sources, do the Defend values stack, and do they apply separately to Damage to the land and to Dahan in that land?

Yes, if a land receives Defend from multiple sources, the Defend values stack, and they apply to both Damage to the land and to Dahan in that land.

This is supported by the following points from the rulebook:

  • "If multiple Defend effects are used in one land, they add together. Defend effects last for the entire turn."
    (Page 18)

  • "‘Defend 2’ means ‘Whenever Invaders deal Damage in target land this turn, reduce by 2 the Damage done to the land and to Dahan.’"
    (Page 18)

Summary

  • Multiple Defend effects in a land are added together.
  • The total Defend value reduces Damage to both the land and the Dahan in that land.

Source: page 18.

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 11, 16, 18, 19, 21)

Mode: inferred

When a Fear Card is resolved during the Invader Phase and generates enough Fear to earn additional Fear Cards, are the new cards resolved immediately or in the next Invader Phase?

If a Fear Card is resolved during the Invader Phase and generates enough Fear to earn additional Fear Cards, the new Fear Cards are added to the bottom of the stack of cards you’re currently resolving and are resolved immediately in the same Invader Phase.

This is supported by the following rule:

  • "If you do earn a new Fear Card this way, put it at the bottom of the stock of cards you’re currently resolving."
    (Page 9)

Therefore, any Fear Cards earned during the resolution of other Fear Cards are resolved in the same Invader Phase, not the next one.

Source: page 9.

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 10, 12, 5, 9)

Mode: inferred

If a Spirit has no Presence on the Island but has not yet lost all tokens from their Presence Track, do players lose immediately, or only when there is no Presence in play at all?

Players lose immediately if any Spirit has no Presence left on the Island, regardless of how many Presence tokens remain on their Presence Track.

This is stated on page 13:

If any Spirit ever has no Presence left on the Island, the players immediately lose. A land can hold any number of Presence from any number of Spirits.

It does not matter if the Spirit still has tokens on their Presence Track; the loss condition is triggered by having no Presence on the Island itself.

Source: page 13.

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 12, 13, 14, 3, 8)

Mode: inferred

When earning a Major Power and being required to Forget a Power Card, can you choose to Forget a Power Card that is currently in play and, if so, what happens to its Elements and any unresolved effects?

Yes, you can choose to Forget a Power Card that is currently in play when you gain a Major Power. The rulebook states:

WHAT POWER CARDS CAN I FORGET? Any of your cards! From your hand, your discard, or (if you somehow gain a Major Power mid-turn) from your cards in play. It can even be the Major Power you just chose. If you Forget a Power Card from play, you immediately lose the Elements it provided, and if you haven’t used it yet, you don’t get to. If you already used it, its effects continue until end of turn as usual. (page 18)

Summary

  • You may Forget a Power Card from your hand, discard, or in play.
  • If you Forget a Power Card from play:
    • You immediately lose the Elements it provided.
    • If you have not yet used the card, you do not get to use its effects.
    • If you have already used it, its effects continue until the end of the turn as usual.

Source: page 18.

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 14, 17, 18, 20, 31)

Mode: inferred

If a Spirit has a Sacred Site in a land and one Presence is destroyed (leaving one Presence), does the land immediately cease to be a Sacred Site for targeting or ongoing effects?

Answer

Yes, if a Spirit has a Sacred Site (defined as a land where that Spirit has more than one Presence) and one Presence is destroyed (leaving only one Presence), the land immediately ceases to be a Sacred Site for that Spirit.

  • Sacred Site is defined as: "A Spirit’s Sacred Sites are any lands where that Spirit has more than one Presence." (page 13, page 31)
  • If Presence is destroyed, it is "removed and put next to the Island." (page 13)
  • Therefore, if a land goes from two Presence to one, it no longer meets the requirement for a Sacred Site.

This change is immediate and affects both targeting and ongoing effects that require a Sacred Site.

Source: page 13, page 31.

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 13, 17, 21, 31, 9)

Mode: inferred

If a land is subject to both Defend and effects that reduce or prevent Ravage (such as Fear Cards), how are these effects applied and does one override the other?

Application of Defend and Ravage-Reducing Effects

Based on the rulebook context:

  • Defend effects reduce the Damage dealt by Invaders to the land and Dahan during Ravage. For example, "Defend 2" reduces Damage by 2 in that land for the turn (page 18).
  • Some Fear Cards or other effects may "reduce or prevent Ravage" (e.g., by skipping or stopping the Ravage Action in a land, or by removing Invaders before they can Ravage) (page 9, page 18).

How These Effects Interact

  • If an effect (such as a Fear Card) skips or stops the Ravage Action altogether in a land, then Ravage does not occur in that land at all. In this case, Defend effects are not needed or applied, because no Damage is being dealt.
    • "The Dahan will fight back even if the Ravaging Invaders deal no Damage (for example, due to Defend Powers), but not if the Ravage Action has been skipped or stopped from happening altogether." (page 9)
  • If Ravage is not skipped or stopped, but Damage is reduced (by Defend or other effects), then you:
    • Apply all Defend effects to reduce the total Damage dealt by Invaders in that land.
    • If Damage is reduced to zero or less, no Blight is added and no Dahan are destroyed, but the Dahan still fight back (unless the Ravage Action was skipped/stopped) (page 9, page 18).

Does One Override the Other?

  • Yes, if an effect skips or stops Ravage, it overrides Defend: Defend is not needed because no Ravage occurs.
  • If Ravage still happens, Defend and other Damage-reducing effects are cumulative and applied together to reduce Damage.

Summary

  • If a Fear Card or other effect prevents or skips Ravage in a land, Defend is not applied because no Damage is dealt.
  • If Ravage occurs, apply all Defend and Damage-reducing effects together to reduce the Damage.
  • Defend does not override Ravage-preventing effects; rather, Ravage-preventing effects make Defend unnecessary in that land for that turn.

Source: page 9 (Invader Phase, Ravage, Fear effects), page 18 (Defend, Power and Fear Effects).

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 11, 13, 18, 21, 9)

Mode: inferred

If a Power Card's effects include both Damage and removal or replacement of Invaders, does the order of these effects matter for Fear generation or Blight?

Answer

Yes, the order of resolving Damage and removal or replacement of Invaders effects on a Power Card does matter for Fear generation and Blight.

Reasoning

  • Fear Generation:

    • Destroying a Town generates 1 Fear, and destroying a City generates 2 Fear.
    • Removing or replacing Invaders does not generate Fear.
    • If you deal Damage first and destroy a Town or City, you generate Fear. If you remove or replace the Invader before dealing Damage, you do not generate Fear for that Invader, because it was not destroyed by Damage.
    • Source: page 18

      Destroying a Town generates 1 Fear and destroying a City generates 2 Fear, but removing or replacing does not.

  • Blight:

    • Blight is added during the Ravage step if Invaders deal 2 or more Damage to the land.
    • If a Power Card's effect removes or replaces Invaders before they would deal Damage (such as before the Ravage step), those Invaders are not present to deal Damage, and thus less or no Blight may be added.
    • If Damage is dealt to Invaders (destroying them) before they could Ravage, they also won't deal Damage to the land, preventing Blight.
    • Source: page 9

      Invaders Damage the Land: If 2 or more Damage is dealt, add a Blight to the land.

Order of Effects

  • You must resolve the effects of a Power Card in the order written on the card.
  • If Damage is listed first, resolve it first (possibly destroying Invaders and generating Fear).
  • If removal or replacement is listed first, resolve that first (removing Invaders without generating Fear).

Summary

  • Order matters: Damage before removal can generate Fear; removal before Damage does not.
  • Blight is only affected if Invaders are present to Ravage; removing or destroying them first can prevent Blight.

Source: page 18 (Damage, Destruction, and Removal), page 9 (Ravage and Blight), page 15 (Invaders and Blight).

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 15, 18, 20, 8, 9)

Mode: inferred

When a Power allows you to Push or Gather multiple pieces from or into a land, can you split the movement between different lands or must all pieces move to a single land?

When you Push multiple pieces from a land, you may split them between different adjacent lands as you wish. When you Gather multiple pieces into a land, each piece must come from an adjacent land, but they can come from different adjacent lands.

This is supported by the following from page 19:

  • For Push: "If Pushing multiple things, they may go to different lands or not, as you wish."
  • For Gather: "Move that many things into the target land from land(s) adjacent to it."

So:

  • Push: Pieces can be split among multiple adjacent lands.
  • Gather: Pieces can be gathered from multiple adjacent lands into the target land.

Source: page 19.

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 18, 19, 20, 31, 8)

Mode: inferred

If an Invader Action would require adding more Cities, Towns, Explorers, or Blight than are available in the supply, what happens?

If you run out of Cities, Towns, Explorers, or Blight in the supply, you should use Energy Markers as “1 more / 3 more of this piece” markers to represent additional pieces as needed. The number of Invaders is not limited by the supply of pieces.

This is stated on page 15:

The number of Invaders is not limited by the supply of pieces; in the unlikely case that you run out, use Energy Markers as “1 more / 3 more of this piece” markers.

For Blight, if you run out of Blight on the Blight Card, you must follow the instructions on the Blight Card—either “lose” or “flip the card over and do what it says on the reverse.” If all Blight on the Blighted side runs out, the players lose.

Source: page 15.

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 10, 11, 15, 30, 9)

Mode: inferred

When a land takes Blight during the Ravage step and contains Presence from multiple Spirits, how is it decided which Presence is destroyed if there are more Presence than Blight added?

When Blight is added to a land (such as during the Ravage step), one Presence from each Spirit with Presence in that land is destroyed, regardless of how many Blight are added or how many Presence are in the land. If a Spirit has multiple Presence in the land, only one of their Presence is destroyed.

This is specified on page 15:

After Setup, whenever you add Blight to a land (including when Blight cascades), two bad things happen: • Destroy Presence: In that land, destroy one Presence from each Spirit with Presence there. Destroyed Presence is placed next to the Island, not returned to the Spirit Panels.

There is no mention of choosing which specific Presence is destroyed if a Spirit has more than one in the land, so the choice of which Presence to remove (if a Spirit has more than one) is up to the player controlling that Spirit.

If there are more Presence in the land than Blight added, it does not matter: the rule is always "one Presence from each Spirit with Presence there" per Blight addition, not one Presence per Blight.

Source: page 15.

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 15, 21, 8, 9)

Mode: inferred

If Blight cascades into multiple adjacent lands that already have Blight, how is the order of cascading resolved, and can it create a chain reaction affecting several lands in one Ravage?

When Blight is added to a land that already has Blight, cascading occurs: you must add an additional Blight to one adjacent land. If that adjacent land also already has Blight, it cascades again from there, and so forth (page 9, page 15).

Order of Cascading

  • You only add Blight to one adjacent land per cascade: When cascading, you choose a single adjacent land to add Blight to, not all adjacent lands.
  • If the chosen adjacent land also has Blight, the process repeats from that land, again choosing one adjacent land to cascade into.
  • This can create a chain reaction, but at each step, only one adjacent land is chosen for the next cascade.

Chain Reactions

  • Yes, cascading can create a chain reaction affecting several lands in one Ravage, but only one path of cascading is followed at each step.
  • The process continues until you add Blight to a land that did not already have Blight, or you run out of Blight tokens.

Player Choice

  • The players choose which adjacent land receives the next Blight during each step of the cascade (page 11, Option 1 and Option 2 in the example).

Summary

  • Cascading only ever adds Blight to one adjacent land per step, not all adjacent lands.
  • Chain reactions are possible, but only one chain at a time, based on player choice.
  • The order is resolved by the players choosing the path of the cascade at each step.

Source: page 9 (CASCADING), page 11 (RAVAGE EXAMPLES), page 15 (BLIGHT), page 21 (Note: Two Blight rules...)

Source: Core Rulebook (pp. 11, 15, 21, 9)