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?
inferred
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Official Answer
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)