Reply: Gloomhaven:: Rules:: Re: Double Minor Power Potion on one attack action

by beigemore

Sorry for bumping an older thread, but this has become questionable in my group due to scaling with very large AOE attacks.

FAQ states:

When exactly can I use an item? Can I use it in the middle of a movement or other ability?
You can use an item pretty much whenever you want, within the restrictions of what is written on the item card. So if it says "on your turn," use it any time you want on your turn, including during a movement or after you have taken all your actions. The only restriction is that if an item affects an attack (e.g. adds a bonus, adds an effect, adds advantage or disadvantage), it has to be used before an attack modifier is drawn.

Using the class that refreshes these, it means he is able to sometimes use multiple power potions and change an area attack hitting like 12 hexes from dealing 1 damage to 10+ at times.

So far we've been playing the way OP stated, where if a power potion gets refreshed during the middle of a specific attack, the potion can get used again to modify that same attack, as well as carrying over to the rest of the attack action (the other hexes).

The way I read this FAQ entry is the original attack only gets the originally used potions, but the attacks afterward on the remaining hexes will get the benefits of the power potion used prior to pulling their specific attack modifier cards.

Isaac commented on something similar to this in this post and its follow up by saying:

Cephalofair wrote:

snewman1 wrote:

I have a question about combining item effects. I don't think there's spoilers but I'll hide it just in case.

[o]
I don't see anything in the rules about preventing combining item effects or a limit to how many items you can use on your turn it so I've been allowing it but want to make sure it's ok as it can get kind of broken.

For example, would you be allowed to: Combine the use of an item that adds <some effect: disarm/stun/muddle, etc> to a single target ranged attack action with an item that changes a single target ranged attack action to one that targets multiple hexes, and then use a power potion to give the entire attack +1, then consume an item (can't remember name of it) to let you get back and re-use the power potion again?
[/o]

Thanks!

You are more-or-less correct here, even to the point of using the power potion twice in one attack. There are no restrictions. However, if an item gives you a bonus for a single attack, and then you turn that single attack into an area-of-effect, the bonus could still only be applied to one of the attacks made with the area-of-effect, not all of them.

and

Cephalofair wrote:

The way I play is to make ambiguous decisions in a way that benefits the players, but if you want to play differently, that's your call. You decide. That's the whole point. Don't feel like you're cheating if you do it one way or the other.

So basically:
* The power potion text says "During your attack"
* The FAQ says you cannot modify an attack with a card after the first attack modifier card has been pulled
* Isaac says you can use the power potion multiple times during an attack action

The question still in the air for my group is: When dealing with a multitarget/area attack, does using a power potion, which was refreshed by an attack modifier card, apply to that specific portion of the attack, or does it only apply to the attacks that follow with their own separate attack modifier cards?