Archaic Glyphs
Guiding Stones

Asset. Arcane

Spell.

Cost: 2. XP: 3.

Seeker

Researched. Uses (3 charges).

Spend 1 charge: Investigate. For every 2 points you succeed by, discover 1 additional clue at your location.

Anna Christenson
A Phantom of Truth #192.
Archaic Glyphs

FAQs

(from the official FAQ or responses to the official rules question form)
  • NB: ArkhamDB now incorporates errata from the Arkham Horror FAQ in its card text, so the ArkhamDB text and the card image above differ, as the ArkhamDB text has been edited to contain this erratum (updated August 2022): Erratum: The purchase restriction on this card should be replaced with the keyword: "Researched." - FAQ, v.2.0, August 2022
Last updated

Reviews

An enormously strong card that encourages Seekers to build around it in multiplayer games. By itself, it will probably only net you one, maybe two extra clues at best, and that is assuming the chaos bag doesn't entirely hose you.

Enter Higher Education.

Every resources invested in Higher Education while using Guiding Stones essentially picks you up an extra clue (assuming you don't auto-fail) which is immensely strong in multiplayer. Rex especially, who has access to Burglary, can generate up to 4 resources and 1 clue with a single action (Burglary + Dr. Milan Christopher) and then follow it up by picking up 4 to 8 clues with Guiding Stones depending on shroud and chaos token drawn. Other Seekers can't generate resources quite as quickly as Rex can, but anyone with access to Dr. Milan should be able to have powerful turns with Guiding Stones.

Minh Thi Phan is runner up for using Guiding Stones well, as she gains +4 Intellect from Inquiring Mind and potentially +5 from Desperate Search. Playing at 3 or less Sanity is pretty dangerous, but a little more manageable for Seekers now that they have access to Logical Reasoning. And a Minh deck filled with skill cards will probably have more free resources to spend on Higher Education than a Daisy deck will.

Just don't bother playing it in solo games, as locations simply won't have enough clues at them to take advantage of the power of Guiding Stones.

menionleah · 79
One interesting interaction is that Book of Shadows (1) can be run put of Daisy alongside this card, allowing unlimited use of this effect. Could be a potent combination, if a bit janky. — Low_Chance · 13
You don't even really need Higher Ed. With Field Work and Inquiring Mind, you've got a pretty good chance of getting 3, maybe even 4 on some locations (Suppose it's a 3 shroud and you're already at 4-5 or so). When you enter Key of Ys / Double Mag / Death territory you can make some pretty powerful plays. Inquiring Mind combos well with this. — Zinjanthropus · 227
There is another reason, why this card is particular great for Minh: it makes her "King in Yellow" rather a non-issue. Just try to get rid of it, while doing a Glyph-enhanced investigation. You naturally want to overcommit for both tasks. — Susumu · 366

I think The Skeleton Key should definately part of the conversation. I played a duo game with Daisy Walker and Preston Fairmont. Preston moved the key around & Diasy and stripped the clues from every location with Deduction, this card, and Perception.

Calprinicus · 5833
This card is just silly, it should be banned. I once took 38 clues with it in a single test: rex murphy, higher education + 16 ressources, double or nothing from other person (milan + burglary to gather 4 ressources +1 clue) — Django · 5070
@Django This sounds gamebreaking but how on earth did you find a location with so many clues on it?? — matt88 · 3117
I'm assuming it was 38 theoretical clues? — Talex · 1
This guy's a lying dick. Don't listen to him. — PatrickCS88 · 1
Got those locations with "2 clues per investigator", in your... 19 investigator games..? xD — victor.keirion · 1
4P Blood on the Altar could get to 38 clues because of the final act, if on hard, with a large number of clues added from the scenario card. It's not likely in a single run but not unreasonable to have happened considering that a huge number of people play this game. It certainly doesn't qualify for this much vitriol from Patrick in any case. But I'm not surprised someone with a homophobic profile description is being unreasonably vitriolic :) — roi · 77
DoN is banned now, so — MrGoldbee · 1449
ROI will die — ReturnOnInvestments · 1

Guiding Stones is an incredibly powerful card in Rex Murphy and Monterey Jack, especially with a full 4 player group. They both can start with Well Connected, then run a resource heavy build. When you're sitting on 40 resources, you're suddenly vacuuming up 6+ clues in an action. Incorporate Alchemical Distillation with an Enlightened Distillate, suddenly you've got a near endless supply of location emptying charges.

I could see a strong build with Eldritch Sophist and investigators with Mystic splash too. Daisy for sure. Or even Ursula, since many relics come with charges that Sophist can move. Looking at the self-replenishing Runic Axe. Gimmicky, but fun!

Keep in mind, this card is most effective in multiplayer, and most often only CRAZY on high-clue low-shroud locations. It's an almost niche specialization, best when there are mountains of clues to tackle.

Jackster · 16
Break down the door...for MAGIC! — MrGoldbee · 1449
In Ursula consider adding The Raven Quill. At an admittedly pricy 9xp for 2 copies (it pays some of the xp cost of itself and refine can pay for another 1 or 2 of it.) it comes with a charge transfer from the red clock(2) every turn, a tutor effect for guiding stones, +2 on the investigation test, takes up no slots unlike the ally, while also being cheaper (allowing the entire setup on turn 1). Both it and the red clock can be found with backpack. Astounding Revelation works really well with this as does No stone unturned(5): For 5 resources and 1 action The raven quill searches the entire deck and plays the stone for free, triggering Astounding Revelation to gain 2 resources back: enough for the red clock, backpack or no stone unturned. The last 2 can/ will trigger another astounding revelation to refund themselves. — Rafael_Rupert · 1

This is a very good card in multiplayer, 3 times. Or 2 if you pull the tentacle.

What characters can use this well (can buff intellect) and also can recharge this card?

Ursula can regain one charge with eldrich sophist and red clock, but that's expensive in xp and you can only have one clock in your entire deck (also hope you have both other cards available). She can also take Skeleton Key if you've got high shroud locations.

Akachi struggles to get enough intellect to use it well, but can easily recharge it with mystic cards, and starts with one extra charge.

Daisy has a tome that can add one charge per turn (one action for one charge isn't usually good, but she can ignore the action cost once per turn), but is usually too busy using tomes to investigate, and has already spent her resources.

Iduno · 3
Daisy's mystic splash helps her to recharge the spell and you can use her book action to buff your intellect — Tharzax · 1
I think this card is totally OP combined with higher education to clear most locations of clues in 1 action. It basically means 1 clue costs 1 resource because higher edu gives +2 for 1 and you gain 1 clue per 2 you succeed by. high draw in seeker means you can replay this card when it’s empty (use other arcane asserts to discard this like the one that allows you to draw more cards) — Django · 5070
And tu support Django, not only you can cycle it with fast drawing, but Unearth the Ancients (2) allows you to replace it without loosing tempo. The only thing that I am happy with is that it does not use secrets (otherwise it would have been even stronger), and that it is research, so not Standalone friendly. And as I demonstrated in my latest Daisy deck, I do think indeed that she is an insane user of this card. — Valentin1331 · 68251
I don't understand why this card is forbidden. — elkeinkrad · 485
is -> is not — elkeinkrad · 485
I only tried it once, I was using it in Ursula and managed to get through an entire floor in Depths of Yoth in a single round. Then I realised it was kinda busted and never used it again. — snacc · 981
It is also really good for Minh: Nullifies her King in Yellow, and she is leaning into oversucceeding anyway with Scavenging. She does not need Higher Education for it. Not saying that is not a great combo, too, but rather for other investigators. — Susumu · 366
I tried it once and my experience was more a mehh. You can clear a location with enough resources to back your intellect. So if you have no way to get some without actions this card loose much of its efficiency and I rather stick to a mystic with a rite of seeking who just need to pass for 3 clues and not beat a shroud by 4. — Tharzax · 1