Arcane Insight

Asset. Arcane

Spell.

Cost: 3. XP: 4.

Seeker

Uses (3 charges).

While an investigator is taking his or her turn, spend 1 charge: Your location gets -2 shroud until the end of this turn. (Limit once per turn.)

Antonio José Manzanedo
Black Stars Rise #266.
Arcane Insight

FAQs

No faqs yet for this card.

Reviews

Posting a clarification ruling here from Matt!

Question:

Arcane Horror reads, "[Free Trigger]: While an investigator is taking his or her turn, spend 1 charge: Your location gets -2 shroud until the end of this turn. (Limit once per turn.)" My question is, if I use this effect during my turn, and then I move to a new location, is it the old location or the new location that now has its shroud reduced? That is, does the phrase "your location" mean the location that I was at when I triggered the effect, or is "your location" continually re-evaluated by the game to be whatever location I'm currently at? Does the shroud reduction effect "stay" with the old location where I used the effect, or does the effect "move" with my investigator?

Answer:

Greetings, Since this is a triggered ability and not a constant effect, “your location” refers to the location you were at when you triggered the ability, and lasts until the end of the turn even if you move away from the location. In other words, if you are at Location A, trigger Arcane Insight, and then move to Location B, Location A keeps its –2 shroud; it does not move with you to Location B.

Cheers,

Matthew Newman

Senior Card Game Developer

Fantasy Flight Games

iceysnowman · 164

Now in Hemlock Vale survivors got the much better version of this card, Matchbox.

No xp, no slot, lower cost, is an item (can be found with Backpack and can be scavenged). If you combine two of them you can get the same effect as this 4xp card and you can just use one if you need less shroud reduction. Get them into play with Scavenging and you never run out of uses.

stefeef · 6
My natural answer to your's review would be: but those cards are from different classes. Or "why put them against each other, use them both to greater effect". While this kind of thinking applies here and there it does not here. I think it's just one of many examples how old cards are simply obsolete by new toys. Either direct similar mechanics, or instead of giving minus to shroud it gives bonus to some statistic. — bugiel_marek · 21
That being said, they still can leave binder, provided player caps his card pool to one released with campaign (or up to given campaign). Or somewhere in the future new card that comboes with old one will be released. — bugiel_marek · 21
I mostly agree with this review. But the advantage of beeing an item is not really one. Yes, there are numerous advantages of that, but beeing a spell also has its merrits (searchable with Arcane Initiate, accessible for Marie, ect.), and by nature of the game you normally get one or the other. (Only exception currently beeing "Eyes of Valusia ".) It would be a more valid point, if Arcane Insight was a ritual, as they have by far less synergies. — Susumu · 366
Also don't underestimate the higher reduction of arcane insight. Many locations have a shroud of 2, which means you get a clue whenever you don't draw the tentacle. Also the insight don't exhaust. Another point is while the recursion of the matchbox is possible with scavenger I found many survivors are not well suited to succeed by two or more. — Tharzax · 1
Arcane Insight has some good points, for sure, as you guys mentioned, but it's whooping 4 experience. For 3 uses (yes, you could add charges to it). — bugiel_marek · 21
I love going to bat for undervalued cards but I can't think of a single deck I would play Arcane Insight in. It was overcosted when it was first printed and any way you look at it (as a Seeker card, as a Spell asset, as a group investigation took, etc) there are several better, cheaper options. — Pseudo Nymh · 54
I suppose a crane insight is simply in the wrong class, since seekers have usually enough intellect for a successful investigation. So this card is in my opinion only useful if you play a support character or probably for some niche game effects. And for these cases 4 xp is a quite high cost — Tharzax · 1

This card shares some similarities with Flashlight: It has 3 charges and reduces shroud by 2. However it costs 4 XP, is a free action and can also help other investigators.

It's so much better:

  • Flashlight stacks with this card, which makes it very powerful on Hard and Expert, as you can reduce shroud 4 to 0, for nearly auto success (only auto fail)
  • Any test that is based on shroud benefits here (some enemies depend on local shroud, like spoiler)
  • As a Spell, can be searched with Arcane Initiate (only Daisy Walker at this time)
  • Can be used to trigger Rex Murphys ability more often

  • Can be Recharged

  • Not sure about it, but i think if several players have this card at same location, they can stack it's effect. It think the limit on the card is player specific, otherwise i'd have to be "Group Limit once per turn"
Django · 5072
Akachi and Marie can use it, very good for Akachi. — Kamalisk · 328
and Rex can take Arcane Initiate, though he has less reason to. — Difrakt · 1296
Also, Daisy can recharge it via the Book of Shadows (1). That's a tempting looking combo right there. She could become a sort of portable universal flashlight.... — AndyB · 944
Im quite sure it only affect your own turn. Since in the Round Sequence helper card, it says each investigators take a turn. Also this card doesnt say until the end of this phase. — Euruzilys · 14
Disregard my previous comment. Didnt occur to me that multiple investigators can activate their own in the same active investigator turn. This could really help bringing down high shroud location to nothing and quickly drain all clues dry. — Euruzilys · 14
I never noticed this before until now, but the card says "Your location" gets -2 shroud, so the shroud reduction can work to help another investigator by reducing the shroud, but it has to be at your location. I'd previously always read it as "Their location gets..." — slothgodfather · 7
This actually combos pretty well with all xp versions of Archaic Glyphs. That might actually be worth it. Recently I wanted to evade a boss enemy as Ursula, but the shroud was too high for it to be worth using Prophecy Foretold with my extra action. This could have saved me an action in that case. — Zinjanthropus · 227
Card says you activate it on your turn. It lasts till your turn ends. Thus it can’t stack. — Gulnaga · 350
If you happen to get 2 copies out at once, is the restriction per copy of the card? In other words, could you free trigger both to lower the ground by 4? — soakman · 31
@Gulnaga You're incorrect. That activation is a free trigger which can be used "while AN investigator is taking their turn". @soakman: The rules on limits state "Each instance of an ability with such a limit may be initiated X times during the designated period." In this case, X equals once per turn, for each instance (copy of the card). So yes, if there are multiple copies in play, whether being used by one or multiple investigators, they can be stacked. — MiskatonicFrosh · 342

Updated for the Scarlet Keys.

This is the only card that I have found that can reduce a location's shroud outside of an investigation test. This opens up cool interaction with two interesting new cards : Power Word and Runic Axe, specifically with the "Confess" and "Elders" upgrade. Both allow you to automatically discover clues, but depend on the shroud of the location, which you can lower via Arcane Insight.

Who could use this / be interested :

For the Arcane Insight + Power Word combo :

-Daisy Walker and Mandy Thompson have access to both (limiting their Power Word to level 2 and 1, respectively), but probably have better ways of getting clues.

-Marie Lambeau has access to Arcane Insight as a spell, can upgrade Power Word to the max and can also take advantage of the lowered shroud by investigating normally. She can also use her extra Spell action on the Power Word parley.

-Akachi Onyele has access to Arcane Insight since it uses charges, gets an extra charge and can upgrade Power Word to the max.

For the Arcane Insight + Runic Axe combo ("Can I axe you a question ?") :

-Akachi again has access to Arcane Insight and Runic Axe because charges, can upgrade the axe to level 4, and has a surprisingly decent Fight.

-Ursula Downs could take the Runic Axe as a Relic, but her low Fight would make it difficult to wield.

-Joe Diamond can upgrade the axe to level 2, and it plays into his strength as a flex fighter/cluever (perhaps for solo ?)

Finally, since you can use this card during another investigator's turn, any Seeker (except Vincent Lee) could do these combos with their Mystic or Guardian buddies.

DrOGM · 25
Breach the Door and Vantage Point can also reduce shroud values outside of an investigation test. — cfmcdonald · 7
Good catch. Hmmm, breaching the door with the axe... — DrOGM · 25