Asset

Condition.

Cost: –. XP: 4.

Survivor

Permanent.

During or before your first action of each of your turns, each skill test you perform gets +1 difficulty.

During or after your third action of each of your turns, each skill test you performed gets -1 difficulty.

Julepe
Stella Clark #30.
Quick Learner

FAQs

(from the official FAQ or responses to the official rules question form)
  • Q: As of the latest FAQ and some recent rulings, we now have a pretty consistent and clear distinction between "actions performed" and "actions taken" [see "Take an action" vs "Perform/resolve an action". So, how does Quick Learner (and similar cards, like Plan of Action) work? Does it count actions performed, or actions taken? For instance, suppose I had access to some Fast or free triggered abilities with bold action designators, meaning they allow me to perform certain actions without spending action currency. Could I use two such abilities to perform two actions, thus granting me Quick Learner's difficulty reduction for the rest of my turn? Or do I only "progress" Quick Learner's effect by taking actions? If the latter, would using an ability with multiple action cost, such as Sledgehammer's two-action ability, progress me two actions or only one action? A: To answer your question(s):

    • Quick Learner (and Plan of Action) will apply to any action performed or taken by their controller/user during a round. They do not take into account whether the action was performed or taken.
    • The Free Triggered ability on a card like Quickdraw Holster does not cost what I’ll call a “player action”, but using it results in a Fight action being performed, so it will still be affected by Quick Learner.
    • Sledgehammer’s second ability that costs two what I’ll call “player actions” and only results in a single Fight action being performed, so it only counts as one action toward Quick Learner.
  • Q: If i fail the first action and play Live and Learn does the penalty from Quick Learner apply to the new skill test? A: The failed skill test and the test from Live and Learn are part of the same action, and would have the +1 difficulty from Quick Learner. (September 2023)

  • Q: Does Quick Learner raise the difficulty of tests during the mythos phase? A: Quick Learner will raise the difficulty of tests during the mythos phase and during/before that investigator's first action. (May 2024)

Last updated

Reviews

I was chatting with someone online who mentioned that they took two copies of this card. That seems wild to me. If you want testless clues as Stella, there's the raven. A copy of charisma is all you need there. You can even recur it with resourceful. But two?

Because a lot of the time, your first action is going to involve you and the enemy you got during the mythos phase. You’re going to want to punch this person, hit them with a fire ax, or a chainsaw, or dodge them so you can go on with whatever else you were doing. Especially if they're alert.

If you want to modulate difficulty with Stella, and that’s perfectly reasonable, drawing thin costs an action but one less XP, and you can use it whenever you want. Flub a track shoes test. Mess up an attack so you can play oops (Which is particularly funny with the chainsaw). Get paid or draw!

One copy is amazing though, because suddenly you are using your old ring of keys to get free clues at three shrouds, automatically hitting rats... getting one failure that leads to two successes. Definitely an early pick with Miss Clark that helps every other card she might want to play.

MrGoldbee · 1443
I get the concern, however I lean the other way and say that you should use this first action to trigger QL x2 and both copies of Drawing Thin that you obviously included in your deck and mulliganed hard for, plus whatever Take Heart or Lucky Rabbit's foot you have in play. The first turn is your insane resource gen turn, then you get 3 more. If you can throw in a Grit you Teeth, Oops, Look what I found, or even Eucatastrophe (not the best option), you are even better set up. Yes you need to watch out for Haunted, Retaliate, Alert, etc. Having a treachery card in your threat area to test away may be a good target. — Taevus · 748
Agreed w/ Taevus, running two of these in Stella and it's quite strong. — KillerShrike · 1
This + Drawing Thin + Against All Odds could be a janky way to draw your elder sign without using Eucatastrophe — Zinjanthropus · 227

As noted above, this looks best in Stella or Wendy with Leo, where you can leverage the -1 difficulty more than once. It's not terrible in anyone who can take it, but it gets better with more actions.

There aren't that many "at the start of your Turn" tests, so the "During or before" usually triggers only once. (It might make playing "A Thousand Shapes of Horror" unpleasant, but you are unlikely to have bought 2 of these before the second scenario).

Wendy could try to get extra actions with .41 Derringer (2) (unlikely with her ) or Haste. Quick Thinking works (assuming you play it during your turn; if you play it during someone else's turner Quick Learner doesn't have any affect at all).

I do wish there was a way to synergize this with Eldritch Sophist, just for the chess theme.

Not sure you forgot the mythos phase, but that's at the beginning of the turn (upkeep is at the end). Also if you got an enemy, this makes it harder to kill or evade. — Django · 5063
I am pretty sure the Mythos Phase has been excluded. Which would make sense, since a Turn is a subset of the Investigator Phase. But I think there has been a ruling on this. — LivefromBenefitSt · 1050
Thats correct, mythos phase is the start of the round, not the turn. Turns are in investigator phase. Afaik any non turn test doesnt have QL applied. — StyxTBeuford · 12985
How about with the red clock for Eldritch Sophist combo, that or maybe blur? — thorel · 1

Leo De Luca + Borrowed Time + Haste + Quick Learner + Quick Learner 5 actions with -2 difficulty for each turn.

  • 3 normal actions + 1 leo action + 3 click actions = 7 actions (gained)
  • first/second action + haste action for stacking clicks = 2 actions (spent)
  • 5 actions remain after third action

Wendy is suitable investigator for this. Her friend might have Borrowed Time and she can borrow that using "You owe me one!".

elkeinkrad · 485
And a mere 16 xp! — MrGoldbee · 1443
Quick Thinking works well here — StyxTBeuford · 12985
Wendy can't use Borrowed Time but it is interesting to think about using Quick Learner with Rogue action tech. — housh · 176
@housh Wendy can play it using “You owe me one!” — Death by Chocolate · 1434

Anyone see the brand new errata on this as of May 2024? I had just finished explaining that it doesn't affect the mythos phase to friend. He checked and saw this errata!

Anyone know when/where this was discussed and changed? Just curious! It reads like it plays now, at least.

DanPyre · 60
They did this for "Plan of Action", and then needed to rule "Quick Learner" the same, since both cards are worded the same. — Susumu · 361
It makes the card worth 1 xp or less now. Complete nerf. — MrGoldbee · 1443
Yep trash card now. Their ruling about Plan of Action was a complete mistake imo. — snacc · 985
For Stella, it is still good, I think. She rather wants to fail skill tests in mythos phase anyway. Sure, cards like "Rotting Remains" can hurt more, but for these she has "Neither Rain Nor Snow", and there are not that many scaling treacheries in the game, that it matters that much. For others it got probably much worse. But I'm not sure, how outside Stella wanted the card to beginn with. — Susumu · 361
*who outside Stella, not how — Susumu · 361
I disagree with the phrase, "It reads like it plays now." It used to do that, but now it doesn't. — Eudaimonea · 5
R.I.P. Quick Learner. May 2024. Even in the Stella deck, the price is too high. It is lvl.1 card now — Axel_Templar · 1
I don't get this sentiment. Failing in the Mythos Phase is usually the best Stella can do. It's like getting a fifth action for her. She can profit from her fail engine with "Rabbit's Foot" and "Drawing Thin" before her turn, then (assuming it is viable based on AoO, but that issue would stay the same with the old rule for QL) use the first action to move, play an asset, engage an enemy, etc. There are plenty options availble without a test involved. You don't HAVE to fail your first action as Stella, unless of course, you draw an "Ancient Evils" or other card not involving a test in the Mythos Phase. — Susumu · 361
@Susumu I disagree that failing in the mythos phase is the best thing Stella can do. Failing in the mythos phase usually has some serious consequences, especially if the test's difficulty is raised by 2. Using the first action to fail an investigate or evade, or even fight if it doesn't have retaliate is usually much better, especially if you have cards in hand that let you benefit even more from the failure (LWIF, oops, Live&Learn, etc.) — neescher · 310
Sure, cards like LWIF and "Oops!" are great for her, and require her to fail a test during her turn as well. But they require to fail by two or three or less, which migth not always be trivial with double QL, and if you want to use "Drawing Thin" as well. And you won't draw a treachery with a test every round, so they are particularly great for the turns, when you don't. NRNS can turn off any bad effects of a failed test (but makes it harder to fail due to 3 wilds), and can be recured almost ad infinitum once you add "True Survivor" to your deck. (In fact ad infinitum, if you add "Resourceful", which you likely do anyway.) — Susumu · 361
Guess I picked the wrong month to decide to try Stella for the first time using an old decklist with 2 copies of Quick Learner. I'll be ignoring the new FAQ for this playthrough and then never using QL in a deck again. — ChrisSF · 1
@Susumu No. 3-4 fails on the mythos can kill you at some scenarios — Rentgen · 1
Ignore this ruling, it makes no sense and makes this card unplayable, even at 1XP as some suggest it'd be too much. The original ruling is from the card designer, that’s the card intent, the new one is some random craziness by the new team. — DakonBlackblade · 4
New FAQ and Errata is out, nothing in there about Quick Learner applying in the mythos phase. — atowncalledmalus · 8

Correct me if I'm wrong: But does this give +1 at the skill tests done in the Mythos phase? Because if it is I can see this card entering my "none Stella Clark" decks, even if it is, to date, the most expensive Survivor card in the collection.

Lewcifer · 3
This would give your tests +1 difficulty during the Mythos phase (making them harder), as those occur before your first action. — Ten · 1
This is not true. Matt ruled that it does not activate during the mythos phase. However, whether it is still in effect for cards like "frozen in fear" is still uncertain. — YesThisIsDog · 4
The Forzen In Fear check is still part of your turn, do the buff would apply. — PanicMoon · 2
Just to add on the Mythos Buster Discord, Matt N weighed in. Apparently, the emphasis is on "turns" and that is only the investigator phase. — elosf · 108
How the turn tables — stephwhatever · 1

The real benefit of this card is that you can take it twice. You might fail your first action, sure... but Survivors generally don't mind that. Or you could just move or play an asset... but this modifies the difficulty of your test and because you skill value cannot fall below zero, on your third action 2 shroud locations and two fight enemies have a difficulty of zero.

The benefit of this is clear with Stella, but the beauty of it comes for Wendy with access to Leo de Luca, haste, and the skeleton key. Action 1, fail with drawing thins/take heart, place the skeleton key, move, or play an asset Action 2, place the skeleton key, lockpick, or winging it (difficulty 0 because winging it further reduces shroud) Action 3, investigate with difficulty 0 at any location (assuming you played the skeleton key) Action 4, investigate with difficulty 0 at any location Haste Action, investigate with difficulty 0 at any location.

daranov · 49
Winging It cannot reduce shroud on a location with the Skeleton Key attached to it; in fact nothing can interact with the shroud value at all if the Key is attached there. — Erdjo · 323
@Big Iron: True, but you can lower the difficulty to 0 with either Momentum or Quick Learner — Zinjanthropus · 227