An enemy weakness with a Mateo twist. Looking at the two elements, the effect and the discard condition, we get:

The effect: It is a relatively weak, although mildly persistent enemy which also grabs the out of the chaos bag. If Mateo is going to fight them rather than endlessly evade, he has a few options, some better than others, with the 3 health of the Serpents being the significant factor. Shrivelling and Azure Flame will do the job reliably, but at the cost of 2 actions and 2 charges, which is steep. The 5 XP versions will do it at half the cost, but they are pricey solutions with their own dangers. As noted above, Spectral Razor is an excellent option. So is Radiant Smite, if you are leaning into (sadly, no Holy Spear for Mateo). Brand of Cthugha (4) is another option for a one action kill, with Brand of Cthugha (1) not terrible (about as effective as the "basic attack" spells in actions and charges). A friendly combat-oriented fellow investigator is, of course, the cheapest option, but not always available. The sealing effect is thematic, but not especially troublesome. Entire scenarios go by with no draws, after all, and anything that takes the token out of the bag (e.g. The Codex of Ages or Crystalline Elder Sign) denies the Serpents their due. The main effect is to make evade even less attractive as a solution, should the get sealed.

The discard condition: Kill them and be done. Like most enemies, any investigator can do the job.

All in all, this is a below average signature weakness (maybe average if it comes out early in solo), like most enemy weaknesses.

One of the more "head-scratching" signature weakness, it definitely plays to Norman's "flavor," both mechanical and fictional. Looking at the two elements, the effect and the discard condition, we get:

The effect: This locks Norman's deck, preventing anything that would interact with the deck, so no drawing, searching, or anything else. This is generally pretty bad for a like Norman, although, if it comes out very late in a scenario, it can be ignored as you race to the finish. It's kind of the reverse of Roland and Jenny's weaknesses -- if you see those late, you are usually doomed, but, if they come out early they are more nuisances. Since messing around with the top of his deck is pretty much what Norman does, if this comes out earlier than the penultimate turn, you need to grit your teeth and clear it pretty quickly. Occasionally, you will get the mild satisfaction of seeing some encounter deck effect (like the Dunwich milling) fail, which is fun, but the sooner cleared, the better. There isn't really any mitigation you can do.

The discard condition: Spend . Since it functions "as if it were in your threat area," another investigator can clear this in a pinch.

All in all, this is an average, maybe below average weakness. It's not going to cost you the campaign, but Norman could be defeated if this got drawn while he was low on cards and in combat.

Box vs book This is a bit more persistent than Vengeful Hound (which has a similar effect, plus biting), but Livre d'Eibon is better than Split the Angle, so the "box" set sees more use, although you can run both without too much trouble.

Super cool card! Some will complain about the lack of introduction of a Foot Slot, but besides that, let's see how it compares to its most obvious competitor:

Differences with Tabooed Pathfinder:

Pros:

• 2 less XP per copy, so 4 less XP for 2 copies.

• 1 less Resource

• Offers 1 static .

• It can work if you are engaged with an enemy (if using Working a Hunch for example)

Cons:

• Cannot be tapped, someone needs to empty a location (could be another investigator)

• Can only bring you to a location with a clue or unrevealed.

I personally love this card, emptying locations as the main clue-getter is what you do, and any free move is one action that you can dedicate to investigating, therefore gaining tempo.

As good synergies, we can also add:

• Well... Pathfinder for a lot of free moves

• Gené Beauregard and Vantage Point to move clues around to make sure that you are not surrounded by empty location

• All the "As if" investigating shenanigans:

•• If you use cards like the Pocket Telescope, In the Know, Sixth Sense, Seeking Answers, or Luke Robinson, you could potentially move to the location connected to the target, allowing you to cover greater distances.This also works with Pathfinder as you can use the window during the test to move at the location of the test (see the Shortcut FAQ on ArkhamDB).

So, knowing that I love the theme, would I choose the Boots over Pathfinder?

• Yes if:

I have 2-3 Agility already and the boost gives me a chance to pass some agility tests

If I know that I have expensive cards to buy later and I don't have 6xp to spend in 2 Pathfinders

I plan on upgrading to Gené Beauregard at some point (not necessary but good).

I am sure that I will remember that I get a free move and I am not too distracted

• No if:

I have fear of heights

The space in my Deck is too hard to find

I already have too many Assets and I would never find the time to play this lesser priority one.

Like all the other lvl 3 composures, cool card. There are 3 reasons you should go for it even if your name is not Joe:

• The intellect passive boost, fast and slotless, always useful

• The resource sink to boost a hard investigation

• The horror soak if you cycle your deck often like Amanda, Harvey or Minh

Maybe a little comment for all the lvl 3 composures:

It is interesting that they are all "WOW" at a first glance before you realise that:

• 1 stat is useful and the other stat is usually the least important stat for that class: for , for , for , for , and anything that is not a Spell for .

This can also be a strength as it gives you a chance to pay your way in, in case you need to pass a Scenario Test of your weaker stat, yes even for that can now break some Locked Doors.

• Secondly, they are often geared to be discarded rapidly by only giving you 1 soak in your weakest point (Horror for , Health for and ).

This seems like a great combat spell for a lot of characters, mostly of the mystic-guardian typing.

Works well in...
-willpower focused Sister Mary.
-Diana Stanley before she gets her willpower up.
-secondary weapon/dragon pole/willpower focused Lily Chen
-works with Boxing Gloves and Nathaniel Cho.

It's slightly less good for straight mystics since it can't take as much advantage of Arcane Research and Down the Rabbit Hole (but no worse the Armageddon and Eye of Chaos which also only have 1 upgrade step). For this reason Norman Withers might be interested in this he has less Incentive to take arcane research.

Sefina Rousseau, Patrice Hathaway and to a lesser extent Daisy Walker and Carolyn Fern can use the lower level one for a bit of offense (since there is no level 2 attack spell aside from the awful Song of the Dead

Edit: someone pointed out this spell is somewhat similar to the M1918 BAR. This costs way less, does more total damage (by 1), spends no ammo on fail, is safer when attacking enemies engaged to other investigators, and doesn't use your hand slots.

To compensate, Brand doesn't synergize well with ammo stuff, has less potential accuracy (i.e. if you spend 4 ammo at once you can get +4 strength) and less damage per shot (can do 5 damage in a shot vs only 3 on brand).

I think both are good, but brand is slightly better in most combat decks. You have to build around the m1918 bar a bit more.