Keeper of the Oath

Note that the Passageway trait will trigger them too, and that they're hunting through passageways if at act 3. As such, it's recommended to have extra clues before going to the Hidden Library if you didn't get rid of them.

Finally, note they could have been much nastier though if the Halls shared a trait.

jd9000 · 76
Dexter Drake

I think Dexter is the strongest Mystic investigator yet. His power gives +2 economy (including saving an action, the most precious commodity in AH) every time it's used, and it isn't too hard to set it up. He makes cards that are already strong even stronger (e.g. Arcane Initiate, David Renfield and Scroll of Prophecies, as well as the typical suite of spell assets), brings decent cards into the strong contender range (e.g. Forbidden Knowledge), and even makes a few obscure cards worth playing (like Alchemical Transmutation). The reason his power is so strong is the same reason why fast effects and cards are so good: saving an action and breaking the normal restrictions on play windows can be incredibly useful, especially on harder difficulties.

jmmeye3 · 630
Being able to replace your spent spells with full ones while engaged is very very good. On top of that, you get to shout, "Presto, change-o!" every time you do. — SGPrometheus · 841
He also has access to rogue economy cards, mitigating high costs of many spells. — Django · 5148
Hypnotic Gaze

This card needs combo effects to be good. Namely, consider using this with Jacqueline Fine around, Olive McBride, or Dark Prophecy. Also Eldritch Inspiration can make the damage to the enemy go off twice. Canceling the attack and not getting the return damage on the enemy is a subpar effect for how expensive this card is, so you want to try to get the return damage every time.

Also worth noting that this works on Elites, so this can cause some big bads to hit themselves for a bunch of damage, which can be very useful.

Soloclue · 2608
I feel like a ton of support for this card has come out since it was printed, but it's remained pretty obscure. In the right deck, this sounds pretty crazy good. — SGPrometheus · 841
It's a nice combo when you play Olive and/or Jacqueline. Outside of them, i think it's too expensive for a one time effect and not every scenario has a BBEG. Some dont even deal damage. — Django · 5148
Jacquelin will get a level 2 upgrade of this card. Cost -1 and you can choose the horror instead of the damage to be converted into damage vs. the enemy. Her using Grotesque Statue and Dark Prophecy on this, Yog-Sothoth would love to discard some cards. — Susumu · 381
I've been using it in a Diana deck (Path to Carcosa campaign) and can trigger the damage reliably, but it is expensive. I tend to keep it in hand for use against elites where the return on investment is high. I wish there were an upgraded (maybe XP: 2, with Arcane Research taken into account) version that just lowered the play cost by 1. — KillerShrike · 1
@ KillerShrike: Like I wrote before, this card will get an upgrade with Jacqeline: level 2 (so 0 xp, if you use 2xAR), lower cost by one resource AND the ablity to trigger horror from the enemy. Link to the spoilers of her deck: https://imgur.com/a/qPCL8Ts — Susumu · 381
Indeed; I got the five new investigator packs today and saw the upgrade with my own two eyes. Ironically, we finished Path to Carcosa and had one last hurrah with our investigators via The Blob That Ate Everything last weekend. We're planning to do The Forgotten Age next week with new investigators, so my Diana deck is getting retired...but I'm glad the upgrade of this card is in the card pool. Might come in handy at some point... — KillerShrike · 1
@Django, if you're using this card with Olive's ability, it says to pick 3 and choose to, resolving both. So, do you activate the damage twice (once for each token, if pulled)? — Deadlykipper · 1
Garrote Wire

As of the end of the Dream Eaters cycle, this is the only Rogue weapon that Preston can take. He probably doesn't really want or need it either since he'll be fighting at a 3, but hey, it could help you against rats?

Soloclue · 2608
Definitely the weapon for a millionaire — nungunungu · 4
A Rogue’s real weapons are other people. Also it’s kind of insulting that a garrote wire isn’t illicit — Difrakt · 1319
@Difrakt No no, it's perfectly normal for someone to just be carrying around a length of piano wire with either end wrapped around a dowel. Maybe they're a... out of work piano repair person? — SGPrometheus · 841
Yeah, I think I'll stick with my [American Psycho cosplay](/card/02032), thanks. — Jigurd · 8
I think it's a shame this isn't Illicit, since as a niche card that's extremely useful in certain situations, that extra bit of help in searching for it would make a big difference. Alas, it won't really fit in my Winifred Underworld Market deck for this reason... — Pinchers · 132
Anatomical Diagrams

This card is really good. Don't listen to the haters who say "if you want to support your fighter the stars need to align and you need to be together with them."

That's true most of the time, and when it isn't it's usually because they're coming to you--the enemy is in your face. That, or it's somewhere you both need to be.

For Daisy, Minh, Rex, Norman, and Ursula the 5 or more remaining sanity is rarely relevant. For Ursula and Rex it's even a decent trick just for defending yourself.

Pack it the next time you're running about at level 0. When your fighter lacks >+2 options for damage, this card is worth its weight in gold.

Swekyde · 65
I agree that is card is great for 9 sanity investigators, but I disagree that the "5 or more" clause is rarely relevant. Even for those investigators, it is common to cross that threshold during a scenario. And what are the enemies you most want to use Anatomical Diagrams on? Those that spawn late in a scenario, because they're typically stronger. — jd9000 · 76
My actual love for this card comes from solo, as it lets you evade enemies you might not otherwise be able to. — StyxTBeuford · 13043
We did a 4 player seeker team once, this card was really great in first scenario to support Minh as our primary fighter. 2 persons can play this card at the same turn for -4, so it's nearly an auto success when the enemy has 0 fight. — Django · 5148
Absolutely critical when playing solo as a seeker. — DelightfulDilettante · 367