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FAQ: Mythos Frequently Asked Questions

updated 4/4/97

Also see the Mythos Errata Page.

Table of Contents

General Questions

Miscellanea:

Q. How do the deck construction rules apply to multiple cards with the same title?
 A. Uniqueness rules are based solely upon card title. You may only have a total of four Mi-Go in your deck, though these may be Limited Edition Mi-Go, Standard Game Worker Mi-Go, Standard Game Soldier Mi-Go, or any combination thereof, to a total of four. This applies to all cards with the same title, even when they have different powers (other examples include Christchurch Cemetary, Deep Ones, Instability in the Mythos, Howard Lovecraft, and the Great Library of the Dreamlands).
If a card has a uniqueness dot, you may only have one of that specific card. However, if you have other cards of the same title without a uniqueness dot, you may also put three of them in your deck, for a total of four of the same card title (eg, you can have one DREAMLANDS Dhole and three LIMITED EDITION Dholes in the same deck).

Q. When I start the game, do I have to start off walking to a Country location?
 A. No. The first location played is going to be the start of your game and you may begin by playing it upright.

Q. Can I start the game in another Region or Dimension?
 A. Yes, but you are assumed to be in Lovecraft Country until you play your first card.

Q. What happens if I am forced to discard or bury the only card or location in my story deck?
 A. If you have to bury your only Travel or Location card there is no effect. If you have to discard it, you do so and revert to the starting condition of being Outside in the last region you visited, or Lovecraft Country if you have been nowhere yet.

Q: Can I move across dimensions if Hastur is in play?
 A: No. You can only Travel from one dimension to another if you have a card that specifically allows dimensional travel. Some Locations in one dimension may also allow Travel to a named Location in another dimension. Hastur says nothing about dimensions, and thus may not be used to traverse them.

Q. When I need to round, which way do I round?
 A. Like regular math. For instance 1.5 would be 2.

Q. What does Just Cast mean?
 A. About the same thing as Just Played. "A Spell cast since your last Turn in the current Round that has not been affected by any other Card play."

Combat:

Q. What happens to turn order if someone else becomes the lowest Sanity value through Spell casting or Artifact use during combat?
 A. Combat turn order remains the same from assigning threats through using Spells and Artifacts. If there is a new lowest Sanity for the start of the Cosmic Battle the turn order begins with that player and continues as normal until combat ends.

Adventure Cards:

Q. If my Adventure card requires me to have a Phobia, and I currently have one played on me, does it count for my Adventure?
 A. No. For a Phobia to count in your Adventure you must have been the one to play it. It can be affecting another player or in your story deck to count.

Q. My Adventure card needs a Corrupt Ally and I have a Tommy Gun on a Steadfast Ally. Does that Ally count for my Adventure?
 A. Yes, but if that Ally is buried in your story deck it reverts to a Steadfast Ally and will no longer count toward that Adventure.

Q. If an Adventure card requires a Private Eye, will a Detective work too?
 A. No. Adventure card requirements are specific and must be matched as written.

Ally Cards:

Q. When a Cultist is summoned into a threat, do cards that affect Allies still work on it? How about if an Ally with an Enchanted Weapon joins the threat?
 A. In both cases cards which affect Allies no longer work. Once an Ally has joined a threat for whatever reason, it is considered a Monster for all game purposes until it is buried or discarded.

Q. If my Ally with an Enchanted Weapon joins my threat it can block invisible Monsters. What about if it is just a defending Ally?
 A. Defending Allies with Enchanted Weapons can block Invisible Monsters.

Q. Some Allies are Living Dead. What abilities does this give them?
 A. If it is a Cultist, it can Join with other Living Dead that allow Joining with Living Dead when summoned at a Gate. It also means when they are in the threat for whatever reason they count as Living Dead Monsters for all card effects.

Q. Allies with the command ability that raise the value of other Steadfast Allies are not cumulative, but since the Ally giving that effect is not raised, is it affected by any other Allies with the same ability?
 A. Yes. If you have two Allies with the command ability all Steadfast Allies are raised by 1 point, including the two commanding Allies.

Artifacts:

Q. Some cards such as the Mi-Go remove Artifacts from your opponent. However, Weapon Artifacts are connected to their Allies and act as one card. Is it still possible to steal them?
 A. Yes. Weapons are connected to Allies, but they are still affected by all cards that affect Artifacts.

Events:

Q. I know if I have a Storm in play and a Day or Night event is played my Storm is buried, but what about if another Storm is played?
 A. If another Storm is played your Storm remains in play. It is possible for many Storms to be in play at one time.

Q. Can I change my mind once I have already played a Travel card?
 A. Yes. The new V3 Rules allow you to discard a Travel Card and replace it with a sideways Location.

Locations:

Q. Many of the cards (such as Sanitariums and Churches) say you may remain one turn and remove a phobia. Is it possible to remain more than one turn to remove an additional phobia?
 A. Yes. For every turn you spend waiting where you can remove a phobia you may use your play to remove one phobia.

Q. If I have played a new location card cross-wise on my story deck to indicate I am walking to it, can I use it to play an Adventure card?
 A. No. A story deck card is not considered in play until it is right-side up. Additionally, the Sanity gain of the card is not made until the card is right-side up as well.

Q. Some Sanitariums require you to spend an additional turn in therapy. Can you do anything during this turn?
 A. No. You lose your play for your next turn, even if your next turn is in the next round.

Monsters

Q. If I use a Gate to summon a Great Old One or Outer God to my threat, can I use the same Gate later to summon a regular monster?
 A. No. Great Old Ones and Outer Gods are Monster cards, and each gate can only be used once to summon a Monster unless another card supercedes this.

Q. If 1 Point of Sanity loss from my Mi-Go goes through to the Allies/Investigator, does it count as surviving and steal an Artifact?
 A. Yes. Monsters are assumed to survive unless they lose all their value and are buried.

Spells

Q. Can I have more than one copy of the same Spell in the same Tome?
 A. Yes, as long as you do not exceed the total Spell capacity of the Tome printed in the upper left hand corner.

Mythos: The Dreamlands Specific Questions

Q: What happens to my Dreamlands Allies when I travel to the Waking World? How about vice-versa?
 A: Nothing happens to them. They stay in play as Allies. The Dimensional Indicator only limits what cards you can play. It has no effect on those cards once they are in play.

Artifacts:

Q: With regard to Crystal Sword, when exactly are you opposing Assaulting or Defending Allies?
 A: Typically you don't oppose an Ally until the Allies Defend phase of combat. To be more technical, you are opposing an Ally the second you are in a position to inflict direct damage upon that person. Thus, if you have a Crystal Sword in your threat, after the cosmic battle is over, and you procede to the Allies Defend phase, you are now being opposed by Defending Allies. Likewise, you are opposing Assaulting Allies the second you (and they) are added to the Threat, also in the Allies Defend phase.

Events:

Q: Does Rude Awakening allow me to a play a Waking World card if even I don't have the Silver Key or another means to get there? What orientation do I play it in?
 A: When Rude Awakening says that you "may play a Waking World Location" it is giving you explicit permission, even if you don't normally have a way to do so. If you're moving from one dimension to another, you'll typically play the new card right-side-up, unless you are told explicitly to walk. Rude Awakening doesn't say so, thus you play your new Location right-side-up.

Q: The Cats of Ulthar let you play a Location "regardless of Travel requirements". What exactly does this mean?
 A: If you must play a certain Location or Travel Event before playing another Location, that is a Travel requirement. It's the card that has to be at the top of your Story Deck before you can play that new Location. Examples of Locations with Travel requirements include Serannian, which requires you to Travel by Air, Celaeno, which requires you to Travel through space, and N'Kai, which requires you to Travel from an Underground Location. Other requirements are not included in this definition. You must still have a Star to get to the Castle of the Great Ones on Kadath, and you must still have the R'lyeh Disk to get to R'lyeh.

Monsters

Q: What is a Lesser Monster, as referred to on the Leng Spider? What is a Greater Monster, as referred to on the Labyrinths of the Gnorri?
 A: A Lesser Monster is a Lesser Servitor or a Lesser Independent. A Greater Monster is a Greater Servitor or a Greater Independet.

Spells

Q: Can I Deflect a Spell if I don't have a legal target?
 A: No. Just as you can not cast a Spell or play an Event without having a legal target, you can not Deflect a spell if you do not have a legal target.

Mythos Standard Game Set Specific Questions

Allies:

Q. After I give Harry Houdini Dynamite, he takes a point of damage in combat. Does he live or die?
 A. Harry is toast. Dynamite says "Discard both Dynamite and Ally after use in Combat." Since the Dynamite was played after Harry, it takes precedence over Harry's "Bury... only if he takes his full card value in Sanity loss during Combat." In cases of conflict, the last Card played always takes precedence (except for the special case of GOOs).

Q. Can Harry Houdini be killed by spells like Dread Curse of Azathoth?
 A. Yes. As is stated on page 15 of the MSGS rules, "the last card played [or spell cast] has the dominant effect". Though Harry says he can only be killed by damage during combat, the newly cast spell takes precedence over this, and so he dies. In practice, Harry can only Escape from damage inflicted to him during Combat.

Q. After I've giving Laban Shrewsbury a Tome with a Spell in it, who actually casts the spell, myself or Laban?
 A. Laban is just holding your Tome. He doesn't have any ability to cast the Spells within. That means when you use one of the Spells in his book, you pay the Sanity cost and flip the Spell, just like normal.

Events:

Q. When I play Ambush who may decide to attack with Allies, just me, or both myself and my opponent? If the latter, who decides first?
 A. If you and any opponent are in the same subregion, and both Locations have the City attribute, you may both decide to attack with your Defending Allies. The person who played the Ambush decides first, and then his opponent. In all other ways, the attack of Allies works exactly like that described on pages 19-20 of the MSGS rules.

Monsters:

Q. Can I use the Insect from Shaggai to eat a spell of any (chosen) opponent?
 A. No. The wording is not entirely clear, but if the Insect survives the Cosmic Battle, you may use it to eat a chosen spell of the player that the Insect was directed against.

Q: What happens if Unexpected Calamit is played while Tulzscha is in play?
 A. Nothing much. The GOO power overrides Unexpected Calamity's effect, and three passes are still needed to end the Round. The "pass" announced when Unexpected Calamity is played counts as one of these.

Spells:

Q: If I Control an Opponent's critter, and then he hits it with Blasphemous Obeisance, does it get returned to my hand?
 A: No. Cards should never exchange hands during a Mythos game. It goes back to the hand of the person who owns the Card.

Mythos Limited Edition Specific Questions

Adventure Cards:

Q. In Your First Big Story it says you need Gate locations in three different cities or towns. Do villages count too?
 A. Yes. You need any three different locations that each have a City, Town, or Village as an attribute and come from different subtype location (listed in the Region part of the card).

Q. In The Great Epidemic do I need 2 Doctor Allies?
 A. Yes, and at least one of them must be in your Story Deck.

Ally Cards:

Q. Do I have to be at an Outside location to play Zadok Allen?
 A. Yes. However, remember that at the beginning of the game and while walking you are considered to be Outside. Zadok can be played at these times too.

Q. When an Ally is brought back by Herbert West, does it still have all of its attributes and abilities?
 A. Yes. The two cards now count as one Ally with the combined attributes and abilities of both cards. Remember that if the Ally brought back costs Sanity, it must be paid again.

Artifact Cards:

Q. Do I have to activate the Star Stone of Mnar by turning it to make it work?
 A. No. The effect of the Star Stone is always on. In the first Mythos set of cards the Lamp of Alhazrad is the only Artifact that you have to rotate to turn on the effect and flip over to end the effect.

Q. What does lost mean for the Mist Projector?
 A. It means that the Mist projector should suffer the same fate as the Ally using it if the Ally is buried or discarded.

Q. Do cards that affect Weapons affect the Orne Formula & Diagrams?
 A. No. However, the Orne Formula must be assigned to a specific Ally like a Weapon is.

Q. The Sphere of Nath says that I may use Gate on the Location revealed by the Sphere. Can it be one that I have already used?
 A. Yes. You may reuse a Gate in your story deck if it becomes your Current Location due to the Sphere of Nath.

Q. The Ultra-Violet makes all attacking Invisible Monsters visible. Does this include my Monsters attacking an opponent?
 A. No. Only those attacking you.

Events:

Q. Do I lose a point of Sanity every turn it is Day if I have Esophobia?
 A. No. For Esophobia you only lose a point of Sanity if it is Day when the card is played on you. Then each time a new Day event is played another point is lost. The same is true for Scotophobia and Night events.

Q. Does Monophobia affect you if your Ally joins your threat? How about if you summon a Cultist into your threat at a gate?
 A. Monophobia affects you when you lose an Ally in any way. When you have an Ally enter your threat it immediately becomes a Monster, so is lost and costs a Sanity point. Cultists summoned directly to your threat enter play as Monsters, so they are never Allies and Monophobia does not apply.

Q. If Townsfolk Riot has been played on you, can you play an Ally to block them? What happens if you pass and end the round?
 A. The Townsfolk Riot 5-point attack does not occur until you have done something besides play a Location or Travel event. However, the attack occurs before your turn ends. You can play an Ally to have them block, but you cannot pass to end a round and avoid the attack. If the round ends before your turn, they will affect you on your first turn of the next round.

Q. Can Flee to Special Room bring back Allies that I lost in Combat?
 A. No. This card can only recover Allies lost since your last turn in the current round.

Q. What happens if I play Instability in the Mythos (Sullivan) and one of the cards now added to my threat is a weapon?
 A. Weapons and the Ally (or Monster) they are connected to act as one card. If there is a Weapon in your Threat, it should be set aside whenever something happens to a random Card in your Threat. If the wielder of the Weapon is affected, the Weapon incurs the same effect (in the case, if you get the wielder of the Weapon, you also get the Weapon).

Q. What happens if I play Yithian Mental Contact in a multi-player game and my play would have made another player's card play illegal?
 A. Nothing happens. Yithian can only affect cards still in play by the opponent it is played on.

Q. Some phobias (like Hydrophobia and Dendrophobia) state that you lose a point of Sanity each turn you meet the requirement. Does this mean every one of your turns, or every turn for every player?
 A. Each of your turns. Newer, MSGS, Phobias have the clearer text "At the beginning of your Turn..."

Q. If I am playing the Pragmatic Hobo can I play An Unexpected Calamity?
 A. No, because the card requires your to pass, which the Hobo can not do.

Investigators:

Q. Can my hand size get bigger than 7 with the Pragmatic Hobo?
 A. Yes, but you must discard down to at least 7 during the discard phase.

Locations:

Q. If my opponent's current location is the Boston Globe, are my reporter Allies' values also increased by one?
 A. No. With all cards that increase the value of certain types of Allies (such as Press and University) only the Allies belonging to the player at that current location get the increased value. This has been clarified on newer MSGS cards, which says "All of your..."

Q. The North Burial Ground is in Providence, but it says it is a Country location. Is this correct?
 A. Yes. It is a long trip out to the North Burial Ground, but it is still close enough to Providence to find Allies, etc. It does not count as a City location ever. As of MSGS and Dreamlands you will note many more subregions which mix City and Country.

Q. Can you remove a phobia at the St. John's Churchyard location because it has the Church attribute?
 A. No. Not all churches are created equal and some do not offer the solace a frightened Investigator often seeks.

Q. At some Locations such as The Catacombs of Rome I can take Living Dead from my Story Deck instead of using the Gate to summon cards from my hand. Can I take more than one from the Story Deck because they Join?
 A. No. Joining only applies to playing cards directly from your hand.

Monsters:

Q. When Cthulhu is in play all monsters join, but if you have the Disk of the Hyades in play Living Dead can not join. What happens when both are in play at the same time?
 A. All Great Old Ones and Outer Gods such as Cthulhu have such tremendous power when they manifest themselves that they overwhelm all other effects. In your case, even the Living Dead can join while Cthulhu is in play.

Q. If I have Zombies attacking an opponent who loses no Allies, but another player loses some Allies in the same Combat, can I still create a new threat with the Zombie?
 A. No. Zombies only return if Allies were lost in the battle they were involved with. However, these could be the Allies defending against them, or your own Allies.

Q. If I have two Zombies, each attacking a different player, can I start a new threat with both of them if both players lose Allies?
 A. No. Zombies may only restart a threat with one card, no matter how many participated in the Combat phase.

Q. Serpent People join with Weapons. Does this mean I can play a Weapon Artifact to my threat if Serpent Men are in it?
 A. No. It means that if you summon a Serpent Man at a Gate you can also play a Weapon with him at the same time. Note that all regular rules still apply, so you must be at a Location with the Artifact attribute and you must pay any Sanity cost for playing the Weapon.

Q. Do the Allies carried off by Nightgaunts still block Sanity loss?
 A. Yes. Discarding of Defending Allies takes place after burying.

Q. Since Byakhee can not affect people in Inside Locations, do they still participate in the Cosmic Battle if they have no legal target?
 A. Yes. But if they win they have no affect on the Target's Sanity or Allies.

Spells:

Q. With Circles of Thaol and the Star Stone of Mnar, does Circles Summon or Control a Greater Independent, or both Greater and Lesser Independents?
 A. While the Star Stone of Mnar is in play the Circles of Thaol Spell can affect both types of Monster. So, it could possibly affect two cards in your opponent's threat if both Monster types are present, or if you have both types in your hand.

Q. Do Phobias in the story deck also affect your opponent with Curse of the Rat Thing?
 A. No, only those currently in play.

Q. Can I play Joined Monsters with the Create Gate Spell?
 A. As long as you have the Sanity needed to play them.

Tomes:

Q. If I have two Cultes Des Goules out, does my threat increase by two if I have Living Dead in it?
 A. No. Bonuses from Cards of the same subtype are not cumulative unless they state they are.

Q. If I split my threat against multiple opponents and each part has Living Dead, does the Cultes Des Goules give each part of my threat a bonus of 1?
 A. No. The Tome gives your threat a bonus of one. You must assign the point to an opponent after the Spells and Artifacts are used, but before threats are revealed.

Q. The English Book of Dyzan says you can also find one Yellow Sign Spell in the Tome if Aldebaran Moves in the Sky is in play. Does this mean my one spell I can put in is now Water and Yellow Sign, or can I put two Spells in the Tome, if one is a Yellow Sign Spell? What happens when Aldebaran leaves play?
 A. When Aldebaran Moves in the Sky is in play, and you have the Book of Dyzan, you can find an additional Yellow Sign Spell instead of just the one Water Spell. The Yellow Sign Spell remains in the Tome if Aldebaran Moves in the Sky is no longer in play.

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