The Ritual of Shadows

Q: The Shadow Ritual: what happens with Fleshmolders that are defeated in encounter 1 in the transition to encounter 2? Can the OL still place them anew in encounter 2? or does he have to play without killed fleshmolders?

A: Flesh moulders don't reinforce in Encounter 2, so whatever he has left from Encounter 1 is what he gets. (1)

Q: The Shadow Ritual: What happens to conditions on Merric in the transition from encounter 1 to encounter 2? Does they stick on him?

A: Merick would not keep any conditions on him between the encounters. Unless otherwise specified, any lieutenant present in Encounter 1 and Encounter 2 starts without wounds or anything else. (1)

Q: The Shadow Ritual: What happens with the Relic if the Overlord wins this quest? Does he keep it or will it be returned to the gamebox? The victory for the heroes says that the heroes recieve the Relic from the Overlord, but the Overlord does not have it explicitly in the first place under his pocession. Only during this quest Merric wields it, someone could read. So which side is correct? The Ol recieves it after winning this map pernamently or it is returned to the gamebox?

A: If the overlord did not receive the Staff of Shadows by winning "The Cardinal's Plight" in Act I, he is only able to gain the use of that relic during "The Ritual of Shadows" and does not receive it for winning.

 

The overlord may be "considered to have won" any quest not played in Act I, but that doesn't automatically grant him the rewards from those quests.

 

I'm saying he doesn't get to keep the Staff of Shadows to avoid having the overlord gain too much from winning a single quest as well as to most closely reflect the specific rules as written, which don't say he gets to obtain or keep it. (1)

Q: It was mentioned in a previous ruling that the Overlord cannot win Staff of Shadows in the quest: Ritual of Shadows, if he did not originally own it. However, may heroes win Staff of Light, as per Rewards section?

A: Yes, the heroes can win the Staff of Light in that quest, regardless of whether or not the overlord owned that relic going into the quest. (1)

Q: In the Ritual of Shadows, when transiting to encounter 2, it is possible that there are flesh moulders or even Lord Merick himself at the exit (due to Crossbow or Trueshot not dealing damage, just moving him in encounter 1). Does that mean that some heroes will be placed in the nearest empty squares for those cases?

A: Yes, this is technically possible. (1)

Q: The odd case in the above question could be that Lord Merick could be at the innermost part of the exit, blocked by 3 heroes. Would that waste the fatigue he earned in encounter 1?

A: No, this would be pretty seriously against the intent of the quest, so even if surrounded (in what I would suggest would be a rare case to begin with), he would be able to move through the heroes. (1)

Q: Can Blood Rage be used on Lord Merick in encounter 1? It would create the odd scenario where neither side could win because they cannot fulfill the victory condition. And if it can be played, does Lord Merick get 2 attacks, given that he is only able to perform the ritual, according to the quest guide?

A: That is an issue with the quest that will be clarified in a future errata. The victory condition for the heroes should instead read, "If Lord Merick Farrow suffers any amount of damage or is defeated, read the following aloud:" This also covers any odd possibilities of him being suffering a condition without having to be damaged first, and some other strange interactions. (1)

Q: If the Overlord wins this quest, can the overlord hand back tier 1/2 cards while keeping the tier 3 card?

A: Yes, the requirement of having previous levels is only for the purchase of the level 3 overlord cards, not in keeping them. If the overlord wins that quest, he can keep a level 3 card while returning the lower level cards. (1)