Cactus Game Design Message Boards

1. "Pending abilities" don't really exist in Redemption. There are ongoing abilities, like protection, but everything else is instant. When you remove a character from battle that technically happens instantly and the character is removed. Special Initiative is a mechanic to allow the removed character to interrupt/negate their removal it doesn't cause any abilities to be "pending."

1.1 That is correct, however sometimes abilities can carry out during other abilities as part of that ability's effect. For example, if you play Reach of Desperation to interrupt the battle and play another enhancement, that enhancement technically takes place during Reach's ability (since Reach can't fully complete until the enhancement you play with it completes).

2. No you cannot play any dominant that currently exists in the game. Special initiative only allows you to interrupt/negate the card causing your removal, nothing else can be played during that window.

2.1 Not sure why this is 2.1 since it doesn't specifically relate to the SI question in 2, but yes. The only time battle proceeds directly to battle resolution is if 1. a player uses an "end the battle" ability, or 2. the battle is being determined by the numbers and both players pass on playing any further cards. If you play AotL to discard my blocker I can still play Christian Martyr to discard your Hero before battle resolution.

3. The "battle phase" is simply the phase in which battles occur, it doesn't specifically relate to the battles themselves. The battle phase ends when any ongoing or delayed battles (such as a battle set aside with Ambush the City) have completely resolved. Multiple battles can occur during the same battle phase (another example is Grapes of Wrath) so the end of a "battle" and the end of the "battle phase" are different (though generally happen at the same time when the last battle ends).

3.1 Negate is an ongoing ability so it would last until the end of the phase. The battle ends prior to the battle phase ending (slightly confusing, I know, see point 3) so yes you could discard an Assyrian from a territory with Habakkuk even with Camp out because "after battle" would be between the battle resolving and the battle phase ending.

1. If AotL (or a "cannot be negated/interrupted" card is played) yes, but if you have special initiative you cannot use those cards since they don't interrupt or negate.

2. I stand corrected. "Pending abilities" are literally just abilities that have been activated but that an interrupt ability have interrupted. Special initiative does not cause abilities to be "pending". For example. I play Wrath of Satan to discard all Heroes. You can play Reach of Desperation which interrupts the battle (causing Wrath of Satan to become "pending") and then My Lord and My God to discard my evil character. If I don't have an interrupt then Wrath of Satan fizzles because there is no longer a character in battle to use it.

1. That is correct. As I said before, the only time the battle moves to battle resolution is 1 when an "end the battle" card is played, or 2 if both players pass on playing further cards. If a special ability causes the removal of your character you can still play a Dominant or use an artifact before moving the battle to resolution, if you have one available.

1. If you pass on special initiative (or have no cards you can play to stop the card removing you), you still get a period of time if you wish to use a Dominant or artifact before battle resolution begins. Both players must pass on playing any further cards before battle resolution begins.

2. That is correct.

Yep, you still have the opportunity to play after the SA completes (unless it had an End-The-Battle, obviously).

Agree with browarod on everything in this thread (I think, lots of pieces to read ).