Wraith and Haka have similar effects they can make where the next damage they take is reduced by 2 (or more).
So, example 1, Wraith uses stealth to reduce the next damage by 2. She takes no damage that round, she uses stealth again, now reducing the next damage by 4. She takes 3 damage. Does she have 1 damage "left" or is it all used up? Similar question with Haka of Shielding.
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gave to the poor.
Stood up to the Man and he-
gave him what for.
Our love for him now,
aint hard to explain,
the hero of Canton,
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It would all be used up, since the would of been the next damage dealt to her after using the ability. If she even only took one damage it would result in the zero damage, and the other three points would be gone. Same would apply to Haka.
Ronway is correct. When something refers to "the next time (x character) would be dealt damage," it refers only to the next time, then all goes away. So you can stack the Wraith's stealth up to 20 if you want, but the moment you get hit, it all goes away. Still worth stacking, especially if you have her smoke bombs in play that redirect damage, or if Legacy has Lead From the Front in play.
While I understand the logic involved, I was curious why the phrasing was so different. Haka's ability specifically say to reduce the damage "the next time he is dealt damage." The Wraith's ability says "prevent the next 2 damage dealt." Thus, simply by phrasing, the Wraith's ability implies that it would still leave any remaining protection behind, because it doesn't seem to be tied to a specific instance of damage. Was this just an error/errata that they aren't phrased the same? Generally when things are NOT phrased the same, I don't handle them the same, hence my confusion on Wraith's ability.
"I'm not prone to hyperbole, but she is the Antichrist." - chwineka
I would leave well enough alone. Either it works the same as Haka and prevents more than 2 damage or it doesn't and will probably be ruled that all instance of the use of the power are used up on the first 2 damage. Because they all would prevent the same next 2 damage.
Hedge
I understand what the official ruling is (all of the built-up prevention is used up the next time any damage is applied) and will use that when playing, but I agree with broccoli. "The next 2 damage dealt" doesn't imply any kind of a limit on when that damage needs to come in. The next 2 damage dealt could be one now and one in a few turns. If the intent in both cases was that the damage shield should disappear as soon as any damage is taken, then they both should have used the "next time he is dealt damage" wording. Not a big deal, but consistency is golden.
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We agree! Consistency IS golden, and it's something we put a TON of work on. However, we missed a few spots, and sadly, this is one of them. We have a list of a few things that will be minorly reworded come the 2nd Edition of the game (whenever that happens), just for clarity.
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I suggest adding this to the Official Rulings
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