So I was recently in a game where we (potentially) had the luckiest break ever. We were playing a 5 player game against a team of villains in the Court of Blood. One person was playing Mr. Fixer, but the rest of the players and villains are unimportant for the question. We were getting absolutely wrecked, and were down to Just Mr. Fixer left up at 3 HP. His player decided that he wanted to go out with a bang, and played a Jack Handle, just so that he could get as much damage on the table as he could, and then proceeded to Strike everyone for some damage. Then the environment went, and this is where things may have gotten...crazy.
There are a couple vampires in play, and the Environment card played that turn was Infecting an Heir. Being as he was the lowest HP target, Mr. Fixer got bitten by a Vampire, reducing him to 1 HP. Since he is, in fact, a character card, this triggered the secondary effect on Infecting an Heir. (Paraphrasing due to not having the card in front of me at present) The effect states that, if this damage is done to a character card, that character then deals each non-Vampire target 2 damage.
This is where the question comes in. Since Mr. Fixer is dealing a target some damage, Jack Handle would instead deal that much damage to all non-hero targets. Mr. Fixer is initally dealing damage to several targets (all 5 villains that are still up, as well as several targets from their decks), so would he deal 2 damage total to all non-hero targets due to tha jack handle, or would he (as we hoped) deal 2 damage to each non-hero target for each target of the initial 2 damage? If the former is the case, then oh darn, we lost a really difficult game. If it is the latter, however, we got to snatch the greatest, luckiest, absolutely most ridiculous victory from the jaws of defeat.
Thanks a bunch!
He should deal all non hero targets the damage because of Jack Handle
Crush your enemies, drive them before you, and laminate their women! - Guise, Prime Wardens #31
So the question is basically does he do like 10 attacks of 2 because he was going to attack 10 times, or does he just attack once for 2 because it changed 1 attack on multiple targets to another attack on multiple targets?
I would guess the ruling would be the latter, though the former is cooler. And if I recall correctly, when you combine jack handle with cro bars during a fixed point, you do get multiple attacks out of that. So...
Anyone can game alone, but it is much more fun to game with friends.
Chrono
How Jackhandle-Crowbars should work:
Jack handle changes the original attack into an attack that hits every non-hero target.
Each time Jack Handle deals a new target damage, Crowbars uses that instance to hit another target.
So basically each non-hero target, and a bonus Crowbar hit for each target hit by the Jackhandle-altered attack.
Jackhandle should change the attack from dealing the damage to each non-vampire target to dealing that damage to each non-hero target instead.
I would say you definitely get the multiple attacks of 2 on all non-hero targets, and snatch victory, based on the exact wording of that card. Also based on fun.
But that card's wording has already proven to be a bit wonky, so not positive.
It should only result in two damage once to all non hero targets. Guise can do similar by combining Jack Handle through Lemme See That... and I Can Do That Too! on base Tempest which only results in dealing each non hero target one damage one time.
Crush your enemies, drive them before you, and laminate their women! - Guise, Prime Wardens #31
Probably true. But why? Just cuz?
That's the explanation I have been given, it was specifically in reference to Squall+Jack Handle.
Of course in keeping with tradition the Video game has Jackhandle+Crowbars resolve as two attacks to all targets, which makes no sense.
Why it makes no sense:
1. Jackhandle has to take place before damage is dealt. You don't redirect or change targetting after damage is dealt. Otherwise Fixer with Jackhandle and infection would first deal himself damage, then deal all non-hero targets damage.
2. Crowbars takes place after damage is dealt. This shouldn't need explaining as it is pretty clear how it works in the fireside chat and video game.
3. Crowbars reacts to the amount of damage dealt, not the resolution of an attack. Putting it after the attack resolves doesn't fit reacting to damage dealt, because you wait until the attack resolves, then you add on an extra attack that is based on one of the instances of damage the just concluded attack dealt.
4. This makes no predictive sense for future interactions, under current Video Game mechanics Blackout hitting Fixer with Crowbarswould result in Fixer hitting each non Hero target with infernal damage, then after it resolves hitting one more target with Dual Crowbars based on one of the damages dealt via Blackout's effect.
I understand that Fireside chats are only for current content, but they keep giving us rules that change how we play the game, yet don't give us enough to play the game that way consistently.
It just creates headaches for anyone trying to play the game under the proper rules without limiting themselves to cards already out in the Video game.
You can thank Christopher as he gives them the rulings to implement.
Crush your enemies, drive them before you, and laminate their women! - Guise, Prime Wardens #31
I've said it before, there's a reason that rulings were given reluctantly, Christopher isn't that kind of person. The game was always much more about what you could do, and he was content to let groups decide for themselves how to resolve things most of the time.
The Video game has forced that to change and it is pretty obvious that there never was (and probably never intended to be) a standardized set of rules.
I mean right now, from the video game it looks like the Crowbars and Jackhandle work as such:
Jackhandle: Change any attack (no matter how many targets it would hit) to instead hit all non-hero targets.
Crowbars: After Mr. Fixer attacks create a new attack based on the final damage dealt to the last (first, average, whatever) target the just concluded attack dealt damage to.
That is consistent, if annoying to me.
But it could also work as:
Jackhandle: When Mr. Fixer would deal an instance of damage he instead deals that damage to all non-hero targets.
Crowbars: When Mr. Fixer would attack change the attack to add an additional instance of damage that deals X damage, where X is the last (first, average, whatever) damage the attack would have normally dealt.
This works with common perception of Jackhandle and how the game resolves it, but doesn't fit with previous information, and it makes even less sense.