Sword-thain

This would make the character receive resources each round, and be able use them, but could it pay for cards of its sphere, or only neutral cards?

It must first belong to a sphere to have Sword-Thain attached. Allies such as Treebeard and Gandalf must be given a resource sphere through another means first in order to have Sword-Thain attached, then they may act as a hero of that sphere.

Like any hero, you can pay for neutral resources and for the character's matching sphere.

You can have four with this card. The 3 hero restriction is only at the start of the game.

The hero limit of 3 only applies at the start of the game, so Sword-Thain will give you a fourth hero.

Really like it, but only if it had a Secrecy 2 or 3 keyword...

Really like it, but only if it had a Secrecy 2 or 3 keyword...

Well, they didn't do that because it would completely negate Resourceful. 

Honestly, I'm not sure I get this card. It's a really expensive version of Resourceful with a benefit that seems kind of swingy.

Yes, there are situations where it would be great to play a card that is normally restricted to Heroes on an ally but I don't really find that coming up as much now as it did in the games younger years. 

Well, in response to the last few posts, an extra hero could be useful for many game features:

-Cards that exhaust heroes

-Cards that damage heroes

-Sacrificing them to take an undefended attack

-And more.

You are right, but I want to mention that even in that case Resourceful is cheaper - you need a unique ally in play before you can even play Sword -thain, and that is at least 2 more resources or a turn or two more, while in a Secrecy deck Resourceful can be played on turn 1. Currently you need an investment of at least 6 resources to get your additional hero.

Still, it is just awesome to get Bill the Pony to a hero status.

I don't actually have this card, but I was just mentioning some ways they could be used. I may use this card if I get it just for fun.

You are right, but I want to mention that even in that case Resourceful is cheaper - you need a unique ally in play before you can even play Sword -thain, and that is at least 2 more resources or a turn or two more, while in a Secrecy deck Resourceful can be played on turn 1. Currently you need an investment of at least 6 resources to get your additional hero.

 

Still, it is just awesome to get Bill the Pony to a hero status.

Unfortunately Bill cannot have attachments...

Unfortunately Bill cannot have attachments...

I will find a way to blank his text somehow - be it an Encounter card or something. The heroics of Bill will be heard of!

I think it is best in a hobbit deck using Tactics Merry.  Giving Bilbo the hero trait increases both Merry and Pippin's abilities.  Otherwise you are right, Resourceful is a better play if all you are getting is a resource.   Note that this can be played on someone else's characters, where resourceful cannot.  Might be neat way to "give" resources to another player.

Still think it's a bit swingyer (sp?) than Resourceful but I have to say I never thought about assigning undefended damage. That could be really interesting in a deck with a decent healing engine going. 

As for playing Hero-restricted attachments and cards that exhaust a hero...unless you are building your whole deck around that kind of strategy then I don't know that it's worth it. 

Real shame that this can't be used on OHaUH Gandalf as that could be a very potent combination. Especially if you're also rocking Spirit Merry. 

It makes Caldara real interesting for me now.  Combine her with Eowyn, Arwen, Zigil Miner and Emery to make sure you get things in the discard pile.  Then put Sword Thain on Emery.  You could get 3 guys.  The Math breaks even then at least, with 4 cost going to Thain, allowing you to cheat in (likely) another 4 cost guy.  What it does allow though is to still have 3 heroes collecting resources after.  Using the 5 cost event to bring Caldara back.  Repeating that allows you to get 3 more guys for 5 resources.    It also makes Pelargir Shipwrights better.

It makes Caldara real interesting for me now.  Combine her with Eowyn, Arwen, Zigil Miner and Emery to make sure you get things in the discard pile.  Then put Sword Thain on Emery.  You could get 3 guys.  The Math breaks even then at least, with 4 cost going to Thain, allowing you to cheat in (likely) another 4 cost guy.  What it does allow though is to still have 3 heroes collecting resources after.  Using the 5 cost event to bring Caldara back.  Repeating that allows you to get 3 more guys for 5 resources.    It also makes Pelargir Shipwrights better.

Don't use Caldara so I kind of forgot about her but that's a great use for this card. 

If you stuck this on Radagast, would he earn two resources per phase? Because that could be a thought.

Radagast is neutral so it wouldn't work.  Has to belong to a sphere.  We need a Radagast hero

If you stuck this on Radagast, would he earn two resources per phase? Because that could be a thought.

Radagast belongs to no sphere of influence, and Sword-thain demands the ally belongs to any sphere - it is the same as with Stand and Fight (Core Set). In order to play the card there must be a sphere of influence as per the ruling on the card. So no, you can't play it on Radagast, nor you can play it on Gandalf, Saruman or other non-sphere cards.

Radagast belongs to no sphere of influence, and Sword-thain demands the ally belongs to any sphere - it is the same as with Stand and Fight (Core Set). In order to play the card there must be a sphere of influence as per the ruling on the card. So no, you can't play it on Radagast, nor you can play it on Gandalf, Saruman or other non-sphere cards.

Which is still probably the stupidest ruling in the history of the game (the Stand and Fight one; Sword-thain is fine).

Which is still probably the stupidest ruling in the history of the game (the Stand and Fight one; Sword-thain is fine).

Coming from GoT, if that is the stupidest ruling in the history of this game - then we should be pleased. 

Which is still probably the stupidest ruling in the history of the game (the Stand and Fight one; Sword-thain is fine).

Which is why I personally disregard that ruling on Stand and Fight. FFG got that one wrong, in my opinion. (Any text in parentheses should *explain* the rest of the text, not add new restrictions.) And since it's a cooperative game, nobody's *forcing* me to abide by a ruling I think was mistaken.

The other official ruling that I disregard is the one about Hands Upon the Bow. The ruling was that the attack it allows is NOT ranged, but I house-rule that it IS ranged. (This matters if, say, Bard is the one attacking). Honestly, the card requires a ranged character to make the attack in the first place -- it just feels *wrong* for the attack not to be ranged.

But enough about other cards. As others have said, Sword-Thain can't be used on neutral allies. (You'd generally get more benefit out of allies with an actual sphere, though Radagast and/or Treebeard would be interesting exceptions.)

Is there a way of blanking attachment's texts? Becaus if so, you could technically play both song of... (Does'n't matter, as long as it isn't mocking or lorien) and sword-thain on radagast/treebeard. Once the effect that blanks them is gone, they should keep eachother alive. That would be fun, even more since it will most likely be an encounter card that blanked your texts and let you set up this whole thing.

Only several encounter cards - but we might see something from the Hero deck in the future designed to enable such combinations at a steep cost, I dare say.