[MunchkinMan]

Originally Posted by endril

Does this mean that even if we initially decided to fight, we can choose to no longer fight at any given point in the combat? It does seem overpowering :)

The Stoned Golem says you can choose to ignore it. There is absolutely no statement on the card that gives you a specific window for when you could choose to ignore it. So, if someone makes it too difficult to beat, you can just ignore it. Bear in mind, this is only with respect to the Stoned Golem. Normally, you can't pick and choose which Monsters you are going to fight.

Can you discard a race time at any time during combat? I thought that you could only do this at the beginning of the combat, as per this line in the rules:

"At the start of your turn, you may play cards, switch items
from “in use” to “carried” or vice versa, trade items with other
players, and sell items for levels. When your cards are arranged
the way you want, go to phase 1."

However, it is true that this does not clearly state when you can discard any of the cards - so can this be done even in the heat of combat? Because wouldn't this make it so that you never get the downsides from a class/race, by just dismissing it whenever in peril?

The rules actually are very specific about when you can discard certain types of cards. Concerning Races and Classes, they specifically say that they may be discarded at any time, even during combat. They also say that may be played at any time on your turn, or when they are first received (e.g., as Charity).

As for the rule you are quoting, all that specifically says is that before you kick open the door, you may play cards, arrange your equipment, etc., not that you must start your turn, as you are, by kicking open the door.

I don't quite understand why they will ignore a Half-Halfling and not a Half-Elf-Halfling, isn't half of the character a halfling either way?

Half-breed says that when you have only one Race on it, you get all the advantages of the Race, but you don't suffer any of its disadvantages, while when you have two Races attached, you have the advantages and disadvantages of both. Being unable to ignore a Monster because of your Race would be a disadvantage, so a Half-Breed Halfling would be able to ignore Stoned Golem, while a Half-Breed Elf/Halfling or a purebred Halfling could not.

So, extrapolating to a battle where you can't waive to the monster to go by, using the Hireling is impossible as you can only use it to escape one monster, but you either have to fight them both or run away from them both? You can't just fight one and escape the other, right? Is this somewhere in the rules, because we can't find it...?

The rules explain that when you Run Away from the Monsters, you Run Away from each separately, which means that you must roll to Run Away from each Monster, not one roll for the whole set. If you choose to use a card which lets you automatically escape from one Monster, you would still have to roll to Run Away from the other.