Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

TRANSMOGRIFICATION; At any time except during combat, you may take any of your cards off the table into your hand, as long as this does not cause you to exceed your maximum hand size. Exception: if two cards are linked (e.g. Cheat and an item), you cannot pick either one up.
Power: Rank 2

Situation; It is Player A's turn. Player A has item "X" in play. Player A also has "Transmogrification" in play. Both cards are in play legally, no "Cheat" card is involved. Player A kicks down the door. The card revealed is "Curse, lose item X". Player A then attempts to take item "X" back into his hand rather than lose it to the curse. An argument over the legality of the application of the "Transmogrification" power ensues.

As the owner of the set I ruled that the curse negated Player A's ownership of the item as soon as it was revealed, and therefore he could not apply the power.

The player argues that dodging curses in this manner is the only possible intended use of the card. I find this unlikely but I am having trouble coming up with a useful strategy for the card.

So, two questions; Was I right to disallow the use of the power? and If so, can anybody give me the right strategies for this card?

Thanks in advance.

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

The curse has to be resolved instantly, so yes, the item gets devoured by the curse right away. In most cases, anything that happens like this is resolved first, curses, stealing, or such.

There are lots of ways to play it, though generally I wouldn't prefer to use it as a power. The uses of it would be subtle. It would allow you to take something you have out into your hand. If you didn't want a treasure out anymore, you could take it back into your hand, to use it as a 'from your hand' discard for other things, or just to get it out of play, to avoid being affected by a curse, say if you couldn't use it at the time.

Really, the uses are complicated, and at least at a glance, mostly not very useful, but given how many different ways you could use this card, especially in a blended game, it could get very interesting.

A simple thing, as I could understand it, would it could allow you to take your class or race back into your hand, allowing you to play another one while still keeping the card, that would be one of the better uses of the card I think.

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

those are all good strategies and on top of that, if it is blended with another game, someone could draw a thief card or stealing power and before they try to steal your stuff, you can take important items into your hand.

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

Only if they haven't rolled the die first. Once they have rolled they have activated the power and it has to be resolved first.

Other strategies include, taking a big item back into your hand, so that you can play another big item (same goes for complex items). Taking a ship, steed, hireling, Mook, Minion so that you could play a different one.

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

nice one :)

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

Once the Curse hits the table, it must be dealt with immediately -- either by using a Wishing Ring or other card that specifically negates the Curse, or by resolving the Curse's effects. Transmogrification cannot be used to "interrupt" a Curse.

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

Why would you do that when you can carry any number of small Items. There are no Big Items in Star Munchkin, which means that every Complex Item is therefore small. You can only use one Complex Item, but there is, by no means, any restriction on how many you can carry because Complex does not equal Big. . .

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

Opps, its been awhile since I played Star Munchkin, that's no excuse, but still. For some reason I was thinking complex worked like big items, but now that you mention it I will admit I was mistaken. Thanks for correcting me MM.

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

Thanks for all the answers guys, I appreciate your assistance with the order of play issues and all the other stuff you answer in these forums :)

I'm still curious to hear what other uses people have found for the power, I like what I've seen so far.

In addition, can you use your transmogrification power when someone else is in combat, or is it "locked off" until they resolve their fight?

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

Combat means any combat, even if it is not yours. There might be some cards that use a wording pertaining to when you are in combat, but those cards tend to require it to be your turn as well to use them. I can't think of any of those off the top of my head though.

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

Actually, I'd rule exactly the opposite. Something that can says it can be "except in combat" means when YOU are in combat.

But we may have ruled differently in the past; guess it'll require some discussion.

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

I was mostly thinking of the "You may not sell, trade, or steal items DURING a fight."

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

Which means that while you are in combat, you may not sell, trade or steal Items (and, fortunately, not have Items stolen from you). Nothing prevents a Thief who is not in combat from stealing from another player who is not in combat. Nothing stops two players who are not in combat, even while a combat is going on, from trading with each other. . .

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

I haven't played BITES, so this may be a naive question, but what is with the "as long as this does not cause you to exceed your maximum hand size" part of this card?

There is no maximum hand size, until the end of your turn / charity phase.

So unless you try to use transmogrification during the charity phase, that whole clause is pointless, no?

Or does the card want to mean as long "as this does not cause you to exceed the maximum hand size you would have during your charity phase"?

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

My interpretation was that you could not exceed the usual charity hand limit unless you have a card that modifies it. There is a power (powers were introduced instead of classes in Bites) that lets you keep an extra card in your hand.

That being said if one had the powers "Transmogrification" and "Malediction" could on essentially throw ones entire inventory at another player as combat minuses? Fill the hand using transmogrification, empty it using malediction, repeat til you have no more cards?

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

I'm pretty sure you can already do that. I don't think Malediction requires you to discard a card in your hand in order to power it.

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

that seems kind of strange because if someone is in combat and then another player wants to help but doesn't have enough bonus to help, does that mean he is able to trade with someone else who is not in combat so that he has enough bonus?

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

i think you're right.

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

i suppose, but stealing is one sided, and i'm not sure but i think there are cards that say not usable during your combat and that would be redundant if that was the case for anything that said not usable during combat.

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

I'm not sure what you're saying here about redundancy. Regardless, there are many occasions on this forum, and even a FAQ entry, which explain this already. A Thief may not steal from someone in combat or while they are in combat, nor may someone in combat sell or trade, but that by no means says that when there is a combat involving player A, that players B and C can't trade with each other at that time, nor that player D, who is a Thief, can't steal from B.

Re: Munchkin Bites:Transmogrification Card
 

i mean that it would be redundant to say your combat for some cards if any card that talks about combat is referring to your combat. anyway i feel like i'm fighting a losing battle and i'm no where near an expert on rules. so i will stop pestering you guys and respect the answer you gave.