Equipped Items Question
 

Say I have a weapon equipped that is usable by a Human only. I also have armor equipped that is usable by a dwarf only. I am a dwarf and I get in a battle with a monster. Another player plays a Curse! Lose Your Race card on me. I no longer get the bonus from my armor, but I am now a Human. Should I get the bonus from my weapon? Can I have an item equipped if it doesn't actively give me a bonus? Would it just be considered to be in my backpack?

Re: Equipped Items Question
 

If both Items are in use, not just in play, then yes, you could start using your Human-only Item when you lost your Dwarf card. But you cannot equip that Item if it's not already in use when the fight starts.

Re: Equipped Items Question
 

If you are a dwarf, how is it that you have equipped an item that is usable by Humans only?

Cf. MM here.

Re: Equipped Items Question
 

When I play, I equip armor/weapons to my body as if it were an actual body. In other words, body armor would go in the middle, headgear on top, foot gear on bottom, and hand items to the side. If I am not actively receiving a bonus from the item, I turn it sideways. I don't know that this is written into the rules, but this is how I indicate that items are equipped.

Re: Equipped Items Question
 

That's an interesting way to play, but it's not how the rules work. If an item is "equipped", it is "in use" and gives its bonus.

There are only three states for cards you control in Munchkin:
1. In your hand.
2. In play, not "in use", generally indicated by turning the card sideways on the table.
3. In play, "in use".

Items in state #1 or #2 grant no bonuses.
One-shot items in state #1 or #2 can be used during combat.

You cannot otherwise change the state of a card during combat. In your example, having the Human sword out puts it in state #2, since at the beginning of combat, you were a Dwarf. Once you ceased being a dwarf, you cannot change the state of the sword to state #3.

Re: Equipped Items Question
 

Your question is worded wrong.

You CAN have equipped items that give no bonus.
Sandals of Protection are footgear that give no bonus (they have an effect though). So the answer is "yes", but that's not really your question.

Here's the point of clarification you're looking for.

"Usable by Human only" does NOT mean "Dwarves can use this, but get no bonus". It means they CAN'T USE IT. At all.
If you get race-changed, it does not make you "lose the bonus" from your dwarf armor, it makes you stop USING the armor. It immediately goes in the "backpack" (which is not actually a game term)

"Equip" is not a term in the rules. "Equip" is just a slang term for "Use".
Can't use = can't equip.

Re: Equipped Items Question
 

Unless you're in combat at the time, because you can't change the "in use" status of Items during combat, not even in this case.

EXCEPTION: If you have multiple Big items and lose the ability that lets you have them, you must IMMEDIATELY ditch the extras, because that's what the Big item rule says.

Re: Equipped Items Question
 

Andrew, so does this mean that since the dwarf only armor (in this example) was equipped at the beginning of the fight, the character, now stripped of the dwarf race, still uses the armor for that fight and gets the bonus from it? Or does the armor remain equipped during the fight but confer no bonus since the character is no longer a dwarf?

I would assume that after the fight, the character must unequip the armor, and would have the option of equipping the human-only weapon.

And this issue would also apply to a character who voluntarily discarded a race during a combat. For example, fighting a +n vs. elves monster, ditching the elf race, but still having the bow with ribbons (elf only) equipped, etc.

Regards,
aeronaut

Re: Equipped Items Question
 

I'm pretty sure the moment they cease being a dwarf, they cease being able to use the item and lose their bonus from it. Otherwise, what's the point of tossing the curse at them during combat?

Similarly, if the monster had a penalty to fighting dwarves, that penalty would disappear (making the monster stronger) when the Change Race curse was played.

Re: Equipped Items Question
 

This is correct.

Re: Equipped Items Question
 

Yup, and there's a good reason for this already described in the FAQ in Important Note #2.

Absolutely.

Yup. And, funny you should mention the Elf and the Bow With Ribbons. Seriously, read the FAQ, Important Note #2. . . ;-)

Important note about Important Note #2: The word "immediately" is unnecessary and implies a timeliness to the action of replacing your Race/Class/Loyalty/Accent that really isn't there, other than doing it before trying to get the bonuses and fighting the Monster(s).

Re: Equipped Items Question
 

OK. I'll check it. Funny thing, I'm connected to work via VPN. The connection is fine with this forum, but is blocking my access to the FAQ. I'll look at it later. Perhaps that's why my searches aren't finding stuff in the FAQ.

And lest anyone think I'm slacking off, right now I'm working after hours. I'll slack off another time, ....

Thanks for the guidance, MM.

Regards,
aeronaut

Re: Equipped Items Question
 

That's because it's probably blocking by domain name, and "www.sjgames.com" is probably blocked while "forums.sjgames.com" is not.