Ask for Help & React to Curses

[lukiluck]

Hello :)

Played some Munchkin recently and two questions came up:

1) The rules state, that I can can only ask for help in combat, when I am not beating the monster on my own, right? When is that checked? Only at the beginning of combat or throughout the whole combat?
Example: I have a fighting power of 10 and I am kicking to door open finding a lvl 9 Monster. That means I am stronger, therefore I can't ask for help right? Before combat ends one of the other players buff the monster +5 to a total power of 14. Now I not stonger anymore. Can I now start asking for help?
Are there any rule that specify how exactly combat resolves? Like when it is possible to ask for help etc.

2) How can I react to curses. Imagine a curse that forces you to discard your whole hand. If you get hit by it you can obviously counter it by playing a card that specifically works against curses. Like a ring of wish (probably). That means you are allowed to counter the curse with an anti-curse card at "instant speed". Are you allowed to play other cards with "instant speed", too - before the curse resolves and you have to discard your hand? Like a lvl up card or a single use card to maybe buff a monster.

Thanks in advance!

greetings

[Brf]

Your combat strength, and that of the monsters, are a continuous thing. Anytime something would affect the combat, you recalculate strengths. You can ask for help anytime you are losing, so in your example you could ask for help after the monster was buffed.

Events in Munchkin are mostly linear. You cannot play a card to affect a card that has already been played unless that card's text indicates you can. The Wishing Ring's text indicates you can play it to cancel a curse. Annihilation's text indicates it can be played to cancel any card that was just played. Most other cards cannot be played to affect a card that has already been played.