The Brain and the Brawler

Card pool: Revised Core Set and The Dunwich Legacy Investigator Expansion only. This guide uses the List of Taboos.

Introduction

Jim Culver is a flexible Mystic. His 4 is the only stat that stands out, but two things set him apart: the modifier of his tokens is 0 and he can treat an as a , which makes the chaos bag kinder to him, and he can include up to five level 0 cards from other classes, which lets you shape him for the team. This deck uses that flexibility to give him a specific job in a specific team, and it is designed to be played in pairs, next to an investigator who keeps the enemies busy. In my case that partner is Zoey Samaras (her deck is here: The Brawler and the Brain), but the deck should work with any investigator who can take the fighting off his hands.

Jim is not a clue specialist by design, but in this pair somebody has to be: Zoey has only 2 and she is busy fighting, so the clues fall to him. His own is 3, which is not much for investigating, so the deck does not rely on it. It leans on Rite of Seeking, which investigates with his , on clues that need no test, and on the Flashlight for the normal investigations. The rhythm of a turn is simple: the partner goes first and clears or engages whatever is in the location, and Jim comes after, with the way free, to investigate. If he can, he plays Rite as his last action, because it ends his turn when a bad symbol shows up and then it costs him nothing.

Jim does not try to be a fighter. He has 3 and 2 , and the deck includes no weapons at all. The two investigators are meant to stay together: Jim's Trumpet heals horror at his location or at a connecting one, so it protects the partner as well as himself. But Jim will sometimes end up alone with an enemy, so the deck carries four ways of escaping: two Blinding Light, which evades with , and two Elusive, which gets him out of a fight without a test.

His weak points are the economy, the normal investigation and combat. Rite of Seeking and the allies cost a lot, and Jim does not generate many resources, so the deck has Emergency Cache, Forbidden Knowledge and Dr. Milan Christopher to keep him afloat. What makes Jim Jim, the tokens, is barely present in the starting deck, because it needs experience: cards like Grotesque Statue, Jewel of Aureolus and Song of the Dead are where his ability really pays off, and they are good targets for his first upgrades.

Core cards and why

The core of this deck exists to make Jim find clues every turn and to keep him out of trouble when his partner is not around. Everything else is built on top of three ideas: get clues with and without a test, make the tests reliable, and always have a way out of a fight.

Jim's Trumpet is where his identity starts. It costs 2, takes one of his two hand slots, and when a is revealed during a skill test you can exhaust it to heal 1 horror from an investigator at your location or at a connecting location. Since Jim treats the modifier of tokens as 0, they are no longer something to fear, and each one of them heals someone, including his partner. Because it exhausts, it works once per round. Jim may also treat an as a , so if you do not need the +1, you can convert it into a heal; just do not do it in a test with Rite of Seeking that is not your last action, because a ends your turn there.

Rite of Seeking is the engine of the deck. It costs 4 and has 3 charges, and each charge lets Jim investigate using instead of , which is 4 against 3, and discover 1 additional clue if he succeeds. The price is that, if a , , , or symbol shows up, he loses all his remaining actions and ends his turn. Jim's tokens are worth 0, but they are still tokens, so they trigger it as well. That is why Rite is used as the last action of the turn, when there is nothing left to lose.

Arcane Studies and Holy Rosary are what make Rite reliable. Arcane Studies is a fast talent that gives +1 or +1 for 1 resource, which you have to spend before the chaos token is revealed, at the same time as you commit your cards. Holy Rosary gives +1 and has 2 sanity that absorb horror. There is only one copy, because Jim has a single accessory slot and what matters is the +1 on every test: the sanity is a bonus, since the deck already heals horror in other ways.

For the turns when you do not want to gamble, there are the clues without a test. Working a Hunch is a fast event that discovers 1 clue at your location, and Drawn to the Flame discovers 2 clues for free in exchange for drawing the top card of the encounter deck. Working a Hunch can only be played during your turn, so play it before Rite of Seeking. Drawn to the Flame costs 0 but needs an action, and it is best played when your partner has already taken care of the location. Between these cards and Rite there are six sources of clues in the core, and the two Flashlight of the rest make eight, which is what makes the opening hand easy.

The way out is Blinding Light and Elusive. Blinding Light lets Jim evade using instead of , which is 4 against 2, and deals 1 damage to the enemy if it works. If a bad symbol shows up, he loses 1 action. Elusive is the guaranteed one: it is fast, only works during your turn, and disengages Jim from every enemy and moves him to a connecting location with no enemies, with no test. Because of the Taboo list the destination has to be a connecting location, so it is a step away from the fight and not a jump across the map. Four cards between the two give you a reasonable chance to have something when your partner is not around.

Finally, Guts is the skill of the deck. It has , which is what most of Jim's tests use, and it draws a card if the test is successful. It can also be committed to his partner's tests when they are at the same location.

In summary, the core cards are focused on three goals: finding clues with and without a test, making the tests reliable, and leaving a fight when the partner is not there.

• 1 x Jim's Trumpet (signature)
• 2 x Rite of Seeking
• 2 x Arcane Studies
• 1 x Holy Rosary
• 2 x Working a Hunch
• 2 x Drawn to the Flame
• 2 x Blinding Light
• 2 x Elusive
• 2 x Guts

A total of 15 (these ones, not counting Jim's Trumpet) + 15 (the rest) = 30.

Here is a summary of the core cards by function, not counting Jim's Trumpet:

Jim's Trumpet counts as one more survival card outside the 30, since it heals horror. The percentages are rounded to one decimal, so the column can add 100.1. Clue finding is the biggest block and there is no attack at all: the deck leaves the fighting to the partner. Economy and protection are not in the core, they are in the rest of the deck.

Rest of the deck and why

The rest of the cards add the economy Jim lacks, a few layers of protection and the consistency for his tests. Only Dr. Milan Christopher comes from outside the Mystic and neutral pools here; together with the two Working a Hunch and the two Elusive of the core, he fills the five off-class slots.

Jim's deck is expensive: Rite of Seeking costs 4, his allies cost 4 as well, and he does not generate resources by himself. Emergency Cache is the cleanest answer: it costs 0 and gives 3 resources. Rite fits in your 5 starting resources, but it leaves you with 1, so the cache is what lets you also play the Trumpet in the same turn and still have something left for Arcane Studies. Forbidden Knowledge also costs 0 and holds 4 secrets that can be turned into resources, one at a time and as a fast action, in exchange for 1 horror each. That horror is cheap here: Holy Rosary can absorb it, and Jim's Trumpet and Fearless heal it. Dr. Milan Christopher closes the loop. His main value is the +1 , which helps the normal investigations and the Flashlight, but not Rite, which uses , and after Jim successfully investigates he also gives 1 resource. With the Taboo list he has to exhaust to do it, so it works once per round: only the first success pays, and Jim will often investigate two or three times in a turn, so count on 1 resource per turn and not per success.

Alyssa Graham is the second ally. Only one ally can be in play at a time, so she and Dr. Milan Christopher take turns: the doctor when you need economy, Alyssa when you need to protect the pair. She costs 4, gives +1 and has 3 sanity, which makes her a good shield against horror. Her fast ability looks at the top card of the encounter deck or of any player's deck, and you may add 1 doom to her to send that card to the bottom. The deck has no way of removing doom, so use that option only when the card on top is really bad.

Ward of Protection is the cancel for treacheries. It is fast, costs 1, and you play it when you draw a non-weakness treachery card: you cancel its revelation and take 1 horror. It also has . There is only one copy, because the horror is not free, and it fits with Drawn to the Flame, which makes you draw an encounter card on purpose. Painkillers is Jim's only way of healing damage. It is a neutral item that costs 1 and has 3 supplies: as a fast action you spend one, exhaust it and take 1 horror to heal 1 damage. It trades damage for horror, which is what the deck is best at healing. When Zoey is next to him, her First Aid and Emergency Aid do the same job without costing horror.

The skills keep the tests reliable. Fearless has and heals 1 horror if the test is successful, so it protects while it helps, and there are two copies. Unexpected Courage has , no effect, and fits any test. Perception has and draws a card if the test is successful. It is the skill for Jim's normal investigations, because Guts, Fearless and Holy Rosary only add , which does not count when he investigates with . All of them can also be committed to the partner's tests.

Flashlight takes the second hand slot, next to the Trumpet. It costs 2 and has 3 supplies, and spending one of them lets Jim investigate in a location with 2 less shroud, which is like adding 2 to his of 3 for that test. It is the answer to his normal investigation, which the rest of the deck barely supports, and unlike Rite of Seeking it does not risk his turn. There are two copies: when the first one runs out of supplies it stays in play without doing anything, so play the second one and discard the empty one.

Finally, Delve Too Deep is the deck's free experience. It costs 1, each investigator draws the top card of the encounter deck, and then it goes to the victory display, where it is worth 1 victory point. Play it only when the table is calm, because Zoey also draws an encounter card and Jim's Ward of Protection cannot cancel hers. The Taboo list limits the group to 2 copies in the victory display, which does not matter with a single copy.

In summary, the rest of the cards cover economy, protection and consistency, while the core cards find the clues:

• 2 x Forbidden Knowledge
• 2 x Emergency Cache
• 2 x Flashlight
• 1 x Painkillers
• 1 x Alyssa Graham
• 1 x Dr. Milan Christopher
• 1 x Ward of Protection
• 1 x Delve Too Deep
• 2 x Fearless
• 1 x Unexpected Courage
• 1 x Perception

A total of 15 (these ones) + 15 (core) = 30.

Here is a summary of the whole deck by function, not counting Jim's Trumpet:

Each card counts once, in its main role, and the percentages are rounded to one decimal, so the column can add 100.1. Clue finding in the rest is the two Flashlight. Survival in the rest includes Painkillers, Ward of Protection and the two Fearless, which also support tests. Economy is the two Emergency Cache, the two Forbidden Knowledge and Dr. Milan Christopher. Test support in the rest is Unexpected Courage and Perception, and the two others are Alyssa Graham and Delve Too Deep.

Useful cards

This section highlights cards that are not part of the default configuration, but that can be good replacements depending on what you want to strengthen in your own deck. For each one I suggest which card to cut. Keep in mind that Jim can use up to five off-class level 0 cards, and the default list already uses all five, so every off-class option replaces Dr. Milan Christopher, the only off-class card that is not part of the core.

If you want more clues. Jim carries the weight of the investigations, so this is the block that matters most, and most of it comes from other classes. Deduction is a skill that discovers 1 additional clue if the investigation is successful. Its icon is , so it can only be committed to investigations that use , the normal ones and the Flashlight, and not to Rite of Seeking tests, which use . "Look what I found!" is a fast event that discovers 2 clues after you fail an investigation by 2 or less, so it turns a near miss into a good turn. Art Student is a cheap ally that discovers a clue when it enters play, and it takes the same slot as the doctor. If you want an unlimited bonus, Magnifying Glass gives +1 while investigating, but it competes with the Flashlight for the hand slot, and it does not help Rite, which uses . Inquiring Mind has and can only be committed when there is a clue at your location, which is exactly when Jim investigates, and icons also count in Rite of Seeking tests. Hyperawareness does for the normal investigation what Arcane Studies does for the spells: 1 resource for +1 , as a fast action. Old Book of Lore is a Tome that lets an investigator at your location search the top 3 cards of the deck and draw one, so it helps to find Rite of Seeking, but it competes with the Flashlight for the hand slot. The only Mystic option is Arcane Initiate, a cheap ally that searches the top 3 cards of the deck for a spell, which for Jim means Rite. It enters play with 1 doom that the deck cannot remove, and it adds only a few points to the chance of finding Rite, so it is the weakest of the group.

• 1 x Dr. Milan Christopher -> 1 x Deduction
• 1 x Dr. Milan Christopher -> 1 x "Look what I found!"
• 1 x Dr. Milan Christopher -> 1 x Art Student
• 1 x Dr. Milan Christopher -> 1 x Inquiring Mind
• 1 x Dr. Milan Christopher -> 1 x Hyperawareness
• 1 x Flashlight -> 1 x Magnifying Glass
• 1 x Flashlight -> 1 x Old Book of Lore
• 1 x Unexpected Courage -> 1 x Arcane Initiate

If you want more actions. An extra action is one more investigation per turn, which is what the deck wants. Leo De Luca gives you an additional action every turn, but he costs 6, so he is a late-game card, and his upgraded version cannot be used because Jim only takes level 0 cards from other classes.

• 1 x Dr. Milan Christopher -> 1 x Leo De Luca

If you want more protection. Jim's health and sanity are balanced, 7 and 8, but the deck is tilted toward horror: it spends horror as a resource (Forbidden Knowledge, Painkillers and Ward of Protection) and heals it in many ways (the Trumpet, Fearless and Holy Rosary), while damage is only healed by Painkillers, at the cost of horror. First Aid is a Guardian item that heals 1 damage or 1 horror per supply, with no cost to health or sanity, as an action, and it has 3 supplies. It takes the off-class slot of the doctor. Hypnotic Gaze is a fast Mystic event that cancels an attack against any investigator at your location, and deals the enemy's damage to itself if a bad symbol is revealed afterwards. A second Ward of Protection covers one more treachery, at the cost of another horror. And Leather Coat is a body item with 2 health that soaks damage, but it comes from another class.

• 1 x Dr. Milan Christopher -> 1 x First Aid
• 1 x Unexpected Courage -> 1 x Hypnotic Gaze
• 1 x Unexpected Courage -> 1 x Ward of Protection
• 1 x Dr. Milan Christopher -> 1 x Leather Coat

If you want to help your partner more. Teamwork lets the investigators at the same location give or trade items, allies and resources, which allows Zoey to pass her surplus resources to Jim, the one who generates the fewest.

• 1 x Dr. Milan Christopher -> 1 x Teamwork

If you play on Hard or Expert. Jim's tokens are worth 0, which is worth much more when the chaos bag is full of high negative modifiers, and two cards that the deck leaves out use that. Defiance has and lets you ignore the effects of a symbol of your choice, including its modifier. Ritual Candles give +1 skill value after a symbol is revealed in your test, and with the Taboo list they work with any symbol.

• 1 x Perception -> 1 x Defiance
• 1 x Flashlight -> 1 x Ritual Candles

These substitutions do not change the core of the deck, but they allow you to tune it according to your partner, the difficulty and your campaign.

Upgrades with XP

This deck is meant to be played through a campaign, so it is going to grow. Jim can only use level 0 cards from other classes, which means that every upgrade has to be Mystic or neutral. Below are the ones I would spend experience on, and at the end of the section there is a table with the recommended order of purchase and the card that each upgrade replaces. The number in brackets after a card is its level.

The first priority is the clues, because that is the weakest point of the pair. Rite of Seeking (2) costs 2 XP and gives +2 to the investigation, which makes the engine much more reliable. Rite of Seeking (4) is the big one: it costs 5 and has 3 charges as well, but it discovers 2 additional clues instead of 1, so a full Rite can give up to 9 clues. Upgrading a card only costs the difference with the one you replace, so you can buy the level 4 version directly for 4 XP, but going through the level 2 version costs the same in total and gives you the benefit sooner.

The economy comes next. Rite of Seeking (4) costs 5, and Emergency Cache (2) gives 3 resources and draws 1 card for 2 XP, so it also keeps the hand moving. Charisma is a permanent card: it starts the game in play, does not count toward the 30 cards and gives Jim a second ally slot, so Dr. Milan Christopher and Alyssa Graham can be in play together.

After that come the cards that protect. Fearless (2) has and heals 1 horror if the test is successful, or 2 if it succeeds by 2 or more. Blinding Light (2) costs 1 instead of 2 and deals 2 damage to the enemy if the evasion works, which also makes it a way of finishing weak enemies.

Finally, the upgrade that is most Jim's own is Grotesque Statue, which costs 4 XP. When Jim would reveal a chaos token, he spends a charge to reveal two and choose one, and since his tokens are worth 0, he is very likely to keep a good one. It takes a hand slot, so in practice it replaces the Flashlight. It is a luxury, and I would buy it only after the clues and the economy are covered.

As a recommended order of purchase, with the experience spent so far in the last column (a dash in the first column means that the card is permanent and replaces nothing), I would start with the clues, then the economy, then the protection:

Every upgrade replaces its level 0 version one for one, except Charisma, which is permanent and takes no slot. Each Rite of Seeking (4) is reached through level 2, so the table shows two steps of 2 XP for each copy, which add up to the 4 XP of the final card. If your games are short on clues, move the second Rite of Seeking (4) up; and if horror is what hurts you, move the two Fearless (2) up.

Gameplay

The mulligan. The goal of the opening hand is a source of clues, and the deck has eight: the two Rite of Seeking, the two Working a Hunch, the two Drawn to the Flame and the two Flashlight. With a full mulligan you will see at least one of them in about 96% of the games. You do not need Rite in the opening hand: without counting it you still see another source in about 91% of the games, and those cards are cheaper, which matters because Rite costs 4 and you start with 5 resources. Keep the cheap ones first, Drawn to the Flame (0) and then Working a Hunch or the Flashlight (2). If you have Rite, the cards that go best with it are Jim's Trumpet, Arcane Studies and Emergency Cache, but do not mulligan good clue cards looking for them: Rite and the Trumpet together are in your hand in only about 15% of the games even after a full mulligan, and the three of them in about 7%. The cards you should be happy to get rid of are the allies, which cost 4, Ward of Protection and the skills: you will need them later, but they do not help you start.

Turn order. Whenever there are enemies at your location, Zoey goes first: she engages them, gains her resources and fights, and Jim takes his turn afterwards with the way free. If there are no enemies, the order does not matter and both can investigate. Jim should not stray more than one move from her: his Trumpet heals horror at a connecting location, but Zoey's First Aid, Emergency Aid and Dodge only work for the investigators at her location, and Taunt only engages the enemies there.

The first turns. Do not count on a perfect opening, play what you have. With Rite, play it first: it costs 4, so it fits in your 5 starting resources but leaves you with 1, and the other two actions can go to Drawn to the Flame (0), if the location is calm, or to taking a resource. If you also have Emergency Cache, the best opening is the cache, then Rite and then the Trumpet (2), which leaves you with 2 resources. Without Rite, the cheap clue cards carry the first turns and fit in the 5 resources: Drawn to the Flame costs 0, Working a Hunch costs 2 and is fast, and the Flashlight costs 2, so the three of them in the same turn are 4 resources. The Trumpet is not urgent until the first horror, so play it when you have 2 spare resources. In any case the first turns will be slower than Zoey's, because these cards give 1 or 2 clues once instead of staying in play, but Jim does not get stuck, and from the second turn on Rite is ready and has 3 charges. Both copies of Rite fit at the same time, because Jim has two arcane slots and the deck has no other spell asset.

A normal turn. Jim plays in this order. First the fast cards that only work during his turn, such as Working a Hunch, and the economy: Emergency Cache and Forbidden Knowledge. Then investigate as many times as the location allows. A turn with three investigations is normal when the way is free: the Flashlight, which takes 2 off the shroud of the location, the normal action if the location is easy, and Rite of Seeking at the end. With Dr. Milan Christopher in play, a success gives 1 resource, and with the Taboo list he has to exhaust to do it, so only the first success of the round pays. And last, Rite of Seeking: if a , , , or symbol shows up, he loses his remaining actions, and by then he has none. Arcane Studies has to be spent before the chaos token is revealed, so decide how many resources to put in before drawing. Jim may also treat an as a , which heals 1 horror with the Trumpet: do it when you do not need the +1, and never in a Rite test that is not your last action.

Resources, allies and protection. Dr. Milan Christopher is the ally for the early game, because of the economy. Alyssa Graham comes later, when you want to shield Jim against horror and look at what is coming. Only one ally can be in play, so swap them when the situation changes. Alyssa's doom option should be used only against a really bad card, since the deck cannot remove doom. Ward of Protection only works for the treacheries that Jim draws himself, so keep it in hand and remember that it costs 1 horror. Drawn to the Flame and Delve Too Deep make you draw encounter cards, so play them when the location is calm and Zoey has already taken care of the enemies.

Horror and damage. Jim's health and sanity are close, 7 and 8, so watch both. The deck spends horror as a resource and gives him many ways of getting rid of it: Forbidden Knowledge turns horror into resources, and the Trumpet, Fearless and Holy Rosary heal or absorb it. Painkillers trades 1 horror for 1 damage, and Zoey's First Aid heals both when they are together. Keep a sanity buffer for Final Rhapsody, his weakness: it reveals 5 chaos tokens, and every and deals 1 damage and 1 horror.

When Jim is alone with an enemy. He does not fight. Blinding Light evades with , and if a bad symbol shows up he loses 1 action. Elusive is fast and only works during his turn: it disengages him from every enemy and moves him to a connecting location with no enemies, with no test. Then Zoey comes back and Taunt brings the enemy to her, so she gets her resource and the problem is hers again.

The late game. A Rite with no charges stays in play without doing anything, so replace it with the second copy when it is empty. From then on Jim relies more on the clues without a test and on the Flashlight, and the Trumpet and the Rosary keep his sanity in check while Zoey holds the line.

Final notes

Do not try to make Jim do everything. His strength in this pair is that he knows what his job is: to find the clues while his partner keeps the enemies busy. He is not a fighter and the deck has no weapons, so when something gets on top of him, the answer is to leave and let Zoey come back for it, not to stay and trade blows.

Stay close to your partner. Zoey's healing and her protection only work for the investigators at her location, and being next to her is what lets Jim investigate with the way free. Separate only when there are no enemies around and the clues are far apart, and even then do not stray more than one move away, because the Jim's Trumpet heals horror at a connecting location but not further.

Play Rite of Seeking last. It is the strongest card of the deck, and its only cost is that a bad symbol ends your turn, so make sure that the turn is already over when it happens. The same goes for turning an into a : do it when you do not need the +1, and never in a Rite test that is not your last action.

Watch the resources. This is an expensive deck, with several cards that cost 4, and Jim does not generate many resources, so do not skimp on Emergency Cache and Forbidden Knowledge in the first turns. The horror that Forbidden Knowledge costs is cheap, because the Trumpet, Fearless and Holy Rosary take care of it, but keep a sanity buffer for Final Rhapsody, his weakness.

Use the escapes early, not late. Blinding Light and Elusive are there to leave a fight, and it is better to use them when the enemy is engaged than when you are one point away from being defeated. Remember that Elusive only works during your turn, and that with the Taboo list it only moves you to a connecting location with no enemies.

Finally, the first upgrades are the ones I would look at after your first games: Rite of Seeking (2) and then the level 4 version, if you find yourself short of clues. If you are short of resources or the clues come too slowly, the copies of Forbidden Knowledge, Ward of Protection and Delve Too Deep are where I would look first. As long as each turn finds a clue or keeps the pair safe, the deck will do what it was built to do: let the brawler brawl while the brain does the rest.

If you want to see the other half of the pair, here is Zoey's deck: The Brawler and the Brain: Zoey Samaras (2-player, Core + Dunwich).

Summary of cards

If your intention is to have this deck ready, you only need The Revised Core Set and The Dunwich Legacy Investigator Expansion. In addition to the 30 cards of the deck, Jim requires Jim's Trumpet, Final Rhapsody and 1 random basic weakness. This guide uses the List of Taboos.

Deck (30 cards):

Asset

• 2 x Rite of Seeking
• 2 x Arcane Studies
• 1 x Holy Rosary
• 2 x Forbidden Knowledge
• 2 x Flashlight
• 1 x Painkillers
• 1 x Alyssa Graham
• 1 x Dr. Milan Christopher

Event

• 2 x Working a Hunch
• 2 x Drawn to the Flame
• 2 x Emergency Cache
• 1 x Ward of Protection
• 2 x Blinding Light
• 2 x Elusive
• 1 x Delve Too Deep

Skill

• 2 x Guts
• 2 x Fearless
• 1 x Unexpected Courage
• 1 x Perception

Off-class slots: 5 of 5 used (2 x Working a Hunch, 2 x Elusive, 1 x Dr. Milan Christopher).

Cards mentioned as alternatives:

Ally

• Art Student
• Leo De Luca
• Arcane Initiate

Asset

• Magnifying Glass
• Hyperawareness
• Old Book of Lore
• First Aid
• Leather Coat
• Ritual Candles

Event

• "Look what I found!"
• Hypnotic Gaze
• Teamwork

Skill

• Deduction
• Inquiring Mind
• Defiance

Upgrades with XP:

Asset

• Rite of Seeking (2) (2 XP)
• Rite of Seeking (4) (4 XP)
• Charisma (3 XP)
• Grotesque Statue (4 XP)

Event

• Emergency Cache (2) (2 XP)
• Blinding Light (2) (2 XP)

Skill

• Fearless (2) (2 XP)