For 1xp, I think this is a underrated pick for a lot of investigators. It's versatile in both things you want to be doing with a hand slot, fighting & investigating. It's main benefit is that it's cheap, fast , and gives a +1 bonus each round. It's a great stepping stone to get to Ice Pick (3) a top tier item.

It's a mix between Magnifying Glass & Boxing Gloves, but is severely hurt by the fact that it's exhausted when used, so you only get the +1 bonus once per round. In a lot of ways it's similar to Ritual Candles which want to be paired with a dedicated Fight or Investigate ability like Fingerprint Kit or .45 Automatic. I personally like to pair it with Hyperphysical Shotcaster which can both investigate & fight!

While Ice Pick is limited to a single use per turn, which looks bad on paper, I was pleasantly surprised at how many times I only needed it for that one action as I was moving or playing cards with my other actions.

While this card wasn't part of my initial "upgrade plan" for my Zoey deck, I like it a lot to get a Fast shot with her .45 Thompson (3) which also pays for this card. Guardians don't get a whole lot of additional actions, so it's nice to see them for the things they want to do anyway (i.e. murdering stuff)!

Along with the previously mentioned Sleight of Hand, the two new cards from The Feast of Hemlock Vale: Task Force & Hand-Eye Coordination both give free uses without paying any cost of the Hyperphysical Shotcaster.

This card was clearly made with Kate Winthrop in mind:

• Science trait, so Kate can move a clue to it.
• Allows Kate to hold an extra Tool asset which she can also move a clue to.
• Deals damage, which plays into Kate filling a flex role.

Other seekers won't usually care about dealing damage and may not have the card slots to control how much they succeed by. Kate will usually be running other Science cards that also require succeeding by a certain amount, such as Chemistry Set and Empirical Hypothesis. This adds value to cards like Analysis and Steady-Handed that she would likely already be running.

Cards that provide free investigations like Eon Chart or Testing Sprint will up the odds of triggering it. What's more, the damage dealt can even hit Elite enemies, which is notable since it doesn't require making an attack against a boss enemy that may have Retaliate, high fight value, or some nasty effect.

An AI-generated ode to Daisy's bane, The Necronomicon:

[Verse]
In a quiet room
Where shadows creep
A librarian's solitude
Forever to keep
She stumbled upon an ancient lore
Bound in leather
A book evermore

[Verse 2]
With trembling hands
She touched its spine
Unaware of the secrets
Within confined
Whispers of darkness
Seducing her soul
A chilling sensation
Starting to unfold

[Chorus]
Whispers of darkness
Calling her name
Lost in the pages of a sinister game
The librarian tainted by the book's cruel touch
A haunting melody
She can't escape its clutch

Hear the song here: suno.com