Stone of Golorr: Transformed Aboleth (16 AIW) Question

[weapono]

An interesting build was brought to the table this past weekend and I wanted to make sure we'd ruled it correctly.
It involved buffing sidekicks and then using Stone of Golorr: Transformed Aboleth from the Adventures in Waterdeep Team Pack to make them unblockable.

Stone of Golorr: Transformed Aboleth reads,
Draw a die from your bag. Character dice matching that die cannot be blocked this turn. Place the die in your Used Pile.
**Instead, Prep it.

I think we ruled this correctly, but because of some lingering uncertainty regarding the distinction between types of unrolled dice (character, sidekick & action), we weren't 100% certain if that would have any effect on dice in their rolled state in the field. Our interpretation was the sidekicks in the field were on their character face and therefore "character dice" for the purposes of this ability.

Bottom line, if I roll Stone of Golorr: Transformed Aboleth on an action face, use it, and draw a sidekick from my bag. Are my sidekicks in the field unblockable?

Go raibh míle maith agaibh! (Thank you!)

[dmrulesteam]

No, your fielded Sidekicks would not be unblockable.

The die drawn is in an unrolled state. When a Sidekick die is in an unrolled state, it is just a Sidekick die. For that die to become a Sidekick Character die, it must be rolled and/or in the applicable play area (Reserve Pool or Field Zone). Because the drawn Sidekick die has no “character die” status, which would initiate Stone of Golorr’s ability, this ability could not be fully resolved. The drawn Sidekick die would still be placed into the Used Pile or Prep Area (as applicable).

Therefore, a Sidekick die drawn by Stone of Golorr’s ability would not affect any Sidekick Character dice in the Field Zone.

Rule 1.6.2: Dice that are in your bag, Prep Area or Used Pile are unrolled dice. Dice located in the Reserve Pool or Field Zone (which includes the Attack Zone) are rolled dice.

Rule 1.6.3: When Action, Character or Sidekick dice are in an unrolled game state, they are their applicable dice type and have no facial distinction.

Rule 1.6.4: When Action, Character or Sidekick dice are in a rolled game state, they function based on their facial distinction. This distinction is called the die’s status.

[jackalopespam]

The Stone of Golorr action is only referencing the fielded dice as character dice. The die pulled from the is referenced as "matching that die" with no distinction to its type.

So wouldn't "that die" being a sidekick die, still have matching characters in the field?

[m4sterp]

The text on Stone of Golorr is very close to some of the text regarding Swarm in the comprehensive rulebook:

Swarm: While a Character die with Swarm is active, and you draw another copy of that die from your bag
during your Clear and Draw Step, draw an extra die from your bag and add it to your Roll and Reroll.
(1) Swarm may trigger multiple times if multiple copies of dice with Swarm are drawn.
(2) If Swarm is triggered and there are no dice left in your bag to pull, or in the Used Pile to refill your bag,
you would not lose one Life and gain one virtual generic energy for being unable to pull those dice.
(3) All events related to the act of drawing dice during the Clear and Draw Step (this includes Swarm) occur
simultaneously for the purposes of the game.
(4) You only draw one die no matter how many copies of a Character die with Swarm are active.
(5) Swarm checks that the Character die you've drawn matches the active die with Swarm.

We know that Sidekicks can have Swarm through Darkseid: Force of Entropy:

While Darkseid is active, your Sidekicks gain Swarm.

If Sidekicks can meet the conditions for Swarm, the definition for which uses the same wording as Stone of Golorr, why can't they meet the conditions for Stone of Golorr?

[dmrulesteam]

It is inferred that “character dice matching that character die cannot be blocked this turn”. The answer to the previous question omitted this detailed inference.

Per the previously cited rules, a drawn Sidekick die is not a character die until it is rolled and/or placed into the applicable play area on its character face.

[dmrulesteam]

Darkseid’s ability grants a keyword effect to a Sidekick die, which normally they would not have. Therefore, while Darkseid is active, Sidekicks can resolve the effect of Swarm when they normally could not.

Since Darkseid’s ability specifically names Sidekicks, we can derive that Sidekick dice are not covered in the Rule Book text for the application of Swarm, else Darkseid’s ability would be redundant. Also, in point (5) of Swarm’s definition it specifically states, “the character die you’ve drawn”. By the previously cited rules, a drawn Sidekick die is not a Sidekick Character die until it is rolled and/or placed into the applicable play area on its character face.