Chamber of Secrets FAQ

General Rules

Q: There are a few cards that say, "When you play this card, draw a card." Do I have to draw the card even if I don't want to?
A: Yes.

Q: What if the card makes me count something and then says, "You may draw that many cards." Can I choose to draw some number less than the number I counted?
A: No. You have to either draw exactly that many cards or no cards at all.

Q: What if a card makes both my opponent and me either draw cards or take damage, and we both don't have enough cards left in our decks?
A: Do what the card says in order. If it tells you to draw the cards or take the damage first, then you lose the game before your opponent gets his or her chance. If the card tells your opponent to do it first, then he or she loses.

Q: There are many cards that make me return Lesson cards to my hand. Do Character or Item cards that provide Power count as Lessons?
A: No. Only actual Lesson cards count as Lessons.

Passwords

Q: How do I play one of the Password cards?
A: Pick the card you are playing, and then put it face down on the table. Ask your opponent to guess Pure-Blood, Sherbet Lemon, or Wattlebird. After he or she guesses, show him or her the card and follow the instructions.

Individual Cards

Q: Angelina Johnson says, "Before each of your turns, if there is a Match in play, you get 1 more Action that turn." What if I win the match before I take any Actions? Do I still get the extra Action?
A: Yes. The first thing you do on your turn is figure out how many Actions you'll get that turn. Once that is determined, only effects that specifically say they either add or subtract Actions will change that number.

Q: Arthur Weasley says, "Once per turn, you may use an Action to choose 1 of your Items in play and do damage to your opponent equal to its printed Power cost." What if I also have Dumbledore's Office (all Item cards need 3 less Power to play) in play?
A: You do damage equal to the number that is actually printed on the Item card.

Q: The Burrow says, "Before each player's turn, if that player has fewer than 4 cards in his or her hand, that player draws cards until he or she has 4." What if I have fewer than 4 cards in hand and another card in play that lets me draw a card before my turn?
A: If there are multiple cards that tell you to do something at the same time, the person whose turn it is picks which order to do them in. If you choose to use The Burrow first and then draw the extra card, you will end up with 5 or more cards in hand. If you choose to use the extra card draw first and then use The Burrow, you'll end up with 4.

Q: What does Hermione, Potion Maker do?
A: She lets you play 2 Lessons of different types for only 1 Action. For example, you can play 1 Potions Lesson and 1 Charms Lesson at the same time. If you have only 1 type of Lesson in your hand (for instance, only Potions), you can't use her ability.

Q: The Effect on Lockhart's Lecture is "Whenever you use an Action to play a Spell, your opponent says, 'Brilliant!' If your opponent forgets, he or she takes 3 damage at the end of the turn." How long do I have to wait for my opponent to say, "Brilliant?"
A: You need to give your opponent a reasonable amount of time to say it. If you go too fast, he or she can tell you to wait.

Q: When do I need to point out that my opponent forgot? Right away or at the end of the turn?
A: You don't need to point out he or she forgot until the end of the turn.

Q: What if I play 2 Spells in 1 turn and my opponent forgets both times?
A: Your opponent will take only 3 damage no matter how many times he or she forgot in 1 turn.

Q: Molly Weasley lets me search my deck for "a Character card for a Weasley character." Which Character cards count?
A: Here is the current list of Character cards for Weasley characters (listed by set):
Base Set: Ron Weasley
Quidditch Cup: Fred & George Weasley
Adventures at Hogwarts: Ron the Brave
Chamber of Secrets: Arthur Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Molly Weasley, Percy Weasley, Ron, Youngest Brother, and The Weasley Twins

Q: Percy Weasley says, "At the end of each of your opponent's turns, if he or she played a non-Lesson card that turn, he or she takes 1 damage." What if my opponent played 2 non-Lesson cards?
A: Your opponent takes only 1 damage no matter how many non-Lesson cards he or she played in one turn.

Q: Potions Test and Potions Project both do damage to my opponent until he or she discards a certain number of Lessons from his or her deck. Do those Lessons have to be discarded in a row?
A: No.

For more answers to card questions, check out the FAQs for previous sets:

Online Rulebook | Playing the TCG FAQ | Quidditch Cup FAQ
Quidditch Cup Rules | Diagon Alley FAQ | Diagon Alley Rules