Im really trying to like Sectarus, but its too gimmicky for my tastes and lacks versatility. Ive been hoping for a dark familiar..but I still don't see my Warlock running this.
-Its outright dissolvable, limiting its reliability
-MUST spend an action to attack to use the spell, so its not a "free" action..just budget neutral.
-MUST hit with the attack to use the spell. Defense, Daze, and Block all can waste your preparation
-MUST damage target to use spell.. Armor or just unlucky rolls prevent you from using your familiar
-Can ONLY cast spell on the target of your attack. Can't pressure mage and debuff his creatures at the same time, and meaning Guards can prevent you from casting what you need when you need.
-Does not get its own action marker.
-Can only cast curses, unlike say Fellalia who can cast curses, buffs, blocks, decoys, traps, etc. This limits the books that have an interest to include it. Typically I only run a few key counter curses (finite life, enfeeble, agony..things to answer specific situations. not things to just spam)
-Doesn't let you use the 0-2 range of curses due to the fact that they must be in melee range to cast.
-Fellalia packs etherial damage, Huugin gets to peek under hidden enchantments... this one occupies your main hand slot where you could have equiped a vorpal sword for half the cost and double the pierce or a lash of hellfire for less mana, burn chance, reach and extra damage from a fireshaper ring.
No other familiar is so limited on its spell choices, AND its cast conditions, AND its target choices AND requires an action from the mage himself.
Its not that its bad or anything... but its too focused for me. I get that certain cards are made for certain structures, but familiar's should be a bit more open to me... they should be able to support multiple build types for a mage to consider. This one only appeals to very specific curse-driven, melee combat books.
