Words of Power and Terror

[Thorsten the Traveller]

Words of Power and Terror:

Modify the prowess of all characters in a company attacked by a Nazgûl by -1 until the end of the turn.

This card has no playability conditions, is it played on a company? can be be played for no effect, i.e. if the company has not faced a Nazgûl attack (yet)?

[Bandobras Took]

Modify the prowess of all characters in a company attacked by a Nazgul by -1 until the end of the turn. Cannot be duplicated on a given company.

It is played on the company, as evidenced by the second sentence. You can play it on the company if it will potentially face a Nazgûl attack at any point before the end of the turn.

[Konrad Klar]

When a company cannot potentially face a Nazgûl attack at any point before the end of the turn?

[Bandobras Took]

A hero company staying at the Grey Havens? I don't think there's any possible way to face a Nazgûl attack there.

Then again, River gets to be played on a non-moving company's site regardless of whether there's actually any mechanical way in-game for a company to move there, so . . .

[Thorsten the Traveller]

Ok thanks, still seems a lot of deduction rather, but if that's how it works, then ok.

[Konrad Klar]

I do not think that a company that will face a Nazgûl attack after resolution of Words of Power and Terror (but was not facing Nazgûl attack at resolution of the card) will be affected in any way other than by effect "Cannot be duplicated on a given company".
Similarly the Lost in Free-Domains may be played on company that is not moving through , but if at resolution of Lost in Free-Domains the company will not have in its path, then the card will not have any effect.

Playable on a company that is moving this turn. If the company has a Free-domain [f] in its site path, it may do nothing during its site phase. It seemed a long way, and he grew hot and very hungry; and night closed down swift and dark.-LotRV

P.S.
Playable on a company that is moving this turn.
I have no respect for this wording. this turn would have any meaning if mutiple turn would be proceeded simultaneously, where in one turn the company may be moving and in other turn may be not moving. Otherwise checking whether current situation fulfill conditions this turn does not make a sense.

[Bandobras Took]

Words of Power and Terror indicates a definite duration (until the end of the turn). I read this as applying both to the effect and the circumstances it is checking for, but it could go either way.

[Konrad Klar]

Compare it to Potion of Prowess.
What if after discarding the card for effect a new character will join the company in the same turn? Will he receive +1 to prowess?
Then compare it to Wraith-Lord, or Greed.
Text of Wraith-Lord specifies both time after resolution of the card in which its effects will be applied and time in which results of some of them will expire. Text of Greed specifies only time after resolution of the card in which its effects will be applied (due their nature a results of cc - elimination/discarding/tapping/nothing - do not expire).

Modify the prowesses of all characters in a company attacked by a Nazgûl by -1 until the end of turn. Can not be duplicated on a given company. 'Then the Black Captain rose...and cried aloud...words of power and terror to rend both heart and stone.'-LotRV

Discard to give +1 prowess to all characters in bearer's company until end of turn. Uglúk thrust a flask between his teeth and poured some burning liquid down his throat: he felt a hot fierce glow flow through him. The pain in his legs and ankles vanished.-LotRIII

Playable on a site. Until the end of the turn, each non-Hobbit, non-Wizard character at the site must make a corruption check each time an item is played at the site. The character playing an item need not make a corruption check. When a character makes one of these corruption checks, it is modified by subtracting the corruption points that the item would normally give the character if he controlled the item. Cannot be duplicated on a given site.

Playable on a moving character with two Dark-domains [d] in its site path. Each Nazgûl that attacks target company this turn receives +2 prowess and lowers the body of any characters it wounds by one (for the rest of the turn). Each Nazgûl so played does not count against the hazard limit. Cannot be duplicated on a given turn. This way and that turned the dark head helmed and crowned with fear, sweeping shadows with its unseen eyes.-LotRIV

All underlines mine.

[Thorsten the Traveller]

So what's the verdict, can one play Words of Power before the company faces the Nazgul?

[Konrad Klar]

So what's the verdict, can one play Words of Power before the company faces the Nazgul?

Go ask some judge .

I do not think that a company that will face a Nazgûl attack after resolution of Words of Power and Terror (but was not facing Nazgûl attack at resolution of the card) will be affected in any way other than by effect "Cannot be duplicated on a given company".

This means: if company does not face a Nazgûl attack, Words of Power and Terror may be played although for almost nothing ("Cannot be duplicated on a given company" is still some effect).

It is not possible for player to declare an action that create immediately faced attack, so situation where at declaration of Words of Power and Terror a company does not face a Nazgûl attack but at resolution it does face a Nazgûl attack, is not possible with current card set.
(hypothetical effect that would change a type of attack, from some other type to Nazgûl attack, would make it possible).