Ability

Abilities are special powers or effects that a Nightbanes card can have. Active abilities are found on all card types, passive abilities only on creatures, armors and weapons. Many abilities can be classified as either increasing damage or defense of your monsters, others can have completely different effects.  For a list of all abilities, click here! 

Ability Activation
Abilities are either Active or Passive. Active abilities on creatures, armors and weapons will only activate if the creature has a full bloodlust counter, passive abilities also activate when the creature is inactive. Active abilities don't always activate. Many abilities only have a chance to activate (as stated in the card text) or are activated only once, on Entering Play or Leaving Play. Sometimes abilities have special prerequisites that have to be met to be activated. Prerequisites can be that another card has to be in play (like with the Skeleton Warrior). Passive abilities usually activate either when the creature attacks, or is attacked.

Ability Types
There are some abilities which exist in different variations.

Damage and Damage Reduction Abilities
Curse, Toughness, Enrage, Inflict Damage and Periodic Damage exist for all Damage Schools. Curse, Toughness and Enrage additionally exist without school, instead with Attack Damage only. There are also healing Abilities for creatures, as well as Recuperation, which heals the Vampire Lord.

Summoning Abilities
There are many abilities that summon different creatures to the field. These work as either "Call >Creature Race<" in which case a random creature from the specified race is played from your deck, or as "Summon >Creature Ability<" in which case the specified creature is summoned. There are also abilities that 'summon' other cards, which are Supply, Saddle Up and Curator.

Artifact Abilities
There are several abilities that are about destroying or repairing artifacts. These are Decompose, Avalanche, Earthquake and Preserve.

Movement Abilities
Abilities that are concerned with creatures switching positions are Retreat, Advance and Juxtapose.

Ability Abilities
Some Abilities only deal with other Abilities, nullifying them or reflecting them to their caster; Evade, Reflect, Brothers in Arms.

Ability Levels
Most Damage and Damage Reduction Abilities exist in different levels of strength, with different amounts of damage dealt or reduced.

Activation time
Abilities can activate at different times during your or your enemies turn.

Own Turn
Most abilities activate during the card's own turn, if nothing else is specified in the ability's text, it means this is the case.

On Attack
Some abilities like Execute or Lifeleech activate when a creature attacks, or after dealing attack damage.

After being attacked
Some abilities activate after a Creature is attacked. Some of abilities activate even if the creature is killed by the attack, like Backlash.

On Entering Play
Abilities can activate upon entering play (Creatures, Weapons&Armors, Mounts). This is the first thing that happens in your turn. Note that abilities that usually require a full Bloodlust Counter will also trigger the turn the creature is played.

On Leaving play
Abilities can activate upon leaving play (Creatures, Weapons&Armors, Mounts). These abilities activate as soon as the card is taken out of play. Note that abilities that require a full Bloodlust Counter will NOT trigger if the creature is killed before it fills it's Counter.

Ability Targets
Abilities have different kinds of Targets, depending on the ability text. Some abilities only target a certain race of enemies, which will be written in the text.

One
If the text says "an" or "one" enemy or ally, the target will be any enemy or ally creature.

Opposing
If the text says "an opposing enemy", the target will always be the opposing creature, if there is no opposing creature, the ability will not activate.

All
If the text says "all" enemies or allies, the target will be all creatures the opponent or you have in play.

Self
If the text says "this creature" the target will be the creature itself.