Brokk wrote:
When taking Mental Damage the rune goes from hand/play to essence first, correct?
yes. The attacker chooses a pile, but the defender gets to pick the runes. Contingency is also an option there. They go directly into essence (they do not count In-play->Contingency->In-Hand).
Brokk wrote:
If you take 3 Mental damage do you take that one rune from play and count essence-stun-wound, put 3 runes from play into essence or put one rune from play to essence and then draw from essence to move it into stun-wounds.
3 runes move from the chosen pile into essence. If you don't have 3 runes in the chosen pile, or if you have more damage to apply, the remainder are pulled from essence and move down the wound track.
Brokk wrote:
When amplifying stances you only modify the ability effect not your stats after the effect, why is this different for attacks/blocks?
I'm not sure I agree with your premise, or I don't understand it. Can you give an example, and perhaps how you came to this conclusion?
My guess, if I am understanding correctly, is that you add the effect of the stance after the amplify because it can already be amplified, thus getting a double amplify on it. Also, it is, in effect, a different active power - the runes that it has don't necessarily apply to the other power, only to the Sources within that power.