Strategic Menace Gain

Fallen London
1

I’m a Shepard of Souls, and one the perks is a special card that grants a full menace wipe (not free mind you, but at a good price). It’s a good way to manage menaces, but I’ve been thinking I could get more bang out of it. I usually pop the action when one menace is getting out of hand, but wouldn’t it be better if I was suffering from all four menaces at once? I’m looking for actions that grant above-the-curve benefits, but offset this with menaces. Since I’m getting a full wipe anyway, the menace offset is meaningless, and it’s all gravy.

TO BE CLEAR: I am NOT looking for ways to gain menaces for their own sake. I’m looking for ways to &quotsell&quot my &quothealth&quot (physical, legal, social, and mental) at a gain. I’m looking for actions that would make for excellent grinds if it weren’t for the menace accumulation.

So far I’ve found:

Suspicion: Forgotten Quarter -> Reaping the Academic Benefits -> A Public Lecture
Grants +15 CP each in Connected: Bohemian, Society, and Revolutionaries
Inflicts +1 CP Suspicion
This is by far the best way to get Revolutionary connections. The Bohemian and Society points are just gravy. It’s normally hard to grind because of the Suspicion, but that’s the point of this strategy!

Nightmares: Forgotten Quarter -> Seeking Curios and Secrets in the Forgotten Quarter
-Numerous actions
Standard successes here grant below average epa, but the rare successes knock the epa out of the park. My rough estimate places the total epa at around 2 epa, making this one of the best grinds in the game. The problem is that some of the actions grant Nightmares, even on success, and this badly damages the epa. Except for me, of course :)

Scandal: This is harder. If you need Making Waves, there are lots of cards that grant excellent MW in exchange for inflicting Scandal. There aren’t any good grindable ones, though. Write a Lewd Satirical Song About the Grand Hunt of Devils comes close, but the cost in connections is too high for my taste.

If you aren’t interested in accumulating Making Waves, it gets harder. I guess I could just go the MW route anyway, and then package up the excess as Nights on the Town, but this costs over 10 echoes a pop and I don’t want to do this without a specific need.

Wounds: I haven’t found anything yet. There’s the Devil-Urchin conflict card, which is actually pretty good, and inflicts +3 CP Wounds if you favor the Urchins (which I always do) but I’d like a speedier way to sell my health.

EDIT: Actually, I do know a way to sell my health. In fact, it’s the way I got wounded in the first place. The Goat Demon grind gives you crazy epa, buts inflicts equally crazy wounds. The only problem is that I will eventually get locked out of this. Here’s hoping that the devs add better The Hunt is On sources when the Labyrinth gets expanded.
edited by Julian Standish on 9/30/2016

2

Yep, the Labyrinth of Tigers and Goat Demon grind is close to 2 EPA balanced by wounds. As long as you don’t progress Making Progress in the Labyrinth of Tigers you’ll retain access. I doubt the devs will added “better” sources for The Hunt is On, given the current “best” option is so good because of the monetary gain on the side rather than being notably faster.

In the unlikely event you have the Knife-and-Candle lodgings, the card has a high dangerous check for two Mourning Candles on success and Wounds on failure.

Shaking hands with Rubbery Men for favours gives a chunk of Scandal.

3

Julian, had the same question myself and, after checking every Wiki page regarding beneficial actions that inflict menaces, those mentioned are the only good ones.
When I have extra AP, high menaces and card in hand I got for FQ for Connections up to almost 9 thanks to the suit that reduces Suspicion by one. Other than one, a Rather Decadent Evening is good with scandal for MW (equip bonnet, unequip, equip it back with leggings and you have 3 scandal for free), wounds for Goad Demon and Nightmares from Dream cards.
If you have the Velocipede Fate story, depending on your decision, you may get a 2.5 E card which inflicts Suspicion and, I think, Scandal. I always try to keep my Nightmares above 3 for the Interpreter of Dreams as well; equip Sporing Bonnet, unequip, put it back and Light Fingers step 18 which takes me to level 3. To Nightmares I add the Widow-Urchin CC.

4

Trade in Faces unlocks repeatable storylet that gives on average ~1.9 echoes in items (along with maybe 4CP of nightmares), which can be pretty lucrative. (You do, however, lock yourself out of that storylet when you end the story.)

5

Oh, that’s good to know, thank you!
Is this option obvious or are there any requirements? If so, I would love a PM.