Hallowmas (Guide)/Historical Value

Menace Gain

Prior to the Menace-affecting items changes of the 6th of July 1899 (2023), it was possible to avoid going to menace zones even with menace levels of 8 or higher. This allowed for more infrequent menace turn-ins, and made riskier strategies involving actions giving random amounts of menaces safer. These strategies and their effectiveness are preserved below for historical interest.

Nightmares

The Pavilion of Butterflies

If you have the Moth mask and are willing to spend Bottles of Strangling Willow Absinthe, then this masque will provide an average of 4.33 menace CP/action. If you have the mask and want to more-or-less break even on absinthe, it'll average ~3.26 menace CP/action. If you don't have the mask and are willing to spend Partial Maps, Scraps of Incendiary Gossip and absinthe, it'll average 2.33 menace CP/action - worse than the non-masque Listen to the silence even at Steward of the Discordance 7.

Circumstances	Turn-in Level	Average Masque Length	SoH/action
Moth mask, willing to spend absinthe	9	13	3.21
	10	15	3.44
Moth mask, wanting to break even on absinthe	9	16	2.65
	10	19	2.75

Listen to the silence

Failing the Steward of the Discordance 9 check of Listen to the silence in the Underclay gives +5 CP. As you can freely leave and reenter the Underclay at no cost provided you don't cash out, this is a pretty good source.

Turn-in level	SotD 4 or less	SotD 5	SotD 6	SotD 7
7	3.65	3.29	2.93	2.55
8	3.64	3.27	2.90	2.51
9	4.09	3.67	3.25	2.81
10	4.16	3.73	3.29	2.84

Attend and speak of...terrible things

This option in The Shuttered Palace gives +4 CP of Nightmares and +1 CP Scandal, making it very good in years when both of those menaces may be turned in.

Turn-in level	SoH/action
7	4.24
8	4.36
9	4.24
10	4.45

Explore the woods

This option in Balmoral gives +5 CP of Nightmares and +1 Extraordinary Implication. While this is significantly more profitable than all other options (especially if upconversion and selling to Rat Market is involved), the need to travel to London for each cash-in brings the Spirit gain down. To access this you need to have both unlocked Balmoral but not yet having met the Unyielding Highlander. Since each cash out basically takes 3 actions (though providing +2 Rumour of the Upper River), achieving as high of an unmodified level as possible is significantly more important here. In case you're cashing out at level 8 or 11, putting on any item that increases Nightmares then removing it at the start each loop will save you an action (difference in efficiency noted below):

Turn-in level	SoH/action
7	3.11
8	3.27-3.6
9	3.75
10	3.92
11	3.88-4.12

How to go from 0 to 7+ Nightmares with only one action

The following process takes several card draws, but only one action. If you don't have the Starveling Cat or other needed items / qualities, there are still some neat tricks you can use.

1. Put on any item that increases Nightmares then remove it. This will increase unmodified nightmares from 0 to 1. (This works for Suspicion and Scandal also.)
2. Wait for the Grubby Kitten card and Introduce her to the Starveling Cat. One action will add 10 CP to Nightmares AND Wounds. Your are now at 4 Nightmares (+ 1 CP).
3. Put on two items that increase Nightmares. You are now at 6 modified Nightmares (required for cards in next step).
4. Assuming you have the correct level of Dreams, patiently wait for the following red-bordered cards: A dream about a calm sea, A dream about a corridor lined with brass mirrors 2, A dream about a market-place crowded with dead men 2, or A dream about a burning river 3. If you play these red-bordered cards when you have no actions, they will not use an action. Each will add 3 CP of Nightmares.
5. Continue to wait for red-bordered cards, taking off items as needed to prevent getting to 8 Nightmares, and possibly equipping items that decrease Nightmares if you have them. Cash out with Nightmares: The Fool's Judgement at 6 or 7 Nightmares (or even more, depending on how many Nightmare decreasing items you have).

How to go from 0 to 8 Nightmares with only two actions

The following process takes several card draws, but only two actions. Requires having several Nightmare-affecting items - 1 increasing and 3 decreasing.

1. Put on Nightmare-increasing item. This will increase unmodified nightmares from 0 to 1. (This works for Suspicion and Scandal also.)
2. Go to Mrs Plenty's Carnival and Gaze into Dream's Mirror in The House of Mirrors.
3. Take off Nightmare-increasing item and put on 3 Nightmare-decreasing items.
4. Draw cards until getting A friendly visage.
5. Play it and take off 2 Nightmare-decreasing items, then cash out with Nightmares: The Fool's Judgement.

So hungry

1 action for +1-20 CP Nightmares, +1 CP Wounds, -50 CP Watchful, and very rarely +1 x Night-Whisper. Requires SMEN at least as far as St Cerise's Candle, and its efficiency depends on (a) using Nightmares-reducing gear (preferably at least -2) to avoid high rolls sending you to the Mirror-Marches, (b) addressing your Watchful loss after Hallowmas ends, and (c) Wounds being available for turn-ins that year. Note that the values below are for turning in safely, i.e. turning in as soon as you reach a point where a high roll could send you to the Mirror-Marches.

Reduction	Nightmares Turn-In	SoH/action
-3 -1	9 +1 CP	8.68
-2 -1	7 +7 CP	8.23
-4	10 +3 CP	8.88
-3	9 +1 CP	8.62
-2	7 +7 CP	8.18

Suspicion

Note: Suspicion cannot be relinquished to the Fool's Apostate this year (1899 II/ 2022). This information is included in the guide for future reference.

The Wreck of the St Elmo

If you have the Crown mask and are willing to spend Volumes of Collated Research and Knobs of Scintillack, then this masque will provide an average of 5 menace CP/action. If you have the mask and are only willing to spend one of these (replacing the other with either Tales of Terror!! or Presbyterate Passphrases, respectively), it'll provide 3.67 per action; if you aren't willing to spend either, or don't have the mask, it'll provide 2.33.

Circumstances	Turn-in Level	Average Masque Length	SoH/action
Crown mask, willing to spend both research and scintillack	8	10	3.27
	9	11	3.75
Crown mask, only willing to spend one	8	12	2.77
	9	15	2.81
No mask/unwilling to spend	8	18	1.89
	9	22	1.96

Cover Identities

Failures at Develop your cover identity more deeply, Endow your cover identity with eccentricities, Make sure your cover identity has been observed in the right quarters and Credential your cover identity give +3 CP. With sufficiently low BDR and A Player of Chess, the odds of failure can reach 98-99% for the latter three, meaning that a single cover identity's development can be made to last (on average) about 1950 actions. Thus, the main inconvenience here is travelling back and forth to Balmoral rather than starting and selling the identities themselves.

Turn-in level	SoH/action
7	2.14
8	2.38
9	2.48

Scandal

Saint Dunstan's Sacristy

If you have the Demon mask and are willing to spend Touching Love Stories, then this masque will provide an average of 4.33 menace CP/action. If you have the mask and would rather spend Mourning Candles, it'll provide 3 per action. If you don't have the mask and are willing to spend Mourning Candles, it'll average 2.33 menace CP/action.

Circumstances	Turn-in Level	Average Masque Length	SoH/action
Demon mask, willing to spend love stories	7	9	2.8
Demon mask, spending mourning candles	7	12	2.15
No mask	7	14	1.87

Attend a Shrouded Soirée from the Wrong Side of the Mirror

With Glasswork 6 or below, this gives +1.8 CP on average, working out to 1.59 SoH/action.

Bottle of Black Wings Absinthe

Normally pretty worthless, this is the best time to drink it, for +5 CP / bottle, plus an additional 1 CP of Wounds.

Wounds

The Roof Below

If you have the Infant mask and Shapeling Arts 3, this will provide an average of 4.33 menace CP/action. With the mask, no Shapeling Arts 3, and a willingness to spend Unearthly Fossils, it gives 4.33 CP/action; if you'd rather spend London Street Signs it gives 3. If you don't have the mask and are willing to spend Strong-Backed Labours and London Street Signs, it gives 2.33.

Currently, to continue past Wounds level 7 you must remove your Infant mask to equip Tracklayer's Helmet. This prevents access to the mask-specific actions, dropping your average menace CP/action to 2.33 for the last level.

Circumstances	Turn-in Level	Average Masque Length	SoH/action
Infant mask, SA 3/willing to spend fossils	7	9	2.8
	8	12	2.83
Infant mask, spending signs	7	12	2.15
	8	14	2.4
No mask	7	14	1.87
	8	18	1.89

Have a taste of the Toxicology Exhibit

This option in The Prelapsarian Exhibition gives an average of +2.4 CP. As it locks with Wounds 6, this can only be used to go from 0 to The Fool's Judgement if you have a Tracklayer's Helmet, in which case it gives 2.21 SoH per action.

Discordant Missive

Sending a discordant missive gives +1-7 CP Suspicion. Reading one gives +1-9 CP Wounds and +2-14 CP Nightmares, as well as some random changes to the four main stats. If you have friends to trade with, and it's the one year in four where all three of those menaces can be turned in, then this is an exceptionally good method.

Reduction	Nightmares Turn-In	SoH/action
-2 -1 Suspicion	7 +3 CP	36.0
-2 -2 Suspicion	7 +3 CP	45.0
-2 -1 -1 Suspicion	7 +3 CP	36.0
-3	8 +5 CP	28.0
-3 -1	8 +5 CP	36.0
-3 -1	8 +5 CP	36.0
-3 -1 -1	8 +5 CP	36.0
-4	9 +7 CP	28.0
-4 -1 Suspicion	9 +7 CP	36.0