Rules Questions

[The Giant]

Anyways, here's my little brace.
1) Xykon's stack - he's at the top of it, often with a massive wedge of monsters courtesy of supports. Yet once he dies, they all run, right? So do they exist only to give him boosts to make that one final fight harder?

Yes, they exist to make Xykon tougher. Also note that they might have an effect if you try to use an Area Effect shtick on Xykon, such as trying to Fireball him when he has a minion with Bloodlust right under him.

2) Schtick-less combat. If you have no schticks which are applicable to a contest, can you still get assistance? Ie all your bonuses will come from the assistance of others, even though you're on +0 for the purposes of schtick? We've been playing it that as long as the character in question is on the same level as you, and there isn't anything else preventing it, you can always ask for assistance.

Yes, you can get assistance, or use any other non-Battle Shtick that adds to your Attack or Defense (such as Elan's Conscience Devil/Angel cards). But, as mentioned, the best result you can ever get without a Battle Shtick is a draw.

Thanks, however, I'm afraid I have another question. If you get a Trap in your initial 3 Loot Cards, do you discard it and draw another one, or just discard it?

Discard and draw another.