They say the third time is the charm.
Here is the new version of my custom unit thread.
Some of these units have been around since 2004. I'd like to give a big thanks to Thecia, Scott, Matt, David, Trevor and all of the good people at Heroscape.net, HeroscapeHQ.com and Heroscapers.net who have helped to shape these cards with their insight and, in some cases, playtest data.
I always consider these works in progress, since Heroscape keeps adding rules and units that sometimes force you to tweak a custom unit. I usually print these cards in grayscale and only commit them to color printing when they have been playtested a bit and the people I play HS with are comfortable with them.
Please note: HEROSCAPE and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro. © 2006 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.
Predator Cards
These cards are a project Rhydderch and I worked on. They've been posted in the AvP thread, but I thought I'd archive them here as well.
Box image courtesy of the talented Doc_Savage!
With many thanks to Doc_Savage, Lilnewbie and Ninthdoc for their assistance with this project.
Rhydderch has updated all of the card art, stats and bios for the Predators as of 04-18-2009.
ELDER
The Elder stepped forth from the wreckage of the ship, his eyes fixed upon the winged man who stood before him and the Predator who stood beside the Kyrie. He knew the Predator, a blooded warrior that the earth warriors had once called Skull. The Elder lifted its head, and an odd chitter escaped from beneath the shimmering, metal mask he wore. Skull responded with a single quiet chitter, before pointing at the very ground that he stood upon. There, half-covered in grass and dried mud, lay the crested skull of some massive beast. The Elder understood. Here, the hunt was plentiful and the challenge was worthy of a hunter's honour.
JEHDIN
The Aliens swarmed around the Predator, their lithe bodies glistening in the half-light of the derelict spaceship. They flitted past his vision, to the left and right of him, behind him and even on the vessel walls above him, so many that Jehdin had lost count. The Predator drew his Combi-Stick, and with a slow, deliberate motion, removed his mask - the only armor he wore. A chorus of clicks sounded from his mandibles, almost a laugh, and Jehdin began the dance of death that he knew so well...
Even amongst his own kind, Jehdin is said to be possessed by a warrior's will. He refuses to fight with the ranged weapons of his Yautja kin, and relies instead on his weapon, Chiva. It is a name that means trial, and indeed Jehdin sees every hunt as a test of his skills with his chosen weapon. Because of his prowess in battle and his love for the hunt, Jehdin is called the One by his fellow predators, a title reserved for those hunters who have proven themselves above and beyond their own blooded kin.
In Valhalla, Jehdin continues to wield Chiva with deadly finesse, and he is the most dangerous predator: undefeated in his world, Jehdin has never used the Self-Destruct device upon his wrist and carries it still, making him deadly in both life and in death.
SKULL
Cold eyes scan the rolling hills. They see the great, golden-domed structure built atop the crystal clear lake and they settle upon the rows and rows of tall men with great wings who stand under the arches of a great bridge. The creature watches the winged men, and then it begins to hunt. A metal mask is pulled down across the cold eyes, the creature takes its first step towards the bridge, and it disappears.
A flurry of feathers rain down from the sky as a tall man lands before the creature. The man speaks, quietly but quickly, his voice filled with strength. Visions flow through the creature's mind and though the creature does not understand all that is said, it does understand this: it has been promised a hunt so great it will never end.
SLASH
Slash was a newly Blooded hunter when he was cut down by a rogue predator known as Bad-Blood. Shamed by his defeat, Slash activated his self-destruct device and waited for the end. It never came. Mere moments before the detonation of his self-destruct device, Einar summoned the young predator to Valhalla, and offered it a new chance to earn honor and skill. Slash accepted and has come to serve Einar faithfully.
SCAR
He awoke to a world of darkness and pain; his body alight with fire. It ran through every nerve, every muscle, and seared into his very brain. He screamed, an inhuman scream, and then he knew no more...
He awoke again. The pain wracked his body still and he saw a great black beast with jaws that could tear through steel and a long, whip-like tail. A voice called out to him in the darkness, that of an earth female, and then there was a pain that lanced through his chest, and he knew no more...
Scar opened his eyes. The world around him had changed. He was in a ship now, the very one he had been brought to the Pyramid upon, and there were no more Aliens, no more humans, only the burning pain - that and the odd voice that spoke to him. It was a strange voice, raspy and slow, and it spoke in a language he could not understand. But he did know this, he had died and was now alive again. He had been shamed and only a new hunt could bring him honor again...
CELTIC
An unblooded Predator, Celtic was one of three predators who ventured into the pyramid on Earth's Bouvet Island to hunt the Aliens within. However the hunter can quickly become the hunted when the prey is as deadly as the Xenomorphs, and the young Predator was outmatched by the vicious cunning of the Alien known as Grid. Only a timely summons from Einar and the eldritch touch of Durnipia were able to save the dying Pred. Now Celtic fights in the war for Valhalla, seeking the honor that was denied him and the Alien he marked so long ago...
ALEXA WOODS
As the strange vessel rose high above the Antarctic ice, Alexa shivered. She'd seen so much in her short time in the pyramid, and she knew she could never go back to her old life. Images of terrifying Aliens with acid blood filled her mind, as did the screams of those she had lead into the accursed pyramid. Friends and colleagues, all gone now, and one by her hand. She looked down at the strange alien weapon she had been given, and drove it deep into the ice and snow. In memory of you guys, she thought. Then she shouldered the makeshift spear and shield that one of the aliens had made for her, and set out across the cold wastes. She was never seen on earth again.
BAD BLOOD
When Utgar first encountered the Predators summoned by Einar he was impressed by their ferocity and power. He sought a hunter of his own. He turned his visions towards the relentless Yautja and saw a powerful warrior poised to strike the final blow upon a second Predator. Utgar delighted in the strength of that hunter and summoned it to Valhalla. He thought he could command the Predator: he was wrong.
Utgar learned that day of the Yautja's refusal to hunt the weak, and also of their independent spirit that would bow to no one - not even to him. Utgar would come away from his lesson with a scar on his chest, and an undying hatred for the honorable Yautja. He was no longer satisfied with the promise of a warrior who would kill the slaves of Jandar. He wanted a Yautja who would hunt its own.
Now a deadly hunter serves Utgar, its fury unrestrained by any sense of respect or honor. On its homeworld, it revelled in the challenge of hunting its own. It killed with no remorse and with no mercy. But the hunter can quickly become the hunted in Yautja society and the Predator soon found itself the prey of an honorable Yautja sent to kill it. The chase was long and hard but the dishonorable hunter could not defeat the more experienced Predator. It saw its Stealth Suit and Plasma Caster destroyed, before it found itself facing imminent death. But the dishonored was saved by Utgar and the Predator known as Bad Blood has come to serve him. The Prey has become Predator again.
The directional marker was made by the talented Malechi and was featured as a way to move Zombies in the old "Meat Grinder" HS scenario. The figure is a Screambent Lunatic from the Dreamblade line.
These are some very cool Mage Knight insects I have enough of to make several common squads . A big thanks to Justjohn for his advice on points and defense on these.
The miniature is a conversion of a Heroscape Ninja using parts from a Heroclix Ghost Rider figure and lots of other spare parts from HS figures.
Drake is about to take a swim in some lava. "Get over here!"
The figure is Skeletal Maiden from the Horrorclix line.
The figure is Irradiated Zombie from the Horrorclix line.
The figure is Zombie Trooper from the Horrorclix line.
The figure is Hive Pincer from the Dreamblade line.
Michael Moorcock's albino incarnation of the Eternal Champion. Games Workshop made some nice figures that can be used for Elric or you can mod your own.
The classic character from James O'Barr's comics. I have another figure mod of him on my workbench right now and will post photos of him. The figure above was my first experiment with modding a Heroscape figure (Agent Carr) back in 2004. I believe this was the first custom figure to have 0 in Life.
Strange, but fun to play.
The lovely Selene. There are many figures that can be used for her. Copplestone Castings and Hasslefree make the ones shown above. If you are playtesting, just use a spare Krav Maga female agent.
This card has now been revised to take the castle rules into account and limit her leaping ability when jumping up and down.
This card has now been revised to take the castle rules into account and limit his leaping ability when jumping up and down.
This is the fourth revision of the Queen. I removed the "crappy bonding" with the Aliens and instead gave proper bonding on the Alien Warriors and Facehugger cards to give her the mobility and speed some players thought she lacked in playtests. I also gave her a power to help the defense of Alien units within a certain range. The Queen has a telepathic link with her children and this reflects her ability to give them better orders in battle than what they would select on their own.
The Konami Alien Queen figure can still be purchased online at e-Bay or other vendors.
The fourth revision for the Alien Warriors. They now have proper bonding with the Queen and a slight boost to attack power to address some of the point issues that were brought up. They are tough melee fighters, but can be shredded by ranged fire (as illustrated in the films and comics). If you let them get close to you, however, if their claws or teeth don't get you, their acid blood probably will. Of course, you must be careful not to place any friendly non-Alien units you have adjacent to them. This is a nasty little drawback that I've seen exploited when using these guys.
The Horrorclix figures used on the card will be available to the public in Jan 2007. I've left the photos of the old metal Aliens and my custom ones for the sake of HS history and inspiration for those that don't want to buy the Wizkids figures.
This is the fourth revision of the Facehuggers. They now have bonding with the Queen, the Facehugger special attack was cleaned up to sound more HS like and the Climb power neatly solves their movement issues in earlier revisions.
The deployment of the Alien Warrior you get as part of a succesful Facehugger attack was also changed a little. It is more atmospheric and fitting for the Alien to pop out from somewhere where it was already hiding instead of having to start at the back at a starting zone.
The facehugger "figures" are custom made using the hands of some Mage Knight figures and other bits and pieces. Some are made from the chests of Marro figures as well.
Grid is a new addition from the Horrorclix line. He is an Alien that survived a Predator net attack. He shows a little more cunning than his brethern in the AvP film and is instrumental in getting the other Aliens to free the Queen, so he gets slightly better stats than a warrior and the ability to make their attacks more powerful as a group.
This figure is included in the AvP Horrorclix boxed set.
From Frank Herbert's Dune universe.
From the Japanese film Versus. This guy is a bit obscure, but foreign film fans always get a kick out of him.
A fun figure that helps you use all of those extra sand pieces you have accumulated from the expansions.
A flying unit with range that is not overpowered and works quite well. Vydar needs a flying kyrie like figure!
Roland meets up with some tough cowboys.
The Gunslinger vs the Slow Mutants.
From Stephen King's Dark Tower novels.
The badass from the TV show 24.
A custom Marro I made long ago with a fun mind control power that is not as powerful, but still cool to use.
My first common hero to help the drones.
The once and future king who makes it into every fantasy world one way or another. This time it is my fault.
From the films Escape From NY/LA. The figure is from Mystic Spirals.
From the films Pitch Black and the Chronicles of Riddick. The figure is from Heresy miniatures.
The classic G.I. Joe character. Evasion Mastery was borrowed from the Black Hand of Kyogi custom. A very nice custom by JustJohn that I still use in my games.
Snake Eyes' enemy (and friend). The figure is a modified Taskmaster Heroclix figure.
Another G.I. Joe character currently in playtesting. Photos of the finished figure will be posted when complete.
From Terry Brooks' Wishsong of Shannara novel. A unit made in collaboration with Rhydderch and Reapersaurus on HQ.
A lot of work went into getting him right and he is one of my favorites.
It is a modded Mage Knight Venthian Assassin figure. You can find it here:
http://gamingetc.safeshopper.com/1556/15637.htm?333
The ninja from the Tenchu videogames. Hidden was borrowed from one of Screamingtruth's units. This is a young Rikimaru (probably from right after the events of Tenchu 2). He is no stranger to traveling to other
dimensions. . .
Unit from the film The Warriors made with suggestions from Hex_Enduction_ Hour. I still don't have the figures done for these, but I like the idea. It is a good way to put cheap Sportsclix figures (like the one in the photo) to good use. Photos of the finished figures will be posted when complete. Plus they make a good team with H_E_H's Droogs from A Clockwork Orange.
My first zombie card from long ago that has been played and tweaked many times. It owes a lot to the classic cards from Aratak and H_E_H.
Card made with suggestions from Screamingtruth, Rhydderch, Hex_Enduction_Hour and others. Sudema needs a little help and these guys do that.
From the John Woo classic Hard Boiled. The Quick Draw mechanic was borrowed from a great unit by Atmospro named Kaleb the Bronze. Photos of the finished figure will be posted when complete.
These guys are based on the Vampire Nation soldiers seen in the Blade films. The bodyguard mechanic is the same one I think was developed for the Anubian Bodyguard (not by me, but very cool).
For those of you that want to print these in color, here is what I use for the back of the cards.
I also have higher quality .BMP files of some of the CARDS. PM me if interested.