I would like to submit my custom, Grommel Bronzewielder, for SoV review:
Balance- Bronzewielder walks a fine line between commander and warrior, his two powers allowing him to move his own troops in reaction to an opponent’s actions, or put the hurt down on any opponent’s figures that make the mistake of clumping when he’s near, particularly high-cost squad figures. However, he is limited by his survivability. While his high life will keep him alive for a limited amount of time, the defense of 3 keeps his cost in check, forcing a player to use Axegrinders in order to ensure his survival against hordes or very big targets. Considering the value of order marker tricks, coupled with a semi-reliable D20 power and relatively reliable stats, rolled together in a nice little bonding package, 140 points seemed right after playtesting was concluded, not a significant change from what I had originally intended.
Playability- The powers are relatively simple. Tactical Repositioning might need a second glance, but it’s little more than an altered Scatter taking place at a different time in the turn process. The master stats are appropriate for the miniature, and for the design. Unlike most previous dwarf heroes, the mini is clearly lightly armored, thus contributing to both his move of 6 and defense of 3. His attack of 4 is on par with other dwarf heroes, and the life of 7 makes up for his less-than-stellar defense. As a small figure, Grommel Bronzewielder goes on a typical HeroScape single-hex base. As a dwarf, garbed in red and gold, hefting a war-hammer, I’d say he’s visually distinctive from other units, easily. The point value is slightly above previous dwarf heroes, but I think he deserves it, given his abilities to move his men and inflict heavy damage on a decent D20 roll.
Creativity- Bronzewielder brings in a new strain of dwarf hero, deviating somewhat from the trend of dwarves possessing some sort of defensive special power. Instead, he swaps it out for a nice way to mess around with your opponents plans by moving your dwarves out of danger (or into it). He can order his men to tie down a dangerous ranged figure, back away from a raging melee beat-stick, or simply snag a glyph. While he is the third dwarf hero to possess a D20 power, it is entirely distinct from the previous two, Hide in Darkness and Commander’s Strike. As a mixture of commander and melee fighter that can bring the hurt or reorganize the troops, Grommel Bronzewielder brings a whole new type of unit to Einar’s forces, not only in his powers, but in that he is the first dwarf to reach the imperialist armies. Small note here, Bronzewielder’s first name “Grommel” is derived from the respected WWII Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, known as the Desert Fox for his tactical prowess, while “Bronzewielder” is a simple play on the color of his armor.
Theme- As a species already being developed in ‘Scape, Grommel’s not breaking new ground on that front. Some eyebrows might be raised by Einar summoning a dwarf, but with the Aquilla monopoly on the species officially broken by C3V, and Grommel’s powers clearly illustrating a knowledge of battlefield tactics (not to mention the red and gold color scheme, very Einar/Roman), Einar is the perfect fit.
Accessibility- The figure name is #14 Warpriest of Moradin, from the D&D War Drums set:
Cool Stuff Inc has 12 in stock,
Strikezoneonline has another 13 in stock, while
Miniature Market has 79 in stock, plus a promo repaint for a bit more money (5 dollars rather than the 2 the mini typically goes for). The promo has another 81 in stock.
Thank you for you consideration,
~SoA