The Book of Crossbones

[MrNobody]

We could just go back to the D20 roll but mess with the numbers? Would we prefer a lower roll with lower bonuses, or a higher roll with higher bonuses? I feel pretty strongly that sacrificing a squaddie you control should be pretty much a 100% success rate.

I get what Johnny is saying about Brutality, but I think making it more versatile by taking away one of the qualifiers would make it less “light touch.” It’s a few words more text this way, but it’s the kind of power you don’t need to reference lots so your brain can pretty much skim over it most of the time. I just personally find that far preferable to him brutalizing Lanterns or Cap, which feels weird.

[Yodaking]

I though we had worked it out so that Green Lanterns with power batteries on their card would have an attack higher than 3 and not be effected. We were just cutting out the stat boosters that were checked for before rolling attack dice and not powers on cards that raised up a base attack score on a continual basis. Is that not correct (this would effect how the power works if it were 3 or 4, SS or no SS)?

As for the Human Shield Power, I'm leaning toward keeping the d20 roll for all but making the boosts so high that a squad figure you control only fails on a 1. That makes it 95% effective in that situation before d20 manipulators get involved.

[MrNobody]

Originally Posted by Yodaking

I though we had worked it out so that Green Lanterns with power batteries on their card would have an attack higher than 3 and not be effected. We were just cutting out the stat boosters that were checked for before rolling attack dice and not powers on cards that raised up a base attack score on a continual basis. Is that not correct (this would effect how the power works if it were 3 or 4, SS or no SS)?

That wasn't my understanding of the conversation, but I may be mistaken. We can determine between powers that change "Attack Number/Value" and powers that change "Attack dice rolled", but those terms don't have a direct correlation to "boosting myself" vs. "boosting somebody else" afaik.

As for the Human Shield Power, I'm leaning toward keeping the d20 roll for all but making the boosts so high that a squad figure you control only fails on a 1. That makes it 95% effective in that situation before d20 manipulators get involved.

So maybe a roll of 16 with +7 boosts? That's a roll of 16 for an enemy Unique, and a roll of 9 for enemy Commons and your Uniques.

[japes]

I'd say if it's a squad figure you control it should be essentially, if not completely, a 100%. I envision it less that he's holding them up and more like he's pulling then into the shot and they don't have time to react. Plus it makes him a better pick with the Hydra squads.

So I'm in favor of any thing along that line.

So maybe a D20 with a bonus for common figures and a second bonus for figures you control.


HUMAN SHIELD 12
Anytime Crossbones is attacked by a non-adjacent opponent's figure with a normal attack and at least 1 skull is rolled, you may choose an adjacent small or medium figure without the Super Strength special power and roll the 20-sided die. If you control the chosen figure you may add 5 to the roll. If the figure is a common figure you may add 5 to the roll. If you roll 12 or higher and Crossbones would receive one or more wounds from that attack, ignore one of those wounds and inflict a wound on the figure chosen for Human Shield.


45% for opponents non common hero
70% for opponents common figure
70% for friendly non common hero
95% for friendly common figure.
95% for a common figure you control

I toyed with taking it up to a roll of 14 but since it's not stopping the rest of the attack and only offsetting 1 wound it shouldn't be too bad. and if it is we can push it to 14.

[Xael Raymand]

From a consistency standpoint I find it odd that when he uses Human Shield he can’t pick a figure with SS (presumably because they’re to strong) but for brutality it suddenly no longer matters. So I would be for adding the SS restriction to Brutality as well. I also agree with the changes to make Human Shield hit more often.

[Lazy Orang]

Originally Posted by MrNobody

So maybe a roll of 16 with +7 boosts? That's a roll of 16 for an enemy Unique, and a roll of 9 for enemy Commons and your Uniques.

I like that a lot. I definitely would want to keep the difference in ease between Commons and Uniques. Chap shouldn't be strong-arming Captain America as easily as a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent.

[johnny139]

If we want to keep it consistent I'd rather Brutality just trigger on figures without Super Strength. How many of those have 5+ Attack anyways? The 4 cutoff seems arbitrary now that there's no direct tie to Crossbones own strength anyways.

That last +7 one sounds sensible to me.

[Lazy Orang]

Originally Posted by johnny139

If we want to keep it consistent I'd rather Brutality just trigger on figures without Super Strength. How many of those have 5+ Attack anyways? The 4 cutoff seems arbitrary now that there's no direct tie to Crossbones own strength anyways.

That last +7 one sounds sensible to me.

Captain America, Batman, Conan....


Lots of theme breaks there.

Odd thought, what if it just worked against squad figures? Nice and simple, won't get much use, but, then again, it looks like it's unlikely to in any event.

[MrNobody]

Maybe just Common figures (without SS)? I could live with that, I guess. It matches up with Human Shield then.

I think I like Japes’ Human Shield 12.

[johnny139]

Common figures (or squad figures) works fine for me, as long as whichever one we pick is consistent with the bonus he's getting in Human Shield. Still wouldn't want the SS restriction though, and I think "common figures" as a rule are the sort of people that Crossbones can beat the hell out of, even if they're gorillas or robots or whatever.

[MrNobody]

NAME = CROSSBONES
SECRET IDENTITY = BROCK RUMLOW

SPECIES = HUMAN
UNIQUENESS = UNIQUE HERO
CLASS = TERRORIST
PERSONALITY = SADISTIC
SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 5

LIFE = 4
MOVE = 5
RANGE = 7
ATTACK = 4
DEFENSE = 4

POINTS = 160?

TRIGGER MAN
After attacking a non-adjacent figure with Crossbones's normal attack, if you did not reveal an Order Marker on Crossbones this turn, he may attack one additional time.

BRUTALITY 4
When attacking an adjacent figure with Crossbones, if the Attack number on the defending figure's card is 4 or less and the defending figure does not have the Super Strength special power, that figure rolls 1 fewer defense die.

HUMAN SHIELD 12
Anytime Crossbones is attacked by a non-adjacent opponent's figure with a normal attack and at least 1 skull is rolled, you may choose an adjacent small or medium figure without the Super Strength special power and roll the 20-sided die. If you control the chosen figure you may add 5 to the roll. If the figure is a common figure you may add 5 to the roll. If you roll 12 or higher and Crossbones would receive one or more wounds from that attack, ignore one of those wounds and inflict a wound on the figure chosen for Human Shield.

I'm updating with this and calling a VOTE for playtesting.

I get what Johnny is saying, but it's been a few days and nobody else really seems to be on the same wavelength. Common Figures only is...okay, but I feel like it excludes a lot of characters who it would be on point for him to brutalize like Robin or someone like Mary Jane, and would push him even more into just being an anti-squad draft. I feel like staying the course is the best move.

[Soundwarp SG-1]

Brutality feels kinda overwrought for such a minor effect, but given it is such a minor effect I don’t really care. So yea from me.