I gotta say, it would be funny as hell to just pick up an annoying figure like a deathreaver and just throw it into lava.
And at 130 points I'd say he's pretty fair too, only complaint I might have is his health, I'd probably reduce it to 5 and give him a defense of 7 to compensate for it but overall he looks like a fun hero to play, especially since he bonds.
I played a game with Heracles against some Deathreavers and Nilfheim when testing Eltris, and Throw was a huge relief for dealing with those pesky rats. Even without lava, there's likely a 50% chance of killing a squad figure with a throw, to boot.
Why do you feel like the health is too high? I was looking at Valguard as an inspiration for being able to afford some leaving engagement attacks (to improve the strength of his bonding), but I'm open to changing it. I'm not set on the current values yet.
I'm hesitant to go up to 7 defense because that reminds me of Q9 a little too much, but I was pretty heavily considering 6 Life with 5 Defense for a while. I'd like for him to be bulky, but I'm hesitant to make anything that's too tough to take down.
Thanks for the feedback! You've given me some good stuff to consider.
True forgot all about Valguard, it was just a suggestion.
Still looks like a really fun guy to play though.
I'll have to see how useful the extra life is in practice. One of my main concerns in transitioning the Heavy Tackler into a Unique Hero is that he'll be too easy to tie down for the opponent, leaving little chances for counterplay to get those extra turns.
Something that I have been faintly considering is making Brutus Devout to get more synergy with C3V's Count Raymond (whose Maneuver 9 would be a big benefit to these guys), but that theme isn't jiving for me yet. I could always argue that he's devout to his team instead of a different cause, but the word generally has a more religious context and might feel forced.
I'll have to see how useful the extra life is in practice. One of my main concerns in transitioning the Heavy Tackler into a Unique Hero is that he'll be too easy to tie down for the opponent, leaving little chances for counterplay to get those extra turns.
Something that I have been faintly considering is making Brutus Devout to get more synergy with C3V's Count Raymond (whose Maneuver 9 would be a big benefit to these guys), but that theme isn't jiving for me yet. I could always argue that he's devout to his team instead of a different cause, but the word generally has a more religious context and might feel forced.
Hmmm.... my family follows MMA a decent amount, and I've seen that a lot of athletes (or at least fighters) are surprisingly religious (crossing themselves, thanking God for their victory etc.) - not all by any means, but a significant number. You could play up that angle - looking at him, it doesn't feel unfeasible, and it gives him a tad more backstory.
Something that I have been faintly considering is making Brutus Devout to get more synergy with C3V's Count Raymond (whose Maneuver 9 would be a big benefit to these guys), but that theme isn't jiving for me yet. I could always argue that he's devout to his team instead of a different cause, but the word generally has a more religious context and might feel forced.
Hmmm.... my family follows MMA a decent amount, and I've seen that a lot of athletes (or at least fighters) are surprisingly religious (crossing themselves, thanking God for their victory etc.) - not all by any means, but a significant number. You could play up that angle - looking at him, it doesn't feel unfeasible, and it gives him a tad more backstory.
That's actually a very good point. In the various sports that I've played, there have been plenty of athletes that were also pretty religious. The two themes may not be as conflicting as I had thought.
Since he's now Unique instead of Common, it definitely could also give him more flavor without being unreasonable. Making him Devout had mostly been a fleeting thought, but the more that I think about it, the more that I like it. It'll need some explanation in the bio, but I think it might work.
I think it could work, especially if you play into it, and have other Devout Athletes. Even if it's not my favorite, some cards have weird personalities. Q10 is Merciful, after all.
I think it could work, especially if you play into it, and have other Devout Athletes. Even if it's not my favorite, some cards have weird personalities. Q10 is Merciful, after all.
Some more Devout Athletes wouldn't be unfeasible, I think. I don't want every athlete to be Devout, though, to keep some individuality to them (I'm also fond of Steel Auxilius' Tormented personality, and was planning on the final Black Hart Unique Hero being Tormenting to complement him).
I also have an Uncommon Hero idea for these guys that doesn't have a personality yet, so Devout could be a good fit there. I kind of like the idea of Dark Isis being boosted to be a little bit faster as well, but I think Dauntless fits her theme more.
And every time that I remember that Q10 is Merciful, it makes me a little sad that we never got a Swarm of the Marro cartoon.
I'm in the process of significantly overhauling this thread. I plan to take a page out of the book of some other creators on the site and devote a post within this thread to each unit so that I can consolidate information for them more easily (such as bios, synergies, and ability text to future-proof this thread). I'll be keeping lists of links to each unit in the main post to keep navigation simple and easy.
Because of this transition period, I've had to remove all of my customs from the OP for the time being to make room. As I find the time to post each unit, I'll be updating the text there to become a proper link. For posterity's sake, here is the original OP:
Spoiler Alert!
Welcome to my Customs thread! I hope to use this place as both a display and a workshop for gathering feedback on and improving my units. I'd like for each of these units to become as balanced and interesting as possible, so if you have any feedback, then I'd love to hear it!
I've begun separating my ideas out into different waves and packs like the classic and C3V releases mostly as a form of organization (but also to prevent this first post from getting too long). Once I add enough of my customs to this thread, I'll append another list of the units by general in order to make everything easier to find.
So, without further adieu, here's what I've been working on:
HEROES OF JUTANGUARD (Treasure Glyph)
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Tenri Samurai - Unique Samurai Squad (2 Figures)
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GENERAL = EINAR PLANET = EARTH SPECIES = HUMAN UNIQUENESS = UNIQUE SQUAD CLASS = SAMURAI PERSONALITY = DISCIPLINED SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 5
CURSE OF DISHONOR
When the second Tenri Samurai that you control has been destroyed, you may place it on an opponent's Unique Army Card. The Tenri Samurai's Curse of Dishonor subtracts 1 from the normal attack number on that card.
REFLECTIVE ARMOR
When a Tenri Samurai, or any friendly Samurai that you control adjacent to a Tenri Samurai that you control, rolls defense dice against a normal attack from a non-adjacent attacking figure, all excess shields count as unblockable hits inflicted by that Tenri Samurai on the attacking figure.
Miniatures:
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Thought Process:
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The Samurai are by far my favorite faction in the game, which is why it disappoints me so much that they almost always underperform. Even with the excellent Tomoe Gozen from C3V, I've found that the Samurai fall too easily to range and struggle to make up their points in most matches. In order to try and fix this, I wanted to design a Demonic Squad of Samurai (also to create some more Demon units in the game for C3V's Morgoloth) that used the Evil Eye Protection from Torin in order to help the Samurai with their greatest weakness, much like Sir Gilbert did for the Knights.
Unfortunately, though, I soon found out that there is a woeful shortage of demonic Samurai sculpts. Since I want my custom designs to be easily accessible like (most of) the C3V and SoV units, it was looking like I would have to abandon the Tenri Samurai's demonic nature. I did find the Silver Samurai sculpt from HeroClix, which I thought could be used to tie into the ranged counterstrike like a mirror reflecting objects, and which was released in two different poses. Since I wanted this unit to be a two-person squad, it seemed like a solid fit, albeit sadly still rather scarce.
Since the Reflective Armor is restricted to adjacency and normal attacks only, it leaves Special Attacks as the Samurai's weakness and gives a little boost to the explosion attackers like Deathwalker 9000 or Jorhdawn. I did give the unit two figures to work with (which ensures that Tomoe Gozen would get another Unique Samurai Squad to potentially bond with), but this could still be tricky to pull off in practice, especially if you're taking the other Samurai Unique Squads to maximize your usage of the ranged counterstrike.
The other main idea that I had to boost the Samurai was another take on the Viking spirits, but one that would actually act as a curse on an opponent's figure. Since decreasing the attack of a unit directly benefits the Samurai's counterstrike the most (but is still a valuable tool for other armies), it only felt natural to focus on this for the curse.
Interestingly, I think that this unit drastically increases the viability of Hatamoto Taro. The following works out perfectly to 500:
Tenri Samurai - 80
Tagawa Samurai - 120
Izumi Samurai - 60
Tomoe Gozen - 110
Hatamoto Taro - 130
While you could always (and probably should) just take two squads of the Tagawa Samurai Archers, Hatamoto's automatic shield coupled with ranged counterstrike can be nasty and the defense against ranged attacks makes it slightly more likely that his aura will come into play.
Captain Konah - Unique Einar Kyrie Hero
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GENERAL = EINAR PLANET = VALHALLA SPECIES = KYRIE UNIQUENESS = UNIQUE HERO CLASS = CAPTAIN PERSONALITY = DEVOUT SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 6
EINAR'S ORDERS
Before taking a turn with Captain Konah, you may either move one Kyrie Squad or Hero you control that follows Einar up to 5 spaces.
STRIKE AURA
When attacking with a Kyrie that you control who follows Einar within 6 clear sight spaces of Captain Konah, roll 1 additional attack die for each revealed Order Marker on Captain Konah's Army Card.
STEALTH FLYING
When counting spaces for Captain Konah’s movement, ignore elevations. Captain Konah may fly over water without stopping, pass over figures without becoming engaged, and fly over obstacles such as ruins. When Captain Konah starts to fly, if he is engaged he will not take any leaving engagement attacks.
Miniature:
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This is the Planetar Angel #29/44 from the D&D set Icons of the Realms: Monster Menagerie II.
Thought Process
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The Einar Imperium are one of the biggest disappointments of classic HeroScape to me, as Einar is my favorite general and they are actually pretty cool thematically. The large cost holds them back from seeing much use at my table, however, so I was thinking of designs that could make them a little more practical.
Thematically, I liked the idea of Empress Kiova as the defensive boost to the Einar Imperium, which left a void for an offensive counterpart. Since Einar himself couldn't join the fight, I found a different winged miniature to use in his stead, resulting in the creation of Captain Konah. The mini that I've settled on is decidedly angelic in appearance, which is why I settled on a Devout personality (that, and giving him another option besides Atlaga for a Leadership movement boost in the form of Count Raymond, much like how Marcus can also be used for the Imperium).
Mechanically, I wanted Konah to help feed into the theme of mobility with the Imperium, along with alleviating some of the Order Marker management of choosing when to spend turns on Kiova. Since in a normal 500 point game you'll only be able to afford two squads of the Imperium, I wanted players to be able to maximize the usefulness out of these six figures, which necessitated keeping them near their Empress.
Konah's attack boost also makes the Imperium very deadly, as it brings them up to double attacks of 4 (or 5, but only if you spend two turns with Konah beforehand to set everything up). This should ensure that the Imperium can more consistently kill their points before falling. It also creates an interesting dilemma for the other player: should you kill Konah first to cripple the army's offense and movement, or should you kill Kiova first to make killing everything else easier? Without her aura, Konah's measly two defense won't last very long.
Eltris - Unique Elven Dragon Rider
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Note: This card is now outdated. See her Traits & Abilities below for the updated stats.
Miniature:
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Traits and Abilities:
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GENERAL = ULLAR PLANET = FEYLUND SPECIES = ELF UNIQUENESS = UNIQUE HERO CLASS = RIDER PERSONALITY = FEARLESS SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 5
DRAGON RIDER
At the start of the game, choose one Unique large or huge Dragon Hero that you control to be Eltris' Dragon Ally. Eltris and her Dragon Ally roll an additional die when attacking normally or defending against a normal attack while they are within 2 clear sight spaces of each other.
PASSENGER
After revealing an Order Marker on Eltris' Dragon Ally and moving it normally, if it began its turn adjacent to Eltris, you may place her on any space adjacent to her Dragon Ally.
RIDER'S HEARTBREAK
If Eltris' Dragon Ally is destroyed, she immediately receives 2 wounds.
Thought Process:
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As a long-time fan of books such as Eragon, I thought it was a shame that we didn't have any kind of a Dragon Rider in HeroScape. Eltris came about as an incarnation of that idea, acting mostly as a draft-able buff to your chosen dragon. Much like the Greenscales, she is limited in terms of effectiveness to only a single dragon, but she is more flexible than many other bonding options.
Ideally, you could always surprise the opponent by rushing her out to get a good attack in, too, hence why I gave her a solid 4 attack. Since she can make very strong dragons like Nilfheim and Braxas even tougher to kill, however, I wanted to keep her own survivability to a minimum, opting for only 2 defense (although she goes up to a respectable 3 when near her partner). Coupled with the short range of her dragon boosts, this gives the opponent a fair chance of eliminating her.
An Elf Warlord is also something else that I was disappointed that we never got, as it could've thematically tied together the Vipers to the Elves in Ullar's armies. I wanted to include this in her design in order to make her more than only a buff to dragons, letting her mesh well with the Armoc Vipers (since she also shares their cost).
Feedback from the Pre-SoV Workshop was pretty consistent about not liking her Warlord status from a thematic standpoint, along with the potential gameplay headaches that it can cause. In order to simplify testing and the overall design, I've opted to drop this synergy for the new class of Rider.
Steel Ultimatus - Unique Anti-Mobility Hero
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GENERAL = VYDAR PLANET = MOON SPECIES = CYBORG UNIQUENESS = UNIQUE HERO CLASS = LINEMAN PERSONALITY = PRECISE SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 5
GRAVITY FIELD
All opponents' figures with the Flying or Leap special powers lose this power and cannot fly or leap while within 3 clear sight spaces of Steel Ultimatus.
ANTIGRAVITY LEAP SPECIAL ATTACK
Range Special. Attack 3.
Choose an empty space within 4 spaces of Steel Ultimatus that is not under an overhang. Place him on the chosen space. All figures adjacent to the chosen space are affected by Antigravity Leap Special Attack. Large and huge figures roll one less defense die when attacked by Antigravity Leap Special Attack. Roll attack dice once for all affected figures. If Steel Ultimatus is engaged when he starts to use Antigravity Leap Special Attack, he will take any leaving engagement attacks.
Miniature:
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This is the Steel Ultimatus figure from the game Battleball.
Thought Process:
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I'm always surprised to see that so few people have made units out of the minis from Battleball, but that might just be because I had a set in the house before I even got HeroScape. The Steel Ultimatus sculpt was always my favorite as a kid, and I felt that his gravity-related backstory had lots of potential for mechanics in HeroScape.
Fundamentally, I wanted to create a very anti-flying character, especially since flying became increasingly common with the abundance of Kyries and Dragons. Steel Ultimatus' gravity field seemed like the perfect ability to accomplish that, and thematically, I think that it should also affect the Monk's Stealth Leap (it also has the bonus of affecting things like the Hulk's Super Leap by the same token, if you mix Marvel and classic HeroScape). I wanted to keep the radius at a respectable 3 spaces in order to ensure that it can usually be used, without being too oppressive.
On the flipside of heavy gravity, I wanted to make an ability evoking low gravity in order to give the unit a proper feeling of gravity control. This would naturally take form as a leaping power, but I wanted to let him also attack adjacent figures with the ability. Instead of making both a Special Attack and a Special Power to achieve this, I blended the two together into his Antigravity Leap Special Attack (which, as a Special Attack, is excluded from his Gravity Field).
I also added a slight defense penalty to large and huge figures when attacked by the Antigravity Leap in order to make it more useful when used offensively (since it only has an attack of 3), and since I imagine Steel Ultimatus slamming down with an increased force of gravity at the end of his leap, it makes sense to me that bigger figures would struggle to defend themselves as well.
Notably, this Special Attack is his only decent source of offensive power. Since he takes leaving engagement strikes at the start of using it, though, he becomes much weaker if he fails to kill his targets with the first strike. Thanks to his 5 defense and 4 life, though, he should be able to last for quite a while, even if he overextends and gets himself engaged to too many things.
Boots of Valda (Permanent Treasure Glyph)
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Move +1
This figure may move one more space.
BLACK HARTS (Power Glyph)
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Black Harts - Common Momentum Squad (3 Figures)
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GENERAL = EINAR PLANET = EARTH SPECIES = HUMAN UNIQUENESS = COMMON SQUAD CLASS = ATHLETES PERSONALITY = LOYAL SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 5
CHARGING ASSAULT
Any or all Black Harts may add 3 to their Move number as long as they are unengaged prior to moving. Black Harts must be able to move adjacent to an opponent's figure in order to use Charging Assault.
GROUP TACKLE
When a small or medium figure defends against an attack from a Black Hart that was not adjacent to it at the start of the turn, it must subtract 1 from its defense for every Black Hart figure that it is engaged with, up to a maximum of 3 less defense dice.
Miniature:
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These are various Black Hart figures from the game Battleball. One box comes with enough miniatures to make two squads.
Thought Process:
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I wanted to adapt the Battleball figures into HeroScape both mechanically and by lore, especially since they look very much like futuristic athletes (although I was pretty tempted to turn figures like Steel Ultimatus into a SoulBorg). I'm not a big fan of Football, but it seemed pretty simple to adapt the basics to HeroScape to me.
The Kozuke's Charging Assault seemed like a perfect fit for evoking tackling, but I wanted to ensure that these guys were fast and pretty weak unless their mobility is capitalized on. Because of that, I opted for 6 Move with Charging Assault (which can bring them up to a devastating 9 Move, ensuring that they are highly mobile) but coupled it with a measly 2 Defense. This should ideally give a sense of momentum, because once the Black Harts lose their momentum, they're going to begin falling extremely easily (much like the MacDirks).
The more unique ability that I decided to give the Black Harts was their group tackling tactic. Thematically, I imagine the players all piling on top of a single figure, with each successive player making it more and more difficult to properly hold your ground. This also contributes to their momentum, as you can quite possibly get in three attacks of 2 with -3 Defense dice, but if you fail to kill your target, you'll be left with only a subpar 2 attack next turn.
These abilities also combo nicely with Count Raymond, who I always felt like could use more Einar humans that can use his Maneuver 9 ability well. Since the Black Harts only get their defense penalty on figures they don't begin their turn adjacent to, his ability to make disengages much less deadly is pretty useful (although the limited range on his aura keeps it from being too powerful).
Heavy Tackler - Common Hero for the Black Harts
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Note: The Heavy Tackler is a double-spaced figure. This card is now outdated. See his Traits & Abilities below for the updated stats.
Miniature:
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The figure used is the Heavy Tackle for the Black Hart team from the game Battleball. Each box comes with one copy of him.
Traits and Abilities:
Spoiler Alert!
GENERAL = EINAR PLANET = EARTH SPECIES = HUMAN UNIQUENESS = COMMON HERO CLASS = ATHLETE PERSONALITY = INSPIRING SIZE/HEIGHT = LARGE 8
THROW 12
After moving and before attacking with a Heavy Tackler that you control, choose one small or medium non-flying figure adjacent to that Heavy Tackler. Roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 14 or higher, you may throw the figure by placing it on any empty space within 4 clear sight spaces of that Heavy Tackler. If the figure was placed on a non-water space on a level equal to or lower than that Heavy Tackler's height, roll the 20-sided die. If you roll an 11 or higher, the thrown figure receives 2 wounds. The thrown figure does not take any leaving engagement attacks.
TEAM PLAYER
After taking a turn with a Heavy Tackler, if that Heavy Tackler is unengaged, you may take a turn with one Athlete Squad or Unique Hero that you control that follows Einar.
Thought Process:
Spoiler Alert!
I initially intended to pair my common Black Hart squad with a common squad of Iron Wolves, but now I feel like it makes more sense to package them with a common hero designed specifically to go with them. I was interested in fleshing out the faction a little more and adding some synergies, but I didn't want to do it through a conventional way such as adding more attack or defense.
I admittedly have little interest in Football, but Throw seemed like a perfect ability to throw on to a sports-inspired figure, especially a large one posed with a raised and open hand such as this. Originally, I planned on giving this power to a different figure in the set, but upon some reflection I realized that it could actually combo quite nicely with the Black Harts' Group Tackle ability. In order to capitalize on this strategy, I added some pseudo-bonding with the relevant squad (if the roll fails and the attack misses, then the extra turn is lost), which should help the faction considerably.
I think that Black Hart builds would still be vulnerable to swarm armies (due to the large figure counts, while the Black Harts excel at surrounding single targets), but the Heavy Tackler should go a long way towards helping them find more uses.
Glyph of Syn (Permanent Power Glyph)
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Blind
All figures with a range of 3 or more must subtract 1 from their range.
HEROES OF THE FIELD
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Stalwart the Forge - Unique Heavy Hitter Hero
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Note: Stalwart the Forge is a double-spaced figure.
Miniature:
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The figure used is the Stalwart the Forge figure for the Iron Wolves team from the game Battleball.
Traits and Abilities:
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GENERAL = VYDAR PLANET = EARTH SPECIES = MECH UNIQUENESS = UNIQUE HERO CLASS = CONSTRUCT PERSONALITY = MINDLESS SIZE/HEIGHT = LARGE 7
EJECT PILOT
If Stalwart is in your army, then when Stalwart the Forge is destroyed and before removing him from the battlefield, you may place Stalwart on any empty space within 3 clear sight spaces of Stalwart the Forge.
Grappling Claw 12
After moving and before attacking, you may choose one opponent's small, medium, or large figure within 3 clear sight spaces whose base is no more than 6 levels above Stalwart the Forge's height or 6 levels below his base. Roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 12 or higher, place the chosen figure on any empty same-level space adjacent to Stalwart the Forge. If the chosen figure is engaged when it is moved by Grappling Claw 12, it will not take any leaving engagement attacks.
Thought Process:
Spoiler Alert!
Unlike the Heavy Tackler which I felt could be seen as a common hero, this sculpt immediately looked unique and singular to me. Since we could clearly see someone piloting this suit, I wanted to do something pretty different and emphasize that, which I chose to do through the creation of Stalwart the Forge and Stalwart.
One of my earlier concepts was to let players choose their own Pilot by placing an Athlete Hero on Stalwart the Forge's card, but I thought that could quickly get out of hand when combined with some of the crazier Athlete Heroes that I had in mind. Being able to shoot out Steel Ultimatus or Steel Auxilius could be devastating in the right circumstances, and I didn't like the idea of letting the Black Harts have much synergy with such a central figure for the Iron Wolves.
Stalwart the Forge acts both as a heavy hitter and a tank for the Iron Wolves (I'll get around to posting that squad sooner or later), capable of dishing out tons of damage with his high attack and Grappling Claw before falling, at which point he can strategically place another hero for the faction. Pricing has been a little tricky because of his focus on offense and capability of "summoning" another unit, but I think that this is roughly a good representation of his value.
Stalwart - Unique Pilot Hero
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Miniature:
Spoiler Alert!
The figure used is one of the Iron Wolf figures from the game Battleball. It has a claw for the left hand and is standing up straight.
Traits and Abilities:
Spoiler Alert!
GENERAL = VYDAR PLANET = EARTH SPECIES = HUMAN UNIQUENESS = UNIQUE HERO CLASS = ATHLETE PERSONALITY = CUNNING SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 4
PILOT
Stalwart does not start the game on the battlefield. He must be placed by Stalwart the Forge's Eject Pilot ability. When taking a turn with Stalwart, if he has not yet been placed on the battlefield and Stalwart the Forge is in your army, you may instead take a turn with Stalwart the Forge.
PULL TO SAFETY
When a non-adjacent friendly Athlete within 3 clear sight spaces of Stalwart receives one or more wounds, you may roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 17 or higher, you may place that figure on an empty space adjacent to Stalwart to ignore all wounds. Stalwart's Pull to Safety cannot be used on Stalwart.
Thought Process:
Spoiler Alert!
Stalwart the Forge is vital to Stalwart, since otherwise he can't even be placed on the field. For this guy, I wanted to choose one of the Iron Wolves with a claw to thematically tie him together with the hulking Forge, while also choosing a mini with a face that could pass for the one depicted on Stalwart the Forge.
To further play with the claw abilities, I decided to give Stalwart a defensive ability to help his Iron Wolves brethren (although, he does work with any friendly Athletes, so he provides a nice little bit of cross-faction synergy for team games or the like), which is good for negating wounds and repositioning allies.
Pull to Safety is also where most of the value of Stalwart comes from, providing a more unique identity for him and giving him a use after his Forge dies. I originally had planned to give him a mechanic ability to repair SoulBorgs (abandoned for being unthematic for the BattleBall cast) or even the chance to reconstruct his Forge, but that ended up being too fiddly and difficult to manage. This simpler form appeals to me more, even if I doubt that he'll be taken with the Forge every time.
Steel Auxilius - Unique Negation Hero
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Miniature:
Spoiler Alert!
The figure used is one of the Black Hart figures from the game Battleball. It has an entirely robotic body.
Traits and Abilities:
Spoiler Alert!
GENERAL = EINAR PLANET = MOON SPECIES = CYBORG UNIQUENESS = UNIQUE HERO CLASS = ATHLETE PERSONALITY = TORMENTED SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 4
NEGATION DRIVE
While an opponent's figure is adjacent to Steel Auxilius, all of that figure's special powers are negated.
Repair Program
Instead of moving with Steel Auxilius, you may remove up to 1 wound marker from his Army Card.
Thought Process:
Spoiler Alert!
This guy presented a pretty big dilemma to me. My original concept involved rolling a dice to get different numbers of automatic skulls for a Special Attack, but this felt like a convoluted normal attack and didn't feel as unique as it could have been. He was also coming out pretty similar to the majority of the Black Hart faction, being a quick but squishy assassin.
I then had a hilarious concept of the Heavy Tackler throwing his own teammate adjacent to an opposing Raelin to negate her aura, letting a swarm of Black Harts rush in to take advantage of the moment. His Negation Drive is easily the highlight of the unit, making him very unique and different from anything else, although I was still pretty hesitant to include it. It feels almost too custom-y to me, and it can be terrifying in the right circumstances. I was also reluctant to release a power that will require many Rulings and Clarifications, but in the end, the potential gameplay depth outweighed my concerns.
In a sense, Steel Auxilius acts as a combination of Kira Jax, Morsbane, and Major X17. He can try to tie down units and provide a great benefit to his allies, and he acts as a solid counter to disengaging armies or ones that rely on defensive powers, like the Microcorp Agents. There's a lot of possibilities for what to do with him, especially once you open yourself to the possibility of throwing him with a Heavy Tackler (by far my favorite theoretic use of him) to ignore a Krav Maga's Stealth Dodge or the like.
Given the nature of his abilities, he'll of course attract a lot of attention (along with potentially taking 2 wounds from throwing), so I gave him a restrictive healing ability to take that into account. Generally, it won't be worth the turn with him Steel Auxilius to heal himself (especially since he only has 3 attack), so once he's in position, it might be best to just try and capitalize on the chance with the rest of your army.
Also, as a quick clarification note: he nullifies a figure's abilities, not an Army Card's. This is an important distinction: so long as you have Knights of Weston that are not adjacent to him, for example, you can take a bonding turn, but if you only have three left and all three are currently negated, then your bonding would be denied.
Dark Isis - Unique Filler Hero
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Miniature:
Spoiler Alert!
The figure used is one of the Dark Isis figure from the game Battleball.
Traits and Abilities:
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GENERAL = EINAR PLANET = MOON SPECIES = CYBORG UNIQUENESS = UNIQUE HERO CLASS = ATHLETE PERSONALITY = DAUNTLESS SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 4
TEAM ASSIST 2
If Dark Isis is attacking an opponent's figure that is adjacent to at least one other figure that you control, add 2 dice to Dark Isis' attack.
Sprinting Charge
Dark Isis receives 2 additional attack dice when attacking any figure that was at least 4 clear sight spaces away from her at the start of her turn.
Thought Process:
Spoiler Alert!
I've always thought that this sculpt lended itself well to a cheap but quick filler figure, and now that I've been designing an entire Black Hart faction, it felt like the opportune time to design it. Dark Isis doesn't bring much to the table that the Black Harts don't already have in some capacity, but she provides another way to do it and some potential variety.
Her low initial attack is offset by the two possible boosts that she can get, which can bring her up to an impressive 5 attack for a 20-point figure (granted, Marcu already starts at 4, but I think he's worth more than 20 points and am aiming for a power level closer to Kyntela Gwyn than him). With 2 life, she can potentially take a disengage to get at another target (assuming she fails to kill her first one), but with 2 defense, she might not last that long.
Overall, I quite like her role in a Black Hart build, and I think that her option to get good attacks in another way from the rest of the army (while still playing much the same way) provides some nice variety. If she continuously underperforms, then I plan to either increase her defense to 3 or give her Disengage, but I'd like to see how she plays at this stage first.
OVERGROWTH
At the beginning of every round, you may place a green Overgrowth marker on this card. When Arboris receives one or more wounds, you may 1 Overgrowth marker from this Army Card to ignore all wounds. A maximum of 3 Overgrowth Markers can be placed on this card.
BY THE ROOTS
When attacking or defending with Arboris, you may roll 1 additional die for every Overgrowth marker on this Army Card.
Thought Process:
Spoiler Alert!
I spent most of the design time contemplating various figures using terrain pieces to try and capture the theme of an Ent, but it wasn't really jiving for me at the time. Shortly before the deadline, I decided to think about the fundamental theme that I wanted to go for, and growth seemed like the natural choice (pun fully intented).
Arboris kind of sprang about as a result from that, because I loved the idea of a figure that was constantly growing bigger as the enemy tried to cut it down to size. I considered a lot of other approaches as well, whether it was adjusting the height of the figure based off of the markers (dropped because I figured it was far too complex and unnecessary), increasing the base movement and dropping it as Arboris grew, or even letting him outright heal himself. Ultimately, I was most fond of the simpler design using Overgrowth Markers for health and only increasing his power over time.
CHANGE LOG:Last Update 6/2/18
Spoiler Alert!
3/20/18:
Increased Eltris' defense from 1 to 2. Changed her ability Dragon Rider to read as follows: "...Eltris and her Dragon Ally roll an additional die when attacking normally or defending against a normal attack while they are within 2 clear sight spaces of each other." She has realized that defending herself might be an important tactic.
Increased the Black Harts' move from 5 to 6 to show them love for not having a common counterpart to be in a pack with yet.
Dropped the Tenri Samurai's attack from 4 to 2. Scientists believe that this is the first of many steps of recovery from a bias towards Samurai, but there is not substantial evidence to suggest this.
5/2/18:
Made some minor updates to Eltris' Thought Process wording, along with adding a prototype card that I made for her.
5/15/18:
Added the Heavy Tackler to the Black Harts pack.
Changed Black Harts' personality to Loyal from Determined.
Changed Steel Ultimatus' personality to Precise from Determined. He also had a change of (robotic) heart, so his Gravity Field will now only affect opponent's figures.
5/19/18:
Added the Glyph of Syn (Blind) to the Black Harts pack.
Added the Boots of Valda (Move +1) to the Heroes of Jutanguard pack.
5/30/18:
Increased the attack on Steel Ultimatus' Antigravity Leap Special Attack from 2 to 3, since he suddenly felt like actually killing things. Decreased his normal attack from 3 to 2 to compensate (he only half-wanted to kill things).
Changed the Black Harts to be a three-person squad instead of a 4-person one, to better suit the miniature count in the Battleball box. Dropped the Black Harts' cost to 45 from 55.
Changed the Black Harts' Group Tackle ability to read as follows: "...it must subtract 1 from its defense for every <omit> Black Hart figure that it is engaged with..."
Increased the Heavy Tackler's cost to 35 from 30. Decreased his attack to 3 from 4. Increased his defense to 5 from 4. Changed his ability Throw 14 to Throw 12.
Changed the Heavy Tackler's ability Team Player to read as follows: "...you may take a turn with one Athlete Squad or Unique Hero that you control that follows Einar." He now acknowledges heroes as being part of the team.
To prove that I didn't forget about Eltris, I changed her class to Rider from Warlord, and her power Eternal Heartbreak was renamed to Rider's Heartbreak. The number of wounds caused by her Dragon Ally dying was also decreased to 2 from 3.
The figure used is the Heavy Tackle for the Black Harts team from the game Battleball. Brutus is a double-spaced figure.
CHARACTER BIO:
Spoiler Alert!
Brutus was always a bit of an oddity. Even in a future of genetic modification and alteration, few humans rivaled the sheer size of the Black Harts' star player.
Before Brutus joined them, the Black Harts were struggling to remain relevant. Their best players had slowly moved on, leaving the team as a shell of its former self. Right when it seemed like the Black Harts would be disbanded due to a lack of sponsors, though, Brutus was recruited from a small town at the outskirts of the country.
Suddenly, everything began to turn around for the failing team. Brutus' quiet strength, intimidating power, and surprisingly quick speed quickly inspired the Black Harts, rallying them to do better and more impressive feats. Before every game, Brutus also found himself saying a quick prayer, hoping that this one would not be his last. Luckily for him, it seemed like none ever would be.
Now that he has arrived to Valhalla, Brutus looks to inspire his teammates just like he did before!
CARD TEXT:
Spoiler Alert!
GENERAL = EINAR PLANET = EARTH SPECIES = HUMAN UNIQUENESS = UNIQUE HERO CLASS = LEADER PERSONALITY = DEVOUT SIZE/HEIGHT = LARGE 8
TEAM LEADER
After taking a turn with Brutus, if he is unengaged, you may take a turn with one Athlete Squad or Hero that you control that follows Einar.
THROW 12
After moving and before attacking, choose one small or medium non-flying figure adjacent to Brutus. Roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 12 or higher, you may throw the figure by placing it on any empty space within 4 clear sight spaces of Brutus. If the figure was placed on a non-water space on a level equal to or lower than Brutus' height, roll the 20-sided die. If you roll an 11 or higher, the thrown figure receives 2 wounds. The thrown figure does not take any leaving engagement attacks.
-Combinations and Synergies-
Synergy Benefits Received
COUNT RAYMOND : DEVOUT LEADERSHIP
As a figure with a Devout personality, Brutus may benefit from may benefit from Count Raymond’s DEVOUT LEADERSHIP movement bonus.
COUNT RAYMOND : MANEUVER 9
As a friendly human figure who follows Einar, Brutus may benefit from Count Raymond's MANEUVER 9 when he receives one or more wounds from a leaving engagement attack.
Synergy Benefits Offered
EBON ARMOR : ANIMATED MATERIEL & ETERNAL WAR
As a Unique Human, a destroyed Ebon Armor you control may be placed on Brutus' Army Card to replace Brutus upon his own destruction.
HATAMOTO TARO : ADJACENT TOUGH 1
As a figure that follows Einar, Brutus may aid Hatamoto Taro with his ADJACENT TOUGH 1 defense bonus.
It's cool to see some Battleball customs! I love those figures, and what you've done with Brutus is pretty cool. He seems strong with his bonding power, since he has both Throw 12 and an attack of 4 to make himself unengaged. But those are both risky, so if he fails those, you really wasted a turn. I'm sure he'd be tricky to play!
It's cool to see some Battleball customs! I love those figures, and what you've done with Brutus is pretty cool. He seems strong with his bonding power, since he has both Throw 12 and an attack of 4 to make himself unengaged. But those are both risky, so if he fails those, you really wasted a turn. I'm sure he'd be tricky to play!
Thanks for checking them out! I'm pretty sure that I've had the game sitting around my house for longer than HeroScape, and the figures always seemed like a perfect match to me. Hopefully I'll be able to playtest them enough to submit them to SoV before the supply dwindles too much.
Brutus is definitely an interesting leader because of his drawbacks, though. His Order Marker management is a nice bonus to the army (in addition to being able to get in that extra attack or throw to help the army out), but if he gets tied down or overextends and fails an important roll, then everything quickly falls apart.
July 11th, 2018, 06:40 AM
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