GreyOwl's SHC - 1/15 Updated All "B" Cards

[IAmBatman]

Makes a lot of sense to me.

[Matt Helm]

I really like Teleport Rescue and may have to borrow that mechanic sometime, as long as you shorten the range to 4. Like you said, 4 there and 4 back.

[GreyOwl]

Yeah, I'll definitely be updating that. As soon as I sort out a technical issue with Photoshop...

[GreyOwl]

Updated Sidewinder:

[GreyOwl]

This is something I've been mulling over for the last few years. I started work on this before my "disappearance" and recently resurrected the project in an attempt to finish it. Initially, I wanted a thematic way to represent Symbiotes. The problem was, the number of rules required to make them work properly - meaning thematically and not game-breaking - became too wordy to fit on a card. So after resisting it for a while, and discussing it with SivlerFox, we decided to try the Event Hero approach of C3G. Namely, we had to create a new type of Hero to make it work. Then I figured that since I'm going to create a new type of Hero, why limit it to just Symbiotes? So this is basically a new type of Hero that's meant to "attach" to a Unique Hero and modify it's powers, attributes, or stats. We decided to call it an Adherent Hero. Adherent in the dual meaning of a "follower" and also "sticking to". I tried to keep the general rules Symbiote-free, so they could apply to other types of figures as well. The Symbiote specific rules will still go on the Symbiote cards themselves.

In general, I see Adherent Heroes as being very low powered. On the order of Life 2, Attack 2, Defense 2-3, etc. They are meant to be played by being attached to a Unique Hero, not really on their own, so their survival on their own is very poor in order to encourage that type of gameplay.

So without further ado, here are my Adherent Hero rules. I would love any feedback which could help make them balanced and streamlined.

Spoiler Alert!

ADHERENT HERO

WHAT IS AN ADHERENT HERO?
An Adherent Hero is a Hero that, for the most part, acts like a Unique Hero, with a few key differences. The primary difference is that they are ultimately meant to be attached (“adhere”) to a Unique Hero, in which case the Unique Hero becomes the “Host”.

HOW DOES AN ADHERENT HERO RELATE TO OTHER HEROES?
The main thing to remember about Adherent Heroes is that because they are a different type of hero, they are not susceptible to powers that specify Unique, Common, Uncommon, or Event Heroes.
When selecting cards to put in your Army, you cannot select two of the same Adherent Hero Army Card.

SPECIAL MOVEMENT RULE AND HOSTING
Normally, figures cannot move onto a space which is already occupied by another figure. However, one exception is that Unique Heroes and Uncommon Heroes can move onto spaces occupied by an Adherent Hero. When this happens, remove the Adherent Hero figure from play and place it on the card of the Unique Hero or Uncommon Here. The Unique Hero or Uncommon Hero is now considered the Host for the Adherent Hero. Unless otherwise noted in a special power on the Adherent Hero’s card, any Unique Hero or Uncommon Hero can become a Host, regardless of whether it is a friendly or an opponent’s figure. Note that individual Adherent Hero cards may have special powers that allow a Unique Hero or Uncommon Hero to become a Host for an Adherent Hero in additional ways.

WHO CAN BE A HOST?
As stated above, only Unique Heroes and Uncommon Heroes can move onto an Adherent Hero. But to clarify for situations where a special power may allow a different way for an Adherent Hero to attach to a Host, only Unique Heroes and Uncommon Heroes can become a Host. Common Heroes, Event Heroes, and Squad figures cannot be a Host, under any circumstances.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A HOST?
When a Unique Hero or Uncommon Hero becomes a Host, the card for the Adherent Hero will tell you how the Unique Hero or Uncommon Hero is affected as a result. There are some general rules to keep in mind, however. The Host is considered to have the Species of the Adherent Hero instead of the Species listed on its card, but all other stats and attributes (Class, Personality, Move, Attack, Life, etc.) of the Host stay as is. The Host is still considered a Unique Hero or Uncommon Hero. While on a Host, the Adherent Hero cannot be targeted, attacked, wounded, or interacted with in any other way (though any wounds that were previously on the Adherent Hero’s card still remain on its card). It is essentially out of the game for the duration that it is attached to a Host.

REMOVING AN ADHERENT HERO FROM A HOST
The only way to remove an Adherent Hero from a Host is to destroy the Host. Once the Host is destroyed, place the Adherent Hero figure on the space last occupied by the Host.

ADHERENT HEROES AND GLYPHS
Adherent Heroes may not pick up or activate Glyphs of any kind. Equipment Glyphs may only be equipped by Unique Heroes.

[caps]

Why can't an Uncommon Hero be a host? They are identical to Unique heroes in every way except that multiple copies are allowed. Seems like an unnecessary distinction.

Other than that, they look like some cool alternate rules to open things up for custom design.

[GreyOwl]

You know....I don't know. I guess there is no reason why they couldn't work. I just initially approached it from the standpoint of "keep it as simple as possible" and picked the obvious Unique Hero. I also wanted to specifically exclude Event Heroes, because honestly, who wants to fight a Venom Beyonder or Venom Galactus??

But now that you mention it, I think Uncommon Heroes would work just fine.

[GreyOwl]

Rules updated to include Uncommon Heroes.

[GreyOwl]

Additional uses I foresee for Adherent Heroes are things like Parallax, Starro's starfish, or things like nanobots that Tony Stark could make that would attach to Androids to either benefit or harm them (like a virus to attack Ultron, for example).

[Spidey'tilIDie]

Actually, you could do Black and Indigo Lantern rings this way, as they have more of a symbiotic relationship with their host/wielder. Would also work Mjolnir or Thunderstrike mace. Cool idea!

[GreyOwl]

Originally Posted by Spidey'tilIDie

Actually, you could do Black and Indigo Lantern rings this way, as they have more of a symbiotic relationship with their host/wielder. Would also work Mjolnir or Thunderstrike mace. Cool idea!

Great ideas!

[Tornado]

Ground breaking idea. Very cool.