Schismatic’s Customs

[Sherman Davies]

Always nice to see dino customs in Heroscape. In Diving Swoop Special Attack, I think you forgot to use the power name in the second sentence and you need to refer to "this" Pteralask at the end of the sentence. Aside from that, nice work!

[S1R_ART0R1US]

I really like the Nychus design but do think they’re too cheap. I’m thinking 15 points each is a better value.

[SchismaticSounds]

Originally Posted by S1R_ART0R1US

I really like the Nychus design but do think they’re too cheap. I’m thinking 15 points each is a better value.

Thanks. I think you’re right that they are too cheap as they are. Didn’t get quite enough playtesting on Neichus before posting tbh, but following discussion really helps save some time.

Since the aim is a 5 point unit, I’d rather first try to make changes to the unit. I think the diminishing returns and instability of a unit could bring it into 5 point territory, though it’s easy to end up in a delicate place. A few diminished returns are present between the absence of climb and limiting your starter zone with poor stat figures. I’ll have to do more tests flooding starter zones and having a few high price figures, using up all your points. The 16 or higher is just a fancy way of being the same as 10-15 if you have no other unique hunter hero’s.

Pack hunting could still be messed with a bit. It had only just become schematically how I liked it. Another con to mention from this would be the unreliability/risk involved when trying to use Neichus as an order marker hub for unique hunter hero’s. Why I settled on the current numbers.

Real Deinoneichus are quite deadly with their curved claws, so 2 attack I don’t feel the need change. I wouldn’t be opposed to 1 def other than comparing to the 2 def insects, but then again a giant insect would be resilient, so 1 def might help pull them into the 5 pt territory some more. The 5 point cost isn’t really questionable when there’s only 1 Neichus, which it shouldn’t be, but in higher numbers, it ofc gets a little complicated. I do enjoy the hunter synergy. Using multiples of them, it’s important that they aren’t accumulatively useless while still not great.

[SchismaticSounds]

Introducing........................

Heroes of Ekstrom

ZINARI-

Figure Name: Human Female Rogue - Pathfinder Battles Premium Figures W1
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LOGAN FALQUIN-

Figure Name: Human Male Cleric - Icons of the Realms Premium Figures W4
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Raichen Jitterfoot-

Figure Name: Wererat Archer - Kingmaker #24 Pathfinder Battles D&D
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Malghar Cinderscale-

Figure Name: Dragonborn Male Fighter - Icons of the Realms Premium Figures W1
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Mentionable Updates

Attempted revamp for Grishlok

Spoiler Alert!

[TheAverageFan]

Very cool and diverse batch of figures

Zinari: Very powerful but busy card here. She has both an attack and defense buff that are easy to get, as well as bonus wounding and a defense buff to an ally if they are close. I don't know if Blend Into Shadows is necessary here since she will be on Shadow spaces anyway when her twin shadow is nearby. I also don't know if Twin Shadows lets Zinari cross rivers etc. when active; I don't think so since it mentions Also which is good.

Logan: Inspiring Aura is powerful but difficult to set up. Last Hurrah is a little difficult to follow at present. As far as I understand it it's Dying Swipe but he can move if there's excess Skulls but no one adjacent to spend them on. The power mentions between rolling dice but all 3 are rolled at once as is. You could say "roll 3 attack dice one each at a time" and "between rolling dice, if there are no opponent's figures adjacent to Logan...". It might also be a bit too niche as is; you could bump it to 4 dice to make it more likely, but that'd mostly just make him a better hero killer.

Raichen: Treasure Scavenging is pretty fun and enables Raichen to nab glyphs no matter how difficult to reach they are (even ones in impossible locations) which is great for a mouse figure. It's pretty unique too compared to other TG powers. Other than that he's fast and slippery but squishy which is also appropriate.

Malghar: Shield Smack on a 5 Life/5 Defense figure is pretty brutal, especially since it works on Special Attacks as well. Not too dangerous against Heroes, but still. Perhaps it should only trigger once per turn, as it's an odd visual imagining him shield-smacking a whole bunch of figures back-to-back. Other than that he's about on par with Rhogar which is appropriate, and the sculpt is great. Lastly the Cinderscale name isn't capitalized in the first power text.

Feels like a genuine D&D Heroes set. Well done

~TAF

[Knox]

I love these. Over the past few weeks I've become an avid follower of SchismaticSounds customs... if only I could afford to keep up with all these minis I'd use them all!!

2 cents:
Logan needs clarity: does he move 3 spaces after each individual die? The ability is unclear and probably needs some help with Wurdz.

Zinari: Pick between blend into shadow and twin shadows. Both abilities is a lot of business. You can playtest this, it might need to be kept with both abilities bc I'm sure you have blend into shadow there so that she can remain a "Shadow Assasin" regardless of whether there's a 2nd hero in the army. Zinari also should be changed to simply "Assasin" rather than "Shadow Assasin" since the latter undermines any potential synergy webs she could ever participate in.

Jitterfoot also needs some clarity: does "Treasure Scavenging" include height? Is that what is meant by minimum number of spaces? I'm also not in love with Wait then Fire on the card - it seems a bit antithetical to the name "Jitterfoot." But I don't think that's a dealbreaker, what a great custom.

Grishlok: Not a big fan of the revamp. There's just too much going on - you need to sacrifice 2 squad figures just to get 3 attack (admittedly, it's close to 6 attack bc the skulls double). I suppose there's a rare case where he's going in with some orcs against Q9 and you sacrifice a whole squad to give him 2 attacks of 10... but I don't know. Why not just give him 2+ attack and make it 2 additional dice per squad figure? Makes the ability simpler.

Another simple option is just to make eldritch blast 1 unblockable attack die (and can attack an additional time) and leave out the part about sacrificing squad figures. I understand the appeal of modeling this ability after Krishnak in sacrificing squaddies but it may be unnecessary.

[SchismaticSounds]

Originally Posted by Knox

I love these. Over the past few weeks I've become an avid follower of SchismaticSounds customs... if only I could afford to keep up with all these minis I'd use them all!!

Wow, you've managed to put a much needed smile on my face
It means very much to me, and your patronage contributes to keeping these going.

I have only a few more customs coming to this thread, a 3 hero pack and 1 hero pack, and then to pick up with finishing the other threads.. so soon I will be slowing down with the consistent new posts.

I will continue to check the customs here for corrections and there are a select few minis I'm looking to work with upon release, so it definitely won't be the end. Perhaps this will give you some time to accumulate any of the customs you really enjoy

Originally Posted by Knox

Logan needs clarity: does he move 3 spaces after each individual die? The ability is unclear and probably needs some help with Wurdz.

It's intended that the 3 space movement does not reset.

Does this wording make more sense for Last Hurrah?:

Spoiler Alert!

If Logan Falquin is attacked with a normal attack by an opponent's figure and receives enough wounds to be destroyed, roll 3 attack dice one at a time. For each skull rolled, you may inflict 1 wound on any figure that is adjacent to Logan. Figures affected by Last Hurrah cannot roll any defense dice and can receive more than 1 wound each. While using Last Hurrah, Logan may move up 3 spaces but is unable to disengage. After using Last Hurrah, remove Logan from the battlefield.

Originally Posted by TheAverageFan

The power mentions between rolling dice but all 3 are rolled at once as is. You could say "roll 3 attack dice one each at a time" and "between rolling dice, if there are no opponent's figures adjacent to Logan...". It might also be a bit too niche as is;...

An interesting crossover with 'between rolling dice' and 'roll 3 attack dice one at a time'.
Do you think the simple wording inclusion above steers from that while making the function clear?

Originally Posted by Knox

Zinari: Pick between blend into shadow and twin shadows. Both abilities is a lot of business. You can playtest this, it might need to be kept with both abilities bc I'm sure you have blend into shadow there so that she can remain a "Shadow Assasin" regardless of whether there's a 2nd hero in the army. Zinari also should be changed to simply "Assasin" rather than "Shadow Assasin" since the latter undermines any potential synergy webs she could ever participate in.

Actually, she was heavily intended to be a doppelganger for Mika Connour who lacks any thematically associating synergies, but I like to think that I had that in mind as well haha. It does help for when she is alone.

Simply giving another figure on the table the Blend in Shadows ability makes Mika Connours gameplay much more interesting, and I found through testing that the Twin Shadows also held a good deal of spice for their duo. I haven't actually playtested Zinari yet by herself. Twin Shadows mechanic stems from and borrows from Byrikon's hive mind integration.

Some fun background: Zinari is a letter switch name from Nizari which were the people responsible for the origin of the word Assassin.

Originally Posted by TheAverageFan

I don't know if Blend Into Shadows is necessary here since she will be on Shadow spaces anyway when her twin shadow is nearby. I also don't know if Twin Shadows lets Zinari cross rivers etc. when active; I don't think so since it mentions Also which is good.

I must have added the 'also' specific earlier on and am now quite proud it.

The benefit of both Blend into Shadows and Twin Shadows is fun and dynamic paired with Mika Connour. I could see Blend into Shadows being removed, but since it has felt balanced and enjoyable so far in playtesting, I don't find it necessary for now. I'd say Zinari is one of the customs here that may have been premature to post, but I didn't want to stew longer withholding showing.

Giving your feedback some thought, I upped the point value from 120->130.

Raichen Jitterfoot:

Originally Posted by Knox

does "Treasure Scavenging" include height? Is that what is meant by minimum number of spaces? I'm also not in love with Wait then Fire on the card - it seems a bit antithetical to the name "Jitterfoot." But I don't think that's a dealbreaker, what a great custom.

The wording follows the same rules as used for the Mohicans concealment so no height.

It seems I have a tendency towards antitheticism, and in this case it's a bit comical. A mild characteristic of being unable to sit still, yet she is sneaky enough to focus when she needs to. Or is she jittery for the treasure?? I'm glad that you like the custom!

Originally Posted by TheAverageFan

Treasure Scavenging is pretty fun and enables Raichen to nab glyphs no matter how difficult to reach they are (even ones in impossible locations) which is great for a mouse figure. It's pretty unique too compared to other TG powers. Other than that he's fast and slippery but squishy which is also appropriate.

I'm really glad that you like this one and that the theme wasn't a deal breaker.
It was nice to be able to bring over a ratkin figure (that would have fit into my rat customs universe) into Valhalla.

Originally Posted by Knox

Grishlok: Not a big fan of the revamp. There's just too much going on - you need to sacrifice 2 squad figures just to get 3 attack (admittedly, it's close to 6 attack bc the skulls double). I suppose there's a rare case where he's going in with some orcs against Q9 and you sacrifice a whole squad to give him 2 attacks of 10... but I don't know. Why not just give him 2+ attack and make it 2 additional dice per squad figure? Makes the ability simpler.

Another simple option is just to make eldritch blast 1 unblockable attack die (and can attack an additional time) and leave out the part about sacrificing squad figures. I understand the appeal of modeling this ability after Krishnak in sacrificing squaddies but it may be unnecessary.

Granted it is a lot more going on then before.
The previous design for Grishlok was a little too simple and I wasn't interested in it.

The Eldritch Blast is apparently a main attack of Warlocks in DnD. A correction of your interpretation however, he may only sacrifice 1 figure per turn, so a max of 2 attacks of 2 (ranged deadly strike).

The Kuthnak similarity was in the back of my mind somewhat, but it was the backstabbing looking knife in his hand that pushed the theme in that direction. Also, Eldritch Blast is a necrotic attack, and the relatively low cost of death chasers fits. Hmm, He doesn't actually have any direct synergy with death chasers, but I like the hex idea for slowing down their prey!

Playtesting should definitely smooth out some rough edges, and I'll look into that option of 2+ attack.

Originally Posted by TheAverageFan

Malghar: Shield Smack on a 5 Life/5 Defense figure is pretty brutal, especially since it works on Special Attacks as well. Not too dangerous against Heroes, but still. Perhaps it should only trigger once per turn, as it's an odd visual imagining him shield-smacking a whole bunch of figures back-to-back. Other than that he's about on par with Rhogar which is appropriate, and the sculpt is great. Lastly the Cinderscale name isn't capitalized in the first power text.

Definitely should be once per turn! I like shield bash effecting special attacks as well, but I'm unsure if it would have to be only normal attacks. Since it says 'attacks from an adjacent attacking figure', that would be "one figure", but then if he defends against a squad's special attack. ex. zombies or yari, I guess he doesn't get to use it.


Thanks again for your thought and time spent giving feedback.
I wouldn't be where I am without it..

[Knox]

Glad to encourage you! Your customs are awesome!

Yes, the rewording of Logan's ability is helpful

If Zinari is more fun in playtesting with both abilities, keep both abilities!

Here's something I came up with on Grishlok: I've made him a priest instead of a Warlock, because that knife definitely makes him look like he's about to make a sacrifice. It keeps the blood theme so common in Orc heroes (Krug, Kuthnak, etc) as well as the backstabbing you were talking about and imo is a really clean way of accomplishing what you're going for. Lmk what you think

https://ibb.co/mGsJPmx

It needs to be playtested, but as best I can theoryscape it this Grishlok seems balanced. He can get double attack with 6 attack from range (unheard of power) but it takes 5 turns to get there, 5 sacrificed squaddies, and 5 OMs (I don't think orc priests have any bonding). So to use him at full power would require allowing your opponent to gain the initiative and most of the glyphs.

I think the biggest changes I would expect to make if you went with this design would be: perhaps increasing the base attack to 2 and limiting the sacrifices to 3 or 4, and perhaps giving some kind of bonding (making him an orc champion perhaps?)

[SchismaticSounds]

Originally Posted by Knox

Here's something I came up with on Grishlok: I've made him a priest instead of a Warlock, because that knife definitely makes him look like he's about to make a sacrifice. It keeps the blood theme so common in Orc heroes (Krug, Kuthnak, etc) as well as the backstabbing you were talking about and imo is a really clean way of accomplishing what you're going for. Lmk what you think

https://ibb.co/mGsJPmx

It needs to be playtested, but as best I can theoryscape it this Grishlok seems balanced. He can get double attack with 6 attack from range (unheard of power) but it takes 5 turns to get there, 5 sacrificed squaddies, and 5 OMs (I don't think orc priests have any bonding). So to use him at full power would require allowing your opponent to gain the initiative and most of the glyphs.

I think the biggest changes I would expect to make if you went with this design would be: perhaps increasing the base attack to 2 and limiting the sacrifices to 3 or 4, and perhaps giving some kind of bonding (making him an orc champion perhaps?)

An interesting switch up playing with similar ideas. 5 turns to charge up a single figure is a lot and a bonding would help, though the cross orc synergy I've tried to keep from. I wouldn't go above 2 sacrifices per turn, partly because the multiple sacrifices leaves a quick hole in your offenses/screen. I'd like to see how it plays, though being relatively squishy and spending a lot of time to give him crazy offense is difficult to tell the balance of. Against a melee only team, I think he would be quite affective for as long as he keeps away from the opponent's advance. Against range, might be a tougher time. With max and height, that'd be 2 attacks of 7!

[Knox]

His synergy could be with a demon (since those are all in Valkrill).

A modified version would be:
Base: 2 attack
Offering of blood ability: +1 attack to Gothlok per sacrifice OR remove 1 wound from a demon you control per sacrifice (could be changed to AND instead of OR based on playtesting). Max 4 sacrifices

Add Demon Bonding

Playtest with and without double attack

[Blue Trails]

Playtesting for PHOAH RA

Game 1:

Spoiler Alert!

540 points
Map: JABBERWOCK by Superfrog
Glyphs: Wannok, Valda

Army 1: Phoah Ra, Crypt Guardian x3, Sudema, B-11 Resistance Corps
Army 2: Ranjit Singh, Rygarn, Kantono Daishi, Ninjas of the Northern Wind, Shiori, Isamu, Otonashi

Survivors:
Crypt Guardian (1 wound)

Summary:

Spoiler Alert!

Round 1:
Ninjas win initiative and begin development toward both hillls via three Order Markers on Kantono, while the mummies creep along the board, heading for jungle cover and the central shadow pool; one Crypt Guardian takes two OM's and escorts Sudema, while Phoah Ra uses OM2 to move the other Guardians. The round ends splendidly for the testing army; Phoah Ra is unharmed by a stray Shuriken from Shiori as the latter takes Valda, and Sudema successfully petrifies Kantono with Stone Stare.
Round 2:
The Ninjas win initiative again, activate Lion of Punjab, and use the prior round's positioning to launch a deadly strike with their squad that results in 3 wounds on Sudema, 2 wounds on Phoah Ra, and one destroyed B-11. This turns out to be an overextension, though, as Sudema stares down another Ninja while dodging Chrono-Key-enabled shots from Rygarn; meanwhile, Ra and the Crypt Guardians destroy another NoNW and Otonashi and begin to challenge the opposing army's hold on Valda.
Round 3:
Mummies win initiative. Sudema destroys the last NoNW with Stone Stare as a Crypt Guardian enters the shadows on Valda's hill, forcing Rygarn to Chrono Key an otherwise lost OM1 to Shiori, who assassinates Phoah Ra. Although two Order Markers are wasted with Ra's demise, the pharoah's Spirit curses Rygarn as a consolation. In the remainder of the round, Rygarn wounds a Crypt Guardian and Isamu moves to reinforce his army near Valda.
Round 4:
Ninjas win initiative. Shiori destroys Sudema and a B-11 while the Crypt Guardians ineffectually attack; Shiori blocks one attempt and Rygarn uses Temporal Leap to escape two others. In the process, the mummies claim Valda.
Round 5:
Ninjas win initiative. The two remaining B-11 Corpsmen mobilize and wound Rygarn and Shiori during the round. No wounds are dealt to the mummy army this round, and Rygarn receives a wound from a Crypt Guardian attack before Temporal Leaping away from another.
Round 6:
Ninjas win initiative. Rygarn destroys a B-11, but the other dashes to Valda's heights and guns down Isamu to deny Lion of Punjab on successive rounds. However, the lone Mariedian promptly blanks against a Shuriken and costs his army two more Order Markers. Rygarn takes Wannok; a Crypt Guardian takes the resulting wound.
Round 7:
Ninjas win initiative. Two Crypt Guardians destroy Shiori and deal two wounds to Rygarn in exchange for a single wound. Rygarn is forced off Wannok to survive, Leaping away from a two-pronged assault, but manages to deal two wounds to one of his assailants. The mummies claim Wannok; Ranjit takes a wound.
Round 8:
Mummies win initiative. The Crypt Guardians chase Rygarn around the heights near Wannok; in a string of lucky events, Rygarn Leaps thrice, blocks an attack, and destroys one Guardian. The other nearby Crypt Guardian reclaims Wannok, and Ranjit receives another wound.
Ending Rounds:
After much effort, the Crypt Guardians destroy Rygarn. Ranjit advances but cannot harm the mummies before his own destruction.

Power Usage:
Paralyzing Stare 15: failed against a NoNW,.
Crypt Guardian Movement Bonding: used twice for development at the start of the game.
Spirit: placed on Rygarn; effect mitigated due to four successful Temporal Jumps.
Normal Attack: used one time; destroyed a Ninja of the Northern Wind.

Comments:
I thought that Singh's gimmick would make an ideal testing environment for Phoah Ra's power set. Ra was used in a supporting role this game. The ability to move any two Crypt Guardians without committing to an Order Marker was nice, but I found myself taking more turns with the Guardians, themselves. Although Ra didn't deal much damage directly, the ability was slow down the opposing army's best endgame figure, Rygarn, was very helpful when combined with a hold on Valda, as the slow Crypt Guardians would have disliked chasing Rygarn around the map. I also rolled several three-skull attacks against Rygarn's Spirit-lowered 2 Defense, but the frequency with which Rygarn hit Temporal Jump rolls saved him from all of them.

Game 2:

Spoiler Alert!

450 points
Map: WYRMWALK by Panopticon
Glyphs: Lodin, Kelda

Army 1: Phoah Ra, Crypt Guardian x2, Warden 816, Zettian Infantry x2
Army 2: Greenscale Warriors x2, Zogross Hardscale, Johnny "Shotgun" Sullivan, Racheim

Survivors:
Phoah Ra (1 wound)
Crypt Guardian (1 wound)
Crypt Guardian (2 wounds)
Warden 816 (1 wound)
4 Zettian Infantry guards

Summary:

Spoiler Alert!

Round 1:
Lizardfolk win initiative. Zogross and a squad of Greenscales begin their advance with cover fire/fishing support from Johnny. Meanwhile, Phoah Ra and the Crypt Guardians push ahead to prevent the Greenscales from reaching their trailing Soulborg allies. A potshot from Johnny wounds Phoah Ra.
Round 2:
Lizardfolk win initiative again. Lizardfolk development on Order Marker 1 is countered by the Crypt Guardians, who stretch through an unnoticed hole in the opposing army's defense to engage Johnny, Zogross, and a Greenscale, though no wounds are dealt. Johnny then safely disengages to trade shots with the advancing Zettians from level-4 height, but receives only a wound for his effort.
Round 3:
Lizardfolk win initiative. The Soulborgs pick off three Greenscales and deal two wounds to Johnny in exchange for one wound to a Crypt Guardian and one Zettian. Phoah Ra's Movement Bonding is used to keep the Crypt Guardians in the midst of the opposing army. Warden 816 takes a wound from lava field damage.
Round 4:
Lizardfolk win initiative. A full round of Zettian attacks destroys two more Greenscales and Johnny and deals two wounds to Racheim. Johnny takes a single Zettian with him, while the Greenscales wound a Crypt Guardian.
Round 5:
Guards win initiative and destroy the last Greenscale. Racheim is promptly gunned down while running to Kelda, losing two Order Markers. Zogross takes a wound, but the guards incur no damage this round.
Round 6:
Guards win initiative. Phoah Ra engages Zogross, fails a Paralyzing Stare attempt, and deals a wound. Zogross whiffs his own attack and falls to a second, successful Stare followed by a 3-skull roll.

Power Usage:
Paralyzing Stare 15: used twice; failed once and destroyed Zogross the second time.
Crypt Guardian Movement Bonding: used thrice; moved Crypt Guardians to a position from which they could engage multiple Lizardfolk and repositioned the blockage after Zettian Infantry teammates thinned the mass.
Spirit: Unused.
Normal Attack: used twice; dealt three wounds to Zogross.


Comments:
This was a shutout in favor of the testing army; one-sided rolls and overzealous use of Johnny during the early game contributed to a game state of total advantage for the Guards. I would have called the game after Racheim's unexpected demise, but I wanted to see how quickly Ra could destroy something as tough as Zogross while using Paralyzing Stare. In Phoah Ra's ideal case of a double Crypt Guardian engagement, the power was highly effective in depleting the warlord's remaining Life.

Game 3:

Spoiler Alert!

350 points
Map: HIGHWAYS & DIEWAYS by Uranus P. Chicago
Glyphs: Lodin, Dagmar

Army 1: Phoah Ra, Crypt Guardian x2, Nakita Agents
Army 2: Goblins Slashers x3, Koggo, Bugbear Basher, Johnny "Shotgun" Sullivan

Survivors:
1 Goblin Slasher
Bugbear Basher (1 wound)
Johnny "Shotgun" Sullivan (4 wounds)

Summary:

Spoiler Alert!

Round 1:
Goblins win initiative. The Slashers slow-roll onto the road, bringing both Heroes with them. Phoah Ra and the Crypt Guardians fan out to block multiple lanes and the Nakitas take height.
Round 2:
Goblins win initiative again and suffer a rough round: Nakita shots destroy three Slashers and deal two wounds to Koggo, and Engagement Strike claims two more Slashers. However, Koggo and the Slashers each destroy a Nakita. Phoah Ra takes OM3 and destroys the sixth Slasher of the round.
Round 3:
Mummies win initiative and use the road to send Crypt Guardians deeper into the Goblin lines, destroying two Slashers. As to be expected, the Slashers' measly Attack of 2 can't touch the Crypt Guardian, but the Goblins still deal three wounds to Phoah Ra. After wounding a Crypt Guardian, the Bugbear then finishes the job by Bashing Phoah Ra with a 4-skull roll. Ra's Spirit curses Johnny to aid the slow Crypt Guardians in their endgame, and the lesser mummies destroy Koggo and a third Slasher.
Round 4:
Mummies win initiative again and destroy two of the three remaining Slashers. A hefty attack from the Basher brings one Guardian to its last Life point, which is then lost in an attempt to disengage and destroy the last Slasher before any more Order Markers can be revealed there. For the first time, this Slasher's manages to wound the remaining Guardian, and the Basher trades a wound with the mummy.
Ending Rounds:
The mummy army wins all further initiative rolls but cannot turn around the of the game. Johnny takes 4 wounds while fighting the last Nakita Agent but ultimately prevails. The Bugbear then destroys the last Crypt Guardian.

Power Usage:
Paralyzing Stare 15: used once; failed against a Slasher.
Crypt Guardian Movement Bonding: used thrice; contributed to early development of mummy frontline and maneuvered Crypt Guardians to engage a mass of goblins.
Spirit: Placed on Johnny, leading to 4 wounds from a lone Nakita Agent.
Normal Attack: used once; destroyed a Slasher.


Comments:
Ra's spirit was a great boon in the endgame, as it weakened Johnny enough that the disadvantaged mummy army nearly succeeded in mounting a comeback; if the lawman hadn't hit his last Shotgun Blast, the lone Nakita Agent likely would have destroyed him the next turn and made things very difficult for the two low-life melee units that remained in engagement with the hearty Crypt Guardian. Crypt Guardian Movement Bonding lost value once the mummies reached the road, but the ability to move my entire army with two cards was very nice. I would have liked to see Ra fight a Hero this time, but some poor defense rolls sealed his fate.

Final Thoughts:
The 230-point price tag for Phoah Ra and the two Crypt Guardians necessary to fully utilize his powers meant I didn't really want to build an army with him that didn't commit further to Guard synergy, but Ra was a useful addition to the armies I played. The ability to move an extra figure each turn when compared to a Crypt Guardian Order Marker was huge for early-game development and really helped justify Ra's point cost, which seemed slightly high before he hit the table. Unfortunately, Ra usually died earlier than I expected in the games I played, but his strong Spirit power was a nice consolation in such cases.

Crypt Guardian Movement Bonding was most useful when running more than two Crypt Guardians, as it let me react to the opposing army's movements without committing an Order Marker to any of the Uncommon Guardian cards. I also noticed an interesting dynamic once Phoah Ra and the Crypt Guardians moved within striking distance of a figure or pod; although the combination of Paralyzing Stare and Curse of the Mummy makes Phoah Ra's single attack of 4 dice more potent than the Crypt Guardians' attacks of 3, opting for two weaker attacks was often necessary when faced with a cluster of figures or an attacking squad. Therefore, spending the Order Marker on a Crypt Guardian seemed the superior choice in the early game, when the opposing army was still strong, while Phoah Ra would be the better place for an Order Marker during cleanup or when assassinating a key piece. Adding other bonding targets for the Crypt Guardians complicates the decision, but Ra should still be useful eventually because the Guardians generally outlast these figures.

At times, Ra's Movement Bonding was awkward to use, as the slower, predominantly defensive Crypt Guardians were at risk of being outpaced by the frailer Ra, whose stats and powers are better suited to an aggressive role. It was also tricky to balance Order Markers between Ra and the Guardians in an army rich in Guard synergy, especially one featuring Warden 816's much-appreciated Guard Leadership (an otherwise natural choice for the 4-Move Crypt Guardians), as the additional board presence provided by Ra's valuable ability to move three figures at once was offset by a potential loss in offensive output provided by a bonding target other than another Crypt Guardian or by an reduction of the Crypt Guardians' Move (a flat 4 spaces from Movement Bonding compared to 5 from Guard Leadership). The possibility of using Ra to bait a figure into an engagement only to bring in two Crypt Guardians via a pincer maneuver was enticing when strategizing, but I was never able to make the trick succeed before being forced to respond to the opposing army's positioning.

Cursed Spirit was very helpful in two of the matches I played. Phoah Ra tended to attract more attention than his Crypt Guardian attendants simply because he carried a stronger normal attack, a potentially dangerous offensive power, and notably worse survivability, so throwing out a lingering debuff was a nice way to mitigate his inevitably early demise. Due to their slow Move and mediocre Attack, Crypt Guardians particularly enjoyed Ra's ability to soften and and hamstring opposing figures, and I often placed Ra on ranged units to mitigate their ability to kite the Crypt Guardians.

I didn't make enough attacks with Ra to speak fairly on Paralyzing Stare, but it was definitely useful when Ra could trap a target between two Crypt Guardians.

[SchismaticSounds]

Introducing.........

Explorers of Mulfraike

Mangat Karn-

Figure Name: Human Male Druid - Icons of the Realms Premium Figures W4 D&D

sidenotes:

Spoiler Alert!

There was some initial intention for a Ranjit Singh synergy, but I never did playtest him with Ranjit and haven't played Ranjit yet since I don't have my figure. He ended up a bit more standalone but still follows the same cultural theme as a Nihang. Accompany was a fun way to make him useful across all generals which I love certain units to have such cross synergy, but creating broad synergies must be a cautious endeavor. Prayer Beads speaks for itself and certainly makes him nothing of a pushover. It was fun adding some custom markers to the card.

_____________________________________________________________

Karina Ladrona-

Figure Name: Jirelle, Half-Elf Swashbuckler - Advanced Iconic Heroes 3 Pathfinder Battles D&D

sidenotes:

Spoiler Alert!

Discovered recently an interesting rendition of Parry, which was "if the attack was blocked, then the skulls rolled during the defense roll counted as hits."
For Karina's version of Parry, it needed a limitation since getting 2 shields over the attack was extreme damage and made her too swingy. Her original 2 defense was really bad and Parry was very rare to occur.

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Anoosh Kiva - 75

Figure Name: Human Female Rogue - Icons of the Realms Premium Figures W5 D&D

sidenotes:

Spoiler Alert!

Anoosh's design started revolving around Sanction Blade and followed with the Gypsy and treasure steal theme. It was too bad that opportune escape couldn't be used to grab a treasure after leaving an attack, but still serves well for grabbing a previously failed treasure grab and then moving. And the treasure steal when killing another figure is a narrow use ability unseen previous to my knowledge.

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Here are just a few more heroes I was sitting on slowly doing tests for. Fairly simple mechanically with some spicy personalities.

A very merry christmas to you all and blessings to your new year.