The Book of Adam Warlock

[dok]

The Book of Adam Warlock

C3G MARVEL WAVE 28
MARVEL COSMIC

Comic PDF



Mini PDF

The figure used for this unit is a Heroclix figure from the Secret Invasion set.
Its model number and name are #047 / Adam Warlock.

NOTE: Adam Warlock requires 1x Glyph of Infinity: Soul Gem

_________________________________________________________________

Character Bio - Adam Warlock was born in a cocoon, created by a group of researchers called the Enclave who wanted to create and exploit a perfect human being. Warlock rebelled against his creators, and eventually met the High Evolutionary, who gave Warlock purpose, and the Soul Gem.

After Gamora revealed a plot by Thanos to destroy the stars, Adam Warlock foiled the plot. Afterwards Gamora, Warlock, and Warlock's companion Pip were all drawn into the Soul Gem. When Thanos attempted to use the gem to destroy Sol, Adam Warlock emerged from the gem and turned Thanos to stone. After reforming his body, Warlock would later take the Infinity Gauntlet to foil another plot by Thanos to destroy the universe.
_________________________________________________________________

-Rulings and Clarifications-

• Q: Can Adam Warlock use Cosmic Physiology to heal if he does not attack that turn?
  A: Yes (assuming he has not already chosen the healing option that round).

_________________________________________________________________

-Combinations and Synergies-

Incoming Synergy:

• As a Marvel figure, Adam Warlock has these Marvel Synergies.
• As a figure with the Super Strength special power, Adam Warlock has these Super Strength Synergies.

Outgoing Synergy:

• N/A

Immunities, Benefits, and Weaknesses:

• As a figure with the Super Strength special power, Adam Warlock interacts differently with these special powers.
• As a figure with the Flying special power, Adam Warlock interacts differently with these special powers.
• Adam Warlock cannot place an Android on the Soul Gem's card with his Master of the Soul Gem special power.

_________________________________________________________________

-Heroscapers Community Contributions-

• Initial playtest (1, 2, 3)
• Second playtest: Ronin
• Third playtest: Lazy Orang
• Fourth playtest: Arkham
• Art: Comic, Background, Figure (SSG1)
• Art: Arkham
• Adam Warlock created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and further developed by Roy Thomas and Jim Starlin
• Comic art by Tom Lyle and Robert Jones

[dok]

NAME = ADAM WARLOCK

SPECIES = ARTIFICIAL HUMAN
UNIQUENESS = UNIQUE HERO
CLASS = GUARDIAN
PERSONALITY = CONTEMPLATIVE

SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 5

LIFE = 6

MOVE = 6
RANGE = 5
ATTACK = 5
DEFENSE = 6

POINTS = 400

MASTER OF THE SOUL GEM
Start the game with the Glyph of Soul Gem on this card. Adam Warlock cannot lose this glyph by receiving wounds unless he is destroyed. If Adam Warlock is equipped with the Soul Gem when a friendly figure within 5 spaces of Adam Warlock that is not an Android is destroyed by an opponent, you may place that figure on the Soul Gem's card. After Adam Warlock uses the Soul Gem, roll the 20-sided die. If you roll 10 or higher, place the figure from the Soul Gem back on the Soul Gem's card instead of removing it from the game.

INFINITY WATCH
When rolling for initiative, you may choose one opponent's figure within 8 spaces of Adam Warlock and add the Life number on that figure's Army Card to your roll. If you do not, subtract 4 from your roll.

COSMIC PHYSIOLOGY
Before attacking with Adam Warlock, you may either add one automatic skull to whatever is rolled, or remove a Wound Marker from this card. Each option can only be chosen once per round.

FLYING
SUPER STRENGTH

[dok]

Cosmic Cocoon

[dok]

Comic Images

Spoiler Alert!

Background:

Spoiler Alert!

Original versions:

Spoiler Alert!

NAME = ADAM WARLOCK

SPECIES = ARTIFICIAL HUMAN
UNIQUENESS = UNIQUE HERO
CLASS = GUARDIAN
PERSONALITY = CONTEMPLATIVE

SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 5

LIFE = 6

MOVE = 6
RANGE = 5
ATTACK = 5
DEFENSE = 5

POINTS = 370

KEEPER OF THE SOUL GEM
Start the game with the Glyph of Infinty: Soul Gem on this card. Adam Warlock cannot lose this Equipment Glyph by taking wounds unless he is destroyed. If Adam Warlock is equipped with the Soul Gem when Adam Warlock or a friendly Unique Hero within 3 spaces of Adam Warlock is destroyed, you may place that figure on the card of the Soul Gem.

MASTER OF THE SOUL GEM
If Adam Warlock is on the Soul Gem, no opponent can choose Adam Warlock when using the Soul Gem, and you may continue to reveal Order Markers on this card and use the Soul Gem as if Adam Warlock were equipped with it. After Adam Warlock uses the Soul Gem, roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 10 or higher, place the figure from the Soul Gem back on the Soul Gem card instead of removing it from the game.

ENERGY TRANSMUTATION
When Adam Warlock defends against an adjacent attack, you may remove a Wound Marker from this card if he has any excess shields.

FLYING
SUPER STRENGTH

Originally Posted by dok

NAME = ADAM WARLOCK (COCOON)

SPECIES = ARTIFICIAL HUMAN
UNIQUENESS = EVENT HERO
CLASS = GUARDIAN
PERSONALITY = DORMANT

SIZE/HEIGHT = LARGE 7

LIFE = 4

MOVE = 0
RANGE = 0
ATTACK = 0
DEFENSE = 8

POINTS = 50

WARLOCK'S COCOON
You may only draft this card if you have one other Adam Warlock Hero in your army that is not Dormant. If you do, that Adam Warlock Hero does not begin the game on the battlefield. At the beginning of the game you may place this figure on any empty space that is not in a startzone.

DORMANT
Numbered Order Markers cannot be revealed on this card, and no player may take a turn with or move with Adam Warlock. All figures may move through Adam Warlock and Adam Warlock is never considered engaged with any figure.

WARLOCK EMERGES
At the end of any round, you may reveal the "X" Order Marker this card to remove Adam Warlock's Cocoon from the battlefield. If you do, or if this figure is destroyed, place your other Adam Warlock figure on the space this figure previously occupied.

SUPER STRENGTH

Change Log:

Spoiler Alert!

5/2: Added no-android restriction for soul gem. Made it impossible to place OMs on the Cocoon. Made Warlock emerging from the Cocoon d20-based rather than X-reveal based.

5/4: Condensed Soul Gem powers to a single power (removing stuff about Warlock getting on the gem and being able to activate from there); added Infinity Watch power.

5/5: Switched species to Cosmic Human; made Cocoon generic to work on any Cosmic Human.

5/8: Switched back to Artificial Human; changed Energy Transmutation into Cosmic Physiology.

5/10: removed 3 wound maximum to use Cosmic Physiology.

5/23: added "by an opponent" to Master of the Soul Gem; changed Cosmic Physiology to once-per-round healing or autoskull with no self-wounding.

5/26: Bumped defense to 6

7/11: Cut price to 360. Extended range on MotSG to 6 spaces and cut the die roll to 9 or higher.
Allowed each Cosmic Physiology option to be used once per round.

7/15: Bumped price to 390; slightly pared back MotSG changes to 5 spaces and 10 or higher.

1/2/18 Bumped to 400, minor wording fixes

[dok]

I'm definitely open to a different implementation of the cocoon, and/or a different third power. I do want this version of Adam Warlock to feature the Soul Gem.

[Yodaking]

I like seeing the Silver Surfer power used again here and would consider upping his defense to 6 in order to make sure if fires a bit more often. 5 is pretty good for stopping attacks but getting extra shields is a little more difficult.

Then I think I'd switch the order of the two different parts of the second power so the first thing you read references a power that is always in effect, followed by the second power only comes into play once he has been destroyed.

MASTER OF THE SOUL GEM
After Adam Warlock uses the Soul Gem, roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 10 or higher, place the figure from the Soul Gem back on the Soul Gem card instead of removing it from the game. If Adam Warlock is on the Soul Gem, no opponent can choose Adam Warlock when using the Soul Gem, and you may continue to reveal Order Markers on this card and use the Soul Gem as if Adam Warlock were equipped with it.

[Ronin]

Yeah, I like Energy Transmutation here - short and sweet, hits the right theme note.

Would it make more sense to group the effects differently here? Jumped out at me that you could just as easily break them down this way.

Start the game with the Glyph of Infinty: Soul Gem on this card. Adam Warlock cannot lose this Equipment Glyph by taking wounds unless he is destroyed. After Adam Warlock uses the Soul Gem, roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 10 or higher, place the figure from the Soul Gem back on the Soul Gem card instead of removing it from the game.

If Adam Warlock is equipped with the Soul Gem when Adam Warlock or a friendly Unique Hero within 3 spaces of Adam Warlock is destroyed, you may place that figure on the card of the Soul Gem. If Adam Warlock is on the Soul Gem, no opponent can choose Adam Warlock when using the Soul Gem, and you may continue to reveal Order Markers on this card and use the Soul Gem as if Adam Warlock were equipped with it.

[johnny139]

Regular old Adam Warlock looks good to me. Like you've said, the guy has a million powers, so focusing on the Soul Gem is probably the right call. And a third power to give him some cosmic flair sounds good.

The Cocoon seems fine... but I'm a bit curious about whether it's needed. Like, pay some extra points to deploy him later - sure. And theoretically it can also be used for a future Magus card. But it just feels... off to me. In my experience, the theme of Adam and his cocoon is like this:

"Wow, what a mysterious entity. He comes and goes, hibernating for long periods. We must seek him out! But when he emerges, what will this incredible figure do?"

There's uncertainty about the when/where/how of his birth or rebirth. That doesn't align with the "pop up on command ahead of his allies" draft ahead. Can we really capture the right theme though and still make it an attractive draft?

[Viegon]

I don't know the character very well, but I really like both designs. Some thoughts:
1) How can Adam Warlock continue to use the Soul Gem while he's on its card, since the Soul Gem says "within 5 clear sight spaces of this figure"? If Adam is considered to be the one equipped with the Gem, but he's not on the battlefield, there can't be any spaces within 5 spaces of him, right?
2) The Soul Gem specifies that Androids can't be put on its card; do we need similar wording in Adam's first power to prevent him from rescuing friendly Android Heroes?
3) For the Cocoon, is the drafting restriction strictly necessary? Seems like we could cut it and allow people to draft the Cocoon without Adam, and just use it as effectively a DO.
4) I wonder if we should remove the "no revealing numbered OMs" bit; since you already can't take turns with the Cocoon, that wording isn't really preventing anything that I can see, but does lead to the odd situation when you have OMs you can't reveal (not likely to happen, unless you're facing Mad Thinker or Joker; actually, drafting the Cocoon leaves you very vulnerable to those two).

[japes]

Originally Posted by Viegon

I don't know the character very well, but I really like both designs. Some thoughts:
1) How can Adam Warlock continue to use the Soul Gem while he's on its card, since the Soul Gem says "within 5 clear sight spaces of this figure"? If Adam is considered to be the one equipped with the Gem, but he's not on the battlefield, there can't be any spaces within 5 spaces of him, right?
2) The Soul Gem specifies that Androids can't be put on its card; do we need similar wording in Adam's first power to prevent him from rescuing friendly Android Heroes?
3) For the Cocoon, is the drafting restriction strictly necessary? Seems like we could cut it and allow people to draft the Cocoon without Adam, and just use it as effectively a DO.
4) I wonder if we should remove the "no revealing numbered OMs" bit; since you already can't take turns with the Cocoon, that wording isn't really preventing anything that I can see, but does lead to the odd situation when you have OMs you can't reveal (not likely to happen, unless you're facing Mad Thinker or Joker; actually, drafting the Cocoon leaves you very vulnerable to those two).

I was confused by #1 at first as well then I figured it out. As soon as I can figure a way to word it I'll come back. Hopefully dok will return before hand.

[dok]

I added "were equipped with it and on the same space as the glyph or the figure holding the glyph" to the bit about Warlock using the gem while on the gem.

I stared at my original version, Ronin's version, and Yodaking's version of how to order all the stuff in the first two powers for a while, and I wasn't sure what to do with it all. I don't see a clear best option. Obviously we put the stuff about him having the glyph and not losing it from wounds in the first power, but after that you can go a lot of ways and they all work about as well. I ended up splitting up the "if Adam Warlock is on the glyph" wording and putting some of it in the first power, even though that leads to longer total text, because at that moment it seemed like the most natural flow of the wording. But like I said I really am not sure what the best option is. This is something we can look at and workshop throughout the design period to try to get it right.

EDIT: changed my mind and re-ordered it some more. Put all the "if he's on the glyph" stuff back together, but put it at the front of the second power.

Originally Posted by Yodaking

I like seeing the Silver Surfer power used again here and would consider upping his defense to 6 in order to make sure if fires a bit more often. 5 is pretty good for stopping attacks but getting extra shields is a little more difficult.

I'm glad you (and Ronin) like the power re-use here; I'll stick with it unless we decide to drop the Cocoon design and put the cocoon on this card directly as a third power.

I'm open to 6 defense, but all things being equal I'd like him to be a bit lower defense than Silver Surfer, and I'm OK with the power not triggering too often. It's something to keep an eye on in testing; if Energy Transmutation is not feeling like a meaningful part of the design then pipping defense to 6 is an obvious dial to turn.

Originally Posted by johnny139

The Cocoon seems fine... but I'm a bit curious about whether it's needed. Like, pay some extra points to deploy him later - sure. And theoretically it can also be used for a future Magus card. But it just feels... off to me. In my experience, the theme of Adam and his cocoon is like this:

"Wow, what a mysterious entity. He comes and goes, hibernating for long periods. We must seek him out! But when he emerges, what will this incredible figure do?"

There's uncertainty about the when/where/how of his birth or rebirth. That doesn't align with the "pop up on command ahead of his allies" draft ahead. Can we really capture the right theme though and still make it an attractive draft?

Very good points, all. It's definitely my intention that you don't have to play the cocoon every time you play Adam Warlock; much like with Banner, it's a value add but not a necessary component. After all, while it's a big part of the Adam Warlock lore (and therefore something I don't want to completely ignore), the cocoon comes up in a relatively small fraction of his stories.

But yeah, the X reveal thing does seem off. Maybe a d20 for the option to hatch the Cocoon, a-la the drop? We could make it a lower d20 cutoff if that feels too weak. But the ability to just pop on the most strategic spot on the map and join the action there will be worth it a lot of the time, I think. And you can't lose the game without getting the drop like you can with the Airborne, because you still have a figure on the battlefield. grumble grumble 2012 Gencon 4x400 grumble.

Originally Posted by Viegon

For the Cocoon, is the drafting restriction strictly necessary? Seems like we could cut it and allow people to draft the Cocoon without Adam, and just use it as effectively a DO.

Hm... interesting possibility for scenario play, but I don't like the idea of any army being able to throw a tough blocker in a choke point for cheap. The wording is going to be pretty much the same length/complexity either way. We can play around with it in testing I guess; I suppose the situations where it might be a problem would be pretty unusual. (Underground catacombs with some sort of pod build I guess?)

Originally Posted by Viegon

I wonder if we should remove the "no revealing numbered OMs" bit; since you already can't take turns with the Cocoon, that wording isn't really preventing anything that I can see, but does lead to the odd situation when you have OMs you can't reveal (not likely to happen, unless you're facing Mad Thinker or Joker; actually, drafting the Cocoon leaves you very vulnerable to those two).

Good point; I can drop that part of the wording. I also added the no-Android restriction for friendly heroes.

[Lazy Orang]

Originally Posted by dok

I added "were equipped with it and on the same space as the glyph or the figure holding the glyph" to the bit about Warlock using the gem while on the gem.

I stared at my original version, Ronin's version, and Yodaking's version of how to order all the stuff in the first two powers for a while, and I wasn't sure what to do with it all. I don't see a clear best option. Obviously we put the stuff about him having the glyph and not losing it from wounds in the first power, but after that you can go a lot of ways and they all work about as well. I ended up splitting up the "if Adam Warlock is on the glyph" wording and putting some of it in the first power, even though that leads to longer total text, because at that moment it seemed like the most natural flow of the wording. But like I said I really am not sure what the best option is. This is something we can look at and workshop throughout the design period to try to get it right.

I'm glad you (and Ronin) like the power re-use here; I'll stick with it unless we decide to drop the Cocoon design and put the cocoon on this card directly as a third power.

I'm open to 6 defense, but all things being equal I'd like him to be a bit lower defense than Silver Surfer, and I'm OK with the power not triggering too often. It's something to keep an eye on in testing; if Energy Transmutation is just not feeling like a meaningful part of the design then that's an obvious dial to turn.

Very good points, all. It's definitely my intention that you don't have to play the cocoon every time you play Adam Warlock; much like with Banner, it's a value add but not a necessary component. After all, while it's a big part of the Adam Warlock lore (and therefore something I don't want to completely ignore), the cocoon comes up in a relatively small fraction of his stories.

But yeah, the X reveal thing does seem off. Maybe a d20 for the option to hatch the Cocoon, a-la the drop?

Hm... interesting possibility for scenario play, but I don't like the idea of any army being able to throw a tough blocker in a choke point for cheap. The wording is going to be pretty much the same length/complexity either way. We can play around with it in testing I guess; I suppose the situations where it might be a problem would be pretty unusual. (Underground catacombs with some sort of pod build I guess?)

Good point; I can drop that part of the wording. I also added the no-Android restriction for friendly heroes.

Maybe wording to say OMs may never be placed on that card, rather than never revealed? That means taking it isn't asking for trouble with Joker and Mad Thinker. No matter what, I'll probably end up re-using the Dormant power on another design.
Other than that, I haven't much to say right now, but he certainly looks cool!