Public Design Workshop

[Ronin]

Originally Posted by Spidey'tilIDie

Ok, so it's important to note that Black Flash has not made an appearance post New 52, but prior to Flashpoint, he was revealed to be/became Barry Allen.

Interesting. So was Black Flash always Barry Allen, or had a Black Flash already existed when Barry Allen became Black Flash?

[IAmBatman]

I like the write up and how it's specific against Speedsters when they're around, but can be used still when they're not. Fwiw, here's the only non-reused power I had in my write up for the guy (I think you get the same theme and maybe with more balance):

RACE AGAINST TIME
At the end of each round, you may reveal the X-Marker on this card and inflict one wound on each adjacent figure with the Super Speed special power.

[Lazy Orang]

Originally Posted by Ronin

The figure used for this unit is a Heroclix figure from the Brave and the Bold set.
Its model number and name are #044 / Black Flash.

NAME = BLACK FLASH
SECRET IDENTITY =

SPECIES = ENTITY
UNIQUENESS = EVENT HERO
CLASS = ANTAGONIST
PERSONALITY = RELENTLESS

SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 5

LIFE = 10

MOVE = 12
RANGE = 1
ATTACK = 6
DEFENSE = 5

POINTS = ???

SPEED FORCE APPARITION
At the start of the game, choose an opponent's Unique Hero to be Black Flash's Quarry. If possible, you must choose a figure that has either the Superspeed or Speed Force special power. While his Quarry is on the battlefield, Black Flash is not considered to be within clear sight of enemy figures and cannot be targeted for any non-adjacent attacks.

SUPERSPEED
Black Flash may move through all figures, never takes leaving engagement attacks, and does not have to stop his movement when entering water spaces. After taking a turn with Black Flash, if he has not used his Speedster Pursuit this round, he may move up to an additional 4 spaces.

SPEEDSTER PURSUIT
Immediately after his Quarry moves normally or with the Superspeed special power, you must move Black Flash up to X spaces, where X is the number of spaces his Quarry moved. When moved with Speedster Pursuit, Black Flash must be moved as close to his Quarry as possible. If Black Flash ends this movement adjacent to his Quarry, roll an unblockable attack die against his Quarry.

------------------
Bio - The Black Flash is an ill portent for speedsters, as he (or it) is the one to bring them into the Speed Force when they die. He was seen before the deaths of Barry Allen and Johnny Quick, as well as many others. Wally West is known to have thwarted him by winning a race to the edge of time.
------------------
I'd love any input here, since I'm mostly working off of wiki knowledge; only ever read one Black Flash-centric issue, and it's one that introduces the concept without really showing the character.

Looks cool, but looking at that bio, should he really be a figure out there to fight? I mean, going on what you have in the bio, he just seems like a Speedster Grim Reaper, his presence being a portent of their death and taking them to the Speed Force after death, but not actually, you know, fighting or killing them? Perhaps I'm wrong here, I don't know the character, but that's the vibe I'm getting off the bio. If so, perhaps don't even make him an Event Hero who's particularly strong in game or fights particularly - just give the feeling of a character of much greater power that he doesn't really harness to fight, a bit like Mr. Mxyptlk. You could have him following his Quarry, debuffing/inflicting auto wounds while his Quarry fights other people, being extremely difficult to kill, but lacking the attack power to really fight on his own.

[Ronin]

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

I like the write up and how it's specific against Speedsters when they're around, but can be used still when they're not. Fwiw, here's the only non-reused power I had in my write up for the guy (I think you get the same theme and maybe with more balance):

RACE AGAINST TIME
At the end of each round, you may reveal the X-Marker on this card and inflict one wound on each adjacent figure with the Super Speed special power.

I like it. What else did you have on there, besides presumably Super Speed?

Originally Posted by Lazy Orang

Looks cool, but looking at that bio, should he really be a figure out there to fight? I mean, going on what you have in the bio, he just seems like a Speedster Grim Reaper, his presence being a portent of their death and taking them to the Speed Force after death, but not actually, you know, fighting or killing them? Perhaps I'm wrong here, I don't know the character, but that's the vibe I'm getting off the bio. If so, perhaps don't even make him an Event Hero who's particularly strong in game or fights particularly - just give the feeling of a character of much greater power that he doesn't really harness to fight, a bit like Mr. Mxyptlk. You could have him following his Quarry, debuffing/inflicting auto wounds while his Quarry fights other people, being extremely difficult to kill, but lacking the attack power to really fight on his own.

He definitely does try to take people into the Speed Force seemingly without reason sometimes; in the issue I read, he shows up for Wally (apropos of nothing, Wally isn't dead) but doesn't get him, and takes Wally's girlfriend instead. So he's a bit overzealous in his duties.

That said, a more Mxy-like direction could work here. Off the top of my head, it might look something more like this:

Spoiler Alert!

NAME = BLACK FLASH
SECRET IDENTITY =

SPECIES = ENTITY
UNIQUENESS = EVENT HERO
CLASS = ANTAGONIST
PERSONALITY = RELENTLESS

SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 5

LIFE = 6

MOVE = 12
RANGE = 1
ATTACK = 5
DEFENSE = 5

POINTS = ???

DEATH OF SPEEDSTERS
At the start of the game, choose an opponent's Unique Hero to be Black Flash's Quarry. If possible, you must choose a figure that has either the Superspeed or Speed Force special power. When his Quarry is destroyed, destroy Black Flash. Black Flash can only receive wounds from or be destroyed by special powers on this card.

SPEED FORCE APPARITION
Black Flash is never considered to be within clear sight of enemy figures and cannot be targeted for any non-adjacent attacks. Black Flash may move through all figures, never takes leaving engagement attacks, and does not have to stop his movement when entering water spaces.

RACE AGAINST TIME
Immediately after his Quarry moves normally or with the Superspeed special power, you must move Black Flash up to X spaces, where X is the number of spaces his Quarry moved. When moved with Speedster Pursuit, Black Flash must be moved as close to his Quarry as possible. If Black Flash ends this movement adjacent to his Quarry, roll an unblockable attack die against his Quarry. If you fail to roll a skull, Black Flash receives one wound.

[japes]

Originally Posted by Ronin

I like it. What else did you have on there, besides presumably Super Speed?

He definitely does try to take people into the Speed Force seemingly without reason sometimes; in the issue I read, he shows up for Wally (apropos of nothing, Wally isn't dead) but doesn't get him, and takes Wally's girlfriend instead. So he's a bit overzealous in his duties.

That said, a more Mxy-like direction could work here. Off the top of my head, it might look something more like this:

Spoiler Alert!

NAME = BLACK FLASH
SECRET IDENTITY =

SPECIES = ENTITY
UNIQUENESS = EVENT HERO
CLASS = ANTAGONIST
PERSONALITY = RELENTLESS

SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 5

LIFE = 6

MOVE = 12
RANGE = 1
ATTACK = 5
DEFENSE = 5

POINTS = ???

DEATH OF SPEEDSTERS
At the start of the game, choose an opponent's Unique Hero to be Black Flash's Quarry. If possible, you must choose a figure that has either the Superspeed or Speed Force special power. When his Quarry is destroyed, destroy Black Flash. Black Flash can only receive wounds from or be destroyed by special powers on this card.

SPEED FORCE APPARITION
Black Flash is never considered to be within clear sight of enemy figures and cannot be targeted for any non-adjacent attacks. Black Flash may move through all figures, never takes leaving engagement attacks, and does not have to stop his movement when entering water spaces.

RACE AGAINST TIME
Immediately after his Quarry moves normally or with the Superspeed special power, you must move Black Flash up to X spaces, where X is the number of spaces his Quarry moved. When moved with Speedster Pursuit, Black Flash must be moved as close to his Quarry as possible. If Black Flash ends this movement adjacent to his Quarry, roll an unblockable attack die against his Quarry. If you fail to roll a skull, Black Flash receives one wound.

That's really interesting. Of course not being able to be attacked by non adjacent figures doesn't really matter if he can't take wounds from the attack anyway.

[Ronin]

Oh, yeah. That bit could probably be safely excised. In general, I think that second version would probably be a little trickier to get just right, balance-wise, since it makes him an even harder counter-pick. Though you could ease up on that a bit by letting him pick a new Quarry after the first one is destroyed. So with a slight reorganization of clauses (adding the new Quarry stuff into the first power and moving all of his immunities into the second), that would leave his powers looking like this:

DEATH OF SPEEDSTERS
At the start of the game, choose an opponent's Unique Hero to be Black Flash's Quarry. When his Quarry is destroyed, you must choose another enemy Unique Hero to be Black Flash's Quarry. Whenever you choose a figure to be Black Flash's Quarry, you must choose a figure that has either the Superspeed or Speed Force special power, if possible.

SPEED FORCE APPARITION
Black Flash may move through all figures, never takes leaving engagement attacks, and does not have to stop his movement when entering water spaces. Black Flash is never considered to be within clear sight of enemy figures, and cannot receive wounds or be destroyed by any means except for special powers on this army card.

RACE AGAINST TIME
Immediately after his Quarry moves normally or with the Superspeed special power, you must move Black Flash up to X spaces, where X is the number of spaces his Quarry moved. When moved with Speedster Pursuit, Black Flash must be moved as close to his Quarry as possible. If Black Flash ends this movement adjacent to his Quarry, roll an unblockable attack die against his Quarry. If you fail to roll a skull, Black Flash receives one wound.

[IAmBatman]

Death of Speedsters looks solid there.
With Speed Force Apparition stopping him from taking wounds from anything, there's no need to include the no clear sight clause. I think it'd be nice if other figures can throw him around or take OMs off of him, since he's basically invincible. If you don't have any way to affect him at all, that's a really annoying figure in terms of gameplay.
Race Against Time is thematic. But my concern is that the figure plays himself at that point. Maybe instead of "fails to roll a skull" it's something where at the end of each round, if they haven't inflicted at least one one on their Quarry, they take an auto wound? Then you could remove a lot of the movement, etc. restrictions, but still give them the unblockable die.

[Ronin]

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

Death of Speedsters looks solid there.
With Speed Force Apparition stopping him from taking wounds from anything, there's no need to include the no clear sight clause. I think it'd be nice if other figures can throw him around or take OMs off of him, since he's basically invincible. If you don't have any way to affect him at all, that's a really annoying figure in terms of gameplay.

Fair enough.

Race Against Time is thematic. But my concern is that the figure plays himself at that point. Maybe instead of "fails to roll a skull" it's something where at the end of each round, if they haven't inflicted at least one one on their Quarry, they take an auto wound? Then you could remove a lot of the movement, etc. restrictions, but still give them the unblockable die.

So something more like this?

RACE AGAINST TIME
Immediately after his Quarry moves normally or with the Superspeed special power, you may move Black Flash up to X spaces, where X is the number of spaces his Quarry moved. If Black Flash ends this movement adjacent to his Quarry, roll an unblockable attack die against his Quarry.

And then a "At the end of each round, if Black Flash has not inflicted at least one wound against his Quarry this round, place a Wound Marker on this card." clause, though I think that would make more sense in the first power.

I think his Life would probably have to come down closer to 4 in that version, but it would open him up a little.

[IAmBatman]

Sure. And he'd probably get a fairly low attack, but enough so that he can wound a whiffing speedster. And probably 0 defense, since he doesn't actually need it?

Oh, and to answer an earlier question, I had Speed Force and Speed Dodge on him.

[Ronin]

Good points. And defense is a bit of a non-issue for him, yeah. So that leaves us here:

The figure used for this unit is a Heroclix figure from the Brave and the Bold set.
Its model number and name are #044 / Black Flash.

NAME = BLACK FLASH
SECRET IDENTITY =

SPECIES = ENTITY
UNIQUENESS = EVENT HERO
CLASS = ANTAGONIST
PERSONALITY = RELENTLESS

SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 5

LIFE = 4

MOVE = 12
RANGE = 1
ATTACK = 4
DEFENSE = 0

POINTS = ???

DEATH OF SPEEDSTERS
At the start of the game, choose an opponent's Unique Hero to be Black Flash's Quarry. At the end of each round, if Black Flash has not inflicted at least one wound against his Quarry this round, place a Wound Marker on this card. When his Quarry is destroyed, you must choose another enemy Unique Hero to be Black Flash's Quarry. Whenever you choose a figure to be Black Flash's Quarry, you must choose a figure that has either the Superspeed or Speed Force special power, if possible.

SPEED FORCE APPARITION
Black Flash may move through all figures, never takes leaving engagement attacks, and does not have to stop his movement when entering water spaces. Black Flash cannot receive wounds or be destroyed by any means except for special powers on this army card.

RACE AGAINST TIME
Immediately after his Quarry moves normally or with the Superspeed special power, you may move Black Flash up to X spaces, where X is the number of spaces his Quarry moved. If Black Flash ends this movement adjacent to his Quarry, roll an unblockable attack die against his Quarry.
------------------
Bio - The Black Flash is an ill portent for speedsters, as he (or it) is the one to bring them into the Speed Force when they die. He was seen before the deaths of Bart Allen and Johnny Quick, as well as many others. He attempted to claim Wally West's life, but Wally thwarted the Black Flash by winning a race to the edge of time, where the Black Flash ceased to exist.

[Arkham]

If he gets negated by Zatanna, would he not defend himself? Looking good.

[Ronin]

He's an Event Hero, so Zatanna can't get him