The Book of Re-Tak-Shi

[NecroBlade]

I don't see a practical difference between (b) and (c). Either way that is (they are?) the correct answer. Changing the tile's height could cause it to no longer be 5 levels above or below, which means it would no longer be swamp, which means its height would revert to normal, which means it might no longer be +/- 5 levels, which means... you get the idea.

[dok]

The power does not change the height of the space. You can interpret it as (b) or (c); they are interchangeable.

[Just_a_Bill]

Thanks for the responses.

Yes, I did understand that the primary question was binary (a or b/c), but in the event the answer was b/c then I also had a secondary question about the conceptual design (minting a new virtual tile configuration vs. implied virtual stacking). The latter matters to me because it could influence future development (special powers and/or terrain designs), as well as affect how I would draft a better version of my inquiry as a proposed R&C question, without implying something that the designers did not intend.

[Just_a_Bill]

If it please the court to forgive this double post, I suggest adding the following R&Cs, templated directly from The Book of Greater Ice Elemental:

-Rulings and Clarifications-

• Swamp Ooze: Stopping in Water
  Q: Does Re-Tak-Shi have to stop on water spaces?
  A: No. She turns the water to swamp water as soon as she steps on it. [FAQ 11.3]
  
  
• Swamp Ooze: Falling Damage
  Q: Does Re-Tak-Shi take falling damage when falling into water?
  A: Yes. She turns the water to swamp water as soon as she lands on it. [FAQ 11.3]

[Just_a_Bill]

Triple-post? Yikes. (Sorry.)

Seeking the precise definition of "land space," I searched some rules topics here, and the FAQ, but found only a Mika Connour ruling that gives us at least a partial definition: land tiles are not shaped like shadow tiles.

Originally Posted by the FAQ

Can I place a shadow tile on a water tile?
No. Mika can only place a tile on a “land” tile which does not include any tiles that are the same size as shadow tiles (water, shadow, molten lava, ice,etc).

Now, this is all a bit iffy to draw firm conclusions from: Mika's text refers to land spaces while the FAQ entry is giving us just one criterion for figuring out some (not all) of the things that are not land tiles. Taxonomically those are two different things, of course, but it's all I could find; so I'm going to assume that the applicability of SWAMP OOZE would break down as follows.

Does affect:

• land spaces
  • Grass, Rock, & Sand
  • Snow
  • Lava Field
  • Road & Wall Walk (including bridges and upper fortress platforms)
  • Fortress Door — open middle space where door swings
  • Swamp
  • Dungeon
  • Asphalt & Concrete
  • Warehouse Ruin Tile (6-hex base)
  • AotP "sand" (I call these Desert tiles in Heroscape)
• water spaces
  • Water
  • Swamp Water (moot, in this case)

Does not affect (since they are not land tiles and do not count as water except for vertical movement working the same way):

• Ice
• Molten Lava
• Shadow

Not land spaces based on common sense:

• Ladder rung
• objects that cover up spaces
  • Evergreen Tree
  • Fortress Wall
  • Fortress Door — walled left and right spaces
  • Glacier
  • Jungle Piece — Underbrush, Palm Tree
  • Rock Outcrop
  • AotP Cryptolith
• objects that basically occupy only the borders between spaces and do not support figures
  • Ruin
  • Bridge Rail
  • Battlement
  • Warehouse Ruin (building walls, without floor piece) & Breakable Wall Section

Probably not land spaces?

• Detachable Floor Piece (2-hex upper level of warehouse ruin)

If that's all correct, then in addition to synergizing with (or inhibiting) other figures' special abilities that refer to particular terrain types, Re-Tak-Shi would seem to have the following characteristics:

• effectively has Slither
• ignores the terrain penalties of Heavy Snow and Lava Fields
• still affected by Slippery Ice and Molten Lava
• suffers falling damage normally
• also suffers falling damage in Water (it immediately becomes Swamp Water)
• cannot get Road movement bonus
• still gets Jungle Piece defense bonus

Other figures would also have these characteristics while on qualifying spaces next to RTS.

Have I missed anything or made any mistakes?

[dok]

My first instinct is I would not consider the warehouse ruin upper floor a "land space" but I'm not aware of any ruling on that subject and I won't be held to that opinion.

I think you got most of the major effects. Obviously, it also has synergy (and anti-synergy!) with many other powers on figures, but that's a different list. One not mentioned in the OP is that she can't be moved by Arashara.

[Just_a_Bill]

Originally Posted by dok

I think you got most of the major effects.

I just realized I forgot to list the Jungle Piece defense bonus still counting. (I've added it now.)

Originally Posted by dok

Obviously, it also has synergy (and anti-synergy!) with many other powers on figures, but that's a different list.

Yeah, that's a list that my obsessiveness will probably demand I compile at some point.

[Just_a_Bill]

One other thing. Sometimes it's easy to get conjunctions backwards, depending on the context and sentence construction. As worded, SWAMP OOZE converts all nearby land spaces OR water spaces, implying that you choose one or the other. I assume this really intended to apply to "all land AND water spaces within 1 space..." — if that's true, would the committee be willing to consider correcting it to say "and"?

[ryguy266]

My guess is that the answer is yes, but can Re-Tak-Shi use Emerge from Swamp on a 12-16 to move one space onto her own swamp she produces?

[superfrog]

Yes.