The Book of Black Bolt (II)

[MrNobody]

What about this?

BROKEN SILENCE SA
Exactly the same but…all blanks rolled count as 2 additional hits.

MASTER BLOW
After rolling attack dice for a normal or special attack with Black Bolt, you may re-roll up to 2 dice. If you do, at the end of the turn, destroy Black Bolt.

I guess I’ll voice a general concern that he has 2 “attack real good when desperate” powers. Which makes some thematic sense for Black Bolt (he does just kinda sit around and chill until things start going really wrong), but may not feel great in practice.

[Yodaking]

Maybe if you can turn two dice into skulls, just re-rolls seems too risky to be destroyed as a cost.

[IAmBatman]

I definitely struggle to see myself using Master Blow unless I'm very very convinced I'm going to die next turn.

[MrNobody]

Maybe it inflicts 1-2 wounds instead of destroying him?

[IAmBatman]

What about a combo:

MASTER BLOW
If Black Bolt has at least 4 wounds, he adds 1 to his attack for each wound he has. If Black Bolt attacks and destroys a figure while adding to his attack this way he is destroyed.

[toyhandle]

I love it, Bats! With his Illuminati subtitle being "Celestial Messiah," it makes sense that there is an element of sacrifice. After a certain amount of wounds, it's a good chance his next attack will be a Master Blow. It'd end in a draw if it's 1v1, so it's best used for the good of his people/army.

[IAmBatman]

And that way he at least gets some guaranteed pay off for his self-destruction. Does make him a beast against a Kaiju, but they can just go ahead and put the final wounds on him.

[Splash]

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

And that way he at least gets some guaranteed pay off for his self-destruction. Does make him a beast against a Kaiju, but they can just go ahead and put the final wounds on him.

He did pretty good against the Venom-Rex. :P
I just wanted an excuse to post this here.

[toyhandle]

One WEIRD word all dinosaurs respond to!

COMPETITIVE REVIEW BOARD CHECKLIST

Spoiler Alert!

Efficiency- Check to see if your design is providing armies with turns/moves/etc. to a degree that would make it difficult or impossible for an opponent to keep up with your output.

1. Does your design allow itself or figures to move/attack/take a turn/etc. instead of/in addition to your normal turn for revealing an Order Marker? Is it granting these benefits to too broad a range of units? Does it combine with other powers to create overly long or powerful chains of actions?
No.

2. Does your design allow you to take actions during an opponent's turn? Can it combine with other powers to create tediously long reactions to enemy actions or a restrictive environment?
No.

3. Does your design allow you to rearrange your Order Markers or otherwise bypass the costs of Order Marker requirements on the special powers of other figures?
No.

4. Is your design doing anything outside of a player's turn, at the start or end of the round? Is the effect too powerful by itself or when combined with other powers?
It allows a figure you control to move if you win initiative.
No.

5. Does your design have any powers that trigger anytime it moves as opposed to only when it moves normally on its turn? Will it be too efficient when combined with figures that grant extra moves to figures?
No.

6. Is your design adding or subtracting from initiative rolls? Will it pair too easily with other figures that alter initiative or have powers triggering on the results of initiative rolls?
No.

Potency- Check to see if your design is wounding/removing/etc. enemy figures, increasing the chances of other figures in your army doing so, or otherwise directly affecting the number of figures available to players to a degree that would make it difficult or impossible for an opponent to recover from.

1. Does your design have a chance to inflict wounds or destroy figures? Is it getting these chances too frequently or having too high a chance of success? Is the power balanced against expensive targets that can cause a massive swing in the game when destroyed?
No.

2. Is your design adding to the stats or 20-sided die rolls of other figures in your army? Is it boosting a broad enough range of units effectively enough to become a 'mandatory' draft or inhibit future design space? Can it be combined with other boosts too easily?
If you lose initiative, it gives a +2 D20 for figures within 4 spaces. No.

3. Will your design benefit from stat boosts or other enhancement to an overpowering degree? Will it restrict future growth within its faction or point cost by limiting available boosts to others?
No.


4. Does your design take control of enemy figures permanently or temporarily? Is it too difficult for your opponent to regain control of their figure or recover from losing the figure? Does the method of taking control expose the enemy figure to the powers of other figures in your army that can easily destroy it?
No.

5. Can your design heal itself or others or revive itself or others? Is it doing so in a way that an opponent cannot hope to overcome in certain scenarios?
No.

6. Does your design place enemy figures on its card or otherwise have an unconventional method of temporarily removing enemy figures from play? Will it guarantee your victory against a single remaining enemy figure?
No.

Chicanery- Check to see if your design is preventing your opponent from taking actions with too much ease or is otherwise causing negative play experience through tactics that make your opponent feel you're 'not playing fair'

1. Does your design restrict the movement of enemy figures, or allow you to move enemy figures? Can it do so in a way that results in an unwinnable scenario for your opponent if they are down to one figure, possess only figures with a range of 1, etc.? Can your design easily combine with other figures to greatly impede enemy figures or otherwise gain an excessive advantage?
No.

2. Does your design effect/change the placement of an enemy's Order Markers, or remove their Order Markers entirely? Can it force Order Markers to go onto cards that have no figures on the battlefield? Can your design easily combine with other figures to completely dictate the placement of an enemy's Order Markers or remove all of their Order Markers?
No.

3. Does your design inhibit your opponent from attacking your figures or make attacking a losing proposition? Are there scenarios or combinations that make your opponent totally unable to harm your figures through attacking?
No.

4. Does your design directly negate the powers of enemy figures or otherwise ignore them in a way that can completely disrupt the opponent's strategy or leave them feeling like they are stuck playing figures without special powers?
No.

5. Does your design become overly powerful in a podded group of figures, or provide significant benefit to your army without leaving your Start Zone?
No.

6. You can attack your own figures in Heroscape, does your design have any powers that will trigger off of doing so or otherwise wounding/destroying your own figures? Is this intentional on your part? Will the design be too efficient or potent when doing so?
You could destroy your own Unique Hero to grant access to his once per round special attack. Probably not a winning strategy in most cases.

CONSISTENCY CHECKLIST (LONG FORM)

Spoiler Alert!

1. Are the character’s name and secret identity listed in a consistent format with the rest of the project? If the character shares a name and/or secret identity with another character is it properly clear whether or not they are the same character?
Yes.

2. Consider the listed Species. Are the design’s power level, point level, and statistics (life, move, range, attack, and defense numbers) within the established range for that species? If it’s an outlier, is there thematic justification for this?
Yes.

3. Consider the listed Uniqueness. Does the power text properly reflect whether the figure is a Hero or a squad, and whether it is Event, Unique, Uncommon, or common? If it’s Event, are the powers written with consideration for Event Hero rules? If it’s Uncommon, are the powers written to avoid stacking? If it’s common, are the powers written with this in mind?
Yes.

4. Consider the Class and Personality. For each, is it a reuse? If so, is the character thematically consistent with other members of that Class or Personality? If not, is there a preexisting Class or Personality that would fit as well that could be used instead? Are there any existing synergies with that Class or Personality that are undesirable or that this Design would create that would be undesirable for preexisting members of that Class or Personality?
Yes.

5. Consider the listed Size. If the figure is double based, is it Large or Huge? Is the chosen miniature’s physical size consistent with other miniatures in the chosen size category?
Yes.

6. Consider the listed Height. If you stack hexes up next to the figure, does the number listed for the height match up the layers of stacked hexes that match the miniature’s physical height?
Consider the listed Life number. Is this number consistent with other figures of the same species?
Yes.

7. Consider the listed Move number. Is this number consistent with other figures of that power level?
Yes.

8. Consider the listed Range and Attack numbers. Is this number consistent with other figures that use the same type of weapon or power to attack?
Yes.

9. Consider the listed Defense number. Is this number consistent with other figures of the same or similar species and with the same or similar armor or other defensive equipment?
Yes.

10. Does the figure have Super Strength? If it does or doesn’t, was this determined on the standard of that character demonstrating three things: A. The ability to throw a car B. The ability to survive a fall from a tall building and C. The ability to knock back another person when punching them?
Yes.

11. Examine all of the special powers. Are there other powers that fit the same theme already in existence in the project? If so, can they be reused? If they can’t, can those other powers be used as a basis for the mechanics and wording?
The SA is a riff on Black Canary’s scream, but more powerful, and more restricted.

12. Examine any movement powers. Do they keep the figure’s speed consistent with other figures of their species and power level?
Examine any offensive powers. Do they keep the figure’s offensive potential consistent with other figures with the same powers and power levels or skills and weaponry?
Yes. He’s only extremely powerful either once per round, or when attacking with him could risk self-destruction.

13. Examine any defensive, healing, or other tanking powers. Do they keep the figure’s survivability consistent with other figures of the same powers or power level or species and armor class?
N/A.

14. Examine any leadership powers. Do they exceed the activation potential of the best existing leaders? If so, is there thematic justification for this?
In Illuminati builds, his Tactician power will allow Reed to move adjacent to non-visionaries to place Inventions more easily, or allow Black Panther to re-position for fending daggers, or allow Namor to set up for or pull off an Imperius Rex. In Inhuman Builds, it’d help Karnak set up Assess Weakness more easily, Lockjaw into Lockdown position, or set up Slingshot in position for her turns.
When losing initiative, his D20 boost will help the Illuminati when they are most against the ropes, and will help Inhumans such as Karnak and Medusa.

15. Consider any powers that reference darkness, electrical, figure movement, fire, gas, ice, kryptonite, light/sensory, magical, poison, psychic, stealth, or water-based abilities. Do these behave in similar ways to other powers of this type, including mentions of immunities?
Is it clear for all special powers what phase of the turn and how they are triggered, what phase of the turn they are active in, and when and how they cease being active?
N/A

16. Are special powers listed in game, round, and turn order?
Yes.

17. If a special power includes a D20 roll, does it make sense to list a number by the title?
N/A

18. If a power is being reused, are the title and wording copied accurately?
N/A

19. Has the power title or a very similar one been used before with vastly different mechanics?
N/A

I propose we move to initial playtesting
@Arkham
@Ericth74
@IAmBatman
@MrNobody
@Tornado
@Yodaking

[IAmBatman]

yea

[MrNobody]

Yea

[Ericth74]

yea