Scytale's customs

[PCServbot]

I'll have to let Scytale comment on that Typhon. I didn't have anything to do with modding the figures, but I seem to recall there was a lot of bending.

I'll keep going...

Soulborg and Monks (Unique)

Spoiler Alert!

Annihilation Corroders unique soulborg squad
mods

Flying Lotus Monks unique monk squad
Earth Shugenja (D&D Underdark) repainted
Whirling Steel Monk (D&D Savage Deathknell) repainted
Drunken Master (D&D Dragoneye) repainted, slightly modded

This pack of units is kind of interesting to me. I never realized it until now, but these two units are very similar. Very similar stats, and both have a defensive power, and I think that's why initially I liked them both a lot. After playing them, I changed my mind though. I really am not a big fan of the Corroders, while the Monks remained possibly my favorite unit in all of Scytale's custom creations. This could very possibly just be due to my preference or style of play however.

The Corroders look great. They have a sleek look, and the fact that they are modded completely from other 'Scape units make them look great alongside other units. The times we playtested these guys (which wasn't too often), I just wasn't very impressed with them. My first reaction is to compare their survivability to the Krav because of Stealth Dodge and same defense. However, they are weaker than the Krav in the survivability category due to the fact that they are slower and don't have range. Part of the Krav's great survivability comes from the fact that they can out range other units and get the upper hand terrain-wise because of it (and their speed). These guys have to run up into the battle, giving ranged units a ton of shots on them and they rarely get that extra defense die because of height. If they get into a group of melee units, they can be great due to their Unstable Cores, but due to their slow speed, I see most melee armies being able to move one guy out to slow them down and not allow them to make the most of their explosive death. I love the idea of these guys...I just don't find them all that effective. I think a bit more playtesting might reveal that they might need some tweaking (or might reveal that my concerns are completely wrong).

I love the Flying Lotus Monks, but I'll try not to let that blind my critical analysis of them. The figures for these guys look totally awesome. They fit in really well with the already existing monk figures and they have some of my favorite poses of any unit that Scytale has more, or that currently exists in Heroscape. On top of those things, they look and fit together great. I think Scytale was pretty successful in giving them a very unique ability too. Wind Walk is pretty cool, although as it stands now, it's not going to seem much different than just plain flying in many people's games. I don't see a lot of maps hindering their movement much because of Wind Walk's limitations (although I shouldn't be too adamant about this, we played Hot Heights in playtesting and it did matter...). Nonetheless, the ability is very cool and gives these guys a cool feel and great mobility. It also gives them (coupled with Phantom Walk) gives them the ability to have height most of the time which makes getting that first shield much easier. Their mobility and potential to be great assassins, their flavor, and their visual design make these guys one of my favorites of all of Scytale's customs.

[Scytale]

Originally Posted by Typhon2222

Out of curiosity, how are you gents fitting the Drider Fanglord to 'Scape hexes? We bought the figure with something similar in mind (a 'general'-style figure for the Drow), but it spills over more than two hexes. Its footprint is simply too big to fit. We're considering chopping off the front two legs....

It fits on the large D3 base, but it takes a little work. The legs are spread out wider than the D3 base, so I had to squeeze them in until the superglue held (which is pretty quick). The final result looks pretty normal, as you can see in this picture:

[Scytale]

Originally Posted by PCServbot

Wind Walk is pretty cool, although as it stands now, it's not going to seem much different than just plain flying in many people's games.

As it's written now, there is one major difference between Wind Walk and flying: they are affected by terrain types. They deftly bound up hills, but they sink into Heavy Snow and stop in water. I haven't decided if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's a major difference.

[Typhon2222]

Ah, ingenious. We've been trimming the original D&D bases down, rather than rebasing them. But in this case, I think rebasing is the only way to go if we want to use this guy.

I'd love to rebase everything we're doing, but it's just not feasible. It wouldn't be bad if we were just sticking with heroes. But we're making lots of common squads as well using Large D&D figures, and the thought of rebasing over 200 figures is just too much. But yours look awesome.

And nice repaint of the first Drider by the way! Very ominous-spidery-yellow those dots and stripes are.

[Typhon2222]

Originally Posted by Scytale

As it's written now, there is one major difference between Wind Walk and flying: they are affected by terrain types. They deftly bound up hills, but they sink into Heavy Snow and stop in water. I haven't decided if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's a major difference.

Funny, a lot of us have begun recently — mostly independently of each other, it seems — to develop various movement powers that fall midway between walking and flying. Your Wind Walk does that. So does the Scramble ability of Killometer's Rat Swarm. And we developed something similar in the Floating ability for our Beholders and the Surefooted ability for our Ibixian Ridge Raiders. Clearly an idea whose time has come.

[Scytale]

Originally Posted by Typhon2222

I'd love to rebase everything we're doing, but it's just not feasible. It wouldn't be bad if we were just sticking with heroes. But we're making lots of common squads as well using Large D&D figures, and the thought of rebasing over 200 figures is just too much.

I'm a stickler for consistency. I've rebased hundreds of figures already, and I just dropped a crapton of cash on the last HouseMouse sale just to get more bases. Sad.

And nice repaint of the first Drider by the way! Very ominous-spidery-yellow those dots and stripes are.

Thanks! I always repaint my extra Uncommons to distinguish them. My hydras and iron golems turned out especially nice. Here's the blue drider waiting to strike in a dungeon crawl:

Originally Posted by Typhon2222

Funny, a lot of us have begun recently — mostly independently of each other, it seems — to develop various movement powers that fall midway between walking and flying. Your Wind Walk does that. So does the Scramble ability of Killometer's Rat Swarm. And we developed something similar in the Floating ability for our Beholders and the Surefooted ability for our Ibixian Ridge Raiders. Clearly an idea whose time has come.

Aye, I noticed the same. Wind Walk is same ability as Scramble and Surefooted. While you both went with the "ignore x levels of terrain" option, one which has no HS precedent, I went with a reworked Flying wording. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the "ignore x levels" wording, but it's definitely less wordy and it does seem clear.

[Typhon2222]

Oooh, lovely blue Drider.

Originally Posted by Scytale

Aye, I noticed the same. Wind Walk is same ability as Scramble and Surefooted. While you both went with the "ignore x levels of terrain" option, one which has no HS precedent, I went with a reworked Flying wording. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the "ignore x levels" wording, but it's definitely less wordy and it does seem clear.

I think we had little option, because — and here our Surefooted/Floating differ from your Wind Walk — the elevation discount we wanted to give per hex is less than the height of the figures involved. Your modified Flying wording does, as you say, have the advantage of deriving from established precedent. But if I'm thinking it through correctly, it works for your Monks only as long as the imposed vertical limit (here, 5 levels of elevation) exceeds their height (4).

[Typhon2222]

Originally Posted by Scytale

I'm a stickler for consistency. I've rebased hundreds of figures already, and I just dropped a crapton of cash on the last HouseMouse sale just to get more bases. Sad.

I can only salute that!

Being a stickler for consistency myself, I'd probably insist on rebasing myself, if I hadn't fundamentally changed the color palette of my 'Scape tiles. I've spray-painted almost everything I have, with lots of black, silver, gray, and white. As a result, the black bases of D&D minis actually fit the color scheme of my maps better than the green-and-brown original 'Scape bases. (Which I assume were designed to match the palette of RotV's tiles?)

[Schulzy]

Dear lord, don't butcher official 'Scape just to get bases! Order the bases that they use for C3G! You can get 1000 for $50! If you need the small or large 1-hex D&D unit bases, Games Workshop has those! Don't kill the poor figures!!!!!

The post below me reminded me what got me reading this thread in the first place. Assuming Dark Divination stacks (I assume so), then...well, that's a really cool mechanic. Kudos on that one, might have to make it myself!

[Strack9]

Originally Posted by Scytale

Am I correct in my feeling that Dark Divination stacks?

Great stuff Scy. I'll be following this thread closely.

[PCServbot]

Yes, Dark Divination stacks I believe.

At first glance it seemed really potent to me, but really the +1 initiative isn't really worth the 10 points. I'd almost always have Isamu instead. However, the +1 initiative combined with their aid to summoning is awesome.

[Scytale]

Originally Posted by Typhon2222

I think we had little option, because — and here our Surefooted/Floating differ from your Wind Walk — the elevation discount we wanted to give per hex is less than the height of the figures involved. Your modified Flying wording does, as you say, have the advantage of deriving from established precedent. But if I'm thinking it through correctly, it works for your Monks only as long as the imposed vertical limit (here, 5 levels of elevation) exceeds their height (4).

It's really an arbitrary thing. Any of these abilities could simply have a number attached to them, say "Surefooted X", and "ignore X levels of terrain". It would work the same.

Hmm... though now that I say that, I think I know what bugs me about the "ignore" wording. Does that mean to just ignore counting movement points for height, or does it also decrease the height for purposes of climbing? Ignoring 1 level of terrain could be interpreted that a 4-height figure could climb up 4 levels at once since the first level is ignored. Is that intended?

Originally Posted by Schulzy

Dear lord, don't butcher official 'Scape just to get bases! Order the bases that they use for C3G! You can get 1000 for $50! If you need the small or large 1-hex D&D unit bases, Games Workshop has those! Don't kill the poor figures!!!!!

I started butchering official scape when I had craploads of extra Master Set 1 figures I wasn't using. Since then I've run out. I've only recently started paying attention to places that offer just bases -- I should have earlier. Thanks for the tip.

Am I correct in my feeling that Dark Divination stacks?

Yes, Dark Divination stacks. I was initially worried that putting a bunch of these into an army is too strong, but I don't feel that way after playtesting. +6 to initiative will win you initiative once or twice a game, but you're basically down 60pts worth of figures in your army. Great to add in with Rayne though.