Competitive Unit Congress

[Pumpkin_King]

Hmmm. Maybe I just need to practice with them a bit.

[Astroking112]

I don't own any of the Mohican River Tribe myself, but I thought that they were already pretty good. What do you think that they need help with?

Edit: Whoops, it's already been said.

[obfuscatedhippo]

Originally Posted by Pumpkin_King

Any ideas for helping out the Mohican River Tribe in the vein of these CUC changes?

The Mohicans are good but not great. I've found their 1 Defense against range is their big weakness. They have Concealment to try and keep them out of harm's way but the roll is difficult (typically around a 16+). If facing range, you need to stay back far enough to give Concealment a chance to work but then be able to rush forward into melee to be 3/3.

Remember though that they still get their +2 defense when they are engaged, even if they are defending against a different figure that is shooting at them.

And there is the trick of trying to activate Brave Arrow. That situational bonding is something you can't really count on but it helps if the Mohicans rush a high life hero - do a few wounds but stay engaged - and then give Brave Arrow an activation. Trying to plan your OM's to get Brave Arrow activated and up-close to use his Scout aura is a challenge and sometimes just not worth it.

If I was going to alter their stats CUC style, I'd probably just bump their Defense to 2 and/or decrease Concealment to 16.

[Pumpkin_King]

What we experimented with in my group was increasing they are normal defense to two, and then reducing the bonus they get in melee to one. It ends up being the same in melee, but it gives them at least something at range. Dropping concealment is a good idea as well, as their only range tool it fails way more often than it needs to. With the stealth suit agents, it feels like a bonus, but with the Mohicans it’s literally the only tool.

[Astroking112]

I'm personally more fond of just dropping Concealment's requirement number, since it always stood out to me as one of the more unique attributes of the squad. I think it's interesting how they're specifically weak to mid-range attacks, and I'm fine with keeping it that way.

[Pumpkin_King]

What are some ideas to buff Deadeye? Me brother and I thought that you could:

- buff his attack by 1
- let you roll 2 dice for Ullar Enhanced (but still only let you inflict 1 wound)
- allow you to normal attack, and then use Sharpshooter on the same target you normal attacked (as long as you rolled at least 1 skull)

[lefton4ya]

I like dropping MRT’s concealment to like 15 or even 10. Another idea to help is to make Brave Arrow an Uncommon Hero. For Deadeye Dan, the easiest fix is to up his life by 2, although I can’t wait for a C3V figure to have some kind of bonding or synergy with Lawmen. Two of these suggestions are in my Competitve Unit Alters

[Lazy Orang]

Originally Posted by Astroking112

I'm personally more fond of just dropping Concealment's requirement number, since it always stood out to me as one of the more unique attributes of the squad. I think it's interesting how they're specifically weak to mid-range attacks, and I'm fine with keeping it that way.

I really like the idea of dropping Concealment's roll to something like 15. I want to love the Mohicans, and they're so close to being actually good - they just need that little buff, and then I'd like them.

[Pumpkin_King]

I’ll dollow that thread, Left4, thanks!

[Astroking112]

Originally Posted by Lazy Orang

I really like the idea of dropping Concealment's roll to something like 15. I want to love the Mohicans, and they're so close to being actually good - they just need that little buff, and then I'd like them.

The only buff that they need for me to like them is to become available online for a reasonable price!

In all seriousness, though, I may have to proxy these guys and test them out in the future. The more that I looked at them, the more that they seemed like a blast to use, no matter how tricky some of their abilities are.

[obfuscatedhippo]

Our Northwest Heroscape Customs team made this figure to help support Mohicans and Scout Heroes. He gives a boost to the Mohican's ranged attacks.

Originally Posted by Nomad

Saar Whisper Scout
NWHC Wave 1 – The Faithful and the Fallen – Harpies and Hunters



Figure: Star Wars, Dark Times, Trianii Scout #37

General: Aquilla
Planet: Na’Borra

Species: Saar
Uncommon Hero
Class: Scout
Personality: Precise
Medium 5

Life: 3
Move: 5
Range: 8
Attack: 2
Defense: 3
55 Points

ADVANCED SPOTTER
All friendly Scout figures that attack a non-adjacent figure within 6 clear sight spaces of an Unengaged Whisper Scout roll 1 additional attack die. All friendly Sniper figures that choose a figure within 6 clear sight spaces of an unengaged Whisper Scout for a special power may add 1 to their 20-sided die roll.

RECON TEAM BONDING
After revealing an Order Marker on this Army Card, after taking a turn with this Whisper Scout, if this Whisper Scout did not destroy a figure, you may immediately take a turn with one other Scout or Sniper Hero you control.


Character Bio:

Spoiler Alert!

The Saar are a race of feline humanoids from the planet Na’Borra that have evolved with uncanny mental abilities. The Saar have developed powerful empathic senses that allowed them to attune to the wildlife and plant-life of their homeland.

Throughout their history, the Saar homeworld has been attacked by more technologically advanced species. However the intense psychic connection of the Saar to each other and their native habitat, and their nature strength and fighting prowess, has allowed to defeat these invaders. The Saar have adapted what technology has remained and have found that their psychic abilities allow them to intuitively learn even from machines and devices.

In recent times, an advanced team of Saar rangers came under attack when scouting out a new enemy force. The felines were quickly overrun by Soulborgs and the strange hybrid of “man-and-machine” played haywire with the Saar’s empathy. As the valiant defenders tried to pull the wounded to safety, they were pulled across space and time to Valhalla by Aquilla.

The Arch-Kyrie General tended to the wounded and found a common bond with the people of Na’bora. The Saar learned of the great battle raging on Valhalla and that the villainous generals were targeting their world as well.

The first to join Aquilla’s army were the “Whisper Scouts,” so named by the Mohican River Tribe, because the Saar are both incredibly stealthy but also, they do not speak - only "whispering into the minds" of their allies. These silent warriors are a highly skilled scouts and marksmen. Their rifles have advanced optical sights and fire a deadly pulse of energy plasma that produces little sound or muzzle flash. The Whisper Scouts are best when coordinating in groups and they have adapted their telepathic abilities to send images and messages to their allies on the battlefield. This allows them to assist other marksmen to coordinate attacks on enemy positions and to relay vulnerabilities in defenses.

Spoiler Alert!

- Rulings and Clarifications -

- N/A

- Combinations and Synergies -

Synergy Benefits Offered

-Scout figures: Advanced Spotter
Friendly Scout figures non-adjacent attack bonus. Scout figures with range include: Saar Whisper Scout, Kira Jax, Mohican River Tribe, Zetacron.

-Sniper figures: Advanced Spotter
Friendly Sniper figure 20-sided roll bonus. Sniper figures with a 20-sided roll include: Deadeye Dan.

-Scout or Sniper figures: Recon Team Bonding
Scout or Sniper Hero figure turn bonding if a Whisper Scout doesn’t destroy a figure. Scout Hero figures include: Saar Whisper Scout, Kira Jax, Theracus, Zetacron.
Sniper Hero figures include: Deadeye Dan.

Synergy Benefits Received

-Venoc Warlord: Scout Leadership
As a Scout, a Saar Whisper Scout may benefit from the Venoc Warlord’s SCOUT LEADERSHIP movement bonus.

-Brave Arrow: Scout Melee Attack Enhancement
As a Scout, if a Saar Whisper Scout is adjacent to Brave Arrow he receives an additional attack die against adjacent figures.

Synergy Imposed

- N/A

[UberQ9]

Spoiler Alert!

It seems this project is out of steam again. Is there any interest in trying to revive this?

If so, I have a few suggestions for units on the non-viable list in the OP, including an alternate suggestion for the X17 change that was proposed but seems to have fallen through.

PROPOSAL

Unit: Major X17
Proposal: Increase Defense to 5. Change IMPROVED CYBERCLAW as follows: "All <omit> opponent's figures..." Change MELEE DEFENSE 4 to DEFLECT MELEE (identical in wording to the Warriors of Ashra's DEFENSIVE AGILITY).

The original Dignan proposal was to reduce his point cost, and Dignan didn't want to make X17 worth his points because the 100 pt range is so congested with good options already. I feel like if we make X17 more powerful rather than reduce his point cost, he could still carve a niche for himself and be worth using over other good 100 pt units (the unit with whom he seems most comparable seems to be the iron golem).

The change to Cyberclaw would give X17's player more control, and the ability to more easily lock down extremely threatening Huge figures such as Braxas, Nilfheim, and Zelrig. The Defense boost would give him a bit more insurance against range but doesn't completely counter them due to his movement speed. Additionally, with Deflect Melee (which would work exactly like Defensive Agility) he would become virtually impenetrable in melee, which further cements what seems to be his intended role as a "Defender"-type unit.

PROPOSAL

Unit: Deathwalker 7000
Proposal: Increase Move to 7. Add DISENGAGE. Change SELF-DESTRUCT as follows: "If you roll a 1, all adjacent figures are safe. If you roll a 2-7, each adjacent figure receives 2 wounds. If you roll a 8-15, each adjacent figure receives 4 wounds. If you roll a 16-19, each adjacent figure receives 6 wounds. If you roll a 20..."

Deathwalker 7000 is bad. Like, really bad. He's one of only two units to receive an F rating in spider_poison and Jexik's Heroscape Power Rankings. As such, he needs a significant boost, and I think this may be a good place to start. His primary ability is obviously his self-destruct, but a lot of the time, he doesn't do crap for damage with it. Once he uses Self-Destruct, he obviously dies, so for DW7K to be worth it, that ability needs to be able to inflict as much damage as possible, and I feel the proposed damage increase could be appropriate, though the exact probabilities may need tweaking. To be able to use Self-Destruct effectively, positioning is key, and increasing DW7K's move to 7 and adding Disengage would make positioning him a lot easier.

Another change I could see being made to Deathwalker 7000, but that I did not propose above, is to change him to an Uncommon Hero, or potentially even Common, but that might be pushing it. The character's bio uses the phrasing "a Deathwalker 7000" meaning that it is not a singular, unique individual, as opposed to DW9K's and 8K's bios which imply that they are unique individuals in-story. I wasn't sure about making him uncommon because multiple walking bombs might be a bit ridiculous especially with the boost I proposed, but it's a thought and it makes sense in the story.

PROPOSAL

Unit: Sonlen
Proposal: Change class to "Wizard".

This is actually intended as a boost to Ulginesh, not Sonlen himself. It seems a bit silly that Sonlen can't bond with Ulginesh when "Archmage" describes a powerful wizard. Sonlen would also be a considerable boon to an Ulginesh-centric army, being reasonably sturdy at 6 life and the ability to use his healing ability on himself, and good offensively with his 6 range, 4 attack, and chance to inflict a wound out of combat.

PROPOSAL

Unit: Erevan Sunshadow
Proposal: Change race to "Elf". Increase range to 5. Increase attack to 3. Change Fey Step as follows: "Once per round, Erevan Sunshadow may use Fey Step. Before moving..."

Again, it seems silly that Erevan can't bond with Ulginesh because of his race; in D&D, which the master set Erevan comes in is based on, in most editions Eladrin are considered a subrace of Elf. 4th edition technically classifies elves and eladrin as different races, but I believe the game still describes the two races as being extremely similar (I don't actually have a 4th edition PHB on hand). This would, again, give an Ulginesh-centric team more options. The range and attack increase gives Erevan a reason to use his normal attack, as as he is currently his normal attack is virtually always ignored in favor of Fire Blast. The boost to Fey Step gives him more mobility, and the "once per game" restriction that works well in D&D and okay in the dungeon crawl scenarios doesn't work so well in most Heroscape games, and making the power usable more often also makes it more useful. When we use Erevan in my home games he barely even uses Fey Step in the first place because of that "once per game" restriction. Fey Step is a really cool and interesting ability that really deserves this boost.

PROPOSAL

Unit: Otonashi
Proposal: Add DISAPPEARING NINJA: "If Otonashi is attacked with a normal attack and at least 1 skull is rolled, roll the 20-sided die to disappear. If you roll 1-12, roll defense dice normally. If you roll 13 or higher, Otonashi takes no damage and instead may move up to 4 spaces. Otonashi can disappear only if she ends her disappearing move not adjacent to any enemy figures."

Otonashi isn't on the list in the OP, but from what I've seen she's generally considered pretty useless, and inferior to Isamu in her role as filler. Disappearing Ninja gives her a bit more survivability (is that even a word?), comparable to Isamu who has 2 fewer defense dice but whose Vanish activates more often. Isamu's damage increase is more widely applicable than Otonashi's (all Jandar units vs all Wild units) but Otonashi is a bit more maneuverable, so I feel that balances out and makes her worth using over Isamu without outclassing him.

Hopefully we can get this project going again; it looked like a lot of fun to try to boost underpowered units.

EDIT: Also, Khosumet's entry in the OP still hasn't been fixed.