Ixe's Custom Units

[Ixe]

It has been a while since my last unit. This one may be a little bit out there.

This is Griffin Minelayer from Rackham Miniatures. The figure is supplied unpainted.


NAME = Boom Thelwas
GENERAL = Vydar
PLANET = Eberron
SPECIES = Elf
CLASS = Artificer
PERSONALITY = Tricky
SIZE = Medium 5
UNIQUE HERO

LIFE = 4
MOVE = 5
RANGE = 1
ATTACK = 2
DEFENSE = 2
POINTS = 50

TRAPSMITH SUPPLIES
Boom Thelwas starts the game with 3 face-down Glyphs of Explosion and 2 face-down Glyphs of Revitalization on his Army Card.

THROW GLYPH
After moving and instead of attacking, you may choose a Glyph on Boom Thelwas's Army Card and place that glyph on an empty space within 4 clear sight spaces of Boom Thelwas.

MINE RECOVERY
When you roll the 20-sided die for a Glyph of Explosion with Boom Thelwas, you may add 10 to your roll. If Boom Thelwas takes no damage, place that glyph face-down on Boom Thelwas's Army Card instead of removing it from the game.


This design is necessarily matched with these two temporary glyphs:

Name = Glyph of Explosion
TEMPORARY GLYPH
Roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 1-15, this figure receives 2 wounds. If you roll a 16 or higher, nothing happens.

Name = Glyph of Revitilization
TEMPORARY GLYPH
Roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 6 or higher, remove 2 wounds from this figure's Army Card.


Boom Thelwas is a trapmaker capable of seeding the battlefield with dangerous explosives that can kill those unfortunate enough to walk across it. Not all his mines are lethal, however, where a few can instead heal those that trigger the trap. In battle Boom became famous for filling the field with his mines, marking carefully for his allies where to step and find a healing cache while forcing the enemy to run around his mines. He can recover a previously placed mine if he needs to, but even that carries risk.

Boom Thelwas can throw mines out a range to give him some versatility for quickly deploying them. The mines being face-down mean that only his controller knows what is placed there and gives just enough of a guessing game for the opponent to risk going for a healing cache and potentially finding a dangerous mine instead. These mines being temporary glyphs, they are normally removed from the game after being triggered. Additionally, any unit that moves onto one must end its movement there, likely putting his true value as a way to bottleneck the enemy around certain areas or try to force them to a particular area of the battlefield. Even then the enemy can always risk a mine since they are not always guaranteed to work.

As always, comments are greatly appreciated!

[Ixe]

Here's another Samurai for Einar:

This is Hayato Nakayama, Human from Pathfinder Miniatures Iconic Hero Boxed Set VI.


NAME = Taegama Hiro
GENERAL = Einar
PLANET = Earth
SPECIES = Human
CLASS = Samurai
PERSONALITY = Honorable
SIZE = Medium 5
UNIQUE HERO

LIFE = 5
MOVE = 6
RANGE = 1
ATTACK = 3
DEFENSE = 5
POINTS = 110

HONOR DUEL
If Taegama Hiro is engaged with an opponent's Unique Hero, he can only attack and be attacked by adjacent Unique Heroes.

COUNTERSTRIKE
When rolling defense dice against a normal attack from an adjacent attacking figure, all excess shields count as counts as unblockable hits on the attacking figure. This power does not work against other Samurai.

A COWARD'S REWARD
Taegama Hiro rolls an additional die against figures leaving an engagement with him.

Taegama Hiro is an honorable samurai warrior who is known to wade into battle and challenge another hero to face him in a duel. When locked in melee combat, a pocket in the chaos opens for the two to clash swords unimpeded. When the dust settles, Taegama Hiro can continue challenging new targets until no one worthy remains. The samurai has no tolerance for cowards and cuts them down swiftly should they try to flee.

My first pass at this card had some fiddly challenge markers but the simple solution feels far more elegant. I am not positive about the wording but the intention is in the theme where the opponent must ignore the samurai while he fixates on the hero he is combating. There are a few oddities in that the opponent's hero is not awarded the same courtesy but they are similarly not bound to only attack Taegama Hiro. A Coward's Reward is an effective incentive to keep the opponent in the duel while counterstrike can punish them for remaining. I am a little on the fence in his use of engaging squads alongside a hero who cannot attack him while he can perform leaving engagement attacks on them, but I think the theme could be justified and it gives him some added function.

As always, comments are greatly appreciated!

[TheAverageFan]

Taegama: I expect to see a lot of customs for this miniature, but this one's a pretty solid thematic fit. I really like the one-vs-one style that he brings to the game, even if he might struggle with squads. There's just one problem... ... ... ... ...

Spoiler Alert!

Why is he not Disciplined!?!?!?!?!?!

~TAF

[TREX]

I love this Samurai Card as well and agree with TAF on his spoiler. I will be using this card for one of my Homeless samurai heroes but I think mine will be disciplined so he plays nice for a disciplined army bonus.

[Unhinged Manchild]

Originally Posted by Ixe

Here's another Samurai for Einar:

This is Hayato Nakayama, Human from Pathfinder Miniatures Iconic Hero Boxed Set VI.


NAME = Taegama Hiro
GENERAL = Einar
PLANET = Earth
SPECIES = Human
CLASS = Samurai
PERSONALITY = Honorable
SIZE = Medium 5
UNIQUE HERO

LIFE = 5
MOVE = 6
RANGE = 1
ATTACK = 3
DEFENSE = 5
POINTS = 110

HONOR DUEL
If Taegama Hiro is engaged with an opponent's Unique Hero, he can only attack and be attacked by adjacent Unique Heroes.

COUNTERSTRIKE
When rolling defense dice against a normal attack from an adjacent attacking figure, all excess shields count as counts as unblockable hits on the attacking figure. This power does not work against other Samurai.

A COWARD'S REWARD
Taegama Hiro rolls an additional die against figures leaving an engagement with him.

Taegama Hiro is an honorable samurai warrior who is known to wade into battle and challenge another hero to face him in a duel. When locked in melee combat, a pocket in the chaos opens for the two to clash swords unimpeded. When the dust settles, Taegama Hiro can continue challenging new targets until no one worthy remains. The samurai has no tolerance for cowards and cuts them down swiftly should they try to flee.

My first pass at this card had some fiddly challenge markers but the simple solution feels far more elegant. I am not positive about the wording but the intention is in the theme where the opponent must ignore the samurai while he fixates on the hero he is combating. There are a few oddities in that the opponent's hero is not awarded the same courtesy but they are similarly not bound to only attack Taegama Hiro. A Coward's Reward is an effective incentive to keep the opponent in the duel while counterstrike can punish them for remaining. I am a little on the fence in his use of engaging squads alongside a hero who cannot attack him while he can perform leaving engagement attacks on them, but I think the theme could be justified and it gives him some added function.

As always, comments are greatly appreciated!

I like where this design is going. I think he oozes a sort of "honorable 1v1 fighting spirit" that I've seen in some shows or movies, but the examples elude me at the moment. I imagine two really skilled swordsmen fighting in a field of battle, where they focus solely on each other to find out who is the better fighter, and inferior soldiers dare not interfere. This is something I would totally use on my own table if he comes to fruition.

My gut feeling says that he's undercosted at 110, mostly because of what you mention about how he can basically charge in and cling to a (bonding) hero, forcing any squads next to Taegama to freeze in place and become useless (barring disengage and stealth flying and the like.)

Not sure if this is the way you want to go, but what if you also add that any unique heroes he is engaged to also can only be attacked by adjacent unique heroes? Perhaps its just me, but I feel like it will lead to a more balanced figure, but also lead to the theme of "skilled fighters dueling without interference."

In a slightly different way, you can add an exclusion to the power such as "can only be attacked by adjacent unique heroes and/or figures with the wild (or some other sort of I don't care) personality, as a way for figures to show their "dishonorable" fighting ethics.

[wriggz]

Definitely one of the better samurai Customs I have seen

Bravo.

[Ixe]

Wow, lots of great comments for this guy. Thank you, everyone!

Originally Posted by TheAverageFan

I really like the one-vs-one style that he brings to the game, even if he might struggle with squads. There's just one problem... ... ... ... ...

Spoiler Alert!

Why is he not Disciplined!?!?!?!?!?!

That's what I put initially. Am I forgetting a benefit to being disciplined beyond the bonus for the Sacred Band? I didn't feel that was a critical synergy to include and wanted to convey how over the top honorable this guy was that even the opponent respects him when he's in a duel. Parmenio could put him in line, I suppose.

Originally Posted by TREX

I love this Samurai Card as well and agree with TAF on his spoiler. I will be using this card for one of my Homeless samurai heroes but I think mine will be disciplined so he plays nice for a disciplined army bonus.

Originally Posted by wriggz

Definitely one of the better samurai Customs I have seen

Bravo.

Thank you! I'm honored to hear it.

Originally Posted by brandonwiker

I like where this design is going. I think he oozes a sort of "honorable 1v1 fighting spirit" that I've seen in some shows or movies, but the examples elude me at the moment. I imagine two really skilled swordsmen fighting in a field of battle, where they focus solely on each other to find out who is the better fighter, and inferior soldiers dare not interfere. This is something I would totally use on my own table if he comes to fruition.

I think it happens in pretty much any movie battle ever when there are named champions on opposing sides. The recent Hobbit movies comes to mind with the battles with Legolas and Thorin in the final installment but the list goes on and on.

Originally Posted by brandonwiker

My gut feeling says that he's undercosted at 110, mostly because of what you mention about how he can basically charge in and cling to a (bonding) hero, forcing any squads next to Taegama to freeze in place and become useless (barring disengage and stealth flying and the like.)

You may be right, but I feel that it's still pretty narrow. Even if the opponent's army had the right mix of unique heroes, they could still place around this cropping up as a problem or activate other squad members instead. I'd honestly need to test it. Ironically I am a big proponent of playtesting yet I run what amounts to a brainstorming thread where I mostly throw up design ideas with no testing behind it.

Originally Posted by brandonwiker

Not sure if this is the way you want to go, but what if you also add that any unique heroes he is engaged to also can only be attacked by adjacent unique heroes? Perhaps its just me, but I feel like it will lead to a more balanced figure, but also lead to the theme of "skilled fighters dueling without interference."

It is very tempting and probably fits his theme better. I ultimately wanted the opponent to be able to choose to ignore the crazy samurai in their face and justify that people respect Taegama Hiro in a duel because they know his code is to fixate on heroes but don't provide the same courtesy to those he is fighting. On a further level I am contemplating using my version of Combat Challenge on something like a common hero or squad so I want to make sure I don't accidentally make an exploitative build.

Originally Posted by brandonwiker

In a slightly different way, you can add an exclusion to the power such as "can only be attacked by adjacent unique heroes and/or figures with the wild (or some other sort of I don't care) personality, as a way for figures to show their "dishonorable" fighting ethics.

I considered that as well. It is very tempting, but I tend to err away from specific call out powers. It leads to a few oddities that something mindless or wild is willing to play by his rules but you can easily fall into a scenario where the list becomes too long and there are personalities that should be there that aren't (especially if they are made in the future). I justify that it is the Valkyrie leader (the player) who is actually giving the orders and they are the ones respecting the duel.

Thanks again for all the great comments, everyone! It always surprises me which designs people really fixate on and give some positive buzz.

[JC McMinis]

Alot of great customs here Ixe. +rep

[Ixe]

Here's a new squad for the Wolf Pack:

These are the Vestals from Confrontation.


NAME = Varkaanan Blindstalkers
GENERAL = Aquilla
PLANET = Grut
SPECIES = Wolves
CLASS = Hunters
PERSONALITY = Resolute
SIZE = Large 6
UNIQUE Squad

LIFE = 1 (3 figures)
MOVE = 6
RANGE = 1
ATTACK = 4
DEFENSE = 3
POINTS = 70

WOLF PACK
After revealing an Order Marker on the Varkaanan Blindstakers' card, before taking a turn with the Blindstalkers, you may choose another Unique Wolf Army Card you control and take a turn with it. You may not attack with more figures from the chosen Army Card than the number of destroyed Varkaanan Blindstalkers on this card.

TRUE STRIKE
After moving and before attacking, you may choose an opponent's figure adjacent to a Varkaanan Blindstalker for each engaged Blindstalker you control. All the special powers on the chosen figures' army cards are negated until the end of the Varkaanan Blindstalkers' turn. Each Blindstalker must attack a figure chosen with True Strike, if possible.


The Blindstalkers have sworn sacred vows to their moon gods and wear masks that blind them to the outsider world. Training in these masks has heightened their already keen wolf senses to extraordinary levels, allowing them to slice through illusions and advanced defenses of the enemy.

The Blindstalkers' power is fairly niche and could be a little tricky to use, ultimately proving a nice counter to enemies that rely on abilities like Tough or evasive powers like Hide in Darkness. Primarily I suspect they are a cheap squad with a respectable attack to add to the wolf pack if you need to make the points work for the format.

As always, comments are greatly appreciated!

[Ixe]

Heroscape to me has stood as a mash-up game. From the very first set they crammed sci-fi, fantasy, and historical elements into one game to really encompass the battle for all time. However, there is one major trope abundant in popular culture that is missing for me. While it has been addressed in Marvelscape and C3G, I want to take my own approach to incorporate non-iconic super heroes into Heroscape.

This is Legacy from Sentinels of the Multiverse. It is supplied unpainted.


NAME = Icon
GENERAL = Jandar
PLANET = Rann
SPECIES = Rannian
CLASS = Superhero
PERSONALITY = Valiant
SIZE = Medium 5
UNIQUE HERO

LIFE = 6
MOVE = 6
RANGE = 1
ATTACK = 5
DEFENSE = 3
POINTS = 180

INVULNERABILITY
When rolling defense dice against a normal attack, Icon always adds 1 automatic shield to whatever is rolled. Icon adds 2 automatic shields against special attacks instead.

RICOCHET
When Icon is attacked by a normal attack from a non-adjacent figure, if Icon received no wounds from the attack, roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 13 or higher, you must choose a figure adjacent to Icon to receive one wound, if possible.

FLYING
When counting spaces for Icon's movement, ignore elevations. Icon may fly over water without stopping, pass over figures without becoming engaged, and fly over obstacles such as ruins. When Icon starts to fly, if he is engaged, he will take any leaving engagement attacks.


Icon hails from the planet Rann (kudos if you get the reference) and is one of the premiere superheroes of that planet. As his namesake implies, he is gifted with super strength, the power of flight, and near invulnerability. His bullet-proof skin can be a blessing and a curse as projectiles can glance harmlessly off of him and into someone nearby. Hopefully it is an enemy and not an innocent bystander.

I'm half tempted to give him 2 automatic shields against normal attacks but that would be insurmountable in too many situations. As is he is a challenge to take on given his strong defenses that are even tougher against special attacks. He hits moderately hard but his real strength lies in his staying power. Ricochet can easily be a downside if you aren't careful but a single hero with his high maneuverability should easily position himself so as not to hurt allies. His power is likely more useful when facing screens where they can mob him and risk hitting their own with a ricochet or let him fly by and engage those the screen is trying to protect.

As always, comments are greatly appreciated!

[Heroscaper Guy]

Originally Posted by Ixe

Heroscape to me has stood as a mash-up game. From the very first set they crammed sci-fi, fantasy, and historical elements into one game to really encompass the battle for all time. However, there is one major trope abundant in popular culture that is missing for me. While it has been addressed in Marvelscape and C3G, I want to take my own approach to incorporate non-iconic super heroes into Heroscape.

This is Legacy from Sentinels of the Multiverse. It is supplied unpainted.


NAME = Icon
GENERAL = Jandar
PLANET = Rann
SPECIES = Rannian
CLASS = Superhero
PERSONALITY = Valiant
SIZE = Medium 5
UNIQUE HERO

LIFE = 6
MOVE = 6
RANGE = 1
ATTACK = 5
DEFENSE = 3
POINTS = 180

INVULNERABILITY
When rolling defense dice against a normal attack, Icon always adds 1 automatic shield to whatever is rolled. Icon adds 2 automatic shields against special attacks instead.

RICOCHET
When Icon is attacked by a normal attack from a non-adjacent figure, if Icon received no wounds from the attack, roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 13 or higher, you must choose a figure adjacent to Icon to receive one wound, if possible.

FLYING
When counting spaces for Icon's movement, ignore elevations. Icon may fly over water without stopping, pass over figures without becoming engaged, and fly over obstacles such as ruins. When Icon starts to fly, if he is engaged, he will take any leaving engagement attacks.


Icon hails from the planet Rand (kudos if you get the reference) and is one of the premiere superheroes of that planet. As his namesake implies, he is gifted with super strength, the power of flight, and near invulnerability. His bullet-proof skin can be a blessing and a curse as projectiles can glance harmlessly off of him and into someone nearby. Hopefully it is an enemy and not an innocent bystander.

I'm half tempted to give him 2 automatic shields against normal attacks but that would be insurmountable in too many situations. As is he is a challenge to take on given his strong defenses that are even tougher against special attacks. He hits moderately hard but his real strength lies in his staying power. Ricochet can easily be a downside if you aren't careful but a single hero with his high maneuverability should easily position himself so as not to hurt allies. His power is likely more useful when facing screens where they can mob him and risk hitting their own with a ricochet or let him fly by and engage those the screen is trying to protect.

As always, comments are greatly appreciated!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rand_(Robotech) Still analyzing him.

[TheAverageFan]

Icon is pretty sick. Nearly invincible with that defense but what do you expect from a superhero? Being an unsynergetic single-attacking hero balances out his defenses, so it's okay. Ricochet is also pretty cool. TAF seal of approval

Is his planet supposed to be Rand or Rann? It says Rann under Planet in his stats.

~TAF