The Book of Martian Manhunter (Justice League) (II)

[Arkham]

Ok, here's what I'm thinking of moving forward with:

NAME = MARTIAN MANHUNTER III
SECRET IDENTITY = J'ONN J'ONZZ

SPECIES = MARTIAN
UNIQUENESS = UNIQUE HERO
CLASS = CHAMPION
PERSONALITY = BENEVOLENT

SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 5

LIFE = 6

MOVE = 6
RANGE = 1
ATTACK = 5
DEFENSE = 5/6

POINTS = 330-350

DENSITY CONTROL
Martian Manhunter can move through all figures and obstacles such as ruins, and is never attacked when leaving an engagement. Martian Manhunter cannot be targeted by opponents' non-adjacent figures for any attacks or for any opponents' special powers that require clear sight. Martian Manhunter may not be moved by any special power on an opponent's Army Card.

MALLEABLE MAYHEM
Before attacking, you may:
• remove 2 Wound Markers from this card;
• roll 2 additional attack dice;
• attack normally up to 2 times this turn; or
• choose up to 2 figures within 4 spaces of Martian Manhunter. Place the chosen figures on any empty spaces within 2 spaces of Martian Manhunter, ignoring any leaving engagement attacks.
Each option may be chosen once per round.

MARTIAN VISION
Instead of attacking, you may choose a figure within 4 clear sight spaces of Martian Manhunter. Roll the 20-sided die. If you roll 5-6, 12-13, or 19-20, the chosen figure receives 2 wounds.

SUPER STRENGTH
FLYING

Do we want to see him at 5 Defense or 6? Also, any estimate on points? Not always reliable, but his stats + flying are 175(5 D)/195(6 D) on the calculator before his other specials are accounted for. I'm thinking 330-350 with the bump to 6 Defense, or 320-340 at 5 Defense.

[Arch-vile]

I like it. No opinion on the defense, either is justifiable.

[MrNobody]

I think aiming for higher 300s would be nice to give him his own niche compared to the other two.

[tcglkn]

Looks good to me. No preference on the defense.

[IAmBatman]

Originally Posted by Arch-vile

I like it. No opinion on the defense, either is justifiable.

Likewise. Since 300 point MM is A+, I'm not too worried about bumping him out of his niche. And this guy fits in with the JL faction better than that guy, so either point cost seems fine, ultimately.

What niche is more needed in JL Army builds?

[Arkham]

Ok, gonna go for 6 defense and aim for mid 300's then. I'd prefer he not make it too high in the 300's, as I'd like to see him drafted more, and the JL already has some higher point options with Fate and Aquaman both at 370, and MM II as well as all 3 Superman Champions in the 400's. The 330-350 is more uncharted ground for thematic options, so that's gonna be the goal for drafting variety, but we'll see where he lands and go from there.

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?

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 effecting 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?

Yes, trade an attack for potential 2 wounds.

2. Is your design adding to the stats or 20-sided die rolls of other figures in your army? Is it a 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?

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?

Not to an overpowering degree.

4. Does your design take control of enemy figures permanently or temporarily? Is it too difficult to for your opponent to regain control of their figure or recover from the 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?

Once per round, self heal of 2 wounds. 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, posses 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?

Yes he can, no it shouldn't be an issue.

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?

No.

CONSISTENCY CHECKLIST (SHORT FORM)

Spoiler Alert!

Consistency Concerns
Name and Identity
Verify character is named in a way that is clear, accurate and feels consistent with the way other characters are named.

Yep

Uniqueness and Type
Verify that the power text reflects the listed uniqueness and type, that the uniqueness fits the character, and that squad size is listed for squads.

Yep.

Left Box
If the character's species, class or personality is reused, verify that the character feels thematically consistent with other figures that have that species, class or personality. If they are not reused, verify that there is no pre-existing species, class or personality that would make more sense.

Yep

Size and Height
Verify that the listed size and height are accurate. Standing the mini up next to a stack of tiles, and a few other minis of various sizes, is encouraged.

Yep

Super Strength and Flying
Verify that these special powers are present if they make sense, and not if they don't.

Yep

New Powers - Names
Verify that any new powers are not using power names identical to, or very similar to, pre-existing powers. Verify that any new powers are actually new and not old powers with new names.

Yep

New Powers - Effects
Verify that the effect and timing of all new powers is clear. Verify that any logical immunities, benefits, or weaknesses (whether those be necessary for thematic or mechanical reasons) are implemented: consider whether defensive powers that work against normal attacks should also work against special attacks, whether or not a power has an elemental component that some figures should resist, and whether or not unliving figures (such as Undead and Androids) should be affected.

Yep

Reused Powers
Verify that the design is reusing powers in place of creating new ones, where reused powers could implement the same theme and mechanics with no differences or only trivial differences. Verify that any reused powers have the correct text.

Yep.

Power Level
Verify that the character's movement, attack, range, and defense (in conjunction with any special powers that enhance those stats) feel consistent with the capabilities of characters with analogous powers and abilities. Verify that the character falls into a similar point range to characters with comparative powers and abilities.

Yep

I propose a vote to move to Initial Playtesting.

[Tornado]

Yea
Would have preferred Large here though.

[tcglkn]

Yea. Would have also prefered Large but understand most people aren't a fan of the mini not matching the size after Hulk and Mister Incredible so I'm not gonna fight for it. Density Control serves the same purpose.

[IAmBatman]

Yea

[Arch-vile]

yea

[Arkham]

This passes.

[Arkham]

C3G INITIAL PLAYTEST FEEDBACK FORM

NAME OF THE TEST UNIT Martian Manhunter (III)

___________________________________________________________

Ended up limiting Martian Vision to once per round, as it was feeling a little hot in the first game already. So all games are with it limited to once per round.

___________________________________________________________

Army Test 1
Map: Conflict Chernobyl
Units:
Martian Manhunter(330), Batman(250), Green Arrow(210), Wonder Woman(310) (1100)
vs.
Cap(240), Ms. Marvel(350), Iron Fist(260), Psylocke(250) (1100)

Spoiler Alert!

Normal Attack Damage:
R2T1: 1 wound on Psylocke. (+2 from height & WW)
R2T1: 1 wound on Ms. Marvel. (+1 from WW)
R2T1: 1 wound on Ms. Marvel. (+2 from height & WW)
R4T1: 4 wounds on Iron Fist. (+1 from WW)
R4T2: 3 wounds on Ms. Marvel. (+1 from WW)

Malleable Mayhem:
R1T3: pulls Cap and Psylocke adjacent.
R2T1: attacks twice
R2T2: +2 to attack
R3T2: +2 to attack
R3T3: places Ms. Marvel down, and Fist adjacent.
R4T1: heals 2 wounds.
R4T2: attacks twice

Martian Vision:
R1T1: rolls a 5, 2 wounds on Cap.
R2T3: rolls a 14, Batman removes a marker to lower it by 2 to 12, 2 wounds on Psylocke, kills her.
R3T1: rolls a 7, Batman removes a marker to lower it by 2 to 5, 2 wounds on Cap, kills him.

Notes:
R1T2: Fist heals Cap 1 wound.
R1T2: Green Arrow puts 2 wounds on Iron Fist.
R2: WW removes a marker.
R2T1: Green Arrow removes a marker and puts 2 wounds on Psylocke.
R2T3: Green Arrow removes a marker and puts 2 wounds on Cap(botch).
R2T3: Iron Fist puts 3 wounds on Green Arrow(botch), then heals 1 wound.
R3: WW removes marker.
R3T2: Iron Fist kills Green Arrow, then heals 1 wound. Batman moves 1 of GA's markers to WW.
R3T3: Ms. Marvel puts 2 wounds on Martian Manhunter.
R4: WW removes marker.
R4T1: Fist puts 2 wounds on Martian Manhunter, then heals 1 off Ms. Marvel. Ms. Marvel puts 1 wound on Martian Manhunter(botch).
R4T2: Ms. Marvel puts 2 wounds on Martian Manhunter.
R4T3: Iron Fist kills Martian Manhunter.
R5: WW removes marker.
R5T1: Fist puts 3 wounds on Batman(botch), then heals 1 wound.
R5T1: Batman kills Iron Fist.
R5T2: Ms. Marvel kills Batman. Batman sends his 2 OMs and JL Markers to Wonder Woman.
R6: WW removes marker.
R6T1: Wonder Woman kills Ms. Marvel.


Wonder Woman with 3/6 wounds(3 life).

Ended closer than I was expecting given how well it was going for the Justice League for the first 2/3rds of the match. Martian was hitting his Martian Vision rolls non-stop, so I decided to make a tweak and limit it to once per round. Not sure if I was just getting really lucky or what, but I hit it 3 times in a row for the first 3 rounds. The Batman pairing is quite nice, so I'd prefer to limit it to make sure it's not too good. I notice swarming Manhunter would have been the better way to go rather than going after Green Arrow, as once I did, Martian Manhunter fell fairly quickly. Gonna bump his points a tad and try to prioritize him more.

___________________________________________________________

Army Test 2
Map: Conflict Chernobyl
Units:
Martian Manhunter(340), Ms. Marvel(350), Dr. Fate(370), Atom(50) (1110)
vs.
Fantastic Four(1000), Oracle(110) (1110)

Spoiler Alert!

Normal Attack Damage:
R2T2: 2 wounds on Mr. Fantastic. (+1 from height)
R3T2: 1 wound on Invisible Woman. (+2 from Malleable)
R4T2: 3 wounds on Invisible Woman. (+1 from height)

Malleable Mayhem:
R2T1: heals 2 wounds
R2T2: places Thing 2 spaces away and Mr. F adjacent.
R3T1: heals 2 wounds
R3T2: +2 to attack
R4T1: places Thing adjacent, and Invisible Woman down.
R4T2: heals 2 wounds

Martian Vision:
R2T1: rolls a 13, 2 wounds on Mr. Fantastic.
R3T1: rolls a 16, fails
R4T1: rolls a 20, 2 wounds on Thing.

Notes:
Start: Fate rolls a 6.
R1T1: Mr. F rolls a 3.
R1T2: Mr. F rolls a 19, but Fate swaps his 6 for it.
R1T3: Mr. F rolls a 13. Human Torch puts 1 wound on Fate.
R2T1: Mr. F rolls a 9. Mr. F(+ auto) puts 3 wounds on Martian Manhunter.
R2T2: Mr. F rolls a 6. Mr. F puts 1 wound on Martian Manhunter.
R2T3: Mr. F rolls a 19. Thing puts 4 wounds on Ms. Marvel in 2 attacks with a full Clobberin' Time, but also takes 2 wounds from her BD. Mr. F puts 1 wound on Martian Manhunter.
R2T3: Fate rolls a 5, re-arranges wounds on Ms. Marvel, Martian Manhunter, Atom, and Human Torch. Ms. Marvel from 4 to 1, Martian Manhunter from 3 to 2, Atom from 0 to 2(dead), and Human Torch from 0 to 2.
R3: Fate swaps his 19 for his team's initiative roll of 2.
R3T1: Ms. Marvel kills Mr. Fantastic.
R3T1: Human Torch takes 1 LEA, then uses Fo4 but Fate swaps his 2 for Torch's 17. Human Torch puts 1 wound on Martian Manhunter, Ms. Marvel, and Fate with his Supernova SA.
R3T2: Thing(+3 +1 auto) kills Ms. Marvel.
R3T3: Thing puts 1 wound on Fate.
R4: Fate swaps 17 for own team's initiative of 10, to tie. Fate then swaps the 10 for the re-rolled 5 on initiative, still losing.
R4T1: Thing puts 1 wound on Fate.
R4T2: Thing takes 1 wound from LEA, then puts 3 wounds on Martian Manhunter.
R4T3: Thing(+4) kills Martian Manhunter with a full Clobberin' Time single attack.
R4T3: Dr. Fate kills Invisible Woman.
R5T1: Thing kills Fate.


Thing with 5/6 wounds(1 life), Human Torch with 3/5 wounds(2 life and negated), and Oracle unwounded.

Close finish here that still felt like anyone's game. Thing managed to stick in there and get it done. Martian Manhunter played great again, with Fate pulling off a nice Mystic Order to keep his team in the mix for a bit longer. Ultimately Manhunter's team didn't get the win but it felt even throughout. Gonna try his first army again at 330.

___________________________________________________________

Army Test 3
Map: Conflict Chernobyl
Units:
Martian Manhunter(330), Batman(250), Green Arrow(210), Wonder Woman(310) (1100)
vs.
Star-Lord(250), Nebula(240), Gamora(300), She-Hulk(310) (1100)

Spoiler Alert!

Normal Attack Damage:
R1T2: 1 wound on She-Hulk. (+2 from height & WW)
R1T3: 2 wounds on She-Hulk. (+4 from height, WW, & Malleable)

Malleable Mayhem:
R1T2: pulls She-Hulk down, out of S-L's range.
R1T3: +2 attack
R2T1: heals 2 wounds

Martian Vision:
R2T1: rolls a 6, kills Star-Lord.

Notes:
R1: WW removes a marker.
R1T1: Green Arrow puts 3 wounds on Star-Lord in 3 attacks.
R1T2: Green Arrow removes a marker, puts 1 wound on She-Hulk in 2 attacks.
R1T3: Green Arrow removes a marker and kills She-Hulk.
R2: WW removes a marker.
R2T1: Gamora puts 4 wounds on Martian Manhunter.
R2T1: Green Arrow removes a marker and puts 1 wound on Gamora in 2 attacks.
R2T2: Gamora kills Martian Manhunter. Batman moves OMs 2 and 3 to Green Arrow.
R2T2: Green Arrow puts 2 wounds on Gamora in 2 attacks.
R2T3: Gamora puts 2 wounds on Green Arrow.
R2T3: Green Arrow puts 1 wound on Gamora.
R3: WW removes a marker.
R3T1: Gamora kills Green Arrow. Batman moves his OMs 1 2 and 3 to his own card, and his JL marker to WW.
R3T1: Batman puts 1 wound on Gamora.
R3T2: Gamora is killed by Batman's MMA.
R3T3: Batman puts 2 wounds on Nebula.
R3end: Nebula heals 1 wound.
R4: WW removes a marker.
R4T1: Nebula puts 1 wound on Batman with VS.
R4T1: Batman puts 3 wounds on Nebula.
R4T2: Nebula puts 2 wounds on Batman with VS.
R4T3: Batman kills Nebula(botch).


Batman with 3/4 wounds(1 life, 4 markers) and Wonder Woman unwounded(0 markers).

Martian Manhunter's team just had some crazy good luck in this game with their rolls. That said, Green Arrow and Batman did more damage than he did, so luck aside, I don't necessarily attribute the success to him. Gonna run a rematch for funzies and see how it goes, with hopefully less weighted luck.

___________________________________________________________

Army Test 4 (rematch)
Map: Conflict Chernobyl
Units:
Martian Manhunter(330), Batman(250), Green Arrow(210), Wonder Woman(310) (1100)
vs.
Star-Lord(250), Nebula(240), Gamora(300), She-Hulk(310) (1100)

Spoiler Alert!

Normal Attack Damage:
R1T2: 3 wounds on Star-Lord. (+2 from height & WW)
R2T2: 2 wounds on She-Hulk. (+3 from WW & Malleable)

Malleable Mayhem:
R1T2: pulls S-L down.
R2T1: heals 2 wounds
R2T2: +2 attack
R3T1: heals 2 wounds

Martian Vision:
R1T3: rolls a 3, Batman removes a marker to bump it to a 5. 2 wounds on She-Hulk.
R2T3: rolls an 11, Batman removes a marker to bump it to a 13. 2 wounds on She-Hulk.

Notes:
R1: WW removes a marker.
R1T2: Green Arrow removes a marker and kills Star-Lord in 2 attacks.
R1T3: Green Arrow removes a marker to take a turn.
R1T3: She-Hulk puts 3 wounds on Martian Manhunter.
R2: She-Hulk heals 1 wound.
R2: WW removes a marker.
R2T1: Green Arrow removes a marker to take a turn.
R2T1: She-Hulk puts 2 wounds on Martian Manhunter.
R2T2: She-Hulk puts 1 wound on Martian Manhunter.
R2T3: Green Arrow removes marker, kills She-Hulk.
R3: WW removes a marker.
R3T1: Martian Manhunter takes 1 wound from Gamora's HR.
R3T1: Gamora kills Martian Manhunter. Batman moves his OMs 2 and 3 to his own card.
R3T2: Batman takes 1 wound from Gamora's HR.
R3T2: Gamora puts 2 wounds on Batman.
R3T3: Batman puts 2 wounds on Gamora. Gamora moves 2 spaces.
R3T3: Gamora kills Green Arrow to avoid Batman dispersing his own markers before the next round.
R4T1: Gamora puts 2 wounds on Wonder Woman.
R4T1: Batman puts 3 wounds on Gamora.
R4T2: Gamora kills Batman. Batman sends his OMs 2 and 3 as well as 2 JL markers to Wonder Woman's card.
R4T2: Wonder Woman kills Gamora.
R5: WW removes a marker.
R5T1: Nebula puts 2 wounds on Wonder Woman.
R5T2: Wonder Woman puts 4 wounds on Nebula.
R5T2: Nebula puts 1 wound on Wonder Woman with VS.
R5T3: Wonder Woman puts 1 wound on Nebula.
R5T3: Nebula kills Wonder Woman with VS.


Nebula with 5/6 wounds(1 life).

Definitely a more even match luck wise, and it resulted in as close of a finish as it gets.

___________________________________________________________

THOUGHTS ON THE TESTED UNIT'S COST, BALANCE, & DRAFTABILITY:
The once per round restrictions for each of his Malleable Mayhem options and his Martian Vision, lead to very diverse gameplay for him, which feels perfect. All options proved useful, and paired greatly with his faction. Green Arrow loves when Martian Manhunter can pull someone to height disadvantage, as well as Martian Manhunter's healing demanding the opponent's attention to keep the heat off him. Martian Manhunter likes Wonder Woman's stat boost for his double attack and +2 attack options, as well as general survivability. Batman's +/-2 made Martian Vision hit almost every time, and re-purposed the Order Markers when Martian Manhunter ultimately went down. Martian Manhunter sort of fills the same role Spawn had in Soundwarp's optimized Fate army, so it's nice to get a more thematic option there. I didn't test him with Superman or Canary, but I'm sure Superman will appreciate a defender who can swap in and then heal, and Canary will like him pulling people in to both protect her as well as line people up for her Canary Cry for Justice.

Thinking we can go into testing at 340.