Heroes of Fiction: Design Thread

[Zetsubo]

We could use Altrusians or Sleestak as the species as both are technically correct. Sleestak refers to the modern version while Altrusians refer mainly to their ancestors but is still used for modern Sleestaks.

Altrusians
The ancestors of Modern Sleestak were the Altrusians. Their civilization fell approximately 1,000 years earlier. The Sleestak sometimes use the term "Altrusian" to refer to themselves and sometimes to refer only to the true Altrusians. Physically, the Altrusians were similar to Sleestak, with the former marked by a shorter stature, an extra finger on each hand, and a golden yellow skin tone. Intellectually they were very different, however.
---Wiki

But I'm leaning toward Sleestak

[Confred]

I'm leaning back to Lizardfolk

[Confred]

Again more research and brainstorming:

YouTube

Season 2 Episode 3:
Avoid sunlight, move only on shadow or dungeon tiles
utilize underground tunnels and periscopes to view the aboveground
use pits to trap targets into underground
hero guards skull of knowledge
unique squad guards hero that guards skull of knowledge
again, captures enemy and places them elsewhere, this time in hatchery - another sacrificial-type area, in this case, to feed hatchlings
Sleestak Law prevents Sleestak from attacking each other.
Don't make sound when moving, disengage
after much argument, will trade one captive for another
- mixed with Sleestak Law and other tropes of them taking their sweet @$! time to attack/kill perhaps some drawback conditions, like convoluted permissions - can't attack a figure with the same revealed order marker number ~

[Taeblewalker]

I remember a sleeestak wearing a gold robe. He spoke English and didn't see the characters as enemies. He would make a great hero if there's a figure for him.

[Zetsubo]

Here's a quick rough draft that should be a good foundation to the Sleestak.

Sleestak Raiders
Aquilla

Sleestak
Common squad
?
Menacing?
Medium 6

Life 1
Move 4
Range 1
Attack 3
Defense 3
Points ???

Underdweller
When a Sleestak Raider is on a Dungeon or Shadow space or is beneath an overhang, that Sleestak Raider adds 1 to its attack and defense.

And now to spitball some other ability ideas:

Capture
Instead of attacking, if a Sleestak raider you activated this turn and at least 2 other Sleestak figures you control are adjacent to an opponents figure, you may place that figure up to 5 spaces away as long as it can be placed adjacent to at least 2 Sleestak figures.

Beware of Sleestak (v.1)
When an opponents figure is engaged with at least 2 Sleestak figures you control, they roll 2 less defense dice.

Beware of Sleestak (v.2)
When an opponents figure ends their movement within 4 spaces of a Sleestak Raider on a Dungeon or shadow space, you may immediately move up to 3 Sleestak figures you control up to 4 spaces each as long as they can end their move adjacent to the chosen figure.

Anyone else have any ideas?

[Zetsubo]

Originally Posted by Taeblewalker

I remember a sleeestak wearing a gold robe. He spoke English and didn't see the characters as enemies. He would make a great hero if there's a figure for him.

The gold sleestak was Enik. He fell through a time portal thing and thought he was in the past and the sleestak were his ancestors. Later he discovered he was actually in the future and his people degenerated into the sleestaks. The modern sleestaks dislike Enik due to his intelligence and different physical characteristics, but will communicate with him if Enik is persistent enough. He spends most of the series trying to return to his own time and try to save his people from their eventual regression.

[Tornado]

Enik's suit was damaged, that is why he wears clothes, to cover the damage.

Their avoidance of light will make them mostly unplayable unless you either ignore this part of the theme or give them a power that essentially makes it night.

Fight at Night

For the entire game, all spaces are consider shadow in addition to the space's terrain. Figures in a shadow space do not roll an additional defensive die when attacked by a Sleestak figure.

Though I believe the light avoidance was something they added later and was not true to the first few episodes. The Sleestak evolved quite a bit over the three seasons.

I believe only Enik could speak at first. Then there was a 'mutant' with the gift. He said they normally kill his kind. He was never seen again.
In the last season the leader had a magic(?) device that allowed him to speak.
The third season was a bit different than the first two.

I would suggest something like the Storm Troopers from HoSS for their SA.
They were hilariously terrible with their crossbows with bolts flying sideways at times.

I like the idea of a Capture power as they loved to use those nets.

[McHotcakes]

Originally Posted by Tornado

Their avoidance of light will make them mostly unplayable unless you either ignore this part of the theme or give them a power that essentially makes it night.

Fight at Night

For the entire game, all spaces are consider shadow in addition to the space's terrain. Figures in a shadow space do not roll an additional defensive die when attacked by a Sleestak figure.

I think changing all of the terrain on the battlefield just to match theme is a bit too far. I think the best way to do it is by what Zetsubo said, give the Sleestaks a bonus on shadow and dungeon spaces and just ignore their aversion to light aside from that.

[Tornado]

Yeah, probably your best bet. They would mostly appear in a dungeon setting anyway.

If you all ever get into maps, The Lost City and the Sleestak tunnels beneath would be amazing.

Looking forward to this one!

They lived and died by the Altrusian Moth which is the one thing their young fed on I believe. They once made it stay night for an extended period of time and the Moths began to die out.

[Confred]

Regarding light, possibly make them weak unless on dungeon or shadow
Lost City are dungeon spaces
They could have an ambush from darkness power like swamp water tunnel for shadow

Maybe Attack 1-2; Defense 3-4

Unique Squad or Common?

What role do they have on show; should they have in Valhalla.
Again, they don't seem like warriors
But they are menacing, presumably for good reason
They really seem to prefer using powers instead of attacking. In two of two episodes watched, they nabbed.

[Tornado]

They never ever really cause any damage that I can remember but this was a kids show.

I love those suggestions Confred, I think you are spot on. Give them a healthy bonus in the dark. The shadow tunnel ambush idea sounds golden.

They certainly have a code. They get their orders and wisdom from the the Cave of Skulls where the skulls of what is most likely Enik's people speak to them with glowing eyes, pretty awesome. The father speaks to them once but I believe he has to breathe some weird gas to commune with them.

Depending on how the powers play out it might be cool to represent the theme that there was never more than three at a time by only allowing three figures to ever be on the board at once. The rest could pop in as the others are destroyed.
Then you have a common squad that only really requires one squad of figures, you can use proxys for the rest waiting to be placed.

[Confred]

Originally Posted by Tornado

They certainly have a code. They get their orders and wisdom from the the Cave of Skulls where the skulls of what is most likely Enik's people speak to them with glowing eyes, pretty awesome. The father speaks to them once but I believe he has to breathe some weird gas to commune with them.

I was thinking about this on the drive home. Instead of the squad having the Law of Sleestak, Enik would have it to bring the others in line.
Granted Enik doesn'y exist and we aren't going to create it, but that potentiality fills that hole.