Soldiers of Valhalla - nominations and discussion

[Sir Heroscape]

It's time for Agrith-Naar to make his return! This was his previous submission. He's gone under some pretty big changes.

I submit to you SoV AGRITH-NAAR!!!

Demons are awesome, and nothing as terrifying as this guy has come to the ranks of Valkrill until now (see the bio and let me know what you think )

Cloaked figures lowered their arms in the circle as they completed the monotone incantation; a massive, muscled demon standing before them. The foremost of Valkrill’s clerics stepped forward to speak. “Agrith-Naar! We have summoned you — “ but he was cut off as long, blade-like teeth flashed out to take him. His body dropped; lifeless. Clerics scattered in every direction, fearing to be next. Then the Demon spoke. “Who do I hunt?” Hesitantly a woman stepped forward, and pointing south said, “Over that hill and camped in the valley.” The Demon’s eyes turned stark white as a grotesque grin etched it’s way across his face. He flew into the air, beginning his hunt. The woman lowered her head and whispered, “What have we done?”

Agrith-Naar is the Greater Death Demon #37 from the D&D Legends of Golarion line.

• Balance
  The 120pt mark for Heroscape heroes is well known as the sweet spot for strong heroes. His closest comparison is Brunak who shares a similar SA, who stands at 110 with half the life but more than double the defense but A-N wounds himself if he fails his SA. He's also a lot like Alastair in both stats and damage potential, though Alastair has a guarenteed extra turn and wound. He’s powerful on his own as most 120pt figures are, but he's best utilized to wreck havoc on the frontlines with [******* ** *********]. He can be the perfect nightmare to tear through opponents. He has the potential to be a good, strong hero if you just avoid his SA entirely...but the tension is created by just how strong the SA can be if the setup is correct. This was done intentionally. Even if a player wants to get off multiple attacks, they all require him to destroy the figure to keep going and there’s no guarantee all attacks will go through AND what's more, even if 3 or 4 attacks go through and the last one doesn't, he still has to take a wound for not succeeding…so the player has to constantly be considering if the reward is worth the risk of losing him in a vulnerable situation. It’s never a easy “no-brainer” decision with A-N because his strongest potential/output is engaged with multiple foes.
  
• Playability
  A-N is unique in that he has a simple, understandable power that takes very little effort to remember. Flying we’ve seen and his SA is a representation of his 4 muscular arms that he uses as he hunts enemies. The SA is also a direct theme link between his left box stats as a Ravenous Devourer and the mini also suggests the same. So while he’s simple, he play style is rich with tough, strategic decisions. You want to get him engaged to pull off multiple powerful kills, but doing so might also isolate him, which will only make him more vulnerable to a counterattack as well as his own self-inflicted wounds.
  
• Creativity
  Does it add something new to the game? Yes absolutely. It adds a distinct, purposeful tension between the offensive output and survivability. You have to know when to use his SA at the right time. You can disregard the SA and he just becomes a nice solo hero that probably gets a kill here and there before going down but the tension is in the immense potential of the SA. He’s powerful, but he’s beatable because of his average defense that will fall to multiple focused attacks.
  
• Theme
  This figure is a Demon. Check. This figure is visibly ravenous in his facial expression and a devourer fits with his abilities and the mini. Check. This figure is clearly an offensive powerhouse by looking at his pose, multiple muscular arms and weapons. Check. May his foes cower in fear!
  
• Accessibility
  As of Sept 25th, 2019 (My previous submission), Paizo confirmed they had 109 in stock
  eBay 21

[Airballshooter]

I like the new version of A-N alot more. The SA looks fun and is definitely something new. My first thought after reading it the first time is: shouldn't he be forced to attack until he does not destroy a figure (a bit like Martial La Hire with his Reckless Second Swing) and not just get away after he killed 2 squadies and is facing a strong hero as the last possible figure to attack? It is kinda a reverse Grim Determination from Ulfrid Hornwrangler.

Im not a judge or anything. maybe im wrong but i still wanted to share my thoughts.

[Sir Heroscape]

Originally Posted by Airballshooter

I like the new version of A-N alot more. The SA looks fun and is definitely something new. My first thought after reading it the first time is: shouldn't he be forced to attack until he does not destroy a figure (a bit like Martial La Hire with his Reckless Second Swing) and not just get away after he killed 2 squadies and is facing a strong hero as the last possible figure to attack? It is kinda a reverse Grim Determination from Ulfrid Hornwrangler.

Im not a judge or anything. maybe im wrong but i still wanted to share my thoughts.

I considered it, but chose against it because it was too "far" to Normal attack side of which attack to use...that is, I felt people would just avoid the SA altogether to not have to automatically take a wound if I required the player to attack and kill every time with the SA...meaning if I required the player to keep attacking and destroying a figure when using the SA or take a wound, then even if they destroyed all figures adjacent to them, they'd still have to take a wound. So 1) I didn't want to overcomplicate the ability and 2) I still felt the current version of the power provided both risk and reward. For example, if you kill 2 squaddies and then get to whack a hero with 5 dice but take a guarenteed wound? I'd say that's worth it. Depending of course on the hero and the game situation though.

[Airballshooter]

Originally Posted by Sir Heroscape

I considered it, but chose against it because it was too "far" to Normal attack side of which attack to use...that is, I felt people would just avoid the SA altogether to not have to automatically take a wound if I required the player to attack and kill every time with the SA...meaning if I required the player to keep attacking and destroying a figure when using the SA or take a wound, then even if they destroyed all figures adjacent to them, they'd still have to take a wound. So 1) I didn't want to overcomplicate the ability and 2) I still felt the current version of the power provided both risk and reward. For example, if you kill 2 squaddies and then get to whack a hero with 5 dice but take a guarenteed wound? I'd say that's worth it. Depending of course on the hero and the game situation though.

That is true, it is a risk and reward. How i understood it was, if there are no units left to attack and he killed everything possible in this turn, he doesn't take a wound. That would make it more reliable comparing it to the version you just discribed but yea more risky then it currently is. Even tho i think it would fit a demon and the name more.

[Scytale]

This version looks pretty pretty sharp. It's terrifying, even at that sweetspot point value, but playtesting will tell if its right or not. I rather appreciate how the unit is naturally anti-squad instead of anti-hero.

to review Agrith-Naar

[All Your Pie]

I definitely like this version of Agrith-Naar best out of the reworks I've seen so far. I don't love the name of the SA but to review.

[Astroking112]

The new Special Attack is a much welcome replacement to Sustained by Blood and Quadruple Attack.

to review Agrith-Naar.

[superfrog]

Yeah, let's give this version a shot. to Agrith-Naar

[BiggaBullfrog]

Hmm, a Special Attack of 5 that can hit everything around it is a little concerning for dok as far as power level, but that's something that can be taken to testing. I agree with Airballshooter that it would be more interesting to force him to continue to attack, but the design as a whole is stronger than the last submission and nitpicks will be nitpicks.

to Mr. Naar.

[superfrog]

Why would that be concerning for dok?.........

oh

[Scytale]

Agrith-Naar has received 5 Yea votes to review (Scytale, All Your Pie, Astroking112, superfrog, and BiggaBullfrog) and moves forward in the process.

Both Masha Shingai and Clayton Pierce have failed to pass United Fanscape review and are removed from the process.

Criticisms for Masha Shingai were almost entirely not about the powers or statline other than the species. A fair amount of discussion and the downvotes centered around how Masha integrates with the burgeoning C3V Demon faction, which was still much more in flux at the time of Masha's initial submission. I cannot go into details of the interaction at this time, but Astroking112 was involved with the vote and saw the discussion.

To my surprise, Clayton Pierce failed in a very close vote. When Clayton last went through UF Review, there was little discussion or voter turnout. This time around, there was a great deal of discussion about the submission with a number of convincing points made. While no one disagrees with the fundamental design direction, a number of members feel that the powers are more complex than they need to be and that the unit could use another round of refinement to whittle down the excess. Being an important addition to Heroscape canon, there is a lot of hope that this unit can be made to be the best it can be. A number of Clayton's designers are able to see the discussion that went on and the changes that were suggested.

[superfrog]

Olog by @The Long eared bat

Looks like Olog didn’t eat his vegetables when growing up, because this Death Chaser didn’t quite get large enough for bonding status. Does his unlikely pairing with Valkrill’s other 4-attack squad do enough to earn him a spot in Valhalla?

Balance

A natural comparison to Olog is Maltis Tez, another 35-pointer that came through the SoV. Both have First Assault 2. Although Olog has one more attack, Maltis Tez wins in a few other important categories, like more speed and more defense. Both have an inconsistent bonding option. Olog’s advantage comes from his free movement. Overall, I buy it.

Theme

This guy looks like the caveman version of a Death Chaser, so the Savage angle works. Wild of course is a nice thematic tie-in, and the improved Orc Battle Rush also really makes the theme work. It’s a bit weird that his stats are worse than the Chasers, but not too bad, especially when you remember he’s got that sweet sweet three life that none of them have, and has the potential for 5 attack (or 6 with height).

Creativity

A reused power and a retooled power: nothing super flashy here. But the free-movement-every-round is really nice. The recently released Honor Guard have something similar, but I find that Olog’s version is a great way to make a filler playable.

Playability

Aside from normal filler stuff like glyph grabbing and wannok soaking, Olog’s best use is in a Ravagers army. And let me tell you, he fits in very well there.

One problem with Durgeth Ravagers is in activations. The bonding doesn’t work unless you get a kill, and getting a kill isn’t easy on turn 1 or turn 2. Lots of times you’ll get the bonding only to have your hero stuck in the start zone. Or you can spend turns on Uzog or Pel in the first round, at the cost of board control since you’re not really advancing your Ravagers.

Another problem the Ravagers have is with hero mobility. Both Uzog and Pel hit really hard, but both have powers that stop them from moving. That can leave them stuck in bad spots and unable to maneuver for the best attack.

Olog helps with both of these problems. His 3 space movement gets him close enough that 5 more move could possibly get him into the action, and the threat of 5 or 6 attack can help with board control. And of course Olog isn’t tied down anywhere, sometimes deciding to leave engagements to take a First Assault shot at a juicy target.

In many games Olog doesn’t do much. He’s very easy to take down by pretty much any ranged squad. But of course soaking attacks is also important, especially in an army like the Ravagers that relies on low defense figures surviving to get high attacks. Every attack on Olog is another Ravager that lives.

Olog also helps Ravager armies by sitting at a new point total. Previously, their armies were all built of components in the 60-point range (ZH, Ravagers) or the 100-point range (Pel, Uzog). Having an option that fills in some gaps both points-wise and playability-wise is a nice thing for them.

Of course, you can add Olog to any army. The threat of an attack of 5 or 6 is nice to have for only 35 points. He does fine in the filler role, especially thanks to his Rush power that can keep him within striking distance when needed.

Summary

Olog is one of the most fun filler units I’ve played in a long time, and he adds great utility as a bonder in the Durgeth Ravagers army. Add that to a cool mini and a strong theme, and Olog is some great cross-factional ‘Scape-y goodness.

I vote to induct Olog into the Soldiers of Valhalla