The Book of Phoenix Force

[tcglkn]

The Book of Phoenix Force

C3G MARVEL SUPER SECRET EXCLUSIVE 63
BATTLE FOR MUTANTKIND


Comic PDF


Mini PDF

The figure used for this unit is a Heroclix figure from the Marvel Avengers vs X-Men set.
Its model number and name are #R100 / The Phoenix Force.

_________________________________________________________________

Character Bio - A powerful cosmic entity, an immortal being representing all current and future life. It has, at times, chosen a host to live within, granting the vessel outstanding power. It has the power to create or destroy. The Phoenix has had various hosts, but the most well known and frequent host is the mortal mutant Jean Grey. - (ComicVine, 2019)
_________________________________________________________________

-Rulings and Clarifications-

• Phoenix Force is an Event Hero and follows Event Hero rules.
• Base Clarification: Phoenix Force is a single-spaced figure

_________________________________________________________________

-Combinations and Synergies-

Incoming Synergy:

• As a Marvel figure, Phoenix Force has these Marvel Synergies.
• As a figure with the Phoenix Fire special power, Phoenix Force has these Phoenix Fire Synergies.
• As a figure with the Super Strength special power, Phoenix Force has these Super Strength Synergies.
• As a Huge figure, Phoenix Force has these Huge Synergies.

Outgoing Synergy:

• Phoenix Force may choose a Unique Telepath Hero to become its Avatar for its Psionic Avatar special power.
• Phoenix Force's Cosmic Inferno special power allows figures with the Phoenix Fire special power to roll additional unblockable attack dice.

Immunities, Benefits, and Weaknesses:

• As an Event Hero, Phoenix Force interacts differently with these special powers.
• As a huge figure, Phoenix Force interacts differently with these special powers.
• As a figure with the Phoenix Fire special power, Phoenix Force interacts differently with these special powers.
• As a flying figure, Phoenix Force interacts differently with these special powers.
• As a figure with the Super Strength special power, Phoenix Force interacts differently with these special powers.

_________________________________________________________________

-Strategy, Tactics and Tips-

• N/A

-Heroscapers Community Contributions-

• Initial playtest: Ronin
• Second playtest: Arch-vile, take 2
• Third playtest: IAmBatman
• Fourth playtest: MrNobody
• Art: Comic, Figure, Background
• Art by tcglkn
• Phoenix Force created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum
• Comic art by Stephanie Hans

[tcglkn]

NAME = Phoenix Force

SPECIES = Entity
UNIQUENESS = Event Hero
CLASS = Guardian
PERSONALITY = Wild

SIZE/HEIGHT = Huge 15

LIFE = 10

MOVE = 7
RANGE = 4
ATTACK = 6
DEFENSE = 7

POINTS = 1200


PSIONIC AVATAR
At the start of each round, before rolling for initiative, if all Order Markers are placed on this card, you may choose a Unique Telepath Hero you control to be the Psionic Avatar for the round. The Avatar must use Phoenix Force's Move, Range, Attack and Defense numbers in place of its own, and gains any of the Phoenix Fire, Flying, and Super Strength special powers that it does not have. As long as the Avatar is on the battlefield, whenever you reveal an Order Marker on this card, instead of taking a turn with Phoenix Force, you must take a turn with its Avatar.

PHOENIX FIRE
Anytime Phoenix Force receives one or more wounds or is destroyed, you must immediately roll 1 unblockable attack die against each adjacent figure, one at a time.

COSMIC INFERNO
When you roll an unblockable attack die for the Phoenix Fire special power, roll one additional unblockable attack die.

FLYING
SUPER STRENGTH

[tcglkn]

Made a couple of tweaks based on feedback from the Last Chance Workshop. Required the Inferno power to have 2 or more wounds or get destroyed to trigger to make it less OP. Also ditched Lava Resistance.

[Ronin]

I'd swap out Phoenix Inferno for regular ol' Phoenix Fire, since we've established that as a keyword power.

If we wanted to keep the Phoenix Force's version a little more powerful, we could retcon Phoenix and Dark Phoenix's version to Phoenix Fire 1 and give the Phoenix Force Phoenix Fire 2.

In terms of the Avatar power, I'm not sure about this approach.

I think it mainly makes the Phoenix want to empower figures that have lower stats and strong powers that get crazy in conjunction with big stats, or figures that really benefit from the extra powers.

Cable falls into both categories and is an already-pretty-juicy card, so I think he'd be a must for testing this as it stands. Cable/Sage/Mutant Sidekicks is immediately what I want to run with this card. Gypsy, Mirage and Cosmo as my cheap back-up Avatar options.

I'm just not sure if 'lifting up the cheaper Telepaths, and also Cable' is the right move for the Phoenix. It feels off to me for a couple reasons:

a) I feel like the Phoenix Force tends to choose already-powerful telepaths as its avatars
b) The current approach doesn't capture the life/death/rebirth themes that tend to be prominent in Phoenix Force stories (y'know, the whole mythological significance of the Phoenix!)

I'd be looking for ways to push the Phoenix Force towards choosing characters like Jean as its Avatar. Don't think she'd be a go-to option in the current build (original Jean Grey is okay just for cheapness, but she doesn't want big stats as much as the other cheap Telepaths). I'd have the Phoenix Force doing stuff like juicing up figures with Phoenix Fire or resurrecting its Avatar.

[Tornado]

Emma will have 7 Defense and one shield blocks all in Diamond mode.

[johnny139]

I'll disagree with Ronin on one major point - I don't think we want to encourage the Phoenix Force to pick Jean. We already have two Jean with Phoenix powers cards. The fun here is that you can come up with weird combinations of force/host, whose powers interact in cool ways with busted stats.

The Force is going to be pretty costly, as it should be. 1000 points or something like that for a Super Cable doesn't seem like an unfair price.

If we want to try to balance things a bit better, maybe build in some sort of "isolation" factor - that stops the Avatar from giving or receiving synergy. Or a chance factor... I mean, the Phoenix Force is pretty capricious, so maybe you don't necessarily choose who the Avatar is, or it's a delayed entrance.

[L0B5T3R]

What’s the plans for the miniature? The one posted in the OP has a huge base so it would need the new movement rules. It does come off the base with some work but it is difficult to balance on a single base.

[Tornado]

I know quozl rebased his. I believe it requires a weight at the base to make it stable.

[tcglkn]

I'm not too concern about Cable yet, Emma Frost does seem more scary to me right now.

As for Emma Frost, maybe we can require you to reveal an OM on Phoenix Force to take a turn with the Avatar, which would get around being able to have her in Diamond Mode as the Avatar.

As for the mini, I ordered it (only $3!) and would like to see how it's sized/weighted. I would not be opposed to this being double based if needed.

This is what I am currently considering:

PSIONIC AVATAR
At the start of each round, before rolling for initiative, if all Order Markers are placed on this card, you may choose a Unique Telepath Hero you control to be the Psionic Avatar. A chosen Avatar gains the Phoenix Fire 2, Flying, and Super Strength special powers, and may replace the Move, Range, Attack, and Defense numbers on its card with the ones on this card for the rest of the round. As long as the Avatar is in play, whenever you reveal an Order Marker on this card instead of taking a turn with Phoenix Force you take a turn with its Avatar.

PHOENIX FIRE 2
Anytime Phoenix Force receives one or more wounds or is destroyed, you must immediately roll 1 unblockable attack die against each figure within 2 spaces of it, one at a time.

[Karat]

I actually disagree on the whole original Jean doesn't want beefier stats. Her powers totally play into being chosen as the avatar, and I like how Pheonix Inferno is more powerful than Pheonix Fire. I'd just update Corvus to include that in his power. No real functional change there

[Ronin]

Originally Posted by johnny139

I'll disagree with Ronin on one major point - I don't think we want to encourage the Phoenix Force to pick Jean. We already have two Jean with Phoenix powers cards. The fun here is that you can come up with weird combinations of force/host, whose powers interact in cool ways with busted stats.

I'm mostly okay with that sentiment, but I worry that on a spectrum with 'encouraging wonky stuff' at one end and 'encouraging the character to strictly behave as it does in-fiction' at the other, we're pretty far off toward the wonky end.

I think Tickle's latest tweaks that turn the Phoenix Force into an OM hog are definitely a big improvement. Still think it should want strong Avatars and not weak ones, though.

[tcglkn]

I'm pretty happy with starting testing with what I have in my last post. The most concerning thing for me right now would be Emma Frost in Diamond Mode blocking all damage with 1 shield, hence why I made Phoenix Force place the OMs on it's card to prevent her from being the Avatar while in Diamond Mode. (I guess she could still be chosen as the Avatar but would be unable to take any turns which would mean you basically waste an entire round)

If we have to make it double spaced, that does actually increase the power of Phoenix Fire 2 quite a bit. I'm actually OK with swapping to Phoenix Fire and allowing it to roll 1 die against all figures in 2 spaces vs the current 2 dice for all figures in 2 spaces.