The Book of Sgt. Drake Alexander

[dnutt99]

The Book of Sgt. Drake Alexander

Rise of the Valkyrie - Master Set​

If you cannot see the Army Card graphic, check Hasbro's Unit Page for stats and special powers, plus "character biography" and other non-game unit info.

Character Bio: Though he is incredibly agile and strong in hand-to-hand combat, Sergeant Alexander was injured and weaponless after
being whisked away to Valhalla by Jandar. Healed by the Valkyrie Kelda, he was then given two powerful weapons by Jandar: The Katana
of Thorian, and Bleakwood's Grapple Gun. He learned to use them quickly, for Jandar's forces were already under attack. The Katana, an
enchanted sword that channels the powers of the great warrior Thorian, obscures Alexander's image from afar, making him almost
impossible to strike. With his magical sword, his laser-guided Grapple Gun and his steely will to conquer evil Sgt. Alexander has
become one of Jandar's best soldiers. (Hasbro)
_________________________________________________________________


-Rulings and Clarifications-

• - THORIAN SPEED : Applicable Attack Types
  Can Sgt. Drake Alexander be hit by any ranged attacks?
  Sgt. Drake Alexander can be hit by any ranged special attacks only. He cannot be hit by normal attacks unless
  they are from an engaged opponent. (Hasbro FAQ)
  
  - GRAPPLE GUN 25 : Downward Movement
  Can Sgt. Drake Alexander travel down up to 25 levels with his Grapple Gun without taking falling damage?
  No, The wording for Grapple Gun states: “This space may be up to 25 levels HIGHER.” If Sgt. Drake Alexander travels
  down, he would take falling damage like any other figure. His Grapple Gun only helps him to travel up, not down. (Hasbro FAQ)
  
  - GRAPPLE GUN 25 : Upward Movement Over Battlement <25
  Can Sgt. Drake Alexander Grapple onto a Fortress Wall Walk that is 10 levels high, but has a battlement on it? This
  battlement would cause him to go up 12, but down 2 to get to the level 10 Fortress Wall Walk.
  Yes, his total upward movement was less than his Grapple Gun’s 25 level limit. (Hasbro FAQ)
  
  - GRAPPLE GUN 25 : Upward Movement Over Battlement >25
  Can Sgt. Drake Alexander Grapple onto a Fortress Wall Walk that is exactly 25 levels higher, has a battlement on it? This
  battlement would cause him to go up 27 levels, but down 2 to get to the level 25 Fortress Wall Walk.
  No, because his total upward movement was more than his Grapple Gun’s 25 level limit. (Hasbro FAQ)
  
  - GRAPPLE GUN 25 : Grappling Over A Ruin
  Can Sgt. Drake Alexander Grapple over a ruin and onto the hex on the other side?
  Yes he can, as long as the addition height of the ruin (6 levels) does not exceed his Grapple Gun’s total height limit of 25 levels. Note, if he does Grapple over the ruin, he will take falling damage on the other side (fall of 6 levels). (Hasbro FAQ)

_________________________________________________________________
-Combinations and Synergies-

Synergy Benefits Received

• - MARCUS DECIMUS GALLUS : Soldier Leadership
  As a soldier, Sgt. Drake Alexander may benefit from Marcus Decimus Gallus’ SOLDIER LEADERSHIP movement bonus
  
  - MARCUS DECIMUS GALLUS : Soldier Attack Enhancement
  As a soldier, Sgt. Drake Alexander may benefit from Marcus Decimus Gallus’ SOLDIER ATTACK ENHANCEMENT

Synergy Benefits Offered

• - 4th MASSACHUSETTS LINE : Valiant Army Defense Bonus
  Having a Valiant personality, Sgt. Drake Alexander may aid the 4th Massachusetts Line with their VALIANT ARMY
  DEFENSE BONUS
  *NOTE: See The Book of 4th Massachusetts Line for proper application.

C3V and SoV Custom Synergies

Spoiler Alert!

Synergy Benefits Offered

8TH INFANTRY PATHFINDER : MARCHING ORDERS
As a Unique Soldier Hero that follows Jandar, Order Markers revealed on Sgt. Drake Alexander trigger the 8'th Infantry Pathfinder's MARCHING ORDERS ability.
As a Unique Soldier figure that follows Jandar, Sgt. Drake Alexander can be used as the end-of-movement adjacent figure for the 8th Infantry Pathfinder's MARCHING ORDERS ability.

SIR ORRICK : A BROTHER'S CALL
As a Human who follows Jandar, Sgt. Drake Alexander may aid Sir Orrick with his A BROTHER'S CALL movement bonus.
​

Synergy Benefits Received

CAPT. JOHN VARAN : PURPLE HEART
As a Human who follows Jandar, Sgt. Drake Alexander may benefit from Capt. John Varan's PURPLE HEART wound reassignment.

EBON ARMOR : ANIMATED MATERIEL & ETERNAL WAR
As a Unique Human, a destroyed Ebon Armor you control may be placed on Sgt. Drake Alexander's Army Card to replace the figure upon his own destruction.

​

_________________________________________________________________
-Strategy, Tactics and Tips-


Strategy Notes:

• - While Drake doesn't have the greatest defense in the game, he more than makes up for it with his Thorian
  Speed and Grapple Gun 25 Special Powers. Enemies must be adjacent to hit him with anything except Special
  Attacks. Once they get near him, he can attack with 6 attack dice (More if he is strategically placed on height)!
  (Hasbro FAQ)

Who is affected by Sgt. Drake Alexander's Special Powers?

• - Thorian Speed: Attacking figures that are not adjacent.
  - Grapple Gun 25: Only Drake.
  (Hasbro FAQ)

Who else could I draft with Sgt. Drake Alexander?

• - Marcus Decimus Gallus
  Marcus Decimus Gallus is well suited for working with Drake because of his Soldier Leadership and Soldier
  Attack Enhancement. Both affect Drake and make him even more dangerous on the field of battle.
  (Hasbro FAQ)
  
  - Raelin the Kyrie Warrior
  Drafting Raelin can help Drake's one flaw; his defense. As long as you can keep her safely behind him, she
  makes Drake a very dangerous enemy for anyone delusional enough to engage him. (Hasbro FAQ)

Who does Sgt. Drake Alexander work well against?

• - Krav Maga Agents
  The Krav Maga cannot hit Drake from a distance and when the Sgt. finally closes one the agents he should quickly
  destroy them, one by one. (Hasbro FAQ)
  
  - Taelord the Kyrie Warrior
  If Taelord is on the battlefield, he should be your first objective. He only has a defense of 3, but his wings can
  be used to shield him from ranged attacks. If you run up to him with Drake, you can normally take him down
  before Drake is destroyed. (Hasbro FAQ)
  
  - Charos
  Charos is a dangerous foe because of his Counter Strike ability. The only way to take him out besides hitting him
  with ranged figures is to run up and engage him with a strong Hero. Drake works well against him because of
  his 6 attack dice. However, he won't last too long against Charos with his 3 defense dice, so only use him for final
  attacks when Charos is wounded. (Hasbro FAQ)
  
  - Brunak
  Brunak's high defense makes him a tough target to take down. Use Drake to run up and engage him so he cannot
  Carry anyone across the battlefield, and as long as Drake is still alive, he cannot use his Blood Hungry Special Attack.
  Brunak has a relatively low attack at 4, so Drake should be able to spar with him for multiple rounds. Eventually,
  Drake's 6 attack dice will break through, and with only 3 life, Brunak won't last long. (Hasbro FAQ)

_________________________________________________________________
-Heroscapers Community Contributions-

Power Ranking and Master Index

Power Ranking
Sgt. Drake Alexander- With more and more special attacks releasing, Drake’s value keeps going down. Once a safe bet,
Drake’s Thorian Speed isn’t always fast enough nowadays. B-

Sergeant Drake Alexander
Speculation about New Master Set? http://heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=6509
Attackable by Ranged Double Attack? http://heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=6819
General Assessmet? http://heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=7718
General Assessment? http://heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=8213
Falling and Grapple Gun? http://heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=3856
How High Can He Go with Grapple? http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=7865
Travelling Drake!! http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=218&highlight=
Grappling Down? http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=7137

Unit Strategy Review

• - TBA

 

[Matthias Maccabeus]

Drake is a stud when attacking a castle. His thorian speed allows him to get to the castle wall usually without even taking a hit and his grapple gun allows to get on top of the castle wall and start wacking. Drake may be less effective because of the increase of unit(s) with specials, but he still has his glory days.

 

[UtgarsWorstFear]

Ever since me and my buddies first got the master set, drake has always been one of the most feared pieces. It used to be the fact that the only person that could kill him without getting killed back was DW9K, but even then drake could still find a way to take the big robot out. Now that Q9 and DW8K (the most efficient drake killer in my opinion) are out he has lost some (but not nearly all) of his luster. I think that if the designers of heroscape want drake to be feared as much as he used to, then all they need to do is change thorian speed to: You must be adjacent to Sgt. Drake Alexander to attack him. Simple as that. Now you have the old Drake back and ready to rumble. Yea his grapple ability could use a little polish, but I believe that if you altered thorian speed just as previously stated, you would have a much more loved character on your hands.

P.S. How he can be shot by Kamon Awa and not Syvarris makes no sense to me.

 

[rdhight]

P.S. How he can be shot by Kamon Awa and not Syvarris makes no sense to me.

Drake is a feared draft in my group as well. I just lost a game not too long ago where a lone Drake finished off two Krav and three Marro Warriors for the win. But comparing those two opponents is apples to oranges. With range 9 and defense 2, Syvarris is a standoff fighter whose goal is to plink you from outside your own range. He's exactly what Sarge, the killer of range specialists, was designed to counter. That's supposed to be a great matchup for Drake, and it is.

With his 3 defense, Drake is not supposed to go up against the game's top close-combat heroes, especially not ones who cost more than he does. Counterstrike and the ability to choose between ranged normal attack or ranged special attacks is a thing of beauty, making Kaemon a well-rounded opportunist who can find the weak points in many units who depend heavily on defensive special abilities, not just Drake. That's supposed to be a great matchup for Kaemon, and it is.

 

[Kinseth]

Drake still impresses me, his 6 attack is huge. And its rare that more than one character on the board has a special attack that can get him.

 

[legoboy]

If I'm playing Drake and my opponent has him engaged with one (or several) of his Gladiatrons, is Drake still unable to be targeted by an unadjacent Blastatron?

I believe that according to the cards he is not able to be attacked, but then why have the Gladiatrons? Common sense, to me, that if Cyberclaw is locking Drake to a space, he should be unable to wriggle his way around whatever is fired through that space.

I would play as the Blastatrons were unable to attack since they are unadjacent, but it seems like a bit of a break down in the Cyberclaw ability.

Just a thought that came to me in the shower this morning.

 

[sigmazero13]

Same as the other thread

 

[cmgames]

This was posed in another thread, and part of the question was answered there, but the other question remained and I thought I'd ask it here ('cause I don't know the answer).

Can RotV Drake get to the yellow hexes using his Grapple Gun (in either diagram)? It is only one space away, and is not more than 25 levels higher. So if I go by what the card says, he should be able to get there. But... ?

~Z

 

[wriggz]

He is just that good!

It is kind of like Grimok fitting through a one hole space between levels, where he can fit on both his starting and ending space.

 

[killercactus]

I'm pretty sure he can't get up there.

Let's pretend, for argumen't sake, that it wasn't Drake, but Raelin trying to get up there. Can she get up there by using 1 Movement point? No, because she can't fly through the overhang. Neither can Drake.

Grapple Gun says he can "Move 1 space". You can't move through an overhang (at least, I didn't think you could). If Drake can get up there, then all of the fliers and leapers can, too. Of course, this could be a...

"You have no power here, killercactus the Grey!"

 

[rednax]

I'm pretty sure he can't get up there.

Let's pretend, for argumen't sake, that it wasn't Drake, but Raelin trying to get up there. Can she get up there by using 1 Movement point? No, because she can't fly through the overhang. Neither can Drake.

Grapple Gun says he can "Move 1 space". You can't move through an overhang (at least, I didn't think you could). If Drake can get up there, then all of the fliers and leapers can, too. Of course, this could be a...

"You have no power here, killercactus the Grey!"

I believe that Drake can. They only have an example in the RotV rulebook for flying with Raelin. Grapple is instead of Drake's normal movement, whereas flying affects normal movement.

"Grapple gun away! Oww! Who placed that rock tile there?"

 

[NecroBlade]

No, he can't get up there (in one turn anyway).

 

[BurnyFlame]

Re: The Book of Sgt. Drake Alexander
This was posed in another thread, and part of the question was answered there, but the other question remained and I thought I'd ask it here ('cause I don't know the answer).

Can RotV Drake get to the yellow hexes using his Grapple Gun (in either diagram)? It is only one space away, and is not more than 25 levels higher. So if I go by what the card says, he should be able to get there. But... ?

~Z

This is a great question, cmgames, with great supporting pictures. I think it is important to note that some special powers can move figures (like Talon Grab, summoning, etc.) and overhangs are not a question. But if this is considered a normal move, like a 1-space flying, then he would need to go around.

The card says he "may move only one space." Those yellow spaces in the picture qualify. But the card also says "instead of [his] normal move," which would allow for a "placement" regardless of what was in between, like Talon Grab/summoning powers.

We must remember that this is NOT flying, which is still a "normal" movement and lists things like "ignore elevation" and "fly over obstacles such as ruins." Sgt. Drake's power is simpler. I believe "moving (or being moved)" one space combined with "instead of normal movement" would allow this.

- GRAPPLE GUN 25 : Grappling Over A Ruin
Can Sgt. Drake Alexander Grapple over a ruin and onto the hex on the other side?
Yes he can, as long as the addition height of the ruin (6 levels) does not exceed his Grapple Gun’s total height limit of
25 levels, and the landing space is HIGHER than his starting space. Note, if he does Grapple over the ruin, he will take
falling damage on the other side (fall of 6 levels). (Hasbro FAQ)

Although, this brings up another question. I am still a bit unsure how he can go through/over a ruin, and yet the FAQ says he can. If we just say "move one space up to 25 levels higher," then shouldn't he be able to land on a "same level" tile on the other side and NOT demand that "the landing space is HIGHER than his starting space?" If we allow for falling damage (see FAQ above), then we actually are moving him to an imaginary/floating space higher than and on the other side of the ruin, and since when are imaginary/floating spaces considered spaces real spaces to which to move a figure?

If that were true, could I not "Teleport" Tul-Bak-Ra to an imaginary/floating space that is the same level as he is to start, and then have him "fall" onto a glyph? How are the two powers (which are instead of "moving normally") different?

 

[killercactus]

You guys are overthinking this.

@Burny - here's TBR's card. Nowhere in the Teleportation ability does it say that Tul-Bak-Ra is moving. He is obviously being placed on a same-level, empty space. It's quite simple, really - pick him up, and put him down somewhere on an empty, same-level space.

Drake's card says "may move only one space". He is still moving, so normal movement rules apply. Just because it isn't normal movement is irrelevant - the Deathreavers can't Scatter through walls, can they?

Allowing the space to be "up to 25 levels higher" allows Drake to ignore height of up to 25 levels when moving this one space, so he can hop a ruin since it's less than 25 levels.

 

[BurnyFlame]

You guys are overthinking this.

@Burny - here's TBR's card. Nowhere in the Teleportation ability does it say that Tul-Bak-Ra is moving. He is obviously being placed on a same-level, empty space. It's quite simple, really - pick him up, and put him down somewhere on an empty, same-level space.

Drake's card says "may move only one space". He is still moving, so normal movement rules apply. Just because it isn't normal movement is irrelevant - the Deathreavers can't Scatter through walls, can they?

Allowing the space to be "up to 25 levels higher" allows Drake to ignore height of up to 25 levels when moving this one space, so he can hop a ruin since it's less than 25 levels.

killercactus, I have to respectfully disagree with some of your conclusions. You say:

so normal movement rules apply.

The card clearly says "instead of [his] normal move." After that, we should not assume any normal movement rules, and instead follow the rest of the card, which only has two conditions. 1) Move one space, and 2) the space may be up to 25 levels higher. Neither of these conditions are broken when "jumping" a ruin, so it should be legal.

-----------------[Slightly off-topic]
Normality Question: If it were considered a "normal" movement, he could get the road bonus. So I ask you: if he starts on a Road space and ends on a Road space (say on a castle) with the one space grapple, would he get to move three additional spaces after that?
-----------------

My problem is that the FAQ does not leave it at that. It explicitly states two unnecessary and frankly unprecedented "problem" interpretations.

- GRAPPLE GUN 25 : Grappling Over A Ruin
Can Sgt. Drake Alexander Grapple over a ruin and onto the hex on the other side?
Yes he can, as long as the addition height of the ruin (6 levels) does not exceed his Grapple Gun’s total height limit of
25 levels, and the landing space is HIGHER than his starting space. Note, if he does Grapple over the ruin, he will take
falling damage on the other side (fall of 6 levels). (Hasbro FAQ)

Problem 1: The space on the other side has to be "HIGHER" than the starting space. Why? The card says "up to 25 levels higher," which I think should included a height change of zero, maybe even negative (downward) changes in elevation. Furthermore,

Problem 2: He takes "Falling Damage." How come? And how come he can't then fall as far as he wants to his landing space, but instead has to land "HIGHER" as stated in Problem 1.

Frankly, I believe the FAQ should be changed, or other situations like Tul-Bak-Ra's should be legal. Here's why:

The point is I AM following what the card says simply by moving Sgt. Drake to the other side of a ruin. If we instead move him to an "imaginary/floating space" 6-levels high and on the other side of the ruin, we are allowing floating spaces to be chosen for movement powers. Only with this "imaginary/floating space" were the chosen space to which he moved could he then fall from it and take falling damage.

So to jump over a ruin, which of the following would you agree with: a) he uses Grapple Gun up 6 levels to a "floating space" on the other side, then falls down, or b) he can simply move one space to the same level hex on the other side since it is less that 25 levels higher?

Part "a)" is what the FAQ seems to mention, and if that is the case then imaginary/floating spaces exist in the sense that players can move to them, and I argue that they can therefore be chosen for similar powers which apply, like Tul-Bak-Ra's Teleportation.

 

[RoninValentina]

-----------------[Slightly off-topic]
Normality Question: If it were considered a "normal" movement, he could get the road bonus. So I ask you: if he starts on a Road space and ends on a Road space (say on a castle) with the one space grapple, would he get to move three additional spaces after that?
-----------------

No dice. Road bonuses only apply to normal movement based on the given stat on the army card, not to powers that allow a figure to move X amount of spaces. Rats that scatter on road tiles only move four spaces as stated on the card, Gladiatrons who are moved by Blastatrons can only move 5(?) spaces. No road bonuses for them, and no road bonus for either Sgt. Drake if they Grapple move.


My problem is that the FAQ does not leave it at that. It explicitly states two unnecessary and frankly unprecedented "problem" interpretations.

- GRAPPLE GUN 25 : Grappling Over A Ruin
Can Sgt. Drake Alexander Grapple over a ruin and onto the hex on the other side?
Yes he can, as long as the addition height of the ruin (6 levels) does not exceed his Grapple Gun’s total height limit of
25 levels, and the landing space is HIGHER than his starting space. Note, if he does Grapple over the ruin, he will take
falling damage on the other side (fall of 6 levels). (Hasbro FAQ)

Problem 1: The space on the other side has to be "HIGHER" than the starting space. Why? The card says "up to 25 levels higher," which I think should included a height change of zero, maybe even negative (downward) changes in elevation. Furthermore,

Problem 2: He takes "Falling Damage." How come? And how come he can't then fall as far as he wants to his landing space, but instead has to land "HIGHER" as stated in Problem 1.

Frankly, I believe the FAQ should be changed, or other situations like Tul-Bak-Ra's should be legal. Here's why:

The point is I AM following what the card says simply by moving Sgt. Drake to the other side of a ruin. If we instead move him to an "imaginary/floating space" 6-levels high and on the other side of the ruin, we are allowing floating spaces to be chosen for movement powers. Only with this "imaginary/floating space" were the chosen space to which he moved could he then fall from it and take falling damage.[/quote]

I don't think you're looking at this right. When Drake moves via Grapple Gun, he has to move higher. There's no provision for moving zero height or falling because if at the end of the move, he is not at a higher elevation than when he started the move, he did not meet the pre-req "Up to 25 levels higher" and thus cannot make that move.

The part I think you're confused about is the specifics concerning grappling over a ruin. Let's take a single 24 hex terrain piece and place a RotV ruin in the center. Take Sgt Drake and place him adjacent to the ruin. In this situation, Drake cannot grapple over the ruin. The ruin only has a height of 6, and can be crossed in one hex, but Drake cannot be placed in a position that is higher at the end of his move. The FAQ question only applies in a situation where Drake is positioned in such a way that he starts his move on terrain that is lower than the ruin he wishes to traverse. (See image below)

In my picture example, taken from the newest BoV map Elswin Plateau, Drake will Grapple up seven hexes, fall down six- the height of the ruin, and incurring a falling penalty- and end one space higher than he started. This is a legal grapple move, and the exact situation the question in the FAQ addresses. The issue of Drake "falling" is a misnomer of sorts. It's not that Drake ended his move on a floating height of seven, and then falls, but rather, Drake ends his move in the adjacent hex, one space higher. Only to get there via grapple gun, he also suffered the falling penalty. Your questions about "imaginary/floating spaces" as options for ending movement have no precedent in Heroscape and are not intended by any rules. Thankfully, there is no new rule headache to be resolved in this matter.



- Green dots are locations Sgt. Drake can grapple over the Ruins, as described by the FAQ question. Note that after he grappled over the Ruins, he would not be able to grapple back to the green dot, he'd have to walk.
- Red dots are locations Sgt. Drake cannot grapple over the Ruins, as he would end his move at the same height, thus not meeting the "Up to 25 levels higher" pre-req.

I hope this answers your questions, BurnyFlame. As to cmgames' original question, since you can't move through terrain in any other circumstance, I would imagine that's enough to cancel out Sgt. Drake's Grapplegun.

 

[killercactus]

killercactus, I have to respectfully disagree with some of your conclusions. You say:

so normal movement rules apply.

The card clearly says "instead of [his] normal move." After that, we should not assume any normal movement rules, and instead follow the rest of the card, which only has two conditions. 1) Move one space, and 2) the space may be up to 25 levels higher. Neither of these conditions are broken when "jumping" a ruin, so it should be legal.

There is a difference between "normal movement rules apply" and "moving normally". Drake's card says he gets to "Move". If he moves, he has to follow the rules of moving. He doesn't get terrain bonuses like Road because it's a set movement value of 1, just like the Movement Bonding on the Blastatrons and Nakita Agents, Agent Skahen's Cover Fire, and Scatter.

Also, do you think a Shaolin Monk can jump through the overhang?

Ronin kinda already said my first part, and the rest of his answer is correct, too.

 

[BurnyFlame]

I hear you guys, but let me try again to restate my problem. First, I believe it has been discussed before, but there is a subtle difference between hexes, tiles, levels, spaces, and movement. I think this was brought up in reference to the Granite Guardians "Gain High Ground" power, which is worded very closely to Sgt. Drake's "Grapple Gun 25."

. . . you may move each Granite Guardian you control up to 1 space. This space may be up to 4 levels higher.

As a matter of fact, it could be thought of as a "little grapple gun" I think.

Now from my understanding, Granite Guardians cannot use this power to move through snow because it counts as "two spaces." So is it then true that Sgt. Drake cannot scale a mountain with snow on the top? I never played that way, but based on that interpretation I should.

Furthermore, picture a "mini-ruin" of height 3. Can a Granite Guardian use "Gain High Ground" to clear it?

In a similar line of thought, can a Granite Guardian not move level or downward with that power? I was fairly certain most people's strategies did not take this into account. This would mean that Guardians in the level start-zone could not move out with this power, which is not how most people play, I believe.

I think this connection is the clearest I can make for how the FAQ/rules need a consistency update. I think we need clearer definition of spaces, hexes, etc. to make these distinctions.

 

[killercactus]

Drake cannot use Grapple Gun to grapple upwards to a Heavy Snow tile, because that takes 2 movement.

Your point about the Granite Guardians being able to move to a same-level space with Gain High Ground is good. I know I've been allowing them to do that, but you're right that the Grapple Gun ruling seems to contradict that. I don't have a good answer for that one.

 

[Riggler]

In a similar line of thought, can a Granite Guardian not move level or downward with that power? I was fairly certain most people's strategies did not take this into account. This would mean that Guardians in the level start-zone could not move out with this power, which is not how most people play, I believe.

I think this connection is the clearest I can make for how the FAQ/rules need a consistency update. I think we need clearer definition of spaces, hexes, etc. to make these distinctions.

As the wording is the same on Drake's card as it is on the Granite Guardian's card: "This space may be up to (X) levels higher." It is this sentence on Drake's card that does not allow him to move downwards...and since Drake is "instead of normal move" then moving just 1 space on level ground wasn't an issue.

Although we are told many times not to pay attention to the NAME of a power, I think with the Official FAQ on Drake, and that the power on the GG is "Gain Higher Ground" that using that power to move one space on level ground would not be allowed.

 

[Lord Pyre]

Eh, who needs fancy rulings? If Drake attempts to grapple like that, roll a 20-sided die. On a 1-8, Drake knocks his head and gets a concussion. Roll one die for concussion damage. On a 9-20, the grapple fails, because physics say that he can't do that.

 

[killercactus]

This isn't a fancy ruling. I think if the GG's can move to a same-level space with Gain High Ground, then Drake can move to a same-level space with Grapple Gun. The wording on the powers is exactly the same. If Drake has to move upwards and then downwards more than (or equal to) his Height, he takes Falling Damage.

Of course, this would only be relevant when trying to jump over an obstacle that doesn't sit on a hex, which, right now, it just a ruin.

 

[GatekeeperDatuck]

If they are allowed to move to a same level space, would they be allowed to move to a lower space (such as hopping a battlement on a castle wall with their one move space)? This could also apply if a ruin was placed in such a way that a long drop existed on one side of the ruin (as in the case of RoninValentina's post above).

 

[killercactus]

If they are allowed to move to a same level space, would they be allowed to move to a lower space (such as hopping a battlement on a castle wall with their one move space)? This could also apply if a ruin was placed in such a way that a long drop existed on one side of the ruin (as in the case of RoninValentina's post above).

I believe that, based on the way I've understood the GG's to play, that they should, though they will take Falling Damage if they move downwards more levels than their height (as normal). All of this is just screaming for a...

"You have no power here, killercactus the Grey!"

EDIT: I went ahead and shot a PM to the Rules Team. Normally I wouldn't bother them about something like this, but I want to make sure we're playing the Granite Guardians correctly.

 

[BurnyFlame]

If they are allowed to move to a same level space, would they be allowed to move to a lower space (such as hopping a battlement on a castle wall with their one move space)? This could also apply if a ruin was placed in such a way that a long drop existed on one side of the ruin (as in the case of RoninValentina's post above).

I believe that, based on the way I've understood the GG's to play, that they should, though they will take Falling Damage if they move downwards more levels than their height (as normal). All of this is just screaming for a...

"You have no power here, killercactus the Grey!"

EDIT: I went ahead and shot a PM to the Rules Team. Normally I wouldn't bother them about something like this, but I want to make sure we're playing the Granite Guardians correctly.

Thanks for submitting the request to the rules team. For some reason I don't think they would listen if I sent it to them. Especially if I started bringing up "metaphysical hexes" and so forth.

Oh, and I "vote" for the ruling that gives more flexibility to the Guardians' and Sgt. Drake's movement. They aren't overpowered, so I think there should be no desire to spite them in a ruling here. And yet, "overruling a FAQ" is something that has little precedence.

Edit: I meant to include this post regarding "mini-ruins/battlements" I found in the Granite Guardians book. But it does not address same-level moving.
http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showpost.php?p=949635&postcount=25

Quickly with the battlement question, my quick informal answer is that they may traverse any linear obstacle that is no higher than four elevations above the space they are on.