The Book of Sir Dupuis

[spiteofthedice]

The Book of Sir Dupuis

Defenders of Kinsland - Collection 8 - "Heroes of the Molten Sea"
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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: "Áve María, grátia pléna, Dóminus técum. Benedícta tu in muliéribus, et benedíctus frúctus véntris túi, Iésus..."
The prayer, spoken through a throat choked with sorrow, echoes off the walls and off the shelves and shelves of mildewed books and scrolls. The air is thick with the smell of dust and age. The room is alight with the glow of a hundred candles, dancing their slow flickering dance.
"...Sáncta María, Máter Déi, óra pro nóbis peccatóribus, nunc et in hóra mórtis nóstrae..."
The weeping man kneels, bare-chested, at the foot of a silver chalice, a holy relic. He recites his prayer of penance over and over, his voice shrinking to a hoarsely rasping whisper. His chest is marred with the long crooked lines of a vicious scar, running from neck to abdomen and shoulder to shoulder, the form of a cross.
"Áve María, grátia pléna, Dóminus técum. Benedícta tu in muliéribus, et benedíctus frúctus véntris túi, Iésus..."
He is haunted by her memory, by the sin of his childhood. His life he gives over in service of the Holy Christ, a payment for his sin... It is not enough, not nearly enough, but it is all he has to give.
"...Sáncta María, Máter Déi, óra pro nóbis peccatóribus, nunc et in hóra mórtis nóstrae. Amen."
Standing, the warrior slips his arms through his undershirt and pulls a suit of chained-mail on over his head. Over the mail, he dons a bright white tabard marked with a scarlet cross, the symbol of the knights templar. Carefully he takes up the relic and exits the small room through its only entryway. He stands squinting for a moment, giving his eyes time to adjust to the bright sunlight, and then begins to wade through the vast pile of bodies strewn about the courtyard. The bodies are those of the warriors slain at his hands and the hands of his knights, warriors who stood between him and the Chalice of Fortitude, unworthy heathens.
"Hail, Sir Dupuis! You have the chalice?"
Dupuis holds the chalice up, letting the sun glint of its polished surface and then tucks it away as he mounts up on his steed and rides off. His faithful knights follow after him. (Hasbro)

(photos courtesy of Truth )
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-Rulings and Clarifications-

Q. TACTICAL DISENGAGEMENT 7 : Multiple Wounds
After Sir Dupuis is dealt multiple disengagement wounds from a single figure (such as a Knight of Weston, with his COWARD'S REWARD Special Power), does one successful roll of the d20 for Dupuis's TACTICAL DISENGAGEMENT 7 allow him to ignore both wounds just dealt, or must he roll again to escape the second wound?
A. Only one successful d20 roll is necessary to ignore any number of disengagement wounds from a single figure. If Sir Dupuis disengages from multiple figures in a single move, he will have to roll the d20 once for each figure, regardless of how many wounds would have been dealt.
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-Combinations and Synergies-

Synergy Benefits Received

- CONCAN THE KYRIE WARRIOR : Knight and Sentinel Enhancement
As a Knight, Sir Dupuis may benefit from Concan the Kyrie Warrior’s KNIGHT AND SENTINEL ENHANCEMENT attack and defense bonus.

- KNIGHTS OF WESTON : Knight's Courage
As Knights, the Knights of Weston may aid Sir Dupuis with his Knight's Courage Attack Enhancement.

- TEMPLAR CAVALRY : Knight's Courage
As Knights, the Templar Cavalry may aid Sir Dupuis with his Knight's Courage Attack Enhancement.

- PHANTOM KNIGHTS : Knight's Courage
As Knights, the Phantom Knights may aid Sir Dupuis with his Knight's Courage Attack Enhancement.
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Synergy Benefits Offered

- 4th MASSACHUSETTS LINE : Valiant Army Defense Bonus
Having a Valiant personality, Sir Dupuis may aid the 4th Massachusetts Line with their VALIANT ARMY DEFENSE BONUS.
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C3V and SoV Custom Synergies

Spoiler Alert!

Synergy Benefits Offered

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

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Synergy Benefits Received

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

PRINCE AL'KAHORA : KNIGHT'S COURAGE
As a Knight, Prince al'Kahora may aid Sir Dupuis with his Knight's Courage Attack Enhancement.

MYRDDIN : MYSTIC SACRIFICE
As a Medium Unique Hero, Sir Dupuis may benefit from Myrddin's 20-sided die enhancement.

CAPT. JOHN VARAN : PURPLE HEART
As a Human who follows Jandar, Sir Dupuis may benefit from Capt. John Varan's PURPLE HEART wound reassignment.
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-Strategy, Tactics and Tips-

- TBA
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-Heroscapers Community Contributions-

Forums
Army Ideas?
http://www.heroscapers.com/community...ad.php?t=18089
Impact of Wave 8 on HS?
http://www.heroscapers.com/community...ad.php?t=18451

Power Ranking and Master Index

C+​

Unit Strategy Review

- TBA​

 

[MalignantT]

At an possible attack of 7, bonding with KoW, and eligible for bonuses with Sir Gilbert or Concan, I'ld say Dupuis is a serious ass kicker. His defense isn't all that hot, but considering he could stand toe to toe with Su-Bak-Na for stats when his back up is there (in either KoW or Templars), I think Dupuis will be a serious contender.

You don't just rush him out there at the start of the game unless you want to get him killed. Instead, you first get some KoW or Templars in position, then the next turn marker Rush him in to battle to deal the heavy damage, then finish off the target with KoW. It's not a one shot punch, but very few things actually are.

Even Q9 misses some shots. Sir Dupuis as an attack heavy hero will have a better shot inflicting some serious hurt on high life or high defense heroes.

Now I wouldn't just charge him straight in to Charos or Braxas, but between Dupuis and Denrick and the KoW bonding, they will tear either of those dragons up. And for what? Over half your army, yes, but at very low cost in life markers lost. Heck even Dupuis and 2 KoW would be 230. That's a small point edge over the Dragons, and, Poison Breath and Counterstrike included, still not a bad tit for tat in points usage

correction: OK, Dupuis doesn't get to take a turn before KoW, but still the strategy holds... Rush them in, with Denrick or Gibert, then use Dupuis as the hammer.

 

[Queenmojo]

I wanted this guy to work so bad and had a solid army all set up for him with knights of weston and some other stuff. Well he did his 7 attack really well and tactical disengagement was nice, but it was still only one attack per turn...

 

[cosmosis]

I got Wave 8, as a lot of you know, and when I picked up Sir Dupuis after opening the Hero pack, I realized that there is no way he can actually HIT ANYTHING with that dagger.
I mean, seriously. He already has his arm extended, and the dagger tip can't even reach past the horse. How the heck do you attack someone in front of you? I mean, I do know a fair bit about wars (especially the American Revolution), but I'm not that knowledgable in cavalry. Even so, wouldn't it make more sense to have Sir Dupuis have a sword or something that could reach past his horse so he could hit something in front of him?

Haha, yeah. I noticed that too. But that just goes to show how beast Sir Dupuis is!

bonding with KoW

correction: OK, Dupuis doesn't get to take a turn before KoW, but still the strategy holds... Rush them in, with Denrick or Gibert, then use Dupuis as the hammer.

He doesn't bond with KoW or MacDirk Warriors, since he is a Human Knight not a Champion, but I think that's what you meant with the correction.

How about sending in KoW with Thogrim first and get position, then use a well-positioned Thogrim to give Sir Dupuis bonus defense, which is his only real weakness (other than a lack of range, but he makes up for it with 8 Move and Tactical Disengagement).

And who cares if Thogrim gets killed too early? Just stick his aura onto Sir Dupuis.

And now if you've got a teammate, have him fly around with Concan, who's a sweet deal of a figure for 80 points, since he affects FRIENDLY knights (& sentinels). Then have the Concan teammate just draft a bunc of clean-up units, or something.

 

[Einar Gen.]

Honestly, I just love this figure. My favorite from wave 8. 1 attack, yes, but you can do so much with it.

 

[Zedd]

I know there was a thread for this but I couldn't find it. The answer should be in this book anyway so here it goes.

Does Tactical Disengagement 7 mean that if Dupuis disengages from an enemy KoW and the knight gets 2 skulls he can dodge them, or does it mean if you disengage from multiple enemies they all role together and he can roll to dodge just once.

Thanks.

 

[Revdyer]

Does Tactical Disengagement 7 mean that if Dupuis disengages from an enemy KoW and the knight gets 2 skulls he can dodge them, or does it mean if you disengage from multiple enemies they all role together and he can roll to dodge just once.

He has to roll separately for each disengagement, but a successful roll covers all wounds that would have been inflicted with the Tactical Disengagement 7 roll.

 

[Clarissimus]

It's pronounced doo-PWEE, just like the man after whom he was named.

 

[Soul Shackle]

Paladin, you can read up on the man Sir Dupuis is named after here.

 

[Hex_Enduction_Hour]

Honestly, I just love this figure. My favorite from wave 8. 1 attack, yes, but you can do so much with it.

I would agree - best of Wave 8 crowd.

The four clear sight spaces for KoWs is generous.
Played on small-medium sized maps, Dupuis can nail the 6 -7 attack level very often.

 

[Shades fan]

Honestly, I just love this figure. My favorite from wave 8. 1 attack, yes, but you can do so much with it.

I would agree - best of Wave 8 crowd.

The four clear sight spaces for KoWs is generous.
Played on small-medium sized maps, Dupuis can nail the 6 -7 attack level very often.

Thats a very good point. I was playing him on Feylund Fountain [a map going to be used a GenCon, Damnation ally Style.] And found his extra attack happening almost every turn with the KoW! His powerful attack can really put a hurting on Q9.
Very cool figure!

 

[manger]

That 3 defense is going to make all of you who love this character very frustrated. Breaking the knight/sentinal 4 defense trend was a mistake imo.

 

[spiteofthedice]

That 3 defense is going to make all of you who love this character very frustrated. Breaking the knight/sentinal 4 defense trend was a mistake imo.

I've only tried him once, but this was my experience as well. He is unfortunately one of those figures that is threatening enough that he might as well have a bullseye on his forehead (SEE: Grimnak, Su-Bak-Na, et al.)
And with a 3 Defense, my experience is likewise that you don't get to do as much as you'd like with his attack power before he drops.

 

[Hex_Enduction_Hour]

Who says his sword's a dagger?!?!?

Last night, I took Dupuis with 2 sets of KoW and 4th Mass. As well, I brought along Thorgrim to assist the Knights as they were up against four sets of Drones. That extra defense was to help the Knights hopefully withstand the brunt of of a high Hive Swarm roll. The situation didn't come up as much as I thought (I had to run Thorgrim in to get on Zetacron and stop the Soulborg from blasting Dupuis). As planned, when Thorgrim died, Dupuis received the defensive bonus.

It's a roundabout way to shore up Dupuis's average defense, but it intergrated well with the Champion bonding and the Valiant bonus for the minutemen.

Maybe I'm running to defend Dupuis too much, but looking at the other fast, heavy hitters like the Kozuke, Templar, and (Mark of the Warlord permitting) Grok Riders, the defense of three is a constant. It's a good balance to keep costs down.


While I'm here:
Pre-wave 8 release, there was some comparison of Dupuis to Su-Bak-Na, but I keep seeing the Cyprien/Dupuis analogy.
Stats of 8/1/3/4 and 8/1/4/3, same price.
It's a shame Cyprien eeks a bit better with Stealth Flying and Life Drain, but these Utgarian advantages versus Jandar's valiant, but limiting abilities seem consistent with the history of the game.
I was up against the Vampire Lord last night in that Drone-based army and luckily won initiative to take him down. In previous games Cyp Chilling Touched Dupuis too much and took him down.
Don't know where I'm going with this comparison, but i believe the two heroes are well suited for the 150-points range.

 

[Matthias Maccabeus]

I love Dupuis, too. I think that the best comparison that I can come up with is Venom.

Attack - Venom has a higher base attack, but Dupuis' can be boosted with support.

Move / Range - Dupuis has higher move, but is a double based figure. Plus swing line may come in handy more often than not. They both have a range of 1.

Disengage - They both have a form of disengage, where as Venom's is a guaranteed 4, no matter the terrain, while Dupuis' can be 8, depending on terrain and the roll of the D20.

Survivability (Life / Defense ) - Dupuis has higher life but lower defense. Venom has an ability to ignore attacks all together dependent on the D20.

Cost - Equal!

Who is better? I think that's for each person to decide? Some people like Marvel, some don't. Some people like the whole knight theme , some don't. I think it's just your preference of play and fun!

 

[Hex_Enduction_Hour]

Ah, nice comparison of a Marvel and Classic Hero, Matthias.
Hadn't made the connection with the points bracket.

A thought on Tactical Disengagemet 7. It's more than justified for a hard-hitting hero of 8 movement. It both benefits him and keeps him in check for potency overload.

Another vote of praise - Dupuis incorporates nearly everything that makes HS so great and fun to me - fast & powerful melee to threaten the range, interaction with another unit (KoW), a D20-roll, improved stats as the figure is wounded (Krug and Alastair, here's looking at ya!) makes those blessed good rolls to keep the hero's heart pumping so memorable.
:giddy for dupuis:

 

[Snotwalker 8000]

I'm actually fine with his 3 Defense, but wish his Chalice of Fortitude kicked in at 2 or 3 wounds, instead of 4.. Thematically, I love the defense power, but when he's down to his last 1 or 2 wounds, it seems a little too late to matter much.

 

[Hex_Enduction_Hour]

I'm actually fine with his 3 Defense, but wish his Chalice of Fortitude kicked in at 2 or 3 wounds, instead of 4.. Thematically, I love the defense power, but when he's down to his last 1 or 2 wounds, it seems a little too late to matter much.

Chalice kicking in at half-life rather than two-thirds?
I'd have no problem with that adjustment!

I too like the idea of the Chalice and it's a consistent nod 'Dismiss the Rabble'. Dupuis has hopefully knocked out the heavies, but is himself severely wounded. Yet with Fortitude he could manage to deal with the endgamers - common or otherwise. Though being severely wounded tied down with multiple engagements of the same common unit does not grant him a bright outlook.

 

[rdhight]

Move / Range - Dupuis has higher move, but is a double based figure. Plus swing line may come in handy more often than not. They both have a range of 1.

Hey hey hey, let's remember to give Venom credit for his Web Special Attack!

Re: the difference between the two figures (and Cyprien for that matter), I think Venom is the most independent and the easiest on the wallet. Cyprien is melee and wants Sonya, who is also melee, and Dupuis is melee and needs Knights, who are also melee. Venom both is range and does not require additional melee figures to operate at full strength. That indirect cost advantage makes him my favorite of the three in standard point games.

 

[Soul Shackle]

I discovered what could be a problem for Dupuis and any figure he goes well with (besides range ) - Isamu. Those heavy attacks do nothing if Isamu can Vanish, and with all that Knightly melee, he won't even have to Vanish often. All Dupuis' friends follow Jandar, which gives Isamu a ridiculously good chance at earning his points back 5 or 10 times.

Yech.

 

[Revdyer]

The other night I played, for the first serious time, this army:

Sir Dupuis
Templar Cavalry
2 x Knights of Weston
Airborne Elite

It was a fun army and Dupuis really shone. It's not what I'd take to a tournament, but for a fun game-night army with a good chance to win, it was great. Taking the Templars out with Dupuis early boosted him nicely, long enough for the Knights of Weston to arrive just about the time the Templars were dead.

The coolest part was that whenever we had a rules dispute I got to say, "I've got Sir Dupuis, so I get to make up the rules." <grin>

 

[Hex_Enduction_Hour]

Can't get enough of this hero! My all-time favorite.
I used him tonight in a Raelin/Eldgrim/2KoW/Gilbert army.

We were up against an Arrow Gruts/Swog/Mimring/Zelrig force.

The map was long in length (20 hexes I've found usually equals one full round just moving up the board for both armies) and it was tough to keep the knights advancing with Raelin and Dupuis in tow.

We lost horribly to a massive Fire Line attack of severely wounding Raelin, Dupuis, Gilbert and obliterating a KoW (yes, they were all bunched up in a single line. Shame on you, HEH! ).

But I had the time of my life trying to exact revenge on Mimring with Dupuis. The Chalice was maintaining life support and Tactical?
Holy guacamole was that fun. With a loss eminent, I took as many Tact. Disengages as I could to try and reach Mimsy to exact some sort of revenge.

I was smacking Swogs left and right and the Arrow Gruts couldn't bring down Dupuis with their glorified slivers of propelled wood. Yet the blueskins were also barring the attack avenue to get back at the Dragon Beast.
Dupuis never got a chance to exact some sweet payback, but I had fun trying! Truly, I so dig this Hero!

 

[Matthias Maccabeus]

Sounds like fun HEH.

I played him with Gilbert and a bunch of knights the other day against Marcus and the redcoats. He came charging in against Marcus. He had height, adjacency to Gilbert, and had 2 knights in range for 8 attack dice against the Roman leader. Let's just say Marcus didn't last very long.

He actually lasted quite a while, too, once his chalice kicked in. He ended up smacking a few more redcoats before he fell.

 

[Hex_Enduction_Hour]

Dupuis!!!!!

Awsome report, HEH! Sir Dupuis has a seriously high "fun factor". Something about him wading into battle with throngs or smaller enemies swarming around that just oozes heroism

~Aldin, wondering if 'radiates' might have been a better choice than 'oozes'

I try to play at least one Jandar/Dupuis configuration each game night.
Whether I win or lose, it feels valiant, it feels right! And it's always a fun time 'motorin' around with Dupuis.

Sounds like fun HEH.

I played him with Gilbert and a bunch of knights the other day against Marcus and the redcoats. He came charging in against Marcus. He had height, adjacency to Gilbert, and had 2 knights in range for 8 attack dice against the Roman leader. Let's just say Marcus didn't last very long.

He actually lasted quite a while, too, once his chalice kicked in. He ended up smacking a few more redcoats before he fell.

Oof, that's some dagger Dupuis carries! What a Warlord smackdown!


Last night was a Raelin fixation. I wanted to use her in every game (she did really good for me in the first three games! Why have I not been utilizing her more lately?!).
Implementing her altered a 4th Mass configuration I usually use with the Dupuis and KoW army. I would've given up Gilbert and on that lengthy board, the problems probably would've been the same.

 

[MalignantT]

Careful who you call a 'rapier', the partially-educated might call the po-lease.


Especially with you guys talking about Sir Du-Pee-Wee's 'thingy'.




After a couple of uses (and heinously bad dice rolls) DuPuis has yet to hold up his points in our games.
Granted, it's mostly been operator error, and not the best terrain (What do you think you're doing hiding Tor-Kul-Na behind a tree with 3 Nagrubs adjacent to him? Aww, Hell. I'll attack him anyway).

Jumping those horses up on height even with the road bonus doesn't help when you can only fit one double spaced figure at a time in the attack zone.


Moral of the story... don't be stupid.