Crisis Protocol: Charakter Previews

Atomic Mass Games haben einige kommende Erweiterungen näher vorgestellt.

Ghost Rider

Stuntman Johnny Blaze became the supernatural Ghost Rider following an ill-fated deal with the devil. In an effort to save the life of his cancer-stricken adoptive father, Blaze turned to the occult and discovered a ritual to summon Mephisto, the Prince of Devils. Blaze agreed to serve Mephisto in return for a miraculous cure. The Lord of Lies did as he promised–although Blaze’s father soon died anyway while attempting a risky stunt jump.

Mephisto bound Johnny Blaze to the demon Zarathos. Together they are the Ghost Rider, the Spirit of Vengeance who hunts evil on the world to return such wicked things to hell. On his supernaturally powered motorcycle, he rides the world seeking evildoers and punishing them for their wickedness.

Taking a moment to look at Ghost Rider’s miniature, can we all appreciate how cool his motorcycle is? The detail of the frame and engine are a great place to work with metallic paints and weathering, like oily washes of black over bright steel colors. Meanwhile, the flames shooting out of the exhaust and rolling from the wheels are perfect for playing with brilliant fire effects or object source lighting techniques. That’s before you get to the man himself, the Spirit of Vengeance. Wearing his riding leathers with a burning skull for a head, Ghost Rider has a, if you’ll pardon the pun, devil-may-care pose that captures his fierce spirit in all its fiery glory.

Appropriate for the Spirit of Vengeance, Ghost Rider’s rules have the theme of retribution. As he rides around the site of a crisis, he lays powerful conditions on his targets and punishes those who attack his allies.

Johnny Blaze has a solid stat line, with above-average health and sturdy defense against Energy and Mystical attacks. Riding around on an infernally-modified bike increases his Size to 3, which means he won’t be grabbing as much cover as smaller characters, though!

Every one of Ghost Rider’s attacks has something special going on. When he lashes out with Chains of Damnation, he has a chance to Hex his target, or to Incinerate them with the Flames of Hell. But the most iconic attack at his disposal has to be the Penance Stare. Looking into his target’s eyes, Ghost Rider forces them to endure the pain of every wicked deed or sin they have ever committed. This Mystic attack costs a whopping 5 Power to use, which might seem expensive for a Strength 5 attack at first. But Ghost Rider adds 1 die to the attack roll for every Power the target currently has, up to 5 bonus dice. A Strength 10 Mystic attack is enough to cut through most character’s defenses! After resolving the attack, Penance Stare strips the target of Power for each damage dealt, instead of letting them gain it, leaving them sapped and feeble in the face of their evil deeds.

Ghost Rider’s superpowers make him a great control piece in your roster. The Hell On Wheels power lets him gun the engine of his motorcycle and move Long range once per turn, setting him in the perfect place to trigger his other powers, Wicked’s Judgement and Spirit of Vengeance.

Both powers play into Ghost Rider’s theme of Vengeance. The powers require him to be within Range 3 of an attacking enemy and provide some potent benefits in return. Spirit of Vengeance gives him a minor boost after an attack against an allied character is resolved, but Wicked’s Judgement punishes the attacker for their actions. This reactive superpower costs 2 Power and causes the attacking enemy to suffer 1 damage for every critical result in the attack roll! The more dice in the roll, the greater the damage they run the risk of suffering.

That’s it for today’s From Panel to Play, but tune in soon for more looks at upcoming Marvel: Crisis Protocol characters! Until next time!

Doctor Strange and Wong

Get ready for a two-for-one Panel to Play! In today’s Transmission, we are looking at Doctor Stephen Strange and his loyal companion Wong.

Once, Doctor Stephen Strange was a masterful—if arrogant—surgeon. A car crash robbed Strange of his ability to perform surgery, reducing his once fine hands to ruin of twisted bones and damaged nerves. In search of healing, Strange wandered the world and exhausted his funds, eventually becoming a drifter. It was then that he met the Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth. From the Ancient One, Strange learned the mystical arts, mastering them and eventually taking up his mentor’s mantle as the world’s defender against mystical threats.

Wong is the companion and protector of the Sorcerer Supreme. Born in the hidden land of Kamar-Taj, Wong is the most recent in a long line who swore their loyalty to the Ancient One. From early childhood, Wong has studied the mystic and martial arts, mastering them in order to serve in his role. Upon reaching adulthood, the Ancient One sent him to the Sanctum Sanctorum in New York to defend Doctor Strange. Since then he has stayed by the Sorcerer Supremes’ side.

Doctor Strange and Wong both have miniatures that capture their approaches to conflict. The Sorcerer Supreme stands confidently amid a massive whirling mandala of mystic runes and shapes (the Shield of the Seraphim, perhaps?) while magical winds whip at his cloak.

Meanwhile, Wong stands in a defensive position drawing on the martial arts of Kamar-Taj. His miniature is poised to leap into action against any who would threaten the Sorcerer Supreme.

Doctor Strange skillfully commands the mystic arts in battle. His rules mirror this mastery with a set of potent and quite tricky attacks and superpowers.

When it comes to attacking, the good doctor doesn’t rely on the brute force of Physical attacks, using Energy and, appropriately, Mystic attack types instead. This gives Doctor Strange an edge on his foes, who often are less resilient to these attack types. Bolts of Bedevilment has a decent Range 4, but the iconic Crimson Bands of Cytorak attack is a true showstopper. By default, this attack allows Doctor Strange to inflict the Stagger special condition, but if the attack roll produces a critical, wild, and a regular hit, Doctor Strange can use the Mystic Binding special rule instead, giving the target an activated token—monkeying with your opponent’s action economy as a result!

Doctor Strange has four different superpowers, each taken from one of the many classic spells the Sorcerer Supreme has used in defending the world from mystical threats. Each one is potent and useful, but special mention goes to the Eye of Agamotto innate power. Not only does this permit Doctor Strange to modify and reroll failures, once per attack he can reroll all the dice of an attack or defense roll. Wielding a Vishanti’s weapon of wisdom has its benefits!

Doctor Strange defends the world aided by his loyal protector, Wong. While he lacks the breadth of abilities the Sorcerer Supreme possesses, he is a valuable addition to any crisis team’s roster! With a Threat of 2, Wong can help to fill in the gaps and put another character on the field, which can be quite useful when you’re trying to secure valuable assets or hold critical locations.

Wong’s rules are a reflection of his role in supporting Doctor Strange. Most of his superpowers benefit other characters in Wong’s vicinity, from Faithful Assistant which allows a friendly character within Range 3 to gain 1 additional power to the potent The Vishanti’s Blessing power that allows an ally of Wong to remove 2 damage or a special condition.

That’s all for our look at this duo of magical protectors. Be sure to check back when From Panel to Play returns, as we take a look at another of the characters coming to Marvel: Crisis Protocol.

See you then! Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off.

Quelle: Anti Matter Games