I had hoped to contain all commentary on the changes coming to HeroClix rules in one post. But WizKids has really dragged out these revelations, such that I’ve had to split the article up (because a whole new set — the last to use the current ruleset — dropped in the middle of it all).
Here are the changes (and links to WK’s articles) so far:
- PUSHING DAMAGE IS GONE. So is Colossal Stamina (mostly). Willpower is now essentially a self-Leadership roll. Great Size grants an improved version of that roll (3-6). There’s also mention of BENCHED POWERS: Not really a rule change, just a new design philosophy.
- CHANGED POWERS: Leap/Climb, RCE and CCE each become passive powers; Telekinesis loses attack options; no Perplex on damage.
- CHANGED THEME TEAMS: No minimum number of characters, generic and named themed teams are same, initiative roll only gives +3 bonus, Themed Team Probability Control is simple Prob and capped at 3.
- CHANGED … EVERYTHING: multiple bolts work in melee; hindering terrain only affects line of fire; knockback move a character 3 squares and doesn’t damage.
But enough recap. On to
PART 5
There was a rules article that suggested that a lot more powers will function as “attack improvements” rather than “attack replacements,” allowing for more combinations than are currently legal. But it was so vague, with few concrete examples, that we can’t really comment and so we won’t, other than it sounds like it could be F.U.N.
A later rules article focused on cleaning up language like “FREE” vs. “at no cost” (it appears they’re looking to minimize use/abuse of the latter in future game design) and “place” in the Telekinesis sense of repositioning things on the map versus “place” in the sense of putting a piece from off the map/outside the game onto the map. Going forward, they’re using “generate” for the latter effect, a term already in use for making bystanders.
The biggest F.U.N. news is that while water terrain no longer affects movement, characters with the Swim keyphrase get a big boost: They can’t be targeted from further than 4 squares away when they’re in water terrain. That scores huge on the F.U.N. factor for Utility and Nerdcore (even if it makes the Friendliness factor go down — there could be some nasty teams built around this).
An “Atlantis Attacks” Heroclixin’ article update is gonna be necessary.
We’re sure there’s still more changes to come. Stay tuned for …
PART 6
- Flurry, Phasing/Teleport, and Sidestep all have no inherent change (though it remains to be seen if other general rule changes affect them).
- Leap/Climb we already knew about. And the removal of pushing damage means Earthbound/Neutralized just restricts use of Improved Movement/Targeting abilities.
- Charge and Running Shot both get a minor change, allowing use of either CLOSE or RANGE (respectively) as FREE instead of “at no cost” like in the 2017 rules. This might make these powers vulnerable again to effects that restrict FREE actions (such as the Golden Age Green Lantern battery or the Modern Spiders Man 013 from Earth X) but should clean up gameplay somewhat.
- Charge also loses its immunity to knockback!
- Mind Control‘s RANGE option gains a minimum reach of 6 from the previous 4.
- Plasticity loses language that forces most enemy figures to stop next to it, instead seemingly only keeping its easy breakaway rolls and forcing hard breakaways against all but Leap/Climb, HSS and Phasing figures.
- The POWER version of Force Blast loses its d6 roll but gains a minimum range of 6 and a standard 3-square knockback. With at least Charge losing knockback protection, this is a big upgrade.
- Hypersonic Speed, like Leap/Climb, loses wording for +2 breakaway. But given the new Plasticity wording, maybe there’s a new general rule for breakaway that either retains the bonus or nerfs it.
- Stealth gets wording that at last allows an adjacent foe to draw line of fire to Stealthers in hindering.
