(And this will be the last SMQ for the nonce.)

Simply this: If a flier is allowed to yank a wounded friendly figure to safety, what is the starting condition of such a move? Obviously said flier cannot be adjacent to an enemy figure, but must the flier begin the move adjacent to the rescuee?

In other words, can the rescuing flier swoop in from a few squares away, grab his not-quite-fallen comrade by the cape/collar/pointy ears/etc. and fly him off to the medics?

This has been a real point of contention during our weekly games nights, made worse by the complexity of the rules and general use of soaring, hovering and flying in general.

Any help on this one would be greatly appreciated.

(And humble thanks to all who helped on my previous SMQs.)

A flier can only carry a figure if it starts its move adjacent to that figure, and it has to carry it until the end of the move.
So, no swooping in and carrying away right away, or dropping off part way though! But just think of how much easier that makes things

Wait, now you've opened up another issue - when a flier is carrying a grounded figure, can the flier put the figure down anywhere the flier wants to and continue on? (Of course, taking into account one speed point for picking the grounder up and another for putting him down.)

The flier can only put the figure down at the end of its movement. It also doesn't cost any speed points for either picking up or dropping off.

Can you pick up someone half way through a move with an HSS flyer? And drop them off part way through?

I see where my misconcepction came from - the line in the Carrying Other Characters section, p15, which reads: "...count the number of squares the flier moves, INCLUDING FLIGHT MODE CHANGES..."

I always assumed that meant that you could onlt carry a grounder by soaring.

But if that is NOT the case, then that just obfuscates the flying rules even further!

Arrgg!

Thanks...but Arrgg!

HSS offers no loophole to the carrying rule. The carried figure has to be adjacent to the carrier at the beginning of the carriers move.

Hmm, maybe we need a new carrying power.
Some characters could act as "ambulances" by ferrying wounded friends back to a medic, and use the rest of their movement to get back in to battle.

The Green Lantern team ability can be revitialized by making it "Transport eight adjacent figures". The Invisible Girl wouldn't be a monster anymore if she could be moved away from the figures she is defending. A new (regular continuity) rhino could be made with this power. He could use this power to try and bullrush Spidey into a wall.

If a flyer beings adjacent to an opposing and a friendly figure, the flyer must roll a breakaway. (Unless it has HSS, Phasing, Serpent Society TA.) Assuming the flyer makes the breakaway, it could carry the friendly figure with it. (And would then put down the friendly carried figure at the end of its movement.)

Heroclix1234:

If the flier is adjacent ONLY to his friendly comrade and NO ONE ELSE, he can yank his comrade to safety without having to roll for breakaway, correct?

Example:

ABC
XDX
XEX

Where ABC are opponents, D is a grounder in trouble and E is a flier on a rescue mission.

But the flier MUST begin his turn adjacent to the fig he's trying to rescue, is that right?

Yep.