So I am trying to figure out if this can happen. A team idea was brought to me and before it causes some commotion, I wanted to see if it can even be done.

Capture states:

Give this character a power action and make a close combat attack that deals no damage against a single opposing character with the or damage symbol; targets that can use Phasing/Teleport or Plasticity modify their defense values by +2 for the attack. If the attack succeeds, the target character is captured and is called a captive.
Remove a captive from the battlefield until it is rescued (see below).
If this character has three captives, it can’t capture another character until at least one of the captives is rescued or released (see below), and it can’t make close combat attacks.
If this character has any captives when it is knocked out, before removing this character from the game, each captive is rescued (see below) by the active player.

While the Arkham Asylum Guard states this:LOCKDOWN: Arkham Asylum Guard can use the Capture ability, but can only have one captive at any time.

I have several questions as to rule on this.

1. Can the Arkham Guard use capture, then be either Tk'd or carried away? Nothing prevents them from doing so from what I see.

2. Can the Arkham Guard capture then immediately enter the GCPD cop car while having a captured figure? Again nothing prevents them from doing so from what I see?

Thanks for any help that can be shed on this.

Yes on both counts. Its a nasty combo either way you look at it. Personally I love having the guards driving the GCPD Cruisers to take their captives back to your starting area.

Well the team also involves using Lt Gordon to give them the free move action as well. I think it has potienal if you add Commissioner Gordan with the 18 defend.

If you Do REMEMBER: ONce someone becomes a Pilot they can't be given ANY ACTION. That includes the free getting them into position. Apparently ap layer today didn't read the card carefully enough.

Pilots also have all of their powers ignored. When they lose the capture ability they lose their captives.

could you source this? as there is nothing int he player's guide that says captives are released on anything other than a KO.

Its pretty straight forward. If you lose an ability, you lose all effects of it. You lose capture, you drop the guy you captured. Been that way since the original Sentinels back in Infinity Challenge. I'm sure someone can get the exact quote, but I don't have access to at the moment.

Captured characters are only rescued if they are specifically rescued, or if Capture is countered or lost. Ignoring an ability isn't the same as losing an ability. Battle Fury ignores Shape Change, but that doesn't mean the the targeted character loses Shape Change. The only way to lose an power/ability is to counter it or to click off of it.

...Uhhh what mbstoner said. And yes I know I've ran Sentinels before thank you.
And I just read it out of the Player's Guide. IT doesn't say anything on Losing the power.

So there's a ruling on there for countering and simply being KO'd not for losing it or being unable to use it again oddly enough.

I own the old sentinel but I don't have it with me right now, and if I remember correctly, the capture ability worked more like a trait (since those sentinels were not carded). - which is why their 'capture' was not outwit-able.

The main difference is that the AA Guard's capture is a special ability that appears on the dial. And therefore can be countered by outwit. For that reason, I assume that this rule was put into place:

I feel like I agree with what mbstoner said in post #8 since it makes sense that a cop would put the guy he arrested in the back seat then drive off.

Plus that 'countering capture' rule being there to deliberately put a hindrance for anyone trying to outwit Lockdown makes me think that the game designers didn't want the rescue to be as simple as declaring a free action.

Actually, the Lockdown power on these guards can be countered normally with Outwit. This is because you are countering the special power, not the Capture ability within the power.

Capture on the old Sentinels was a combat ability and could be countered with regular Outwit. This is when you need the special rules for countering Capture.

Ok, this now places me in the 'not sure what to think box' because what you mentioned makes sense.

Really? I don't recall this happening, but of course I could be mistaken because that was like... wow, 8 or 9 years ago?

But please do explain, IIRC we could only use outwit to counter a power / ability that was visible on the dial right? (especially back then when the rules were even less specific) - so how did a player declare trying to outwit a sentinel's capture ability? He would have just said it outright?

You can Counter any Power/Combat Ability possessed by a character.

I use Pulse Wave on a guy with Super Strength. His Super Strength is ignored. If he's holding an object, he does not drop it.

Same thing here.



And all you need to do for the Guard is counter Lockdown, so no rolling.

Thanks misterid, I stand corrected... now i see why there's a lot of confusion over 'possessing' a trait and 'can use'. I haven't really come across any issues with outwit since I came back to the game about a month ago, so i didn't think to look at it in depth.

But anyway - back to the topic at hand, it's still unclear if ignoring a power / ability due to becoming a pilot = having the ability countered in the same context as outwit.