Good Afternoon Heroclix fans and HCRealmers!

It's been a while since I have posted or contributed to the boards here, but that's because I've been retired from collecting and playing for the past few years. This isn't because I disliked the game- far from it! Really, it was a choice to step back and enjoy it from a different, non-playing perspective because my love and hobbyist commitment to the game and the primary source material (Marvel Comics) had to take a necessary backseat to primary loves and other priorities in my life- namely providing for my wife and child, as well as managing my budget with regards to attention, money, and time. I'm sure many of you reading this can understand and empathize with that process. Even though I no longer collect or buy clix or comics, but I keep tabs on what goes on with regard to both and I have very much enjoyed this stage of "retirement" from active fandom.

That said, though, I have watched with both amazement (as well as the occasional bewilderment) and focus with regard to how the Heroclix game has continued to evolve and develop, eagerly awaiting the announcement of new sets, campaigns, designs, themes, mechanics, and figures. Over time, I began to develop a new appreciation for the entire system of and the directions it has taken. As a result of this, my perspective has allowed me to make a project of both chronicling and studying the game from a more numbers-related position (which is unusual for me) to begin interpreting and imagining certain aspects of the game.

The ongoing product is what I have come to call "Marvel Heroclix: The Omniversal Challenge" in which I have combined my previous hobbies and erstwhile fanboy-loves of Marvel Comics and Heroclix to make the framework for a kind of RPG based on several concepts (customizable characters, particular storylines, open-ended play, ongoing character development, etc.) using my rather basic knowledge of Excel and in-depth knowledge of Marvel characters and continuity.

My hope is that at some point I would be able to inspire someone at WizKids to initiate a sort of revival of the online version of the game that combines or incorporates elements of turn-based RPGs, similar to things like Gladius (awesome, yet underrated game by LucasArts), Avengers Alliance, Fallout, and some classic Final Fantasy-type games in an open-ended progression that allows interaction (competitive and cooperative) with other players, As a concept, I think it would be pretty cool, but hey, I'll freely admit that I've never been any kind of game designer or truly hardcore gamer.

What this leads to is a description of the things that I will be starting to (hopefully regularly) to post on this forum with regards to potential character designs. These designs would serve as templates for selectable characters and would be comprehensive representations of the characters as they have been presented in their varying and various Heroclix incarnations. These designs follow a certain flow to them that take into account the various in-universe interpretations of a specific character (such as how mainstream versions of Wolverine compare and contrast with the Ultimate versions or Days of Future Past versions), then combines and averages them to give an "omniversal" template or standard for the character. If that sounds confusing to you, perhaps the first post I share next week will give some clarity (or, alternately, you can ask in the comments)

While I understand that some of this is and will be very subjective (because I am still a fanboy, albeit a retired one, with the requisite biases), I hope that this community will appreciate, comment, contribute to the discussion. I've had many positive interactions with community members, so I am happy to take suggestions and requests for which characters you all would like to see. I truly hope that someone else hasn't already done something like this, but I also hope that if they have, this could perhaps catch the attention of some creative types at WizKids.

Just to give you all an idea of my progress: I started at Infinity Challenge and I am currently in the last part of Secret Invasion, working chronologically by set release dates through each of the characters, so some of them are in need of updates while others are current and ready for sharing.

Thanks for reading this post, and let me know what you think- I'll hopefully start posting each Friday with characters that I have completed. Happy to see where this goes!

So as promised, here is the first example of my design for a character based on all the figures that have been incarnated by Eric Brooks (11 total, all from the "616" reality), most famously known as Blade the Vampire Hunter.

#001 Prime Eric Brooks
Real Name: Eric Brooks
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 3
Points: 55
Keywords: Assassin, Martial Artist, Monster

7 9 16 2

7 9 15 2

6 8 14 1

6 8 14 1

6 7 13 1

6 7 14 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Vampire Hunter: Eric Brooks' line of fire to characters with the "Monster" keyword is not affected by Hindering Terrain.
Specialized Arsenal: Modify Eric Brooks' Attack and Damage Values by +1 if he is targeting a character with the "Monster" or "Mystical" keywords. This modifier is applied for each keyword.
Vampiric Endurance and Awareness: STOP. Blade can use Combat Reflexes and Willpower.


Since he made his first appearances in the Heroclix game when dials and stats were very low and simplified, I've added some traits that gave him a relevant and appropriate boost to reflect his later, more effective forms as well as the history of the character over time. For future potential, I've considered that a Team Ability for the Nightstalkers or Midnight Sons could give him the ability to heal when a target with the "Monster" keyword is KO'd, or alternately, gives him access to something like Probability Control, Perplex, or added defense to attacks from certain powers or characters with the "Monster" keyword. Since this is a "Prime" designation, another option would be to give him a "Shifting Focus" or "Battlefield Promotion" type of mechanic to switch him to a full-blown "Blade" or "Ronin" character, which could have certain other uses for gameplay.

So for the second example dial, I chose to show the dial I conceptualized for Felicia Hardy, the ally (and sometimes frenemy) of Spider-Man known as the Black Cat! She's had a total of 8 forms in Heroclix, all emerging from her mainstream (616) version.

#002 Prime Felicia Hardy
Real Name: Felicia Hardy
Team: Spider-Man
Range: 2
Points: 41
Keywords: Martial Artist, Thief

8 9 16 2

8 9 16 2

7 8 15 2

7 8 14 1

6 7 13 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Cat Burglar Par Excellence: If Felicia Hardy makes a successful attack action against a single character, you may choose to deal no damage and choose one: the hit character cannot use equipped or held objects until after their next turn OR the hit character modifies all of its values by -2. If the attack roll result is a more than 4 higher than the target's Defense Value or is a critical hit, the hit character is also given an action token.

As you can see, her dial's values are weighed down by her older forms' lower stats, which I think translates her relatively baseline human status. Never really portrayed as much more than a kind of support piece with some strategic options via certain special powers, I think this design is faithful to her cat burglar status without giving too much room for crazy amounts of powers that maybe wouldn't fit the flow of design or the character's history.

As an idea for another Spider-Man Family Team Ability, I'd consider something like the "Swingline" feat or a mechanic that allows users to treat non-adjacent areas of Elevated Terrain as adjacent for movement purposes (as long as they're within a certain range). I think it would fit well with many of the Spider-Man-related characters being wall-crawlers, web-slingers, or some other kind of grappling device users. I was thinking also of simplified Marvel Divas TA that grants knockback to close attacks and a Heroes For Hire TAs that could be used to boost her Attack Value by +1 as long as there are equal or more numbers of opposing characters on the field and her Defense Value by +1 if there are fewer opposing characters on the field.

Continuing to the next example, I present the deadly, seductive, psychotic, and unpredictable enemy of Daredevil: Mary Walker, most often known as Typhoid Mary! She has appeared a total of 6 times in Heroclix, stemming from her representations from the mainstream Marvel Universe.

#003 Prime Mary Walker
Real Name: Mary Walker
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 4
Points: 46
Keywords: Assassin, Celebrity, Mutant, Psychic

7 9 16 1

8 8 15 1

7 8 15 1

6 7 14 1

6 7 14 1

7 8 15 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Mental Instability: At the beginning of your turn, roll a D6 that cannot be re-rolled. On a result of 1, increase Mary Walker's Defense Value by +1 until your next turn. On a result of 2-4, increase her Attack and Speed Values by +1 for until your next turn. On a result of 5-6, increase Mary Walker's Attack Value by +1 and damage dealt by her attacks cannot be reduced below 1 until your next turn.
Mary Walker Personality, Resurfaced.: STOP. Mary Walker may not be the target of an attack until after your next turn.

As with the above examples, you'll notice that her Combat Values are largely bogged down by her earlier designs, so I added the trait to reflect her shifting mental states and boost some of her less-than-average stats, as well as a STOP click Special Power to keep her from being KO'd via a single big attack. Due to her different personalities and their respective focuses, she is particularly ripe for a "Shifting Focus" mechanic. As this dial is, a roll of 1 reflects her civilian personality (least common), 2-4 is Typhoid Mary (most common), and 5-6 is Bloody Mary.

As far as future considerations, I think she could have a Team Ability that reflects the Marvel gangster or criminal underworld organizations that would do something like ignore Hindering Terrain or grant a bonus to Attack Values when occupying HT. For other ideas, I think an Initiative TA that granted something like Empower for friendly characters and a Sisterhood of Mutants TA that prevents Combat Values from being changed by opposing characters.

Next is a figure that is probably one of the most vanilla dials that has been untouched by a "carded" incarnation, the Mephistoid Starjammer known (to English-speakers, that is) as Hepzibah!

#004 Prime Hepzibah
Real Name: Unknown
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 6
Points: 24
Keywords: Pilot, Pirate

9 9 14 1

8 8 14 1

7 7 14 1

6 6 13 1

6 6 13 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

As her dial shows, the spunky, skunk-like extraterrestrial is a very simple sort of piece, probably most effectively used as a tie-up piece, shifting from a click of RCE and a couple clicks of B/C/F to provide some unexpected bigger damage. Her end dial reflects the evasion tactics her feline/weasel-like form could give her in avoiding attacks that could finish her off in a fight.

What could make her more useful is her potential Team Abilities. Most notably and naturally, an uncopyable Starjammers TA, I think, could provide a bonus to grant a free action after destroying an object, wall, or Blocking Terrain to reflect the pirate-like raiding and guerilla-type tactics of that team. As a member of the third X-Force team, I could see a target-specific bonus that gives a +1 to AV or ignores HT and opposing characters movement that ends with the targeted character within the printed range of the user. She could qualify for the X-Men TA, but I think it would be less fitting due to her relative short, almost unofficial tenure with the team before a quick time with X-Force and being reunited with the Starjammers. As a result, I think an "X-Men Ally" or "X-Men Reserve" TA could be proposed (for characters who were maybe not official, core members of the team) that allows them to heal others with the X-Men TA, but not be healed by it unless the healer rolled a 5-6, then they would be healed 2 clicks (in a way similar to the Deadpool figure from a few years back). If this were a possibility, I could imagine dual-TA versions of the character (as well as others from the Starjammers) who could fit into certain themes and builds.

I like the special powers and overall layout but I must state for the record that you're behind the power creep by about 12 years!

Minimum combat values have a much higher bar since the carded age began. For the most part all of these dials could get +2 combat values to be in line with current point value systems. Sorry, but I wouldn't play any of them because if it.

What ComicJunkie said, but then I realized you were coming up with stats by actually aggragating all versions of the character. That's fascinating but I think makes for a poorer overall design since early design was so underpowered. I'd encourage you to take an approach similar to our old "Mashup" threads; take the best values from versions and rearrange them into a new piece to make an iconic version.

This inspired me to start writing a Roleplaying system based on heroclix though, so thanks for that!

Thanks for the feedback! As it is right now, I wouldn't play any of these figures either for the reasons you already pointed out. The long-term goal of this project/thread is to give a comprehensive interpretation of the characters as they have appeared in various forms over the game's ongoing 15-year history, power creep, game expansion, and alternate versions considered all together. As a result, some characters end up looking A LOT better than others just based on the number of forms and interpretations they have had. Moreover, the idea of customizing characters would be that they could get different stats and powers based on how the player would decide to play them. Of course, some characters fit better in certain roles, but the fun for me is seeing the more fundamental and foundational essentials of the figures and giving a framework for individualized customizations.

For instance, Eric Brooks as he is above is just the "base model", but could be further customized depending on whether he was using the Blade or Ronin codename, if he was a member of the Nightstalkers, Midnight Sons, MI:13, or Avengers, what experience level or rank he has, and if the player wanted him to be more a ranged, melee, or balanced figure, as well as making him more team/theme-friendly, a lone wolf, or an offense-based guest-star or support-type.

And now, for a meatier example of my experimental projects, here are two examples of Peter Parker, classically and best known to the masses as the incomparable, spectacular, amazing Spider-Man! Drawing from over half a century's worth of publications and appearances, this "Omniversal" representation draws on a whopping 78 appearances of the famous wall-crawler, originating from no less than 15 continuities. Considering that breadth, here is the result when all realities have been considered equal for the purposes of creating one dial, sprinkling a dash of creativity from my own imagination:

#005a Prime Peter Parker
Real Name: Peter Parker
Team: Spider-Man
Range: 4
Points: 84
Keywords: Celebrity, Reporter, Scientist

8 10 17 3

8 10 17 2

8 10 16 2

7 9 16 2

7 9 16 2

7 9 16 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Movement: Ignores characters
With Great Power...: If Peter Parker is the only character on your force, modify his Attack Value by +1
Comes Great Responsibilty: If an attack made against Peter Parker is unsuccessful or is evaded, roll a d6. On a result of 5-6, you may remove an action token from him.
Web Swinging Into Action: Peter Parker can use Leap/Climb, Charge, and Super Senses. If he began his turn on Elevated Terrain, he may ignore it and Hindering Terrain for movement purposes.

This dial is meant to give a relative "storyteller" approach to Peter Parker, progressing from a signature "swinging into battle" entry (click 1), mixing it up on the ground (2), overcoming obstacles and resistance (3-4), pressing the offense (5), and ultimately embracing "The Other" out of desperation and/or determination for an unexpected finish (6). I was actually surprised by the way that his powers seemed to average out (especially warranting a click of B/C/F!), but I think that the importance of the "Spider Totem" aspect of the "Spider-Verse" stories can lend some legitimacy as to how it works out.

That said, we know that not all universes are created equal, and not all Peter Parkers have the same significance, so that is why I made this dial, which represents the adjusted/weighted interpretation of Peter Parker when considering the number of appearances and incarnations that are represented across the Heroclix game:

#005b Prime Peter Parker
Real Name: Peter Parker
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 4
Points: 84
Keywords: Celebrity, Reporter, Scientist

8 11 18 3

8 10 17 3

8 10 17 2

7 9 16 2

7 9 16 2

7 9 16 2

7 9 15 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Movement: Ignores characters
With Great Power...: If Peter Parker occupies Hindering or Elevated Terrain at the beginning of your turn, modify his Speed Value by +1.
Comes Great Responsibility: If Peter Parker generates Knockback on a successful attack, you may choose to either deal Knockback as normal or not deal Knockback and instead give an action token to the hit targets.
Friendly Neighborhood Web-Slinger: Peter Parker can use Leap/Climb, Sidestep, and ignores Hindering and Elevated Terrain. During a move action, he may make an attack action, but only to target a character that was on a different elevation than him at the beginning of his movement.

As you can see, this version has a similar flow to the other version, but adds some extra boosts due to the relative weight given to how the different incarnations have been designed and represented by the numbers. Because the point values didn't change, though, I thought it would be good pare this version down in an attempt (however flawed) to balance the two. Thus, the first is the team-player (think more Marvel Team-Up) and the second version is more of the solo/main character version.

While I would've liked or expected to have seen more classic Spider-Man-type power combinations, I can't say I'm disappointed with how these turned out. As always, feedback is appreciated!

Here's the spot where I'll put my customized Team Abilities for the characters I've created so far because I think that having more information on the actual dial helps with the game play experience. You'll also find that some of the TAs have specific requirements related to the rank of the characters, which I think helps add some texture and detail to how figures are represented and hopefully helps balance how figures can be used for the purposes of force construction and balancing usefulness and certain forms of in-game exploitation.

Factor Three: when a character with this Team Ability occupies a Starting Area, it may be given a free action to increase a Combat Value (but not Damage) of another friendly character occupying a square outside the same Starting Area.
Fallen Angels: at the end of your turn, give a character with this Team Ability a free action to roll a D6. On a roll of 4-6, you may place the character adjacent to another friendly character with this Team Ability anywhere on the map.
Heroes For Hire: Modify this character's Attack Value by +1 as long as there are equal or more numbers of opposing characters on the field. Modify this character's Defense Value by +1 if there are fewer opposing characters on the field.
Inhumans: Modify this character's Defense Value by +1 for each adjacent character using this Team Ability. Veteran/Unique/Prime characters treat penetrating damage as normal when adjacent to others using this Team Ability.
Marauders: when friendly characters with this Team Ability are adjacent, roll a D6. On a result of 4-6, damage from an attack from either of the characters is penetrating. If the attack is already dealing penetrating damage, modify the target's defense by -1.
Marvel Divas: Close Combat actions made by characters using this Team Ability deal Knockback.
Starjammers: When a character using this Team Ability destroys a square of Blocking Terrain or a Wall, it may immediately be given either a move or attack action as a free action. Uncopyable.
Team-Up: Bystander/Alter-Ego/Rookie characters can use the Team Abilities of adjacent friendly characters. Experienced/Veteran/Unique/Prime characters can use the Team Abilities of any friendly characters.
Thunderbolts: Once per turn, all characters using this Team Ability may copy one opposing character's Team Ability. If they target a character whose Team Ability they are copying, modify the target's Defense Value by -1.
Wild Pack: When a character using this Team Ability deals damage to an opposing character, roll a D6. On a result of 6, you may remove an action token from an adjacent friendly character. If a character with this Team Ability or an adjacent friendly character also has the "Mercenary" keyword, you may increase the D6 result by +1 for each character.
X-Force: before a character makes an action that includes an attack action, choose one: this character ignores Hindering Terrain for movement and line of fire OR increase damage dealt by this attack by 1 if the target of the attack has a power that reduces damage dealt to them.

Next up on the docket is the unfortunate case of Dr. Curtis Connors, otherwise known as the savage Lizard! His dial draws on a pool of 7 figures that come from 2 continuities.

#006a Prime Curtis Connors
Real Name: Curtis Connors
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 88
Keywords: Animal, Monster, Scientist

8 9 15 2

8 9 16 2

8 9 16 2

7 10 16 3

7 9 16 2

6 8 15 2

7 9 16 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Tail Swing: Curtis Connors can use Giant Reach: 2, but modifies his Damage Value by -1 for each square he is away from the target when making a close attack when using it.
Human Self, Resurfaced: Curtis Connors cannot use Giant Reach or Aquatic Movement. If he uses Shape Change and is unsuccessful, he may immediately use Regeneration before the attack is made and subtract 1 from the result for each action token currently on him.
Improvised Explosives: Curtis Connors can use Energy Explosion and Smoke Cloud with a Range Value of 6.

While I wasn't a big fan of the character's film portrayal, I couldn't overlook the powers that were represented through his Attack Special Power, so I figured it was okay to see it as a power. Because his average range was actually 2, I thought that giving him the Giant Reach ability was a good substitute since there isn't much precedent for the Lizard having a standard option to make a ranged attack. Lastly, you'll notice his last click makes good use of his ability to heal from damage played against a reversion to his human form, making him somewhat hard to put down for the count.

As I've shown before, though, I also want to show a "weighted" version of the character to play up the relative significances of the different versions of the character. Here's that form:

#006b Prime Curtis Connors
Real Name: Curtis Connors
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 89
Keywords: Animal, Monster, Scientist

9 10 16 3

9 10 16 3

9 9 16 3

8 10 16 4

8 9 16 3

7 9 15 3

8 9 16 3

8 10 16 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Tail Swing: Curtis Connors can use Giant Reach: 3, but modifies his Damage Value by -1 for each square he is away from the target when making a close attack when using it.
Fight-or-Flight Instincts: Curtis Connors can use Leap/Climb. If he is not adjacent to an opposing character, heal Curtis Connors 1 click when he clears action tokens.
Improvised Explosives: Curtis Connors can use Energy Explosion and Smoke Cloud with a Range Value of 6.

This is definitely a little more on the savage side, able to dish out and take lots of damage, and also sporting the "hard to kill"-type powers and abilities that the character has been known for. Personally, I think the numbers are a bit overpowered (especially the 4 Damage) and I tend to dislike having to choose between 3 Damage and rolling B/C/F, but I'd be happy with fielding either of these. From a Spider-Man-centric perspective, I think this is a very good opponent for the wall-crawler, bringing a significant challenge to him in a one-on-one fight, which is something that many of the villains in that particular rogues gallery haven't been able to do consistently in Clix-form, especially in the pre-carded era.

For the next entry, we have the often-cowardly and conniving mutant Telford Porter, also known as The Vanisher. He has 4 forms all drawn from the mainstream 616 universe, the majority of which came from the pre-carded Mutant Mayhem set.

#007 Prime Telford Porter
Real Name: Telford Porter
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 3
Points: 26
Keywords: Mutant, Thief

13 8 16 2

13 7 15 1

12 7 14 1

12 7 15 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Extraction Expertise: Telford Porter can use the Carry ability to carry up to 3 single base characters regardless of Combat Symbols, but modifies his Speed Value by -1 for each character he carries.
Infiltration: Telford Porter can use Phasing/Teleport and Stealth

As you can see, this dial is pretty cheap and simple, which I think reflects his minor character status and his often non-combat role. As a result, I think he could be made more interesting by some of the potential Team Abilities he could possess, which could be the Factor Three, Fallen Angels, Marauders, or X-Force affiliations (detailed in a comment above).

Next up for the Omniversal Challenge is the faithful canine companion to the Inhuman royal family: Lockjaw! While there are 6 total forms of Lockjaw as a solo unit (I'm not counting his duo figure with Hairball for this tally), his representation in Clix is one of the units that presents an interesting conundrum because his 3 most recent forms also have the "Pet Avengers" keyword, which would indicate that those forms could also represent the version portrayed in the Earth-97161 dimension. With that in mind, the six aggregated forms could represent two different dimensions, meaning that the 3 most-recent forms could be counted twice when figuring out the pan-dimensional representation. With that in mind, here is the unweighted construction:

#008a Prime Lockjaw
Real Name: Lockjaw
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 45
Keywords: Animal, Inhumans

12 9 16 2

12 8 15 2

12 8 15 2

11 8 14 1

11 8 14 1

10 7 13 1

10 7 13 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Royal Family's Preferred Conveyance: Lockjaw can use the Carry ability to carry up to 3 single-base characters regardless of Combat Symbols. He may be given a Double Power Action to carry characters with the "Inhumans" keyword that occupied a square that he moved through during a move action as long as those characters have one or more Action Tokens.
Royal Guard Dog: Lockjaw can use Phasing/Teleport and Charge. If Lockjaw makes a successful attack, reduce the target's Defense Value by -1 until the end of your turn.

As you can see, this form is pretty much the standard teleporting dog utilized by the Royal Family. He's not much for combat, really, but might have some uses for placing friendly characters as he does in the comics. I have tried to figure out a way to show him picking up Inhumans in different situations without introducing another game-breaking mechanic revolving around Lockjaw (a la LAMP). I'm thinking that his low stats, double-sized base would work to balance this out, and limiting his "pick-up" trait to Inhumans with the penalty of a double power action makes good sense in that regard.

Shifting to the "weighted" version of Lockjaw, his dial looks like this:

#008b Prime Lockjaw
Real Name: Lockjaw
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0
Points: 46
Keywords: Animal, Inhumans

12 10 16 2

12 9 16 2

12 9 15 2

12 9 15 2

11 8 15 2

11 8 14 2

11 8 13 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Near Limitless Teleportation: Lockjaw can use the Carry ability to carry up to 3 single-base characters regardless of Combat Symbols. He may be given a Double Power Action to move up to twice his Speed Value.
Royal Guard Dog: Lockjaw can use Phasing/Teleport and Charge. All successful attacks by Lockjaw generate Knockback.


Looking at this, you see a Lockjaw that is a bit more (but not entirely) combat-ready and possibly leading his fellow animal sidekicks into the unusual adventures. While there is not a lot of difference between the two versions, but as I've described in the write-ups and designs I've previously posted, the Team Ability possibilities are where some additional significance could be displayed. The Inhumans TA and Pet Avengers abilities are natural fits, but given Lockjaw's ability to help out in diverse situations, I could see giving him the Team-Up Team Ability as well.

For the next entry, we have the morally questionable mercenary known as the Paladin! There's no a lot of significant backgroud necessary for him other than the fact that he's been incarnated in Heroclix a total of 4 times, and here's what his averages look like:

#009 Prime Paladin
Real Name: Unknown
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 6
Points: 51
Keywords: Detective, Mercenary, Spy

8 9 16 2

7 9 15 2

7 8 14 2

6 7 13 2

6 7 13 2

7 8 14 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

If the Price is Right...: At the beginning of the game, you may select one opposing character as Paladin's target. As long as that character is on the map, you may choose to modify one of Paladin's Combat Values by +1 at the beginning of your turn.


Like other characters who originated in the pre-carded era of the game, his dial suffers greatly from the evidences of power creep and the evolutions/innovations that came with Special Powers and Traits. If you haven't noticed the trend in my designs, I like it when figures have a good overlap of powers (which optimally won't nullify or preempt good gameplay synergy) and they are potentially able to overcome damage reducers throughout their dial where possible and applicable. Because of how his powers and numbers worked out, though, Paladin here gets the short end of the stick in both stats and power distribution. As a result, I copied a bit of his varying traits and TAs to make him more versatile, but not necessarily more innately playable. It's kind of sad, but I'm inclined to think that Paladin's status as a 2nd/3rd rate guy would mean that there aren't a whole lot of people lining up to see a super-powerful aggregate version of the character who would be a foundational member of a tournament-winning team.

With regard to prospective Team Abilities, I could imagine giving Paladin forms with the Team-Up, Heroes for Hire, Thunderbolts, and Wild Pack affiliations to boost his potential.

Sorry for the absence (for those of you who have been reading)- I was out of town for a week and didn't have time to add the next entries. Hopefull this one will be intriguing to you!

Like him or hate him, Scott Summers is a significant part of the Marvel Universe. Most notably known as Cyclops of the X-Men, there are currently 26 solo forms of the mutant hero/antihero/politician/pragmatist/activist/leader/potential world-destroyer/pilot/radio announcer (yes, really), which are drawn from 4 different continuities. He focuses on being a ranged bruiser and (later in the game, at least) a leader with a special focus on the X-Men theme and/or Team Ability. Going by the numbers, here's what he looks like when all the different realities' versions of him are leveled off and averaged:

#009a Prime Scott Summers
Real Name: Scott Summers
Team: X-Men
Range: 8
Points: 98
Keywords: Blaster, Mutant, Pilot, Tactician

8 10 16 3

7 9 16 3

7 9 15 2

7 8 15 2

6 8 15 2

6 8 14 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Genetic Immunity: Scott Summers takes no damage from Ranged Attacks from characters named Alexander Summers or Havok. This may not be ignored.
Lining Up the Best Shot: You may give Scott Summers a Power Action to move into an adjacent square and immediately make a Ranged Attack. If the targets of the attack have Action Tokens on them, you may modify Scott Summers Attack or Damage Values by a number equal to the number of total tokens on them.
Taking Off the Visor: If Scott Summers took damage last turn, he may be given a Double Power Action to make a Ranged Attack and modify his Damage by +3.

As you can see, Scottie here plays up his reputation as a glass cannon, making good use of his status as a ranged combatant while not being completely overpowered. This version is defeinitely more a sniper, and is meant to show Cyclops' tactical maneuvering and targeting opponents' from specific angles and positions. This is contrasted with the weighted version, which is more centered on "crowd control" from a range, which is as follows:

#009b Prime Scott Summers
Real Name: Scott Summers
Team: X-Men
Range: 8
Points: 98
Keywords: Mutant, Pilot, Tactician

8 10 16 3

8 10 16 3

7 9 16 3

7 8 15 2

7 8 15 2

6 8 15 2

7 9 15 3

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

Genetic Immunity: Scott Summers takes no damage from Ranged Attacks from characters named Alexander Summers or Havok. This may not be ignored.
Leading By Example: When Scott Summers makes a successful Ranged Attack, you may remove a single Action Token from a friendly character that is adjacent to him or adjacent to one of his hit targets.
Banked Shot Refraction: If Scott Summers targets a single character, wall, heavy object, ultra-heavy object or square of Blocking Terrain with a Ranged Attack, he may also target other characters with the same attack as if he occupied the square of the first target. All targets of this attack are dealt 2 damage.

As far as playability goes, this second version shows Cyke's ability to hit multiple targets from various positions and rally his teammates. Using the team abilities that come from X-Men, X-Factor, Brotherhood, or Phoenix Five TAs, these "base model" versions of Scott Summers are able to become the ranged-combat backbone of related theme teams. Tacking on the "Cyclops" "Hulklops", "Phoenix", or "Dark Phoenix" codenames/personae would further enhance that role.