WizKids has really dragged revealing the upcoming changes to HeroClix rules (necessitating splitting this article into a series of Parts 1-4 and Parts 5-6), but finally we’ve gotten a look at the entire Powers And Abilities card and can comment on how gameplay will look going forward.
HeroClix has gone through some mega shifts over its now 18-year lifespan. It started with everything you needed for play being on the dial — simple, once you learned the rules. And although some off-the-map wrinkles such as feat cards and battlefield condition were added, this was the extent of the game. Call it HeroClix 1.0.
But then came character cards, in year 6, and HeroClix 2.0 in all but name ensued. From here, layer upon layer of new complexity began to add to the game — sometimes to its detriment but always remaining F.U.N. if you could find (usually by downplaying the metagame). And the rules made a significant shift roughly every four years, but most of the core gameplay was unchanged.
Well, now we’re in HeroClix 3.0, with a number of “sacred cow” rules like hindered movement, Stealth while adjacent and pushing going by the wayside.
Let’s get into it.
SPEED
- Flurry is unchanged.
- Leap/Climb is no longer a MOVE action so it combos with stuff like Sidestep and Charge. It also lost the little-used “attack-different-elevations” ability and wording for +2 breakaway.
- Phasing/Teleport is unchanged.
- Earthbound/Neutralized restricts use of Improved Movement/Targeting abilities.
- Charge allows use of CLOSE as FREE instead of “at no cost.” Also loses immunity to knockback,
- Mind Control‘s RANGE option gains a minimum reach of 6 from the previous 4.
- Plasticity no longer forces everything without Improved Movement: Characters to stop but everything without Hypersonic, Leap/Climb, Plasticity or Phasing has to roll a 6 to break away. Plasticity only fails break away on 1.
- Force Blast gains a minimum range of 6 for the POWER option and a standard 3-square knockback.
- Sidestep remains a FREE 2-square move.
- Hypersonic Speed, like Leap/Climb, loses wording for +2 breakaway, so it’s a normal breakaway roll in most cases.
- Stealth gets wording that at last allows an adjacent foe to draw line of fire to Stealthers in hindering.
- Running Shot allows use of RANGE as FREE instead of “at no cost.”
ATTACK
- Blades/Claws/Fangs, is now activated by any close attack against a single target, not just a CLOSE.
- Energy Explosion has minor shift in wording but effectively no change.
- Pulse Wave appears to no longer do full damage on single target. (This could be a mistake.)
- Quake is no longer a CLOSE, just a close attack that may target multiples. Otherwise is functionally the same. It gets the KNOCKBACK keyphrase as a passive ability.
- Super Strength remains the same.
- Incapacitate is no longer a CLOSE or RANGE. Whenever it makes an attack, you can token the target(s) instead of normal damage. Also no longer deals damage to double-tokened targets.
- Penetrating/Psychic Blast is no longer a RANGE but still deals penetrating damage at range.
- Smoke Cloud gets the minimum 6 range boost that Mind Control did.
- Precision Strike no longer is restricted to a single target.
- Poison is unchanged.
- Steal Energy has minor shift in wording but effectively no change.
- Telekinesis only affects objects and friendly characters now. No attack options.
DEFENSE
- Super Senses is unchanged.
- Toughness is unchanged.
- Defend is unchanged.
- Combat Reflexes loses its knockback immunity.
- Energy Shield/Deflection is unchanged.
- Barrier gains the minimum range boost to 6 and is no longer limited to clear terrain only.
- Mastermind is unchanged.
- Willpower is functionally now a self-Leadership roll, working at the beginning of turn phase.
- Invincible no longer caps taken damage at 3.
- Impervious is unchanged.
- Regeneration is unchanged.
- Invulnerability is unchanged.
DAMAGE
- Ranged Combat Expert, no longer a POWER action, loses its modification options and now is a static +1 to attack and damage to any normal damage range attack (including destroy actions).
- Battle Fury has minor shift in wording that prevents it from being given action tokens by ANY enemy effect, not just Incapacitate.
- Support is unchanged.
- Exploit Weakness is no longer a CLOSE but still deals penetrating damage in melee.
- Enhancement now allows the +1 against terrain/objects
- Probability Control is unchanged.
- Shape Change is unchanged.
- Close Combat Expert no longer a POWER action, loses its modifcation options and now is a static +1 to attack and damage to any normal damage close attack (including destroy actions).
- Empower now allows the +1 against terrain/objects.
- Perplex no longer affects damage.
- Outwit is unchanged.
- Leadership is unchanged.
ABILITIES
- Carry no longer penalizes speed.
- Heavy Objects appear to no longer do extra damage.
- All the Improved abilities are properly named in their description.
- Improved Movement: Hindering is gone.
- Improved Movement: Characters has minor shift in wording but effectively no change.
- Great Size now also grants 3-6 Willpower.
- Passenger no longer prevents same-size fliers from being carried.
- SAFEGUARD replaces the PROTECTED keyphrase, while “Protected: X” still stands for Outwit and Pulse Wave, respectively.
- Swim can’t be targeted from beyond 4 squares when in water.
OTHER CHANGES
- Crit miss self-damage is immediate, instead of after resolutions.
- Knockback places UP TO 3 squares away, so … you might have options to do less. Also no more “direct path” language.
- Destroyed Barrier no longer leaves debris!
….that’s a lot! They seem to be encouraging more melee and team formation (and counters to same) at the expense of big solo strike ability (see the heavy object change, and that Pulse Wave one … whoa.) A future post will further analyze what’s gotten beefed up and nerfed — and how F.U.N. is it all.
In the meantime, here’s the new 2021 rulebook and Powers & Abilities Card.