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The Pre-SoV Workshop

The High Forest Vanguards are a solid design; a versatile ranged/melee squad. It's hard for me to tell how well the minis fit together with just the card pic; I need to see battlefield pics. I think the Paizo stock is probably good enough for the Graceful Slayer.

Both the sword and "mohawk" figures look alright to me in real life, here is a map picture that also includes another figure I have been considering that has very good availability (an Ansalon Human from the D&D Dragonlance miniatures set); although it is labelled as a human it has weirdly detailed ear paint that makes it seem elf-like (and could also be slightly modified by painting over the ears in black to hide them completely and thus having no issues passing as an elf figure).

GePc9Oo.jpeg
A paint job that gives them similar colors would go a long way here, but we take what we can get. I think they look ok.

Do you prefer it with the 4th figure subbing in for one of the original three, or just the original three from the card?
I agree with the others. The bit of blue really helps.
 
This may be a crazy suggestion, but is Ullar the only general you're considering for these guys? I'm not a fan of the "Ullar is green" thought, but I also feel like it might be interesting to at least consider having these elves following Aquilla.

I think the only mechanical interaction that might be odd is that Acolarh's Leaf of the Home Tree would be affecting non-Ullar units, but I don't know if that's really an issue?
 
This may be a crazy suggestion, but is Ullar the only general you're considering for these guys? I'm not a fan of the "Ullar is green" thought, but I also feel like it might be interesting to at least consider having these elves following Aquilla.

I think the only mechanical interaction that might be odd is that Acolarh's Leaf of the Home Tree would be affecting non-Ullar units, but I don't know if that's really an issue?

Actually I had also considered that, you're right that it doesn't really break anything in terms of mechanics and existing Scout units are as such: Aquilla with 6, Ullar with 4, and Jandar with 3, so technically there is actually more precedent with Aquilla (and Elaria reps the non-requirement for elves to follow Ullar already, so the thing with Acolarh already exists and is therefore seemingly not a problem yeah).

Aquilla summoning elves that are scouts defending the front lines of their forest homes from intruders does make a lot of thematic sense, and blue is one of her colors as well.
 
This may be a crazy suggestion, but is Ullar the only general you're considering for these guys? I'm not a fan of the "Ullar is green" thought, but I also feel like it might be interesting to at least consider having these elves following Aquilla.

I think the only mechanical interaction that might be odd is that Acolarh's Leaf of the Home Tree would be affecting non-Ullar units, but I don't know if that's really an issue?

Actually I had also considered that, you're right that it doesn't really break anything in terms of mechanics and existing Scout units are as such: Aquilla with 6, Ullar with 4, and Jandar with 3, so technically there is actually more precedent with Aquilla (and Elaria reps the non-requirement for elves to follow Ullar already, so the thing with Acolarh already exists and is therefore seemingly not a problem yeah).

Aquilla summoning elves that are scouts defending the front lines of their forest homes from intruders does make a lot of thematic sense, and blue is one of her colors as well.
I suspect there would be some resistance in the Inner Sanctum to having these Elves work for Aquilla without a strong reason. I don't know how much.
 
This may be a crazy suggestion, but is Ullar the only general you're considering for these guys? I'm not a fan of the "Ullar is green" thought, but I also feel like it might be interesting to at least consider having these elves following Aquilla.

I think the only mechanical interaction that might be odd is that Acolarh's Leaf of the Home Tree would be affecting non-Ullar units, but I don't know if that's really an issue?

Actually I had also considered that, you're right that it doesn't really break anything in terms of mechanics and existing Scout units are as such: Aquilla with 6, Ullar with 4, and Jandar with 3, so technically there is actually more precedent with Aquilla (and Elaria reps the non-requirement for elves to follow Ullar already, so the thing with Acolarh already exists and is therefore seemingly not a problem yeah).

Aquilla summoning elves that are scouts defending the front lines of their forest homes from intruders does make a lot of thematic sense, and blue is one of her colors as well.

I suspect there would be some resistance in the Inner Sanctum to having these Elves work for Aquilla without a strong reason. I don't know how much.

Understandable; Ullar is certainly the "safer"/more obvious choice (and likely what the original designers would have done with them, even if I do quite like Aquilla there as well). I'll consider it either way a bit before I move forward; as far as I am aware there is no big elven resistance or rebellion in any of the D&D settings besides Eberron, but Eberron elves are pretty different stylistically to regular Faerun elves, which would probably be the "hook" they would need to slot perfectly into Aquilla.
 
Understandable; Ullar is certainly the "safer"/more obvious choice (and likely what the original designers would have done with them, even if I do quite like Aquilla there as well). I'll consider it either way a bit before I move forward; as far as I am aware there is no big elven resistance or rebellion in any of the D&D settings besides Eberron, but Eberron elves are pretty different stylistically to regular Faerun elves, which would probably be the "hook" they would need to slot perfectly into Aquilla.
I don't know how I'd feel about the change either. There is already too much overlap between the two generals, and I don't like muddying that further.
 
Understandable; Ullar is certainly the "safer"/more obvious choice (and likely what the original designers would have done with them, even if I do quite like Aquilla there as well). I'll consider it either way a bit before I move forward; as far as I am aware there is no big elven resistance or rebellion in any of the D&D settings besides Eberron, but Eberron elves are pretty different stylistically to regular Faerun elves, which would probably be the "hook" they would need to slot perfectly into Aquilla.

I don't know how I'd feel about the change either. There is already too much overlap between the two generals, and I don't like muddying that further.

That is another good point. I wonder if in AoA switching the Dryans over to Aquilla is an attempt to give her more of a centered "identity", although since many of them also seem like they'd be at home in Ullar I'm not sure how successful that will be.

It is quite interesting that the ones we've seen so far that were given to Aquilla (familiars, Xenithrax, and the Master of Tides) seem to be focusing more on her "beastmaster/beast tamer", "wild nature", and elemental aspects, which are two things Ullar didn't get a ton of despite being presented as the "nature general". I wonder if other more Ullar-seeming Dryans like Halushia will also end up with Aquilla, or there will be more of a split.

But yeah, I think overall you are right that Aquilla, while an interesting place to put them, is probably a worse idea than Ullar.
 
Hi folks, I was preparing to (re)submit my Annunhounds custom that failed the United Fanscape Review process a while back, and I was hoping for some advice before I do so. Sorry for not having a mock-up card ready this time; Discord is no longer a reliable image-hosting platform, and I haven't yet found a replacement I like.

NAME = Hounds of Ekstrom

GENERAL = ULLAR

PLANET = VALHALLA

SPECIES = UNDEAD

UNIQUENESS = COMMON SQUAD (2 FIGURES)

CLASS = HUNTERS

PERSONALITY = RELENTLESS

SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 4

LIFE = 1

MOVE = 7

RANGE = 1

ATTACK = 3

DEFENSE = 4

POINTS = 40

QUARRY CHASING

When revealing an Order Marker on Hounds of Ekstrom, after taking the Hounds of Ekstrom's turn, you may take a turn with a Hunter Hero you control. During this turn, that Hero figure may not attack figures that are not within 2 clear sight spaces of least one Hound of Ekstrom you control.

PHANTOM WALK

Hounds of Ekstrom may move through all figures and are never attacked when leaving an engagement.

The primary matter I wanted to discuss is sculpt availability. I haven't done the same internet vendor deep dive as last time, but I noticed that the unit's sculpts, Pathfinder Deep Cuts Hell Hounds, are currently out of stock at Paizo. Nevertheless, they're still sold by WizKids' website, and WizKids' availability list for unpainted miniatures products identifies them as in stock—albeit at "limited" availability—and not retired, which implies that they could be restocked again in the near future. Whether this is sufficient for SoV purposes is beyond my judgment, though.

The secondary matter I wanted to discuss was the thematic changes I made to the unit. Instead of being Irish wild hunt psychopomps, this version of the Hounds recasts them as specters haunting the Wellspring of Obsession—as mentioned in a RoTV scenario—in Ullar's territory of Ekstrom. It's a mysterious and ominous place from which "defeated warriors never return," possibly because it actively consumes those fighting there, so it seems like a good birthplace for spirits.

Naturally, comments on the actual mechanics of the unit are welcome, too.
 
Hi folks, I was preparing to (re)submit my Annunhounds custom that failed the United Fanscape Review process a while back, and I was hoping for some advice before I do so. Sorry for not having a mock-up card ready this time; Discord is no longer a reliable image-hosting platform, and I haven't yet found a replacement I like.

NAME = Hounds of Ekstrom
GENERAL = ULLAR
PLANET = VALHALLA
SPECIES = UNDEAD
UNIQUENESS = COMMON SQUAD (2 FIGURES)
CLASS = HUNTERS
PERSONALITY = RELENTLESS
SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 4

LIFE = 1
MOVE = 7
RANGE = 1
ATTACK = 3
DEFENSE = 4
POINTS = 40

QUARRY CHASING
When revealing an Order Marker on Hounds of Ekstrom, after taking the Hounds of Ekstrom's turn, you may take a turn with a Hunter Hero you control. During this turn, that Hero figure may not attack figures that are not within 2 clear sight spaces of least one Hound of Ekstrom you control.

PHANTOM WALK
Hounds of Ekstrom may move through all figures and are never attacked when leaving an engagement.
The primary matter I wanted to discuss is sculpt availability. I haven't done the same internet vendor deep dive as last time, but I noticed that the unit's sculpts, Pathfinder Deep Cuts Hell Hounds, are currently out of stock at Paizo. Nevertheless, they're still sold by WizKids' website, and WizKids' availability list for unpainted miniatures products identifies them as in stock—albeit at "limited" availability—and not retired, which implies that they could be restocked again in the near future. Whether this is sufficient for SoV purposes is beyond my judgment, though.

The secondary matter I wanted to discuss was the thematic changes I made to the unit. Instead of being Irish wild hunt psychopomps, this version of the Hounds recasts them as specters haunting the Wellspring of Obsession—as mentioned in a RoTV scenario—in Ullar's territory of Ekstrom. It's a mysterious and ominous place from which "defeated warriors never return," possibly because it actively consumes those fighting there, so it seems like a good birthplace for spirits.

Naturally, comments on the actual mechanics of the unit are welcome, too.
Not sure about that availability; you probably should find more sources.

I like the retheme. Quarry Chasing has a potential issue with "cannot attack" because that's not really clear how that would work with things like Explosion attacks. It should be changed to "cannot target ... when attacking with that Hero."
 
Not sure about that availability; you probably should find more sources.

I like the retheme. Quarry Chasing has a potential issue with "cannot attack" because that's not really clear how that would work with things like Explosion attacks. It should be changed to "cannot target ... when attacking with that Hero."

Sorry; I would've replied earlier, but I've been encountering database errors here recently.

I'll look for more vendors. Also, good call on Quarry Chasing's wording; I'll fix that.
 
I've been going through a number of iterations for Lady Aldorn since she failed to pass Scytale's review in the SoV. Here's where I'm currently at:
NAME = LADY ALDORN
GENERAL = VYDAR
PLANET = ARCTORUS
SPECIES = UNDEAD
UNIQUENESS = UNIQUE HERO
CLASS = LADY
PERSONALITY = TERRIFYING
SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 5

4 LIFE
6 MOVE
5 RANGE
3 ATTACK
3 DEFENSE
90 POINTS

Call of Aldorn:
Before moving, you may move up to 4 Terrors that you control within 8 sight spaces, up to 6 spaces. For each Terror that you move, subtract 1 from the move value of this card.

Blade of Terror Special Attack:
Range 1. Attack 5.
When attacking with Blade of Terror Special Attack you may attack 1 additional time, but roll 1 less attack die, for each friendly terrifying figure adjacent to the defending figure other than Lady Aldorn.

Levitation:
Lady Aldorn does not take falling damage and may ignore all effects from terrain tiles she moves onto or occupies.

Phantom Walk:
Lady Aldorn can move through all figures and is never attacked when leaving an engagement.
Notable changes:
• Range Raised from 1 -> 5. [Aldorn is an archmage, so I think it makes sense that his wife would have some amount of magical ability. I wanted a reason to ever use the normal attack over the special. It makes taking turns while setting up for future special attacks not feel like wasted turns.]
• Defense lowered from 4 -> 3. [With the other buffs I have given her, and the versatility she now has, I felt that she needed to be toned down a bit.]
• Class changed from Terror -> Lady. [It matches her name. Aldorn's Terrifying influence doesn't affect heros, and Aldorn isn't a Terror either. She now works with Skeletons of Annellintia.]
• Blade of Terror was completely reworked.
Here's the original Blade of Terror for reference
Blade of Terror Special Attack:
Range 1. Attack 2 + special.
Roll 1 extra attack die for each other friendly terrifying figure adjacent to the defending figure, up to a maximum of +4.

Blade of terror can now do 1 attack of 5, 2 attacks of 4, 3 attacks of 3, 4 attacks of 2, and 5 attacks of 1, if you have enough Terrifying figures next to the defending figure, but you cannot attack more than 1 figure. This means that you can adjust her number of attacks to suite the target of your attack. Usually 2 attacks of 4, or 3 attacks of 3 will be the best option, but if the issue is high defense you might consider the single attack of 5. I saw no reason to prevent it from allowing 4 attacks of 2, or 5 attacks of 1, so they are there as options, but are almost always worse, outside of a few niche situations. Any additional terrifying figures past 4 just results in attacks of 0, which don't matter as far as I am aware.
 
I like all of the changes except I really do not like the Blade of Terror changes. For one thing the attack does not say you have to attack the same figure repeatedly, though that can be fixed. Just in general, though, it's just overly complicated for not much effect. The version you had before, though not strong enough, was excellent in concept and simplicity.
 
I like all of the changes except I really do not like the Blade of Terror changes. For one thing the attack does not say you have to attack the same figure repeatedly, though that can be fixed. Just in general, though, it's just overly complicated for not much effect. The version you had before, though not strong enough, was excellent in concept and simplicity.
If we're going for simplicity, what if i just took the original Blade of Terror, and just allowed it to attack up to three times?
 
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If we're going for simplicity, what if i just took the original Blade of Terror, and just allowed it to attack up to three times?
I don't know if three times is necessary; it was pretty close to good before. But yeah, something like that. Or instead of boosting attack, give it a straight 4 attack and have the adjacent Terrors reduce defense.
 
I think I understand the benefit mechanically, but range doesn't really make sense to me with the model. Would it make sense to have the knife be the normal attack and have a short ranged special attack of screeching of some kind? The model is a banshee, after all.
 
I love what I’m seeing here, except that I think there is a lesson to be learned from the struggle to dial in the Special Attack: it’s just an ornamentation.

The other powers are cool and thematic and give room for interesting game play. Drop the SA, give her an Attack of 5 (the power of the necrotic touch!), and see how it goes. Attack 4 if you aren’t feeling as brave as I want you to be.

My 2c.

(Edit: Kill your darlings.)
 
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I love what I’m seeing here, except that I think there is a lesson to be learned from the struggle to dial in the Special Attack: it’s just an ornamentation.

The other powers are cool and thematic and give room for interesting game play. Drop the SA, give her an Attack of 5 (the power of the necrotic touch!), and see how it goes. Attack 4 if you aren’t feeling as brave as I want you to be.
I disagree with this. The interaction between Call of Aldorn and Blade of Terror is the best part of the design. It was just too underwhelming when I played it.
 
Ok. I do not have the benefit of playtesting the design.

The card has too much going on for my tastes, but I am no longer a voter anywhere, so that’s just me. I do disagree with the suggestion that it should adopt the banshee theme on top of its other moving parts.
 
Would it be too far to have Call of Aldorn only work with the Specters, and then give her some form of her own Deadly Touch? Perhaps dice reduction per Specters that moved through the target this turn?

Would remove synergy with the Visages, but I'm not sure how often you'll want to run the Aldorns all together anyways. Of course, you could also always keep Call of Aldorn as moving terrors and have a version of Deadly Touch that works with terrors.
 
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The Chronotoll Adherents are interesting, but I don't see what role they fill. They are too inconsistent to be a bread & butter squad, and don't really hit hard enough to be assassins or heavy-hitters, though Order Marker 3 isn't bad. What role do you intend them to fulfill?

Dr. Temporo is a decent filler hero, though not particularly useful until cleanup.

Jan Sobieski is a pretty solid design, though I think Command is overcooked. I think you can drop the 'X' and make it boost adjacent only. That makes for some interesting placement choices without the added complexity.
 
The Chronotoll Adherents are interesting, but I don't see what role they fill. They are too inconsistent to be a bread & butter squad, and don't really hit hard enough to be assassins or heavy-hitters, though Order Marker 3 isn't bad. What role do you intend them to fulfill?

Dr. Temporo is a decent filler hero, though not particularly useful until cleanup.

Jan Sobieski is a pretty solid design, though I think Command is overcooked. I think you can drop the 'X' and make it boost adjacent only. That makes for some interesting placement choices without the added complexity.
I have enjoyed the "niche" of a cheapish splashable unit that gets better the later OMs go, as it leads to some interesting placement decisions (adding in a few squads and taking advantage of that can be decent, but yeah I agree they are not nesc. the strongest - though I have found them to be fun to use with Ornak, Rygarn, etc). In my experience you can use them as a bread-and-butter squad if you want though (OM1 is still a 3-person activation with a ranged 2-dice ping, and 2 and 3 usually feel pretty worth it). Both the Adherents and Dr. Temporo do get a bit better with a 2nd hero I am still working on, do you think I should wait and try to submit them all together when this one is also slightly more "locked in"? It's not really a "faction" as such but they are all time-themed, and work with OMs in some fashion & benefit each other by existing.

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So that 1st ability of Jan would be something like "Friendly Common Human figures that follow Einar or Jandar and start their turn adjacent to Jan may add 1 to their Move and Attack during that turn."? I'd need to test more with that of course but I think I like it, it does become more powerful being multiple times per round but I am aiming him in the more expensive points ranges anyway so that isn't nesc. an issue (and you have to be a lot more careful with your placements, like you said - especially when taking bonding turns with him).
 
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