I had the idea of going through the hero cards and tweaking certain ones that are that I feel are under-powered. My goal is to buff the overall power of some heroes, and increase build variety for heroes that have one dimensional builds. I am mostly sticking to buffing cards (while trying to keep their intent), however there are a couple nerfs I am considering at the end.
This is simply a houserule project mostly for my own purposes and am looking for feedback on the card changes. My intent is not to imply that everyone should be using these.
Most of these are untested but I am looking for feedback before I will eventually test these.
Edit: I have added several changes from other similar posts. They are in italics.
Biv Bodrik
-Stay Down: Changed to 1 strain instead of 2.
-Final Stand: The last sentence now reads, Then take 2 damage. At the start of the next activation, you become weakened.
-Advance: Exhaust this card when a hostile figure within 2 spaces is defeated to interrupt to move up to 2 spaces to one of the spaces the defeated figure occupied.
-Shake it Off: At the start of your activation you may test . If you pass, you may recover 1 or discard a harmful condition.
-Into the Fray: - Apply +1 Speed to your Hero. | While defending, if you are within 3 spaces of 2 or more hostile figures, apply +1 to your defense results.
-Trophy Armor: Does not exhaust.
One of Biv's greatest weaknesses is that he lacks a good 4xp skill, therefore he has trouble spending all of his xp on good, solid skills. At 2 strain, Stay Down is way too expensive as C&P already requires 2 strain, but it is the fact that this skill cannot be used while wounded kills it for me. At 1 strain, it is much better.
A deplete skill much deliver a tremendous punch if it is to justify its large cost. Previously, you would get 4 actions, and then lose one due to the stun, really only netting an increase of 1 action. By changing the stun to a weaken, it keeps the thematics of the skill and allows for an incredibly powerful turn once per mission.
I have tested both of these already, as I've been using these for a while now, and I like how both of them feel.
Saska Teft
-Remote Distributor: Changed to 2xp, top section reads: +1 endurance. Rest of card remains the same.
-Energy Shield: Changed to 4xp, Reads: +2 Health. While you hold a device token, apply +1 block to your defense results. While defending, a figure may discard a device token to apply either +2 block or +1 evade to his defense results.
-Structural Weakness: Exhaust this card while a character with a device token is attacking. Apply +1 dmg (+3 dmg if it is an object) to the attack results. [1S]: A figure may discard a device token to perform an interact action on a door for free.
-Power Converter: Now costs 0 strain.
This is most drastic change on this list, but there was no simple solution. Saska is better than a lot of people give her credit for, played as a hybrid and with the right mods she can hit very hard. But she was designed as a support character, and she still is usually pretty mediocre until the late stages. The goal of these changes are to make a full support build possibly viable as well as reducing her ramp up time.
Making Remote Distributor 2 xp makes building her support engine faster and I think the card was overcosted at 4xp anyway. Energy Shield was buffed and took the 4xp in its stead. Structural Weakness was changed to make it less situational as well as to make sure there is still a 2xp device token skill. I think this also gives her a solid support skill in the lower spectrum. The change to power converter is because changing a die is generally not as strong as the developers thought it was (the extra surge is better in some situations), and also, at 1 strain cost it competes with Adrenaline injector, in which it loses all the time, so by making it 0 strain, it increases the viability of the skill.
MHD-19
-Combat Override: Top section costs 1 strain. You suffer 1 dmg instead of 3.
-Field Surgeon: Remove Exhaust Cost
-Adrenal Vapor: Now costs 1 strain and exhausts.
All of the support heroes have a 4xp skill that supports a hybrid play-style. But I feel that MHD's hybrid skill was just a tad weak and these minor tweaks improve the viability of playing MHD as a hybrid.
Verena Talos
-Create Opening: Now reads: [0S]: Exhaust this card while a hostile figure adjacent to you is defending to apply -1 block to the defense results.
-Improvised Cover: Now applies +2 block instead of +1.
Verena is a powerful character but with a very one dimension skill build. She will still always buy both 4xp skills and momentum so my goal is to provide legimate options to Point Blank Shot but without increasing her overall power level. What killed Create Opening is that it requires strain, so I removed the strain cost and made it slightly weaker. This combined with one of the 2xp skills should be a decent option. Improved Cover is also buffed so it is a more viable option (although, I am not sure it is enough since it is rather situational).
Loku Kanoloa
-Set Your Sights now costs 1 strain.
-Loku now has 3 recon tokens instead of 2.
-Coordinated Attack: Now 1 strain, does not exhaust.
While I don't love the idea of changing the base hero sheet, Set Your Sights has never made much sense to at 2 strain. 2 strain should get you a free action. Set Your Sights usually gains you 1-2 damage, more in line with other abilities that only cost 1 strain. I have also found that the 2 recon tokens is rather restrictive and be especially so with the buff to Set Your Sights. Increasing the number of tokens would also buff skills such as Scout's Guidance and Overwatch. Coordinated attack was really poor because it was 2 strain on top of a 2 strain ability (all other skills that add a die only cost 1 or less strain). It now costs 1 strain and does not exhaust but it still requires a recon token. The 3 changes do buff his power quite a bit, and I may very well have to keep the exhaust on Coordinated attack for example, but he is competing with Mak who has some ridiculous skills like giving himself a free focused attack, and Loku needs some strong skills of his own to keep up.
Onar Koma
-Black Sun Armor: Now 3xp.
-Hold Still: Now 4xp, top section does not exhaust.
Black Sun Armor was overcosted at 4xp. At 3xp, it is now a very good skill that competes with Don't Make me Hurt You. Getting either skill first is viable and if you get both, there are still a lot of viable ways to spend the remaining 5 xp (in a typical 12 xp build).
Shyla Varad
-Smoke Bombs: now says "Choose a square within 3 spaces and choose 2 figures on or adjacent to that square. If they are a friendly figure, they become hidden & if they are an enemy figure, they become weakened.
-Remote Detonator: Also says, "and becomes stunned with a [surge] result".
Similar to Verena, Shyla is a powerful character but with a one-dimensional build. She will always buy both 4xp skills and Responsiveness, so my goal is to make viable options for Swords Dance. The problem with that is that Swords Dance is an extremely powerful with Electrostaff specifically. So the only way to increase build variety is by nerfs, so I have decided to nerf Electrostaff (see below). With Swords Dance less of an autobuy, one of the 2xp+ All-out attack become more viable as does Remote Detonator, now with a chance to stun.
Electrostaff
-Now has Reach.
-Btm section says: [1S]: When you declare an attack with this weapon, you may remove Reach and gain Cleave 2.
Right now, Electrostaff competes with the best single target damage weapons in the game and with auto cleave 2, it does more total damage to all targets than any other weapon by a large margin. in the hands of Shyla, who gets free movement and 3 attacks can generate an insane amount of cleave which is just plain broken.
This change retains the power of Electrostaff but makes you pay for it.
Diala Passil
-Force Adept: Change cost to exhaust
Gideon Argus
-Masterstroke: A line added that says "the action taken with the 2nd command cannot be the same as the action taken with the 1st command" (The wording is clunky and I would streamline it if possible).
-Mobile Tactician: Now exhausts.
Masterstroke is an extremely powerful ability due to its versatility. This change would reign it in by disallowing double attacks/moves. I am also considering changing allowing Command to Move, attack, or interact, which would lessen the severity of the nerf but would still would be a nerf.
Jyn Odan
-Smuggler’s Luck: 1XP - Exhaust this card while performing an attribute test to reroll any number of dice. | When you interact with a crate, you may draw 2 cards and choose one to keep. Shuffle the other into the supply deck.
-Roll with It - Change cost to Exhaust.
-Trick Shot +1 Endurance. Pay [1S] during your activation to ready this card.
Fenn Signis
-Tactical Movement: Now gives 1 mp.
-Rebel Elite: removed +1 endurance
-Superior Positioning: Added +1 endurance
Gaarkhan
- Ferocity - btm section instead of cleave surge reads: "Exhaust this card while attacking with a melee weapon. The attack gains Cleave 1.
-Staggering Blow: 2XP - Exhaust this card while performing a melee attack. If the target would suffer 1 or more from this attack, reduce the suffered to 1. After the attack resolves, the target becomes Stunned.
-Vicious Strike: 3XP - Exhaust this card while attacking with a Melee weapon to apply +1 dmg to the attack results. | During your activation, you may suffer 1 strain to ready this card.
Mak Eshka'rey
-Disengage: MP gain reduced to 2.
-Supply Network: removed test requirement
-Target Acquired: Cost changed to exhaust
For the most part, the characters I am buffing are generally not A tier heroes (And I am trying not to "buff" Shyla and Verena, just give build variety) so it should not affect overall campaign balance (considering I am not changing any of the base heroes).
But as I said at the top, I am looking for feedback on the individual card tweaks.
Thanks
Edited by Deadwolf
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