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View Full Version : Justice is Served! Your feedback is sought!


quixotequest
05/22/2003, 15:39
I'd like some feedback on my dial (using RetarDog's formula) for my first ground-up custom (pictures coming soon): the mysterious vigilante Scourge of the Underworld.

Cost: 40 Range: 4 Target: 3 Rank: Unique
Affiliation: None
Speed: 6 6 5 5 10 10 (Stealth 4, L/C 2)
Attack 10 9 8 8 0 0 (EE first 4)
Def: 15 14 13 13 12 11 (Willpower 1, SS 3, Regen 2)
Dam: 2 2 1 1 0 0 (CCE 4)

My reasoning:

Range and Targets: Scourge is a marksman, but he prefers to waste his criminal victims with a point-blank blast with his modified 50-cal Tommy machine gun. Still he holds a Marvel record: at the "Bar with No Name" he wasted 18 ciminals and got away without being apprehended. So a "room's worth" of targets in range seems represented well in a number of "4" and 3 simultaneous targets.

Speed: Scourge is a master of disguise and infiltration. Stealth represents this; L/C his ability to steal away unapprehended after a hit. The movement stats up front are normal--he's just a normal guy who usually uses his hi-tech van to get around. I felt his ability to get away without being caught represented well as a high movement with leap/climb.

Attack: Scourge's gun can fire a simultaneous burst of 5 explosive bullets. EE with a triple target ability seems to approximate this ability. Scourge has killed a lot of criminals, but those criminals have mostly been criminals without super powers who use technology instead. Scourge has also killed Titania and Wraith, but unsuccessfully hit Hobgoblin. I felt his attack should start strong but be shallow, since he's just a regular guy in disguise. Since even Punisher and Cap America have taken turns as a vigilante in Scourge identity, a slightly above average attack number of 10 seems good.

Defense. Scourge as above average stamina, agility and reflexes. He starts out with Willpower to make that hit. Super senses to avoid retaliation. But if he is hit, he's just a guy in a suit, so the stats themselves are normal--he could die quickly if hit hard. At the end Scourge gains regenration to represent that there are multiple Scourges who are willing to take his/her place. Scourge has low defense and no attack nor damage during this period, so he'll have to be played ultra defensively if Scourge is to reappear in battle during the game.

Damage: Scourge has a long list of victims. But again most of those are technologically enhanced people like Constrictor. He's more unsuccessful taking out criminals with powers. He even has served us well by putting ultra sucky criminals like Turner D. Century, with his flying two-seated bicycle and flame-throwing umbrella, out of our misery. So for the right victim, he's designed to dish out the damage--at point blank range. With 4 clicks of CCE, use him to waste your opponents second- or third-tier heroes/villains or support staff. He could damage someone more powerful, but has only a fair chance of pulling the victory because of his shallow dial.

Thoughts?

DS-00-0, FSD
05/22/2003, 15:51
He's got to cost more. You need to put 7's in those last two attack values to up his cost. As is, he's too cheap for what you have loaded out front.

Otherwise he's a great fig. Since you are doing a mod as well, will it be the white trenchcoat version or the muscle-man version from the Bar With No Name?

Nevest
05/22/2003, 15:59
Don't really know the character but sounds like pretty good reasoning behind your choices to me. It would probably makes sense for him to have some sort of attack number on those last two clicks, he's not just going to run and never shoot back while he's making his getaway.

quixotequest
05/22/2003, 16:01
Yeah I would have figured he'd cost more, too. Still I wanted him to end somewhere 40-50 points. I like your reasoning. I wanted Scourge's last clicks to have no offensive value, except if he "regenerates" for a later attack. Still costing him for having the ability to attack, but able to do no damage, seems like a good compromise. Even still, according to RetarDog's spreadsheet, 7s in the last two slots only raises his cost to 42.

As for the mod, I'm doing the white trenchcoat version even though you're right that it's not how he looked at "Bar With No Name." But then no one is sure how many Scourge's there are. I mean the one that whacked Titania was disguised as a woman, so some wonder whether their are female Scourge operatives. That's the fun of an enigmatic character like this--are there many or few??.

JoFo
05/22/2003, 16:03
Playwise, he's darn good. Heck, 4 damage BtB and three arrow EE for only 40 points is incredible... he'd be the next Firelord.

Comic accuracy wise, I won't say much about, because I only have a slight knowledge of Scourge. However, if he's just a normal man, should he really be able to take so much damage (like hits from FL and an angry Hulk)?

DS-00-0, FSD
05/22/2003, 16:05
So true. He was disguised as a construction worker in the FF Plaza when he killed Basilisk and he was an Indian medicine man in the Hulk story where he killed Hammer and Anvil (my personal fav Scourge story, BTW).

Wait a minnut...

Indian, construction worker...

Scourge is really the Village People!!!:eek: :eek: :eek:

quixotequest
05/22/2003, 17:38
I planned Scourge's dial so that if he's hit by a strong opponent (4 or 5 clicks) he is effectively out of the battle--but not necessarily out of the game if he can get away to be "replaced" by another Scourge operative. He is only effective if you use him how he is in the comics: he successfully whacks second-teir criminals. He should be able to take out the likes of Boomerang, Whirlwind, Constrictor, etc. He's been unsuccessful with villains like Hobgoblin in the comics but he has a fighting chance against HeroClix's Hobgoblin. Have him take on someone more powerful and he hasn't a fighting chance, even with CCE.

I mean the guy permanently eliminated 18 villains in a few minutes, so he should be very powerful and deadly up against a certain tier of enemy. Mostly, since CCE hasn't made its official debut into Marvel HeroClix, and that I've always liked tortured, vigilante hero-villains, Scourge seems like a great mod.

quixotequest
05/22/2003, 18:11
I don't think RetarDog's formula is too far off. But even if it cost 50-55 points a Scourge with these stats (plus adding 7s in last 2 attack clicks) would still be worth playing--and still be reasonably close to a continuity with the comics.

And no, he wouldn't be a Firelord. You couldn't afford to play him as brazenly as Firelord without getting Scourge wasted. Look what you get in sheer damage potential and flexibility with Silver Samurai Vet for only 40 points.