From Panel to Play: Shadowcat

Get ready to walk through walls and ignore falling buildings crashing on you. Today’s From Panel to Play is phasing into the room with Katherine Pryde, a.k.a. Shadowcat!

Katherine “Kitty” Pryde started suffering from severe headaches when she was thirteen years old. Unbeknownst to her, they were caused by her mutant powers awakening. Those powers attracted the attention of both the Hellfire Club and the X-Men. Emma Frost and Charles Xavier attempted to recruit her. Thanks to the Hellfire Club’s underhanded ways of doing so she enrolled in Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters and became the youngest member of the X Men.

As her powers developed, she gained control of her ability to phase through solid objects. She quickly learned to master this ability, and she proved her capabilities in a complex Danger Room simulation when she dismantled it in minutes on her first attempt. She quickly became a valued member of the team. When the X-Men were kidnapped by the alien creatures known as the Brood, “Kitty” met Lockheed, a dragon-like alien creature who became her friend and ally. Lockheed saved her from the Brood and returned to Earth with her. The X-Men allowed him to remain in the mansion with her, and he has been her constant companion ever since.

Katherine Pryde joins Marvel: Crisis Protocol as Shadowcat. She is a Threat Value 3 character with fairly basic defenses combined with a Long move. Her Stamina of 5 on both sides and Defenses of 3/3/3 aren’t particularly robust, but she has a few tricks up her sleeve.

Shadowcat’s phasing abilities allow her to catch opponents unaware. Leaping out of a wall like a ghost is a surefire way to catch opponents flatfooted, leaving them battered and bewildered as she passes into the next wall after one attack and reappearing from another to strike again.

Her first attack, Phasing Strike, is a close range Physical attack with Strength 4 that generates Power for her equal to the damage dealt. While four attack dice is very low, her target does not benefit from Critical results in their Defense roll and cannot add additional dice to the roll due to those Critical results. Additionally, there is a chance Shadowcat will sidestep her opponent to get into a better position for her next move.

Her second attack involves Lockheed lending a helping fiery breath. Get ‘Em Lockheed! is a Strength 4 Range 3 attack with guaranteed Power generation that has a chance to leave the target with the Incinerate special condition as the dragon-like alien bathes the target in fire.
Her last attack is Intangible Assault. This midrange attack costs 3 Power for its 7 dice and has the same Critical result denying rules as Phasing Strike. To add insult to injury, Shadowcat may ghost her opponent and Place herself away from them after delivering the smackdown. Given the range on Intangible Assault, this Place can result in a lot of distance between her and her target allowing her to escape retribution.

Shadowcat’s mutant powers are best known for giving her the ability to phase through solid objects. Her first superpower, Phase Rush, is a 2 Power cost Active superpower that lets her Place within 2 of her current location as she dashes through the battlefield unimpeded by mundane things like garbage trucks and apartment buildings.

Kitty also uses this power to avoid incoming attacks and can grant her power to items and creatures she is touching. Can’t Touch This makes her or the nearby target of an attack insubstantial when faced with Physical or Energy attacks or collisions, granting them additional Defense or Dodge dice. Additionally, if the target is Thrown or Pushed by the triggering effect, they are granted a Place within Range 1 of their new location after the effect is resolved as Shadowcat pulls their intangible bodies out of the rubble before returning them to normal.

Her third and final superpower is Stealth. Shadowcat’s ability to phase allows her to blend in with her surroundings making her hard to see from a distance and keeping her safe from long range attacks.

That’s all for today’s look at Shadowcat! Be sure to check back later for yet another installment of From Panel to Play, the series where we give you your first look at how your favorite characters transition to the tabletop in Marvel: Crisis Protocol. Pre-order your copy of Shadowcat at your local game store or through the webstore today.

Until next time, Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off!