To me, my X-Men! For today’s From Panel to Play, we are looking at the introduction of a long-requested, fan-favorite character. His team made a splash when they arrived in the game’s second year, and now the founder of the X-Men is ready to hit the battlefield. Join us as we take a look at Charles Xavier, better known as Professor X!

Charles Xavier is a man with a dream, a dream that has shaped his life’s purpose for years and impacted not just himself and those that have met him but the entire world. His dream seems simple on the surface, peaceful coexistence between mutants and humans, but is more difficult than he ever imagined. In an effort to shelter and protect innocent mutants from oppression, he founded a school on the grounds of his ancestral home. He also saw a need to protect both humanity and mutant kind from those who would use their powers for evil, which eventually led to forming his students into the team known as the X-Men.

Don’t let the hoverchair mislead you, Professor X is going to be no slouch on the battlefield! This 4 threat character is an asset to any team he joins and unsurprisingly brings a new Leadership to the Uncanny X-men affiliation. Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters is an interesting new direction for the affiliation and really shines when you build your squad based on one of Xavier’s guiding tenants; people working together in harmony.

Now that we’ve teased a few things, let’s start the meat of the article off with a look at the basics that make up this character. As would be expected for a character for a 4 Threat level, he has a respectable 6 Stamina on his Healthy Side. You will be pleased to know that he even has a Medium movement-this hoverchair definitely isn’t creeping along.

Professor X has 3 different attack options available to him, all centered around making full use of his prodigious telepathic powers. His “go to” attack option is a quick and simple Psychic Dart. This 5 Strength attack can reach out to Range 4 and provides him Power equal to the Damage he deals. It also has the benefit of confusing his target when he rolls a Wild in the attack roll, which will apply the Root special condition. This special condition muddles his opponents mind and forces them to spend additional power to use their superpowers!

When he is in a position to expend just a little more effort towards attacking his opponent (in the form of spending 1 Power to make the attack), he can place a Mental Suggestion in their mind. This Range 3, Strength 6 attack not only assaults them directly, if they fail to entirely fend it off, it allows him to Advance them their Speed. The utility of an attack that allows you to force the enemy to either retreat from a vulnerable ally or advance into your strongest forces makes this one of his strongest options.

We then have his final attack, where he unleashes his full power and engages in an Astral Duel with his opponent’s mind. Costing him 3 Power to unleash, it can reach out to Range 3 and starts at a base 4 Strength. The special rules of this attack really amp up its power though, as you add dice to the attack roll equal to the targets Mystic defense (meaning you are almost always making at least a 7 dice attack!). Then to really top things off, as a master of the mind Xavier is able to prevent his target from rerolling or modifying their defense dice.

As alluded to earlier in the article, Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters is the new Leadership for the Uncanny X-Men and really works with the themes of collaboration and cooperation that are a staple of Professor X’s philosophy. This Leadership is simple at its heart, but can be leveraged in countless ways and is really going to reward players that like to build Rube Goldberg machines. Once per turn, when an allied character spends 1 or more Power to use an active or reactive superpower, after the effect is
resolved, another allied character may gain 1 Power. Imagine the possibilities available to you when you can bounce power around between your entire squad across the distance of the entire table!

Professor’s Guidance is the one reactive superpower available to Professor X and embodies the supportive nature of this character. This superpower allows him to spend between 1 & 3 power to allow an allied character to reroll dice during their attack or defense rolls. Keep in mind as well that due to the nature of the Leadership working on any turn (even an opponent’s), Professor X can use this superpower to not only provide rerolls to an allied character being attacked, he can potentially enable a reactive superpower of that characters or even set up a different character for the following turn!

Next up for Professor X is his first innate superpower. Telepathic Lock means that Charles can use his Mystic defense against any attack type unless the attacker pays 2 Power to overcome this rule. This means you often won’t be bothered by this lower Physical and Energy defense, as you will be rolling 6 defense dice instead!

Finally, we have a power that helps represent the fact that he is an Omega-Level Telepath. This innate superpower means that Charles cannot be Pushed or Advance by Mystic attacks or enemy superpowers. No one can overpower the mind of Professor X!

That’s it for today’s article, be sure to pre-order your copy of the Professor X and Shadow King character pack at your local game store or through our webstore today. Also, 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.

Until next time, Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off!

Grab your mittens and scarves! Today’s From Panel to Play is icy cold as Iceman skates into Marvel: Crisis Protocol!

When a school bully went too far a young Bobby Drake revealed his mutant powers to the world by accidentally encasing the bully in ice. Bobby was subsequently pursued by a mob of townspeople keen on ending the perceived threat to their home, but the timely intervention of Scott Summers and Charles Xavier saved him. They offered him a place in Xavier’s school and Bobby accepted. He became one of the founding members of the X-Men and was the youngest on the team. He soon earned the name, Iceman.

Bobby’s early use of his powers was very basic. At first he would use his power to cover himself in a layer of snow and looked a bit like a child’s snowman. He also demonstrated that he could use the water around him to create basic tools of ice and snow. By training with the X-Men he learned to make this protective cover out of ice, and he gained better control of his ability to manipulate the water around him, ultimately growing beyond making weapons and tools. He can drop the temperature of the area around him to well below freezing rapidly leading to an expanding area of ice around him. This has led to some fearing him due to what they see as an incredible potential for destruction. However, he has been reluctant to push himself to test his limits, perhaps because he fears losing control of his power.

As a founding member of the X-Men, Iceman has been part of many of their adventures. When Magneto took over a military base not long after the X-Men were formed, Professor X sent them on their first mission to stop him. During this mission Iceman rendered several missiles inoperable mid-flight and then protected the team with an ice cocoon when Magneto threw a flaming fuel truck at them. When the M-Pox crisis reached its climax, he found multiple X-Men in his home demanding his assistance with an attack on the Inhuman home of New Attilan. Bobby objected to the plan, and Iceman walked out of the meeting. However, when the battle started, Iceman was at the leading edge of the charge into the city. He didn’t remain there long. In the midst of the fiercest fighting he realized his initial objections were correct, abandoned the fight, and escaped the city with his boyfriend Romeo, an Inhuman.

The Iceman of Marvel: Crisis Protocol joins the battlefield on his classic ice slide. The young Bobby Drake is a 3 Threat Value character with 5 Stamina on both sides of his card. He has slightly above average defenses with 4 Physical and 3 in both Energy and Mystic. His attacks and superpowers are efficient with lots of utility.

Iceman’s first attack, Freezing Blast, is a Range 3 beam attack. This attack has an unremarkable Strength 4, but after each attack is resolved Iceman will gain 1 Power and the target may end up with the Slow condition as the chill of ice lingers on them. His second attack, Chill, is a Range 3, Strength 7 attack that costs him 3 Power. This attack has a chance to Stagger opponents as the ice takes hold of them!

Iceman has a respectable movement stat of Medium, but his first superpower, Freeze and Fade, really shows how mobile he can be. This superpower costs 2 Power and an action to let him make an attack action followed by a move action. What makes this superpower unique is that when he makes this move, he counts as Size 5 as he creates ice slides to quickly traverse the battlefield’s terrain.

Speaking of ice slides, his second superpower, Ice Slide, allows him to assist his squad with some quick relocation. This Active superpower allows an allied character that is near him when he starts a move action to be Placed within Range 2 of their current location after he finishes moving. With a 2 Power cost, this superpower is often available and combines well with Freeze and Fade to enable darting attacks that pull allies out of danger!

Iceman’s final superpower will make any opponent who wants to get in close think twice before going after him. Cold Snap is an Innate superpower that makes enemy characters who end moves or make attacks within Range 2 of him suffer the Slow special condition as the icy air around Iceman begins to affect their movements. If they already have the Slow special condition, they will suffer 1 Damage as the frost bites them. Enemies that rush in to attack him may trigger both effects during their turn if they aren’t careful.

It’s starting to warm up which means we’ve finished our look at the X-Men’s Iceman! 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 Iceman at your local game store or through the webstore today.

Today’s From Panel to Play can be summarized with one word: BAMF! That’s right, it’s time to talk about the devilish trapeze artist turned mutant superhero Kurt Wagner, better known as Nightcrawler!

Abandoned by his mother, the shapeshifting mutant Mystique, and father, the demon Azazel, when he was a baby, Kurt Wagner’s life had a difficult start. His dark blue skin, prehensile tail, and glowing yellow eyes made him stand out and almost certainly assured him a life both difficult and short. However, he was saved by a Romani witch who raised him in a traveling carnival, and he went on to become a trapeze artist for the carnival with his adoptive brother and sister. Unfortunately, it did not last.

The carnival was sold to an American that forced Kurt to move to America and perform in sideshows. Kurt managed to escape and return home to Europe where he found his brother had become a murderer. Due to a confrontation and unfortunate circumstance, Nightcrawler appeared responsible for his own brother’s death. Thinking that this demonic being was also the cause of the deaths in town, they attempted to bring him to “justice”. A nearby mob of townsfolk found Kurt standing over the body. Thinking this demonic looking being was the cause of the murders, they attempted to kill him. Just before they could, however, they were stopped by the telepathic suggestion of Charles Xavier. Xavier took the opportunity to invite Kurt to join the X-Men, and Kurt agreed, joining the team as Nightcrawler.

Nightcrawler enters Marvel: Crisis Protocol as a Threat Value 4 character with 6 Stamina on his Healthy side and 5 Stamina on his Injured side with a respectable defensive stat line. His fans may be surprised to see his Medium move, but this is a little deceptive as he can BAMF! like no one else.

His first attack, Teleporting Strike, sets the stage. This Physical attack is Range 3 with Strength 5, and it grants him Power equal to the Damage dealt to the target. Its Ha-HA! rule causes the Stun special condition if he is further than Range 2 away after damage is dealt. This is a solid attack, but it’s Nightcrawler’s second attack where the show begins.

Brimstone Blitz is an odd attack at first glance. It costs 1 Power to use and is only Strength 5, but its first special rule makes things interesting. Nightcrawler gets to add dice to this attack for each time he has been Placed this Turn. Additionally, this attack may trigger Flurry of Blows which grants Nightcrawler another attack action against the same target! This attack action can then be used to make another Brimstone Blitz. Flurry of Blows does not prevent the additional attack action from benefiting from Flurry of Blows which can make for incredible moments as Nightcrawler flashes around his target in his trademark flurry of teleporting attacks. The frenzy can cause the strongest of opponents to fall in a cloud of dark blue smoke, flashing blades, and whipping tail!

These attacks ultimately tell a small part of the story that is Nightcrawler’s card. None of them enable the ability he is best known for–BAMF! It’s his superpowers that really tell his story.

Nightcrawler’s first superpower, the appropriately named, BAMF!, lets him spend 1-3 Power to Place within Range X (where X is equal to how much Power was spent on it). This short to medium range teleport is sure to help him get where he needs to be to use his attacks to turn the tide of battle. When used in place of a move action, he may be able to set up two attacks on his opponents as he BAMFs! into position and unleashes his blue smoke enshrouded fury.

Puff of Smoke dials Brimstone Blitz up and brings Nightcrawler’s offensive abilities into focus. This Reactive superpower allows Nightcrawler to place himself within Range 2 of his target after damage is dealt by an attack. At first this might not seem like much, but this superpower costs 0 Power! It is almost always available to use and has great synergy with his attacks! Note the timing of this and Teleporting Strike. He can trigger Ha-HA! before using Puff of Smoke to Stun his opponent then Placing close to start up a Brimstone Blitz. It can then be used during Brimstone Blitz to reposition and, if Flurry of Blows is triggered, increase the number of dice the next Brimstone Blitz will have!

Kurt’s teleportation abilities make him a formidable attacker, however, they also help him stay out of harm’s way. Combined with his natural agility and acrobatic skills, he is hard to catch during battle. Unglaublich Acrobatics is a Reactive superpower that allows him to add two dice to his defense rolls against Physical and Energy attacks as well as to his dodge rolls for 2 Power.

Nightcrawler’s natural color makes him blend into shadow in a way that can make him virtually undetectable. Invisible in Shadow is an Innate superpower that prevents enemies from targeting him with attacks from outside Range 3 while he is within Range 1 of a terrain feature Size 2 or larger. This limited ability to avoid attacks sets up some unique approaches to the battle as players BAMF! Nightcrawler from one terrain feature to the next.

Finally, Nightcrawler’s legendary mobility gets one last boost with his Wall Crawler Innate superpower to ensure he can traverse the battlefield quickly and efficiently.

With that, we BAMF! away! 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 Nightcrawler at your local game store or through the webstore today.

Until next time, Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off! BAMF!