From Panel To Play: Baron Mordo

CP64 Baron Mordo

Boy, if you can’t trust a Transylvanian baron who wields mystical powers granted by extradimensional demons, who can you? Today on From Panel to Play, we’re taking a look at the man who’s made it his life’s work to battle the Sorcerer Supreme, Baron Karl Mordo!

Karl Amadeus Mordo is the son of the Transylvanian magician Baron Nikolai Mordo. At a young age, he was sent to the Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme, to learn the ways of magic at the feet of its undisputed master. The Ancient One sensed a lust for power within Mordo but chose to teach him, in part to keep Mordo under the Ancient One’s constant scrutiny. Like his fellow student Stephen Strange, Mordo came to the Ancient One a damaged person. But while Strange’s damage was physical, Mordo was afflicted by a rage he could barely contain and his aspiration of greatness. When the Ancient One selected Strange over Mordo to become the Sorcerer Supreme, he turned to darkness.

Furious at this rejection, Mordo sought out a different route to power. During his studies, he had learned of Dormammu, a dread entity of immense power. Despite the Ancient One once forbidding him to research any further, Mordo made contact with Dormammu. The dread Dormammu chose Mordo to act as its pawn, infusing the man with immense, mystical might. United with the Master of the Dark Dimension, Mordo is a mortal enemy of Doctor Strange and is obsessed with seeing him destroyed.

As a former student of the Ancient One and recipient of the powers of Dormammu, Mordo hits the table with a suite of mystical powers appropriate for one of the most potent dark magicians in the world. Wielding the Staff of the Living Tribunal, he can batter his enemies and push them back, or he can call down the Bolts of Bishru, scorching rays that harm and hex his opponent. When he truly wishes to punish an opponent, Mordo can summon the Rains of Raggador for 4 Power. A rain of burning energy lance down from above, striking the target at Strength 7 and inflicting both the Incinerate and Poisoned conditions on the target.

As a Master of the Occult, Mordo can draw on a reserve of mystical knowledge. Once per turn, he can use the Master of the Occult ability to immediately gain 2 Power, the exact amount he needs to unleash some of his potent spells: Soul Barb, Ferocity of Cytorrak, and Vaulting Boots of Valtorr.

Mordo has studied the art of astral projection and manipulation, which he uses to perform the Soul Barb power. With it, he causes certain special conditions on a target character to cascade out to others. Targeting a character suffering from a special condition Hex, Incinerate, Poison, or Slow, each other enemy character within Range 2 of his target suffers your choice of condition. Paired with the Rains of Raggador, he can swiftly turn the opposing squad into a burning or poisoned mob.

The Baron can also invoke the name of the demon Cytorrak to infuse its fury into his allies. The Ferocity of Cyttorak power allows him to react when an ally within Range 3 attacks, adding 2 dice to the attack roll. The unbridled fury of the demon cannot be easily contained, though, and the allied character takes 1 damage after the attack is resolved.

Mordo is also tricky to pin down in combat, thanks to his innate Flight power and the Vaulting Boots of Valtorr, which allow him to move after his opponent attempts to dislodge him.

That’s all for our first look at this malevolent wielder of dark magic!

Be sure to check back 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 own copy of the Mordo & Ancient One Character Pack at your local game store or through our webstore today!

Until then, Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off!