From Panel To Play: Lizard

CP58 Lizard

This time on From Panel to Play, we’re checking out a cold-blooded biochemist who practices questionable laboratory protocol. It’s none other than Curt Connors, the Lizard!

A gifted surgeon and talented biochemist, Doctor Curt Connors lost his arm while helping treat wounded soldiers in battle. Unable to cope with the loss of his arm, Connors began researching the regenerative abilities of certain reptiles. He became obsessed with finding a way to restore himself, eventually developing a serum incorporating reptile DNA. While it did produce the desired effect of regrowing his missing limb, it also transformed the doctor into a 600-pound human-reptile hybrid.

Reborn as the Lizard, Connors developed a second personality. Spider-Man tried to help Connors and was able to get him to return to human form, but the condition remained. In human form, stress hormones would cause him to transform back into the Lizard, a cold-blooded menace with designs on repopulating the world with creatures like himself.

Lizard’s miniature leaps into action from its customary hiding place, the network of sewers beneath New York City. Springing out of a manhole on a fountain of (we hope) rainwater Lizard is in the air, ready to descend on his unsuspecting foes. The contrast between the scaly texture of Lizard’s skin and his tattered pants and laboratory coat make him look great with simple painting techniques.

On the tabletop, Curt Connors is a fairly straightforward character. He’s a durable roadblock that can dish out punishing attacks while shrugging off most of what the enemy can throw at him.

As you might expect from an oversized reptile, Lizard has a decent Stamina and defensive stats thanks in part to his tough and scaly hide. When he attacks, he makes the most out of his natural endowments, slapping aside people as big as Kingpin or Ultron with his thick tail. Lizard can also put his reptilian fangs to good work, chomping an oversized bit of meat out of anyone unlucky enough to be on the receiving end. The Cold-Blooded attack represents this bestial strike as Lizard takes a bite out of a target or rakes them with his talons. Hitting at Strength 7, if Cold Blooded inflicts damage the target also suffers the Bleed and Slow conditions. If a whack with his tail or bit of cold-blooded combat isn’t sufficient, Lizard can put his unnatural strength to use thanks to Biochemical Breakthrough. This power lets him pick up and throw a character or object of Size 3 or smaller.

While he can dole out damage, Curt Connors is tailor-made to take it, too. The regenerative aspect of his transformation allows him to quickly heal from his injuries, represented in the game by his Healing Factor (1) power. Adding to that, his skin acts as natural armor, letting him reduce any damage he suffers by 1.

That’s all for our look at this scientifically-inclined reptilian, but we have plenty more From Panel to Plays lined up. Be sure to check back next time as we take a look at another character who leaps from the shadows and onto the tabletop.

Until then, Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off!