From Panel To Play: Mister Sinister

CP46 Mister Sinister

For this outing of From Panel to Play, we’re talking about a doctor who definitely neglects his Hippocratic oath but never fails to keep his collection of menacing capes freshly laundered. It’s Mister Sinister!

Originally a physician in the 19th century, Nathaniel Essex was transformed by the mutant Apocalypse into the ageless and terrifying Mister Sinister. A master of manipulation and a potent telepath, Mister Sinister has been a shadowy presence throughout the centuries. He is a hidden hand behind many of the world’s events and is responsible for orchestrating the fates of countless people, always to his own benefit.

Sinister observes and manipulates mutant children to become his minions later in life or chess pieces in a great game of his own devising. A master geneticist, he has been able to clone some of the most powerful individuals alive for his own purposes. By incorporating the mutant DNA of one of these subjects, he has rendered himself able to control his body at the cellular level allowing him to shapeshift, regenerate damaged tissues, and be all but impervious to injury. If something does bypass his natural immunities, Mister Sinister has prepared several “conditioned” hosts. Should he fall, his Cronus Machine will activate his genetic code in these hosts. Thus, Mister Sinister has assured that he will forever be a shadow cast across the world.

Mister Sinister steps onto the tabletop with a miniature that portrays all his menace and gravitas. Stepping out of the smoldering wreckage of a genetic engineering chamber, Sinister cuts an ominous figure with his layers of ornate capes and sneering expression of self-assurance. He is a larger-than-life villain and looks every inch the part.

Genetic engineering is a tool Mister Sinister wields like a scalpel: when he wants, he can use it for precision results that enhance his subjects. Or, if he chooses to, he can use it as a deadly weapon.

On the tabletop, Mister Sinister’s attacks and powers make use of a unique resource: Genetic Samples. These tokens track the amount of DNA he has collected from his opponents, which he can integrate into his own body or use to fuel his powerful offensive abilities.

But to use the samples, he’ll have to get them first. The Genetic Splicing attack is his primary method of doing so, a mystic Range 4 beam attack. After each attack is resolved, Mister Sinister gains one Genetic Sample token, up to his maximum of 3, as he plucks the samples of his target to add to his DNA Database.

When he has a Genetic Sample to manipulate, Mister Sinister can sacrifice it to restore his body to health, cripple one of his opponents, or simply unleash the samples he’s collected in a devastating shockwave of Recombinant Disintegration. Corrupting the DNA he holds, Mister Sinister unleashes a Strength 6 mystic attack that hits multiple targets. This area attack has a range equal to the number of Genetic Samples Mister Sinister currently has. If the attack roll produces a combination of results, each enemy character within range suffers 1 damage – this can really add up against large groups!

If you’d like to learn more about how Mister Sinister puts his Genetic Samples to use or how his powerful telepathy manifests in the game, be sure to check out his full rules when they become available, and don’t forget to pre-order your own Mister Sinister Character Pack from your local gaming store or our website. Until then, this has been Atomic Mass Transmissions’ first look at this malevolent, mutant manipulator (and manipulator of mutants)!

Until the next time, this is Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off!