From Panel to Play: Cosmic Ghost Rider

CP90Cosmic Ghost Rider

They say that no-one can hear you scream in space, but can they hear a Hellcycle rev? In today’s From Panel to Play, we’re taking a look at the hellspawn that had the coolest ride: none other than Cosmic Ghost Rider!

Frank Castle lived a life of violence and death. It was a complicated, bloody existence guided by the overriding principle “the ends justify the means”. When Thanos came for Earth and spelled its doom, Frank was killed in that final battle and found himself before Mephisto. Staying true to his life of vengeance, he found himself making a deal with the devil and returned to Earth as the latest Ghost Rider. Unfortunately for him, it was too late, and Thanos had left the Earth, leaving behind only ruin.

What followed was a descent into madness, as a being born to do nothing but exact vengeance was left to roam an empty Earth. Here is where the story truly begins, though, as none other than Galactus himself came to Earth seeking aid against the never-ending campaign of death and destruction led by Thanos. Imbued now with the Power Cosmic, Frank finally escaped the torment of his life on Earth and truly began his quest for revenge.

Not only did he find himself able to make his way into the universe at large, he now finds himself on the battlefield of our tabletops!

Cosmic Ghost Rider definitely lives up to what you’d expect from a being wielding both the Power Cosmic and the powers of a Ghost Rider. This character is a monster that won’t soon be removed from the tabletop as a Threat 6 model with 16 total Stamina and some impressive defenses, with 4’s across the board (That’s 4 Physical, 4 Energy & 4 Mystic defense!). He starts the fight with 9 Stamina on his Healthy side and then comes down to a still respectable 7 Stamina on his Injured side.

With a move into the space age, we see a new staple attack for the Cosmic Ghost Rider. Not just relying on mere chains, he brings to bear his Hellfire Blasters. This attack is going to reach across either a starry expanse or a New York block with a massive Range 4. Although it has the downside of only generating a single power (don’t worry, we’ll see why this isn’t a big deal later), foes are sure to melt under this Strength 6 attack.

When you find Cosmic Ghost Rider up close and personal, gazing into your eyes, its not a look of love or longing he’s giving you. The Cosmic Ghost Rider has found that he can route the powers of a Herald of Galactus into the powers of a Ghost Rider, providing him with a Power Cosmic Penance Stare. This attack may cost him 6 power, but it’s going to absolutely hammer the opponent with a Strength 12 hit. Not only do the rules of this attack prevent the target character from gaining power, if Cosmic Ghost Rider rolls one of each type of die result (other than a blank) on his 12 dice, he’s going to modify every one of the target characters Block results to a Failure. There is no hiding your sins from this guy.

What is a Ghost Rider without their Hellcycle? This character showcases the power of a Riders vehicle via the Active superpower Interstellar Hellcycle. This is a variable cost superpower that you can spend between 1 and 5 power on, allowing Cosmic Ghost Rider to place himself within range X (equal to the power you spent!) of his current position. It may only be able to be used once per turn, but when this character comes roaring across the table with his medium movement and placing himself Range 5, no evil is safe from his gaze.

The Chains of Cyttorak helps Cosmic Ghost Rider ensure that even those as fast as himself will never escape his grasp. This Active superpower costs 2 power to use and allows him to lash out with his chains, pushing a character within Range 3 Short towards himself. The character then finds themselves bursting into flames from the heat of these weapons, gaining the Incinerate special condition. Luckily for his victims, a character can only be affected by this superpower once per turn.

What would a Ghost Rider be without a proper way to exact vengeance? The Cosmic Ghost Rider is the incarnation of Cosmic Justice on Wheels, which is a reactive superpower that costs 3 power to use. This superpower allows him to make a Hellfire Blasters attack against an enemy character that Dazed or KO’d one of his allies. They will certainly be feeling the heat!

Cosmic Ghost Rider’s innate superpowers introduce an interesting new mechanic. These superpowers represent the effects of his time spent alone on Earth, suffering the guilt of failing to protect it. They interact with Psychosis tokens, which provide a dynamic, shifting focus between brawling and objective play to this character. While Cosmic Ghost Rider has at least one Psychosis token, the Spirit of Vengeance has full control. He’s out to punish and cares nothing for his allies or their meagre “objectives”.

While he has one of these tokens, he counts all Failure results in his attack, defense and dodge rolls as successes. The trade off for this power boost is that he can’t Hold, Contest or Interact with objective tokens.

He gains Psychosis tokens in two ways. The first is his superpower Ready to Roll, which has him start the game with a Psychosis token. The second way is through his superpower I’m the Spirit of Vengeance, Bearer of the Power Cosmic, and Just a Bit Unstable. This superpower is used after he gains his normal power in the power phase and has you roll five dice. He will then gain power equal to the number of Critical, Wild and Hit results you have. If at this point, he has 5 or more power, he will gain another Psychosis token. When he gains this token, though, it also ensures that at the start of the next Power Phase, he will remove all Psychosis tokens.

It’s at that point, when he’s lost his Psychosis tokens, that he can shift gears to an objective focused character. He may have lost some dice reliability, but he gains the opportunity to impact the mission itself.

Finally, we come to the end of this jam-packed character card. As can be assumed of someone traveling through space, we have the superpower Flight, which is going to ensure his medium move doesn’t go to waste over something as small as an apartment building. You’re also not going to be able to keep this guy down with much, as he comes built in with immunities to Bleed, Hex, Incinerate and Poison!

When you’re ready to hop on your new ride and bring the power of Mephisto himself to your battles, be sure to pre-order your copy of the Cosmic Ghost Rider 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!