From Panel to Play: Red Skull, Master of the World

CP143Red Skull

Can you feel that, dear readers? The power available to today’s character is hard to fathom…sometimes it’s an almost imperceptible twist to the fabric of reality and sometimes it’s a shift that announces itself with a scream felt across the world. In today’s From Panel to Play, we will unearth ancient secrets and dive into the possibilities of Red Skull, Master of the World!

Johann Schmidt had a rough start to life, with his own father trying to drown him shortly after his birth. He was saved from that fate by the doctor who delivered him but was consigned to a lonely existence as an orphan. Living a life of petty crime and beggary for years, he slowly developed a rage he would later try to unleash on the world. Thus began his rise to power and his early life as a supervillain.

That interest eventually earned him his new persona, that of the Red Skull, which he used to begin various terrorist activities. This taste of power and control ignited an ambition that was previously unrealizable by the young Johann. Now a master of terror and in control of various secret bases and technological secrets, he continues his quest for power and control with no man above him!

Red Skull, Master of The World is a new 4 Threat Leader ready to win you the day! He has 12 Stamina evenly spread across both his Healthy and Injured sides as well as 4 Physical, 3 Energy and 3 Mystic defense. This Leader isn’t afraid to get into the action and as you’ll see, he has ways to force his allies to support his efforts. Let’s see how the power of the cosmic cube helps Red Skull, Master of the World bend reality to his will!

His Cosmic Burst attack is a range 4 Energy attack that hits with Strength 5. Not just a simple blast in his enemies face, however, the power of the cosmic cube allows Red Skull to bend reality in various ways. Before choosing a target for the attack, he is actually able to choose whether the attack is Energy or Mystic, which allows him to focus on his enemies’ weakest defenses. As normal, he will gain Power equal to the damage he deals with this attack, helping fuel the rest of his rules. A Wild result in the attack roll will even allow him to place the Shock special condition on his target, limiting the effectiveness of their attacks!

Reality Bows To Me! is perhaps the most powerful representation of the cosmic cube’s destructive potential. This Mystic attack costs 4 Power to use, can hit enemy characters up to Range 4 away and lashes out with 7 dice. Not just a strong attack though, a Critical, Wild and Hit result means that Red Skull can create a Reality Rupture. This special rule allows him to make another Reality Bows To Me! attack without having to pay the Power cost. It does have a localized effect, meaning it can only hit another enemy character within Range 2 of the original target, but it can potentially generate enough attacks to hit every enemy character within range once!

Red Skull can even lend the power of the cube to his allies. My Cabal Is Only For the Strong is a new Leadership option available to the Cabal affiliation. This Leadership allows non-Grunt allied characters (no one ever claimed the hired help was strong after all!) to treat 1 Failure result in an attack roll as a Critical result once per turn. This powerful effect being available to almost all of his allies is sure to help those damage focused characters drive home the hurt or those specialists to fish for the results they need. Such a powerful effect does come at a cost though. After the attack is resolved, the attacking character is going to either lose a Power or suffer a damage if it can’t. Warping the fabric of reality doesn’t come free after all!

Reshape The World is an Active superpower available to Red Skull, Master of the World that lets him rearrange the battlefield as he sees fit. This superpower costs him 3 Power to use and allows him to throw terrain of Size 3 or less Medium. With increasing mastery over his powers, Red Skull is able to extend his reach up to Range 3 away from himself when looking for a truck to snatch up and throw!

Continuing the theme of control and reshaping the nature of the battle, Nothing is Beyond My Reach is an active superpower that costs him 4 Power to use. This superpower allows him to choose himself or another character within range 2 (note that we didn’t say allied character, yes, he can choose enemy characters as well!) and then place the chosen character within range 3 of its current position. Regardless of whether he is teleporting an enemy away from a strategic location or launching a charging Juggernaut into enemy lines, he can dictate the flow of the battle in unpredictable ways.

As one of his underlying principles and strongest beliefs, Power is Only For The One Who Rules represents Red Skulls relationship with his “allies”. This innate superpower allows Red Skull, Master of the World to drain the power from his squad to fuel his own desires. When he spends power to make an attack action or to use a superpower, he may spend the power from an allied character within range 3 of himself instead!

When you’re ready to mould reality to match your own personal vision, be sure to pre-order your copy of the Earth’s Mightiest Core Set at your local game store or through the 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!