From Panel To Play: The Orginal Human Torch

CP77 Human Torch

Not every hero is born. Some have to be made, like the subject of today’s From Panel to Play. He is the first of the Marvels, a man created by a scientific genius and a great guy to have at a barbeque. It’s Jim Hammond, the Human Torch!

Jim Hammond’s existence began in the laboratory of Professor Phineas T. Horton in 1939. Horton was a pioneer of mechanical intelligence and robotics, and Hammond represented the triumph of his work: a synthetic human being capable of independent thought. Hammond was a true achievement, but Horton did not predict an unusual side-effect of the photoelectric Horton Cells that covered his entire body. When exposed to oxygen, Hammond’s body was wreathed in flames, making him the first Human Torch! As the Human Torch he earned a reputation as a crime fighter, and helped defend the world against Martians, mad scientists, and criminal masterminds in the early 20th century.

The Original Human Torch is a fireproof, flying beacon on the tabletop who can direct the raging inferno against his foes. In play this is represented by both of his attacks being beam attacks that can scorch a whole line of targets. Burn Baby Burn is a straightforward energy attack that can Incinerate his hapless opponents, but he can really turn up the heat (seriously! We’re talking a million degrees here!) with a Nova Burst. The superheated flame starts at Strength 4 for one power, the same as his normal attack, but he can spend up to seven additional Power, increasing his attack roll by 1 die for every Power he spends, Incinerating each target he hits. The Human Torch really spends a lot of energy to pull off a Nova Burst, though, so he takes 1 damage for each attack resolved.

The Human Torch is tricky to pin down in combat due to his powers of flight, and he favors Hit and Run attacks, using this active power to make an attack action followed by a move action once per turn. Not that anyone would want to get too close to the Human Torch—he is on fire, after all. In fact, not only can he superheat objective tokens to be Too Hot to Handle, forcing an enemy to drop what they’re holding, but his Like Touching a Stovetop reactive power lets him pay 2 Power when an enemy character tries to push or throw him, inflicting 1 damage after the effect is resolved.

When you’re wreathed in scorching flames like the Human Torch, you learn to appreciate the power of a good Controlled Burn. He thrives on the fire, allowing it to invigorate him. This innate power means that whenever the Human Torch ends an advance, he gains 1 Power for each character within Range 2 of him that currently has the Incinerate special condition!

That’s it for our first look at the OG Human Torch. 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 Captain America & The Original Human Torch Character Pack at your local game store or through our webstore today.

Until then, Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off!