From Panel To Play: Ancient One

CP64 Ancient One

They say you’re as young as you feel. Our subject today has been feeling young for a very, very long time. Today on From Panel to Play, we’re examining someone so old that when she walked into an antique shop, they tried to sell her, the mystic monk from the 1200s: the Ancient One!

The Ancient One is a native of Kamar-Taj who has defended Earth from mystical threats for centuries. As the Sorcerer Supreme, she has trained countless acolytes who found their way to Kamar-Taj in the mystic arts, including her own successor: the famed neurosurgeon Stephen Strange.

As you might expect from someone who’s been around since the 1200s, the Ancient One has a few tricks up her sleeve. Displaying her magical mastery with almost casual ease, the Ancient One has potent Mystic attacks and a bevy of defensive options.

Her two core attacks that cost no power to use, Shards of the Seraphim and Fangs of Farallah, allow the Ancient One to tailor her strike to her opponent’s weaknesses. Whether calling down the keen Shards to pierce through an enemy’s defenses or summoning the maw of Farallah of the Hunt to rob them of their power, these attacks both have respectable Strength.

But the Ancient One doesn’t need to rely on the physical strength of her spells to damage her opponents. When facing resilient foes, she can strike the spirits of their astral selves rather than their mere bodies. Astral Strike costs her 4 Power and strikes at Strength 8, but because she’s bypassing the target’s physical self, it cannot add criticals to the defense roll or roll extra dice produced by criticals. If she damages the target, it becomes Staggered from the experience of having its spirit knocked around!

The Ancient One also has a potent mixture of spells and innate talents she can rely on in battle. She can summon the Mists of Hoggoth to act as a portal allowing her to appear within a close range of her current location or call on the Winds of Watoomb to cause a blast of air to fling an attacker to within range of where her martial arts experience can help her to defend herself.

Most importantly, though, the Ancient One is one of the wearers of the Eye of Agamotto. Created by one of the Vishanti, a trio of god-like supernatural beings, this relic grants the Ancient One the power to repel mystical perils like Dormammu. Whenever she makes a defense or dodge roll, the Ancient One can call upon the power of the Eye to reroll 2 dice in her roll, and she can also draw upon it to gain an additional Power during the Power Phase.

That’s all for our first look at this ancient sorcerer.

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 Mordo & Ancient One Character Pack at your local game store or through our webstore today!

Until then, Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off!