Wednesday 28 January 2015

SDE Heroes 02

The basic game of SDE comes with 9 Hero characters. Five are female and four are male. Today I'll be looking at three of the female Heroes - a rogue and two magic users.
From left to right are the Hexcast Sorceress, the Riftling Rogue and the Ember Mage. The two magic users are human but the Rogue is a Demonkin, fighting the forces of evil.
Trained in the dark arts of hexes and curses, the Hexcast Covens are uneasy allies to the rulers of Crystalia. Nonetheless, their potency in battle cannot be denied. Slowing enemies, shattering armour and weakening their foes, a Hexcast sorceress can lay even the mightiest low. She is such a great sculpt and her hair is simply amazing. Her three named spells - Frozen Feet, Hobbled Hands and Broken Bones - are not the most powerful but they all can weaken a foe to make it easier for herself or others to strike him down. She has a Potion that grants the ability to Fly.
Bred in the underworld, the Demonkin lend heroes to combat the Consul for their own closely guarded reasons. Masters of striking from the shadows, the Riftling Guild adepts can find the chink in any armour. More important to many though is their uncanny knack to find the most valuable treasure in any dungeon. I said last time that the Royal Paladin was my favourite Hero from this set. Well, the Riftling Rogue is my second favourite Hero. She comes with some great sneaky abilities - Dodge, Luck, Stealth and Smoke. She also comes with one special attack, which is costly to use but very powerful and that is Backstab, which adds a green die (remember Green Dice are the best dice in the game) to her attack roll and if it hits it does double damage. Finally, she  has a Teleport Potion, which she can use on herself or on any other Hero. All in all, she is an awesome character.
The soul of a mage will reflect the powers that they develop. Ember Mages are quick to anger and wield terrible blasts of fire and brimstone. Their destructive magic is highly sought after by adventuring parties willing to take the risk. The Ember Mage, who specialises in Fire Magic, is far more powerful than the Hexcast Sorceress. This is good against most of the monsters in the SDE basic set but not the most important one, Starfire, the Dragon Boss. He is immune to Fire. She comes equipped with a Healing Potion, which is another good reason to choose her.
I love this trio of figures. They are cute, sexy, deadly and beautifully sculpted. The Hexcast Sorceress may appear to be the weakest of the three but don't dismiss her Magic. The ability to weaken a powerful opponent like Starfire should not be overlooked. Starfire is fully capable of wiping out a whole party so anything that weakens and slows him down has to be a good thing. The Riftling Rogue is everything a Rogue should be - sneaky, cunning and very dangerous. Finally, if you want real offensive Magic then the Ember Mage is without peer. Both mages have Magic 8, which means they can cast spells at opponents up to 8 squares away, making them excellent Ranged fighters. By the way, characters with Magic use their Willpower to make attacks instead of their Attack score. Both have above average Willpower scores.

14 comments:

  1. There's a definite cartoon look to the colours you've chosen here; very appropriate, I think. Are these your own schemes, or is there an "official" appearance for each of the figures?

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    1. Thanks, Hugh. My colour schemes are a straight copy of the illustrations from the rulebook and from their character record cards.

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  2. Even though I don't like the subject matter, I must still complement you on an oustanding paintjob. Well done Dude, great stuff. (Don't think my point of view on Chibi is softening.)
    Bring back the bloody zombies!

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    1. Thanks, Bob. Zombies are gone for now but definitely not forgotten. I do have some new zombies to show you next post but I have no idea what you'll make of them.

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  3. More great work. Kudos. Love the minis. :)

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    1. Thanks, Pulp Citizen. I'm so glad you like them.

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  4. Bryan, I can honestly say that at first I thought the Hexcast Sorceress' hair was some sort of coloured thread material and not just painted - and I'm still unsure. How did you paint it like that!?! Great little minis and your write-up and assessment of them is as intriguing as ever. Keep 'em coming :-)

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    1. Wow! That's quite a compliment about the Hexcast Sorceress' hair, Simon. I gave it lots of dry brushing as well as painting individual hairs with a very fine brush. The effect worked really well. I'm very much enjoying doing my write-ups and assessments. You'll be pleased to know there's a lot more to show.

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  5. Fantastic paintjobs again Bryan. I have to agree with Simon your painting has gone up a few notches painting these figures.

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    1. Thanks, Simon. You are right about my painting. I put my heart and soul into painting these figures.

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  6. Cool paint jobs on these, they give off a bit of a Manga feel.... might be the big eyes, either way top job Bryan.

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    1. The Manga feel you mention is intentional, TE.

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  7. I love them, I didnt think I'd enjoy the showcases so much, but they really are something special.

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    1. Thanks, Mathyoo. Don't worry - I know exactly what you mean.

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