Vampifan's Views 61 - Monthly Musings 39

Miss Vampirella February 2015 - Arban Ornelas

This month's Vampirella model is the lovely Arban Ornelas. I mentioned last month how some of the Vampirella models got her iconic costume spot on and some didn't. Arban falls in the category of not getting it right. But it is not her fault. She was hired by Harris Comics to help promote the comic. This photo was taken at a comics convention. Harris Comics published the Vampirella comic from 1991 until 2007. They designed and provided Arban's costume and they really should have done a better job of it. The waist band is far too high up on her hips. Heck, it is so high it covers her belly button. As a consequence the gold bat logo is far too high as well. It should cover her crotch. The top half of the costume looks good but I really don't like the bottom half. Still, costume criticisms aside, I do think Arban is very beautiful and very voluptuous. I also think she was very brave to wear such a revealing costume!

Back cover of the A Touch Of Evil game

In hobby news I have been painting a bunch of figures unlike any other I have painted before. No, they are not more Chibi figures. They are 28mm scale early 19th century American adventurers. They are the heroes of a board-game called A Touch of Evil by Flying Frog Productions. You can see some of the unpainted figures in the picture to the right. I recently purchased this game after it was highly recommended to me. A lot of people have described the game as being Arkham Horror-lite. I don't see this as a bad thing. Arkham Horror is a very complex game so if I play ATOE first it will be a good introduction to preparing me for AH. Reviews of the painted figures, the game and its expansion sets will follow soon. It does feature the undead and the figures are realistically sculpted. No Chibi nonsense in these games!

Speaking of Chibi nonsense, I have been playing lots of games of Super Dungeon Explore recently. Indeed I have played more games this past month than in the whole of 2014. My New Year's resolution to play more games in 2015 is going very strong. I have been trying out various combinations of Heroes to battle the Consul. Some Heroes work together and individually better than others. Just sticking with the nine Heroes of the basic game my favourite is definitely the Hexcast Sorceress. Before I actually played the game I thought it'd be the Royal Paladin based on his stat scores and abilities. Don't get me wrong, he is a must have for any party. It is just that I have totally fallen for Miss Hexcast. I really must give her a proper name.

The stat card for the Hexcast Sorceress

When I first reviewed her I said that the Ember Mage was a more powerful mage than her. This is true. But the Hexcast Sorceress has two unique and awesome spells in her arsenal - Broken Bones and Hobbled Hands. These two spells have been the bane of Starfire, Rex and Reg in every game that I have used the Hexcast Sorceress. Here is how best to use her in a typical game. Try to keep her away from the thick of the action at all times. She is at her most effective from a distance. If ever you find a relic that adds to a character's Will score give it to her. Will is what she uses to cast Magic so try to boost that as much as possible. Twice I have been lucky enough to find a relic that added a +1 green die to her Will. When Rex or Reg or Starfire appears have her cast Broken Bones on them. Keep casting this spell until it succeeds. Why cast this spell first? Well, Fragile forces the target to discard the highest roll it makes for its Armour roll. Doing this makes the target much easier to hit for every Hero. Once you have done this then cast Hobbled Hands on the same target. With the target's defence drastically lowered this should be a lot easier to cast. Weak works in a  similar fashion to Fragile but instead it forces the target to discard their highest roll for their Attack roll. Remember the aim of the game for the heroes is not to slay all the monsters but just to slay the Dungeon Boss, which in this case is Starfire the Dragon. The Hexcast Sorceress makes that job so much easier. Oh, and her ordinary Magic is usually good enough to smite most other dungeon denizens and minions, especially so if you boost her Will score. Plus, unlike normal ranged attacks, Magic can be cast on an opponent if they are in an adjacent square. Pretty damned nifty! I think she is an absolute babe. I will leave you with this line drawing of her that I found on the internet showing what she looks like if realistically rendered. I am definitely in love with her!

Hexcast Sorceress beautifully and realistically drawn by female artist, Sionid.

Under a Graveyard Sky by John Ringo

Faith takes a breather from killing zombies.

Zombies! There's just no escaping them. I know some of you will be thinking, "thank God Vampifan has stopped doing his posts about Chibi fantasy figures!" No names mentioned, but you know who you are! Well, sorry to disappoint you but this is just a short break from my SDE stuff.
It has been a long time since I read a zombie novel. A couple of weeks ago I read a review of a zombie novel called Under a Graveyard Sky by John Ringo on Shelldrake's Zombie Wargame Blog run by my good friend Ian, aka Patient Zero, administrator of the Board of the Living Lead forum. See here - http://zombiewargame.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/john-ringos-black-tide-rising-zombie.html
Ian liked this novel because the hero was an Aussie and Ian lives in Australia. I was interested in reading it because a) it's a zombie apocalypse novel, b) I'm happy to be persuaded by other people's recommendations and c) I've read a few of John Ringo's sci-fi novels and very much enjoyed them. So I had high hopes of this novel, which, by the way, is part one of a proposed four-part series called Black Tide Rising.
The story focuses on a family of four who are well prepared for almost any disaster, including a zombie apocalypse, which they never believed would happen. Steven John "Wolf" Smith is a naturalised American citizen, former Australian paratrooper and most recently, a high school history teacher. His wife, Stacey aka "Momma Wolf" is a first class mechanic and self-professed geek. They have two daughters, Sophia aka "Seawolf," a 15-year old student, who is good looking, level-headed and intelligent, and Faith aka "Shewolf," a 13-year old firebrand who is very tall for her age and who takes to killing zombies like a duck to water. The family have a survival plan, which they employ as soon as they receive advance news of the upcoming zombie plague from Steve's brother, Tom. Tom works in a private research facility as a scientist and his company is well aware of the threat a newly discovered plague poses. The Smith family grab a boat, stock it full of supplies and head out to sea. A good plan. However, things change dramatically, when they find other boats at sea, whose crews need rescuing. Rather than ignore them they do the right thing and help them. So begins their new mission - save humanity - one boat at a time. This they do in a small way by rescuing anyone in distress at sea, as well as clearing out boats that are overrun with the infected.
Steve is an excellent strategist and a charismatic leader. Stacey excels at ship repairs. Sophia becomes a highly competent helmswoman. And Faith, well, she truly excels at killing zombies. Not only is she VERY good at killing them but she thoroughly enjoys killing them. Soon the family have a flotilla of ships under their command, which they name Wolf Squadron. Most of the world's population were wiped out by the zombie plague but there still remains pockets of humanity. The US Navy suffered catastrophic loses but many of their submarine fleet remained safe. Those in the vicinity of Steve's ragtag collection of survivors take a keen interest in what he is doing and make their presence known. I won't spoil things by saying whether they help or hinder Wolf Squadron.
The book is fast-paced, very exciting and quite humourous. John Ringo is a military veteran, so he knows the jargon and writes very believable scenes and dialogue relating to all things military. The stand out character in the book is 13-year old Faith who steals every scene she is in. Yes, she is a zombie killer par excellence, but her fight scenes are handled realistically. Personally speaking, whenever Faith appears in the book, my face just lights up. She is very much larger than life but I love her. As one Gunnery Sergeant said to her, "damn, I wish you were legal so I could ask you to marry me!" She makes a lasting impression on everyone she meets and especially on this viewer.
I am about half way through the second novel in the series, To Sail a Darkling Sea and it is every bit as good as the first novel. Book three, Strands of Sorrow is released in paperback format at the end of this month. I will be buying it on that day. This a series that I can highly recommend. I'm happy to give Under a Graveyard Sky a 9 out of 10 rating only because it ends rather abruptly, leaving you wanting more. I ordered my copy from Amazon UK, where the paperback version is currently on sale for £6.50. The Kindle edition costs £4.49.

SDE Monsters 04 - Dragons 01

The last batch of monsters to appear in the basic boxed set of Super Dungeon Explore are the Dragonkin, led by the fearsome Dungeon Boss, Starfire. Here they are -

I'll start with two types of Drake Denizens - Hatchlings and Whelps. The game comes with two of each. I've painted one of each type differently with orange highlights and pink highlights. The Hatchlings and the Wyrmlings (see below) have two Wounds each and this helps me to identify which one has suffered a Wound.

Even the smallest of drakes can be a serious threat in numbers. Quick footed, sharp toothed and very hungry, Hatchlings swarm over anything at their height and have made more than one quick meal of a wounded Hero.
Still too young to earn their wings, Whelps must settle for chasing down their prey to make a meal. This quickly weeds out the weakest of the clutch and ensures that only the strongest will survive.

Hatchlings have rather poor stats although they do have 2 Wounds and 2 Actions per turn. Their one and only Ability is Swarm, which costs 1 Action. This gives them a +1 red die bonus to their Attack roll if the target is suffering Knockdown. You may think this is not a very useful ability but read below about Whelps.

Whelps have better stats than Hatchlings but they only have 1 Wound and 1 Action per Turn. Their Attack dice aren't too bad with 2 blue dice and 1 red die. Here's where it gets interesting for the Dragons. If the Whelp causes a Wound it automatically inflicts Knockdown. So the trick is to attack first with the Whelps then follow up with the Hatchlings.

I've left the best to last. The two Wyrmlings who come with this set are also Drake Denizens and are the best of the young Drakes. However, the star of the show is unquestionably Starfire the Dragon Dungeon Boss. He's big, powerful and a real challenge for the Heroes to defeat. He is also the best sculpted figure in the set, in my humble opinion.

Wyrmlings have so far managed to not be eaten by kin or Kobold and are nearing maturity. They wheel around the caverns and their mountain hunting grounds, on newly spouted wings, feeding on foolish trespassers.
Whilst Dragons are not uncommon on Crystalia, none inspire the terror of Starfire. From his volcanic mountain within the Dragonback Peaks he brings fire and destruction across the length and breadth of the realm. Vast herds are consumed by his appetites and entire treasures are claimed by his greed.

Wyrmlings are nasty little critters with 2 Wounds, 2 Actions per Turn and decent stats including 2 blue dice and 1 red die for Attack. They come with 3 useful abilities - Fly, Knockdown and Immune to Knockdown. Finally, they have two Special Attacks they can employ - Dive Bomb, costing 2 Actions which as well as wounding a target also Pacifies them (this prevents the target from using any Special Attack); and secondly, Swarm, costing just 1 action, which adds a +1 red die bonus to the Wyrmling's Attack roll if the target is suffering Knockdown.

Starfire comes with a frightening array of stats. Movement 6, Actions 4, Wounds 8 (yes, 8!), Attack 1 automatic hit plus 2 red dice and 1 green die (ouch!), Armour 1 blue die, 1 red die and 1 green die (that's tough), Willpower and Dexterity both have 2 red dice. His 3 Abilities are Fly, Immune to Fire and Immune to Knockdown. Finally, he has 2 Special Attacks, both costing 2 Actions. First up is  Dragon Breath which Sprays out in a cone for 5 squares and naturally sets any target on fire. That can seriously hurt a party of Heroes if they stand within that cone of fire. Secondly, Starfire can do a Tail Sweep which hits every model within 2 squares of any one of the four sides of Starfire. This causes Knockdown in addition to its Wound effect.
The first time I encountered Starfire in a game he wiped the floor with my Heroes. Since then, my Heroes have managed to defeat him. The key to defeating him is to make sure you destroy every Spawning Point on the board before he appears. Do that and the Heroes' chances of victory are greatly increased. Otherwise, Starfire gets to activate twice in a Turn and if you are a Hero, you do not want that to happen! Also, choose your Heroes wisely. There is one particular Hero who has been a major pain in the ass for not just Starfire, but also Rex and Reg. Sorry, Simon, but I'm going to tease you again. I'll tell you who that Hero is when I do my February Monthly Musings in just over a week's time. See if you can guess who he or she is.

Finally, here is a group shot of all the Dragons. Starfire is a such an impressive figure, isn't he? Now I have a confession to make - I love dragons! I have quite a few figures of them in my collection and a few are a lot larger than Starfire. No matter, I still love this figure. He has been beautifully and cleverly sculpted. I say "cleverly" because the way he is crouching over that rocky outcrop greatly reduces his footprint, reducing the amount of space he takes up on the board. His wings point upward, which also helps reduce his footprint, making it easier to fit other figures around him. Clever design! I also like the fact that Starfire has not been sculpted as a Chibi character but as a realistic looking dragon. You could use Starfire in practically any fantasy game and he wouldn't look out of place. How cool is that?

SDE Monsters 03 - Kobolds 03

The last two Kobold types I want to review here are the most powerful of the Kobolds. They are the Dragon Priests and the Kobold Ogres.

Dragon Priests are Kobold Minions and the boxed set of Super Dungeon Explore comes with two of them. To help differentiate between them I have painted one with red skin and the other with grey skin. I have also given them different coloured clothing.

Often leaders of warbands in the deep dark, Dragon Priests are granted arcane powers by their close communion with the dragon, Starfire. Once bestowed these gifts they never hesitate to use their favour to bully and cajole the lesser Kobolds into fighting for them.

Dragon Priests come with a good set of stats. Their four main stats (Attack, Armour, Will and Dex) all use two dice, usually 1 blue and 1 red, although Attack only uses 2 blue dice, which isn't as good. Still, these are not meant to be front line fighters. They work best supporting their colleagues from afar. In addition they have 3 actions per Turn and 3 Wounds. Not bad at all!

As you might expect, their main offence comes from Magic, and with a range of 8 squares that makes them as good as most Magic-wielding Heroes. If they do get close in, they also have the Mob ability, which is common to all Kobolds. They have two Augment spells that can help their comrades - Dragon Rage and Shadow Breath. Dragon Rage affects all allies within 3 squares and grants them a +1 blue die to their Attack rolls. Shadow Breath has an even larger range of 5 squares and grants all allies within range the Stealth ability. Stealth works like this - when a model with Stealth is targeted by a ranged effect they may immediately make a DEX roll. Subtract the number of stars rolled from the attacker's range. If the  roll causes the attacker to be out of range the attack is considered to have failed.

The Kobold Ogre is a Mini-Boss, second in command of the Dungeon Boss. The game comes with two of these fearsome monsters. The game designers have named him Rex, but I thought they can't both be called Rex, so Rex is the red skinned Kobold Ogre and I have named the grey skinned Kobold Ogre, Reg. Rex and Reg are twins, despite their different colouration.

Rex and Reg have collected more than a few new friends since going to work in the Consul's dungeons. Most are unwary adventurers not quite quick enough to get out of the reach of their enthusiastic hugs.

Mini-Bosses are very tough!  Rex and Reg have 5 Wounds, 3 Actions per Turn and excellent Attack and Armour stats - 2 blue dice and 2 red dice for Attack and 2 red dice for Armour.  Because of their huge size they have a Reach of 2, allowing them to attack targets up to 2 squares away. Also, because they are part Kobold, they have the Mob ability.

Rex and Reg come with three offensive abilities, which in order of power are Rex/Reg Smash, Rex/Reg Cuddle and Thwomp. Rex/Reg Smash costs 3 Actions to use but causes Massive Damage, which grants him a +1 green die to his Attack rolls. Ouch! Rex/Reg Cuddle costs 2 Actions to use and if successful causes the target to be Immobile and Weak. Finally, Thwomp, which costs just 1 Action, can push a target up to 5 squares away if successful. Most times this won't be very useful but if there is a lava pit, for example, behind the Hero then it might be worthwhile using.

As promised here is a group shot of all of my SDE Kobolds with the grey-skinned Kobolds to the left and the red-skinned Kobolds to the right. You can see from this photo just how tall the Kobold Ogres are. Rex and Reg should be in the second row from the front, along with the Gougers, as they all have Reach 2 abilities. The Ironscales and Knuckleheads should always be at the front of any attack. Keep the Flingers and Dragon Mages to the rear if you can as they work best from a distance.
Next time I'll be reviewing the last of my Monsters from the basic SDE boxed set - Dragons! Yes, I'm keeping the best to last.

SDE Monsters 02 - Kobolds 02

Kobolds in Super Dungeon Explore are numerous and come in a variety of types. This time I shall shine the spotlight on the Knuckleheads and Ironscales, both of whom are melee specialists.

Knuckleheads are Kobold Minions and the basic set comes with six of them. However, I'm only showing two of them - one red-skinned and one grey-skinned.

The Knuckleheads' strength lies in large, deadly mobs of its kin throwing themselves headlong into smaller bands of heroes. They use their small shields and iron helmets to take blows while frantically stabbing anything in reach with their crude weapons.

Knuckleheads are the basic rank and file soldiers of Kobold tribes. They have better stats than the rather poor Flingers and Gougers. They have an Attack value of 3 blue dice and an Armour value of 1 (note that is just a single value as opposed to a variable dice value).

The 3 blue Attack dice isn't too bad, but when coupled with their Mob ability, which can potentially raise that to 6 blue Attack dice, then you can see how fearsome they can be if allowed to gang up on an opponent. I've seen it happen and it didn't end well for the hapless Hero! The Mob ability is their one and only ability.

Ironscales are also Kobold Minions and are by far, the elite fighters of their tribes. The basic set comes with four Ironscale figures, but once again, I'm only showing two of them. Don't worry, I will be showing a group shot of all of my Kobolds next time.

The strongest and largest of their kind, the Ironscales are draped in heavy armour and fight from behind immovable heavy shields. Advancing with a rattling stomp, their kin swarm from behind their wall of protection to attack anyone foolish enough to stick around.

The Stats for an Ironscale are not too bad. They can perform two actions per turn, have an Armour value of 2 (this is a static value but see below) and an Attack stat of 1 blue die and 1 red die.

They come with two abilities - Mob, as per all other Kobolds, and Shieldwall. Shieldwall is an augment ability with a range of 1, meaning it affects the user and any friendly model in a square next to him. What it does is add +1 blue die to the target's Armour value. It's not much, to be honest, but it does offer better protection for the otherwise weak Kobolds.

SDE Monsters 01 - Kobolds 01

So far I have shown you the Heroes, the Spawning Points and the Treasure Chests from the Super Dungeon Explore basic game boxed set. All that remains is to showcase the monsters. I'll begin with the weakest first - Kobold Flingers and Kobold Gougers.

Kobold Flingers are Minions of the Consul. There are four Flingers in the boxed set but I'm only showing two of them. I decided to paint half of my Kobolds with red skin (Foundry Madder Red 60) and half with grey skin (Foundry Granite 31).

Many young Kobolds emerge from their warrens having learned how to hunt bats and other denizens with nothing more than a strip of drakegut and a pouch full of stones. Deadly accurate, these Flingers as they are known as, launch small clay pots of flaming lamp oil or inky smoke bombs to conceal their movement.

Flingers really are incredibly weak. They have an Armour value of 0 and only 1 Wound, meaning any hit will kill them. But they do have a few things going for them. First up, they are fairly good at ranged combat. Their slings have a range of 6 squares, which isn't too bad. They come with a variety of ammo types - ordinary rocks, Smoke Pots (which surrounds a target with Smoke, blocking line of sight) and Hot Pots (which can set a target on fire).

Their one other advantage, which is common to all Kobolds, is the Mob ability. This adds +1 Blue Attack die to the model's attack for every other model with Mob in melee with the target, up to +3 Blue Attack dice. I have used this ability to deadly affect by surrounding a Hero with Kobolds and killing the Hero in a flurry of attacks.

Kobold Gougers are also Minions of the Consul. The boxed set comes with six Gougers but I'm only showing two in these photos - one of each colour.

Kobolds are not big on courage as lone fighters. Their snarling growls are meagre and their weapons blunt and rusted. The Gouger's long spears can effectively add weight to their kin's attacks by stabbing at the desperately flailing heroes.

Gougers share identical stats with the Flingers, making them just as weak. They should be used just like the Flingers - from afar. Their spears have a reach of 2 squares, meaning they don't have to stand next to a Hero to attack them. Best leave that to the Ironscales and Knuckleheads (whom I'll review next time), who do specialise in close quarter melee combat.

As I said before, all Kobolds have the Mob ability, and this applies to the Gougers. In a one on one fight with any Hero, the Kobold will almost certainly lose. However, if they can gang up on a Hero, they can do some considerable harm. Flingers and Gougers have an Attack value of 2 blue dice. By making full use of the Mob rule you can boost this to 5 blue Attack dice. This amount of dice can hurt most Heroes. Kobolds remind me of zombies. Individually they are weak but the more there are, the stronger they become. Their prime role is as cannon fodder, but if used wisely they can be surprisingly effective.

SDE Scenery Items 01

Today I am going to review two important elements of the Super Dungeon Explore game - Spawning Points and Treasure Chests.

There are two types of Spawning Points found in the basic game - Kobold Warrens and an Egg Clutch. Spawning Points do not move, have an Armour value of 1 and a Wound value of 3. Their main function is to spawn monsters but they also have a secondary role, which I'll mention later.

The 4 Kobold Warrens must be fielded in pairs. I painted two with orange lava flows and two with red lava flows to differentiate between the two pairs. Each Kobold Warren can spawn a combination of 1 Dragon Priest, 2 Flingers, 3 Gougers, 2 Ironscales and 2 Knuckleheads.

Usually, each Spawning Point can spawn 4 Skulls worth of monsters. Dragon Priests cost 3 Skulls per figure, Ironscales cost 2 Skulls per figure and the other Kobolds cost 1 Skull each. Skulls are a measure of how powerful the monster is. These are all 8-Bit monsters and so can be spawned at any time in the game, providing the Spawning Point hasn't been destroyed. When the 16-Bit level is reached on the Adventure Tracker the Mini-Boss, Rex the Kobold Ogre, may be spawned from any of the Kobold Warrens Spawning Points. Rex costs 4 Skulls to spawn.

The Egg Clutch Spawning Point, shown in the middle of my photos, spawns the Dragonkin monsters - a combination of 2 Hatchlings, 2 Whelps and 2 Wyrmlings. Wyrmlings cost 2 Skulls per figure, whilst the Hatchlings and Whelps cost 1 Skull per figure. Spawning takes place every Turn at the beginning of the Consul's Turn. Note that the purple amethyst crystals have been gloss varnished to give them a nice shiny look.

SDE comes with five Treasure Chests. Treasure Chests contain magical relics denoted by a deck of Treasure Cards. These ancient relics are more powerful then the ordinary Loot Items that can be found in a dungeon. As with the spawning points, only one chest is allowed per dungeon tile. Once a Treasure Chest has been searched it is removed from the game.

At the far right are the dreaded Boo Booty! Treasure Chests. Boo Booty! disguises itself as a Treasure Chest but it is actually one of the Consul's more fiendish monsters. Once revealed by the deck of Treasure Cards it must be fought just like any other monster. If defeated, the Hero is allowed to draw another Treasure Card to see just what relic Boo Booty! was hiding, and yes, he or she does get to keep the relic.
Spawning Points play a major part in the game and are key to winning or losing. They help the Consul in two ways. First, and most obviously, they spawn monsters every Turn. Secondly, once the Dungeon Boss arrives they no longer spawn monsters. Instead, they allow the Dungeon Boss to activate twice per Turn. As long as at least one Spawning Point is still active when the Dungeon Boss arrives, he gets this bonus every Turn. Multiple Spawning Points do not grant the Dungeon Boss multiple bonus Turns. As I found out the hard way, this is bad news for the Heroes. I can't stress enough how important it is for the Heroes to destroy all of the Spawning points before the Dungeon Boss arrives.
The Loot Items that the Heroes can find in the dungeon are useful and helpful in aiding them to defeat the Consul. But the magic relics found in the Treasure Chests are far more powerful. Use them wisely as some relics are more useful to certain types of Heroes than others. Note that when a Hero finds a relic item, he or she may give it to any Hero or keep it for him or herself. However, all Heroes are only allowed one relic item each.

SDE Heroes 03

As promised last time here are the final three Heroes that come with the basic boxed set of Super Dungeon Explore - Angry Bear, Deeproot Druid and Glimmerdusk Ranger.

The Glimmerdusk Ranger is an Elf Hero, the Deeproot Druid is a Half-Elf Hero and Angry Bear is a Polar Bear.

Deadly archers, the Glimmerdusk Rangers patrol the edges of the Fae Wood, hunting any foolish to enter uninvited. With the rise of the Consul and the Nether Rifts advancing into their lands, the Rangers have begun to venture from their woodland realm. They offer considerable skill to any who will take the fight to the Consul. She specialises in ranged combat and can shoot at a target up to 8 squares away. She also comes with the Herbalist ability, which she can use to remove all Status Effect tokens from herself or any other Hero. She is useful as a back up character but beware how you use her.

Sacred Guardians of the Deeproot Tree, the Druids are fierce defenders of their revered realm. Druids can assume animal forms when doing battle. Often when magic and cunning have failed, animal rage can overcome. It is tempting to transform the Deeproot Druid into his Angry Bear form as soon as possible but don't be too hasty to dismiss him, for the Druid has some useful skills. All of his attacks inflict Poison and he is Immune to Poison. He is slightly faster than Angry Bear with a Move of 7 instead of 6. Finally, he can cast a Magic spell called Stranglethorn, which slows down opponents in addition to wounding them.

Some skilled Druids can take the form of a raging Totem - Ursos - a mighty bearlike creature filled with nature's wrath for the enemies of the Deeproot Tree. Like the Druid, Angry Bear is also Immune to Poison and he is Immune to Knockdown. However, his attacks do not inflict Poison. Instead, they can Knockdown, Immobilise or Weaken an opponent. His Armour and Attacks are more powerful than the Druid's.
In the few games I have played so far I have found the Glimmerdusk Ranger to be the weakest of all the Heroes. She excels at ranged combat but is not that good at melee combat. The Deeproot Druid is useful but he does pale when compared to Angry Bear. When he transforms into Angry Bear you just want him to charge headlong into his enemies and beat them to a pulp. Angry Bear is certainly one mighty cool looking Hero. By the way, I painted him as per the rulebook and stat card illustrations but I've seen many other versions of him, including Black Bear, Brown Bear, Panda, Tabby Cat(!) and even Winnie the Pooh!

I know that you all love to see group shots, so here are all nine Heroes from the basic boxed set. From left to right in the back row are the Glimmerdusk Ranger, the Deeproot Druid, Angry Bear and the Hexcast Sorceress. From left to right in the middle row are the Claw Tribe Barbarian, the Hearthsworn Fighter, the Ember Mage and the Riftling Rogue. Leading them all is the Royal Paladin.