The Tease of Things I Don't Need

Fooled Me

(updated)

Strangely, this week's official sneak peek has turned out to be Animal Man, not M'onel. I'll let Seth explain himself.

Oddly, upon seeing the dials up I realized that this was one I'd forgotten to include in yesterday's visual guide, so I've popped that poster shot up top.

Here's the REV comparison:

Animal Man's gimmick is that he can "borrow" abilities from the animal kingdom, which more accurately means that he duplicates them.

Ranging from 46 to 75 points, we get to see a range of interpretations. Even just in terms of Speed modes: The rookie is has aquatic abilities and is marked by the Dolphin symbol. The experienced is given a standard, grounded boot symbol, though the leading clicks of Leap/Climb provide the mobility. The veteran, more fully connected to his array of powers, has flight. All three versions demonstrate that Animal Man is a close combat fighter, which will give some players pause in picking him because there are so many ranged combat pieces in the game.

The 46 point rookie has three leading clicks of Incapacitate, giving him some options against more powerful opponents. An opening click of Charge coupled with a 3 Damage likely demonstrates the earnest and impetuous nature of a young hero. Still, tapping into the animal kingdom helps keep him wary and agile, so he has two opening clicks of Energy Shield/Deflection to help him evade ranged attacks, then two following clicks of Combat Reflexes to let him enjoy a 17 Defense from close combat attacks, before giving him ES/D again for the final click, fpr perhaps when he's trying to get to safety.

His second click has Close Combat Expert, as he brings -- well, who knows? An ostrich's kick? --to bear, and then two clicks of Exploit Weakness as he brings whatever's necessary to make a successful attack go through. On his final click he has Flurry, but between the 7 Attack Value and the 1 Damage he'd best be up against a weak or significantly weakened opponent.

The 59 pt experienced version is JLA-affiliated, and generally demonstrates his better coming to grips with his abilities. He hasn't discovered his ability to fly yet, being too bound by his own conceptions of his powers; he'd excluded the notion from his own mind because he lacked wings. However, the two opening clicks of Leap/Climb enable him to deal with any terrain, and the accompanying clicks of Blades/Claws/Fangs allow him to go wild on an opponent, though on that opening click many will decide to simply stick with the secure, 3 Damage.

On his third and fourth clicks he picks up a Charge and Super Strength combination as he draws on other animal abilities. His second and third clicks bring Shape Change into play, by which I presume he's simply bringing a combination of animal stealth and chameleon-like camouflage into play. This will

The fifth and sixth clicks bring a combination of Plasticity and Exploit Weakness, giving him a combination that suggests to me a boa constrictor.

Defensively, while he starts with ES/D, he depends largely on the above mentioned Shapoe Change for the next two clicks, then three of Toughness as he draws on animal resilience. His final click brings Regeneration, allowing him the potential to bounce back as far as his third click.

The 75 pt veteran version is unaffiliated, and shows Buddy tying into the available range of his powers -- most prominent of which is the addition of flight.

A leading click of 17 Defense with Shape Change makes him a difficult target, while the Charge, 3 Damage and Willpower help make him a threat. For some reason he forsakes Super Strength and Blades/Claws/Fangs at this level, perhaps being more intent on retaining his humanity.

His third and fourth clicks have Flurry, accompanied by 2 Damage -- though clicks four through six have Perplex to potentially kick the 2 Damage up to 3. The final three clicks have Incapacitate, allowing Buddy to still potentially make a difference even up against an opponent he can't directly harm.

Two slots of toughness on his second and third clicks are followed by the return of Combat reflexes for two clicks. After that, he finishes with two clicks of Regeneration, allowing him the possibility of healing to his second click.

The Attack and Damage Values for the veteran are very steady. The AV holds at 9 for his first four clicks before dropping to 8 for the next two, falling to 7 only on the final one. Damage is 3 for his first two clicks, then 2 for the remaining five clicks.

Each version of Animal Man has his benefits, though mobility issues are most likely to be a problem with the rookie, especially with the 0 range. The experienced may be the best compromise, and with a new Martian Manhunter in the mix, too, I'm sure some will be looking to recreate one era of the Justice League. The veteran, it should be little surprise, is the most versatile and resilient. At 75 points he may be worth his points as a flying brick with a twist or two. Much will depend upon a player's style.

Update: Oh, great. I saw in the designer's notes that there's going to be an LE Animal Master... with the Mystics TA. Another one to suck all the fun out of going to play the game, as players will press to get that version for themselves or resale.