W3 Gald'rabok - Ice Demon - released

GALD'RABOK




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Figure:  Repainted Dumetef Guard (repaint by Orgsbane)

General: Valkrill
Planet:  Toril

Species: Demon
Unique Hero
Class: Savage
Personality: Relentless
LARGE 7

Life: 5
Move: 6
Range: 1
Attack: 4
Defense: 4
110 Points

ICE STORM SPECIAL ATTACK
Range 5. Attack 3.
Choose a figure to attack or chose Gald'rabok. Any figures adjacent to the chosen figure are also affected by Ice Storm Special Attack. Gald'rabok only needs a clear sight shot at the chosen figure. Roll attack dice once for all affected figures. Each figure rolls defense dice separately. Figures with the Cold Healing, Cold Regenerate, Snow Strength, or Glacier Camouflage Special Powers take no wounds when attacked by Ice Storm Special Attack.

COLD HEALING
After taking a turn with Gald'rabok, if it is on at least one snow or ice space, remove 1 Wound Marker from this Army Card.




Bio:
GALD’RABOK
As Utgar’s forces gain a greater foothold on Valhalla, his minions continued to search through the mystical lands for any advantage. During one expedition, the demon lord, Uvall uncovered an ancient sanctum in the ice caves of Thaelenk. Within the sanctum several rare tomes and enchanted items provided the means to summon a great demon that was once trapped by the Arch-Kyrie. Using the incantations of the books, and coupled with magic provided by other sorcerers, the seals were broken releasing Gald’rabok the Frost Reaver.

While not mindless, Gald’rabok’s savagery is unmatched on the battlefield. The gigantic demon stands well over ten feet tall, with massive, muscled arms, fearsome talons and a crown of horns. When he is not tearing his opponents apart limb by limb, the ice demon unleashes mystical blasts of cold. These magical frost attacks contain razor-sharp projectiles of ice that can penetrate even the strongest armor. In addition, Gald’rabok can surround himself with a swirling storm of ice and snow which makes him remarkably effective against massed troops.

I am liking the look of this repainted Dumetef, so Orgsbane is going to whip up another one for me.  Maybe a Unique Hero or Uncommon Hero .. not sure yet.  

Continuing to add to the Snow & Ice faction : )


Ice Devil's in D&D can summon a damaging Ice Storms to affect an area, or release a Cone of Cold to hit a straight line. So they could have a Shotgun special power or a straight line Special like Rhogar or Mimring.

The repaint is amazing, the texture on it is great! And yeah some blizzard like special attack would be pretty cool, would it bond with dumetefs?

He (It?) probably won't bond with Dumetefs .. maybe something that works with the new Frostwolves that I'm developing. He might be a Large Relentless Hero so that he can bond with the Deathknights.

I'm open to ideas ...

The Ice Devil has arrived!

The stats and powers look good to me. Although that chastity belt look a little tight!

I like the synergy with Demons . . . Stenvar could get a bonus from him if he were huge. Should we change Stenvar's Avenger power to include Large figures or make Gald'rabok a huge (the Dumutef is a pretty large large)?

I am eager to try my hand at a repaint of a Dumutef.

Again, I have two of this repaint ... and plan to share one with the Schafte Brothers : P

I am debating between Dauntless (for Stenvar) and Relentless (for Deathknights). But he could be just a stand-alone hero too.

Jacob and I got four play tests in with Gald'rabok. I'm not going to do an official report - just some conclusions.

We ran him in our Cinco de Mayo tournament in this army:

Zombies x4, Zombie Hulks x4, Gald'rabok = 590 points.

So, we tried him without any bonding with the Deathknights just to see what he could do. He did little. The Zombies were a very good army, but Jacob didn't use any order markers on him until needed. I think Gald'rabok definitely needs the bonding option to make him a worthwhile figure. Future play tests will have him as a bonding option.

The snow/ice stipulation makes it so that healing is tough to bring about (totally map dependent and if you are lucky to make it to snow/ice). What about giving him the same power as the Greater Ice that turns water into ice?

Yeah, he sort of needs the Snow/Ice map to be super-effective like the Ice Troll Berserker. Otherwise he plays a bit like one of the Cowboys ... a few OM's to get in a special attack here or there.

I think Bonding with the Deathknights would be cool .. since he is a Demon.

I could drop him to 90 points and change him to Relentless. That puts him in the same class as Sir Hawthorne (though Hawthorne as 1 more life).

Thanks for giving him a whirl!

First attempt at the card for Gald'Rabok.

No planet was listed in this thread, so I went with Toril to match the other Demons.

Updated OP with correct format.

NAME OF THE TEST UNIT:   GALD’RABOK, Ice Demon of Valkrill

THEME TEST: Are there are any powers or stats on the test unit card that do not accurately reflect the theme or likeness of what the character should be able to do? Also consider whether or not this character's powers should affect destructible objects.  PASS.  Fairly standard attack/defense, and his ranged special “Ice Storm” works just like Shotgun Special Attack – so it should affect destructible objects.

FUN TEST: Was the unit fun to play? PASS.  The Ice Demon was really fun with the Death Knights, and I think the fact that he was a “new” unit provided some surprises for my opponent (especially since we are used to the Death Knights generally being an all melee army – the fact that Gald’rabok had a ranged special attack forced my opponent to think of the D. Knights differently).

FUN OPPOSITION TEST: Was the unit acceptable to play against? Could it be considered annoying? PASS.  

USAGE TEST: Were all of the powers on this card used, or at least usable? PASS.  Gald’rabok’s “Cold Healing” did not come in to play on this map, though there were several large hexes of water … so I drafted the Greater Ice Elemental for Valkrill in the event that I needed some healing.  It didn’t come in to play but it gave me the option.

STRATEGY TEST: Does the unit offer any real strategy or interesting tactics to the overall game? PASS.  The ability to use Ice Storm as a ranged “shotgun” area of effect OR as a “whirlwind” style attack by targeting yourself made the Ice Demon very flexible in his attack options.  At one point I was attacking a cluster of Glads/Blasts so my opponent split them up, and then with my next OM, I used my double-base to move adjacent to a Glad and Blast who were hexes apart but then still affected by the Ice Storm when I centered it on Gald’rabok.  Very flexible uses for his powers.

BONDING TEST: Compare the unit card with all currently existing Bonding abilities. Are there any Bonding loops that do not stop appropriately? PASS.

SYNERGIES TEST: Think of all the current cards that would have synergy with the unit card. Are there any factors that could break the game by making a unit too powerful or too weak? PASS.

POWER CHECK: When considering the test unit against all existing units (including released C3V and SoV units) and all glyphs, are there any powers that could be overamplified and break the game? PASS.  He is very powerful at 110 points, with 5 Life and 6 Move.  I could see dropping his move down to 5 but I personally hate double-space units with move 5 (especially one that should see some action in heavy snow/slippery ice).

DRAFTING TEST: Is this unit worth drafting? PASS.  He could be a good tundra-terrain draft with or without Death Knights.

MIRROR TEST: Consider the test unit against itself. Are there any loops that would upset the balance of the Game? PASS, but Weird, as in a Mirror Match he cannot be damaged by Ice Storm, so it would just be a slug fest of normal attacks.

ARMY TEST

Did the unit perform adequately? What should be the unit's point value? Give a brief summary. [insert pass/fail, point value, and brief summary] PASS.  See Battle Report.

Map: Pine Tree Marsh

Army 1 (Nomad): Laglor, Rygarn, Vindicators of Vydar, Gladiatrons x2, Blastatrons x2  = 540 points.
VS
Army 2 (Kai): Gald’rabok, Skull Demon, Death Knights x4, Greater Ice Elemental = 545 points.

Battle Report:
This was my second time playing Gald’rabok with the Death Knights.  The first match was Death Knights + Gald’rabok versus Heavy Gruts + Skerak/Nerak/Tornak.  Huskies16 was running the Gruts and he had a nice pod with multiple auras (defense from Nerak, attack/defense from Skerak and Tornak).  Still Gald’rabok was on an ice map so he was healing quickly.

In this match, the first round I had the advantage of surprise with a new Unit and took out many more Glads/Blasts than Nomad expected.  The tide quickly turned because of the surprises, and also I had a single Death Knight hold the +1 Defense glyph for about 5 rounds.  Gald’rabok was the MVP and he lasted the entire game without any Cold Healing.  It was a good match, since the Ice Demon could not be locked down by the Gladiatrons and a few key leaving engagements did not wound him when he broke ranks to Ice Storm the start zone.

Note the Laglor failed on every defense roll and was dropped fairly easily.
My Greater Ice Elemental was 0-1 on Ice Spikes and rolled 5 for 18 on normal attacks (1/6, 1/6, 3/6) but he hung on for a while sitting in water that became ice.


Final thoughts:
I see Gald’rabok as a great addition to the Death Knight army, providing a much needed Special Attack (and some Range), and a cool repaint that can be used on tundra or normal terrain.  He might be closer to 120 points, but I think the Death Knights are weaker as a 2-person squad, so maybe it balances out.

Gald'rabok has had 5-6 play tests at the current stats/powers.

I vote we go to final editing.

Agreed!

My efforts to finalize the wording for Gald'rabok are below. Changed some spacing and punctuation and reworded the special attack to fall in line with James Murphy and Myrddin.

GALD'RABOK

Figure: Repainted Dumetef Guard (repaint by Orgsbane)

General: Utgar
Planet: Toril

Species: Demon
Unique Hero
Class: Savage
Personality: Relentless
Large 7

Stats
Life: 5
Move: 6
Range: 1
Attack: 4
Defense: 4
Points: 110

ICE STORM SPECIAL ATTACK
Range 5. Attack 3.
Chose a figure to attack or chose Gald'rabok. Any figures adjacent to the chosen figure are also affected by Ice Storm Special Attack. Gald'rabok only needs a clear sight shot at the chosen figure. Roll attack dice once for all affected figures. Each figure rolls defense dice separately. Gald'rabok cannot be affected by his own Ice Storm Special Attack.

COLD HEALING
After taking a turn with Gald'rabok, if he is on at least one snow or ice space or adjacent to a Glacier Mountain, remove 1 Wound Marker from this Army Card.

In the Ice Storm attack, it states that Galdy can be chosen and then at the end it states that he is not affected. I think we should add in the clarifications that he can be chosen for the attack, but the not affected part means that he is not attacked. I could see some questions arising.

If this wording is acceptable, I vote we call Galdy FINAL.

Nomad wrote:
ICE STORM SPECIAL ATTACK
Range 5. Attack 3.
Chose a figure to attack or chose Gald'rabok. Any figures adjacent to the chosen figure are also affected by Ice Storm Special Attack. Gald'rabok only needs a clear sight shot at the chosen figure. Roll attack dice once for all affected figures. Each figure rolls defense dice separately. Gald'rabok cannot be affected by his own Ice Storm Special Attack.
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How about:

.. Gald'rabok cannot be damaged by his own Ice Storm Special Attack.

ICE STORM SPECIAL ATTACK
Range 5. Attack 3.
Chose a figure to attack or chose Gald'rabok. Any figures adjacent to the chosen figure are also affected by Ice Storm Special Attack. Gald'rabok only needs a clear sight shot at the chosen figure. Roll attack dice once for all affected figures. Each figure rolls defense dice separately. Gald'rabok cannot be affected by his own Ice Storm Special Attack.

ICE STORM SPECIAL ATTACK
Range 5. Attack 3.
Choose a figure to attack or choose Gald'rabok. Any figures adjacent to the chosen figure are also affected by Ice Storm Special Attack. Gald'rabok only needs a clear sight shot at the chosen figure. Roll attack dice once for all affected figures. Each figure rolls defense dice separately. Gald'rabok cannot be affected by his own Ice Storm Special Attack.
Figures with the Cold Healing power take no damage when affected by Ice Storm Special Attack. or Gald'rabok takes no damage when affected by his own Ice Storm Special Attack.

COLD HEALING
After taking a turn with Gald'rabok, if he is on at least one snow or ice space or adjacent to a Glacier Mountain, remove 1 Wound Marker from this Army Card.

Great idea, Derek.

What about?

ICE STORM SPECIAL ATTACK
Range 5. Attack 3.
Choose a figure to attack or choose Gald'rabok. Any figures adjacent to the chosen figure are also affected by Ice Storm Special Attack. Gald'rabok only needs a clear sight shot at the chosen figure. Roll attack dice once for all affected figures. Each figure rolls defense dice separately. Figures with the Cold Healing, Cold Regenerate, or Snow and Ice Enhanced Movement take no wounds when attacked by Ice Storm Special Attack.

A couple of tweaks with the language, but adding the other powers means that Galdy, Greater Ice, Ice Troll, and Dzu-Teh can't be wounded when attacked by the Ice Storm, but they can still be targeted.

Nomad wrote:Great idea, Derek.

What about?

ICE STORM SPECIAL ATTACK
Figures with the Cold Healing, Cold Regenerate, or Snow and Ice Enhanced Movement take no wounds when attacked by Ice Storm Special Attack.

A couple of tweaks with the language, but adding the other powers means that Galdy, Greater Ice, Ice Troll, and Dzu-Teh can't be wounded when attacked by the Ice Storm, but they can still be targeted.

Seconded!  Awesome idea!

Looks close, I will try and get a few tests in shortly.

I've updated the card for this figure . . .

- redid the first special power
- I noticed that I misspelled the the figure's name - Yikes! Funny that no one else noticed

First Pass at BIO:

GALD’RABOCK
As Valkrill’s forces gain a greater foothold in Valhalla, his minions continue to search through the mystical lands for any advantage. During one expedition, the demon lord, Uvall uncovered an ancient sanctum in the ice caves of Thaelenk. Within the sanctum several rare tomes and enchanted items provided the means to summon a great demon that was once trapped by the Arch-Kyrie. Using the incantations of the books, and coupled with magic provided by other sorcerers, the seals were broken releasing Gald’rabock the Frost Reaver.

While not mindless, Gald’rabock’s savagery is unmatched on the battlefield. The gigantic demon stands well over ten feet tall, with massive, muscled arms, fearsome talons and a crown of horns. When he is not tearing his opponents apart limb by limb, the ice demon unleashes mystical blasts of cold. These magical frost attacks contain razor-sharp projectiles of ice that can penetrate even the strongest armor. In addition, Gald’rabock and surround himself with a swirling storm of ice and snow which makes him remarkably effective against massed troops.

Great bio - short, descriptive, and well done.

Is Gald'rabok supposed to be Valkrill or Utgar?

The spelling of the demon's name is different in the bio. Do you want Gald'rabok or Gald'rabock. I prefer the initial spelling without the 'c'.

GALD’RABOCK or GALD'RABOK
As Valkrill’s Utgar's forces gain a greater foothold in Valhalla, his minions continue to search through the mystical lands for any advantage. During one expedition, the demon lord, Uvall, uncovered an ancient sanctum in the ice caves of Thaelenk. Within the sanctum several rare tomes and enchanted items provided the means to summon a great demon that was once trapped by the Arch-Kyrie. Using the incantations of the books, and coupled with magic provided by other sorcerers, the seals were broken releasing Gald’rabock or Gald'rabok the Frost Reaver.

While not mindless, Gald’rabock’s or Glad'rabok's savagery is unmatched on the battlefield. The gigantic demon stands well over ten feet tall, with massive, muscled arms, fearsome talons and a crown of horns. When he is not tearing his opponents apart limb by limb, the ice demon unleashes mystical blasts of cold. These magical frost attacks contain razor-sharp projectiles of ice that can penetrate even the strongest armor. In addition, Gald’rabock or Gald'rabok and can surround himself with a swirling storm of ice and snow which makes him remarkably effective against massed troops.

He could be either Utgar or Valkrill. We can keep him Utgar since the card is already done.

Updated:

GALD’RABOK
As Utgar’s forces gain a greater foothold in Valhalla, his minions continued to search through the mystical lands for any advantage. During one expedition, the demon lord, Uvall uncovered an ancient sanctum in the ice caves of Thaelenk. Within the sanctum several rare tomes and enchanted items provided the means to summon a great demon that was once trapped by the Arch-Kyrie. Using the incantations of the books, and coupled with magic provided by other sorcerers, the seals were broken releasing Gald’rabok the Frost Reaver.

While not mindless, Gald’rabok’s savagery is unmatched on the battlefield. The gigantic demon stands well over ten feet tall, with massive, muscled arms, fearsome talons and a crown of horns. When he is not tearing his opponents apart limb by limb, the ice demon unleashes mystical blasts of cold. These magical frost attacks contain razor-sharp projectiles of ice that can penetrate even the strongest armor. In addition, Gald’rabok can surround himself with a swirling storm of ice and snow which makes him remarkably effective against massed troops.