HeroClix 2017 Rules 4: As a Free Action

For earlier articles in this series please click here.

Reminder: These rules are not finalized yet and will not replace the current rules until sometime after the  2017 HeroClix World Championship at Origins Game Fair. Email gamefeedback@wizkids.com with feedback on this topic. We will try and read everything on topic but can only respond via articles we write addressing shared concerns.

Hey HeroClix fans,

“As a free action” is one of those common HeroClix phrases that can cause confusion among players and judges. This confusion has only grown over time as more uses of “as a free action” have been added as the game progressed. A priority when writing these rules was to really dive deep and clean up all the different uses of that phrase. In fact, it got cleaned up so thoroughly that HeroClix doesn’t need it at all anymore!

The phrase “free action” is currently used in at least 4 different primary ways, with several more depending on how you categorize it. These ways, while they share certain similarities, fall in 4 distinct buckets:

• As a way to say “you may” in certain triggered effects
• As a way to allow a standard power to be activated at its normal time, but without paying the cost, and limited to one use each turn
• As a way to allow a standard power to be activated during another action or a triggered effect, and without paying the cost, but not (necessarily) limited to one use each turn
• As a way to pay the cost of an actual FREE action like Outwit or Perplex

Current Examples:

• “At the beginning of your turn, make a close attack as a free action” or “At the beginning of your turn, give this character a free action to deal 1 damage to each adjacent opposing character.”
• “[character name] can use Smoke Cloud as a free action.”
• “After actions resolve, [character name] can use Smoke Cloud as a free action.”
• “Give this character a free action to modify by +1 or -1 any combat value of a target character within range and line of fire until your next turn.”

While these all certainly bear some relationship to each other, they are not the same. Untangling all the uses and what each use was really trying to do and how to fix this took a lot of thought and playtesting and we’re happy to share with you the results.

Here’s how each use of “as a free action” listed above will be formatted in the new rules:

• “” – This first use doesn’t really need to be there at all. As part of a triggered effect, “you may” is all we need to say. We already say “you may” to indicate an optional choice in several standard powers.
• “as FREE” – This use is the closest to the original meaning of “as a free action”, and has a phrase to match.
• “at no cost” – This use is seen when the action needs to be activated as part of another action or triggered effect. Moving forward, this phrase, and only this phrase, will allow you to do so.
• “FREE:” – As we discussed in the article on new language, when it’s a free action that you can activate at a normal time, it’s going to look like other actions do now.

New Examples:

• “At the beginning of your turn, you may make a close attack” or “At the beginning of your turn, you may deal 1 damage to all adjacent opposing characters”
• “Smoke Cloud as FREE.”
• “After resolutions, [character name] can use Smoke Cloud at no cost.”
• “FREE: Choose a target character within range and line of fire. Modify one of that character’s combat values by +1 or -1 until your next turn.”

Now, some of you might have an instinctive reaction that all this nuance seems a bit unnecessary. But we’ve seen several benefits that we’d like to share with you.

First, the 3^rd use (“at no cost”) does one of the most rule-breaking things in HeroClix – it lets you activate actions inside of other actions or triggered effects. It’s the one exception that thumbs its nose at the otherwise clear timing established in the last article (and even the timing we have now). And currently, it shares its name with 3(!) other related but distinct things. That’s a recipe for very understandable confusion on when you can and can’t activate your current free (or as free) actions.

Secondly, the specific phrasing helps indicate when something can happen. FREE: (and ‘as FREE’, which looks similar) can be activated when normal actions can be. “At no cost” is something very different, and can only be activated inside of something else that gives it timing.

So how does it all come together? Well, there’s a chart! This chart may seem complicated at first, but here’s the thing: it’s exactly the same system we have right now, except it’s written out and “as a free action” has been separated into its distinct uses. So if you’ve never before needed to know the details on exactly how actions can be activated, you probably still won’t. If, however, there are arguments about what can be activated when, this complements the simple rule of timing (“Actions may only be activated during the action phase of your turn, when nothing is resolving.”) by filling in some details for how specific existing effects will work.

There are still a few deeper rules issues that may be added to or clarified on the chart, so don’t panic if you’re a HeroClix rules aficionado and still have some questions after reading it. Things like DOUBLE POWER actions, how activating an action “at no cost” or “as FREE” doesn’t change the type of action given, and more. Do note that now you can activate the same power more than once in a turn, as long as it’s activated in different ways (costed, as FREE, at no cost).

These 5 lines contain almost everything you need to know about activating actions in a game of HeroClix. Everyone we’ve talked with has the same goal of wanting the 2017 rules to be the final authority on the modern HeroClix rules and not have any large “gaps” where effects or interactions become unclear. So we took the approach of being very clear and specific on all of the differences between costed actions, FREE actions, costed actions “as FREE”, and costed actions “at no cost”.

The action chart is not intended to be something you need to reference every game, or even very often. Just like now, most of the time you can just read what an effect does, and then do it, and not spend much time thinking about timing. But part of creating a “complete” timing system for HeroClix is having charts like these to resolve disputes when they do arise.

That’s all for today. Keep on Clixin’!