{"id":7187,"date":"2017-03-10T16:54:49","date_gmt":"2017-03-10T16:54:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/67272bb316.nxcli.io\/heroclix\/?p=7187"},"modified":"2017-03-13T15:49:17","modified_gmt":"2017-03-13T15:49:17","slug":"heroclix-2017-rules-5-outwit-use-and-possess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wizkids.com\/heroclix\/2017\/03\/10\/heroclix-2017-rules-5-outwit-use-and-possess\/","title":{"rendered":"HeroClix 2017 Rules 5: Outwit, Use and Possess"},"content":{"rendered":"

For earlier articles in this series please\u00a0click here.<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Reminder:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>These rules are not finalized yet and will not replace the current rules until sometime after the\u00a0 2017 HeroClix World Championship at Origins Game Fair. Email\u00a0<\/em>gamefeedback@wizkids.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0with feedback on this topic. We will try and read everything on topic but can only respond via articles we write addressing shared concerns.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hey HeroClix fans,<\/p>\n

Time to dig into one of the favorite powers of many a HeroClix player, the answer to whatever your opponent\u2019s packing\u2026 Outwit.\u00a0 Outwit is one of the key mechanics of HeroClix. It keeps the metagame healthy by encouraging players to diversify their forces and methods of winning. Teams that go \u201call-in\u201d on a certain strategy must account for the fact that an Outwit-heavy team might make things difficult.<\/p>\n

However, Outwit has fallen on hard times in HeroClix. Outwit was always intended to \u201cstop\u201d a character from using a particular power, but has been weakened over the years due to some pretty deep rules about the difference between \u201cuse\u201d and \u201cpossess\u201d.<\/p>\n

Outwit\u2019s restriction that you can only choose a power currently \u201cpossessed\u201d by a character is quite limiting in Modern Age play. Resources, equipment, ID cards, \u201cpick a power\u201d and many other effects can all allow characters to \u201cuse\u201d powers without \u201cpossessing\u201d them. There\u2019s a large class of effects that Outwit just can\u2019t stop anymore.<\/p>\n

Well, all that\u2019s about to change.<\/p>\n

Outwit<\/span>
\n FREE: Minimum range value 6. Choose a power (standard or special) and a target opposing character within range and line of fire. The target can’t use the chosen power until your next turn.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is no \u201cpossessing\u201d a power anymore. For example, having a pink colored square in your speed slot now functions exactly the same as having \u201cSidestep\u201d in the text of a special power. It was rather easy to remove \u201cpossess\u201d, there\u2019s only one prominent power (Outwit) and one prominent ability (Wild Card) that cared about it.<\/p>\n

Some recent characters have had \u201ccan\u2019t use\u201d effects. One reason this was used was to have characters that can plug some of the holes that Outwit currently has. These \u201ccan\u2019t use\u201d effects have worked out fine, rules-wise, but players have rightly discussed why HeroClix needed two closely related but, slightly different rules terms in \u201ccounter\u201d and \u201ccan\u2019t use\u201d. \u201cCan\u2019t use\u201d seemed like the natural complement to characters \u201cusing\u201d powers, so \u201ccounter\u201d is being removed. Characters with \u201ccan\u2019t use\u201d powers work exactly the same as before, and the rare character with a non-Outwit power that says \u201ccounter\u201d now says \u201ccan\u2019t use\u201d. Combining the elimination of \u201cpossess\u201d and \u201ccounter\u201d together, you now either can use something, or an effect says you \u201ccan\u2019t use it\u201d, and that\u2019s it. No more nuance.<\/p>\n

So what can you do with the new Outwit? First off, you can choose any standard or special power. We mean it, any. It can be a power currently displayed in the slot, or a power on their card that\u2019s on a future click of their combat dial, or a standard power that\u2019s granted by an equipment object on the map. Any standard or special power you want, even a special power that the target doesn\u2019t have on its card (though this would only be useful for a handful of characters ever made.)<\/p>\n

Please note, as this is very important, choosing a special power does not allow you to choose a trait or Improved ability or any other kind of ability. It needs to be a special power\u00a0 – and that always has a (black-bordered) white square on a character\u2019s combat dial in their Speed, Attack, Defense, or Damage slot.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a somewhat subtle difference between choosing a standard or special power that we wanted to make clear. Here\u2019s an example.<\/p>\n

A special power named \u201cWild<\/em>\u201d has the text \u201cCharge, Flurry.\u201d If you choose \u201cWild<\/em>\u201d, that character can\u2019t use that power, so he can\u2019t use either Charge or Flurry from that specific power. But if he picks up an equipment that grants Charge, he can still use Charge just fine. Even more likely, if he takes some damage and turns to a click with standard (green square) Charge instead of the special, he can use that Charge just fine, too. You often will get to stop \u201cmore\u201d by choosing a special power, but only get to stop that exact special power.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, if you choose \u201cCharge\u201d (a standard power) he can use the Flurry from \u201cWild<\/em>\u201d just fine. But that character can\u2019t use Charge, no matter how he has been granted it. Even if he has \u201cCharge\u201d in a trait, he can\u2019t use Charge, though he can use any other part of that trait that doesn\u2019t trigger off of Charge.<\/p>\n

So, it boils down to this: If you choose a special power, the Outwitted character can\u2019t use that exact special power. If you choose a standard power, they can\u2019t use that power at all, no matter how they can access it.<\/p>\n

So how do traits work with Outwit, then? The players we\u2019ve talked to didn\u2019t want a blanket way to \u201cstop\u201d traits. It would be an endless sea of questions about what happens when specific complex traits \u201ccouldn\u2019t be used\u201d. So, you can\u2019t choose traits for Outwit, just like now. However, you now can choose a standard power that might be part of a trait, and that might \u201cstop\u201d the trait, either in whole or in part. But by limiting it to well-understood standard powers, we eliminate a lot of the potential confusion inherent in trying to entirely \u201cstop\u201d a trait (that could be anything) by itself.<\/p>\n

A question that might be on the savvy HeroClix player\u2019s mind at this point would be \u201cWhat about \u2018can\u2019t be countered\u2019, how is that going to work?\u201d Well, we have a new keyphrase we want to share.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Protected: (Effect). The specified effect can\u2019t target or deal damage to this character, and any duration of the specified effect affecting this character expires. \u201cCan\u2019t be used\u201d doesn\u2019t apply to this keyphrase.<\/span><\/p>\n

SIDEBAR: This is used to give the entire character protection. (\u201cThis character has Protection: Outwit\u201d). The character can\u2019t be targeted (or dealt damage, which is unlikely) by the Outwit effect at all. If it is applied to a specific power or ability on that character, it has a more limited and specific effect, see below.<\/span><\/p>\n

Protected: Outwit. If this is applied to a specific power, the character can still use it even if it\u2019s chosen by Outwit. \u201cCan\u2019t be used\u201d doesn\u2019t apply to this keyphrase.<\/span><\/p>\n

SIDEBAR: This used to be called \u201ccan\u2019t be countered\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

The important part is \u201cThe specified effect can\u2019t target or deal damage to this character\u201d, the rest is technical stuff to clean up corner cases and make it work like people expect. There\u2019s two types: \u2018general\u2019 Protected, the first one above, and then \u2018specific\u2019 Protected (3 types, Outwit is one of them) that can only be applied to individual powers. (A savvy HeroClix player might be able to guess the other two, replacing other common HeroClix phrases.)<\/p>\n

Note that for \u2018general\u2019 Protected, it\u2019s specifically limited to targeting and dealing damage, as anything else gets complicated. We\u2019ll still write out other things like \u201ccan\u2019t be knocked back.\u201d But there is a pretty wide variety of effects that can pair with \u2018general\u2019 Protected, everything from \u2018Mind Control\u2019 to \u2018opposing Perplex\u2019 to \u2018Mystics damage\u2019, etc.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Another few quick notes:<\/p>\n