From Panel to Play: Doc Ock, Sinister Scientist

CP143Doctor Octopus

We hope you’re ready to dive into a new character as you won’t be able to get away from the tentacled grasp of today’s From Panel to Play’s topic. Make sure to study up, as although there won’t be any homework, you’ll still want to memorize what Doc Ock, Sinister Scientist brings to the battlefield.

Dr. Otto Octavius has been a villain for a long time, pursuing a variety of selfish goals as he moved from evil scheme to evil scheme. From humble beginnings and simple crimes, to plans of world domination, this man who could have done so much good has instead brought such pain and suffering to countless people.

Although his sinister plans have covered a wide range of activities, one thing he finds himself coming back to time and time again is his rivalry with Spider-Man. From the earliest days of Octavius’ budding supervillainy, Spider-Man has been there to thwart him and stop him in his tracks. Not content to let this situation continue, Doc Ock has decided to gather a host of other supervillains and bring about the end of Spider-Man through the Sinister Six!

This older, more powerful version of Doc Ock comes to your tabletop as a Threat 4 character with a strong set of base stats. He has 4 Physical and Energy Defense alongside 3 Mystic Defense and a respectful 12 Stamina split evenly between his Healthy and Injured sides. A man of consistency and steadfast resolve, you won’t find any surprises or differences when flipping this character’s card.

Having gained a bit more experience with the use of his Striking Tentacles, we find this version of Doc Ock able to reach out and touch you with a Range 3, Strength 5 attack. He gains power equal to the damage he deals with this attack and if he rolls a Wild during it, the enemy won’t know what hit them. The Flurry of Arms special rule means that each wild in the attack roll will count as 2 successes. With the right roll, you may not even have enough Bam, Biff or Bop sounds effects to cover all the hits you’ll get!

Ever looking to improve himself, Doc Ock has made sure to upgrade the weaponry included in his mechanical appendages. Arm Lasers 2.0 is a 4-die attack that doesn’t cost any power to use. Although that may not sound impressive by itself, when you see that it’s a Range 4 Beam attack, you’ll see where those upgrades went! He definitely didn’t just pick up some laser pointers from the dollar store either as when he rolls a Wild during any of the attacks, those lasers will Incinerate his target.

This Doc Ock wants to make sure his enemies see the Scientific Breakthrough he’s made. The effort required for the breakthrough does mean he needs to spend 4 Power, but the Range 3, Strength 7 attack is sure to impress. Even better, if the attack deals any damage, after the attack is resolved, the target is going to gain Bleed, Poison and Shock. Talk about defending your thesis! There won’t be many characters still in shape to question the results of that breakthrough.

We now come to the heart of this character and the force currently driving his ambitions. Sinister Six is a new Leadership for the Spider-Foes affiliation and something sure to lead to Spider-Man’s downfall! The first part of this Leadership means that once per turn, when one of Doc Ock’s allies is attacked, if the attack didn’t finish them off, they are going to gain an extra power. Supervillains LOVE having access to all their tools, which this Leadership is sure to help with. Not only does the Leadership help them have access to their most powerful attacks and all of their nasty little tricks, it helps keep them in fighting shape. Anytime they suffer damage during an attack, they are able to remove Shock, Slow or Incinerate from themselves. Note as well that the timing of this rule, being an effect for the defender of the attack, means that they can remove those conditions even when the attacker has JUST applied it, since the attacker’s rules resolve first.

Ock’s Grasp has also improved with time (we guess he found some stronger motors!) and for just 3 Power, this active superpower now allows him to throw Size 3 characters or terrain from within Range 3 Short.

Time has not managed to temper Otto Octavius’s ego by any means. Still a man convinced of his own genius, his Scientific Hubris is still an innate superpower that means whenever this character rolls dice, if those dice contain at least 1 Critical result, he’s going to gain 1 extra power.

Lastly, we see that even on dry land, an Octopus can keep up with a Spider (at least this Octopus can). His final superpower is the Innate superpower Wall Crawler, which when combined with his Medium movement, ensures that almost no terrain is a barrier to this man.

When you’re ready to see just how dangerous an octopus can really be, be sure to pre-order your copy of the Earth’s Mightiest Core Set at your local game store or through the webstore today. Also, be sure to check back later for yet another installment of From Panel to Play, the series where we give you your first look at how your favorite characters transition to the tabletop in Marvel: Crisis Protocol.

Until next time, Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off!