From Panel to Play: Avalanche, Exodus & Lady Mastermind

In this From Panel to Play you will feel the earth tremble underfoot and your mind waver under psychic assault while confronted by a trio of the Brotherhood of Mutants: Avalanche, Exodus, and Lady Mastermind! These three add miniatures to the Brotherhood’s representation in Marvel: Crisis Core and help bolster their numbers in the fight for mutant ascendancy.

First let’s examine the earthquaker himself, Avalanche, a formidable seismic mutant born as Dominikos Petrakis. Not a great deal is known of his earlier days, though he comes from the Greek island of Crete. It was Mystique who recruited him into the Brotherhood, where he proved himself quite willing to take on its most morally questionable tasks. He was among those who sought to assassinate Senator Robert Kelly during his hearing about the need to register mutants, whom he argued were a menace to humanity. Later he would be persuaded to join Freedom Force, being one of the Brotherhood mutants receiving a government pardon in exchange for following the orders of mutant specialist Valerie Cooper. In both capacities he has engaged in many clashes with the X-Men, being perpetually among those mutants opposed to that group’s philosophical stance.

Avalanche has proven to be a worthy asset to the Brotherhood, able to emit extremely powerful seismic waves that can cause nearly any object to shatter or crumble to dust, or summoning up localized earthquakes. He is quite capable of disrupting the actions and plans of the Brotherhood’s many enemies, buying time for others in his squad to seize the upper hand. He can literally change the landscape to suit his allies and hinder his foes.

Let’s take a look at how Avalanche shapes up in Marvel: Crisis Protocol. He can be seen to have average Mystic and Energy defense stats (3 each) along with 4 Physical Defense, being most resilient to physical attacks thanks to his armored battle suit, one that is tough enough that he has endured getting exploded by a land mine without taking injury. Avalanche has a respectable Stamina of 6, and his lower Threat Level of 3 primarily represents the somewhat direct nature of his fighting style, though his powers should not be underestimated.

Avalanche’s first and primary attack is Seismokinesis, a Range 3 Beam Attack with a modest Strength of 4, but which he can use to gather Power from its aftershocks. For 3 Power he can instead unleash Epicenter of Destruction, a Range 2 area attack with a Strength of 5. Both of these attacks can inflict Stun on his targets, limiting their ability to regain additional Power.

Trying to close on Avalanche to brawl with him can be a risky proposition. He can unleash his Landslide superpower to push away any enemy of Size 4 or less, often preferring to slide them where they can be attacked by his Brotherhood peers. His degree of board control is considered one of his major assets.

Avalanche will always try to position himself in an advantageous position near aspects of the terrain that can succumb to his Beware Falling Debris superpower. By this effort, he can literally “shake things up,” collapsing and destroying an interactive terrain feature of Size 3 or less close to his enemy, potentially causing them harm. This has the secondary effect of allowing him to clear the way for allies if fighting amid smaller intervening terrain features.

Next up is one of the heavy hitters of the Brotherhood, Exodus, an intense mutant considerably more formidable than the average. Originally named Bennet du Paris, Exodus is considered one of the strongest mutants, being rated as an Omega level with vast psychic abilities and also thought to be immortal, having come from France in the 12th century. He was in this ancient era a Crusader knight and had the misfortune to be captured by Apocalypse, who imprisoned him for centuries in a crypt in the Swiss Alps.

In more recent times, Exodus was freed and recruited by Magneto, who served as his point of entry into the Brotherhood. Exodus enthusiastically embraced membership and eventually leadership of the Acolytes, a quasi-religious organization of mutants who worship Magneto like a messiah. Exodus is one of the most personally powerful of those who belonged to this group from its earliest days.

Taking a look at Exodus in Marvel: Crisis Protocol we can see he is an impressive Threat Level 5, an entity whose psionic capabilities put him alongside the upper echelon of mutant superhumans. He has an impressive 7 Stamina, and well-rounded 4’s in all his Defenses. In addition, he has Healing Factor 1, Flight (with Medium speed) and is immune to Poison. As a Psionic of the Highest Order, he gains additional Power during that phase.

Exodus’s first attack is Psionic Vampirism, which is a quite formidable short-range attack at 6 Strength. The vampiric nature of this attack can be seen in how it siphons equivalent Power for Exodus as Damage is dealt. Exodus also recovers from damage he has incurred by use of this power. The power siphoned by this attack is augmented by Sap Power, which can steal Power even before damage is dealt.

In addition to this mental vampirism, Exodus can perform a Psionic Concussion attack, one which also costs 0 Power to use, but strikes farther, with a Range of 4, but at slightly less Strength (5). This attack lacks the vampiric sapping potency, but still restores 1 Power to Exodus and, if the enemy is Size 4 or less, they are pulled closer to him.

Exodus’s greatest attack is You Can Do Nothing But Fall, an Energy area attack out to Range 2 which has an impressive 7 Strength. This energy burst costs 4 Power, but in addition to its damage, it Incinerates those it strikes.

Exodus’s power is augmented by his tremendous mental fortitude and faith, demonstrated by My Faith Can Move Mountains. This variable cost superpower can be used to hurl interactive terrain features near to him, most often used to send them against his adversaries. (The cost in Power is equivalent to the Size of the terrain feature being Thrown, up to 4.)

In addition to his power of Flight, Exodus has the superpower Teleportation, by which he can shift himself a short distance instantly and regardless of his other movements, if he is willing to expend 3 Power. This can be quite tactically useful when navigating the battlefield and closing on a foe to strike with his area attack or to get in range for a little Psionic Vampirism.

Lastly but not least, Exodus’s Telekinetic Shield lets him protect a nearby allied character. By force of will he can send incoming attacks bouncing away from them, augmenting their defense. With his considerable power and commanding presence, it is no wonder that Exodus was once able to convincingly disguise himself as his messiah, Magneto, bringing peace to Genosha.

The third of our new mutants to assist the Brotherhood is none other than Lady Mastermind, one of several family members to take up this name, making it something of a family tradition. She is Regan Wyngarde, daughter of Jason Wyngarde, who was the original Mastermind. And her half-sisters include Martinique Jason, who takes up the mantle of Mastermind after Jason’s death, and (unknown to most) Pixie of the X-Men (Megan Gwynn). For a variety of reasons, Lady Mastermind does not get along well with her siblings.

Her mutant ability is an especially subtle and insidious form of telepathy, allowing her to project convincing illusions straight into the minds of others. Because these illusions are created within the mind, they become exceedingly tangible and are easily accepted as facts, since the victim believes they are coming from their own senses and mind. This belief persists even if the illusion is startlingly different and sudden, creating something akin to dream logic in the mind. A person whose surroundings are suddenly drastically changed won’t even consider this strange. Her ability to manipulate the minds of others, especially those vulnerable to telepathic interference, makes her far more formidable than she might initially seem. She can significantly interfere with the enemy’s combat tactics and plans.

In Marvel: Crisis Protocol Lady Mastermind has modest Physical and Energy Defenses of 3, but her Mystic Defense of 4 is the true barrier to taking her down, thanks to Mental Lock (see below). The illusions with which she protects herself affords her a substantial Stamina of 6 and she is considered Threat Level 4.

Deadly Illusions is a highly unusual attack, functioning at Range 5, and with a Strength of 5, though straight damage is not its primary purpose. This mystical telepathic attack causes at most 1 initial damage but allows Lady Mastermind to toy with her target’s state by both removing existing special conditions (causing additional damage in the process) and inflicting new debilitative conditions like Bleed, Poison, Shock, or Incinerate. All of these effects are a result of sensations the target experiences that are entirely inside their mind. They may believe themself to have walked into an electrified puddle, lit ablaze by the explosion or a nearby gas canister, lacerated by sharp debris, or other effects.

Those nearest to Lady Mastermind might be afflicted with Mass Hallucinations, a more potent storm of mental affliction that is a Range 2 area attack, costing 4 Power and striking at 6 Strength. These hallucinations also allow Lady Mastermind to move the afflicted a short distance, facilitating her plans, thanks to Puppeteer.

By enacting the superpower Your Reality Is Whatever I Want it to Be, Lady Mastermind can draw on her power to force an enemy to attack their own friends, believing them to be something other than themselves. This power works best on those with low Mystic Defense, but given she expends sufficient Power, anything is possible.

The persistent Brain Fog emitted by Lady Mastermind is an innate superpower that can prevent Reactive superpowers and Team Tactic Cards during her activation. This can be quite devastating on enemy characters that rely heavily on Reactive powers to thwart their foes. And, because of the impact of her telepathic power, Mental Lock allows Lady Mastermind to always use her Mystic Defense unless her adversary pays extra Power to disregard the veils of her illusions.

Lady Mastermind almost feeds on the mistakes of nearby enemies, as Try a Little Harder Next Time allows her to gain Power when enemies near her roll one or more Failures.

This trio of mutants bring with them an assortment of useful Team Tactic Cards, several of use to the broader Brotherhood. The first one, Mirage, is linked specifically to Lady Mastermind, and can be used to disrupt an enemy’s attack, potentially weakening ones performed near her and allowing her allies to slip away from those seeking to strike at them.

 

The Pawns Go First is a Team Tactic Card useful to the Brotherhood of Mutants, especially those squads including a mix of characters with higher and lower Threat Level. When paired up with a nearby greater Threat Level ally (5 or more), the card allows the weaker character (Threat Level 3 or less, like Avalanche) to lend aid, possibly moving closer to join in an attack, or diminishing damage already taken and removing a special condition from the stronger character. Alternatively, they can slightly bolster that character’s Power (the card costs 1 Power to play, so this essentially transfers 1 Power from the lower Threat character to the higher one, who may need it more).

 

The Genetic Superiority Team Tactic Card benefits a squad that includes both Max Eisenhardt and Exodus when assembled by the Brotherhood of Mutants. This enables additional Power to be siphoned by higher Threat Value (5+) allies when those of lower Threat Value (4 or less) suffer damage from an enemy, once per turn. This can be viewed as the manner in which the members of the Brotherhood of Mutants will gladly exploit the suffering of weaker allies to empower themselves in combat. This is considered a necessary sacrifice for the greater good of all mutants.

 

The last Team Tactic Card in this set is Fault Line, which represents the longstanding camaraderie and friendship between Avalanche and Pyro, who fought together on multiple occasions, most notably against the Avengers when serving under Freedom Force during Acts of Vengeance. When played during the Power Phase, if Pyro and Avalanche each spend 1 Power, this card boosts the range of their primary attacks to 5, letting them reach much farther than normal as they team up using their powers to facilitate each other.

The Brotherhood of Mutants already has an impressive arsenal of talent, but this new trio greatly augments the power and variety of those fielded by them. Avalanche, Exodus, and Lady Mastermind each offer strong supportive powers that can augment Brotherhood tactics. They might also be useful to Magneto to serve as additional targets to distract his enemies and keep his favored members safe. Whether they serve by tumbling buildings to ruin, unleashing powerful attacks against their foes, or creating mind-dizzying illusions, the Brotherhood is made stronger and more terrifying by their inclusion.

That’s all for today—thanks for joining! Be sure to check back later for another 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 Games, signing off!