JUDGE! 012: Effect Sources

That gum you liked as a child is coming back into style.

Wait.

Wrong reference.

Everything old is new again. “Effect Sources” used to be a very important concept in Heroclix. Originally, there was one source for all game effects: the Heroclix dial. Whether it was standard powers on the combat dial or abilities granted by combat symbols, the miniature itself was the source of all powers and abilities.

Then we had special objects, which usually worked in conjunction with powers. Then we had Feats. Which provided another source, while referencing the mini. Then ATAs (which, fun fact, were originally a type of Feat). Then, one day, came character cards that provided special powers and traits. As well, they introduced keywords, which allowed ATAs to be reworked into their more familiar form.

And then came the mad dash. Resources, relics (a type of special objects that more directly provided a new source of powers and abilities), Entities (which are currently equipment but didn't start out that way), then Equipment.

Then things calmed down a bit as Design seemed to coalesce around Equipment and everything else just retired. And that's when the idea of “sources” got a little lost. For the most part, characters gained effects from Powers, Abilities or Equipment. There wasn't as much overlap and all the problematic interactions were for Golden Age to deal with.

And no one plays Golden. That's sarcastic, by the way, but not for this article.

In the last few years, we've seen more experimentation in effects again. We still have Powers, Abilities, and Equipment. Then we got LE Galactus' Herald Dial, Rally Traits (a type of trait with distinct rules), Captains and Sidekicks (labels that had powers or abilities that keyed off of them), Tarot cards, Avatar traits (think Khonshu or Chthon), and now Pilot traits (Sleipnir and the gang).

Sure, the Herald dial just retired, Rally Traits are in Silver/Golden along with Captains and Sidekicks, but we still have a lot of sources to contend with.

With the history lesson out of the way, let's take a look at what the Comprehensive Rule Book has to say about “effect sources.”

20.7 Multiple Versions of Powers & Abilities

If a character has multiple different ways to use the same power or ability, they can only use it once. For example, if the character can use the standard power Super Senses from multiple sources, the power will only trigger once.

Yeah, that's it. It's a term used where it applies the most (and is also mentioned in the Knockback section) but it isn't actually defined or explained. The rules just kind of assume you know what it means. And for the most part, the standard English definition of source will suffice. But I want to try to lay out the interactions in one place to help people.

So, first off, what is an effect source? Plainly speaking, it's where the effect comes from. Standard powers grant most effects to characters, whether displayed (ie, a colored box) on the combat dial or as part of a trait or special power. Traits are abilities that grant effects and are represented by a star on the Character Card/dial top. Special Powers are black bordered white squares on the dial. Team Ablities are also a type of ability that grant effects, some times even a standard power (ie, Spider-Man Ally granting a limited version of Super Senses or Skrulls granting a limited version of Shape Change). Again, we also have Equipment, Tarot (which grants effects more than powers), and the “Avatar/ traits.” The reason I call the Avatar Traits out is that they're technically traits on other characters that grant powers to the character assigned them. Which can get wonky to think about.

The first thing you always want to do when it matters, is think about what is actually granting you the effect. Is it equipment? A special power? A trait? The rules (an example of this is knock back damage, that is an effect granted by the rules and not any specific character or power)? Determining where the effect is coming from is very important.

Why you ask?

Because of this other little part from the section I quoted earlier:

When a character can activate a standard power or ability more than once, that character’s controller must choose which version they’re using and can’t combine any special effects (bonuses or drawbacks) associated with using that specific power or ability. They must choose only one version to activate and use.

The above also applies to triggers and passives. In simple terms, you don't get to double up. If a character can use Perplex from two different sources, they only get to use Perplex once. If they can use multiple reducers, they only get to choose one to apply. Seems pretty straightforward, right? Where it gets tricky, is when you have special versions of powers.

20.7a Effects Tied to Standard Powers

If an effect both grants the use of a standard power and an additional effect tied to the use of that standard power, that additional effect only applies when the standard power is used through that effect. As an example, if a special power says “Super Senses, Toughness. When this character uses Super Senses, increase the result +1.”, they will only increase the result by +1 if they use Super Senses from that special power.

Conversely, if a power reads “Super Senses, Toughness. // When this character uses Super Senses, increase the result +1.”, the +1 will apply to any use of Super Senses because the // denotes it as being a separate effect in that power.

This is one of the most commonly asked questions. “I have two really good sources of Mind Control, so can I combine them?” And the answer to that, most of the time, is no. But the above section tells you why you can't combine them. Because without that little “//” the bonuses for that Mind Control or Super Senses is limited to that specific source of the power.

Let's look at a limiting example from DWX063 Major Logan:

DAYS OF FUTURE PAST Sidestep, Flurry. // Flurry as FREE but only to target a character with [Colossal], [Giant], or the Robot keyword.

So, Major Logan can use Flurry. Also, separately, he can use Flurry as FREE but only to target certain characters. That little // tells us that when he uses Flurry as a costed action, he can target whoever he wants. No limits.

Then there's one last little thing I wanted to look at:

20.8 “Same” Powers and Abilities

A power or ability is the same as another if it has the exact same name and text barring pronoun, name, or keyword changes. A standard power is the same as any other instance of that standard power, even if they are granted as part of a special power or trait with a different name and have modifications.

So, again, we look at a character with Great Size and Cosmic Energy. That character can use Willpower, and can also use a Willpower with an increased success. But they don't get to roll twice, they have to choose one and use it, because they're both still Willpower.

To that point, I want to address some effects that create a little confusion, before we go.

SPIDER-MAN - Super Senses, but only succeeds on a [6]. If this character can already use Super Senses, instead increase the result of its roll for Super Senses by +1.

This Team Ability grants a limited version of Super Senses. Then, it says if the character can already use Super Senses, instead of the limited version of Super Senses, you increase the result of their Super Senses roll by +1. This language is newer, but it is written this way exactly to work with the rules that I've laid out.

If you have something you'd like covered in a future JUDGE! article, email joenexus36@gmail.com

And if you'd like to read back over past JUDGE! articles, you can check out the archive here.

Until next time, they should be a good source of information, they're the JUDGE!