DC HeroClix: Batman (Alpha) Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object of the Game
• Build Your Team
• Characters
• Starting Characters
• Setup
• Begin Play!
  • Actions
  • Action Options
  • Powers
  • Moving
  • Terrain
• Attacking
  • Line of Sight
  • Punching
  • Shooting
• The Attack Roll
• Dealing Damage
• Knocking Out a Character
• Reinforcements
• Alpha Powers Reference
  • Speed
  • Attack
  • Defense
  • Damage

Object of the Game

Gain 5 knockout (KO) points by defeating your opponent's characters.

Build Your Team

Before play begins, each player builds a team of starting characters and reinforcements, along with their character cards. Each player must also bring two HeroClix maps to play on and two six-sided dice (d6).

Have only one Booster? Find the characters with the lowest point values, and each player plays one.

Have only two Boosters? Each player plays with the contents of one.

Characters

The following illustrations describe the stats, powers, and information that appear on a character's dial and character card. These rules refer to this information often, so take some time to become familiar with it.

The dial shows the following: Collector's Number, Set Symbol/Rarity, Point Value, Name, Range, Damage Value, Full Health Line, Dial, Defense, Attack, Speed, and the colored tabs on the dial that mark its powers.

The character card shows the following: Name, Keywords, Point Value, Set Symbol, Rarity, Collector's Number, Powers, and Character Background.

Color of tab indicates rarity of character: white is Common, green is Uncommon, silver is Rare.

Starting Characters

In a standard game, each team consists of at least five starting characters with a combined point value of up to 250 points. All characters begin the game at full health (with the green line showing on the dial).

Characters on your team are called friends. Characters on your opponent's team are enemies of your characters.

All characters in your collection not on your starting team are your reinforcements (see "Reinforcements").

Setup

Players lay out their maps between them, forming a larger square map. You can play with one or two maps if you don't have enough. Roll 2d6; the player with the highest result goes first.

The row of squares on the edge of the map closest to you is your starting area. One by one, the first player places his characters in his starting area and moves them a number of squares up to their speed. When the first player is finished, the other player does the same. Characters can't attack during setup.

Begin Play!

Actions

Players alternate turns. Each turn you get three actions to give to characters on your team. A character can be given only one action per turn.

When a character is given an action or uses a power (see "Powers"), you and your refer only to the character given the action or using the power.

Action Options

There are three types of actions you can take:

1. MOVE Move up to your speed.
2. ATTACK There are two types of attacks:
   • Punch: Attack an adjacent enemy.
   • Shoot: Attack an enemy up to your range away in squares.
3. MOVE AND ATTACK Move up to 4 and then punch or shoot at an enemy.

Powers

Before describing how the actions work, you should know about powers that can affect those actions. When a colored square appears on your dial, that stat (Speed, Attack, Defense, or Damage) has a power you can use!

Match up the color and symbol with the entry on your character card to find out how that power works. You don't have to use a power if you don't want to.

Many powers work as part of your taking an action. Others are simply "on" while they appear. Others replace part of an action. For example, in order to use a power that begins with "Instead of attacking," you must take an action that would allow you to attack.

Some powers appear on a gray or black tab on a character card:

• Powers on gray tabs work during an opponent's turn. When you see a gray tab on an enemy's card, pay special attention to how the power might affect you.
• Powers on black tabs can affect multiple characters. If more than one would apply to any single action, you can choose only one.

NOTE! Powers on a character's card might change these rules. In such cases, follow the card's instructions.

Now, back to the actions!

Moving

When given an action to move, your speed tells you how many movement points you get for the move; for example, a speed of 4 gives you 4 movement points. In general, moving 1 square uses up 1 movement point. Movement points are used as you move through squares. You can move in any direction, even diagonally.

You can't move through squares containing enemies or blocking terrain. You can move through friends, but must end your move in an open square (one not containing another character or blocking terrain).

Terrain

Two types of terrain can appear on maps. Terrain represent physical features that affect moving and attacking.

Blocking terrain is squares surrounded by a brown line, or thick brown lines along the grid (called walls). Blocking terrain can't be moved through and blocks line of sight for attacking (see "Line of Sight").

Hindering terrain (squares surrounded by a green line) costs 2 movement points to move through instead of 1. If you do not have at least 2 movement points remaining, you can't move into a hindering terrain square from your current square.

Attacking

To be able to attack an enemy, you must first be able to see it.

Line of Sight

To determine if you can see the enemy, draw an imaginary line from the center of your square to the center of the enemy's square. If any of the following is true, you can't see the enemy:

• The line crosses a square containing blocking terrain or crosses a wall (or diagonally between two such squares or walls).
• The line crosses a square containing an enemy other than the one you're shooting at (or diagonally between two such squares). Friends do not block the line.
• The line crosses diagonally between squares containing any combination of blocking terrain/walls and other enemies.

Diagram captions (two examples): Your character A can't see enemy B. You can't shoot!

Punching

A punch is an attack made against an adjacent enemy. An enemy is adjacent to you if it occupies a square next to yours, even diagonally. When determining line of sight to punch a diagonal enemy, ignore other characters.

Shooting

A shot is an attack made against an enemy at range. You can shoot at an enemy that is a number of squares away from you up to your range. If your range is 0, you can't shoot.

The Attack Roll

Roll 2d6 and add your attack. Remember to include any attack bonuses from powers that apply! The result is your total attack.

Compare your total attack against the enemy's defense, including any defense bonuses it gets from powers. If your total attack is equal to or greater than the enemy's defense, you hit! If not, you miss.

Example: Your attack is 10. Add 10 to the dice roll of 10 to get a total attack of 20. Your enemy's defense is 16. 20 is more than 16, so you hit!

Dealing Damage

A successful hit deals damage to the enemy equal to your damage. The total damage dealt might be more or less than your damage, as affected by powers.

The enemy turns its dial clockwise once for each point of damage dealt to it.

Some game effects give you health if you have been damaged. When this happens, turn your dial once counterclockwise for each point of health given. You can't turn past the full health line.

Knocking Out a Character

As soon as your character's dial shows three KO symbols, it is knocked out (KOd)! Put it and its character card into your reinforcements. You get 1 KO point for every enemy you KO.

The first player to 5 KO points wins!

Reinforcements

At the beginning of your turn, for each character that was knocked out since your last turn, you must choose a character in your reinforcements that has a point value of no more than 10 points greater than the point value of the character that was KOd. Turn the reinforcement's dial to full health and put it in your starting area. You can give the reinforcement an action normally the turn it comes into the game.

Alpha Powers Reference

The following is the HeroClix Alpha powers reference card, printed separately from the rules sheet and transcribed here. Powers listed as "(Undefined)" carry a color/symbol combination that does not yet appear in HeroClix Alpha.

Speed

• Flurry: Once each turn if you hit with a punch, you can punch another enemy.
• Leap: You can move through characters and hindering terrain as if they didn't exist.
• Teleport: You can move through characters and all terrain as if they didn't exist, but you can't stop in blocking terrain.
• (Undefined): This color/symbol combination does not yet appear in HeroClix Alpha.
• Charge: When you move and punch, you can use your full speed.
• Mind Control: If your attack hits, you can move the enemy up to its speed instead of dealing damage.
• Bind: Enemies that begin their turn adjacent to you can't be given an action that moves them.
• Force Blast: After you damage an enemy with an attack, you can put it in an adjacent open square.
• Super Speed: After you attack, you can move up to your speed.
• Stealth: If you're in hindering terrain, you can't be shot at.
• Running Shot: When you move and shoot, you can use your full speed.

Attack

• Slash: If you roll doubles and hit with a punch, deal +2 damage.
• Explosion: If you hit with a shot, also deal 1 damage to each other enemy adjacent to the enemy.
• Pulse: Instead of attacking, deal 1 damage to all enemies you can see up to 4 squares from you.
• Quake: If you roll doubles and hit with a punch, also deal 2 damage to each other enemy adjacent to you.
• Super Strength: If you succeed at a punch while in or adjacent to hindering terrain, deal +1 damage.
• Weaken: Enemies that begin their turn adjacent to you can't move and attack. Enemies that move on their turn can't make an attack against only you.
• Mind Blast: When you shoot, ignore enemy defense powers.
• Cover: After you attack, you can move up to 2.
• Poison: Instead of attacking, deal 1 damage to all enemies adjacent to you.
• Steal Energy: After you deal damage with an attack, you get 1 health.
• Telekinesis: After you damage an enemy, you can move it up to 4.

Defense

• Super Senses: If an attack would hit you, roll a d6; on 5 or 6, the attack misses.
• Toughness: Subtract 1 from damage dealt to you.
• Defend: Friends adjacent to you get +1 defense.
• Super Reflexes: You get +2 defense when an enemy punches you.
• Shield: You get +2 defense when an enemy shoots at you.
• (Undefined): This color/symbol combination does not yet appear in HeroClix Alpha.
• Mastermind: You can be attacked only once each turn.
• Evade: After you attack, you can move up to 4.
• (Undefined): This color/symbol combination does not yet appear in HeroClix Alpha.
• Regeneration: Instead of attacking, roll a d6; on a 1–4, you get that much health.
• Invulnerability: Subtract 2 from damage dealt to you.

Damage

• Expert Shot: Your shots deal +2 damage.
• (Undefined): This color/symbol combination does not yet appear in HeroClix Alpha.
• Heal: Instead of attacking, give an adjacent friend 2 health.
• Exploit: Ignore enemy defense powers when you punch.
• Boost: When a friend adjacent to you shoots, it deals +1 damage.
• Good Luck: You can reroll your dice once when you attack; you must use the new result.
• Shape Change: Enemies that move on their turn can't make an attack that targets only you.
• Expert Punch: Your punches deal +2 damage.
• Rally: Friends adjacent to you get +1 attack and +1 defense.
• Outwit: Enemies can't use attack powers against you.
• Leadership: Friends 2 or fewer squares from you get +2 attack.