Centuries after the followers of The Forgotten King were cursed into their twisted chimeric forms, some have begun to break free of the influence of the Dark Consul. These doomed Heroes wander the Fae Wood seeking redemption On rare occasions these chimera can convince a party of Heroes to allow them to join. When this occurs the chimera prove to be fearsome allies, determined to prove themselves worthy of the honor.
Stats
- Type: Chimera Hero
- Crystal Affinity: Citrine
- Abilities: Berserk
- Unique Actions: Sweeping Mace, Earthshaker
- Potions: Rager Root
- Movement Points: 6
- Action Points: 3
- Strength: 2B 1R (Melee: 2)
- Armor: 2R (Defense )
- Willpower: 1B
- Dexterity: 2B
- Hearts: 5
- Potion Quantity: 1
Gameplay
Stats: The Bearstruck Berserker has high offense with 2B1R STR and above average defense with 2R ARM. Notably he has very low 1B WILL. He has Berserk, which grants him an additional melee attack at no action point cost per activation. The Berserker is a large base model and has an extended melee range of 2.
Abilities: Sweeping Mace provides the Berserker's AOE and its Sweep 2 hits 8 squares rather than 6 squares due to being a large model, but is also Dangerous. Its primary advantage in Arcade is to directly wound Elites to avoid Expendable or if there are three or more models in range as the Berserker's melee range is already 2.
Earthshaker provides the Berserker an AOE Slow, but requires a STR vs DEX roll and does not inflict wounds as it is a support action. Earthshaker is generally considered a weak unique action since in most situations the Berserker will be better off using Sweeping Mace or his basic melee attacks. It is extremely rare to be in a situation where an AOE Slow is advantageous - for example, monsters that cannot be defeated by Sweeping Mace need to be Slowed to prevent pursuit of another hero or objective. The most common use case is to have the option to 'do something' during Arcade Challenges that prevent monsters from being wounded.
Potion: Rager Root allows the hero to make an additional melee attack costing no action points. This is similar to Berserk, but is NOT Berserk, thus allowing the Berserker and other heroes with Berserk to benefit from this potion. As the Berserker may only carry a single potion, it may be desirable to drink Rager Root at the start of a hero's activation and ensure a potion slot is available should the party obtain a potion from the hero's attacks.
Strategy: The Berserker is an offensive AOE melee hero that can potentially fill a Blaster role primarily through increased number of basic attacks granted by Berserk and his potion, Rager Root. The Berserker can deal up to 4 melee attacks with Berserk and up to 5 with Rager Root per activation. As a large base model with melee range of 2, small enemy models do not block his line of sight and he is able to attack small models behind other small models without being in base contact. This is a situational advantage that can allow him to attack models such as spawn points behind a wall of monsters. The Berserker will typically use Sweeping Mace for AOE and otherwise use basic melee attacks. Earthshaker is situational and there will typically not be a situation where Sweeping Mace or a basic melee attack will not be preferred.
Equipment/Buffs: STR increases the Berserker's offense and has additional value compared to other heroes due to Berserk and Rager Root. Due to his multiple attacks per activation, he can potentially generate more hearts and potions than other heroes when enough STR. ARM increases his defense. As he is a large base model without any compensating mobility, consider giving him additional Movement or Surefoot/Fly to help him keep up with the party, especially if your tiles have a lot of difficult terrain. The Berserker will typically never need WILL or DEX.
Limitations: The Berserker's limitations are primarily due to his large base and average mobility. He can be surrounded by monsters and although he has higher than average base defense, he still only has an average 5 hearts. On tiles with a lot of negative terrain effects, his large base becomes a liability his melee range of 2 cannot overcome. Due to his low WILL, he is susceptible to monster attacks that require WILL defense. As these tend to be Control actions, he can be manipulated to run off into difficult terrain and prevent him from engaging. He can be kited since he has no mobility to engage and the maximum range of all his actions is 2 squares. The Consul can position monsters around the Berserker's allies to prevent him from using Sweeping Mace effectively without hurting his allies.
Party: The Berserker can fill the STR AOE role in most parties and may require support from his party to increase his mobility. His Rager Root potion is beneficial for other STR heroes that rely on basic melee attacks.
See Also: Bashful Boris