Heroclix Tutorial: Line of Fire

Learn to play Heroclix... It's an amazing game!
In this video, I cover the basics of lines of fire for new players and some of the subtleties of targeting on elevated terrain.

[@T3GamingPodcast]

Your videos are incredible!! They are so professional and entertaining. Thanks so much for doing them! I wish we had these when we started playing. Im hoping WizKids will notice and includes links to these in their materials as they are so much better than just reading the old players guide. You take the complexity of Heroclix and make it easy for people to understand.

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

Thank you very much; that is quite a compliment! I'm glad you're enjoying the videos and I can only hope you're right about Wizkids noticing ;o). Heroclix is an amazing game and I'm glad to help people enjoy it.

[@raygun6271]

Super job! One of the best uses of graphics to explain a concept that I've seen!

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching and commenting. FYI: Some of the videos posted before August 2017 will need some updating for the new rules.

[@bubs5278]

Your video is wonderful, I love the graphics used to describe height, for line of sight.

[@davewebster6717]

Caught up and watched all of these videos including the un-boxings, I like your style and the production value, The way the videos are put together easily explain the basics of the game and I will be recommending all new players watch your videos first

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

Thank you so much! That's what I'm aiming for. There are several great channels that explain the finer details, I wanted to contribute something with new players in mind. Thanks again!

[@alalidimmu4359]

Man you're a godsend. I've been just getting into heroclix and this line of sight/fire thing was really hard to understand. Thank you and the graphical aid you used is just awesome.

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

Thank you very much; glad to be of help! Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@matthewrandell5055]

Wow! Thanks, I had no idea Sharpshooter meant you could ignore opposing character for lines of fire, I thought it was just making ranged attacks against adjacent characters. Also the way I've had lines of fire explained to me and like to think of it is that if there are two squares diagonally adjacent and somebody is trying to draw line of fire (or move) directly through the middle of them, that line of fire takes the least impeding of the two squares' terrain. For example if there's a square of blocking (B) and hindering (H) BX XH then lines of fire between the two X squares would be Hindered. It works for me. Also I comment on like every video but really thanks for this, my friends have such a hard time comprehending how they can't shoot me if I'm not on the edge of the elevated terrain I'm on, or likewise why they can't Outwit me when they're adjacent to me but I have Stealth and am in Hindering Terrain. I'm pretty sure they think I make the rules up at this point :') I'm going to send them this video

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

I'm working on Stealth now, actually... Hope it will help as well. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@Fuzzywumple]

Awesome video once again. great intro to lof. just enough to give a basic understanding.

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@germanmolina7991]

Muchas gracias !!! otra vez un gran vídeo. muchas felicidades y animo sigue así es una gran aportación a la comunidad que juega Heroclix todos mis amigos ya ven tus vídeos y nos aportas mucho para aclarar esas dudas que luego como jugadores tenemos. otra ves muchas felicidades = )

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

Muchas gracias por sus muy amables felicitaciones. Estoy muy contento de que los videos puedan ayudar a los nuevos jugadores a descubrir el juego. Una vez más, gracias por tu comentario. (Here's hoping the translation is okay... Please forgive me if it isn't. My knowledge of Spanish is too rudimentary to be sure ;o)..

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

Ryan 1119 Happy to help! Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@Maraxusofk]

Great video. the pictures were a fantastic touch

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

Maraxusofk Glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@shinypear326]

Great job as always! If I had one critique though, it would be the section at the end when you said something along the lines of, "if you know this scenario the rest falls into place, luckily, I just told you about that scenario earlier in this video"; I feel like if you're going to refer to that specific scenario as 'the one to remember,' it would make more sense, in terms of flow, to first mention that as 'the one to remember' and then go into that scenario instead of going into the scenario and then later saying, "I hope you were paying extra attention during that last part, because that's the big one to remember." Just a small critique but I thought it was worth mentioning. Everything else was flawless.

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

Thank you for your comment. You make a valid point. Since the videos are relatively short, there's a better chance that people payed enough attention the first time around. And, there's always rewind ;o). Thanks again for your comment!

[@MattyCakez18]

1:08 - So I was under the impression that range is counted not by the squares including the target, but by the squares BETWEEN you and the target. There are characters with 0 range. They can still attack an adjacent character even though they’re technically 1 square away. Move them away 1 square further now and now they’re two squares away. But the distance has only increased by 1, so the range would only need to increase by 1 as well. So to hit a character 2 squares away, the attacking player must have at least 1 range. Get me?

[@mutjace5621]

Hi, I have a question regarding the OP kit White Queen. When it says that her line of fire "is not blocked" does this include anythig that can block it? Like characters and blocking/elevated terrain too? (The stealth part is clear for me, just a matter of putting a generic Cuckoo adjacent) thanks in advance for the help.

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

The way I read it, lines blocked by characters, blocking and elevated terrain would also apply. I'm reading the Core Rulebook again on p.12, and it seems pretty clear cut. Maybe there's an entry in the WizKids forum that contradicts this, though, but I doubt it. It's a shame this couldn't work with the new Cuckoo sisters from Xavier's School.

[@mutjace5621]

The Tabletop Teacher oh that's great! Thanks for the help! And yes... A total shame new Cuckoos can't be played with this White Queen!! Can't wait to watch further videos and I hope the buesiness is doing great :)

[@keaganreed5567]

How would this work for a close attack C=Character X=Blocking C XC Can the two characters still close attack each other?

[@driftinHank29]

Do flying characters ignore elevated terrain for targeting? The judge at my local game store says they do. Even though this seems logical, I'm pretty sure he's wrong.

[@WWSpitfire]

I would also like to know

[@swaggmonster209]

What about multiple levels of elevation shooting from 3rd level to 1st?

[@edelAquaristik]

So, to check for hindering or blocking terrain you draw a straight line base to base - but to check for distance you just pretend youre moving the character to its potential ranged combat value?

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

You're right about the range, but just make sure the line of fire you draw is from the center of the square where the attacker is to the center of the square the target is; the geometry of the thing is a little different if you start at the base of the character (on top of figuring out what would be the first point on a round base). Line of Fire : center to center, Movement : as movement (good analogy... wish I thought of it). Thanks for your question!

[@halodude92mm]

One thing this video should really mention is drawing a line of fire from an interior corner of elevated terrain. It is not considered the rim of elevated terrain if there are two squares of elevated terrain between the character and the square of lower elevation. This is a ruling that irks me more than anything, but also one that a lot of people don't know about.

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

Thanks! That's certainly something to address in a second video on lines of fire.

[@keyshyweeshy6388]

does Stealth counter improved targeting through hindering or is improved targeting through hindering counter stealth?

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

Thanks for your question! The answer lies in the wording for Stealth : When it's not your turn, hindered lines of fire drawn to this character are blocked. "Improved Targeting: Ignores Hindering" makes it so the line of fire is ***not hindered***, and thus, not blocked from attacks from a character that has the improved targeting. But Stealth is not countered per se (wording is always important). Stealth will still work against other opposing characters that do not have the improved targeting.

[@edelAquaristik]

One more thing: if a character occupies a 2x2 hindering terrain on one side (lets say a table) and the other character is on the other side ( 8X8) - if line of fire crosses multiple green squares of the SAME object, how does that affect defense rolls? Do you get +1 for every square while still being able to shoot freely from inside?

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

It's the "hindered line of fire" that gives the +1 bonus to the target's defense, not each square of hindering terrain. Since the line of fire is hindered as soon as it passes through part of a single square of hindering terrain (apart from the one the attacker is in) is considered hindered, the number of squares or objects doesn't factor in. The bonus is not cumulative. Hindered line of fire = +1 bonus to target's defense. Thanks for your question!

[@m-tron5966]

AMAZING VIDEO....Seriously 😃

[@Aerowind]

Came here hoping for an explanation of how range is calculated, but I guess that's another video. Not entirely sure how to count range when doing a weird diagonal.

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

There's no mathematical formula or anything of the sort for calculating range; you count the number of squares to your target (you start with a square adjacent to the attacking character up to the square occupied by the target); no matter how "weird" the diagonal (line of fire is required). There are two examples in this video (although, the first one is not a diagonal): kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZWsf52DjZaHopI kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZWsf52DjZaHopIm17s If you were talking about how range is calculated after replacements and modifiers, I don't remember addressing that as of yet. In short, here's what to keep in mind: - Replace a range value before modifying it (if that's a possible game effect for that character) - Then modify (if game effects allow). The modifier can't be more than +3 or -3. - If a game effect would require you to halve the range value (like it would be for Hypersonic Speed), it would be done now (after replace and modify) - You cannot Perplex the number of targets (lightning bolts). Hope that helps!

[@Aerowind]

I'm basically asking HOW to count the range on weird diagonals like that. For example, in that second section you linked, the line passes through 7 tiles. Does that make it a 7 tile range, even though the character on the right is much closer? Like, if you moved him five tiles down, the line of fire only passes through 5 tiles, despite being physically much farther away.

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

Yup, that's it. 7 tiles crossed, you need 7 range to target. It's a tad counter-intuitive because a 45 degree 7 square diagonal is a longer line than a 7 square horizontal, but range is the number of squares; no more, no less.

[@raycerx87]

can you draw lines of fire from a 3rd level to a 1?

[@althgrea11]

yes, so long as it doesn't pass through another square of elevated or indoor blocking terrain. One silly oversight is that no matter how high you are you could still see the person on the bottom most floor. Having 4 range and still being able to see the guy five stories below you? seems legit lol

[@nintendo917]

One mechanic that confuses me in Heroclix is Vehicles, especially what you do when you wanna TURN that vehicle. There's nothing online, or in the rulebook itself that explains how you turn a vehicle

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

My plan was to address this along with colossal characters (since most are multi-base). In the meantime, pp. 16-17 of the 2014 Core Rule Book (that's the latest version available in the Heroclix Print And Play page) explains movement and targeting with multi-base characters (which most vehicles are); I hope that can be of some help until I can produce that video. But in essence, you don't need to think of vehicles "turning" per se; a vehicle's movement obeys the same rules as multi-base characters. I haven't found any clarifications saying otherwise in the WizKids rules forum either: win.wizkids.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=4676. Have fun with your vehicles!

[@Organous]

The one thing that gets me is that lower blocking terrain still blocks elevated line of fire while outdoors. I'll have to apologize to a new player in my group. Our judge tried to tell me that, but I thought he was just getting at the angle of the shot. It really doesn't make sense to me. I thought indoor blocking terrain was considered to go to the ceiling (hence why fliers can't ignore it), but I didn't realize that's basically the case with outdoor blocking terrain, too. *sigh* It's the rule, so I'll honor it. I just really don't get it thematically.

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

I know how you feel. The concept that nags me a little is the fact that Fliers and Great Size characters can't stop their movement on blocking terrain outside; I mean, if they can ignore it when moving, why couldn't they land on it (that would go for Leap/Climbers as well... simply treating the blocking terrain as elevated when a character is on it would do the trick, but I guess it would be a little confusing).

[@Organous]

Going way back to my memories of the original colossal Sinestro, I was under the impression a colossal moving through blocking terrain would destroy it into rubble, too. Apparently my extra-young mind was just mistranslating the instance of moving on top of objects. That they can't just bust through indoor walls really diminishes the impact their size would really have. I mean, how could you expect Galactus not to bust through an office building, while Juggernaut is free to do so?

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

That's a very valid argument. There are other non-comic-accurate issues of the sort here and there in the game, of course (like what causes knock-back and which characters can ignore it), but for a colossal character to have trouble going through a wall is really counter-intuitive, indeed. It's also strange that colossi could squeeze into an indoor map... Have you ever seen a game where the Quinjet moves around the WizKids office? Going back to wall-breaking/colossi issue, I think it could certainly be part of the rules, eventually, that colossi have improvement movement that ignores hindering, elevated and blocking (destroys blocking). Perhaps it's already in the new rules...

[@kabanzai]

Does not include most important part debated with 'judge' about Colossals with the 00- ability and the fact he is requiring us to target adjacent only.

[@austinhadley6086]

excellent quality videos, subbed

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

Thank you very much! Glad you enjoy the content.

[@toad1er]

What about flying characters? Can they target someone elevated and then not be targeted cause they are grounded?

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

Flying characters have improved movement, but don't necessarily have improved targeting. For instance, Technocrat (JW024) is a flier with improved targeting that ignores elevated terrain, but very few fliers have that (or "grounded" characters for that matter). You have to imagine that the flier lands before making his attack. We imagine the character making the attack while airborne (very comic-accurate), but the Heroclix rules are a little different here. Hope that answers your question.

[@toad1er]

yes, thank you

[@jacksparrowrow6184]

Thank you!

[@archaiclycan505joe]

wait but I thought when you have two characters next to each other and you have direct line of fire from one heroclix to another than you can make a ranged attack in between those two characters?

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

Joseph Rodriguez Unless I'm reading your question wrong, you can't make a ranged attack that goes through the intersection point of two squares occupied by characters... You have to figure diagonals as if they were horizontal or vertical; you couldn't "shoot" between those either. Thank you for commenting.

[@archaiclycan505joe]

Oh ok lol...I didn't know how to word the question; but I think you understood it perfectly clear lol

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

Joseph Rodriguez hehe. Glad I could help!

[@MikeM22]

Who's the white blue and black chick at 2:36?

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

That would be SM012 Livrewire

[@MikeM22]

@@TheTabletopTeacher Thanks!

[@nicholasdiaz3733]

I owe my brother a big apology from our last game. lol

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

Hehe...That happens! Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@sakidickerson]

How in the world are your maps so flat? lol!

[@TheTabletopTeacher]

I know, right? A shame about the resolution, though ;).