The 2013 HeroClix Rulings (which are in effect as of July 1st) contain quite a few little rules changes–especially changes to the standard powers. Did you know, for instance, that Probability Control characters’ powers are limited to their range, with a minimum value of 6 if their range is 6 or lower? Or that Leap/Climb and Hypersonic characters no longer automatically break away from other characters? YEP!

To bring you this post with the most accuracy, I have consulted my favorite fair and honest HeroClix judge (also known as my awesome boyfriend).

Changes to Movement Powers

Leap/Climb and Hypersonic Speed no longer automatically break away. Instead, they both add 2 to the d6 roll to break away.

Mind Control deals 1 unavoidable damage if the successfully hit targets’ combined point value is 150 or more. Mind Control used to deal 1 unavoidable for every 100 points, totaled, of combined point values. This means the Mind Controller is taking a maximum of 1 damage of “feedback” now, as compared to potentially several points.

Plasticity now prevents opposing characters from automatically breaking away, as well as forces opponents to -2 to their d6 roll to break away. Opposing characters entering a square adjacent to a character with Plasticity must end their movement even if they would not have to do so normally. The exception to this is a character who ignores other characters for movement (such as by Phasing or the Improved Movement: Ignores Characters symbols).

Force Blast works like it used to. However, it has a new addition: when this character hits with an attack, you may choose that it generates knock back if it doesn’t already. This works with any attack: close or ranged combat.

Sidestep: One of the new pink powers, this allows you to give the character a free action to move with a locked speed value of 2.

Changes to Attack Powers

Energy Explosion’s “splash” effect no longer deals damage based on the number of times the splash hits. Energy Explosion now combos with any ranged combat action, similar to how Blades/Claws/Fangs does. It sets up what is called an “area of effect” for the splash itself, including untargeted characters adjacent to one or more hit targets. Characters in this area of effect, if they would be hit by the attack, are dealt 1 damage for each printed lightning bolt of this character’s range. A few special powers were updated in the Player’s Guide to compensate for this change.

Pulse Wave is back to ignoring all game effects before drawing lines of fire for targeting. In the most recent rules before this update, effects that blocked lines of fire from being drawn, such as the Hand or League of Assassins ATAs, would stop Pulse Wave. This has been fixed.

Super Strength now allows characters to put down objects that they are holding, just like picking them up, if they wish, but they can’t both pick up and put down objects in one turn.

Incapacitate now deals 1 penetrating damage to targets if they have 2 action tokens on them already. This can trigger Mystics or similar TAs, unlike pushing someone through the use of Incapacitate.

Smoke Cloud puts out up to 6 hindering terrain markers, now, with a minimum range of 4. Characters occupying these markers modify their attack value by -1 unless they can use Smoke Cloud or ignores hindering terrain for line of fire purposes.

Precision Strike is a new pink power. It allows attacks the character makes to not be evaded. Also, the attack’s damaged dealt can’t be reduced below 1 or transferred.

Changes to Defense Powers

Defend: The wording for Defend has been altered so that the sharing of defense can be done at any time, not just during attacks. The end result, though, is ultimately the same.

Combat Reflexes no longer allows the user to choose to take knock back. Instead, it now ignores knock back completely, just as Charge does.

Invincible is a new pink power that allows characters to ignore half of the damage they would be dealt. Round up, as always, so 3 damage attacking Invincible ignores 2 (1.5 rounds up).

Changes to Damage Powers

Ranged Combat Expert and Close Combat Expert now allow you to split the +2 bonus among just Damage, Attack and Damage, or just Attack.

Support’s wording has changed, spelling out the process of making an attack roll without ever officially calling it an attack roll. This has led to some quick discussion online about whether Critical Misses or Critical Hits still matter for Support; the ultimate call is that they do, but that the Player’s Guide will clarify this using wording that doesn’t use those terms since Support isn’t an official attack roll.

Probability Control, Outwit, and Perplex are all now equal to the character’s range, with a minimum range of 6 if range is lower than or equal to 6.

Empower is a new pink power; it is essentially the close combat version of Enhancement.