Last month I had the opportunity to review Dungeons & Dragons: Onslaught, a competitive skirmish game where each player takes control of one of the two factions included in the game. Every faction comes with six different characters, each with a different role. During most games, players choose only five of the six characters in their faction. There are no points to count, just select your five for the fight. I liked the game so much that it was awarded our GeekDad Approved designation. The core game includes the Harpers and the Zhentarim factions. The Harpers are an organization dedicated to preserving history and balance between civilization and nature. This organization is skilled in employing area control, supportive abilities, and teamwork to turn the tide of battle. On the other hand, the Zhentarim are a mercenary company full of self-serving assassins, warriors, and spellcasters who use cunning tricks and powerful abilities to overcome their opponents and achieve objectives. Now players can get their hands on two new factions: the Red Wizards and the Many Arrows.
What Are the Dungeons & Dragons: Onslaught Faction Packs?
The Red Wizard and Many Arrows Faction Packs are expansions for Dungeons & Dragons: Onslaught and the core game is required to use them for play. Each faction comes with six fully painted miniatures, six combat dial character cards, two customized 20-sided dice, 12 level-up cards, and tokens. The faction packs are currently available individually from your FLGS or from Amazon for a suggested retail price of $59.99 each. Dungeons & Dragons: Onslaught was designed by Nicholas Yu and Travis Severance and published by WizKids, with graphic design by Richard Dadisman and art by Gong Studios. Now let’s take a look at each of the factions.
Red Wizards
The magocratic Red Wizards rule the country of Thay with an iron fist. Nefarious and notorious in equal measure, agents of the Red Wizards consort with demons, practice foul necromancy, and stop at nothing to secure more power for their patrons and themselves. Here are the characters found in the Red Wizards faction pack.
Basra Ashlord
Basra is a fighter who takes on the role of tactician for the Red Wizards. She does not have a ranged attack, but her spiked chain lets her make melee attacks at a range of 1-2 spaces. her Entangling Strike ability lets her not only inflict damage but slow an enemy and her Second Wind ability lets her heal herself. She can even attack enemies who move into the range of her weapon during their movement. While her attacks don’t inflict lots of damage, since her abilities are bonus actions, she can often attack twice or attack and then heal during the same turn.
Elak Uldanin
Elak is a cleric who assumes the role of vanguard for the faction. His Sickle of Stealing only inflicts one damage, but he also gains a point of healing as well during his melee attack. His Touch of Death ability weakens enemies so their attacks do only half damage. Elak can also use his magic to summon and then control one skeleton, allowing him to attack twice during the same turn.
Farilun of Scardale
Farilun is a warlock whose role focuses on ranged damage. Like Elak, he too has a sickle that can steal life if he gets in close for a melee attack. his normal ranged attack, Agonizing Blast, can inflict 3 damage. His Fireball ability provides an area attack while his Cloak of Flies provides cover against all enemies and prevents enemies from reacting to his movements. Finally, he can react to an enemy using an arcane or divine ability and cancel that ability after the player has set their cooldown dial.
Lament
Lament is a sorcerer who takes on the role of melee attacker for the faction. His Ray of Frost ranged attack slows enemies while his Shocking Grasp ability has a high to hit value as well as high damage. However, he can also summon a Hound of Ill-Omen which can attack enemies even if they are invisible. This is a good character to have for a skirmish.
Quellabrelten Amasnodel
This wizard is also the faction’s healer. He has the same ranged attack as Lament. His Undead Thralls ability lets him summon up to 2 skeletons. While he can’t heal other characters, his Negative Energy ability can either inflict damage on enemies or heal minions such as skeletons. He also has a great reaction. Whenever an enemy is defeated near him, he heals himself. If you like using minions, then Quellabrelten’s ability to summon and command two skeletons is a must.
Zook Doublefilch
Zook is a rogue that is a perfect fit for the hybrid role. He has a decent melee attack with his short sword and his ranged attack weakens his target. He can also inflict an additional point of damage if the target of his melee attack is adjacent to an friendly character or he has cover from the target of his ranged attack. His two abilities are powerful, but can only be used once during a game. Legerdemain lets him take a loot token and its corresponding item from a character while Spellthief lets him use an arcane or divine ability of a nearby enemy as if were his own ability. This is one character you should try to include in your party.
Many Arrows
The legendary Obould Many-Arrows united the warring orc clans and brought them under his banner to form the great Kingdom of Many-Arrows. Now, agents and adventurers of the kingdom roam far and wide, confronting any who threaten to disrupt the stability of their realm. Here are the six characters included in the Many Arrows faction pack.
Brinh Two-Axe
Brinh is a ranger and the faction’s hybrid. Like her name, Brinh carries a hand axe for melee attacks and a throwing axe for ranged attacks. Her Dual Wield ability lets her make melee attack as a bonus action while Whirlwind has her spin around, hitting all enemies within two spaces. When you need to inflict damage frequently, send in Brinh.
Klonk Glowfist
This monk is the faction’s ranged attack specialist. Klonk has some decent melee and ranged attacks. The Flurry of Blows ability allows Klonk to make a melee attack against all adjacent enemies, with each target being attacked individually. The Searing Sunburst ability is an area attack that inflicts damage on everything adjacent to the targeted space. Klonk is another good choice for consistently hitting the enemy and making them bleed.
Pa’Maljax
Pa’Maljax is a barbarian and vanguard for the Many Arrows. With his greataxe, he does not need a ranged attack. His Eagle’s Flight ability allows him to move up to 3 spaces as a bonus action and not take any reactions while his Eagle’s rage ability increases the damage he inflicts, reduces the damage he receives from enemies, and limits enemies to rolling only one die when they attack him. The downside of this ability is that is can only be use once and then it is exhausted for the rest of the game.
Pluq
Pluq is an appropriate name for a bard. He is also the tactician for the faction. He only inflicts damage with his spiked club during melee attacks. However, he is great for supporting his faction. The Spirit Snare ranged attack roots a target and prevents it from moving. His Blade Ward ability is used on a friendly and reduces the damage that character takes from adjacent enemies by one. His other ability, Warrior’s Tale lets him target a friendly character so they can make a free melee attack during Pluqs activation. Finally, his reaction lets a friendly reroll all their attack dice. Since most of his actions are in support, Pluq can be a bit more challenging to play, but so worth it when you plan ahead.
Snuks Treefriend
Snuks is a druid and the healer for the faction. Snuks thorn whip ranged attack pulls a target closer to him on a hit. The Goodberry ability lets you heal a nearby friendly as a bonus action. However, Snuks’ powerful ability is to take on the shape of a bear. This gives Snuks two healing, and increases his speed and damage by one and to hit by 2. While in bear form, Snuks cannot use abilities or items.
Yevolda the Unbroken
Yevolda is a paladin and the melee damage specialist for the Two Arrows. Her greataxe inflicts high damage and she gets a bonus to hit a target if they are rooted. She does not have a normal ranged attack, but both of her abilities root the target when they hit. Ensnaring strike can be used as a bonus action before a melee attack to root the target if it is hit while Nature’s Wrath is a ranged attack that roots the target as well as inflicts some damage. Yevolda is a good choice to work with Pluq who can also root enemies.
Why You Should Get the Dungeons & Dragons: Onslaught Faction Packs
I really enjoy playing Dungeons and Dragons: Onslaught. Some of my favorite aspects of the game are that it comes with pre-painted miniatures that look great, pre-created characters that have unique abilities and stats, and combat dials to easily keep track of everything. Each of the two factions that came with the core game were interesting and had different styles for play. Now with the addition of the Red Wizards and Many Arrows factions, players have even more options. As I have played with the various characters in each of the factions, I feel like each has their own personality. Maybe that is just in my mind, but as you study each characters attacks and abilities, you get a feel for their important role for their faction. One of the hardest parts of setting up a game is deciding which character will sit out that skirmish since you can only use five of the six. I am also impressed with how balanced each of the factions are. No matter which you choose, success depends on how you play them and in taking advantage of the way the characters in the faction can work together and support one another. I have already highly recommended Dungeons and Dragons: Onslaught. Now I can also highly recommend both the Red Wizards and Many Arrows Faction Packs. They help make an already great game even better.
For more information, visit the Dungeons & Dragons: Onslaught page!
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Disclosure: GeekDad received a copy of this game for review purposes.
