Character review: Fenn Signis

When you think about Star Wars, perhaps your mind is drawn to iconic figures like Darth Vader, Han Solo, or Princess Leia in a gold bikini. Perhaps you like the sleek look of Imperial gray, mixed with hardened armor in black and white. To me, I've always liked the rag-tag look of Rebel brown. There's something about the look - simple home-spun, well-worn, and frankly not innately impressive. This look (to me) brings out the character of the person wearing it and draws you to the person, not the image of the person. Nowhere is this more typified in Imperial Assault than in Fenn Signis.

Fenn is a soldier - he's not a commander, his uniform isn't clean, and he isn't sent to meetings. He's sent to fight - and to assist a team of special commandos to fight the Empire wherever he's needed. Beneath his simple appearance is one of the most versatile characters that has ever been released in Imperial Assault (and he came out in the Core Set). Today we're continuing our Splash character review series that we started with a review of Gaarkhan and continuing with his Core-Set-Comrade Fenn. 

Fenn Signis: Just Give Me A Weapon

Fenn Signis begins with one of the worst weapons in the game: while I did say last week that Blue-Green combos are reliable, their damage output is very, VERY limited. Unlike last week’s post, Fenn’s Infantry Rifle doesn’t surge for 2 Damage and as a result the damage output is really, REALLY bad. For 400 credits (350 if you trade in your Infantry Rifle), you can purchase the E-11 which gives you the same attack pool but with better surge abilities (but we’ll talk about that later).

The reason Fenn is one of the best offensive characters in the game isn’t because of his starter weapon – it’s because of his upgrades. One of his cheapest upgrades is Weapons Expert, which allows you to Strain to add Pierce 1 and Accuracy 2 to your attack results. Since there isn’t an exhaust on this item, you can just keep using it over and over and over again – a great way for getting past your target’s defenses and deal all the damage you roll to your attacker.

Fenn also has Trench Fighter, which allows you to exhaust the card (different from Weapons Expert) to add 2 Damage to the attack results – which can basically add another attack die to your results. Trench Fighter’s downside is that it does require you to be close – not bad if you’re attacking with a short-range weapon (like a melee weapon or a pistol), but not as universally applicable as Weapons Expert.

Besides these two upgrades, Fenn has other upgrades that allow you to capitalize on his Havoc Shot skill or make him more defensive/mobile. For 7 XP, you can purchase Rebel Elite and Suppressive Fire which increases his collateral damage from Blast 1 to Blast 2 (in addition to upping his Health and Endurance) and allowing you to Stun (or do extra damage to) those you hurt in your attack. It’s an expensive combo, but very, VERY effective. In contrast, for 7 XP you can purchase Take Cover, Adrenaline Rush, and Superior Positioning, which can allow you to add a White die to your defense pool, recover Strain after taking damage, and add a free Block result while Focused (and allow you to become Focused too). The Focus not only boosts your defense, but also helps your next attack (or help you pass that Strength check to recover Strain with Adrenaline Rush).

What all this comes down to is…

It doesn’t matter what weapon Fenn has – he’ll make it work.

With this in mind, let’s look at a few weapon builds for Fenn…

End-Game Weapon #1 – Hardened Tank Mode: DLT-19 with Sniper Scope

The DLT-19 is the upgraded version of the Tatooine Hunting Rifle (THR) – you can purchase this weapon at Tier 1 to benefit from this build early (though it’s a lot more limited). The DLT-19 is less expensive than other long-range weapons (like the Pulse Cannon or DXR-6) but because it can allow the hero to gain Focus for 2 Surge, it can always have 4 attack die. With the Sniper Scope, you really only need 1 Surge on your Blue-Blue-Green-Green combo (which will always give you at least 6 Accuracy and more likely 9 Accuracy, so trigger that Sniper Scope man!). Any additional surge can be turned into damage (up to 2) or can be used to Recover Strain. With the THR, the strategy is a little different - I recommend you take the Tactical Display and save as quickly as you can for Superior Positioning (which can Focus you before you shoot should you fail to do that in your previous shot). The THR with the Tactical Display is relatively inexpensive as far as Tier 1 weapon combos go and you’ll only need to pay ~1000 credits more to upgrade both weapon and upgrade to their end-game status (which you’ll have all of the Tier 2 missions to generate the cash).

This plays heavily to the defensive build for Fenn – your goal is to always become Focused, reducing your offensive power a little bit to increase your defensive capabilities (free Block result while Focused). You can further supplement your defensive game by taking Take Cover, which allows you to roll the coveted Black-White defense die combo (with a free Block while Focused!). By the way, while Adrenaline Rush is a great way to regain some Strain after being shot, be careful to use it after the last figure before your activation attacks you – you don’t want to lose that Focus on a Strength check before being shot by someone else!

Upgrades to purchase - 7-9 XP: Take Cover (1), Weapons Expert (2), Superior Positioning (4), OPTIONAL: Adrenaline Rush (2)

End-Game Weapon #2 – Double-Wielder: E-11 with Charged Ammo Pack and Spread Barrel and Vibro Knucklers

In my first campaign as the IP, one of my good mates (and fellow contributor on this blog) ran Fenn with the BD-1 Vibro-Ax (I think he may have had a blaster too, but he didn’t favor it). It was during that campaign that a few things dawned on me: first, neither Weapons Expert nor Trench Fighter require that the weapon be a ranged weapon (though admittedly the Accuracy on a melee weapon isn’t very useful). So obviously I’d be remiss if I didn’t hint at melee builds you can run with Fenn. In today’s post, we’re going to make the assumption that you’ll be limited to 1000-1200 credits (normal for either a short/long campaign that doesn’t feature Generous Donations).

For our blaster, we’ve chosen the E-11 – as I mentioned above, it’s the upgraded version of Fenn’s Infantry Rifle. Where Fenn’s starter weapon can surge for Damage 1 or Accuracy 1 (and has 1 mod slot), the E-11 can surge for Damage 2 and Accuracy 2 (and has 2 mod slots). For 400 credits, it’s a bargain if you’re not anticipating getting a lot of Surge. For other characters, getting this weapon to do enough damage can be tough, but between Trench Fighter (if you’re within 3 spaces) and Weapons Expert, that’s not hard for Fenn. So long as you’re attacking within 3 spaces, the Spread Barrel will allow you to tack on an additional damage (that’s 3 Damage from the Spread Barrel and Trench Fighter), allowing you to bust through double-Black-defense-pools as well. While attacking this close, you really don’t need the Accuracy surge option from the E-11, so we’ve included the Charged Ammo Pack, which allows you to surge for a power token even if you can’t damage the target.

Of course if you’re able to get close enough to your opponent, you can maul him with the Vibro Knucklers – you might want to buy Tactical Movement to help with this. I’ve talked about this weapon choice before with Saska, but Fenn uses them as they’re supposed to be used: you have the ability to gain up to 3 Surge with these weapons but unfortunately the damage output will only be decent, not great (Damage 3-4 + Pierce 2 + Cleave 2 + Bleed). Fenn allows you to get far more out of these weapons not because he allows you to get all the Surge you want out of it (like Saska does), but because with his Weapons Expert and Trench Fighter upgrades. You don’t need to get Damage 2 or Pierce 2 from the weapon – it’s nice if you do, but it’s not necessary. Since this is a Tier 2 weapon, you can get the Armored Gauntlets at Tier 1 if you want – they’re not as good (see the post on Saska for more info), but they can surge for Damage 2 (which is pretty good for a Tier 1 weapon).

For 1200 credits, the total amount you’re spending on these two weapons isn’t going to break the bank for you or your allies. One other benefit: because we only needed 3 of our upgrades to make this combo work, we can save all our other XP for other things we like (like Rebel Elite or Suppressive Fire). I should note that there are other weapons (the Polearm, for example) that could generate more damage than the Vibro Knucklers. I’ve included the Vibro Knucklers because they’re relatively cheap and you’re already spending a bit of cash on your blaster. You could pick up some extra cash by purchasing the DH-17 instead of the E-11, but that's your choice.

Upgrades to purchase - 6 XP: Tactical Movement (1), Weapons Expert (2), Trench Fighter (3)

End-Game Weapon #3 – Blast Everything: DL-44 with Sniper Scope and Under-Barrel HH-4

Okay, okay – when I talked up Fenn last week, I said he was a Blasting guy so it’s about time I talk about a Blasting build. Yes, with Rebel Elite you can get Blast 2 twice per round (more often if you talk nicely to Gideon or Murne) which is not shabby at all, but let’s get to that elusive Blast 3 that can clear whole basic units in a single fell blow (and most other units in two fell blows). To do this we will need the Under-Barrel HH-4 (the only non-character-specific upgrade with any Blast ability) and…the DL-44!

I know the DL-44 is a Tier 1 weapon, but I like it a lot. While certain characters get more out of it than Fenn does (like Jyn or Verena), of all the two-mod-slot weapons, it’s pretty effective at both getting necessary Accuracy and Surge – both of which are necessary to pull off a high Blast combo. Why are two-mod-slot weapons the only ones being considered? Because generally speaking weapons either provide you with lots of surge OR they give you lots of damage. The HH-4 is a great upgrade – 1 free Accuracy and the ability to surge for Blast 1 isn’t bad, but you still need to breach the target’s defenses. Since the DL-44 allows you to surge for Damage 2 and Damage 1 (with extra Accuracy), you can get the damage you need from this weapon if you really, REALLY need it. In addition to Weapons Expert (which can give you Pierce and Accuracy), you should be able to hit your targets from far away, allowing you to benefit from the free Surge of the Sniper Scope (which triggers your Blast, baby!) every time you attack. With this build, you can move a little, fire twice, strain some more if you need to move some more, and then recover one of your Strain at the end of your turn. Untouchable…

The upgrades for this build are pretty simple: Weapons Expert (for Pierce as well as Accuracy), Tactical Movement (so you can fire twice instead of moving and shooting – plus it’s a very useful team-helping skill), Suppressive Fire (to hurt those you damaged after all your Blasting with your weapon) and Rebel Elite (to improve the Blast of Havoc Shot and boost your Endurance – you’re going to need it). It’s a full 10 XP (pretty near max for your campaigns), but in it you have some of the best blasting damage you possibly can get. I will say that while this is a great build for Fenn, we’ll discuss better ways to get Blast damage with Drokkatta in two weeks, so if you liked today’s thoughts, stay tuned!

Upgrades to purchase - 10 XP: Tactical Movement (1), Weapons Expert (2), Suppressive Fire (3), Rebel Elite (4)

Fenn in the Skirmish Game

We talked about Fenn Signis last week with regard to the Strength in Numbers Command card, but to recap, Fenn is one of the best Skirmish game heroes you’ll find: he’s one of a handful of figures who has Assault (allowing him to attack multiple times) and he’s got a killer range dice combo with a red-green-blue on offense. Where Fenn really shines is that he can give Assault to a friendly Trooper nearby – which originally was just Rebel Troopers (who are fantastic), but now includes even more powerful figures such as Ko-Tun Feralo (who can allow Fenn to ignore Dodge results)! 

Fenn is a dangerous foe to fight and draws agro pretty quickly from your opponent, so protecting him is a top priority. At the same time, any agro he gains guarantees there will be someone he can shoot – and they’ll probably be in range for him to attack that figure twice. Fenn’s Burst Fire Command card is also really good, basically giving you Suppressive Fire for only 2 Command points. There’s not much Fenn can’t tear through in the skirmish game (though admittedly, triggering Blast with him is harder in Skirmish than it is in the campaign).

In our next post, we’ll be wrapping up our series on collateral damage heroes by examining Vinto Hreeda. While Vinto can use Blast weapons, his ability to do off-hand damage comes predominantly from special rules. This makes his damage incredibly difficult to block (and so guarantees the damage he does against his foes more reliably than either Fenn or Gaarkhan). Until next time, happy gaming!