Cryptolith Rules (Innistrad)

Played a game with the cryptoliths today. If you are playing with them, make sure you include some good ranged units in your army. The fact that melee must first knock them down is a huge tempo loss. 4 and 3 health is not insignificant. And the unit on top are only risking a 50/50 chance of 1 damage if they fall. All in all I was not really a fan at first blush, but am willing to give them a few plays.

Having an elevated location where a ranged figure has been a problem in Heroscape for years. Using them in scenarios should work OK since the scenario can be developed to account for the advantage they provide. However, using them in more simple battles they will probably prove to be the deciding factor in most games. It is helpful that they can be destroyed from on perspective, but brings up the question about attacking one of them. Since the Cryptlith is placed on a tile, does it have a height advantage (+1 defense) relative to figures on the base boards?

The rules only mention adjacency, not height advantage. I would play without it. I've always conceptualized heiggt advantage to be the ease of attacking or defending from high ground. Since the cryptolith is inanimate, it's not actually defending, it just has 4 of solid rock that you have to get through. And if you attack it from above, your high ground won't allow you to out maneuver it, it's a rock.

Read the bottom right of the first picture. Jace can scale the Cryptolith by spending 4 movement.

RE: cryptolith's defense bonus from height:
Its easier to dig from above than below.

I don't see a huge issue. Its meant to augment the play environment and it does just that. Fairly as well it would seem. Its a three wound buffer in an environment that doesn't have a lot of ranged units, so if anything its making ranged more viable in arena than it is overpowering it.

These arent fortresses from the heroscape days. Just weak towers that can crumble.

I think they are a welcome addition to this game and heroscape too.

I like them, but agree if you have a ranged figure on a Cryptolith and are facing a melee opponent, it does make it way in your favor, as you can snipe the figure attacking while he takes 3 or so turns to take down the Cryptolith. It is assumed you get height advantage when on top as you are 9 or 10 higher than spaces around you, unless you have a crap ton of tiles or another Cryptolith next to one. The only difference is it takes 3 points of vertical move up the terrain versus its height of 9 (plus 1 point to move horizontal), which is similar to the Heroscape Fortress set which had ladders that aided in climbing up towers at 2 times the elevation. If playing on a map with Cryptoliths, you definitely need to have one or more ranged figures or the Eldrazi Ruiner (which at 10 high can be engaged with a figure on a Cryptolith).

One really curious thing is that you can summon onto a Cryptolith, as one of the Innistrad rulebook scenarios has special rules that you cannot summon on one, which means the default is you can. It would be really powerful if you have a ranged squad and can get your plainswalker 5 spaces away from 2 or 3 different Cryptoliths and summon your squad on them before your opponent can.  Personally I would just make that scenario rule a house rule at all times, as otherwise it seems way too powerful.

You can't used ranged attacks on the cryptoliths?

Ah, I see. The two-player scenario is the one that specifically states you must be adjacent to the cryptolith to attack it because of low visibility (fog).