Well, let's do some high-jacking: here's my current idea for tweaking fixer.
> Strike
Power: You may play a card. Deal 1 target 1 melee damage
Thing is, I didn't like the other 2 're-mentioned' fixes for different reasons. The "discard a card, do 1 more damage" thing is in the 'converting cards to damage' area and for me treads into Haka/Bunker's territory type of mechanic/theme. I just don't dig the overlap, even if not big. The "1 extra damage if you change stance" just... dunno, doesn't fit thematically: hitting harder just because changing positions... *shrug*. Mechanically is either "sacrifice a good stance for extra damage this turn" or "just play a stance for +1 damage". In both cases what actually kills the varaint for me is that they just feel like a way to give Fixer a base power of 2 damage with some workaround to not make it look like that.
What I aimed to do with that power is linken Fixer to something closer to what's Tachyon style but on a different way: instead of dropping cards just because, it allows you to in 1 turn completly shift your stance/tool to adapt to the new situation. Early in the game it allows you to go into stance/tool (if you draw them) right off the bat. After that, it allows you some combos that are otherwise slow (or weaker) plays: Overdrive + Bloody Knuckles (+powerx2), Riveting Crane + B Knuckles (breaking reduction ASAP for the team), Jack Handle + Charge (+power), double Toolbox, etc. While getting Monkey Fist / Crowbars or Mantis / Pipe are still powerful stances which you might not want to leave ever, you still have strong plays outside of it. AND all of this while still maintaining the flavour that he is a low damage output hero.
The only thing I don't like this is that it makes Grease gun optimal play during the power phase (in that case, you don't get the 1 melee damage, no easy way to write it to avoid it though). Next turn you go S Yard, Grease gun again. This combo is still bonkers and you can play it on consecutive turns, still I don't think that actually puts him above the power curve compared to others.
I wrote some scattered lines of a way to analyze the cards for comparison (to some day write a guide, perish the thought though). Basically it's 1 damage = 1 point, 1 card = 1 point, (use of) 1 play = 2 points, (use of) 1 power = 2 points. Then doing the (proper) math for different powers and cards you can see how much points they pour into the game and have a straight forward way to compare different cards. For example, Galvanize (base power) does a variable amount, usually gives 3+ points into the game since your team ends up doing more than 3 attacks until your next turn and although they are doing the attacks, the points come from your ability. Pyre gives a static 2 points, when you 3 thanks to the staff, Pyre is doing 2 and staff adding 1. In any case, Legacy pours something like 4 points into the game per play/power and stays like that. Ra starts below that curve but ends up above. Fanatic starts even below but has crazy 10-20 point plays with the proper cards.
Anyway, this explanation goes to point out that Fixer (and Expat, in case) have a base power that is really low and their cards don't end up compensating for them. This also shows why passing your turn (which usually is something bad strategically, passing on 4 possible points (play/power) for 1 point (extra draw) is not bad/uncommon on this 2 characters, since their power is only 1 point instead of 2 (yes, I consider Expat's power a 1 point in that case). Aaand talking about this is really going on a tangent to make a constructive discussion impossible.
PS: my current (not original) idea for Expattriette is Load: Play a Card. If you do, draw a card. I read some one thought it broken. My test-runs with the deck and math tells me that makes her just fine in her role. So yes, in both cases I'm putting more points into the base power but in a way that makes the hero play better with their deck.
