Lancer RPG Core Book

SECTION 4 // Compendium // Mech CatalogueHARRISON ARMORY[251]

[252] SECTION 4 // Compendium // Mech CatalogueLICENSE I:ANNIHILATOR, EXTERNAL BATTERIESLICENSE II: TOKUGAWA FRAME,DEEP WELL HEAT SINK, TORCHDeep Well Heat Sink4 SP, UniqueWhen you start your turn in the DANGER ZONE, yougain RESISTANCE to� for the rest of the turn. Thiseffect persists even if you leave the DANGER ZONEduring your turn.The Deep Well experimental heat-sinksystem is a part of the Armory’s VANGUARDline of equipment, available to licensedbeta testers. Through a complex, delicateweave of heat exchangers, Deep Wellrecycles the heat generated by a mechinto usable energy. The system workswell, but the delicate nature of theexchange renders it highly volatile.The Torch is a potent weapon: a heavycrescent-bladed plasma cutter, poweredstraight from a chassis’ reactor. Torchesgenerally project as axes, though theirblades can be changed to a range of othershapes. A common weapon in CQB theaters,the torch has lately become a statussymbol among officers, carried by manyalongside a smaller auxiliary weapon.TorchMain Melee, Overkill, 2�(Self)[�1][1d6�+ 3�]On Hit: Make a secondary attack against allcharacters within �1 of the target. These attackscan’t deal bonus damage, and don’t trigger theAnnihilator’s � cost or secondary attacks.Harrison Armory is known to employsomewhat unconventional developmentmethods: tactical solutions are theorizedand designed in the field as often as theyare in the lab, with the former oftenoutperforming the latter. TheAnnihilator’s name comes from pilots’slang for a jury-rigged weapon firstimprovised in the Bradbury Rebellion, whendesperate resistance pilots found a way toshunt the incredible waste heat fromtheir reactors into a directed blast.AnnihilatorMain CQB, AP, 2�(Self)[�5][�3][1d3+2�]External Batteries2 SP, UniqueWeapons that deal any � gain +5� if they areranged or +1� if they are melee. When you takeany structure damage, this system is destroyedand you take 1d6�AP damage from theexplosion. This damage can’t be prevented orreduced in any way.External batteries are by no meansunique; however, according to HarrisonArmory marketing, POWERALL cells are thelongest-lasting, fastest cycling, andhighest capacity solid-state cellsavailable. A side-effect of their highcapacity is a proportionate increase involatility, but pilots must agree toabsolve Harrison Armory of any liabilityprior to receiving print authorization.

[253] SECTION 4 // Compendium // Mech CatalogueLICENSE III:LUCIFER-CLASS NHP, PLASMA GAUNTLETPlasma Gauntlet2 SP, Danger Zone, Limited 1,Quick Action, UniqueThis system can only be used in the Danger Zone.Expend a charge and choose a character adjacentto you: they must succeed on an AGILITY save ortake 4d6�AP damage and be knocked PRONE.On a success, they take half damage and aren’tknocked PRONE. You take half of the damageinflicted – before reduction – as � and becomeSTUNNED until the start of your next turn.This studded gauntlet draws on a corereactor pulse to momentarily superheat theair around a mech’s manipulator, creatinga plasma field momentarily hotter than thesurface of the sun. Thrust into anopponent’s chassis, plasma gauntlets givemechs the power to warp armor, vaporizeshielding, and rip apart internal systemswith their bare hands – if they don’tcollapse in on themselves first.LUCIFER ProtocolLimited 2, 1d3+3�(Self), ProtocolExpend a charge to give your next ranged ormelee attack this turn bonus damage on hit equalto your current � after activating this protocol, aslong as the weapon deals any �.LUCIFER-Class NHP3 SP, AI, UniqueYour mech gains the AI tag and the LUCIFERProtocol.LUCIFER came to the Think Tank’sattention after their repeated victoriesin thought-war games. LUCIFER clones arecharacterized by their brash,enthusiastic personality, oftenexpressing frustration with timid pilots.This bombastic personality hides acalculating, brilliant tactical mind thatfeeds constant information to pilots –often faster than they can process it.LUCIFER’s combat doctrine demands action,appearing to less daring pilots as achaotic blend of reckless maneuvering andaggressive offense that keeps defendersbeleaguered and unable to respond. Pilotslooking to partner with LUCIFER clonesshould be aware that this attack style islikely to leave them vulnerable tocounterattack, and also that these NHPsenjoy what they call “good-naturedribbing”.HARRISON ARMORY

SECTION 5GM’S TOOLKIT

GAME MASTER’S GUIDE 256SETTING UP A GAME 258RUNNING THE GAME 263GM TOOLKIT 266SITREPS 267ITERATIVE WORLD-BUILDING 274NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS 280BUILDING NPCS 284SPECIAL CLASSES 322TEMPLATES 326

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitEvery game of Lancer needs a GM. If you’re here,reading this section, that’s probably you!The GM is responsible for the most important parts ofthe game: creating a story and a world for that storyto take place in, portraying the NPCs, and acting asfacilitator, judge, and arbitrator of rules.This may sound daunting, but that’s why this sectionof the book exists – to give you tools and help youwith the heavy lifting. Being a GM can be an incred‐ibly rewarding experience, and we believe everyoneshould try it at some point in their roleplaying career.Anyone can be a great GM with a little practice, andthis section will equip you with the tools you need totell an amazing story.In this section you will find:• Advice for setting up a game session orcampaign and creating hooks to draw yourplayers into the world you’re creating.• Ideas for rewarding players.• A toolkit for changing the game, using certainrules, and adding extra flavor.• A guide for creating Non Player Characters(NPCs) for mech combat.One note before we move forward: there’s a reasonthis section is called a guide. It’s a jumping-off pointrather than a proscriptive set of rules. At the end ofthe day, we hope it will inspire you to create your owncontent, worlds, and NPCs for Lancer.GM PRINCIPLESThere are as many different opinions about whatmakes a good GM as there are players and GMs. Ourrule of thumb is this: the “best” way to GM iswhichever one works best for you and the people inyour game. But it can be tricky to figure out how tocreate a great play environment on your own. For thatreason, here are some principles for GMs that can beapplied to almost all situations. If you keep these prin‐ciples in mind we’re of the strong belief it will enhanceyour game and the storytelling therein.I. FACILITATE FUNAs the GM, your job is to facilitate, arbitrate, and makerulings, and to adapt your notes, world, and narrativein response to your players’ choices.Your job isn’t to defeat your players. Although yourrole includes setting the tone and facilitating play,your mission isn’t to ensure your players’ characterswind up dead and defeated – you’re there to makesure everyone is having a good time and engaged inthe collaborative story. That said, you should stillchallenge your players – failure is rich narrative androleplaying territory.II. RENOUNCE CONTROLAs the GM, accept that the story you tell may not bethe one that you outlined.Your players will kill important NPCs before theybecome important. Your players will not go to thatcolony where they could find an important data log.Your players may not bite the hook you want them tobite. Your player’s characters – with their backstoriesthat are perfectly integrated into your campaign –might die, forcing you to revise your notes. Ultimately,it’s important to go with the story that you’re tellingwith your players at the table rather than try to stick tothe one you originally envisioned.III. CONSIDER YOUR PLAYERSAs the GM, try to set expectations and ensure thateveryone at the table feels comfortable and gets achance to contribute.Make sure that your players are comfortable with thetone and expectations of your game, both in terms ofcontent and the type of game you’re running. If you’replanning to grapple with a sensitive subject, askyourself if it’s really important to include it in your[256]GAME MASTER’S GUIDE

SECTION 5 // The GM’s Toolkitgame and clearly talk through your intentions withyour players. If they don’t feel safe and included at thetable, that’s on you – it’s your job as the facilitator ofthe game to reach out to them.Additionally, remember that different players mightenjoy different kinds of stories. Some players lovecombat-heavy games, others prefer political sessionsfull of roleplaying, in which nobody fires a shot. Youshouldn’t try to satisfy everybody, but be clear aboutwhat kind of game you’re running so players can settheir expectations.IV. SAY YESAs the GM, try to say “no” as little as possible.While some things will always be impossible –whether that’s due to the rules, your judgement, orcommon sense – it’s almost always better to say “yes,and…”, “yes, but…’, or ‘yes, however…”, than it is tosay “no”. Instead of outright denial, give players newoptions or other (more difficult, perhaps) ways ofaccomplishing their goals, offer them lesseroutcomes, or just let them attempt it anyway. Theoutcome will usually be same, but handing the choiceover to players empowers and rewards them, as wellas keeping the story moving. Remember, players cancarry some of the storytelling weight – if they askwhether they can do something, one of the bestresponses is to turn the question back on them,asking how they'd attempt it.At its heart, Lancer is a collaborative storytellinggame. You should want your players laughing, crying,serious, and silly. You should want them doodlingtheir characters on other players’ turns, or orderingtakeout to eat over their character sheets. The GMisn’t the reason the players show up: they show up fortheir characters and your world. Without protagonistsin your drama, you have no game and no story.ELICITING RESPONSESEliciting responses from players is an easy way toengage with players as a GM. Eliciting simply meansasking for information or responses directly from theplayers. This might sound tricky, but in truth it’s asimple tool that can be very helpful when a game isstalling or stagnating.Here’s a couple of ways you can elicit action fromplayers and get a game moving:• Ask questions, especially simple ones:▪ “What do you think you’re going to do next?”▪ “How does your character feel about this?”▪ “Who’s feeling suspicious here?”▪ “What do you think is really going on?”▪ “What’s the way forward from here?”• Address characters, not players: talk to Attar, themech pilot, instead of Austin, the player.• Be descriptive, and don’t jump straight to talkingabout game rules: ask your players if they wantto “try climbing that cliff” instead of telling themto “make a skill check”.• Keep things “in-character”: when players talk toNPCs or ask them questions, try to respond asthat NPC and not as yourself; when they talk toeach other, ask them to try and address eachother as their characters. Staying within thefiction will help keep the game immersive andengaging.GAME MASTERS'S GUIDE[257]

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitLancer is designed for a group of 3–5 players(excluding the GM). You can play with more players (orfewer), but a larger group generally means each playerwill get less time in the spotlight. Additionally, combatcan take a long time or become tricky to manage withtoo many players, so keep in mind that the moreplayers you have, the slower the narrative pace will be.Each player needs a character sheet, pencil, a d20and a handful of d6s. ACCURACY� and DIFFICULTY�rarely go higher than +4, so it’s unlikely a player willneed more than five or six d6s.A typical session of Lancer can take anywherebetween 2–4 hours, with sessions featuring combattaking longer than those without. A classic piece ofGM advice is that it’s useful for everyone to havedrinks and snacks on hand. Taking a break after acouple of hours can also do wonders for people’sattention spans and alertness.We strongly recommend using a hex or grid map tokeep track of characters during combat. If you’replaying online, this is relatively simple to set up – thereare plenty of apps that have these kinds of maps builtin, such as the popular Roll20 app. If you’re playingoffline, you can use an erasable battle map and mini‐atures, or even just a sheet of graph paper (the larger,the better).Keeping notes can be useful for later reference andplanning, so we recommend keeping a notepad,scratch paper, or other notetaking tool on hand.You can also ask your players to take notes if thestory or political situation gets complicated – it can bevery helpful to see things from their perspective!If you (or your players) are new to the game, werecommend starting at LL0. This might limit theoptions available, but it makes it much easier for newplayers to jump in, and the game still offers excitingand complex tactical gameplay.THE FIRST SESSIONYou can read about the overall structure and purpose ofthe first session on page 40. But there are a couple ofsteps that you can take in the first session as the GMthat will have a dramatic impact on future sessions:Set expectations for the game. This is one of themost important steps! Let your players know the kindof game you’re planning: Is it going to be combat-fo‐cused with very little story? Or will it be a tale ofpolitical intrigue, with very little mech combat? Some‐where in between? Are you using any house rules orhomebrew concepts in your game?Clearly setting expectations helps players figure out ifthey’re interested in the kind of game you’re going to run,or whether they will need to modify their own expectationsso they can best appreciate it. The reason you do this inthe first session is so that you don’t find out three sessionsin that there has been a frustrating misunderstanding.Something might still come up later, but this is a greatstarting point for getting everyone on the same page.Make sure everyone gets equal opportunity tointroduce themselves. This may sound obvious, butquieter, newer, and less-confident players can easilybe overlooked. Get everyone to introduce both theircharacters and themselves as players. Don't pressureanyone if they're uncomfortable, but make it clear thatthe space is there for them if they want it.Set up a second session. If you’re just going to run asingle session or a casual game, don’t worry about thisstep, but if you’re aiming for an ongoing campaignthere’s no better time to compare everyone’s sched‐ules than when you’re all in the same place.BUILDING A NARRATIVESo, you have players, dice, a table reserved (orcleaned!), pens, pencils, and paper, and your snacksare ready to go. What’s missing? What’s the mostimportant part of Lancer?The narrative!By narrative, we don’t just mean an on-rails story thatyou write in advance and force your players to parti‐cipate in. In the context of Lancer, “narrative” meansboth the story you create – either through exhaustivepreparation or spontaneous improvisation – and theconsequences of your players’ participation.As the GM, you’re going to have to do some work toset up the world(s) within which your Lancercampaign will take place. Below are some ideas forhow to begin building the narrative of your campaign,but they are only suggestions, not prescriptions; thebest narratives come from you, and from the storiesyou write with your players. The easiest way is to askyourself, “Why does this matter?” Whatevernarrative decisions you make, always ask yourself,“Why?,” and be prepared to answer – this is how youcraft a story that engages players.[258]SETTING UP A GAME

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitYou might ask yourself some of the following ques‐tions:• Why should my players embark on this narrative?• Why should my players deal with that character,instead of ignoring them?• Why should my players care about the stakes I setup in the first session (and every session after it)?Why might your players want to embark on thisnarrative in particular? Well, because it’s their sharedhomeworld under threat.Why might your players care about that character?Because that character is their commanding officer,or a hero of theirs, or a long-lost friend.Why might your players be invested in the stakesyou’ve set up? Because their characters’ families,friends, or ideals are threatened, or they’re intriguedby the mystery of it, or simply because they’ve beenimplanted with subcutaneous hypercaloric immolatorwebbing guaranteed to trigger spontaneous combus‐tion if they fail.When answering these questions, keep in mind thatplayers don’t necessarily have the same interests astheir characters, although they will usually choose toplay characters that align with those interests. Try tostrike a balance between responding to characterdesires and player moods, and don’t be afraid ofediting on the go: if half of your players start losinginterest during story-heavy sessions, adjust accord‐ingly, and vice versa. It’s also possible that yourplayers will have competing interests – try to balanceyour sessions with this in mind, if necessary.MISSION HOOKSWe’ve found that meticulous planning of every beat ofyour ideal multi-session campaign arc isn't always thebest way to create a narrative that your players willenjoy. That style of GMing is called “railroading” –forcing your players along a set story arc where theirchoices and actions ultimately don’t determine theclimax. Players tend to disengage from narrativeswhen they feel like they lack agency. That’s why wetry to encourage Lancer GMs to be flexible in givingplayers the opportunity and tools to shine. Startingwith an idea of where to go, what to do, and who willbe involved is good practice – starting by writing anovel and expecting the players to act it out it isn’t.To facilitate improvisational, responsive play,we recommend building a stable of mission hooksyou can adapt to player prompting. It’s best to thinkof hooks as starting points – interesting or compellingscenarios that draw players in. They provide directopportunities for players to buy into a narrative,whether it be from a sense of duty, promised rewards,curiosity, revenge, personal power, or something froma character’s background.Whenever possible, we recommend writing your ownhooks, but to get you started, we’ve included twentyexamples for you to use verbatim or be inspired by.These hooks each offer a catalyzing moment forbeginning a story focused on one location, event, orcharacter. You can read them out to palyers as a wayto ‘hook’ them into the story. Fill in the details as youdesire!If you’re feeling adventurous, you can roll 1d20 androll with whichever hook the die gives you.SETTING UP A GAME[259]HOOK ROLL 1D201 Long Ride Down.2 Distant Glimmer.3 A Quiet Life4 Dead Orbit5 The God Damn Cavalry6 Familiar Faces.7 Bowels of the Earth.8 Childhood’s End.9 Clarion Call.10 Syzygy.11 Mud and Lasers.12 Balancing Act.13 Emissary.14 Apocalyptica.15 Too Old For This Shit.16 Catacomb.17 Guardian.18 Masks.19 Holy War.20 Dungeon.

SECTION 5 // The GM’s Toolkit1 – LONG RIDE DOWNThe ride down the space elevator to the planet’s surfaceis a long one, but it’s the safest way of getting there: theworld has been overtaken by massive, anomalousstorms, with turbulent winds insertion by shuttle all butimpossible. Interference from the storms cut off allcomms with the planet, and no one has come up theelevator to your station since. Concerned, the head ofsecurity has tapped you all to suit up and find outwhat’s going on. You’ve transited a few times before –your families live down the ‘lift – but this time is different:something terrible caused those storms, and you'reheading right into the thick of it...2 – DISTANT GLIMMERTogether, you walk the vast, gently curving, false-skyconcourse of the blink station. Neon light spills from thebars and clubs along the top floor, the low sound ofdistant music mixing with the polyglot chorus oflanguages – Cosmopolitans mingling everywhere withDiasporans-in-transit. The vast spread of humanity ishere, an endless stream of stories and potentialadventures. Above, the arrivals and departures boardrattles ceaselessly. You’re here for business. Yourcontact is deep in the station, but it won’t be easy tofind them. At least you’ll soon find out whether the riskis worth the promised manna...3 – A QUIET LIFESeveral kilometers outside the walls of a lonely colony,this quiet homestead seems like a place out of time. Asmall community of farmers calls it home, keeping theland and living humble lives. The woods beyond aredark and deep, unexplored, haunted. The settlersspeak of a dim light that dances between the closelypacked trunks. They are superstitious people and darenot venture out into the woods. You, however, are not,and you’re not so sure those lights are only harmlessghosts...4 – DEAD ORBITThe local omni is on fire with news about a derelictmining ship hanging in orbit above a massive, roilinggas giant. Abandoned following a deadly gas leak, theship’s carcass is still rich with rare and dangerous rawmaterials. Fortune-seekers, ace pilots, and viciousreavers all swarm to claim part of the prize. The race ison – may the first crew claim the riches – but othersalvage teams aren’t the only dangers the ship has tooffer...5 – THE GOD DAMN CAVALRYA Union DoJ/HR liberation team has been grounded bya slaver-state’s anti-air batteries. Your squad is en routeto assist the liberation team, guns be damned...6 – FAMILIAR FACESJust now, on your way to a well-earned R&R stop, youreceived a distress call from a nearby colony: piracy!Slavers are in orbit above their planet, and threateningan attack. You’re the only team nearby, so it’s on you tohelp. As you land, you’re surprised to see familiar liveryon the pirate mechs: it’s another company from yourmercenary group, and they’ve turned their guns onyou...[260]

SECTION 5 // The GM’s Toolkit7 – BOWELS OF THE EARTHIn the bowels of a massive, full-planet metropolis, apirate lord makes their home. The cityworldgovernment has petitioned Union for assistance inremoving the pirate lord from power, and you’ve beentapped as the team to go in and get the job done. Thepay is better than anything you’ve seen, but the job willbe long and fraught with danger – a descent into a literalunderworld, where not everything is as straightforwardas the cityworld government would have you believe...8 – CHILDHOOD’S ENDA strange, solitary figure has appeared on your world,calling themselves “administrator”. They demand tosee your leader, and although they appear human, theycan do things beyond your wildest imagining. You agreeto escort the administrator, but the road ahead isdifficult – you are tired survivors, retreating from aterrible defeat, and home is far across an ocean you nolonger have ships to cross. To allay your fears, theadministrator gifts you fine suits of armor, and now youhave a choice: do you lead this strange one to yourdistant home, or do you continue the campaign thatbrought you here?9 – CLARION CALLThe Great Leader has died, and his heirs have beguntheir scramble for power. The heir who rules yourcontinent has put out a call for all able-bodied citizensto arm themselves and report for muster. You and yourfriends have only just come of age, and it seems youhave been blessed to live in interesting times. Warpromises great adventure, but a grandfather – whoremembers the last succession war – has a warning foryou all before you leave: “Beware the iron titans. Shouldyou become one, do not lose your humanity...”10 – SYZYGYAll over the world, the oceans are rising. It is the Swell,the time once every ten thousand years when theoceans rise and swallow all but the largest islands. TheAdministrator-Steward has prayed to God Union forassistance, but while they wait for an omen they haveturned to mortals like yourselves. They have given untoyou great suits of armor, that you may become heraldsand travel all the world to save those who cannot savethemselves...11 – MUD AND LASERSYou are a Union auxiliary trooper on a peacekeepingmission – a boring assignment on a miserablebackwater mud-world where no one has ever heard ofthe omninet, much less Union. The population has beenrestless lately, as a plague tears through the crowdedtenements that comprise their cities. A popular figure isrousing the masses, blaming the plague on a smallminority of Cosmopolitan missionaries. Armored in yourmech, you'll need to find a way to get theCosmopolitans off-world before the situation boilsover...12 – BALANCING ACTWarring factions have finally negotiated a tenuouspeace on a world petitioning for Core status. A Unionadministrator is on the way, but peace talks betweenthe ancient noble houses are beginning to fray. You leada team of negotiators in the capital, desperatelyworking to hold the handshake peace agreementtogether until the administrator arrives. If things go tohell, your role could change from diplomats tobodyguards in the blink of an eye...13 – EMISSARYOn a lonely desert world, a colonial survey teamrecently discovered a stone monolith. It is ancient,predating even Old Humanity. Upon further inspection,the survey team realized that what they at first thoughtwere weathering marks are actually the eroded remainsof pictographs: a written language. You have beendispatched by the Union Science Bureau as part of afar-field team to investigate amid further reports that theentrance to a subterranean complex has also beendiscovered, with mummified human remains in strangespace suits trapped inside. As if that wasn't enough,strange transmissions have cropped up on your radios– something on the world is awake, and coming to greetits visitors...14 – APOCALYPTICAIn the heart of a fertile and crowded system, a worldcelebrates its unification under the banner of anambitious young monarch. The new ruler’s opponentshave retreated off-world, to a secondary planet wherethe loyalists of the old order make their refuge. There,they are beginning construction of great engines androckets with which they will direct one of their planet’sown moons into the newly unified world. Little do theyknow that the monarch and their war-minds haveplotted their own strike, and that plans are already inmotion to finish the war once and for all. Your team –peacekeepers and observers – is now facing down twowarring factions, each about to hurl an entire systemback into chaos...SETTING UP A GAME[261]

SECTION 5 // The GM’s Toolkit15 – TOO OLD FOR THIS SHITOn the glittering surface of a freshwater ocean world, apeaceful nation scattered across constellations ofbucolic islands welcomes tired Cosmopolitans fromacross the galaxy to their new home. Cosmopolitansoften choose to end their lives on this tropical paradise;every day, new arrivals land at the lone spaceport andembark on slow sailboats, traveling across the shallowoceans to nameless islands where they can live in quietpeace among tight-knit communities of sharedtemporality. All was well, until a shadow fell over theworld: corpro-state privateer ships, hungry forfreshwater to resupply their empty holds, have starteddraining the ocean. The elderly Cosmopolitans whohave retired here can’t fight the privateers on their own,but someone knows a small band of adventurers theycan call for help...16 – CATACOMBA Union Navy squadron on patrol in a proximal systemhas encountered the derelict remains of a pre-Fallcolony ship in orbit around an uncharted world, anddispatched your team as part of an exploratory force.As you approach the derelict, something on the worldbelow – thought to be absent advanced life based on alack of any appreciable artificial signatures – opens fire,destroying several shuttles and crippling your carrier.The patrol scrambles to prepare a response, its forcessplit between the derelict and the winged carrier. Theworld below waits, silent, for the first landing teams toarrive, and deep in the dark bulk of the ancient colonyship, your scanners pick up movement...17 – GUARDIANA world under siege by its stellar neighbor hassurrendered, but the invading army has not yetrelented – the omninet is crowded with reports ofmass killings and enslavement. Union has decidedto intervene and is marshaling forces at thesystem’s blink gate. The invaders seemundeterred: a battlegroup is already hurtlingtoward the blink station in a bid to destroy it andprevent Union’s counterattack. Union has a smallpresence on the besieged world: your team ofmechanized cavalry pilots, who have been fightinga rearguard action to buy time for evacuatingshuttles. With a whole system in the balance,however, your mission might change...18 – MASKSThe parliamentary delegation from a capital world is intransit to a watershed interstellar conference, theculmination of a generations-long diplomatic processthat will – at long last – create peace in a cluster ofpreviously warring systems. This should be cause forcelebration, but some actors don’t want unification. Asthe delegation draws close to the neutral moon wherethe diplomatic conference is set to take place, agentsgather to disrupt the meeting, hidden among thediplomats, parliamentarians, and their retainers, and acloaked fleet hurtles on an interception course towardthe incoming convoy. The only thing standing betweenpeace and disaster is your small team of pilots;outnumbered, outgunned, but not yet out of time...19 – HOLY WARYour world has always stood vast and gold and proud,alone in a sea of night and stars. But this all changedwhen a strange silver ship arrived from beyond thepale blue sky, streaming lines of vapor behind. A darkfigure, dressed in a gray suit and flanked by thin metalgolems, emerged from the sky-ship’s belly and waswhisked away to the Godhead. A jealous fire hasburned in your bellies like coal ever since: how couldthe Godhead have chosen this sky-creature – this grayalien – and not you! Your kin! After a time of change,during which the Godhead bowed before this strangerand a new idol – “Union” – was raised in its place, it istime to strike back at these heretics. You allvolunteered to join the stranger’s armies, trained withtheir weapons and their armor. And now, invited to agrand parade at the city-temple of the False Godhead,it is time to free your people and return your worldback to its true place in the stars...20 – DUNGEONBattle plans rattle through your subdermals. Thestation’s blueprints, flash-written to your short-termmemory, are fresh. Your mech is cycled, loaded, andnominal; the voice of your comp/con a reassuringmurmur in your aurals. Your wingmates are secure inthe lander on your flanks. You’ve dropped into combathundreds of times before, so why do you feel thisnervous? It was one word: metavault. The fourth everencountered, and you're in the first wave. You can'tquite shake the feeling of déjà vu...[262]RUNNING THE GAME

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitRUNNING THE GAME[263]In this section, you will find advice and clarification tohelp you actually GM the game. While it’s not actuallyyour responsibility to know all the rules (that’s whatthis book is for!), there are some key concepts thatare important for you to know.THE GOLDEN RULESHere they are again for your convenience:I: Specific rules override general statements and rules.For example, when you shoot at an enemy, your roll isnormally influenced by whether they’re in cover;however, weapons with the SEEKING tag ignore cover.Because the SEEKING tag is a specific rule, it super‐sedes the general rules governing cover.II: Always round up (to the nearest whole number).SKILL CHECKSSkill checks in Lancer nearly always require a result of10+ for success (whether they’re pilot or mech skillchecks), but during narrative play – not combat! – theGM can tweak them to offer more or less of a challenge.The basic info on skill checks is detailed earlier in thebook on page 45. The advice here is to help you, theGM, run them more smoothly.NECESSITY AND PURPOSEWhen deciding if a player should make a skill check,the first and most important question to ask yourselfis whether it’s actually necessary. Players should onlymake skill checks when the outcome of an action isuncertain, important, has clear or relevant stakes, orwould lead to an interesting situation, success orfailure. If the outcome doesn’t matter, let the playersautomatically succeed.Say that your players come across a heavy boulderblocking the road. One of the players decides to jumpin their mech and push it aside. If moving the boulder(or getting around it) isn’t all that important,dangerous or risky, or if it’s just not a very big boulder,there’s no reason for them to roll – they can just do it.At the same time, there’s plenty of reasons why a skillcheck might actually be required in such a situation:the boulder could fall, potentially damaging a mech; itcould roll aside and cause collateral damage, ormaybe the mech in question is moving the boulder inthe middle of an ambush.This is especially important when it comes to thingsplayers do that might affect the plot. Just because aplayer has asked about some information that’simportant to the narrative doesn’t, in and of itself,mean they should have to make a skill check to knowit. You can simply give it to them.FAILING FORWARD“Failing forward” is the idea that narrative shouldn’trequire specific outcomes on dice rolls to be inter‐esting; instead, skill checks should always push thestory forward, no matter their outcome. If a player failsto hack a door, the outcome should be more than justa closed door. There are plenty of other possibilities:• The door remains shut and guards have beenalerted to the system breach.• The player spies a vent they can enter – a way ofgetting what they want this is more reliable, andmore dangerous.• They need to come back with a piece ofspecialized equipment that will allow them toopen the door.• They can open a door nearby, but it’s guarded.• The door does open, but onto an entire corridorfull of guards.Using RISKY rolls is a great way to apply this principle;however, sometimes you just want a normal succeedor-fail skill check, so don’t make all rolls RISKY!CHALLENGES AND SCOPEIf a single roll doesn’t seem sufficient for a task, a skillchallenge or extended challenge might be appro‐priate. Even in these cases, though, players shouldnever make more than one roll per goal – each addi‐tional roll should be for a different part of thechallenge.A single roll doesn’t necessarily equate to a fewmoments. You can stretch out their scope as much asyou like. For example, climbing a mountain might onlyrequire a single skill check, assuming the details aren’ttoo important. The outcome is what matters. This is auseful tool for creating a montage or speeding through ascene. The outcome is what’s important in the long run.RUNNING THE GAME

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitCOMMUNICATING STAKESIt’s important to clearly communicate what’s at stakewhen asking players to make a skill check, especiallyif it’s RISKY or HEROIC. You can do this naturalistically.You might say something like this:“Hey Attar, I see you’re going to use your mech to liftthis boulder. Before you do, just know that the boulderis really heavy and dropping it could probably do awhole lot of damage to whatever’s underneath. This isgoing to be risky.”Once you’ve communicated the stakes andconsequences, give players a chance to “back out” ofrolls. It’s totally fine for players to change their mindsonce they understand how difficult or dangeroussomething will be. This ensures that rolls always feelfair. Plus, you can easily renegotiate with your playersif they want to find an easier or safer approach.When you communicate the consequences, you’recommitting to them. If Attar drops that boulder, youcan be damned sure his mech will take somedamage. Consistency is important, and if you’vealready clearly communicated that he might takedamage, then let the narrative follow its course.SESSION PACINGThis section covers some basic items to keep in mindto keep mech combat feeling fair and properly paced.RESTING AND REPAIRSWhenever characters have an hour or so of (relative)peace, they can rest. Resting gives them an oppor‐tunity to repair their mechs, clear heat, and recoverfrom conditions. Additionally, some talents andsystems only activate when a pilot rests.FULL REPAIRS, on the other hand, require at least 10hours. Imagine them like a total reset – pilots canrebuild mechs from scratch, refresh their REPAIR CAP,clear all heat and conditions, return to full HP, regaincharges for all LIMITED systems and weapons, andregain CP.Because FULL REPAIRS take so long, you have morecontrol over their availability and can use them to setthe pace of your game. Remember, though, that youaren’t here to punish the players – if they desperatelyneed a FULL REPAIR, give them a chance to do it, oroffer them POWER AT A COST (p. 53).CORE POWERMechs have a special, limited reserve of CORE POWER(CP) which can be used to activate the powerfulCORE SYSTEM unique to each FRAME . Characterseither have CP or they don’t – it can’t be “saved up”,but it does replenish when they perform a FULLREPAIR. The game is balanced around assuming thatcharacters will be able to use their CORE SYSTEM onlyonce between FULL REPAIRS.If players use their CP and want more, you can restoreit as a reward or boon. It’s always up to you when andif this happens, but remember that it allows them touse exceptionally powerful systems additional times.MECH COMBATNUMBER OF FIGHTSAssuming reasonably challenging opponents, playersshould be able to complete 1–2 combats betweenrests, or 3–4 combats between each FULL REPAIR. Thisisn’t a hard, inflexible number: always prepare withthe expectation that things could go very well or verypoorly for both the players and your plans, and youmight need to change plans on the fly. With fewerencounters, players will have access to a lot ofresources, so if you’re planning only one or twocombats, they should be made proportionatelyharder.Typically, you’ll have the time to only get through one ortwo combat encounters per session - usually just one.One thing you should never do is withhold opportun‐ities for resting or performing FULL REPAIRS as a way to“punish” players. These are essential game mech‐anics – if you are going to withhold them, clearlycommunicate that in the mission brief.MECH COMBAT LENGTHMech Combat starts when someone – anyone – initi‐ates hostile action. It follows the structure of turnsand rounds outlined earlier, and ends when at leastone side surrenders, flees, or is completely over‐powered.If there are opponents remaining but it’s clear that theplayers have overwhelmingly won, you might simplydeclare the combat over and decide what happens tothe remaining enemies narratively.Some abilities persist to the end of the scene. All thismeans is that their effects continue until the scene inwhich they were activated is completely finished. Ifthese systems are activated outside of combat, theytypically remain active for about 10–30 minutes –mech systems are extremely power-intensive.[264]

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitCHARACTER PROGRESSIONAs a general rule, pilots increase their LICENSE LEVEL byone at the end of each mission (e.g., from LL0–LL1, LL1–LL2, and so on). You can tweak this rate of progression ifyou wish, especially for long or difficult missions.Leveling up is the primary way that charactersprogress and are rewarded in Lancer. When a char‐acter advances to the next LL, this represents thecurrency, reputation, and connections they haveamassed, all of which helps them purchase additionallicense ranks with various manufacturers. If playerswant to buy or get their hands on anything else, theyshould generally be able to buy it outright or makesome skill checks to obtain it through graft, negoti‐ations, connections, or bartering. There’s no in-gamecurrency you need to award, count, or worry about.There are some other rewards you can give to charac‐ters as incentives, resources obtained duringmissions, payment for completing tasks, or satisfyingother requirements within the story. It’s up to you howheavily you use these in your game.There are four things you might grant characters asrewards: RESERVES, new or improved triggers, talents,and restricted systems.1. RESERVESYou might give the characters gear, vehicles, or otheruseful material that they can use for RESERVES. Forexample, you might give any of the following:• EQUIPMENT: A useful vehicle, enormous drill, orcutting-edge hardsuit.• INFORMATION: Blackmail material concerning aninfluential politician or rebel general.• FRIENDS: A member of the local resistance, a hardbitten mercenary from the bar, or the socialite whocontrols the cash flow on the space station.EXAMPLE:The administrator returns, as she promised she would.Your small band greets her at the makeshift spaceport,an old marble quarry overlooked by a rickety,scaffolded tower used to sight incoming ships.“We’ve waited years,” you say, speaking first. It’s beendecades, in truth, but the administrator doesn’t look aday older than when you last saw her. You think of thelife you have lived in those years – of your children andtheir mother, out in the timberfields even now.“The ship is yours,” the administrator responds andshe tosses you her slate. “Access, flight plans,transponder codes. It’s all there. The NHP is alreadytuned to you. I’ve been teaching it.”“The ship is mine,” you whisper. A reward, of a kind...2. TRIGGERSYou can let players improve one of their triggers (+2at a time, up to a maximum of +6), or give thementirely new triggers. This is a great way to rewardtraining and other narrative actions. For example, youmight give +2 Piloting Starships to a character whohas been learning to fly, representing their diligenceand study. Increasing characters’ triggers increasestheir competency and power, so use this reward care‐fully.3. TALENTSLike you can with triggers, you can grant charactersadditional talent ranks that they can use to improveexisting talents or take new ones. The sudden develop‐ment of incredible new abilities can easily be explainedby use of any of the countless neural implants availablefrom both military and civilian sources.Granting new talent ranks can have a dramatic effecton the game, so this option is best used sparingly.4. RESTRICTED SYSTEMSIf you want to grant an easy material reward to a char‐acter, the easiest option is to give them short-termuse of a weapon or system from a license they can’tcurrently access. The new equipment can only beused for one mission before they lose access to it.Think of it like a rental.EXAMPLE:Fatigued like never before, you crash into your bunkwithout even removing your flight suit. You kick yourboots off, toss your insulating hood onto the floor ofyour cabin. You’ll get it later. First, you need to rest.A crewmate wakes you mere minutes later. “Heyflyboy, Cap’s got something for you!”You sit up, groaning, and startle when you realize he’saccompanied by the ship’s XO and the head motorpool engineer. You snap a salute, which they wave off.“You did good out there, but there’s still more workto do.” The XO speaks in his characteristic gruffvoice. “Motor?”The engineer steps forward and presses his personalslate into your hand. “Anything you want, kid. Justlearn it first before I have to hose you out of yourcockpit.”You scroll through the list, eyes boggling at thedozens of new licenses unlocked and waiting yourrequisition. The fatigue disappears, replaced bypure excitement...RUNNING THE GAME[265]

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitThis toolkit offers some tools for creating interestingscenarios or environments for your players to gothrough. You will learn how to customize your gameby adding NPCs and changing, adding, or adjustingsome of the game’s core rules and conceits.CORE ASSUMPTIONSLancer’s rules make some big assumptions about thefictional world in which your game takes place.Depending on the story you’re telling, those thingsmight not be relevant to your campaign. If you want totweak these assumptions, it’s entirely up to you.ACCESS TO PRINTERSIn a typical Lancer campaign, pilots almost alwayshave access to printers they can use to build newmechs. But this might not be the case in yourcampaign! Maybe the PCs are outlaws or renegadeswith limited access to resources. Maybe the printerthey would use is broken or damaged. Maybe they’reoperating on the fringes of civilization, where any kindof technology is hard to come by. Or, maybe thesetting doesn't have printers, and mechs need to bebuilt and maintained the old way.The ability to print a mech allows players to get backin the game, so to speak, when their mechs aredestroyed. As a result, taking away printers can havea pretty significant impact on your campaign;however, remember that, as long as a mech is partlyintact and accessible, pilots can repair and rebuildtheir mech completely whenever they perform a FULLREPAIR, regardless of whether they have a printer ornot.If pilots don’t have a printer and their mech isdestroyed or inaccessible, there is another option:they can use POWER AT A COST to find people, mater‐ials, workshops, and other necessary resources forconstructing a mech manually. Building a mech couldalso be a downtime activity.CHARACTER DEATHBy default, pilots are tough. Not only do they go DOWNAND OUT when they reach 0 HP instead of dying, butplayers also have the option of bringing back clonesof dead characters. Here are some optional rules youcan use if you want to have a slightly higher level oflethality:• If a pilot takes more damage than their maximumHP from a single attack (after ARMOR), they’redead, no matter what; and, if a pilot is dead,that’s it. No cloning or revivification.• If a mech takes 2 structure damage or more froma single attack, it’s destroyed, no matter what.If you want a game to be truly deadly, ignore the DOWNAND OUT rule entirely – if reduced to 0 HP, a pilot is dead.Make sure you know what kind of game your playersand you are playing before adding this sort of rule.[266]GM TOOLKIT SITREPS

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitMany battles are simple affairs, with two sides facingoff against each other until one of them is broken ordestroyed. But sometimes you might want to addadditional objectives or depth to a combat scenario.That’s where sitreps come in.Sitrep is the military abbreviation of “situation report.”In Lancer, a sitrep is a tool that helps you create andmap out specific combat scenarios featuring deploy‐ment zones, objective, and potential avenues ofenemy approach. This makes mech combat a moretactical experience, not unlike a wargame.There are six sitreps outlined here, each of which canbe used as-is or adjusted to fit your narrative: Escort,Control, Extraction, Holdout, Gauntlet, and Recon.Most of these sitreps assume a roughly rectangularmap no longer than about 40 spaces on its longestside. You will also need to fill the map with terrain orcover – some sitreps give specific instructions aboutthis, but the rest is up to you.KEY TERMS• Allied Deployment Zone (ADZ): The startingpoint for the PCs and their allied NPCs, unlessotherwise noted.• Control Zone (CZ): An area that must bedefended or controlled.• Enemy Deployment Zone (EDZ): The startingpoint for the hostile NPCs.• Extraction Zone (EZ): A place PCs need toreach to successfully complete certainobjectives.• Ingress Zone (IZ): The starting point for anyhostile reinforcements.• Objective: An object or person that the playersmust reach and interact with.• Reinforcements: NPC forces that don’t begin onthe field, but can arrive later in an IZ.1 Control2 Escort3 Extraction4 Gauntlet5 Holdout6 ReconRANDOM SITREP ROLL 1D6SITREPS[267]SITREPS

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitCONTROL“Take the hill.”– Common final order.CONTROL missions require the PCs to maintain controlof four CZs for six rounds. The zones might containimportant locations like transmission towers, gunbatteries, terminals, or hangars.VICTORY CONDITIONS:• PC Victory: The PCs have the highest score atthe end of the sixth round.• Enemy Victory: The enemy force has the highestscore at the end of the sixth round.• If both sides have an equal score at the end ofthe sixth round, there is no victor and both sidesmust withdraw.CONTROL ZONESFour CZs (typically 4 spaces on each side) in differentquadrants of the map, each placed anywhere in theirquadrant. They should be roughly symmetrical, or themap will be unbalanced. If there are characters of onlyone side within a CZ, they control it; if there are char‐acters from two or more sides within a CZ, it iscontested.ENEMY FORCESThe GM should prepare enemy forces of a similarsize to a normal encounter. They can hold some asReinforcements if desired.DEPLOYMENTThe GM and a player each roll 1d6 to determine theorder of deployment. Whoever rolls the lower resultdeploys first.SCORINGAt the end of each round, each side gains 1 point foreach CZ they control. If one side controls all four CZs,they gain an additional +1 point.[268]Enemy Deployment/Ingress ZoneObjective A Objective BObjective D Objective CPlayer Deployment Zone

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitESCORT“Listen up, Attar: when we open these doors, youneed to stay with us, and you need to do exactly whatwe tell you to do. If I go down, don’t help me – listento Monk. If Monk gets hit, listen to Cross. If Cross getshit, listen to Crown. If Crown dies, keep running anddon’t stop. All you gotta do is make it out the city –don’t stop for anything.”– Subcommander Pyotr “Pat” Malov, Free SanjakVolunteers (KIA) [Archived Audio].ESCORT missions require the PCs to bring anOBJECTIVE safely to the EZ and get the hell out ofthere.VICTORY CONDITIONS• PC Victory: The Objective is safely extracted.• Enemy Victory: The Objective hasn’t beenextracted at the end of the eighth round. If thereare any PCs remaining on the field when thistakes place, they are captured or overrun.• No Victor: The Objective is destroyed.OBJECTIVEAn object or person of SIZE 1/2–2. The Objective has10 HP per level of SIZE, EVASION 10, E-DEFENSE 10, andno ARMOR. Enemy forces want the Objective and willnot willingly damage it. When a character starts theirturn adjacent to the Objective, it moves with themwhen they make their standard move. If theObjective is ever adjacent to two characters ofopposing sides, it stops moving and can’t move untilit is only adjacent to characters from one side. TheObjective doesn’t move on its own.ENEMY FORCESThe GM should prepare about two times the enemyforces that they would normally use. About half ofthese forces should be deployed and the rest held asReinforcements.DEPLOYMENTThe PCs deploy first, choosing positions for theircharacters and the Objective in the ADZ; then, theGM deploys enemy forces in the EDZ.RESERVESAt the start of any round, the GM may deploy 1 NPC(or up to 4 grunts) in any IZ. They cannot deploy inthe same IZ twice in a row.EXTRACTIONWhile in the EZ, PCs can extract as a free action atthe end of their turn. Extracted PCs are removed fromthe battlefield. If the Objective is adjacent to a PCwhen they extract and isn’t contested by any charac‐ters from the opposing side, it is safely extracted.SITREPS[269]Enemy DeploymentIngress ZoneIngress ZoneIngress ZoneIngress ZonePlayer Deployment Zone Extraction Zone

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitEXTRACTION“Gorgon Actual, this is Gorgon-Two – requestingimmediate evac from current GRIDCOR.”“G-Two, confirm GRIDCOR.”“Confirming … Confirmed, Catapult Actual. Airground clear and holding. We have, uh, multipledown. KIA and wounded.”“Acknowledged, G-Two. Lifeflight enroute. Confirm VIP ROSE secure.”“VI—”“Say again, G-Two.”“VIP ROSE secure … We’ve got more company downhere, Actual. Going dark, respond to GRIDCOR.”“Confirmed, Two. We’re on our way.”– Transcript, UIB_SPEARHEAD –GORGON (names redacted).EXTRACTION missions require player characters to dashacross the map to retrieve an objective and bring itsafely back to extraction.VICTORY CONDITIONS:• PC Victory: The Objective is safely extracted.• Enemy Victory: The Objective hasn’t beenextracted at the end of the tenth round. If thereare any PCs remaining on the field when thistakes place, they are captured or overrun.• No Victor: The objective is destroyed.OBJECTIVEAn object or person of Size 1/2–2. The Objective has10 HP per level of Size, Evasion 10, E-Defense 10,and no Armor. Enemy forces want the Objective andwill not willingly damage it. When a character startstheir turn adjacent to the Objective, it moves withthem when they make their standard move. If theObjective is ever adjacent to two characters ofopposing sides, it stops moving and can’t move untilit is only adjacent characters from one side. TheObjective doesn’t move on its own.ENEMY FORCESThe GM should prepare about two times the enemyforces that they would normally use. No enemy forcesbegin on the field – they are all held as Reinforcements.DEPLOYMENTThe PCs deploy first, choosing positions for theircharacters in the ADZ; next, the GM places theObjective in the Objective Zone.REINFORCEMENTSAt the start of any round, the GM may deploy 2 NPCs(or up to 4 grunts) in two of the IZs. They can’t deployin the same IZ twice in a row.EXTRACTIONWhile in the EZ/ADZ, PCs can extract as a free action atthe end of their turn. Extracted PCs are removed fromthe battlefield. If the Objective is adjacent to a PC whenthey extract and isn’t contested by any characters fromthe opposing side, it is safely extracted.[270]Ingress ZoneIngress ZoneIngress ZoneIngress Zone Player Deployment/Extraction Zone Objective Zone

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitGAUNTLET>//[WHITEOUT CONTINGENCY:: REAR ECHELONHAS FALLEN. ALL FORWARD DEPLOYED UNITS ATNULL-NEGATIVE EFFICACY]>//[ALL-BAND ORDER:: PROCEED AT TOTALSTRIKE CAPACITY TO UNDERGROUND SB-2]>//[ORDER IS IMPERATIVE – COMPLY:: YOU ARE ONYOUR OWN++OUR POSITION IS OVERRUN++HURRY]– Retrieved transcript, Free Sanjak Volun‐teer comms, Battle of Sanjak Upper.Gauntlet missions are usually done under duress orwhen no other options are available, and they usuallytake place in unfriendly territory. Gauntlet missionsrequire PCs to move through a dangerous area tosecure a position.VICTORY CONDITIONS• PC Victory: At the end of the eighth round, thereare more PCs inside the CZ than there are enemycharacters. Ultras count as 4 characters, elitescount as 2, and grunts count as 1/4.• Enemy Victory: At the end of the eighth round,there are at least as many enemy charactersinside the CZ as there are PCs.CONTROL ZONEThe area around the EDZ/CZ is fortified with Size 1–2hard cover.ENEMY FORCESThe GM should prepare enemy forces of a similar size toa normal encounter, but hold half as Reinforcements.DEPLOYMENTThe GM deploys first in the EDZ; the PCs deploynext, choosing positions for their characters withinthe ADZ.REINFORCEMENTSAt the end of the first round, the GM deploys all rein‐forcements in any IZ.SITREPS[271]Ingress ZoneIngress ZoneIngress ZoneIngress ZonePlayer Deployment ZoneEnemy DeploymentZone/ Objective Zone

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitHOLDOUTAttar Rose sat in his open cockpit, chewed his gum,and ignored the briefing. It was for the new kids – thereplacements smuggled in from Free Sanjak – anyway,not his crew. They already had the real story, and itwasn’t a pretty pic: Extract was six hours out andburning hard, and the FSV dug in here were down tocounting bullets. Meantime, the Crown’s horse guardsmust’ve had more than a hundred mix ‘n’ matchArmory shells and a couple thou’ cavalry to boot.Rose felt bad for the horses, worse for his volunteers.He checked his watch. Five hours and fifty eightminutes, local time. At least he had his chassis.“Yo, Rose,” his comms squawked. “Button up. We gota company of Crown testing the perimeter. Horses.”“Uh-huh,” Attar grunted. He tugged on his helm anddropped back down into the cockpit, slapping thecabin closed as he went. Readied haptics, loaded hislast mags. The hum of his chassis was a comfort.He felt bad for the horses and the new kids. Theydidn’t know what they were getting into.HOLDOUT missions are desperate undertakings. Theyrequire the PCs to defend an area against anonslaught of enemies. In the best-case scenario, thisbuys time for allies to complete an objective else‐where; in the worst, it’s survive or die.VICTORY CONDITIONS• PC Victory: At the end of the sixth round, thePCs have a score of 1 or higher.• Enemy Victory: At the end of the sixth round, thePCs have a score of less than 1. If there are anyPCs remaining on the field when this takes place,they are captured or overrun.CONTROL ZONEAn area typically 10 spaces by 5 spaces in the middleof the map, or positioned as needed. The area aroundthe CZ should be fortified with Size 1–2 hard cover.ENEMY FORCESThe GM should prepare about two times the enemyforces that they would normally use. About half ofthese forces should be deployed and the rest held asReinforcements.DEPLOYMENTThe PCs deploy first, choosing positions for theircharacters within the ADZ/CZ; next, the GM deploysenemy forces in the EDZ.REINFORCEMENTSAt the start of any round, the GM deploys up to 2characters as reinforcements in the IZ.SCORINGThe PCs start with 4 points. At the end of the sixthround, the points are tallied: the PCs lose a point forevery enemy inside the CZ. This can result in anegative score.[272]Player Deployment Zone/Objective ZoneEnemy Deployment Zone/Ingress Zone

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitRECONAurelia whistled low, taking in her mech’s fresh coat ofmidnight matte.“Optical camo overlay primary, Inkwell secondary,”Attar said as he finished his walkaround of hercaptured mech. “Even if they scramble your anoptics,it’s going to be a nightmare to sight you.”Aurelia reached up, her sylph spilling out over her armand onto the chassis. An ink-bloom of the midnightcolor clouded through it.“It’s not a heavy hitter, but if you can get in past theirguard,’ Attar nodded towards the chassis’ tonfablades. “You can do a whole helluva lot of damage.”Aurelia grinned. She would be a nightmare.RECON missions are dangerous endeavors involvingsmall teams entering hostile territory to identifytargets or retrieve key information.VICTORY CONDITIONS:• PC Victory: At the end of the sixth round, thePCs control the True CZ.• Enemy Victory: At the end of the sixth round, thePCs don’t control the True CZ.CONTROL ZONESFour CZs (typically 4 spaces on each side) in differentquadrants of the map, each placed anywhere in theirquadrant. The GM secretly designates one CZ as theTrue CZ. While inside a CZ, PCs may take a fullaction to determine whether it is the True CZ. If thereare only PCs within the True CZ, they control it; ifthere are characters from two or more sides within theTrue CZ, it is contested.ENEMY FORCESThe GM should prepare enemy forces of a similar sizeto a normal encounter. They can hold some as Rein‐forcements if desired.DEPLOYMENTThe PCs deploy first, choosing positions for theircharacters within the ADZ; next, the GM deploysenemy forces in the EDZ.RESERVESAt the start of any round, the GM may deploy 1 NPC(or up to 4 grunts) in the IZ.SITREPS[273]Ingress ZoneObjective A Objective BObjective D Objective CPlayer Deployment Zone/Extraction ZoneEnemyDeploymentZone

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitThis section serves two simple purposes. The first is asimple generator to create interesting environments forcombat, storytelling, or role-playing - the wealth ofworlds that might be found across the galaxy. You canroll 1d20 on any of these tables to create interesting,dangerous, or unique planets, locales, or environments.The second is to show you the worlds we envision existin the world of Lancer, to give you an idea for creatingyour own unique worlds and landscapes. Since Lanceris a work of science fiction, all kinds of possibilities exist.Use your imagination to create memorable set piecesfor your story - your players will thank you.[274]1Barren, with no atmosphere, no water, and scarce valuable resources; under a ceaseless barrage ofterrible radiation.2Barren, with a thin atmosphere and a distant sun; a cold, dead place, where a lonely wind blows neverending across flat planes of dark ice and stone..3Barren, rich in mineral wealth and cooling after a long period of tectonic activity; massive thunderstormslash this world, and methane ice-storms transform into world-sculpting glaciers.4Barren, encased in ice that hides a deep, subglacial sea; the surface trembles with asteroid impacts andthis world’s orbit spills ice and dust behind it.5 Barren, old, and close to its sun; the mountains have eroded to sand, and the dunes are endlessly white.6 Temperate and lush – forever hazy beneath a thick mist that all but blocks out the sun.7 Temperate and fertile, with myriad biomes and skies piled high with columnar clouds.8Temperate and dry, marked by great swathes of plains and desert; vast alluvial deposits speak of therivers that once were.9 Temperate; a world of archipelagos scattered across a mild sea.10 Temperate, with a healthy climate; this place is rich in native flora and fauna, and old, stable biomes.11 Inhospitable, with a thick and choking atmosphere; deep valleys hold pockets of breathable air.12 Inhospitable – a world of storm-tossed nitrogen oceans and wind-polished cadmium islands, where tidessurge and recede for years and no land is safe from the flood or its retreat.13 Inhospitable, full of lava, and stalked by lightning; a new world, upon which there is no life to be found.14 Inhospitable, ever since a distant gamma-ray burst; where life once thrived, it is gone, and the landsimmers with fires unceasing.15 Inhospitable, cracked open by an ancient impact; it bleeds heat into the vacuum as it slowly dies.16 A moon – temperate, with a stable atmosphere; the curve of its horizon visible from even a modestmountaintop. Its parent world looms massive above it, ever-present in its day and night sky.17 An icy moon, cold and dim – one of many around its parent world; asteroids that should pummel thelarger planet are caught here instead.18 An ocean world; there is no land to be found.19 A dead world with a remnant atmosphere; massive geometric features and perfectly flat metal planescreate an uncanny landscape of deep canals, carrying moaning winds the length of this world.20 An ancient world bathed in the light of its star, red and swollen in the sky; everything here has a terriblesymmetry, as if nature itself had oriented – or been oriented – around a single landmark.WORLD TYPES ROLL D20ITERATIVE WORLD-BUILDING

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitITERATIVE WORLD-BUILDING[275]1100-YearStormsThe storms come with increasing frequency and duration, typically in the form ofmassive hurricanes.2ActiveTectonicsEarthquakes take place more often here than on other worlds; on ocean worlds, thismeans a higher prevalence of tsunamis.3 Inert CoreThis world’s core has stopped spinning, causing it to shed its magnetic field.Compasses do not work here, and UV exposure is dangerous without significantprotection4 MonobiomeAn oddity among worlds, this planet has a single, global biome and a single, globalclimate. It could be a world-spanning forest, desert, swamp, or something elseentirely.5 WorldscarSometime in the last million years – a short time, geologically – this world suffered animpact from a massive stellar body. Its climate has leveled, but the scar remains amassive, visible feature.6 Royal CourtHundreds of terrestrial moons dance in this planet’s orbit, ranging from hundreds ofyards in diameter to thousands of kilometers. The night sky is bright, and the day ismarked by gentle, dappled light.7Under TwinSuns This world orbits a binary star.8 Ringed This world is banded by series of planetary rings, visible as a thin white line acrossthe night sky. It’s an especially beautiful place to view from afar.9 Remote Once a remote colonial, industrial, or scientific prospect, this world is far removedfrom human society and takes great effort to reach.10 CosmopolitanInterstellar shipping lanes pass near this world; it’s a frequent landmark, resupplypoint, or pit stop for interstellar travelers, who either remain in orbit or have an easypath down to the surface of the world.11 Hecatoncheires This world is marked by a series of massive mountains – sheer peaks, risingkilometers into the sky.12 Epochal Sunset This world is caught in the transition between geologic eras – ice to temperate,temperate to ice, and so on; expect a varied climate.13 Monument ofShameAbandoned following massive climate destabilization, this world is now a dumpingground for passing ships and local corpro-states.14 Quarantine Union red tape hides this world from the rest of the galaxy; the reasons may beknown or unknown.15 BreathableAtmospherePerhaps surprisingly, this world has a breathable atmosphere; humans can breathehere without relying on an EVA, scrubbers, or other augmentation.16 High Gravity This world has higher gravity than most; it ranges from 1–2 g greater than Cradlestandard.17 Low Gravity This world has lower gravity than most; it ranges from 0.1–0.99 g less than Cradlestandard.18 Hard Sun This world’s atmosphere provides little to no UV protection; venturing outside in thedaylight is a risk without proper optical and dermal shielding.19 Dreamland There is something otherworldly about this place – islands that float suspended inthe air, oceans of liquid mercury, moving forests, or something stranger.20 Dust andEchoesThere are ancient, pre-Fall ruins on this world, with no indication as to their origin ornature.DEFINING NATURAL FEATURE ROLL D20

1 Settlement: NewA new colonial settlement has recently been seeded here; drones and subalternswork tirelessly, clearing space and assembling the initial colony footprint. A smallcluster of buildings house the landfall team – they are likely to welcome visitors, asthey haven’t had any for years. The population numbers in the dozens.2Settlement: FirstGenerationThe colonial settlement here is young, with its first generation of native-borncolonists now of-age and working to build a future home. There is a population ofhundreds to thousands.3 Settlement: Stable The colonial settlement here is in its second or third generation; stable, with apopulation in the tens of thousands.4Outpost: UnionFar-Field TeamMissionThere is a far-field team outpost on this world, but no other human lives.5Outpost:Relay NodeThis world is empty save for a lone omninet relay node. A small team crews thenode, providing security and on-site technical support; they rotate on a regularschedule.6Outpost: SIGINTStationThe Union Navy maintains a small signals-intelligence (SIGINT) station here.There may or may not be a larger population, but even if there is, the SIGINTstation stands somewhere high and remote.7Outpost:AstrocartographyStationThis world is orbited by one of Union’s astrocartography stations – a suite ofautomated telescopes, sensors, and observational equipment used to map distantstars and worlds.8Outpost:Checkpoint/Forward PostThis world hosts a small Union garrison, likely made up of auxiliaries who report toa remote Union officer; their duty is to scout, stand watch, and await furtherorders. Most of their time is spent exercising, cleaning, maintaining gear, andwaiting for something to happen.9Installation:Research FacilityThis world is the site of a research facility, belonging to Union, a corpro-state, orsome other entity; it might be a secure, top-secret site, or it might not.10 Installation:Proving GroundA significant part of this world – or maybe all of it – is given over to a provingground, test field, ordnance firing range, or other large-scale installation forhazardous testing, training, measuring, or dumping. It is maintained by a long-termskeleton crew, although there is often a population surge during particularseasons or exercises.11 Installation: DeepField RelayThis world features a secure, long-range sensor installation, probably locatedsomewhere tall and remote. Populated by a small crew, the installation might berun by Union or a private entity.12 Installation: UnionEmbassyUnion’s embassies, like the one here, are modest buildings, usually found in thecapital cities of Core worlds. If this world isn’t yet considered a Core world, it islikely to become one soon.13Installation:Corpro-StateCampusSomewhere on this planet is the local campus of a corpro-state, home to a largepermanent population. The campus might be an enclave, an exclave, or integratedinto a larger urban environment, and is likely an administrative center with somelevel of public exposure or notoriety, whether it is publicly accessible or otherwise.SECTION 5 // The GM’s Toolkit [276]DEFINING ANTHROPOCENTRIC FEATURE ROLL D20

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitITERATIVE WORLD-BUILDING[277]14 Base: NavalCommandThis world is home to the Union Navy’s regional system command (SysComm)center. Equal parts operations hub, garrison, shipyard, recruitment center, andmedical facility, this facility is a large military base with everything that entails –defensive perimeters, sunken launch pads, reinforced buildings, and bunkers.SysComm centers house massive permanent populations and garrisons numberingin the thousands; additionally, they are almost always supported by a complement ofships with – at minimum – global strike and delivery capacity.15 Base: CapitalAs the capital world for its home system, the physical heart of the system’sgovernment is located here; these hubs might take the form of a campus, estate,block, or other large collection of hardened buildings, within which the stateadministration performs its duties. In more liberal states, there is likely to be somelevel of public access to this facility.16 Base: Uplift There is a spaceport here – a sprawling launch facility open to the public, althoughrestrictions on access are subject to local laws.17 Civic:MunicipalitiesHundreds of millions of people live here, in modest towns and cities scattered acrossdiverse biomes. There might be one or two signature cities, but there are vaststretches of wilderness between them and each municipality has a distinct cultureand identity.18 Civic:ArcologiesThe people of this world live in one or more arcologies – unified, self-containedecosystem – cities, designed to exist in harmony with exterior and interior worlds.The residents of these arcologies may be strictly monitored and walled off from thelarger world, or free to travel. This world is likely well-developed, with a history thatreaches back at least several centuries; its global population numbers from hundredsof millions to single-digit billions.19 Civic:MetroswathesUnlike arcology and municipal worlds, this world is intensively developed, with asignificant proportion of landmass (<10–15%) given over to a metroswathe: a single,amalgamated urban environment that is home to billions. That such metropoles canfunction – and, likely, much of it does not – is miraculous. The formation andmetastasis of metroswathes usually aren’t planned, although large sections are likelyto have been developed intentionally. Vast and baroque criminal, bureaucratic, andcommunity organizations work through avenues legal and otherwise, and organizeextensively at street level.20Union:Administrator’sResidenceWhether or not this was always the case, this world is habitable and has a stablepopulation of millions. A Union administrator makes their residence here and, assuch, the world has fast become the star system’s most important strategic hub.

1Dangerous Floraor FaunaAn unusually large proportion of this planet’s animal or plant life is dangerous;some of the flora and fauna may predatory, particularly hostile, or even titanic insize. Use the Monstrosity NPC type to generate encounters with wildlife. Hostileflora can appear on the battlefield as immobile characters with Size 1–2, 5 HP,and Evasion 10; targets that move adjacent to them must succeed on a Hullcheck or take 3� and become Immobilized until the flora is destroyed, as ittraps them with sticky sap, webbing, a pit, or the like.2 Extreme ColdLocal cultures have adapted to the frozen climate, but mechs and pilots quicklyfreeze without a nearby source of heat. Mechs that don’t move or Boost on theirturn become Immobilized at the end of their turn. This lasts until they break freewith a successful Hull check as a quick action. In addition, all mechs gainResistance to�.3 Extreme HeatSociety has retreated mostly underground to escape this world’s blisteringatmosphere. All � inflicted (to the user or others) by systems or weapons isincreased by +1.4 Thin Atmosphere All characters gain Resistance to �.5 Extreme Sun Characters take 1d6� whenever they are aren’t in shade at the end of a turn.Each character may only take this � damage once per round.6CorrosiveAtmosphere The dense atmosphere of this world eats through armor. All weapons gain AP.7ParticulateStormsThis planet is swept by brutal, scouring storms of sand, rock, or metal. Duringstorms, mechs always have soft cover. Pilots that leave their mech take 1�APeach turn they are outside.8 Electrical StormsThis planet is swept by unusually strong electrical storms. During storms, choosea character at random at the end of each round: they must succeed on anENGINEERING check with +1 Difficulty per level of Size or be STUNNED until the endof their next turn by a bolt of lightning.9 Disruptive StormsThe storms on this planet are so highly charged that electronic systems can’tfunction. All tech actions, attacks, and SYSTEMS checks and saves receive +1Difficulty.10 DangerousStormsStorms of fire, meteors, acid rain, ice, or other destructive particles sweep thisplanet. During storms, all characters take 2�AP at the end of their turns unlessthey are adjacent to an object that grants hard cover.11 Ocean WorldLess than five percent of this world’s surface rises above the ocean. Mechs sink tothe bottom and move as though in difficult terrain unless they are flying or havean EVA Module. Mechs can walk (slowly) on the bottom and are usually able tofunction in extremely high-pressure environments.12 EarthquakesThis world is regularly rocked by earthquakes. During earthquakes, roll 1d6 at theend of each round: on 1, all mechs must succeed on a HULL check or be knockedProne unless they are flying.13 Molten WorldParts of this world’s crust juts through the surface in showers and pools of liquidrock. When characters move into areas of molten rock or lava for the first time ontheir turn or start their turn there, they take 5�AP and 3�.SECTION 5 // The GM’s Toolkit [278]ENVIRONMENTS ROLL D20

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitITERATIVE WORLD-BUILDING[279]14 PrimordialWorldThis world is a bubbling soup of semi-organic mud and gases. Humans must usebreathing apparatuses or sealed suits outside of their mechs to survive the toxicatmosphere, and boiling mud creates numerous areas of both difficult anddangerous terrain.15 Low Gravity Mechs count as flying when they Boost but must land after they move. Charactersnever take damage from falling.16 High GravityMechs cannot Boost and are Immobilized instead whenever they would beSlowed. Prone mechs can stand even when Immobilized by this gravity, but mustpass a HULL check to do so.17 Tomb WorldThis world has extremely high levels of ambient radiation, possibly because ofnuclear war, atmospheric degradation, or something more sinister. Outside ofmechs, humans without environmental protection temporarily decrease theirmaximum HP by 1 per hour of exposure. If they reach 0 HP this way, they die. Theycan regain their maximum HP by performing a Full Repair in a safe environment.18 Spire WorldInstead of a surface, this world is comprised of countless floating islands or spires,each held aloft in a gaseous substrate and suspended through magnetic force.Perhaps the crust was shattered by a superweapon or natural disaster. Most of theremaining landmass is disconnected, although some islands are large enough tohold cities. Navigation systems are almost useless here.19 Sinking WorldThe surface of this world is covered in fine sand or thick mud. Mechs that move 1space or less during their turn are Slowed. Slowed mechs that move 1 space orless are Immobilized and start sinking, eventually becoming completely engulfed.This effect lasts until an affected mech (or one adjacent to it) succeeds on a Hullcheck as a full action.20 Holy WorldThis world is beautiful and lacks especially dangerous features, but the localpopulation holds it sacrosanct. Damaging any natural object – rocks, trees, andpristine grasslands, for example – incurs the wrath of the residents.HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTSMechs often operate in profoundly hazardous envir‐onments, including hostile atmospheres, vacuum,and underwater. Most mechs have inbuilt life-sup‐port systems to protect their pilots in thesesituations. Assuming their life-support systems arefunctioning and active, mechs and their pilots canoperate indefinitely in the harshest of environments.Environmental hazards should be adapted to theworld(s) that your campaign takes place on: jungleswill have certain hazards, aquatic worlds will haveothers, and so on.

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitThis section contains the rules for creating and usingNPC mech opponents in combat. Given that manage‐ment of these characters is a large part of your role asGM, we’ve included plenty of resources and guidanceto help you make the most of them.The rules for creating and using NPCs might seemintimidating, but at heart, they exist to help you buildthe NPCs that you want to include in your game.Using them, you can make anything from a horde ofenemy mechs, through to powerful and devious oper‐atives, biological monstrosities, and rebel raiders.This section is more like a catalog of options.If you want to keep things simple, you can take any ofthe basic NPCs presented here and put them instraight into combat without any additional work;however, you can also use the comprehensive andflexible outlines here to fill in the details yourself ormake NPCs that are totally new.USING NON-PLAYERCHARACTERSIn Lancer, NPCs act according to slightly differentrules than PCs. PCs are exceptional individuals,whether through ability, training, or just sheer luck;everyone else, including most NPCs, has to followalong in their wake.In narrative play, NPCs typically act in response torolls made by the players. For example, if a playertries to hit someone and fails, nearby NPCs mightrespond by tackling them, punching them in the face,or opening fire. If a player fails a roll to infiltrate anenemy base, NPCs might notice them and sound thealarm or call for backup. NPCs – and the GM, gener‐ally – don’t roll for themselves.In mech combat, on the other hand, NPCs act muchlike player characters, with some notable exceptions.NPCs can be heroic individuals, but they typicallydon’t have access to the full range of options thatplayers do.NON-PLAYER CHARACTERSIN MECH COMBATJust like PCs, NPCs each get one turn per round, andon that turn can move and take two quick actions orone full action. However, there are some key excep‐tions in terms of how they act and what they can do,which are covered here.TURN ORDERUnless specified otherwise, NPCs never take the veryfirst turn of a combat: a player always acts first, andonly then does the GM get to choose a hostile NPC toact. Allied NPCs can act in lieu of player turns. Playerturns and hostile turns alternate until every characteron one side has taken a turn, at which point allremaining characters can take their turns in any order.ACTIONSNPCs only have access to a limited range of actions,and their actions function differently to player actions.Notably, NPCs can’t Overcharge or Brace and don’theal or clear conditions when they Stabilize.QUICK ACTIONS:• Boost: The NPC moves spaces equal to Speed.• Grapple: The NPC makes a melee attack against acharacter adjacent to them with a bonus of +1/2/3(see Tiers, below), grappling them if successful.• Hide: The NPC hides.• Prepare: The NPC prepares a quick action totake as a reaction, using the player rules.• Skirmish: The NPC attacks with one Auxiliary,Main, or Heavy weapon.• Ram: The NPC makes a melee attack against acharacter adjacent to them and their size orsmaller, with a bonus of +1/2/3. On a success,they knock their target Prone and may also knockthem up to 1 space back.• Quick Tech: The NPC chooses one of the followingQuick Tech options or one listed in its profile:▪ Invade: The NPC makes a SYSTEMS vs EDEFENSE tech attack against a characterwithin Sensors. On a success, their targettakes 2� and is Impaired until the end oftheir next turn.▪ Lock On: The NPC chooses a characterwithin line of sight and Sensors: they gainLock On.• Search: The NPC makes a contested Systemscheck against the Agility of a Hidden characterwithin Sensors. On a success, the target ceasesto be Hidden.[280]NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitFULL ACTIONS:• Barrage: The NPC attacks with up to two Auxiliary,Main, or Heavy weapons, or one Superheavyweapon. If they are attacking with more than oneweapon, they may attack one target or several.• Disengage: For the rest of their turn the NPCignores Engagement and their movement doesnot provoke reactions.• Full Tech: The NPC chooses a Full Tech option,or two different Quick Tech actions.• Improvised attack: The NPC makes a meleeattack with a bonus of +1/2/3 and deals 3/4/6damage, based on their Tier.• Stabilize: The NPC clears all heat and the Exposedstatus, and reloads all Loading weapons.REACTIONS:• Overwatch: When a character starts anymovement in threat range of an NPC’s weapon,that NPC may take the skirmish action againstthem as a reaction. An NPC can only overwatchonce between turns unless specified.DAMAGE AND HEATDamage and heat are slightly streamlined for NPCs. Thisis because there tend to be more NPCs than PCs in anygiven combat, all of whom the GM has to keep track – itwould slow things down considerably if they worked thesame way! Some NPCs are so powerful or unique thatthey function like PCs, but most are much simpler.The following rules apply unless otherwise specified:• NPCs only have 1 Structure and are destroyedwhen they reach 0 HP. NPCs with additionalStructure follow the standard rules for structuredamage.• NPCs deal a fixed amount of damage instead ofrolling a dice.• NPCs can’t perform critical hits. Some NPCs,such as Veterans and Ultras, can perform criticalhits, making them quite dangerous. If an NPCperforms a critical hit, it usually adds damage orhas a different effect, instead of rolling damagetwice and choosing the higher.• Some NPCs, like mechs, have a Heat Cap. Bydefault, these characters have 1 Stress andbecome Exposed when they exceed their HeatCap instead of making an overheating check.NPCs with additional Stress follow the standardrules for overheating.• Some NPCs don’t have a Heat Cap; instead,they take heat as energy damage.TIERSNPCs belong to one of several tiers—this gives anindication of their power, and thus how challengingthey are. Higher-tier NPCs have better statistics anddeal more damage.Tier roughly equates to LL as follows:• T1: LL0–4• T2: LL5–8• T3: LL9–12PCs will generally have a much harder time againstNPCs of a higher tier. For example, you wouldn’t pit agroup of LL3 players against a group of T3 NPCsunless you really wanted to put them in a desperatespot. However, you can mix and match NPCs ofseveral tiers to increase or decrease the difficulty ofan encounter. This is especially effective if you wantto slowly prepare players for higher-tier enemies sothe jump isn’t as severe.Most NPCs receive increased bonuses and deal moredamage the higher their tier. These increases arelisted in their profiles.NPCs’ bonuses, ACCURACY, and effects can all scaleup by a certain amount per tier. In NPC profiles,increased bonuses are written with the formula +x/y/z(x at T1, y at T2, z at T3).NPCs can also deal an increasing amount of damagebased on tier. In NPC profiles, this is written as x/y/zwith the numbers representing damage at T1, T2 andT3. The same formula is also used when anothereffect (such as healing, or a drone’s EVASION)increases based on tier.With all of this in mind, an NPC might have an attackthat looks like this:To break this down, here is what this NPC’s attackswould look like at each tier:• T1: +2 with +1�, dealing 4�.• T2: +4 with +1�, dealing 6�.• T3: +6 with +1�, dealing 8�.Example WeaponMain Rifle, +2/+4/+6, +1�[�10][4/6/8�]NON-PLAYER CHRACTERS[281]

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitTAGSNPCs can have all the same tags as players, with afew additional tags that change the way they functionin combat.• Mech: These NPCs are ambulatory, mechanizedcavalry units (like the PCs).• Vehicle: These NPCs are vehicles of variousdescriptions, other than mechs and ships.• Ship: These NPCs are vehicles capable of spaceand atmospheric travel.• Biological: These NPCs don’t have a Heat Cap,are immune to tech actions other than Scan andLock On (including beneficial ones), and can’ttake tech actions unless specified.• Squad: These NPCs aren’t individual people –instead, they are a large squad of smallerenemies that act together.RECHARGESome NPC systems and weapons have a special tag:Recharge. Once these systems or weapons havebeen used, they can’t be used again until they arerecharged. The Recharge tag also lists a targetnumber (e.g., 4+ or 5+). At the start of NPCs’ turns,roll 1d6 if they have any Recharge equipment: if theresult is equal to or greater than the target number,they can use it again. For example, a Recharge 5+system could be used again on a roll of 5 or 6.All NPCs are rolled for separately, on their turns; butonly one roll is required for each NPC, even if an NPChas multiple Recharge systems or weapons. If yourNPC has two Recharge systems with target numbersof 4+ and 5+, a roll of 5 will recharge both.TRAITSMany NPCs have abilities with a special Trait tag.These are character qualities that aren’t based onsystems – things like general characteristics, experi‐ence, or training. Because Traits aren’t systems, theycan’t be disabled or destroyed by damage.SYSTEMNPC systems that can be destroyed by systemdamage (from structure checks) are marked with theSystem tag.TYPES OF NON-PLAYERCHARACTERSLancer doesn’t provide a predefined catalog ofNPCs. Instead, there are a number of basic NPCclasses and templates that can be combined to builda wide range of fully customized characters. Bydefault, NPCs are all assumed to be mechs.However, by using templates, you can convert anyNPC into a vehicle, a flier, a drone, or some othercreation with minimal work.CLASSESNPC classes are the first thing you choose whenbuilding an NPC. They provide the basic abilities, char‐acteristics, equipment options, and function for differenttypes of characters, a bit like Frames do for PC mechs.For example, if you want an NPC that functions as amobile artillery piece, you should use the Bombardclass. If you want an NPC mech that flies and strafes itstargets, you should use the Ace class. You can find outall about the different kinds of classes below.SPECIAL CLASSESA few NPC classes describe characters that are, bydefault, not mechs. The Monstrosity class, forexample, describes a giant, biological creature.ROLESLike Frames, each NPC class also has a certain role.Each role gives a clue as to the intended use andcapabilities of different NPCs, helping you to stream‐line combat preparation.Artillery: Artillery NPCs are long-ranged, accurate,and deal high damage, but quite fragile on their own;they tend to be defenseless when an enemy gets upclose. Many artillery NPCs specialize in dealingdamage to characters within an area.Controller: Controller NPCs don’t deal muchdamage; instead, they focus on disabling, moving, orinterrupting enemies. They’re great at locking downhigh-damage opponents, protecting fragile allies, andcreating openings for other characters.Defender: Defender NPCs are very resilient. They areslow but hardy threats that use this status to protecteither allies or areas of the battlefield. Many DefenderNPCs can even be used as cover by allies.Striker: Striker NPCs are no-nonsense damage-dealersthat are most effective at close- or mid-range and areusually both mobile and durable. They specialize indealing a consistent (if not large) amount of damageeach turn and can be hard to deal with over time.[282]

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitSupport: Support NPCs, like controllers, deal alimited amount of damage. They focus instead onassisting their allies, often by creating areas or effectsthat increase the damage or resilience of theircomrades.By using a combination of different NPC types, youcan turn battles into tactical puzzles for the playersto solve. For instance, you could use a controller topush enemies into the range of slow-movingdefenders that deal a lot of damage, or you couldpair up some strikers with support NPCs thatincrease their damage output. Not every fight needsto have this kind of complexity, especially not forgroups of newer players, but adding this tacticallayer can create a fun challenge.TEMPLATESIf you want to customize an NPC further, you canapply a template over the top of its class. Templatesallow you to give characters additional flavor andspecial equipment, or to upgrade them from a regularopponent into a tougher enemy.Of these templates, there are four in particular thathave a significant impact on an NPC’s function andabilities: Grunt, Elite, Ultra, and Veteran.• Grunts are weak and easily dispatched. Theyfunction like regular NPCs of the same class butonly have 1 HP. Grunts are perfect for when youwant to create a cinematic experience bythrowing a horde of enemies at your players, orwhen you want to increase the size of anencounter without totally overwhelming the PCs.• Elites are tougher and more durable than theirstandard counterparts. This template can be usedto build a distinctive or especially powerful NPC.• Ultras are extremely powerful foes that need tobe taken down by an entire group of players. Thistemplate drastically increases NPCs’ toughnessand durability, and gives them access to powerfulUltra traits and systems. Some Ultras getadditional turns each round, making them deadlywithout teamwork.• Veterans are more characterful and durable thanregular NPCs. You can use this template whenyou want an NPC to stand out or have amemorable ability. It can even be applied overthe top of other templates for an addedchallenge.BALANCING COMBATTemplates can also be used to decide the difficultylevel of a battle. A battle of standard difficulty couldinclude any combination of the following:• One or two NPCs without templates per player.• Three to four Grunts per player.• One Elite per one to two players.• One Ultra per 4 players.You can use these opponents in various combina‐tions. For example, if you have four players, you couldmix in four grunts and three NPCs without templates.These enemies should be of an appropriate tier forthe PCs.You can make a fight easier by reducing the numberof enemies or lowering their tier, and you can makefights hard by increasing their tier, or by adding moreenemies, elite enemies, enemies with optionalsystems, or enemies with extra templates.The perfect approach to combat balance is somethingyou will need to figure out with your players. There areno rigid guidelines here, because actual difficulty willdepend on the needs and builds of your specific group.Don’t take the above advice as a rigid set of rules,but instead as a starting point or guide. Every group isgoing to want a different level of challenge.NON-PLAYER CHRACTERS[283]

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitTo create an NPC, you just need to follow a fewsimple steps:• Choose a class.• Choose 0–2 optional systems from that class.• Choose a tier and set their statistics accordingly.• Choose and apply a template, if applicable.• Customize them with new names and flavor, ifapplicable.You can always rename or change the flavor ofclasses and systems. For example, instead of Aces,your NPCs might be called Royal Guards.BASE AND OPTIONAL SYSTEMSEach NPC class has several base systems (includingsystems, weapons, and Traits). These features arecommon to all NPCs of that class. Classes also haveoptional systems. By default, NPCs don’t have anyoptional systems, but you can add up to two if youwant to create a character that is more dangerousand tactically interesting.ADDING COMPLEXITYMost NPCs should just have the base systems fromtheir class and one or two optional systems. But it’suseful to think about how they function and what roleyou need them to play, as this will help you to decidehow complex to make them.• If you want a basic NPC, don’t choose anyoptional systems or apply any templates; you canalways use NPCs with nothing but the basecharacteristics and systems from their class.• If you want weak NPCs that you can throw atplayers en masse, give them the Grunt template.• If you want more complex, advanced, ordangerous NPCs, give them more optionalsystems. One or two extra systems are usuallysufficient, but you can add more or less as yousee fit – just remember that the more you add,the more complicated they will be to manageduring a game.• If you want unique, strong, or memorable NPCs,apply the Veteran or Elite templates (or both).• If you want a “boss” fight – an enemy that cantake on an entire group – apply the Ultra template.Once you’re feeling confident with the rules, you caneven swap systems between classes. For example,you could give the Tactical Cloak from the Specterto an Assault NPC. You can even make more radicalchanges, like using the Assassin class to build a fero‐cious alien creature – just give it the Biological tag,rename its Variable Knife to Slashing Claws, andgive it the Acid Spittle mutation from theMonstrosity class.NPCS AND INFORMATIONIt’s important to provide some information about yourNPCs to players. Specifically, no matter their customname, the class and template of your NPCs shouldalways be public knowledge, available to playersupon request. By sharing this, players are encouragednot just to learn the game, but also to learn thespecific capabilities of different NPC types and tacticsagainst them. The result is that the capabilities ofcertain NPCs feel fairer.For example, the first time players encounter theRoyal Guards battle group, they should always know(if they ask you) that these are elite aces accom‐panied by grunt bombards.Other information, such as the details of specificsystems, weapons, and customizations, can be hiddenfrom the players to begin with or also public knowledge,depending on how you want to run your game.[284]BUILDING NPCS

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitNON-PLAYER CHRACTERS[285]CLASSES BY ROLEARTILLERYBombard High-damage, long-range artillery that focus on area damage and deal more damage based onthe number of targets they hit.Operator Very mobile, teleporting artillery that consistently deal high damage.Rainmaker Long-range artillery that shoot delayed-impact rockets, dealing significant damage.Sniper Exceptionally long-ranged and accurate artillery that can deal damage directly to a mech’sstructure under the right circumstances.CONTROLLERArcher Controllers that deal relatively high damage and force their enemies to choose betweenimmobility or taking additional damage.Barricade Controllers that create cover for allies and lock down fast-moving enemies.Hive Controllers that create areas that damage enemies and protect allies, forcing opponents tomove around.Hornet Very fast, hard to hit controllers that inflict conditions on enemies at the price of beingvulnerable to conditions themselves.Seeder Controllers that focus on denying an area using traps and mines.Witch Nasty controllers that inflict conditions and heat on enemies.DEFENDERBastion Shield-bearing defenders that protect nearby allies from harm.Demolisher Slow, high-damage defenders that are resistant to melee damage and very dangerous at closerange.Goliath Enormous defenders that can taunt enemies or pin them at close range, and must be foughtup-close.Pyro Slow-moving defenders that deal damage in an area at close range and generate energyshields to protect their allies.Sentinel Relatively fast defenders that specialize at protecting nearby allies.STRIKERSAce Fast-flying strikers with the ability to negate burst damage.Assassin Mobile strikers that excel at hunting down single targets.Assault Hardy strikers that deal consistent damage.Berserker Fast melee strikers that are dangerous in close combat but risk harming allies.Breacher High-damage, short-range, and inaccurate strikers that can smash through obstacles andarmor alike.Cataphract Fast-moving strikers that can drag their enemies along with them.Engineer Strikers that deploy turrets, rapidly increasing their damage output if not dealt with.Ronin Melee duelists that can reflect ranged attacks and deal area damage at close range.Specter Mobile, invisible strikers that get bonuses when attacking solitary targets.Scourer Relatively slow strikers that deal high damage to individual targets and get benefits againstenemies they have already hit.SUPPORTAegis Hardy supports that use shields to protect areas of the map.Mirage Supports that don’t deal any damage, but can turn their allies invisible and teleport themaround.Priest Technical supports that can connect their systems with those of allies, enhancing them at thecost of increasing their own vulnerability.Scout Supports that make targets vulnerable and prevent enemies from hiding or becoming invisible.Support Pure supports that repair their allies and clear conditions.

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitACEStrikerThe first person to embody the “Ace” archetype was Aisling Jensen, anauxiliary pilot active during the liberation of Verdana. Knights of thechassis and sky, Aces like Aisling throw their mechs into battle withhigh-speed strafing runs, agile maneuvers, and reckless feats of daring.Cocky and self-assured, Aces relish a good duel.TACTICSAces are very fast and reactive strikers that can useBARREL ROLL to mitigate dangerous or high-damageattacks. BARREL ROLL is most effective against heavyweapons. Their SEEKING weapons ignore cover anddon’t require line of sight, allowing them to dealconsistent damage. Relatively low HP makes Acesvulnerable to sustained damage, and they are relat‐ively weak against tech attacks.BASE SYSTEMSOPTIONAL SYSTEMSMissile LauncherMain Launcher, Seeking, Smart, +1/+2/+3[�10][�1][4/6/8�]Bombing BaySystem, Limited 3, Free Action, 1/roundIf the Ace is flying when they move or BOOST, theymay drop a bomb on one character below oradjacent to the path taken. This causes a �1explosion that must overlap with at least 1 spaceoccupied by their target. Characters within theaffected area must succeed on an AGILITY save ortake 6/8/10� and be knocked PRONE.STRAFE Trait1/round, as a quick action, the Ace can fly spacesequal to SPEED in any direction, automaticallydealing 3/4/6� to one character below oradjacent to the path taken.SSC Flight SystemSystemThe Ace can fly whenever they move or BOOST.This weapon deals double damage to characterswith LOCK ON and doesn’t affect allied characters.Missile SwarmMain Launcher, Loading, Seeking, +1/+2/+3[�5][3/4/5�]CHAFF LAUNCHERS TraitAfter using Barrel Roll, the Ace counts as being insoft cover until the end of their next turn;additionally, Barrel Roll can be used against techattacks.Rapid ResponseReaction, 1/round, TraitTrigger: An enemy character in line of sight moves.Effect: The Ace may BOOST.Barrel RollReaction, Trait, Recharge 5+Trigger: A melee or ranged attack hits the Ace.Effect: The Ace performs a barrel roll, flying 6spaces in any direction and causing the attack tomiss. This movement ignores engagement anddoes not provoke reactions.TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLSHull: –2Agility: +3Systems: +1Engineering: +0Hull: –2Agility: +4Systems: +2Engineering: +1Hull: –2Agility: +6Systems: +3Engineering: +1CORE STATS CORE STATS CORE STATSHP: 10Evasion: 12Speed: 5Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 10Armor: 0E-Defense: 8Size: 1Save Target: 10HP: 12Evasion: 15Speed: 6Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 10Armor: 0E-Defense: 8Size: 1Save Target: 12HP: 14Evasion: 18Speed: 7Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 10Armor: 0E-Defense: 10Size: 1Save Target: 14[286]

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitAEGISSupportAegis-archetype mechs are built to hold ground, support their allies, and suppressenemies. First used to great effect during the Comorrand Action by a Karrakinpilot, Lady Gloria of House MacLennan, Aegis’s are known for their powerfuldefensive measures. Their pilots can expertly make a bulwark out of the smallestbarricade with anything from conventional tools to cutting-edge technologies.TACTICSAegises are tough and defensive support units. They aremost effective when positioned so that their DEFENSENET can cover as many allies as possible since they canbe difficult to redeploy. REGENERATIVE SHIELDING alsoprotects the Aegis from mobility-reducing effects.BASE SYSTEMSOPTIONAL SYSTEMSTIER 2Mech SkillsADAPTIVE SHIELDING TraitThe first time each round an ally affected byDefense Net takes damage, all allies within theNet gain RESISTANCE to the damage type taken.This lasts until the end of the Aegis’s next turn.REGENERATIVE SHIELDING TraitThe Aegis has Immunity to IMPAIRED and SLOWEDand can’t be critically hit.Light LaserMain Cannon, +1/+2/+3[�8][3�+ 2/4/6�]Defense NetSystem, Recharge 4+, Shield, Full ActionThe Aegis spreads a powerful, shimmeringrepulsion shield over a �3 area. While active, theAegis is IMMOBILIZED, but all ranged, melee, and techattacks against characters or objects within theaffected area that originate outside the area receive+2� and cannot result in critical hits. Characterswithin the affected area may attack characterswithin and outside of the area normally.Allied characters within the affected area also gainIMMUNITY to IMPAIRED and SLOWED, and removethese conditions when they enter the area if theyalready have them.This effect lasts until the Aegis ends it as aprotocol, or until the Aegis is STUNNED, JAMMED, ordestroyed. Involuntary movement causes theshield to move with the Aegis.GUARDIAN TraitAdjacent allied characters can use the Aegis forhard cover.HA Blackwall SystemSystem, Limited 1, Full ActionAs a full action, the Aegis generates a pitch-black wallof blinkspace5 spaces high covering a�10areastarting within�5. All spaces must be free. The wallblocks line of sight, effects or attacks and provideshard cover. Characters that start their turn in the wall orwho enter it on their turn roll1d6. On a4+ they areremoved from play until the end of their next turn, whenthey reappear in a free space of their choice in�10 ofthe wall. If there are no free spaces, they return when aspace becomes free. The wall lasts until the Aegis endsit as a quick action, or is destroyed. When it ends,characters remaining in blinkspace reappear.Hardlight Cover SystemSystem, Deployable, Recharge 5+, Shield,Quick ActionAs a quick action, deploy a �3hardlight wall. Thewall is immune to damage and effects and grants hardcover. Characters that receive this cover gain RESISTANCEto damage from �, �, �, and �..RING OF FIRE TraitAny hostile characters that start their turn insidethe area affected by the Defense Net or that enterit for the first time in a round take 2� and becomeSHREDDED until they leave the area.TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLSHull: +0Agility: -2Systems: +2Engineering: +2Hull: +0Agility: -1Systems: +3Engineering: +3Hull: +0Agility: -1Systems: +4Engineering: +5CORE STATS CORE STATS CORE STATSHP: 14Evasion: 7Speed: 3Heat Cap: 10Sensors: 8Armor: 2E-Defense: 10Size: 1Save Target: 10HP: 18Evasion: 8Speed: 3Heat Cap: 10Sensors: 10Armor: 2E-Defense: 12Size: 1Save Target: 11HP: 18Evasion: 8Speed: 3Heat Cap: 10Sensors: 10Armor: 3E-Defense: 14Size: 1Save Target: 12NON-PLAYER CHRACTERS[287]

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitARCHERControllerThe basis of the Archer archetype, Ursa Major’s Gatekeeper Key-II, waspopularized by Ichabod Carden’s heroic actions in the Battle of Terramoto.Archer-archetype mechs sacrifice armor for powerful targeting andsuperpositional maneuvering systems, making them especially popular withpilots who prefer to have control over the precise destination of each shot.TACTICSArchers excel at inflicting “choice punishment” ontheir enemies – they make characters choosebetween taking certain actions or letting the Archerattack them. Use Archers to lock down mobile orhard-hitting PCs or to cover for more vulnerable allies.Keep in mind that Archers are most effective whenthey can get fairly close to their targets, but theyaren’t especially durable.BASE SYSTEMSOPTIONAL SYSTEMSSUPERIOR SENTINEL TraitThe Archer gains +1� on all attacks made asreactions (e.g., Overwatch).Moving TargetReactionTrigger: The Archer’s Suppress target starts to move.Effect: Interrupt with a single weapon’s attack.Light Machine GunMain Cannon, Reliable 3/4/5, +2/+4/+6[�10][5/7/10�]SUPPRESS Trait, Quick Action, ReactionThe Archer chooses a target within line of sight and�10: they become IMPAIRED and the Archer gains theMoving Target reaction.This effect lasts until the Archer uses Moving Target;the target damages the Archer or leaves the Archer’sline of sight; the Archer is Stunned, Jammed, ordestroyed; the Archer chooses a new target for thisaction; or, the Archer ends it as a free action.HAIL OF FIRERecharge 4+, Quick Action, Reaction, TraitThe Archer chooses an enemy character within�10:they become IMMOBILIZED and IMPAIRED until the end oftheir next turn, until the Archer is STUNNED orJAMMED,or until the target allows the Archer to attack them witha single weapon as a reaction.Got Your BackReactionTrigger: A character in the area makes an attack.Effect: The Archer may attack that character.BLINDING SHELLS Trait, 1/roundAfter the Archer makes a successful attack, theyforce their target to make an ENGINEERING save. On afailure, the target only has line of sight to adjacentspaces until their next turn ends.Rapid ResponseReaction, 1/round, TraitTrigger: An enemy character in line of sight moves.Effect: The Archer may BOOST.Impending ThreatReaction, 1/round, TraitTrigger: A hostile character in line of sight and�10 from the Archer moves or takes action.Effect: The character must choose: lose the triggeringaction/movement, or continue but let the Archerimmediately attack them with a single weapon.COVERING FIRERecharge 4+, Quick Action, Reaction, TraitThe Archer chooses a �3 area within line of sightand �10 and gains the Got Your Back reaction.TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLSHull: –1Agility: +2Systems: +2Engineering: -1Hull: –1Agility: +3Systems: +3Engineering: -1Hull: –1Agility: +4Systems: +4Engineering: -1CORE STATS CORE STATS CORE STATSHP: 16Evasion: 8Speed: 5Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 15Armor: 0E-Defense: 8Size: 1Save Target: 11HP: 20Evasion: 10Speed: 5Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 15Armor: 0E-Defense: 10Size: 1Save Target: 13HP: 20Evasion: 12Speed: 6Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 15Armor: 1E-Defense: 12Size: 1Save Target: 16[288]

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitASSASSINStrikerAssassins tend towards agility, damage, and speed. These pilots sacrifice comfortfor efficiency, stripping out everything from life-support to comms systems andreplacing them with increased processing power and stealth capabilities.Assassins work alone or in small groups, piloting their small, sleek mechsthrough near-impenetrable terrain to catch their targets off-guard.TACTICSAssassins are true experts at punishing single characters.Use ASSASSIN’S MARK to choose a target, and then makethe most of the Assassin’s high speed and LEAP to closethe distance. For a nasty combination, pair an Assassinwith NPCs that inflict mobility-reducing conditions likeSTUNNED or PRONE. Without optional systems like the“DEVIL’S COUGH” SHOTGUN, Assassins only have access tomelee attacks and are fairly vulnerable to sustaineddamage.BASE SYSTEMSOPTIONAL SYSTEMSKAI BIOPLATING TraitThe Assassin gains +1� on all AGILITY checks;additionally, they climb and swim at normal speed,ignore difficult terrain, and, when making a standardmove, can jump horizontally up to their SPEED andvertically up to half their SPEED (in any combination).ASSASSIN’S MARK Trait, Quick ActionThe Assassin chooses a character in line of sight.For the rest of the scene, these effects apply:• It has RESISTANCE to that target’s damage.• Damage it deals to that target cannot be reduced.• It gains +1� on all saves forced by that target.The Assassin can only choose a new target if thecurrent target is destroyed.LEAP Trait, Quick Action, Recharge 5+The Assassin flies 6 spaces in any direction but mustland on a surface. When they land, charactersadjacent to the Assassin must succeed on an AGILITYsave or be knocked PRONE.Deals double damage to PRONE, SHREDDED,IMMOBILIZED, or STUNNED targets.Heated BladeMain Melee, +1/+2/+3, +2�[�2][4/5/6�]SPINNING KICK Trait, Quick ActionThe Assassin chooses a character next to them: theymust pass a HULL save or be pushed 4 spaces awayfrom the Assassin and knocked PRONE.SapTrait, Quick Tech, Recharge 5+The Assassin chooses a character next to them:they must succeed on an ENGINEERING save or beSTUNNED until the end of their next turn.Cloud ProjectorSystem, Recharge 5+, Quick ActionThe Assassin sets off a charge, creating a �3area of smoke, haze, or some other kind ofconcealing shroud. The Assassin gains soft coverwithin the affected area, and characters other thanthe Assassin fully inside or outside the area cannotdraw line of sight into or out of the area. Characterspartially within the area are not affected. This effectlasts until the end of the Assassin’s next turn, or untilthe Assassin uses this system again.“Devil’s Cough” ShotgunHeavy CQB, +0, Knockback 2, Loading[�3][�3][10/15/20�]Explosive KnivesSystem, Limited 3, Quick ActionThe Assassin expends a charge to throw anexplosive knife at a character within �3, making aranged attack at +2/+4/+6. On a hit, the knifeembeds itself in the target and explodes at the end oftheir next turn, dealing 6/8/10� in a �1 area.TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLSHull: +0Agility: +2Systems: +1Engineering: -1Hull: +1Agility: +3Systems: +1Engineering: +0Hull: +1Agility: +4Systems: +2Engineering: +0CORE STATS CORE STATS CORE STATSHP: 15Evasion: 12Speed: 6Heat Cap: 7Sensors: 10Armor: 0E-Defense: 8Size: 1/2 or 1Save Target: 10HP: 15Evasion: 15Speed: 6Heat Cap: 7Sensors: 10Armor: 1E-Defense: 8Size: 1/2 or 1Save Target: 12HP: 15Evasion: 17Speed: 8Heat Cap: 7Sensors: 10Armor: 1E-Defense: 8Size: 1/2 or 1Save Target: 14NON-PLAYER CHRACTERS[289]1

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitASSAULTStrikerAssault mechs are the most common primary battle frames found throughoutthe galaxy. Fitted with a heavy rifle, a sidearm, and a suite of systems thatenhance movement, targeting, and defensibility, they are straightforward,reliable, and hardy combatants. The pilots of Assault mechs are also thecheapest to train and outfit, but that doesn’t make them any less dangerous.TACTICSAssaults are straightforward, damage-dealingstrikers. Put them somewhere their toughness anddecent range can be used effectively, and HUNKERDOWN against damage to maximize their survivability.BASE SYSTEMSOPTIONAL SYSTEMSCombat KnifeAuxiliary Melee, +1/+2/+3[�1][4/6/7�]Heavy Assault RifleMain Rifle, Reliable 2/3/4, +1/+2/+3[�10][6/8/10�]Hunker DownReaction, Trait, 1/roundTrigger: An attack hits the Assault, but damagehasn’t been rolled yet.Effect: Gain Resistance to all damage from theattack.AUTO-TARGETING TraitThe Assault ignores cover when attacking, althoughthey still require line of sight.RANK DISCIPLINE TraitThe Assault gains +1� on all attacks, checks, andsaves while adjacent to at least one allied characterwith the MECH tag.Underslung Grenade LauncherAuxiliary Launcher, Loading, Arcing, +1/+2/+3[�8][�2][4/6/8�]MICRO-MISSILE BARRAGERecharge 6+, Quick Action, TraitThe Assault launches a �8 volley of micro-missiles.All characters within the affected area must succeedon a HULL save or take 6/8/10�. On a successfulsave, they take half damage.High Impact RoundsSystem, ModThese high-caliber rounds can only be used with theHEAVY ASSAULT RIFLE. When firing with these rounds,the Assault’s attacks become AP and deal +4�,but the HEAVY ASSAULT RIFLE must be reloaded beforeit is used again (as though it was LOADING).TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLSHull: +1Agility: +1Systems: +1Engineering: +1Hull: +2Agility: +2Systems: +2Engineering: +2Hull: +3Agility: +3Systems: +3Engineering: +3CORE STATS CORE STATS CORE STATSHP: 15Evasion: 8Speed: 4Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 8Armor: 1E-Defense: 8Size: 1Save Target: 10HP: 18Evasion: 10Speed: 4Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 8Armor: 1E-Defense: 9Size: 1Save Target: 12HP: 21Evasion: 12Speed: 4Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 8Armor: 1E-Defense: 10Size: 1Save Target: 14[290]

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitBARRICADEControllerVeld Systems’ Keeper Pattern 5 is a common guard mech made famous after theplatform’s performance during the Battle of Sing Rama Sing. During thebattle, Audrey Reimaus of the Seraphs’ Company used a Keeper P5 tosinglehandedly secure Rama City’s main uplift tower, thus guaranteeing anevacuation corridor for the city’s civilian population.TACTICSBarricades are at their best when locking down fastmoving targets. They can use their MOBILE PRINTER tocreate hard cover for allies or to prevent meleemechs from moving through an area.BASE SYSTEMSOPTIONAL SYSTEMSTitan-Snare DroneSystem, Drone, Limited 1, Quick ActionSnare Drone (SIZE 1/2, HP 5/10/15, EVASION10/12/14, E-DEFENSE 10/12/14, Tags: DRONE)This drone can be printed and deployed to anyfree adjacent space. When hostile charactersmove into or start their turn within �3 of thedrone, it emits a pulse, and they becomeIMMOBILIZED until the drone is destroyed.Seismic RepulsorSystem, Recharge 6+, Quick ActionAll non-flying characters within a �3 area mustpass a HULL save or be knocked 3 spaces back fromthe Barricade and knocked PRONE. The affected areabecomes difficult terrain for the rest of the scene.Shock PlatingSystemThe Barricade has RESISTANCE to �.Hunger/Pursuit LimpetsSystem, Recharge 6+, Quick ActionThe Barricade rapidly prints and deploys a field oftiny, mobile mines in a free SIZE 4 area adjacent tothem. The affected area becomes difficult terrain;additionally, hostile characters that enter the areafor the first time in a round or start their turn theremust succeed on a SYSTEMS save or be SLOWED untilthe end of their next turn.On hit: Target is SLOWED until the end of their next turn.At T2–3, this weapon can make two attacks at once,hitting one character twice or two characters once.Graviton LanceMain Cannon, +1/+2/+3, +1�[�10][2�]EXTRUDITE TraitThe Barricade can print two separate cubes at a timewith Mobile Printer, instead of one.Drag DownSystem, Quick Tech, +1/+2/+3, +1�The Barricade makes a tech attack against acharacter within SENSORS. On a success, they take2�AP per space that they voluntarily move untilthe end of their next turn.BULWARK MODS TraitThe Barricade ignores difficult terrain anddangerous terrain.Mobile PrinterSystem, Recharge 5+, ProtocolThe Barricade prints a SIZE 2 cube in a free andadjacent area. The cube provides hard cover andis a single object with 20 HP and EVASION 5.TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLSHull: +0Agility: -2Systems: +1Engineering: +3Hull: +1Agility: -2Systems: +1Engineering: +5Hull: +2Agility: -2Systems: +2Engineering: +6CORE STATS CORE STATS CORE STATSHP: 12Evasion: 6Speed: 3Heat Cap: 10Sensors: 15Armor: 1E-Defense: 9Size: 2Save Target: 12HP: 16Evasion: 7Speed: 3Heat Cap: 11Sensors: 15Armor: 1E-Defense: 11Size: 2Save Target: 15HP: 20Evasion: 8Speed: 4Heat Cap: 12Sensors: 15Armor: 1E-Defense: 13Size: 2Save Target: 18NON-PLAYER CHRACTERS[291]

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitBASTIONDefenderBastions trade the pure defensive edge of Aegis-archetype mechs for greater mobility. They blendarea-denial offensive capabilities with hardened defense systems and advanced communicationsuites. These mechs are favorites of many strong squadron commanders. The efficacy of thepairing was best displayed by the actions of Zander Reeves, a field-promoted auxiliary officer,during engagements with the “Space Between” interstellar pirate guild in the Dromeda system.TACTICSBastions are hardy defenders that use their bulk andsize to protect themselves and nearby. Use FRIENDLYINTERDICTION to defend against distant enemies, likeartillery and snipers. Bastions (and their wards) arevulnerable to KNOCKBACK and forced movement, asthese effects break many of their abilities.BASE SYSTEMSOPTIONAL SYSTEMSDeathcounterSystem, ShieldThe first time the Bastion is successfully hit by aranged or melee attack each round, all damage isreduced to 0.Near-Threat Denial SystemSystemWhen characters within �3 attack the Bastion,they take 2/3/4�AP before rolling.SIEGE GUARDIAN TraitAllied characters gain Resistance to damage from�, �, �, and � attacks while they’re adjacent tothe Bastion.Fearless DefenderReaction, Trait, 1/roundTrigger: An allied character in �5 of the Bastiontakes damage, and the Bastion isn’t IMMOBILIZED,SLOWED, STUNNED or otherwise cannot move.Effect: The Bastion can move to an adjacent spaceand take the damage instead. GUARDIAN TraitAdjacent allied characters can use the Bastion forhard cover.Rotary Grenade LauncherMain Launcher, Arcing, Loading, +1/+2/+3[�8][�1][4/6/8�]Heavy Assault ShieldHeavy Melee, Knockback 1, +1/+2/+3[�1][3/6/9�]“Pause” EngineSystem, Recharge 5+, Full ActionThe Bastion and one adjacent allied character aretemporarily shielded by a flickering pane of portableblinkspace, gaining IMMUNITY to all damage andeffects until the start of the Bastion’s next turn. Theallied character loses IMMUNITY if it breaks adjacency.At the start of their Bastion’s next turn, they becomeSTUNNED until the start of their following turn.Friendly InterdictionTrait, ProtocolThe Bastion and one allied character adjacent toit gain RESISTANCE to all damage dealt by onecharacter within line of sight. The Bastion maychoose a new allied character or target as aprotocol. The allied character loses RESISTANCE ifthey break adjacency.TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLSHull: +2Agility: -3Systems: +0Engineering: +2Hull: +4Agility: -3Systems: +0Engineering: +3Hull: +6Agility: -2Systems: +0Engineering: +4CORE STATS CORE STATS CORE STATSHP: 10Evasion: 8Speed: 4Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 5Armor: 3E-Defense: 8Size: 2Save Target: 8HP: 10Evasion: 10Speed: 4Heat Cap: 10Sensors: 5Armor: 3E-Defense: 8Size: 2Save Target: 10HP: 10Evasion: 10Speed: 4Heat Cap: 12Sensors: 5Armor: 4E-Defense: 8Size: 2Save Target: 12[292]

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitBERSERKERStrikerBerserker mechs are built to take advantage of advanced heat-cycling systems thatallow them to shunt heat - as it is generated - into pure offensive force, increasingtheir weapon output by orders of magnitude. The archetype, best-known for its use byGen’Dal Merlos’s Knights of Imminent Destruction, is preferred by pure combat-focusorganizations, PMCs, and deniable-asset corps in established states.TACTICSBerserkers are excellent melee duelists that are veryscary up close. Their potential is greatest when theyare as close to enemy forces as possible. Due to theirterrible HEAT CAP and E-DEFENSE, Berserkers arevulnerable to tech attacks. Savvy opponents will useAGGRESSION to their own advantage, turningBerserkers against their allies, so it’s best to keepthem away from friendly forces.BASE SYSTEMSOPTIONAL SYSTEMSSuperhotReaction, System, Shield, 1/roundTrigger: The Berserker takes damage from amelee attack.Effect: The Berserker gains Resistance to theattack’s damage and the attacker must succeedon an ENGINEERING save or take 2/4/6�.On Hit: Target rolls an AGILITY save. On a failure, theyare Immobilized until the end of their next turn.Nail GunMain CQB, +1/+2/+3 | [�5][�3][5/7/9�]On Hit: Targets of smaller or equal Size to theBerserker are pulled adjacent to them in a straight line,or as close as possible. If they’re larger, the Berserker ispulled adjacent to them instead. If the target ends theirmovement adjacent, the Berserker Grapples them.Harpoon CannonMain CQB, +2/+4/+6 | [�5][�3][2/4/6�]STAMPEDE DEFENSE TraitThe Berserker has RESISTANCE to all damage unlessthey are IMPAIRED, STUNNED, IMMOBILIZED, SHREDDED,SLOWED or EXPOSED.AGGRESSION TraitAfter taking damage for the first time each round, theBerserker must immediately attack a random adjacentcharacter – hostile or allied – with the CHAIN AXE.RETRIBUTION TraitWhenever the Berserker takes damage, their nextattack deals +2/+3/+4 bonus damage. This bonusstacks up to +8. Bonuses are lost when theBerserker attacks, or at the end of their next turn.JUGGERNAUT TraitWhen the Berserker uses AVALANCHE CHARGE, allcharacters adjacent to the path they follow oradjacent to their final position – hostile and allied –must succeed on a HULL save or be knocked Prone.On critical hit: Target becomes Shredded until theend of their next turn.Chain AxeHeavy Melee, +1/+2/+3 | [�1][7/9/11�]AVALANCHE CHARGETrait, Recharge 5+, Quick ActionThe Berserker moves spaces equal to their SPEED ina straight line, ignoring reactions and engagement,then attacks a random adjacent character – hostileor allied—with the CHAIN AXE.TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLSHull: +3Agility: +2Systems: -2Engineering: -1Hull: +4Agility: +4Systems: -2Engineering: -1Hull: +6Agility: +4Systems: -2Engineering: +0CORE STATS CORE STATS CORE STATSHP: 12Evasion: 8Speed: 5Heat Cap: 6Sensors: 5Armor: 1E-Defense: 6Size: 1Save Target: 10HP: 16Evasion: 9Speed: 5Heat Cap: 6Sensors: 5Armor: 1E-Defense: 6Size: 1Save Target: 12HP: 20Evasion: 10Speed: 5Heat Cap: 6Sensors: 5Armor: 1E-Defense: 6Size: 1Save Target: 14NON-PLAYER CHRACTERS[293]

SECTION 5 // The GM’s Toolkit [294]BOMBARDArtilleryAlta All-Theater Ballistics’ archetypal Bombard chassis and their licensedfacsimiles are a common sight in flashpoints across the galaxy. Built forstaying power across long-uptime deployments, Bombard-type mechs are anaccessible solution for armed forces looking to quickly deploy artillery to atheater. Chassis configured to the parameters of this class are usuallypositioned in fortified positions miles behind the line; one especiallyasymmetrical deployment strategy involves placing Bombard batteries above thetheater of operations – typically on a local moon, locked-orbit naturalsatellite, or on a purpose-built orbital platform. From their vantage point,the battery can then rain shells down upon the world below, far removed fromthe dangers of combat.TACTICSBombards are very long-range artillery mechsdesigned to punish characters that stay closetogether to take advantage of adjacency bonuses.They are relatively fragile up close, but resilient at adistance, so place them far back to maximize theireffectiveness. Bombards’ EARTHSHAKER SHELLS aregreat for preventing enemy movement and providingcover, but can harm allies as well.BASE SYSTEMSOPTIONAL SYSTEMSHIGH-IMPACT SHELLS TraitOn a hit, the Bombard Cannon knocks targets 3spaces away from the Bombard.BUNKER BUSTER TraitThe Bombard Cannon deals 10/15/20�AP toobjects and terrain in the affected area, no roll required. Bombard CannonSuperheavy Cannon, Arcing, Ordnance, +2/+4/+6, +1� [�25][�2][5/7/8�]Earthshaker ShellsSystem, Recharge 6+, Free ActionWhen attacking with the Bombard Cannon, theBombard may also fire a special earthshaker shell.In addition to any damage, characters within �3of the targeted space must succeed on a HULLsave or be knocked Prone. Debris or broken earthis thrown up by the impact, creating two Size 1segments of hard cover in free spaces of theBombard’s choice (within the affected area).CLUSTER MUNITIONS TraitThe Bombard’s attacks deal +2/+3/+4 damage to alltargets for each target beyond the first.SIEGE ARMOR TraitThe Bombard has Resistance to all damage fromattacks that originate beyond �3.Flare DroneSystem, Drone, Quick ActionFlare Drone (Size 1/2, HP 10/20/30, Evasion 10,E-Defense 10, Tags: Drone)This drone can be deployed to a space within lineof sight and �25, where it hovers in place andbegins projecting bright light in a �2 area. Allcharacters in the affected area – including thosethat move into the affected area or start their turnwithin it – lose Invisible and Hidden, and cannotHide or turn Invisible within the area. Additionally,the Bombard gains +1� to attacks againstcharacters within the affected area.The drone can take damage from the Bombard’sattacks, and the Bombard can only have onedrone deployed at a time; if a new drone isdeployed, the old one disintegrates.TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLSHull: +0Agility: -1Systems: +1Engineering: +2Hull: +1Agility: -1Systems: +2Engineering: +3Hull: +1Agility: -1Systems: +3Engineering: +5CORE STATS CORE STATS CORE STATSHP: 10Evasion: 7Speed: 2Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 15Armor: 0E-Defense: 12Size: 1Save Target: 11HP: 13Evasion: 8Speed: 2Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 15Armor: 0E-Defense: 14Size: 1Save Target: 13HP: 16Evasion: 8Speed: 3Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 15Armor: 0E-Defense: 16Size: 1Save Target: 16[294]

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitNON-PLAYER CHRACTERS[295]Repeater CannonMain Cannon, Knockback 3, Loading,Ordnance, +1/+2/+3 [�5][3/4/5�]CLUSTER-SEEKER BOMBS TraitWhen the Bombard attacks with the BombardCannon, three characters of their choice within �3of the targeted space take 2/3/4�, hit or miss.

[297]BREACHERStrikerNotoriously effective in boarding operations, the Campbell Orbital Dynamics C-O MkIIIis often seen in the arsenals of suborbital planetary defense forces and their piratecounterparts. Officially, the CO designation is an abbreviation of “CombatOrbital”,but unofficially, the CO3 goes by a different name: the “Can Opener”, inspired by thecallsign of Valeria Rojas-Sarnik, one of the most storied CO3 pilots.TACTICSBreachers can deal out significant burst damage, butthey aren’t especially accurate. To boost their capabil‐ities, use LOCK ON or pair them with support NPCs.The BREACH RAM makes short work of cover; however,it lacks speed and range, and risks provoking reac‐tions.BASE SYSTEMSOPTIONAL SYSTEMSPAINMAKER Trait, Full ActionThe Breacher chooses a character within �3. Theirnext turn is delayed until after their target’s. At thestart of the Breacher’s turn, if the target is still within�3, the Breacher may attack them four times withDUAL SHOTGUNS – instead of twice – as a free action.BREAK ARMOR TraitCharacters that are successfully attacked more thanonce in a turn by the Breacher’s Dual Shotgunsbecome SHREDDED for the rest of the scene.SUPERIOR RAM TraitWhen using BREACH RAM the Breacher moves4 morespaces, and targets have +1� on the AGILITY save.This weapon can make two attacks at once, targetingeither the same character or different ones.Dual ShotgunsMain CQB, +1/+2/+3, +2�[�3][�3][6/8/10�]Breach RamSystem, Recharge 6+, Quick ActionThe Breacher moves up to 6 spaces in a straightline, ignoring engagement and passing through –but not stopping in – spaces occupied by othercharacters. Obstructions and objects in theBreacher’s path take 10/20/30�AP. The Breacherpasses through any obstructions destroyed thisway and continues moving until they have moved6 spaces or fail to destroy an obstruction. Anycharacters in the Breacher’s path must succeed onan AGILITY save or be pushed out of the way asdirectly as possible and knocked PRONE.Follower CountSystem, Quick Tech, +1/+2/+3, +1�The Breacher makes a tech attack against acharacter within SENSORS. On a success, theBreacher gains +1/2/3� on all attacks against theirtarget, and may Boost once per turn as a freeaction so long as it moves them directly towardstheir target. This lasts until either character isdestroyed and cannot be changed to a new target.Attacks with this weapon take the form of a �3shrapnel attack starting from the edge of thetargeted space, attacking all characters within boththe targeted space and the affected area. The conecannot change directions.Flechette ShotAuxiliary CQB [�3][�3][2/3/4�]Thermal ChargeSystem, Limited 1, Grenade, Quick ActionThe Breacher may expend a charge to throw agrenade to a space within �5. Characters in theensuing �2 explosion take 2/4/6� if they fail anAGILITY save, half on a success. Objects, terrain,and DEPLOYABLES take 10/20/30�AP.TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLSHull: +2Agility: +0Systems: -1Engineering: +1Hull: +3Agility: +1Systems: -1Engineering: +2Hull: +4Agility: +2Systems: -1Engineering: +3CORE STATS CORE STATS CORE STATSHP: 18Evasion: 9Speed: 3Heat Cap: 7Sensors: 5Armor: 1E-Defense: 7Size: 1Save Target: 10HP: 20Evasion: 11Speed: 4Heat Cap: 7Sensors: 5Armor: 1E-Defense: 7Size: 1Save Target: 12HP: 22Evasion: 13Speed: 5Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 5Armor: 1E-Defense: 7Size: 1Save Target: 14[296] [296] SECTION 5 // The GM’s Toolkit

CATAPHRACTStrikerCataphract squadrons are made up of rapid-strike mechs that emphasize mobility, shock, andtenacity; it follows, then, that Cataphract archetypes are feared across the galaxy for theirability to overwhelm defenses in moments. There are few things more terrifying (or inspiring)than a squadron of Cataphracts punching through a static battle line, heavy cannons and pointdefense weapons wiping out previously immovable defenders. The flagship Cataphract-class chassisis the Sine Die Systems END-44, an angular beast of a mech outfitted with SDS’s fearsome RamCannon. The enduring popularity of the chassis can be attributed to the success of Catherine “C80” Need, who made their name piloting an END-44 to victory in the defense of Carina-Proximal.TACTICSCataphracts are mobile strikers. TRAMPLE allows them tomove through enemies and get them to the rear lines,where they can use IMPALE to force vulnerable targets intodisadvantageous positions. Position Cataphracts so thatthey are closer to individual hostile characters, as POINTDEFENSE SHIELD doesn’t work if several enemies are anequal distance away. Note that Cataphracts still provokereactions when they move, so use their abilities carefully.BASE SYSTEMSOPTIONAL SYSTEMSElectrified BolaSystem, Recharge 5+, Quick ActionA flying character in �10 must make an AGILITYsave. On a failure, they land immediately andbecome Immobilized until the end of their nextturn. This counts as falling but without damage.TRAMPLE TraitThe Cataphract ignores engagement and can passthrough – but not stop in – spaces occupied by othercharacters, 1/turn dealing 2/3/4�to those characters.Electrified LassoSystem, Quick Action, 1/roundA character in line of sight and �5 must make aHULL save. On a failure, they are pulled as close aspossible to the Cataphract; if they become adjacent,the Cataphract automatically grapples them.Lance ShotSystem, Recharge 5+, Full ActionThe Cataphract fires an electrified lance in a �5path. All characters within the affected area mustsucceed on an ENGINEERING save or becomeJammed until the end of their next turn.Point-Defense ShieldSystem, ShieldThe Cataphract has Resistance to all damage fromthe closest hostile character. If multiple charactersare equally close, this effect does not apply.ImpaleSystem, Recharge 6+, Full ActionThe Cataphract moves up to 8 spaces in a straightline. Pick a character that the Cataphract passedthrough or ended adjacent to; they make a HULLsave at +1�. On a failure, they are grappled bythe Cataphract and pulled with the Cataphract tothe end of their movement.This lance can be used as either a ranged or meleeweapon, but not both in the same turn. At T2–3, thisweapon can make two attacks at a time, targetingeither the same character or two different ones.Ram CannonHeavy Melee/Heavy Cannon, +0, +1/+2/+3�[�5][�2][5�]CAPACITOR DISCHARGE TraitAs long as the Cataphract isn’t SLOWED orIMMOBILIZED, they gain RESISTANCE to � and �. Atthe end of the Cataphract’s turn, all charactersadjacent to them take 2/3/4�.CHARGE Trait, Recharge 5+, Quick ActionThe Cataphract moves spaces equal to SPEED in astraight line, ignoring reactions and engagement, thenattacks a target within RANGE with the RAM CANNON.TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLSHull: +1Agility: +1Systems: +0Engineering: +0Hull: +2Agility: +3Systems: +0Engineering: +0Hull: +4Agility: +4Systems: +0Engineering: +0CORE STATS CORE STATS CORE STATSHP: 15Evasion: 10Speed: 8Heat Cap: 6Sensors: 5Armor: 0E-Defense: 8Size: 1Save Target: 12HP: 17Evasion: 11Speed: 8Heat Cap: 7Sensors: 5Armor: 0E-Defense: 8Size: 1Save Target: 14HP: 20Evasion: 12Speed: 8Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 5Armor: 0E-Defense: 8Size: 1Save Target: 16[296] [297]NON-PLAYER CHRACTERS[297 ] SECTION 5 // The GM’s Toolkit

DEMOLISHERDefenderThe lengthy siege of Jadigmora City saw the development of the first true Demolisherframes. Based on antique Berserker mechs, Demolishers swapped dramatic heat flows formore sustainable systems, improved hydraulic strength, and stabilizers forsupermassive melee weapons. Demolisher pilots soon discovered a range of newapplications for their concussion-wave ordnance. A lancer named Hayes Rothford andtheir NHP, Clarke, were the first pilot/co-pilot team to truly show the power of theplatform, singlehandedly bringing down a siege frigate in low orbit.TACTICSDemolishers are slow, resilient defenders that dish outplenty of damage and stuns when they get close tothe enemy. Use their size and power in melee combatto force enemy characters to move away instead offighting them, and DIG IN to shrug off heavy hits.BASE SYSTEMSOPTIONAL SYSTEMSHEAVY FRAME TraitThe Demolisher can’t be pushed, pulled, knockedPRONE, or knocked back by smaller characters.SHOCK ARMOR TraitThe Demolisher has RESISTANCE to damage frommelee weapons.Dig InReaction, Trait, 1/roundTrigger: An attack hits the Demolisher, butdamage hasn’t been rolled yet.Effect: It gains Resistance to all damage fromthe attack, but become SLOWED until the end of itsnext turn.On Hit: Targets must succeed on a HULL save or beSTUNNED until the end of their next turn.Demolition HammerSuperheavy Melee, AP, +1/+2/+3, +1�[�2][10/14/16�]Seismic DestroyerSystem, Recharge 6+, Full ActionUnless they can fly, all characters in a �3 or �5area must succeed on an AGILITY save or beStunned until the end of their next turn.Concussion MissilesSystem, Quick ActionAll characters of the Demolisher’s choice in line ofsight and �5 must succeed on a HULL save orbecome SLOWED and IMPAIRED until the end of theirnext turn.Broad-Sweep HaftSystem, Full Action, +1/+2/+3The Demolisher swings the DEMOLITION HAMMER ina �2 arc instead of attacking normally. Rollmelee attacks against any characters of theirchoice within the affected area. On hit, targets take4/6/8� and become Impaired until the end oftheir next turn.KINETIC COMPENSATION TraitEach time the Demolisher misses with theDEMOLITION HAMMER, they gain +1� on allsubsequent attacks until their next hit. This ACCURACYcan be gained multiple times, and stacks.TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLSHull: +3Agility: -2Systems: -1Engineering: +2Hull: +4Agility: -2Systems: -1Engineering: +3Hull: +6Agility: -2Systems: -1Engineering: +4CORE STATS CORE STATS CORE STATSHP: 15Evasion: 6Speed: 2Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 10Armor: 2E-Defense: 7Size: 2Save Target: 10HP: 20Evasion: 6Speed: 2Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 10Armor: 2E-Defense: 7Size: 2Save Target: 13HP: 25Evasion: 6Speed: 3Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 10Armor: 2E-Defense: 7Size: 2Save Target: 15[298] SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitSapTrait, Quick Tech, Recharge 5+The Demolisher chooses a character next to them:they must succeed on an ENGINEERING save or beSTUNNED until the end of their next turn.

ENGINEERStrikerVarious types of localized Engineer-class mechs are common throughout the galaxy, unique tothe worlds or theaters in which they operate. The Engineer has long existed as an archetype,but it remained largely undefined until a full design doctrine was laid out by Corrida IsoldeNollet, an Armory civil service director on Ras Shamra. In all cases, the mission of Engineersis the same: defend, maintain, secure. Engineers operate best in the middle or rear of thebattle line, coordinating the defense of important positions and overseeing comprehensivedeployment of all operational assets. Remember: if you can’t get to the enemy, you lose.TACTICSEngineers’ DEPLOYABLE TURRETS make them potent forcemultipliers, as they can deploy one every turn. If enemiesdon’t deal with an Engineer's turrets quickly, their poten‐tial damage quickly skyrockets – even more when theytarget characters with ENGINEER’S MARK. Without ENGIN‐EER’S MARK, turrets attack the nearest target, whichplayers can use to control who takes damage.BASE SYSTEMSOPTIONAL SYSTEMSSHEPHERD FIELD TraitDrones, objects, and pieces of cover gainResistance to all damage while next to the Engineer.Deployable TurretSystem, Drone, Quick ActionDeployable Turret (Size 1/2, HP 5/8/10, Evasion10, E-Defense 10, Tags: Drone)One of these self-constructing turrets can bedeployed to any free, adjacent space. On theEngineer’s turn, deployed turrets attack thenearest hostile character within �10. They attackat +1/+2/+3 and deal 4/5/6�. The Engineer mayhave six turrets deployed at one time, all of whichare disabled if the Engineer is destroyed.SKYSHIELD PROTOCOL TraitDeployable Turrets gain +2�against flying targets.ARSENAL TraitWhen the Engineer uses DEPLOYABLE TURRET, they canchoose one of these modifications for their turrets:• Inferno: The turret’s attacks become �3,2/3/4�.• Hellstorm: The turret’s attacks become �15,�1, 2/3/4�.• Hunter: The turret’s attacks gain Reliable 1.• Primed: When either the turret or Engineer isdestroyed, the turret explodes in a �1 area.Characters within the affected area must succeedon an AGILITY save or take 7/9/11�.MOBILE TURRETS TraitAt the start of the Engineer’s turn, they can move alldeployable turrets up to 3 spaces in any direction.POWER DEPLOYER TraitThe Engineer can deploy two turrets at a time withDeployable Turrets. If they do so, the systemcounts as Recharge 4+ until it next recharges.This weapon has +2� against flying targets.Flak CannonHeavy Cannon, Smart, +1/+2/+3[�15][3/4/5�]ENGINEER’S MARKTrait, Recharge 6+, Quick ActionUntil the end of the Engineer’s next turn, theEngineer’s Deployable Turrets will attack a target oftheir choice (within RANGE) instead of attacking thenearest hostile character.TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLSHull: –1Agility: -1Systems: +1Engineering: +3Hull: –1Agility: -1Systems: +2Engineering: +4Hull: –1Agility: -1Systems: +3Engineering: +6CORE STATS CORE STATS CORE STATSHP: 20Evasion: 7Speed: 3Heat Cap: 10Sensors: 15Armor: 0E-Defense: 10Size: 1Save Target: 10HP: 20Evasion: 9Speed: 3Heat Cap: 12Sensors: 15Armor: 0E-Defense: 10Size: 1Save Target: 12HP: 20Evasion: 11Speed: 3Heat Cap: 14Sensors: 15Armor: 0E-Defense: 12Size: 1Save Target: 14[299 ] SECTION 5 // The GM’s Toolkit NON-PLAYER CHRACTERS

SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitGOLIATHDefenderAlong the Sierra Madre Line – the eighth ring of territory out from Cradle – theDangun frame is a familiar sight. Manufactured by Park Armored Systems and popularizedby the Dagger Squadron mercenary company, the Dangun is popular for its toughness,kinetic-trade ability, and reliable all-theater performance. The Dangun is a mech tobuild strike forces around – a Goliath-class frame capable of mounting powerfulmagtech, with a design that’s tough to counter in kinetic combat.With a number of small fleet contracts in its portfolio, Park Armored Systems is amanufacturer worth keeping an eye on; indeed, Harrison Armory has taken particularnotice, and omninet rumors suggest a possible partnership in the near future.TACTICSGoliaths are relatively mobile defenders that can bringenemies to them. With CRUSH TARGETING, Goliaths forcedangerous enemies to focus attacks on them; all itneeds is line of sight, allowing Goliaths to target evenfast or hard-to-hit characters. The prodigious size ofGoliaths also lets them provide cover for their allies.BASE SYSTEMSGUARDIAN TraitAdjacent allied characters can use the Goliath forhard cover.Crush TargetingSystem, Recharge 4+, Quick TechA character within line of sight and SENSORS gains+3� to attack against any character other than theGoliath until the start of the Goliath’s next turn.SIEGE ARMOR TraitThe Goliath has RESISTANCE to all damage fromattacks that originate beyond �3.HEAVY FRAME TraitThe Goliath can’t be pushed, pulled, knocked PRONE,or knocked back by smaller characters.At T2, this weapon can make two attacks at a time,targeting either the same character or two differentones. At T3, it can make three attacks at a time.Drum ShotgunHeavy CQB, +2/+4/+6[�5][�3][5�][300] SECTION 5 // The GM’s ToolkitTIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLS MECH SKILLSHull: +4Agility: -2Systems: +1Engineering: +0Hull: +6Agility: -2Systems: +1Engineering: +0Hull: +6Agility: -2Systems: +1Engineering: +2CORE STATS CORE STATS CORE STATSHP: 25Evasion: 6Speed: 3Heat Cap: 8Sensors: 10Armor: 0E-Defense: 6Size: 3Save Target: 11HP: 30Evasion: 6Speed: 3Heat Cap: 10Sensors: 10Armor: 0E-Defense: 6Size: 3Save Target: 13HP: 35Evasion: 6Speed: 3Heat Cap: 12Sensors: 15Armor: 0E-Defense: 6Size: 3Save Target: 15