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content:official:rules:plot_twists

Plot Twists

Plot Twists help balance the game and provide a little flair.

Many missions will have recommended Plot Twists that you can select by spending Plot Twist cards before the mission. The number on the Plot twist indicates how many Plot Twist cards you must spend to select this plot twist.

Morale Ability

There is a special category of Plot Twist “Enemy Morale Ability.” You may select one Twist from this group regardless of the mission by spending the listed amount of Plot Twist cards before the mission. This chart has a randomizing column for use if the enemy likes or in the case that you are using solitaire rules.

Standard bots in the enemy crew do not gain these benefits. Apply the benefits to the crew of one vessel or all enemies if it is a mission that doesn’t have an opposing vessel.

As always, use good judgement and don’t select abilities that would be absurd or unduly harsh based on the circumstances.

This ability goes away as soon as the enemy fails a morale check aimed at disrupting this ability (see morale page 46).

Enemy Morale Ability Plot Twist Chart

Use the chart below to select enemy abilities. These abilities are all disrupted when the enemy crew fails a morale check aimed at disrupting the ability.

d66 VALUE TWIST EFFECT
11 2 Agile Add +2 target number for enemies.
12 1 AllEngineer Enemies get a reroll on all Engineering skill checks.
13 1 AllMarine Enemies get a reroll on all Combat skill checks.
14 1 AllPilot Enemies get a reroll on all Piloting skill checks.
15 4 Allpro Enemies get professional reroll in all skills.
16 1 AllScience Enemies get a reroll on all Science skill checks.
21 2 Bloodlusted Enemies get a free action 1/phase when they down somebody.
22 5 Braced All enemies are considered “braced” and may reroll 1 die each time they take damage.
23 3 Brutal Foes Enemies may reroll 1 die of personal weapon damage for each attack.
24 4 Death Marchers Enemies have +3 hit points and don't need to “recover” after being healed.
25 2 Dirty Fighters Characters dealt direct personal weapon damage by enemies are at -3 on non-passive skill checks until fully healed.
26 4 Driven Enemies reduce all of their skill check difficulties by 1.
31 4 Efficient Enemies Remove the Used markers from the enemy ships at the end of Phase 4 of the first Round in addition to the removal on Phase 6.
32 3 EMT Enemy Scientists are always considered on overwatch to heal at the end of their turn akin to the EMT ability on page 57.
33 3 Fanatics All enemies get a free melee attack each Phase.
34 2 Fast Enemies Reverse Sequence of Play. Enemy actions act first in a Phase.
35 2 Fast Healers All enemies heal double.
36 2 Jury Riggers Enemy characters each get one free attempt to repair a broken module they are in as free action once per Phase.
41 4 Lucky Devils All skill check rolls of doubles for enemies succeed (except snake eyes).
42 2 Mobile All enemies get +3 to their move number.
43 1 Motivated Add +3 to the difficulty to intimidate the enemy and all of their morale checks.
44 2 Overloaders Enemies may fire ship's Cannons as if they had the heroes' special ability Overloader on page 64.
45 2 Patient Enemies that prepare get +3 on their skill check.
46 2 Prepared They've been planning this for a long time. In their first skill check, each enemy adds +MD to their roll.
51 3 Reflexive Enemy pilots get a free attempt to ram or dodge each Phase. This costs no action.
52 2 Sharp-shooters There is a free reroll on all enemy ship's combat skill checks to fire cannons.
53 4 Shock Troopers Enemy characters go on overwatch to attack with their personal weapons at the end of their last move action in a hase.
54 3 Spiteful Devils The first time each Phase that a hero damages an enemy with a personal attack, that enemy gets a free personal weapon attack on the hero.
55 6 Star-Crossed Whenever an enemy has to make a skill check, roll only one die and count the other as “6”.
56 2 Sturdy All enemies have +3 hit points.
61 5 Superlucky All enemy luck rolls succeed.
62 2 Tramplers All enemies may make one free melee attack per Phase if they pass through a character's space.
63 1 Uncanny Intelligence The enemy knows the heroes plans as if there is a referee listening in on the players of a game.
64 2 Unsinkable Free reroll for all enemy survival checks including ships, microships and individuals vs. stun, disintegrate, etc.
65 2 Zone Controllers All enemies have the Zone Controller special ability (see page 71).
66 1 Roll Twice Roll twice on this chart and reduce the cost by one for each ability. Add another treasure.

Starship Specific Plot Twists

The Enemy may spend Plot Twist cards to roll on the following chart during the missions. (You can spend at most one card per Phase in this way.) If a Plot Twist already in effect would occur again, use the next Plot Twist down the list. After you roll, select a ship to apply the effect.

2d6 PLOT TWIST EFFECT
2 Shipsy Turvy Rotate the ship to a random facing (add no OOC).
3 Power Drain The ship loses 1 power at the end of each Phase. This is taken from the system with the most power (Helms, Guns, Shields). Resolve ties in that order. Break and repair any Engine to end this effect.
4 Cracked Hull Doubles fail on hull checks. End this effect by making an Engineering check of 8+MD in any module nearest to the center of the ship (7,7 hit allocation).
5 Sensor Array Overload All objects in the system add the Phase number to the difficulty for this ship to target them. This effect ends when the Science Bay is broken and repaired.
6 Lockout Each battlestation on the ship is at a penalty of +3 difficulty to be used until it is hacked.
7 Space Brakes Reduce ship speed by 2 (add no OOC).
8 Inertial Dampener Failure At the end of the Phase the ship gains 1 OOC instead of losing it. This effect lasts until the end of the Round.
9 ECM Failure Add the MD to any attempt to target this ship until the Science Bay has been broken and repaired.
10 Explosive Decompression All external doors open simultaneously. Any character in a square next to one must make an Athletics check of 8 or become a spacewalker. For purposes of Life Support, characters aboard the ship are considered in space until the end of the Round (BSA 134).
11 Random Failure Place a Broken marker on a random module.
12 Double Fun Roll twice on this chart. Accept both results!
content/official/rules/plot_twists.txt · Last modified: 2020/09/11 16:22 by lektu