Massive set of gameplay updates for all documents to go with today's tremendous release!
General Game Play Changes
*Major* The Encounter Rules section has a dedicated section for both Damage Types and Conditions. Many of the previous conditions, such as burning, melting, blinded, and immobilized, have been redone as part of becoming formal conditions, and changed through all of the documents. There are also more formal rules for poison and EMP damage. For example, Poison Damage deals less damage and cannot cause crippling wounds, but the DCs are higher and it ignores all damage resistance.
*Major* The Heavy Strike action has been significantly weakened. It now gives +2 accuracy and +5 damage, instead of its previous benefits.
*Major* Fully automatic weapons have a new fire mode: ‘Saturation Fire’. Saturation fire forgoes any burst or hailfire bonuses, instead gaining +10 accuracy.
*Major* Creatures have received a substantial increase in power. Now, all Creature types gain free skill focuses and creature abilities, causing a massive refund and respending on characteristic points for all NPCs created with the creature creation system (including the zerg). In addition, most creature natural weapons (aside from zerg-exclusive natural weapons) have seen an increase of power ratings for their weapons, bringing them more in line with player weapons for potency.
*Major* The StarCraft Character Record Sheet has been updated with many improvements.
-The rules for Hailfire versus Energy Shields has been refined. If you drain energy shields with a hailfire attack, you now simply do a base attack of damage against the target.
-The Core Rulebook has a dedicated section for Skill Focuses in the Gameplay Basics chapter
-The swarm rules in Supplement 1: The Zerg Swarm, have changed: they are now +18 levels instead of +24, +2 threat levels instead of 1, gain +20 to accuracy instead of 10, and the swarm gains +5 damage threshold.
Terran Characters
-Master Specializations received minor downgrades
Commodore: Temporary hit points are Instinct + Intelligence (not willpower)
Figurehead: Characters cannot be stunned or staggered two turns in a row by Figurehead abilities
Hero: regeneration value is equal to Fortitude (not fortitude + willpower), Fight as One benefit is just +2, not ½ willpower +2
Metapsychic: Temporary hit points are willpower + fortitude (not Fort+ Int+ Will)
Special Forces: Only effects non-vehicle weapons, bonus is ½ instinct
Warmonger: Focused Adrenaline is Fortitude + Willpower (not strength, fortitude, and willpower)
-All terrans with the Ghost background start with the Jaded talent.
-The Inspirational Commander advanced specialization gives advantage on leadership checks to rally
-The Psionic Shadow advanced specialization now properly mentions that you must be cloaked in order to use the teleportation
-The Rifle Bayonet weapon has been removed. Now, if you have a rifle bayonet upgrade, your rifle butt attack gains +2 accuracy, +10 damage, and +2 pen.
-The Hostile Enviroment Suit no longer has a Protective Mask or Digital Uplink built in. This is so armor can be customized with a helmet of the player’s choice (such as the new Tactical Mask in SUP-2).
Zerg Characters
-Infested Terran Directives now have a choice of Skill Focus
-Many primal zerg exclusive talents now give Skill Focuses
-Evolution Powers now add the character’s full instinct to accuracy bonus. However, most evolution powers that deal ongoing conditions now allow opportunities to escape the effects.
-The Bio-Plasma Discharge evolution power now deals 10x Strength damage, instead of 300 flat damage.
-Many evolution powers, especially Pestilence powers, have been redesigned from the ground up, to correspond with the new Conditions system and give ways to escape their effects.
-The Compel Action zerg psionic power has had its energy fatigue cost increased by 6
Protoss Characters
-Protoss gear section now has the Honor per level table reprinted in it
-All protoss cybernetic walkers have +3 strength over what they previously possessed
-The Tal’darim Slayer cybernetic walker has a new mechanic for its Phase Shift. The power costs energy fatigue, but can be ended early on the Slayer’s turn
Psionics
*Major* Most telekinesis powers have seen an increase in manifestation and sustaining energy fatigue costs, between 1-5 points. Many telepathic powers have increased their cost by 1-3 points as well.
*Major* Most energy powers have had their costs increased by 1-6 points. In addition, the following powers now effect a smaller area: Psionic Wave, Psionic Blast, Psionic Storm, Annihilator Beam, and Guardian Shell.
-The Endless Energy talent now requires ranks of both psionics and mental training, increasing for every rank of the talent.
-The Telekinetic Grasp psionic power has changed, giving a better chance of escaping the effect and dealing drastically less damage. These changes correspond with the new Condition system.
-The Feedback psionic power now works off the caster’s psionic check to deal damage and energy fatigue, with bonus damage/ fatigue based on PL.
Constructs
*Major* All vehicles with a structure rating of 5-9 have Tier 2 weapons and armor base. All vehicles with a structure rating of 10+ have Tier 3 weapons and armor base. If by increasing the tier of a vehicle you would bring the vehicle’s equipment above Tier 3, it gains the Ultra rule (+5 pen or resistance). Similarly, there is the Omega rule for weapons brought to an effective tier 5 (+10 pen or resistance).
*Major* All weapons with the Missile trait require a target lock in order to be fired.
*Major* The chaingun weapons on the viking have been replaced with the more formidable gatling cannon. In addition, all vehicle automatic weapons (gatling cannon, autocannon, protoss photon blaster) have been upgraded to have a penetration of 10, to make them more effective against vehicles. The Gatling Cannon and autocannon use a new type of ammunition, the ultra slugs.
-The Banshee’s Backlash Rockets now has a Fast attack speed
-The Goliath’s Focused Strike ability has been changed. It now gives +20 damage with heavy strike attacks with their Bash weapon. Goliaths only have one large-sized bash attack now
-Hellions now explode when they receive 3 action wounds. Their Focused Strike ability has been changed in the same manner as the Goliaths.
-The Phase Disruptor weapon no longer bases its penetration on PL, and instead has a base PL of 15
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-The Arclite Siege Tank now has a smaller burst area in siege mode. The Crucio Siege Tank is more expensive now.
-The Extremely Maneuverable trait allows Bob and Weave actions to be used by the vehicle’s pilot
-A new upgrade called Greater Capacity gives 10x the ammo storage for vehicles that use non-ordinance weapons
-When vehicles increase by equipment tiers, they gain +2 strength/fortitude instead of +1.
-The Defensive Fighting talent only gives +1 defense for those piloting vehicles