OPPONENTS

In the game of LANCER, NPC enemies work differently to human players.

● Enemies might have additional action options listed in their profile that players cannot
normally take.
● Enemies cannot repair unless otherwise specified, though they can still cool.
● Enemies cannot overcharge unless otherwise specified. If an enemy can overcharge, it
can only take the specified actions
● Many enemies have a list of systems or weapons that can be targeted by electronic
warfare, critical damage or overheating.
● Enemies might have Accuracy and Difficulty included in the profiles of their attacks or
weapons
● Enemies do not have H.A.S.E. statistics , but may have listed modifiers to all skill
checks involving those rolls. If they don’t have a listed modifier, assume it’s +0

Opportunity Attacks
All enemies, unless specified, have the ability to take opportunity attacks, the same as the
player reaction.
Opportunity Attacks are Reactions that are Triggered by an enemy moving out of your
reach .
• When this reaction is triggered, you may make a Melee or Ranged attack against the
triggering enemy as a free action
• You may react this way once per round

Enemy Tags
Enemies have tags, like weapons or systems, that determine their behavior, the number of
actions the have, and what happens when they are reduced to 0 HP, and how they deal with
heat and overheating.
Strength - Indicates the base level that an opponent is balanced for. Grunt enemies are
slightly weaker than a character of that level, leader enemies a match, and ultra enemies
should outmatch an opponent of that level.

Grunt
A Grunt is a basic weak enemy. If they take heat into account, grunts are shut down
permanently when they overheat, and don’t roll for overheating. Grunts are destroyed when
they reach 0 hp, and do not go into a critical state. Grunts don’t typically have reactions other
than the opportunity attack.
Leader
A Leader is a slightly stronger enemy. A leader takes heat and overheating into account
unless otherwise specified, and goes into a critical state when reaching 0 hp, like a player
mech. A leader might have one or more reactions it can use.

Ultra
An Ultra is meant to be fought by more than one player. They have many reactions, can
make multiple attacks, take heat and overheating into account unless otherwise specified,
and can go into a critical state if they hit 0 hp

Vehicle
Vehicle tagged enemies use mech rules, but cannot make an unarmed attack or melee
attacks unless specified. Vehicles cannot climb, pick up objects, or interact with objects in
the same way as a mech. All are assumed to have at least one human pilot in a hard suit
unless otherwise stated.

Mech
All mech-tagged enemies have the same core components as a player mech (cockpit,
computer, reactor, etc). All are assumed to have a human pilot in a hard suit unless
otherwise stated.

Adversary
Enemies with this tag follow the same rules as players and ignore the regular rules for
enemies - they can repair, overcharge, and take the same actions as if they were a player.

Squad
Represents a whole group. Dealing X hp to a squad will kill one member, indicated by the
damage threshold. Squads are spread out over an area roughly equal to their speed on
each side.
● Damaging squads will slowly reduce the number of attacks they can make as indicated in
their profile
● Squads can make all secondary attacks without penalties when they make the attack
action
● Squads can attack with all weapons in their profile and are considered to be wielding them
● Squads are immune to grapples
● Squads are immune to conditions except the Impaired and Exposed conditions
● Invasion attacks against a squad can only deal heat damage - not have additional effects
● Squads can benefit from cover if more than 50% of its area is in cover
● Squads do not provide obstruction, but moving through them is difficult terrain.
● Area of effect weapons (those that use blast, line, or cone) deal double damage to squads.
Biological
Biological enemies are human enemies or non-mechanized enemies such as alien wildlife.
Biological enemies cannot take the overcharge, eject, mount/dismount, shutdown, invasion,
scan, lock-on, reactor overload, or stabilize system action unless otherwise specified.

Swarm
A swarm type enemy is a shifting, almost tidal mass of individuals coming together to form a
sum greater than its parts. It acts as one mind, or as a mob, trampling and overwhelming
its enemies through sheer numbers.
● A swarm takes half damage from any weapon that does NOT have the “Blast” or “Cone”
keywords
● A swarm takes double damage from weapons that have the “Blast” or “Cone” keywords.
● A swarm takes normal damage from weapons with the “Melee” keyword.
● Swarms are immune to Invasion, Grapples, and all conditions unless otherwise specified.
They automatically fail mech skill checks if they are forced to make them.
● “Blast” or “Cone” weapon damage supersedes all other types of damage from a single
source.
○ I.e. if a weapon has the “blast” and “melee” tags, so long as the weapon has the
“blast” tag, you will do double damage to the swarm.
● Swarms can occupy the same space as allies and enemies, and count as difficult terrain to
enemies attempting to navigate their space. This does not affect flight, unless the swarm can
fly.
○ If a flying enemy attempts to land inside or adjacent to a swarm, it must pass an
agility check or be knocked prone
● Swarms deal flat AP damage to any enemies adjacent to or caught inside their space at
the end of the swarm’s turn and the beginning of their enemy’s turn. This damage reduces
by an increment noted in their profile when the swarm takes damage.

Non-Human Person
● Enemies with the Non-Human Person (NHP) tag are typically unshackled or hostile AIs
● NHP enemies are installed in a core assembly by default, but can also be installed in
vehicles or mechs. They act independently to their hosts if they are installed in another actor.
Attacking and destroying the core assembly, vehicle, or mech, will also destroy the NHP
● NHP enemies cannot move, unless their hosts move
● NHP enemies cannot be grabbed and are immune to the prone or immobilized conditions
● NHPs are destroyed if they are reduced to 0 HP
● An NHP still has a move, interaction, and action like an other enemy. However, it has
special moves it can use in place of this move, interaction, and action (indicated in its profile)