Initiative Combat for Lancer  - General Guidelines

This hack replaces battlemaps for Lancer RPG by Massif Press. The rebalances here
may buff/nerf various Compendium entries against one another, but should maintain
playability and overall balance, i.e. nothing should be completely "broken".

Firstly, Spaces are Init Scores in general, and thinking of Inits as cells on a
single line of a hexagonal grid will help in understanding the reasoning behind the
following rules. The range tracks "advantage" in combat, rather than strict positioning.

Combat begins with an initiative roll, d20 plus the pilot's Agility or Systems.
The result is the Initiative (or Init) for that Pilot and Mech. Mechs of Size greater
than 1 are considered to be "on" their Init, but may launch and be targeted by attacks
up to Size Inits below. So a Size 2 mech on Init 19 may also attack from or be hit on
Init 18, but has Init 19 for all other purposes. Minimum Size (for the purposes of
taking up an Initiative) is 1 Init.

Each round, Pilots (and NPCs) take turns from highest Initiative to Lowest.
Multiple characters may have the same Init. Ties are broken by lowest Size acting first,
then highest Agility acting first, followed by highest Systems. Beyond that,
PCs go before NPCs, PCs may agree on order or roll-off. NPCs are GM choice.

During combat, damage from successful attacks is dealt to the target's Initiative score,
and the same amount added to the attacker's Initiative. If a character would have
their Init reduced to 0 or less for any reason, they immediately replace their
Initiative with the result of an Initiative roll before continuing as normal.
Range is considered the difference in Initiative, so Character A at 15 with a range
5 weapon can attack a target at Init 20 or Init 10, but not greater than 21 or below 9
(at least without spending Initiative, see below).
Attacks may spend at least 3 Initiative, assessed before establishing range and rolling.
Each 3 Initiative spent this way adds +1 Accuracy to the attack, or +1d6 to Damage. Attacks
meant to deal damage to the target (insted of trading Init as above) MUST include spending
Init in this manner.

Units move at their standard Speed, gaining Init on a 1-for-1 basis. If the Init gain
would cross one or more Inits that contain Difficult Terrain or a
triggered deployable/mine/drone, that movement costs 1 more Movement to avoid,
even if movement would end on such an Init. This cost is waived if the unit Disengages.
Effects that would block Line-of-sight instead grant Hard Cover. For example, Mech A is
on Init 14, with a Speed of 8. There are dangerous Inits on 18 and 19. Mech A can move
"directly" to Init 22, and trigger the effects of Init 18 and then Init 19 en route, or
take the 1-Movement penalty and end up on Init 21 free and clear. Think avoiding spaces
on a hexagonal grid, like "sidestepping".

The character(s) with the highest Init score may not gain Init through Movement,
though they may advance toward Objectives. Objectives are goals of combat that
may be attained through superior positioning, battlefield dominance, or wily tactics
employed through ideally-placed units' actions. Objective scores are reduced by
characters that have the highest Init "donating" their potential movement on a
1-for-1 basis. For example, the Objective for the PCs is to hold out for reinforcements.
While a PC has the highest Init, it may behoove them to donate their Movement toward
reducing the Objective, if they have 8 Speed, from, say 43 to 35.

All forms of involuntary movement constitute a gain or loss of Init, one for each space
moved, depending on the action's controller. If the movement is oriented toward/away from
the controller, Init gain/loss is assessed with that orientation if possible. Init lost
as part of an attack's damage does not count as involuntary movement. So 5 Init damage
to a target that had been on 20 results in the damaged unit having 15 Init, and not
triggering any effects on Inits 15-20. Actions that both deal Init damage and involuntary
movement do so as dictated by the Action's controller. For example, Mach B hits Mech A
(on Init 19) with a bomb, dealing 3 Damage and 1 movement. If there is a mine on Init 18,
Mech B's controller may choose to move Mech A first, triggering the mine, before assessing
Init loss from damage.

Units that are bound together, or use each other's structures, gain and lose Init
together.

Ranged attacks target a particular Initiative and character.
Area attacks radiate out from the targeted Init in the case of ranged Burst or Blast,
and radiate out from the attacker in the case of Line, Cone, or Burst.
Cone patterns may hit all Inits within range either above or below
the attacker's Init, attacker's choice. Line attacks are as Cones, but the
attacker may choose up to one eligible target at each Init score in range.
Burst and Blast attacks MUST hit at least one eligible target at each hittable Init,
or hit all targets within the radius. Also, for purposes of choosing targets, either
all targets must be "in cover" or all "out of cover". Similarly, a target that is
Flying must be the only target affected by an attack.

Regarding Difficult Terrain, Battlefield Cover, etc.: GMs may denote various Init values as
having intrinsic properties, including being "impassable", denoting the limits of the
battlefield (use sparingly).
"Adjacent space" is within 1 Init of the user.

All rules are as written, bar the following modifications (which may be "obvious" in light of
the above rules, but this section is to clarify/give specific examples):
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:14, Wed 08 Mar 2023.

Statuses:

Engaged: If a character gains the same Init as another, they may add the "Engaged" status to
themselves and one other character. If that mech is already Engaged, the new mech joins the
group and becomes Engaged with all the characters the chosen mech was Engaged with.

Climbing/Levitation/Flight: Voluntary or ally-assisted vertical movement may be treated as a
gain in Init, involuntary change as a loss of Init.

Hard & Soft Cover: When moving to any Init, one space of move may be converted to Soft Cover,
2 spaces may be converted to Hard cover. If such Cover already exists on the Init (such as by
a Deployable Effect), this cost is waived. This does not apply to involuntary movement,
except at the direction of the character causing the involuntary movement.

Prone, Immobilized, Stunned: Units with any of these statuses may not gain Init through
voluntary movement of their own.

Specific Talents:

Tactician 2: Solar Backdrop triggers not on higher elevation, but higher Init than your
target.

Weapon Tags:

Deployable/Drone: Get deployed and track their own Initiative, taking whatever actions they
are capable on their own "turn", based on their Init.

Mine: Mines are set on particular Init scores, and trigger the next time a character gains
that Init. They may be avoided if a character reduces their voluntary movement by 1 to take
that Initiative score without triggering the mine.

GMS Compendium:

Jericho Deployable Cover: Occupy adjacent or identical Init to the user, allow taking Hard
Cover for free on Inits with a Deployable Cover. May be picked up and moved to other Inits
by characters. They get no Actions on their Init.

IPS-N Compendium:

Blackbeard Grapple Cable: Pulls itself to within 1 Init of target.

Blackbeard Omni-Harpoon: Pulls target to within 1 Init of Blackbeard unit.

Drake Fortress Protocol: Drake unit becomes Size 3, and units benefit from its Hard Cover
in any Inits the Drake "occupies". In addition, any units that use the Drake for Hard Cover
share the Drake's Init gains/losses while the Fortress Protocol is engaged.

Drake Argonaut Shield: Drake may protect another unit within Range 1 of the Drake's Init.

Drake Portable Bunker: Deploys over any 4 contiguous Inits, one of which must be within
Range 1 of the Drake. The Drake may choose which characters on those Inits benefit from
the Bunker on deployment, but cannot stop any characters from using the Bunker for Hard
Cover for free (as the Jericho Deployable Cover).

Lancaster Cable Winch System: 5 Init, instead of Spaces. Towing/pulling means both the
Lancaster and the towed unit gain/lose Init together.

Lancaster MULE Harness: Passengers gain and lose Init with the Lancaster.

SSC Compendium:

Black Witch Mag Field: Affects as listed, but on Init scores instead of spaces.

Black Witch PCP: Covers 2 Init, at least one of which is within range.
Dusk Wing Hall of Mirrors: Leave holograms behind on Init values, may be avoided as
Mines, above.

Dusk Wing OASIS Wall: Prevents involuntary movement into the Inits occupied by the Wall,
but does not prevent mechs from stopping movement on those Inits. Allows free Hard Cover.

Monarch Javelin Rockets: Set on Init values, may be avoided as Mines, above.

Mourning Cloak Blinkspace Jump: Gain 3d6 Init, but only if the resulting Init is
unoccupied. If it is, you gain no Init. Rolling the same value on all 3 dice means
you vanish for the rest of the Scene.

Mourning Cloak Hunter Logic Suite Terrify: Target cannot surpass the user's Init until
the user's next turn.

Swallowtail Integrated Cloak: If the Swallowtail's Init is the same at the end of its turn
as it was at the beginning, the Cloak engages.

HORUS Compendium:


Goblin Symbiosis: Gain and lose Init with the mech being "ridden".

Goblin H0R_OS System Upgrade 3 Dimensional Emblems: Deployable into target's Init and adjacent Inits,
triggering if the target's Init changes. Target may maneuver around them as Mines.

Goblin H0R_OS System Upgrade 3 Celestial Shackles: Prevent target from increasing their Init once.

Manticore Beckoner Summon: Targets are set on user's Init.

Minotaur Localized Maze: Units moving through an Init occupied by Minotaur must stop on the
Minotaur's Init.

Minotaur Metafold Carver Ophidian Trek: Involuntary teleport (Init loss) only succeeds if resulting
Init is not shared by any other units. This does not include mines or deployables.

Minotaur Metafold Carver Fold Space: Target may not act, move, or be targeted until the start
of its next turn.

Harrison Armory Compendium:

Iskander Tesseract Spread Focus: Creates 3 Init of difficult terrain for the duration.

Napoleon Blinkshield: As listed, affecting 4 contiguous Inits around the Napoleon, the affected
Inits may be used as Hard Cover and count as Difficult Terrain. Immunity to damage/effects
and Agility save to determine if one is in the bubble or not are as-is.

NPC Classes:
Ace Flying (in general): Flight is an Init gain, treated as movement.
Aegis HA Blackwall System: PCs/NPCs that are removed from play lose their Init and reappear
on an Init of their choice at the end of their next turn. The Init selected should be unoccupied
if possible.
Berserker Juggernaut: All Units on Inits the Juggernaut passes through or adjacent to the Init
the end on make the save or fall Prone.
Breacher Breach Ram: Inits the Breacher passes through may have one target on each receive
damage, as Line attacks, above.
Cataphract Trample: Can only choose one target on each Init the Cataphract moves through.
Cataphract Impale: Can only choose one target from an Init the Cataphract moves through.
Operator Step: Operator takes current highest Init + 1.
Pyro FIREBREAK Shield: Shield covers and affects 4 contiguous Inits.
Scout Dataveil: Range is limited to Sensors, not LOS.
Seeder Hopping Mines: Hopping Mines may hit Flying targets.
Sniper Climber: Sniper unit may forego the 1-Move penalty for moving through Inits with triggers
without activating them.

NPC Templates:
Elite Ready and Waiting: Elite takes two turns back-to-back, but the round then proceeds from
the Init the Elite has at the end of their turn(s).
Spacer Thumper Grenades: Effected targets may gain or lose Init from the forced movement at the
Spacer's descretion.
Ultra Shock and Awe: As the Elite, the Ultra takes its "turns" back-to-back, but the round then
proceeds from the Init the Ultra has at the end of their turn(s)