Release Notes
Version Pre-release 2
May 2019

What a month! Thanks to all our fantastic kickstarter backers, LANCER is now fully funded and will have a physical release in early 2020. It’s been a wild two years of working on and developing this game alongside the community. It’s my hope that this is the last public version of the game before our final .pdf becomes available on all platforms later this year.

Thanks for all your support, feedback, care, and attention you have put into this game with me over the years. Without you, I doubt we’d be where we are today.

-Tom

GENERAL CHANGES:
There are no major changes in this LANCER update, only an enormous host of smaller tweaks, section reorganization, cuts, and balance passes.

The biggest of these small changes is a slight hacking rework and the addition of the exposed (takes double damage) condition. Other than that, nearly all talents and licenses received small tweaks to make them more impactful, interesting, or refine their role further.

Section organization/clarity
⦁	Re-organized some sections so they presented a more logical flow (for example, damage is now in the attack section in mech combat instead of before it)
Compendium
⦁	Reorganized the intro the compendium
⦁	Added tags for licenses (the same as NPC tags) to help new players pick which licenses they are interested in, as well as updated the start of compendium mech summaries
 Art
- Added more art! There's now art for all 28 core mechs. The everest will never have an official representation - it's for you to decide what it looks like.

Lore/Flavor
- Huge pass over flavor/core lore by Miguel to bring it in line with the current canon
- Slight tweaks to clarify the nature of NHPs and shackling. Previously it was phrased as a compulsion, now it is phrased as a limitation.

Basic mechanics
- Reword on narrative play skill checks so if there are no consequences you don't roll, if you roll less than a 10 on a regular roll you suffer consequences, and if you get less than a 19 on a risky or heroic roll you take consequences anyway. In general I think this will flow better for regular play and help avoid unnecessary rolling
- Clarified that you don't always have to add bonuses to a roll and many skill checks will be a flat 1d20 vs 10 without any bonuses
- Added that you only get one type of flat bonus at a time (grit doesn't stack with anything, for example)

Narrative Play
- Removed invoke concept for a simpler concept (refer to background for +acc/diff) I think it was too clunky and this accomplishes the same thing (gives the group the chance to arbitrate what a character can use their background bonuses for)
- Cut list of triggers (left in descriptions) to avoid it looking like a skill list)

Mech Combat
- Added illustrations for size, blast, burst, cone, and cover
- Clarified adjacency concept
- Reorganized sections for better flow/clarity
- Dangerous terrain is now a check (not a save)
- Moved Zero-g to movement section
- Removed damage for a failed teleport
- Clarity on carrying capacity for flying (total size is 1/2)
- Clarified falling (end of turn)
- Jockey now deals slight more damage/heat

Targeting and validity
- Clarified that you can no longer target yourself unless specified
- Clarified targeting for valid spaces (free adjacent spaces, etc) - needs to be on a flat surface
- Clarified that valid directions are always horizontal unless a target's flying.
- Added illustrations and clarity for cover (hard cover requires adjacency, negating cover requires flanking, objects you are taking cover behind don't grant cover to your enemies from your shots, etc)

Damage, structure, heat, and repair
- Reorganized damage section
- Reworded resistance so it it's slightly clearer that it applies to only a specific type
- Clarified that burn is a damage type
- Bonus damage now applies to all targets hit in an aoe or multi target attack, but is halved
- Burn is now a check instead of a save
- Removed CRITICAL and CORE BREACH states. In general, I think these were fun but rarely hit. Mechs now melt down/are destroyed when they hit 0 stress or structure.
- System trauma is now 50% weapon, 50% system, but always defender's choice.
- Passing a hull/engineering check at 2 stress/structure now still inflicts a bad status (stunned/exposed)
- New exposed condition on overheat
- Repairing a destroyed mech now brings it to 1 stress as well as 1 structure

Statuses and conditions
- Now a differentiation between the two. Statuses are things like engaged, prone, etc that can't be cleared easily, conditions are more temporary and can be cleared
- Slowed now grants only a regular move and prevents all other movement (no longer caps movement maximum)
- New exposed condition (take double damage until you stabilize)

Attacks
- Slight reword on ram and grapple
⦁	Reword on bonus attacks with aux weapons with skirmish and barrage to prevent confusion

Hiding
- You can no longer hide if you're engaged and you don't cause engagement while hidden
- You now immediately lose hidden if you lose cover (instead of at end of your next turn), which feels more naturalistic and is more clear
- You need soft cover from a zone (soft cover granted from talents, etc is not valid) to hide

Hacking rework
In general I felt like the 'heat gunning' play style was either too strong or totally useless, as it doesn't interact with the damage side of combat. NPC and PC mechs now commonly gain the exposed condition (take double damage) instead of being shut down when they overheat. All NPCs get exposed by default when they overheat. This allows them to still take action, but they take significantly more damage.

Quick tech actions now typically deal flat (2) heat, full tech (4).

- Lock on and Scan now automatically hit. Actions that relied on lock on have been tweaked slightly to compensate. Lock on is no longer a tech attack
- Reword on invade to fit the new system
- You can now invade willing allied characters. It doesn't deal heat and automatically hits.

Talents
Ace - Rank I now affects saves, rank III now requires you end your turn flying again
Armsman - Renamed rank II, reword on some effects to go with new bonus damage rules
Bonded - Swapped Ranks II and III, reworked how rank III works (grants  free attack)
Brawler - Damage up by 2 on rank II and III
Brutal - Removed 'on your turn' from rank III
Crack Shot - Swapped ranks II and III
Centimane - Renamed some ranks, Rank II now requires critical hit
Combined Arms - Swapped ranks I and II
Blademaster - Deflect now gives resistance to damage, heat and burn, Feint lasts longer
Engineer - Ranks renamed, Rank II no longer allows melee prototype weapons to fire with the cone, line, or blast profiles
Executioner - Rank II now only affects characters and objects other than your primary target, reduced to 3 damage
Exemplar - Rank III - if a character makes an attack including you, it immediately turns off the effect
Gunslinger - Rank III special shot now has AP
Grease Monkey - Ranks renamed, rank II slightly clarified
Hacker- Rank I now gives a choice, rank III now triggers before clearing the heat gauge if the target overheats
Guardian - Renamed Heavy Gunner, rank I no longer has difficulty but deals 1/2 dmg
Infiltrator - Reserve power mode clarified (you can still take actions, just not those that generate heat), grants immunity to certain effects, and also impairs (since slowed is a weaker status now). Rank III now works with tech attacks and can deal heat.
Leader - Leadership die now reset only 1 at a time on rest
Nuclear Cavalier - Now deals types bonus damage (energy), grants flat heat reduction (4)
Siege Specialist - Rank I knock back increased, rank II triggers before attack roll, rank II size increased but damage reduced
Spotter - Swapped rank I and II. Rank I now only works on allies, rank II now requires a tech action (instead of being a free action if you don't move)
Technophile - Minor tweaks to wording

Gear changes
- Slight reword on Ordnance (also fixed spelling as Ordinance in many cases)
- Overcharged tag reworded to 'overkill' and now clarifies that it only works with damage dice, and only final damage dice
- Slight clarity update on drones to specify that they do not get turns/actions unless specified
- Some flight systems/effects now require you to land at the end of the move or immediately fall
- Moved pilot gear to right after pilot backgrounds

Guidance

- Added a licensing quick guide at the start of the mech compendium to help newer players
- Added mech role tags to help with license selection

GMS
- Improved armament doesn't count integrated mounts
- Integrated weapon is now its own integrated mount that triggers 1/round
- Howitzer and AMR damage slightly up
- Added (sort of re-added) new Expanded Compartment and Custom Paint Job 1 sp systems
- Turret drones are now a GMS system (moved from Hydra) to provide an ll0 drone system. Damage slightly increased, can no longer be attached to characters
- Jump jet system now makes you fall if you don't end the movement on a surface

IPS-N
- Briareos changed - now gives you the old CRITIICAL state effect

Blackbeard
- Synthetic muscle netting updated for clarity on group grapples
Drake
- Now has resistance to damage, heat, and burn from area attacks
- FORTRESS is stronger (gives you a more powerful brace) and re-organized section for clarity
- Assault cannon can now be spun up to get reliable 3
- Argonaut shield damage resolution clarified
- Aegis shield generator is now stronger but has a smaller area and reduced duration
- Leviathan AC gained +1 reliable when spun up (now reliable 5)
Lancaster
- Sensors down, gained +1 tech attack
- Core power does not remove self inflicted effects
- Restock drone requires free space
- You can't give immobilized targets a ride with MULE anymore
Raleigh
- ROLAND now works only with loading weapons, but now with any loading weapon
- Bolt thrower is now a cannon
- UNCLE is now a Comp/Con and not an NHP due to slight lore rework (still has the AI tag)
- Kinetic hammer is now reliable 4
Tortuga
- Pneumatic hammer now renamed Catalytic Hammer
- Throughbolt rounds reworked so the initial line no longer replicates the attack
- Hyper Dense armor now works on all damage, heat, and burn, has no heat cost, but causes you to deal less damage, heat, and burn to everyone outside of range 5 as well
VLAD
- Impact Lance up to threat 3
- Charged stake up to 5 AP kinetic damage

Smith Shimano Corpro
Ghostweave - Now breaks immediately when you take a reaction
All theatre movement suit - Clarified that it's only your turns where your mech takes heat (not any turn)

Black Witch
- Removed core power reference to targeting
- Mag cannon damage increased by 1
- Ferrous lash more explicitly works on allies but has reduced effect, requires line of sight
- ICEOUT zone size reduced

Death's Head
- Core power now only works on characters

Dusk Wing
- Veil Rifle - Dmg up by 1
- Neurospike - Brought in line with new hacking rules
- Burst Launcher - Now deals +1 heat
- OASIS - Heat down and light constructs now last indefinitely until you take the action again

Metalmark
- Reactive weave language cleaned up (can now trigger properly)
- Shock knife now has thrown 5

Monarch
- Avenger silos now missile range (15)
- Seeking payload ignores reduction as well as granting seeking
- Sharanga missiles language cleaned up
- Javelin rockets - Can no longer place rockets adjacent to each other
- Pinaka alternate fire now slows instead of gaining ordnance

Mourning Cloak
- Removed self damage for failed teleports
- Small clarity rework to FADE cloak

Swallowtail
- Shredding effect on lock on is now only 1/round
- Markerlight now deals 4 heat
- Low profile prevents attacks of any kind (small reword)
- Athena now inflicts lock on to any character ending its turn in the affected area
- Cloaking Field now slows instead of immobilizes

HORUS
- Lesson of the Open Door now only 1/round, but heat increased to 2
- Lesson of Thinking Tomorrow's Thought - damage now cannot be reduced in any way

Balor
- Regeneration now shuts off temporarily if the Balor takes structure or stress
- Swarm Body is now unique
- Nanobot Whip is now smart

Goblin
- Many systems reworked to fit with new hacking changes
- Swapped metahook and Autopod in license order
- New Core Power - Symbiosis
- Autopod range up
- Meta-hook now unique
- OSIRIS is now a quick tech action that can be performed 1/round

Gorgon
- Gained +1 tech attack
- Mimic mesh increased to 2 SP, must always be made towards an ally, now triggers before the triggering action
- MONITOR - Charges now end at the end of your following turn
- Scylla - Now deal 1/2 damage, heat, or burn but no difficulty

Hydra
- OROCHI Drones now fly or teleport if you can fly and teleport
- Swapped turret drones to GMS, now gains Annhilation Nexus at rank III (new superheavy nexus). Tempest drone to rank II

Manticore
- Invasion systems brought in line with new hacking update

Minotaur
- Invasion systems brought in line with new hacking update
- Sensor range down, HP up to 12
- Interdiction field now self-slows

Pegasus
- Ushabti now trumps any rule in the core book or any other
- Slight clarity update on mimic gun
- Small clarity update on Sisyphus (you can swap out die and save them up)
- Slight clarity update on autogun

Harrison Armory
Removed reference to repair in core bonuses

Barbarossa
- Clarity update on siege stabilizers, roller charges

Genghis
- Explosive vent only triggers when heat is reduced to 0 or reset, heat and burn is now flat 2 each
- Plasma Thrower damage up
- Agni now requires a save

Iskander
- Reword of some passives for clarity
- Repulsor field reworded and makes you immune to the damage of any mine triggered
- Tesseract (spread focus) size reduced, zero-g no longer impairs, pinpoint focus can only affect a character 1/scene

Napoleon
- Added 'save' to well-shielded passive
- Clarity on stasis bolt that it spends the charge to use it

Saladin
- Gained 1 armor
- Tachyon loop now more versatile and can grant resistance
- Support shield can now grant resistance
- Impulse Colony Missiles renamed to Impulse Missiles
- Hardlight Defense System attacks crossing the effect clarified (no attack can cross if it draws line of effect, even if it ignores LoS)
-Vishnu reworked - now slows and can deflect attacks at the cost of heat

Sherman
- Reduced tech attack

Tokugawa
- Passives slightly reworked
- All effects now work with any weapons that deal energy damage
- Core active simplified but range and threat increased
- Clarity on Annihilator
- Torch self heat up by 1
- Plasma lash swapped out for ERUPTING BURNING FING- uh, plasma gauntlet

GM Advice Section

Cut some of the random tables to conserve space

NPCs

- Cut Swarms (they will likely be moved to another book)
- Small rewords to deal with new parameters around heat, structure, etc
- Added section on NPC information to make it clear that template and class are always visible to all characters
- Small reworks, wording changes, or typo fixes to Ace, Aegis, Archer, Barricade, Berserker, Bombard, Breacher, Cataphract, Engineer, Hive, Operator, Rainmaker, Sentinel, Spectre, mostly to reduce some sources of AP and add 1-2 more multi-attackers.
- Removed generic optional modules (in general I feel like these are changes a GM can intuitively make, like adding more HP or flight to npcs)
- Reword on squad rules
- Ultra - Juggernaut now triggers are the start of its turn, and new Legendary trait means Ultras roll all structure/stress checks twice and choose either result. Traits that give an ultra invisibility or resistance no longer reduce its structure but negate its +5 HP bonus.
- Veteran - Repair trait is now stronger
- Removed outworlder template - seemed slightly weak or redundant