| Adjusting Fire | — | Any | The artillery in this force are experts in coordinating fire against targets. If two artillery units in a force with this SCA are firing at the same target, the second and any successive units roll their attacks with a –1 target modifier. This modifier applies only once per turn. If using the Battlefield Support Rules (see p. 75, BMM or p. 54, AS:CE), subtract 2 from the Target Number that an artillery support unit uses against a target already attacked by artillery support this turn. |
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| Aerial Duelissts | — | Aerospece | The aerospace units in this force are expertly trained in special maneuvers for air-to-air combat. They may lower the minimum velocity by 1 and the control modifier by 2 (minimum control modifier of –1) of any special maneuver (see p. 85, TW). Air-to-air attacks against these aerospace units have a +1 Target Number modifier. If using the Battlefield Support rules (see p. 75, BMM or p. 54, AS:CE), the Target Number of any aerospace cover is lowered by 1. |
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| Anti-Aircraft Specialists | — | non-aircraft | A portion of the Force specializes in attacks against airborne units. Any number of units in the Force may be designated as Anti-Aircraft Specialists. All weapon attacks against airborne units from Anti-Aircraft Specialists receive a –2 To-Hit modifier. Against all ground targets (including grounded aerospace units), apply a +1 To-Hit modifier. This ability can only be taken by non-aerospace units; any aerospace units in a Force with this ability do not gain its benefits. |
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| Anti-Mech Training | — | Infantry | Not supplied |
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| Banking Initiative | — | Any | Before either player makes their Initiative roll, the controlling player of a Force with this SCA can choose to give the Initiative to his opponent. For each two turns the controlling player elects to lose Initiative in this manner, they may—at the start of a later turn, and before making their Initiative roll—choose to take the Initiative. The controlling player may only “bank” up to two Initiative rolls (thus giving up four beforehand) in this way. For purposes of any other special abilities, consider the opponent to have won or lost the Initiative (as appropriate) by a margin of 1. |
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| Berserkers | — | Any | At the start of any turn, a Force with this ability may elect to go berserk for the rest of the game. The Force gets a –1 To-Hit modifier for all attacks, but their target movement modifier against enemy attacks is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 0. |
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| Brawlers | — | Any | A portion of the Force specializes in short range attacks over long range. A third of the force, rounded down, may be designated as Brawlers and uses the following range modifiers in place of the standard range modifiers: Short –1, Medium +2, Long +5, Extreme +10. If used in conjunction with another ability that alters their range modifiers, Brawlers receive a –1 To-Hit modifier at Short range, a +1 To-Hit modifier at Long range, and a +4 To-Hit modifier at Extreme range. |
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| Camouflage | — | Ground Units | Ground units that are part of a Force with this ability and use the Stand Still movement option receive a +2 target movement modifier, in place of the usual +0. Regardless of the scenario, the Force may place half its starting units as Hidden units, even if it is the Attacker. A Force with this ability may place Hidden units even in terrain where ’Mechs cannot usually hide. |
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| Cavalry | — | Any | Davion forces are known for their maneuverability and flanking attacks. Davion units with this Command Special Ability can move 1 hex further than their Move rating, as long as the unit is not within its Move rating of an enemy unit at the start of its movement. This does not affect their target movement modifier or otherwise change their Move rating. |
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| Combat Drop Specialists | — | Any | Units in a Force with this ability always succeed on all Landing rolls (see Dropping Troops, p. 20, SO ). The Force receives a +2 Initiative modifier the turn after making a Combat Drop of at least half its units. |
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| Communications Disruption | — | Any | Before play begins, the player controlling a Force with this SCA assigns numerical values to a number of lances in the opposing force equal to the number of lances controlled by their Force commander. For example, a lance commander could only assign a numerical value to a single opposing lance, a company commander could assign a numerical value to 3 different opposing lances, a battalion commander could assign a numerical value to 9 different opposing lances, and so on. The specific lances chosen are completely at the discretion of the player controlling a Force with this SCA.
At the beginning of each turn, the controlling player rolls 1D6. On a result of 6, the player randomly determines the numerical value corresponding to one of the lances in the opposing force; this can be done with a die roll, pulling a number out of a hat, or any other random method on which the players agree before the start of the game. That unit may only expend Walking/Cruising/ Safe Thrust during the Movement Phase of that turn. Units only expending Jumping, VTOL or UMU MP are not affected. |
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| Counterparts | — | Any | Some regiments operate in tandem so often that they fare better together than apart. These unit types should be paired during Setup in equal numbers. Doing so offers the Counterparts Force a +1 to Initiative for the entire battle, in addition to other modifiers and persisting even if all of one unit type is destroyed or leaves the map. Failing to pair these unit types delivers a –1 to Initiative for the entire battle. |
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| Direct Fire Artillery Specialists | — | Any | Add 1 hex to the diameter of any Artillery area of effect when using direct fire. |
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| Enemy Specialization | — | Any | A Force with the Enemy Specialization Special Command Ability has one enemy faction or group that it favors fighting above all others, and makes a point to train heavily in dealing with the common tactics and equipment found among that particular enemy. Before game play begins, the specific focus of this specialization must be identified. This can be either an entire faction (e.g. a specific House, a specific Clan, or a specific Periphery state), or a particular Combat Command (e.g. the Davion Heavy Guards or the Wolf’s Dragoons).
As with Environmental Specializations (see right) and Tactical Specializations (see p. 87), the benefits and drawbacks of Enemy Specialization increase with the Force’s Experience Rating. A Force rated Green, Very Green, or Wet Behind the Ears receives no benefits from Enemy Specialization, but will still suffer a –1 Initiative modifier if the focus of its specialization does not apply to the scenario (reflecting the inexperienced Force’s focus on honing its skills to one particular opponent).
If the force is rated Regular, it will receive a +1 Initiative modifier when facing its selected enemy, but will suffer a –1 Initiative modifier when facing any other opposing Force. If the Force is rated Veteran, it may either gain a +2 Initiative modifier when facing its selected enemy while suffering a –2 Initiative modifier against opponents of other affiliations, or it may select a second preferred enemy against which it also receives a +1 Initiative modifier. If the latter option is chosen, the negative modifiers will not stack, so the specialized force will receive a +1 Initiative modifier when facing either of its two chosen enemies, but will only suffer a –1 Initiative roll modifier against all other Forces.
If the Force is rated Elite, in addition to the Initiative modifiers described above, it may add the ability to negate one of its preferred enemy Force’s Special Command Abilities at the beginning of a scenario. If the Force is rated Heroic or Legendary, in addition to the Initiative modifiers described above, it may negate two of the preferred enemy Force’s Special Command Abilities, or may select a Special Command Ability it may only use when facing its enemy of choice. |
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| Environment Specializaiton | — | Any | A Force with this Special Command Ability has mastered or prefers combat in certain, specific types of terrain or environments. Before game play begins, the specific nature of the Force’s Environmental Specialization must be identified. The terrain types chosen for this specialization may be any type except for clear, and any other environmental conditions (including atmospheric density, darkness, gravity, and other conditions described on pp. 26-67, TO:AR and pp. 61-64, AS:CE ) must be of a nonstandard nature (e.g. vacuum, night, high gravity, and so on).
A Force’s Environmental Specialization must not include more than one terrain type or environmental condition at a time.
Once the specific terrain and/or environment is determined, the player must then choose a number of rules that apply from the Environmental Specialist Benefits List (see p. 85), based on the Force’s Experience Rating.
If the Force’s Experience Rating is Green, Very Green, or Wet Behind the Ears, it will not receive any benefits for Environmental Specialization, but will suffer a –1 Initiative modifier if the focus of its specialization does not apply to the scenario, reflecting the inexperienced Force’s focus on honing its skills to one particular tactical area). If its Experience Rating is Regular, it receives one of the listed benefits. If its Rating is Veteran or Elite, two different benefits may be applied. If the average Skill Rating is Heroic or Legendary, all three benefits may be applied, or two benefits may be selected and one of them may be applied twice.
In addition to applying any benefits for Environmental Specialization, a Force with this Special Command Ability will also suffer a –1 Initiative modifier when forced to play in a scenario under which the environmental condition they specialized in is not present.
Environmental Specialist Benefits List (p. 85)
Improved Mobility: Reduce the MP cost for passing through any terrain of specialization by 1. However, this reduction may never lower movement costs below 1 MP.
Improved Combat: Apply a -1 To-Hit modifier for all attacks made into and/or through the terrain or environmental condition of specialization (to a minimum modifier of +0).
Improved Initiative: Receive a +1 Initiative roll modifier if the selected terrain or environment type covers at least half of the map area. |
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