Special Abilities

Every class carries one skill. Spent, it is gone for the match.

How skills work #

Every class carries one skill. It is single-use: spent, it is gone for the match. Using it costs the turn, like a move or a shot, and every skill but Shield Slam empties the unit: it must RELOAD before it fires again.

Skills obey CheckFire. If your commander is under threat you may only take actions that end the threat, and a skill that does counts as an escape.

The AI knows every skill and will use them against you. A hidden mine is found by stepping next to it; DISARM is then an action for any adjacent unit. Your own units never step onto your own mines.

Skills are off under Core Rules and on under Special Abilities, chosen before a match or deployment.

Shield Slam: pawn #

Push an adjacent unit one square. Mines trigger. The only skill that does not empty the unit.

When to spend it: when an enemy stands between you and a mine, or one square from an edge. The push is a full turn; spend it on a unit that matters.

Piercing Shot: rook #

Fire through three orthogonal squares in a line. Hits friend or foe. Empties the rifle.

When to spend it: when two enemies line up, or a shielded pawn hides a target behind it. It does not stop for friends, and it empties the rifle: the rook spends its next turn reloading, so fire it where the line is worth the tempo.

Drone Bombardment: bishop #

Strike a visible enemy 5–7 diagonal squares away. Empties the unit.

When to spend it: when the enemy commander or queen stands 5–7 diagonals out with clear air between. The drone needs line of sight, not range on the board.

Hidden Mine: knight #

Plant a hidden mine at an empty knight offset. Empties the unit.

When to spend it: early, on a square the enemy must cross. A mine that is never stepped on still cost you nothing but the turn; one that is, ends a unit.

Infiltrator: queen #

Untargetable for the enemy's next turn; then you skip your turn. Empties the rifle.

When to spend it: when the queen is exposed and cannot retreat in one move. She cannot be targeted next enemy turn, then you skip a turn: buy time, not tempo.

Shotgun Decree: king #

Blast a four-square directional area, through pawn shields. Empties the shotgun.

When to spend it: when two or three enemies crowd the commander's front. The blast ignores pawn shields and covers a short Y ahead of him.