Lancer GM-less Solo/Co-Op Playtest -v0.

2
Welcome! If you’re reading this, you’re (hopefully) interested in playing Lancer solo. These test
rules are written assuming you already know how to play Lancer, and that you are familiar with
how to build and run NPCs in combat.

This playtest includes the NPC AI system, a set of eight NPC behavior cards, and a single
mission comprised of three encounters built for three to five player characters (PCs from here
on out). The test mission is designed for LL3 PCs. You can control all the PCs yourself or find a
friend and play cooperatively, with each players controlling one PC. If you play cooperatively, I
would recommend trading off who activates NPCs so each person has the same engagement
with the game.

Using Comp/Con to create the PCs and NPC stats is recommend, as is using its mission runner
to track the status of everyone in combat encounters.

If you do test this out, please share your thoughts in the feedback form! I’d love to know how I
can make the system better.

Goals for Playtesting:

● Is the NPC AI system fun to play against?
● Do any PC builds break the NPC AI system? (especially curious about controller builds
and drone builds)
○ And by “break the AI system” I mean stop the NPCs from putting up a credible
threat and/or make them not fun or interesting to play against
○ Are there any situations where the NPCs stop taking meaningful actions?
● Is the NPC AI system easy and intuitive to use when running a solo combat?

NPC AI System
The NPC AI system is meant to be quick and intuitive for a solo player to use, which means the
NPCs will often make sub-optimal choices and they are partially predictable. The goal is to
account for this in the balance of the module’s encounters, giving the NPCs enough raw
firepower to overwhelm you, and requiring superior tactics to outmaneuver and defeat them. It’s
also meant to let you learn their behaviors and get better at predicting their next move and
exploiting their weaknesses.

First, let’s cover the order in which NPCs activate.

NPC Activation Deck
NOTE: NPC activations work very differently from typical Lancer play. Please read
carefully.

Each NPC in the test missions has an AI card, these are intended to be printed and cut out, but
they don’t need to be perfect and can be printed on regular paper. For each combat encounter
you will be told which cards to pick, these should be shuffled face down to form the NPC
activation deck. At the start of each round, deal them out face-up in a row from left to right. This
is the NPC activation order for the current round.

Why face-up? So you can see which NPCs will act first and plan your turns accordingly.

At the start of each round, you will activate one of the PC mechs, as normal. However, when the
first PC’s turn is finished, you will then activate two NPCs, starting from the left of the row of
NPC AI cards and moving to the right. Repeat this after each PC turn, activating two more
NPCs, until every character has had all of their activations.

So for example, if you have 5 NPCs and 3 PCs, one PC will take the first turn, then two NPCs
will activate, followed by the second PC turn and then two more NPCs, and then the final PC
turn is followed by the fifth NPC. Any remaining NPCs activate after the final PC turn. It is
recommended that you flip NPC cards face down once you have activated them, as a visual
reminder of which NPCs have already taken a turn.

To start a new round, shuffle all the cards in the NPC activation deck and once again deal them
out face-up, in a row. Then pick a PC to activate first, and follow all these instructions again.

When an NPC is destroyed, remove their card from the NPC activation deck. This can cause
NPCs who were later in the order to act sooner. If reinforcements arrive, add their card to the
NPC activation deck at the start of the round and then shuffle as normal.

Each combat encounter will generally have the PCs severely outnumbered, so you’ll
need to exploit their sub-optimal choices and lack of coordination if you want to win.

Just as in normal Lancer, each mission has a victory condition and/or a time limit, as well as one
or more defeat conditions to be avoided. Check for this at the end of each round.

NOTE: If there are any NPCs with the Elite or Ultra template, don’t shuffle them in with the
rest of the NPC activation deck. Instead, these NPCs are automatically placed first in the
activation order, so they will take their first turn after the first PC turn. Then, instead of
being flipped face down, move their card so that they will activate again after the second
PC turn. Other NPC cards will move down the activation order, and you will still only
activate two NPCs after each PC turn as normal. If there are two Elite/Ultra NPCs this
means that they will both activate after the first PC turn, and then both activate again
after the second PC turn. If there are three or more Elite/Ultra NPCs… everything breaks,
so don’t do that.

NPC Turns
NPC turns follow this order:
1. Roll a d6 to determine the NPC’s Focus and Ideal Range according to its AI card
2. Once you have determined the NPC’s Focus, decide its destination based on the list of
movement criteria
3. Check if the NPC is Engaged with their Focus
a. If they are Engaged, some NPCs will ram and move, others make a melee attack
b. If not, proceed with the rest of the NPC’s turn
4. Is NPC in Ideal Range?
a. No - Move, Supporting Action, then Attack
b. Yes - Supporting Action then Attack, then Move ignoring ideal range

The rules for choosing a Focus, determining movement destinations, Supporting actions, and
everything else will be covered in detail in the rest of this section. Additionally, there is an NPC
AI Quick Reference table after the detailed explanations.

Each time an NPC activates, look at its AI card to determine how it takes its turn. An AI card has
several pieces of information, and these all modify the standard AI behaviors. Again, the goal is
to make the NPC turns quick and intuitive. In the case of ambiguity, pick two options and roll a
d6 to decide, picking the first option if you roll a 1-3 and the second option if you roll 4-6.

Each AI card lists the NPC’s type, and they may include an identifier (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc.)
which is used for encounters that have more than one of the same NPC type. After that, the AI
card will list Optionals which is any optional systems or weapons the NPC has equipped.

NOTE: For this playtest, NPC optional systems are standardized, so any Assault that
appears in any of these test encounters will always have the Underslung Grenade
Launcher optional system. Templates may be applied to NPCs by each encounter
individually, but at the moment the only templates used are Grunt, Veteran, and Elite, and
they do not add any optional features.

NPCs that have reactions other than Overwatch will have a Reactions section on their AI card
to tell you when to use each reaction. Lastly, the AI card may say Special which includes any
rules changes or other tweaks to NPC behavior that are unique to that NPC.

NPC Focus and Movement Rules

NPCs always start their turn by determining their Focus. This is the PC that the NPC will attack
and use systems against during the NPC’s turn. Most AI cards instruct you to roll a d6 to
determine the NPC’s Focus criteria. One common focus is “Nearest PC”, which is the nearest
player-controlled character closest to the NPC by movement distance, not simply counting a
straight line to the target. You will also see “Farthest PC” which is the player-controlled
character that is the farthest distance away from the NPC, again based on movement distance
not just the number of hexes between the NPC and the target. You may see other criteria
such as “Highest Armor PC” or “Lowest HP PC” in which case the NPC will focus the PC that fits
the listed criteria. In the case of HP conditions, it is always based on current HP, not maximum.
If there is a tie between PCs for any of these criteria, choose the nearest PC, and if there is still
a tie, then decide randomly which PC becomes the NPC’s Focus.

For purposes of focusing, NPCs ignore any deployable that does not
have the Drone tag. If a Drone would be focused, roll 1d6. On a
result of 1-3, the Drone becomes the NPC’s focus. On a result of 4-6,
ignore all Drones and choose a mech as the NPC’s Focus according to
the original criteria. For example, in the first image on the right, if the
Ronin is trying to set the “Nearest PC” as its Focus, the GMS Turret
Drone is the nearest player controlled character. Because it is a Drone,
we roll a d6. On a 1-3, the Ronin would set the turret drone as its Focus.
On a 4-6, the Ronin instead ignores all Drones, and would set the
Sherman as its Focus as it is the nearest PC mech.

NOTE: NPC Focus checks are always measured based on

movement distance, which means you must measure around
obstructions to determine the total distance.

For example, in the image on the right, if the Ronin’s Focus is the
“Nearest PC” it will choose the Sherman. Even though the Nelson is
closer by direct measurement, the Ronin would need to move 6 spaces
to be adjacent to the Nelson, and only 5 spaces to be adjacent to the
Sherman. Regardless of the NPC’s Ideal Range, the distance to a
potential Focus is always how much movement would be required
to get adjacent to it. (In these examples, we are assuming the
obstacle is impassible, not something the NPC can climb over)

This calculation follows all the rules of movement, so difficult terrain

counts as 2 spaces, unless the NPC is capable of flight or otherwise
ignoring the extra movement cost. In the next image, the Sherman is
behind difficult terrain, so the Ronin would instead pick the Nelson as
the “Nearest PC” due to it requiring less movement to get adjacent to
the Nelson.

NOTE: This means creating areas of difficult terrain is an effective

way to manipulate AI behavior. Is it too easy to exploit? Let me
know!
Once the NPC has chosen its focus then the next step is to see the Ideal Range which is
determined by the AI card as well. Ideal Range is the distance they want to be from their target.
Sometimes this will be a specific range, like range 10, other times it will be a window of ranges,
such as range 6-8. When determining where NPCs move on their turns, they have a list of
criteria which is used to narrow down the range of valid spaces. Criteria listed first overrides the
criteria that is listed later, so an NPC will choose a destination that is in a Priority Zone even if it
offers them no cover and requires them to move a longer distance.

These criteria are, in order:

1. Locations within Ideal Range and Line of Sight of their Focus

2. Locations that are within Priority Zones
3. Locations which provide Hard Cover from their Focus or, if no Hard Cover is available,
locations that provide Soft Cover from their Focus
4. Locations from which their Focus does not have Hard Cover, and if possible, locations
from which their Focus does not have Soft Cover either
5. Moving the shortest possible distance

NOTE: If there are no valid spaces for an NPC to move to within Ideal Range, the NPC will
move as close it can to its Focus, following other movement criteria as able.

See the following two pages for more detailed examples of how NPC Focus and destination are
determined.
Example One
It is a Ronin’s turn. We roll a d6 for its AI card and get a 3. A result
of 3-4 says “Focus: Nearest PC | Ideal Range 2” so let’s look at the
map. In this example, the Ronin would need to move 6 spaces away
to be adjacent to the Sherman, but only 3 spaces to be adjacent to
the Nelson, so the Nelson counts as our “Nearest PC” and the
Ronin chooses the Nelson as its Focus.

The Ideal Range on the AI card is 2, which means the Ronin’s

primary goal with its movement is to reach a location that is within 2
spaces of its Focus, and has line of sight to its Focus. We are
assuming the obstacle here is impassible, so that leaves the Ronin
with the spaces marked by green stars as possible valid
destinations.

To narrow down the possible locations it could move to, we look at

each criteria on the movement list in order until there is only one
valid space remaining.

Its next condition is moving to spaces that are within Priority Zones,
these are defined as part of a combat encounter’s map, and some
NPCs have special instructions that they treat certain spaces as
Priority Zones. The Ronin does not have these instructions, and this
example map does not have any Priority Zones, so we move to the
next step.

NPCs want to move to a space that has Hard Cover or Soft Cover
from their Focus. NPCs also try to move to spaces which prevent
their Focus from having Hard Cover or Soft Cover. Even though the
Ronin is using a melee weapon which ignores cover, the NPC
behavior remains the same to make it easier for you to remember
all the criteria when choosing a destination.

Of the possible spaces we are considering, two of them offer the

Ronin soft cover from the Nelson. Since none of the possible
locations would provide the Nelson with cover from the Ronin’s
attacks, we have narrowed our possible choices down to two.

The last criteria is to move the shortest possible distance as long as

all other criteria are satisfied, so we select the nearest space as the
Ronin’s destination. If there are still multiple valid spaces after going
through all criteria in the list, choose one randomly.
Example Two
Let’s look at a more complex example. We have an Assault, who
rolled a 4 for its AI card, giving it a Focus of “Lowest HP PC” and an
Ideal Range of 4-6 spaces. There’s only one PC mech on the map,
so the Assault chooses the Nelson as its Focus.

First, we look at all locations that are within 4 to 6 spaces of the

Nelson and where the Assault has Line of Sight to the Nelson. This
leaves us with the marked spaces as possible movement choices.
We are still treating the obstacles as impassible, and they block line
of sight, which eliminates some of the upper hexes as valid
destinations.

Once again, the Assault has no instructions for Priority Zones, and
the example map has none to consider, so we move on to the next
step.

The next condition is choosing locations that offer Hard Cover from
their Focus, or Soft Cover if there is no Hard Cover available. There
is Hard Cover available, so we can reduce the possible locations to
just three that would grant the Assault Hard Cover from the Nelson.

After that, we look for a location where the Nelson does not have
cover from the Assault. If the Assault moves to the left or middle
location, the Nelson will have soft cover against the Assault’s attacks
due to the terrain features between them. The upper location offers
the Nelson no cover, and so we select that as the Assault’s
destination.

Once you have narrowed the destination down to one possible

space, you don’t need to check any further criteria.

You may have noticed the destination is 5 spaces away, but Assault
NPCs only have a speed of 4. That is okay, NPCs will pick a
destination regardless of its total distance and then do their best to
reach it. We’ll cover this in more detail in the Ideal Range and
Supporting Actions sections later on.
Example Three
Now let’s look at an example that uses Priority Zones. Priority Zones
are placed as part of the encounter SitRep, and are used to guide
NPC AI behavior toward the most important areas of a map. This is
partially to help prevent long-range NPCs from hiding in a corner and
force them closer, and also to make sure NPCs are playing the
objectives and contesting control zones. In this example, Priority
Zone hexes are purple.

Priority Zones are only considered when an NPC is planning where to

move, they do not affect how an NPC chooses its Focus. In this
example, on the Ronin’s turn it rolls a 5 for its individual behavior,
meaning its Focus is “Farthest PC” with an Ideal Range of 2. The
Ronin selects the Sherman as its Focus, since it would take 5
movement to be adjacent to the Sherman and only 3 to be adjacent
to the Nelson. With an Ideal Range of 2 we start by looking at every
space that is within range 2 of the Sherman and has line of sight.
These are marked with green stars.

The second criteria for determining destination is to look for spaces

within Priority Zones. In this example, there are only two spaces in
Priority Zones that are also within Ideal Range and have line of sight,
so we can limit further consideration to those two spaces.

The third criteria is looking for locations that provide hard cover from
the NPC’s Focus, or soft cover if no hard cover is available. However,
because we have already found locations in Priority Zones, the Ronin
will ignore the soft cover even though it’s right next to the Priority
Zone. The fourth criteria is looking for ways to prevent the NPC’s
Focus from benefiting from cover, and as the Sherman won’t have
any cover from either of the marked location, we can move to the final
criteria: moving the shortest possible distance.

Thus, the Ronin chooses the closest location in a Priority Zone as its
destination and moves there. Priority Zones on a map can greatly
simplify how an NPC moves, just remember to check for Ideal Range
and line of sight before looking for Priority Zones when determining
an NPC’s destination.
NPCs Starting their Turn Engaged
Once you have determined an NPC’s Focus and destination, we now check whether they are
currently Engaged with their Focus. If they are not, then their turn immediately proceeds to the
next section, NPC Ideal Range.

If they are currently Engaged with their Focus, then you need to check their Ideal Range. If the
NPC is within Ideal Range, that means they want to be Engaged, and their turn proceeds as
normal, see the next section for details.

However, if the NPC is Engaged with their Focus and not in Ideal Range, they do not want to be
that close. In this case, the NPC will immediately attempt to Ram their Focus to push the Focus
back 1 space. Regardless of whether or not the Ram succeeds, the NPC will then proceed with
the rest of their turn, as described in the next section. If the Ram fails, this most likely means the
NPC will provoke an Overwatch attack by moving.

NOTE: If an NPC starts its turn Engaged with a PC who is not their Focus, proceed as
normal. If the NPC is in Ideal Range of their Focus already, they will make ranged attacks
against their Focus with +1 difficulty due to being Engaged. If the NPC is not in Ideal
Range with their Focus, they will move to get in range and likely provoke an Overwatch
attack.

Ideal Range
Once you have checked for and resolved NPC Engagement, now we will determine if the NPC
is in Ideal Range. If they are, then they will take a Supporting Action, then Attack, and then at
the end of their turn, use their movement. End of turn movement follows slightly modified
movement rules, detailed in the relevant section.

If the NPC is not in Ideal Range, they will move according to the movement rules laid out earlier.
If an NPC uses all of its normal movement and has not reached its destination, it will use its
Supporting Action to Boost and attempt to get as close as possible to the destination. If it has
not reached its destination after Boosting, it will still Attack, following the standard Attack criteria.

Supporting Actions
If the NPC can reach its destination using only its standard movement, that means it has two
quick actions available. The NPC will first take what is referred to as its “supporting action”
before it attacks. An NPC’s supporting action is determined based on the following criteria, in
order. On an NPC’s turn, go through the list and take the first valid action possible.

1. If the NPC has not reached its destination

a. Take the Boost action to get closer
2. If the NPC has a specific Supporting Action on their AI card
 a. Perform that action if possible
3. If their Focus is within Sensors
a. Roll a d6. On a 1-3, Invade the Focus. On a 4-6, Lock On to the Focus (if the
Focus already has Lock On, Invade instead)
i. NPCs can take a Quick Tech action twice on their turns, retroactively
treating it like a Full Tech action
4. If their Focus is not within Sensors but another PC is
a. Roll a d6. On a 1-3, Invade the nearest PC. On a 4-6, Lock On to the nearest PC
(if the nearest PC already has Lock On, Invade instead)
5. If none of the above occurred
a. Hide if possible, otherwise do nothing with this action

Some AI cards list Supporting Action: followed by specific instructions for that NPC’s
Supporting Action. This may be as simple as “Lock On to the Focus or the closest valid PC
target” which means when this NPC is deciding what to do with its Supporting Action, it will
always choose to take the Lock On action, assuming at least one PC is within Sensors and
does not already have the Lock On condition. If it is not possible to take the listed Supporting
Actions, such as if the only PCs in range already have the Lock On condition, the NPC will
continue down the list of criteria until it finds a Supporting Action it can take, or until it has
exhausted all possible options and does nothing.

The AI cards may also mention reserving a full action, for example “If the Sniper’s
Anti-Materiel Rifle is unloaded, reserve a full action to stabilize.” Reserving a full action simply
means that, if the listed conditions are met, the NPC ignores its normal instructions for
Supporting Action and Attacking so that it can take the specified full action instead. Another
example is, “If the Assault starts its turn in Ideal Range, reserve a full action to Barrage with the
Underslung Grenade Launcher and Heavy Assault Rifle.” In this example, if the Assault as in
Ideal Range at the start of its turn, it will use a full action to Barrage instead of taking a
Supporting Action and Attacking normally.

NOTE: AI cards may also include a section labeled “Reactions:” to provide instructions
for when to use an NPC’s reactions. When in doubt, NPCs always use reactions the first
time the trigger conditions are met each round and never save them for later. This
includes Overwatch.

The reason NPCs are allowed to take a Quick Tech action twice is to avoid bloating the rules by
adding detailed instructions for when an NPC can’t attack anything but has valid targets within
its sensors. If an NPC uses its supporting action to Quick Tech, and then can’t attack and ends
up taking a second supporting action which is also a Quick Tech, this is functionally identical to
the NPC taking a Full Tech action, but it keeps the rules for the AI slightly simpler.

Attacking
Finally, the NPC will attack. There are a few rules about how NPCs attack, but these won’t
usually come into play for basic NPCs. The simple version is NPCs will attack with the strongest
base weapon or system (not an optional weapon/system and not from a template) they have
that is available to use. They prioritize the biggest number, so given a weapon that does 4
damage and a tech attack that inflicts 6 heat, the NPC would prioritize the tech attack.

In detail, the criteria for attacking are:

1. If Engaged with the NPC’s Focus, use a melee weapon or tech attack if possible
2. Use weapons or systems with the Loading or Recharge tags first
3. Use the option that inflicts the highest damage, heat, or burn
4. If the NPC’s Focus is not a valid target, attack the closest valid target
5. If there are no valid targets, take an additional Supporting Action

When it comes to area of effect attacks, lines must be targeted directly at the NPC’s Focus, with
the line passing through the center of the PC’s space. Cone attacks should be shifted to include
as many PC targets as possible, but must always include the NPC’s Focus in the area. The
same rules apply to blast weapons, try to hit as many PC targets as possible, but you must
include the NPC’s focus in the area.

With blast weapons, NPCs will try to avoid hitting themselves or other NPCs, but if the only way
to hit their focus involves friendly fire, they’ll do it. They will prioritize hitting multiple PCs over
avoiding friendly fire, so if they can hit two PCs at the cost of blowing themselves up, NPCs will
make that trade.

The priorities for targeting blast weapons are, in order:

1. NPC’s Focus must be in the area
2. Try to hit other PCs if possible
3. Try to avoid damaging self if possible
4. Try to avoid damaging other NPCs if possible

NOTE: NPCs always consume Lock On if they attack a target with Lock On unless
otherwise specified.

Some NPC attacks have knockback, in these cases you should move PCs hit by these attacks
directly away from the NPC. This might mean the PC doesn’t move the full distance, or may not
even move at all if an obstacle is directly behind them.

End of Turn Movement

If an NPC starts its turn in Ideal Range and has line of sight to its focus, then it will take a
Supporting Action, Attack, and use its movement at the end of its turn. End of Turn movement
follows all the normal criteria for NPC movement except that Ideal Range is ignored. So check
the following, in order:

1. Locations that are within Priority Zones

2. Locations which provide Hard Cover from their Focus or, if no Hard Cover is available,
locations that provide Soft Cover from their Focus
3. Locations from which their Focus does not have Hard Cover, and if possible, locations
from which their Focus does not have Soft Cover either
4. Moving the shortest possible distance
Basically, end of turn movement looks the same as normal movement, but it ignores Ideal
Range.

NPC Reactions
NPCs always use reactions when the first valid trigger occurs. This includes overwatch, as well
as any systems or other abilities an NPC has that are triggered as a reaction. In the case of
NPCs like Assaults and Ronins that have ways to mitigate damage as a reaction, you can use
lighter weapons to bait out their reactions before hitting them with something stronger.

When an NPC needs to make a choice such as the one in the Hacker 1 talent that forces an
NPC to choose between taking additional heat or being moved 3 spaces, roll a d6 to determine
what the NPC does, assigning the possibilities evenly. In this example where there are two
options, on a result of 1-3 choose the first option, on a result of 4-6 choose the second option. If
there were three possible choices, you would choose the first on a 1-2, the second on a 3-4,
and the third on a 5-6.

If you are in any other situation where an NPC needs to choose between multiple options with
no other way to break the tie, use this method to determine their decision randomly.
Test Mission
This test scenario includes three combat encounters. They are designed for a group of 3 to 5
PCs at LL3, with scaling options for each encounter’s enemy forces based on player count. I’ve
tested each encounter once and they didn’t immediately break, but that doesn’t mean they’re
perfect and you might run into issues depending on your party composition. If you do, feedback
is always appreciated.

The PCs should have a rest in between each encounter. The second encounter features a new
sitrep, Fire Alarm, which is explained in that encounter’s description.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of running 3 to 5 PCs solo, you can try the 2 PC
variant which is not well tested but can be a lot of fun.

Encounters:
1. Encounter One - Gauntlet
○ Break into a missile launch facility through the front doors
2. Encounter Two - Fire Alarm (New Sitrep)
○ Disarm missiles as they prepare to launch from their silos
3. Encounter Three - Escort
○ Extract the NHP being used as a missile guidance system (and yourselves)
Encounter One - Gauntlet
SITREP: Gauntlet Map Size: 30x20 Spaces
Summary: Break into the secured bunker so we can access silo coordinates and stop the
launch.
Enemy Forces for 3 PCs: 1x Assault, 1x Ronin, 1x Rainmaker, 1x Aegis
Reinforcements:
Start of Round 3 - 1x Witch, 1x Assault
Start of Round 5 - 3x Sentinel Grunt (NOTE: Grunts activate as a group. When the Sentinel
AI card activates, roll one d6 and apply the same Focus and Ideal Range to both grunts)

(4 PCs: Add 1x Scout to starting forces, add 1x Sentinel Grunt on Round 5)

(5 PCs: As 4 PCs, and add 1x Veteran Hive [+1 Accuracy on Agility] to starting forces)
(When adding reinforcements, roll a d6 for each NPC. On a 1-3: spawn in the top Ingress Zone,
on a 4-6: spawn in the bottom Ingress Zone. Place NPCs in spaces within the Ingress Zone that
are closest to the objective zone.)

Objective: Both PC mechs in the objective zone at the end of round 6, 1 or 0 NPC mechs in the
objective zone at the end of round 6.

NOTE: Objective Zones in this encounter are also considered Priority Zones by all NPCs.
Some NPCs have special interactions with Objective Zones.
Encounter Two - Fire Alarm
SITREP: Fire Alarm Map Size: 30x20 Spaces
Summary: Sabotage all four missiles by the end of Round 6. Allow no missiles to launch.
Enemy Forces for 3 PCs: 2x Scourer, 1x Bastion, 1x Assassin
Reinforcements:
Start of Round 3 - 1x Scout Grunt, 1x Sniper
Start of Round 5 - 1x Witch Grunt, 1x Sentinel

(4 PCs: Add 1x Barricade to starting forces)

(5 PCs: As 4 PCs, and add Elite template to the Assassin)
(When adding reinforcements, roll a d6 for each NPC. On a 1-3: spawn in the top Ingress Zone,
on a 4-6: spawn in the bottom Ingress Zone)

Objective: At the start of Round 2, and every round after that, a missile silo activates. Each silo
is a numbered Objective Zone on the map, and they open in numerical order, starting with silo
1. Missile silos must be sabotaged by the end of the round after they open (so silo 1 opens at
the start of round 2 and must be sabotaged by the end of round 3, while silo 4 opens at the start
of round 5 and must be sabotaged by the end of round 6).

Missiles can only be sabotaged once their silo is open. The only way to sabotage them is by
successfully hitting E-Defense 8 with an Invade action. Attacking them any other way, including
area effects, causes them to detonate and the mission is a failure. NPC attacks never hit
missiles, even if the attack’s area includes the missile silo.
Encounter Three - Escort
SITREP: Escort Map Size: 30x20 Spaces
Summary: Get the NHP casket (objective) into the objective zone by the end of Round 8.
Enemy Forces for 3 PCs: Barricade x1, Pyro x1, Priest x1, Assault x1, Rainmaker x1
Reinforcements:
Start of Round 3 - 1x Pyro
Start of Round 5 - 2x Assault
Start of Round 7 - 2x Sniper Grunt (NOTE: Grunts activate as a group. When the Sniper AI
card activates, roll one d6 and apply the same Focus and Ideal Range to both grunts)

(4 PCs: Add 1x Assault to starting forces, add 1x Sniper Grunt to round 7 reinforcements)
(5 PCs: As 4 PCs, and add Elite template to Rainmaker)
(When adding reinforcements, roll a d6 for each NPC. On a 1-3: spawn in the top Ingress Zone,
on a 4-6: spawn in the bottom Ingress Zone)

As per standard escort rules, the NHP casket is a Size 1 object with 10 HP, Evasion 10,
E-Defense 10, no Armor. The objective moves with an adjacent character on their standard
move only, not when they Boost or are moved by any other means. If the objective is adjacent to
a PC and NPC it stops moving and can’t move until it is adjacent to only PCs or NPCs, and not
both. Players decide where to place the objective in the Player Start area.

NOTE: All spaces adjacent to the mission objective are considered Priority Zones by all
NPCs at all times.
Building your Own Missions (Or Adapting Existing
Ones) [WIP]
So maybe you’ve read through all this and you’re thinking “I want to play Solstice Rain or No
Room for a Wallflower solo!” That’s what this section is here to help you with.

The most important thing to design is the NPC AI cards, to make sure that they use their
optional systems and any features from templates from they might have. Things to check when
creating NPC AI cards:
● Does their Ideal Range let them use all their weapons and/or tech attacks? If a new
system has a shorter or longer range than their usual options, you may need to adjust
their Ideal Range
● Do their supporting action rules allow them to use all of their weapons and systems at
roughly the appropriate times? Even those that require a full action?

[WIP]
Variant - Two PC Mode (Not well tested!)
If you want to play Lancer solo, but the thought of running three or more player mechs is too
daunting, you can try this variant. It should be said that Lancer does not work well with 2
players, the game is meant for groups of 3 to 5 players, and this variant is merely a reasonably
functional way to make 2 players passable.

Create two players following the normal rules, then apply the following bonuses to each
character’s mech:
● Your mech gains +5 HP.
● You can take two separate turns in each round, however you may not take a second turn
until all PCs have taken their first turn this round.
○ If only one PC remains alive, this rule no longer applies.
● Abilities that are limited to 1/round are refreshed at the start of each of your activations,
and as such may be used up to 2/round. This includes reactions.
● You roll all structure and overheating checks twice and choose either result.
● Once per scene, you may clear one condition at the start of your turn.
● When determining control of objectives, you count as two characters.

Set up and run all encounters as if you had 4 PCs.

You may have noticed these features are very similar to the Ultra template for NPCs! That is not
a coincidence. This increases the power of two mechs to make them roughly on-par with a party
of four players, however they will lack versatility and you are strongly encouraged to make
generalist characters that can both do decent damage. If you build two specialists you may find
some encounters are unwinnable simply because you lack the tools to deal with their unique
challenges.

In particular, control and recon sitreps might be impossible unless you modify the scoring
conditions or set up the enemy forces as if you had 3 PCs instead of 4.

You could theoretically double these bonuses and play with one super-powered PC, but I’m
pretty sure that would break every sitrep and generally be a poor experience. If you try it, let me
know!

If you really want to get wild, you could double the bonuses and run a single mech, but that’s
going to make a lot of sitreps impossible to win. Could be fun to feel like you’re the boss battle,
though.
Reference Sheets
The following pages have reference sheets and the AI cards for you to print and refer to if you’re
doing a physical playtest. If you’re running a digital playtest, you can open this document in
multiple windows/tabs for ease of access to the references.
NPC AI Quick Reference
NPC Turn Actions:
1 - Choose Focus based on AI card
2 - Is the Focus a Drone?
Yes - Roll 1d6
1-3 | Focus the Drone
4-6 | Ignore Drones, Focus a mech
3 - Determine movement destination
4 - Is the NPC Engaged with their Focus?
Yes - Is the NPC in Ideal Range?
Yes - Attack
No - Ram, then is NPC still Engaged?
Yes - Attack with a melee weapon if
possible, otherwise go to next step
No - Go to next step
No - Go to next step
5 - Is NPC in Ideal Range?
No - Move, Supporting Action, then Attack
Yes - Supporting Action then Attack, then
Move ignoring ideal range
Supporting Actions:
1 - Is the NPC in Ideal Range?
Yes - Go to next step
No - Boost to get within range
2 - Does the NPC have a specific Supporting
Action on their AI card?
Yes - Perform that Action if possible
No - Go to next step
3 - Is their Focus within Sensors?
Yes - Roll 1d6
1-3 | Invade
4-6 | Lock On (or Invade if target already
has Lock On)
No - Go to next step
4 - None of the Above?
Yes - Hide if possible, otherwise do nothing
Current NPC totals:
Strikers - 4 (Assassin, Assault, Ronin, Scourer)
Artillery - 3 (Operator, Rainmaker, Sniper)
Defenders - 4 (Aegis, Bastion, Pyro, Sentinel)
Controllers - 3 (Barricade, Hive, Witch)
Support - 2 (Priest, Scout)
NPC movement criteria:
1 - Moving to a space that is within Ideal
Range and Line of Sight of the Focus
2 - Moving to a space in a Priority Zone
3 - Moving to a space that has Hard Cover
from their Focus, or Soft Cover
4 - Moving so that their Focus has no Hard
Cover, or no Soft Cover
5 - Moving the shortest possible distance
NPC Attack criteria:
1 - Attack with Base Weapons only unless the
NPCs AI card says otherwise
2 - If Engaged, use a melee weapon
3 - Use Loading or Recharge weapons first
4 - Use the highest damage/heat/burn option
available
5 - If the Focus is not a valid target, attack
any other valid target.
6 - If there are no valid targets, take an
additional Supporting Action.
Exceptions:
1 - Is the NPC under a condition or effect that
prevents it from moving or taking normal
actions?
Yes - Use all available actions to attempt to
recover from the condition or effect. Or, if the
source is a drone or deployable, attack that
drone or deployable.
NPC AI Cards Page 1
ASSAULT - RANGED
Optionals: Underslung Grenade Launcher
Reactions: Use Hunker Down the first time
the Assault is hit by an attack each round.
Supporting Action: If the Assault starts its
turn in Ideal Range, reserve a full action to
Barrage with its Assault Rifle and Underslung
Grenade Launcher.
Individual Behavior:
1-2 | Focus: Farthest PC | Ideal Range: 8-10
3-4 | Focus: Lowest HP PC | Ideal Range: 4-6
5-6 | Focus: Nearest PC | Ideal Range: 6-8
SNIPER - RANGED
Optionals: Moving Target
Reactions: Using Moving Target on the first
valid triggering movement each round.
Supporting Action: If Anti-Materiel Rifle is
loaded, delay this action until after attacking.
If Anti-Materiel Rifle is unloaded, reserve this
action to stabilize.
If the sniper can’t attack due to moving,
reserve a full action for Sniper’s Mark on the
sniper’s Focus.
Individual Behavior:
1-2 | Focus: Most HP PC | Ideal Range:
10-20
3-4 | Focus: Least HP PC | Ideal Range:
10-20
5-6 | Focus: Nearest PC | Ideal Range: 10-20
BASTION - RANGED
Special: Once active, Friendly Interdiction
always applies to all NPCs adjacent to the
Bastion, even if they were not adjacent when
the ability was used.
The Bastion treats spaces adjacent to other
NPCs as priority zones for its own movement.
Supporting Action: If Rotary Grenade
Launcher is unloaded, reserve a full action to
stabilize.
Individual Behavior:
1-2 | Focus: Nearest PC | Ideal Range: 4-6
3-4 | Focus: Nearest PC | Ideal Range: 6-8
5-6 | Focus: Nearest PC | Ideal Range: 1
WITCH - TECH
Special: When the Witch uses a tech attack,
pick the first available system in this order:
Predatory Logic, Blind, Tear Down, Invade.
Only use Predatory Logic if the Focus has
another PC within range of at least one
weapon.
Supporting Action: If the Witch is in Ideal
Range, reserve a full action to use a Full
Tech.
When the Witch takes the Full Tech action,
target a different PC with each tech attack if
possible.
Individual Behavior:
1-2 | Focus: Lowest Heat Cap PC | Ideal
Range: 8-12
3-4 | Focus: Lowest E-Defense PC | Ideal
Range: 12-15
5-6 | Focus: Farthest PC | Ideal Range: 8-15
NPC AI Cards Page 2
RAINMAKER - RANGED
Optionals: Endless Rain
Special: The rainmaker ignores line of sight
when determining where to move.
When attacking with Missile Pods, target as
many PCs as possible, prioritizing mechs
first, then drones.
Supporting Action: Use Javelin Rockets,
placing one directly behind each PC mech
the Rainmaker has line of sight to (so that if
the PC mech is knocked back by the
rainmaker, it will move them into the Javelin
Rocket space). Then place the remaining
rockets evenly in spaces adjacent to PC
mechs.
Individual Behavior:
1-2 | Focus: Lowest HP PC | Ideal Range:
12-20
3-4 | Focus: Farthest PC | Ideal Range: 12-20
5-6 | Focus: Highest Max HP PC | Ideal
Range: 12-20
RONIN - MELEE
Optionals: Chaff Launcher
Reactions: Use Rebound the first time a
ranged attack hits the Ronin each round.
Individual Behavior:
1-2 | Focus: Lowest HP PC | Ideal Range: 2
3-4 | Focus: Nearest PC | Ideal Range: 2
5-6 | Focus: Farthest PC | Ideal Range: 2
SCOUT - RANGED
Optionals: Spotter
Special: The Scout treats spaces adjacent to
other NPCs as priority zones for its own
movement.
Supporting Action: If multiple PCs are
within range 5, reserve this action for
Rebound Scan. Otherwise, use Cloaking
Field while within 3 spaces of another NPC.
Individual Behavior:
1-2 | Focus: Highest Evasion PC | Ideal
Range: 1-15
3-4 | Focus: Highest Armor PC | Ideal Range:
1-15
5-6 | Focus: Nearest PC | Ideal Range: 1-15
SENTINEL - MELEE
Special: The Sentinel treats spaces adjacent
to other NPCs as priority zones for its own
movement.
Supporting Action: If the Sentinel starts its
turn in Ideal Range, activate Eye of Midnight.
If it starts its turn outside Ideal Range,
deactivate Eye of Midnight.
Individual Behavior:
1-2 | Focus: Farthest PC | Ideal Range: 1-3
3-4 | Focus: Highest Max HP PC | Ideal
Range: 1-3
5-6 | Focus: Highest Evasion PC | Ideal
Range: 1-3
NPC AI Cards Page 3
PYRO - MELEE PRIEST - TECH
Optionals: Siege Armor Special: The Priest treats all spaces within
range 3 of allied NPCs as priority zones for its
Special: At the end of its turn, the Pyro uses own movement.
Firebreak Shield, starting the line in the space
adjacent to it that is closest to a PC mech. Supporting Action: If Dispersal Shield is
available, use it on the highest HP NPC
Supporting Action: If the Pyro starts its turn within sensors. Otherwise, use Investiture on
in the danger zone, it treats its Ideal Range the nearest NPC within range 5.
as 1 and if it is in Ideal Range at the start of
its turn, or after normal movement, it uses a Individual Behavior:
full action for Explosive Vent. 1-2 | Focus: Lowest Heat Cap PC | Ideal
Range: 4-10
Individual Behavior:
1-3 | Focus: PC with Burn | Ideal Range: 2-4 3-4 | Focus: Lowest E-Defense PC | Ideal
Range: 4-10
4-6 | Focus: Nearest PC | Ideal Range: 2-4
5-6 | Focus: Nearest PC | Ideal Range: 4-10

HIVE - RANGED SCOURER - RANGED

Optionals: Motile Swarm Optionals: Melt

Special: At the start of the Hive’s turn, use Special: Remember, if an NPC has no valid
Motile Swarm to move all razor swarms 2 choices for its Focus, it defaults to choosing
spaces toward the PC nearest to the swarm. the closest PC.

Supporting Action: If Razor Swarm is Supporting Action: If there is a Drone or

available, deploy a razor swarm centered on
the objective zone closest to a PC, or the
next closest objective zone that does not
already have a razor swarm overlapping it.
Otherwise, use Drone Barrage on the nearest
PC. If the target of Drone Barrage chooses to
move, move them directly away from the
nearest objective zone.
Individual Behavior:
1-3 | Focus: PC with Burn | Ideal Range: 4-8
Deployable within range 10, target the closest
one with Melt.
Individual Behavior:
1-3 | Focus: PC hit with Thermal Lance last
round | Ideal Range: 3-6
4-6 | Focus: PC hit with Thermal Lance last
round | Ideal Range: 6-8

4-6 | Focus: Highest armor PC | Ideal Range:

4-8
NPC AI Cards Page 4
AEGIS - RANGED
Optionals: Guardian
Special: The Aegis treats spaces adjacent to
other NPCs as Priority Zones for its own
movement.
When Defense Net is active, all other NPCs
treat spaces within range 3 of the Aegis as
Priority Zones.
Supporting Action: If Defense Net is not
active, and it is available to use, and there is
at least one NPC within range 3 of the Aegis,
reserve a full action to activate Defense Net.
If Defense Net is active and the Aegis has no
NPCs within range 3 at the start of its turn,
deactivate Defense Net.
Individual Behavior:
1-3 | Focus: Nearest PC | Ideal Range: 4-8
4-6 | Focus: Lowest HP PC | Ideal Range: 4-8
BARRICADE - RANGED
Optionals: Drag Down
Special: If the Barricade starts its turn
without hard cover, use Mobile Printer and
place the Size 2 cube in the empty spaces
closest to the nearest PC.
Supporting Action: If any PC mech is within
sensors, use Drag Down on the nearest PC
mech.
Individual Behavior:
1-3 | Focus: Nearest PC | Ideal Range: 3-10
4-6 | Focus: Highest Speed PC | Ideal Range:
3-10
OPERATOR - RANGED
Optionals: Nova Missiles
Special: While the Operator has Step
available to use roll a d6 at the start of its
turn. On a 4-6, the Operator uses Step to
travel the farthest possible distance to a valid
location, obeying all standard movement
criteria except moving the shortest possible
distance. On a 1-3, it takes its turn normally.
Supporting Action: If the Operator is within
Range 15 of its Focus, reserve a full action to
Barrage with Raptor Plasma Rifle and Nova
Missiles.
Individual Behavior:
1-3 | Focus: Highest Evasion PC | Ideal
Range: 5-15
4-6 | Focus: Lowest HP PC | Ideal Range:
5-15
ASSASSIN - MELEE
Optionals: Spinning Kick
Special: If a PC has Assassin’s Mark, always
choose that PC as its Focus. The Assassin
ignores difficult terrain when determining its
movement destination.
Supporting Action: If the Assassin has not
used Assassin’s Mark, use Assassin’s Mark
on its Focus.
If the Assassin is not in Ideal Range but is
within 6 spaces of its Focus, use Leap to
move to a space adjacent to its Focus.
If the Assassin starts its turn Engaged with its
Focus, use Spinning Kick.
Individual Behavior:
1-3 | Focus: Lowest Evasion PC | Ideal
Range: 1-2
4-6 | Focus: Lowest HP PC | Ideal Range: 1-2
NPC AI Cards Page 5
Name Name
Optionals: Optionals:

Special: Special:

Reactions: Reactions:

Supporting Action: Supporting Action:

Individual Behavior: Individual Behavior:

1-2 | Focus: | Ideal Range: 1-2 | Focus: | Ideal Range:

3-4 | Focus: | Ideal Range: 3-4 | Focus: | Ideal Range:

5-6 | Focus: | Ideal Range: 5-6 | Focus: | Ideal Range:

Name Name
Optionals: Optionals:

Special: Special:

Reactions: Reactions:

Supporting Action: Supporting Action:

Individual Behavior: Individual Behavior:

1-2 | Focus: | Ideal Range: 1-2 | Focus: | Ideal Range:

3-4 | Focus: | Ideal Range: 3-4 | Focus: | Ideal Range:

5-6 | Focus: | Ideal Range: 5-6 | Focus: | Ideal Range:

Blank NPC AI Cards
Name Name
Optionals: Optionals:

Special: Special:

Reactions: Reactions:

Supporting Action: Supporting Action:

Individual Behavior: Individual Behavior:

1-2 | Focus: | Ideal Range: 1-2 | Focus: | Ideal Range:

3-4 | Focus: | Ideal Range: 3-4 | Focus: | Ideal Range:

5-6 | Focus: | Ideal Range: 5-6 | Focus: | Ideal Range:

Name Name
Optionals: Optionals:

Special: Special:

Reactions: Reactions:

Supporting Action: Supporting Action:

Individual Behavior: Individual Behavior:

1-2 | Focus: | Ideal Range: 1-2 | Focus: | Ideal Range:

3-4 | Focus: | Ideal Range: 3-4 | Focus: | Ideal Range:

5-6 | Focus: | Ideal Range: 5-6 | Focus: | Ideal Range:

FAQ
How do I resolve NPC abilities that have Knockback?
Move PCs directly away from the NPC, even if this means the PC hits an obstacle and moves
less than the maximum distance, or does not move at all.

Targeting NPC Blast weapons

Blast weapons should be targeted to maximize the number of PCs hit, then prioritize fewest PCs
getting hard cover, then fewest PCs getting soft cover.

What happens if an NPC can “only draw line of sight to adjacent spaces” but its Ideal Range is
longer than 1 space away from its Focus?
Follow the general rule of “if there are no valid spaces to move to, the NPC will move ignoring
Ideal Range” which means the NPC will try to move to within 1 space of its Focus to get line of
sight.

What do I do if a PC ability gives an NPC a choice, like with the Hacker 1 talent?
For Hacker 1 and similar situations that say “the target must either A or B”, roll a d6: on a result
of 1-3, choose A; on a result of 4-6 choose B. If a choice normally be made by the GM isn’t
covered by the NPC AI rules, choose randomly using a d6, if possible.
Feedback Form
Thanks for testing out the NPC AI system! If you have feedback I’d love to hear it. You can ping
me at Traikan#9999 on the Pilot NET Discord or submit your feedback anonymously through the
feedback form: https://forms.gle/hmrKia6tAAj5WK7d7
Changelog
v0.1 - Initial Playtest

v0.2 - Changes to optimize for co-op play and parties of 3-5 player mechs
● NPC activation is still randomized, however instead of half the NPCs (rounded up)
activating after each PC turn it is now two NPCs activate after each PC turn.
● Elites and Ultras have their AI cards kept separately from the standard deck and instead
take their first turn after the first PC turn, and their second turn after the second PC turn,
pushing the rest of the NPCs back. This will cause issues in encounters with more than
two Elite/Ultra NPCs so for now don’t do that
● Re-balanced test encounters to be part of a single mission for a group of three to five
LL3 characters
● Added 2 PC variant for running with just two player mechs (needs testing)
● Added 4 new NPC AI cards (Operator, Barricade, Aegis, Assassin) and started
experimenting with AI cards for Ultras and other enemies with lots of features/abilities
Notes for Potential Changes
Add a default attack type to NPCs: ranged, melee, or tech?

Rules for NPCs taking the stabilize action when exposed? Should they ever?

NPC movement rules for avoiding engagement? Maybe just “avoid difficulty on attacks”?

Adjust Javelin Rockets criteria again

Re-write Hive Razor Swarm criteria, it’s not working

What do NPCs do when Jammed until end of turn?

Change ram criteria?