Rules Changelog

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This is where all rules edits are tracked

23/02/2020 - Major Rules Updates

The best way to comprehend these changes is to re-read the relevant sections of the rules as these bullet points are only summaries.

Combat and Endurance Rules
  • The Combat and Endurance Rules have been updated to remove all wound conditions and create a simpler and more traditional combat flow - you now treat endurance as "hits" in a traditional sense and when you run out of them you become Bleeding or Subdued depending on how you are attacked.
  • Uncalled Melee no longer has a mechanical effect on anyone, you need to purchase the Assault Weapons trait to be able to inflict damage in a melee or have an artefact.
  • Reloading is now required every time you fire off ten shots with a weapon, it doesn't necessarily need to be 'reloading' but can be cooling a weapon and so on.
  • Due to some near-misses we have felt it necessary to codify that solid pistols and props should NOT be wielded in melee and that ever effort for safe combat should be taken.
  • Second Wind has been added as an ability that allows you to duck out of a fight to recuperate some hits.
  • Maimed has been added as a condition that shuts down effects that get people instantly to their feet.
Resources

All resources bar Willpower and Endurance have been merged into the singular abstract Supplies these can be traded with other characters as well as powering individual abilities. Wanna give your precious chems supplies away to NPC Gangers in order to bribe them Alchemists? Well now you can...

Calls
  • A section has been added talking about the difference between PC and NPC reactions to calls in order to allow people to make a better judgement about their trait and weapon choices. Examples have been added to each call for generic NPC types and their reactions to calls.
  • All mentions of previous injury states have been removed.
  • Bolt has returned from the 1.0 rules offering the iconic setting weapon a place above others.
  • Rend now does 2 damage and a crippling effect.
  • Shock is no longer nonlethal unless you fight to Subdue someone using the I'm taking you in, alive! cue.
  • Null has had its effect on Psykers ratified.
  • Warp Bolt has been removed
  • Warp no longer bypasses Endurance
  • Dakka now refers to being 'one meter' from cover to make it about distance from cover rather than speed of movement which we feel will be better for not penalising players with movement issues.
  • I'm taking you, alive! has now been added, this triggers a PC or NPC to know they are being struck with nonlethal damage.
Alchemistry

Combat Drugs have been removed from Medicae's as this allowed an incredibly cheap way to access something chem-troopers had to pay an entire trait for and had no medical applications.

Traits
Wargear Traits
  • Wargear Traits have been overhauled to remove the Ammo resource which no longer exists, this is mostly to accommodate the changes to combat. They now rely more heavily on the Ammo Jack trait.
  • All traits bar Plasma/Melta and Power Weapons traits have had their prerequisites removed.
  • Plasma/Melta and Power Weapons no longer have quirk decks and now have overheating on Plasma/Melta and nothing on Power.
  • Trade Connections, now grants you additional Supplies in addition to its other benefits.
Endurance Traits
  • Veteran Warrior has had several subtraits updated to correct them to the new combat system
    • Grit it Out now allows bleeding characters with the Maimed condition to remove that condition while bleeding out, enabling them to be affected by calls that will help them recover.
    • Second Wind has become True Grit and now makes a lovely companion to Grit it Out
    • I Like These Odds and Victory Momentum now trigger a -for the scene- endurance boost if you accomplish their trigger - this means when you trigger them your endurance is boosted by two FOR THE SCENE which means tanks get tankier from hitting things or being outnumbered.
  • Unnatural has had several subtraits updated to correct them to the new combat system as well as;
    • Ironskin now makes you immune to the RP effect of Rend (but not Bolt) and grants immunity to Maimed condition (you're too tough to keep down if someone helps you out).
    • Supernatural Reflexes has been upped to three times per scene in line with what it offered before.
  • Militant has been adjusted to remove previous references to Grisly injuries, it now also confers resistance to Rend.
  • Power Armour has been adjusted to remove old wound state references, it has also been updated to note it is -not- immune to the effects of Bolt (given these weapons were designed to kill people in power armour and player power armour is the lighter end of the spectrum). And it allows you to do damage with normally ineffective melee weapons as well as carry heavy weapons.
Willpower Traits

No changes except for Flagellant

  • Flagellant has been strengthened a little to allow it's bezerk rage to require a rest period after it is used before it can be used again. It has also been freed from certain economies.
Expertise Traits

Where necessary everything has been updated to mention Supplies or remove mention of old traits.

  • Chem Trooper has been freed from Chems and returned to something closer to what it used to be in 1.0 now requiring you to have a ten minute rest after activating your berserker rages - but also granting you the ability to dodge bullets while in them. You also are just constantly on drugs allowing you to use even the smallest knife to devastating effect, and smash people with Repel
  • Ammo Jack has been updated given its role as a support character for gun users.
Bionic Traits

Some rules tidied to remove mention of non-existent conditions, and mention of Chems to now become 'Supplies'.

Outsider Traits

Some rules tidied to remove mention of non-existent conditions

Psychic Powers

The Psychic Powers section has been moved into its own section and rules for Willpower drained psykers have been added.

01/06/2020 - Major Rules Updates

The best way to comprehend these changes is to re-read the relevant sections of the rules as these bullet points are only summaries.

Endurance, Injury and Medicae Rules
  • Endurance and Injury have been updated with the conditions Staggered and Wounded being removed from the rules entirely - Staggered was intended to provide a ‘video game’ esque moment of being shaken and about to die rather than death but it didn’t work. To this end the state has been merged with Wounded to create a new state Shaken which combines elements of the both of them. Quick Time Moments have been removed.
  • The Largest Update has been to the Endurance resource, after five years of this being on ‘per scene’ refreshes we have decided it is no longer doing its job and is preventing characters from getting worn down even when players are. You are now required to Recuperate (a ten minute rest) before your Endurance recovers to full, meaning in situations where you are not finding a chance to take a rest you will find yourself losing the ability to recover above half as GiT’s run low.
  • Grisly Injuries have been introduced as a consequence of being struck with the call Rend as part of the general rules update, these are a status condition that makes the character vulnerable - they clear if a character becomes Grievously Wounded, in that they become part of the general mess making you Grievously Wounded.
  • Grievously Wounded has been kept with the same name so it doesn’t cause weird dissonance between people describing themselves as having been wounded, and the mechanical status.

Scars have been reworked. The reason for requesting them in advance from players was only simply to encourage planning rather than cause stress and confusion but has failed to do so, Scars have been re-written and clarified and will have a separate page of ‘example scars’ so that people have a quick reference list of examples. Otherwise they will be something you agree with a member of the Game Team at an event.

  • The condition Normal has been changed to Fine. This enables characters to respond to IC checks of ‘How are you?’ with ‘I’m Fine/Shaken/Grievously Wounded’ or ‘I’ve got a grisly injury’ without breaking immersion.
  • The Medical Rules rules have been rewritten to try and get their flow working better ‘Complication Checks’ have been replaced with Triage Checks and the system has been reworked a little (mostly a reskin) to follow a more immersive medical narrative using triage cards as inspiration.
  • With the introduction of changes to conditions. The time taken (for the added risk of causing a complication) to get someone on their feet who has been Shaken to them has been clarified to 20s making it more efficient to do then letting people recover from Shaken but with the risk of complications to compensate that it is resource-free and unlimited unlike sources of Get it Together.
Changes to Resources
  • Grenades have been removed as a resource, and from basic builds, all characters will now spend Ammunition on these to reduce numbers bloat.
  • Chems have been revised as a resource to make it clear that when you unlock access to chems through an appropriate route you gain Five Chems and these do not stack together you get five to spend to use all your abilities before they run out.
  • As a note both Chems and Ammo numbers (5 regardless of what you have) are subject to change and something we are actively playtesting we may change the maximum pool of these resources based on feedback in the future if we feel that players are running out faster than they should..
  • All other resources have been revised mostly in small ways to increase clarity but also to incorporate certain new risks like the chance of getting ‘dodgy ammo’ effects from a ‘bad’ ammo dump.
  • Willpower has changed as noted beneath in the changes to Willpower traits
Changes to Calls
  • Calls Because of a huge number of minor (untracked) changes due to the change in the endurance economy and rebalancing other elements, the calls section has had to have extensive reworks.
  • The call Rend now applies Grisly Injuries
  • The call Warp now cannot be soaked by endurance making it incredibly dangerous to anyone who can’t defend against it (it remains blisteringly rare for NPCs to use)
  • The call Stun now ceases to affect a character if you are not able to hit them with a second stun in a scene.
  • Null has been significantly changed away from what it was doing before, it is no longer “Haywire for Psykers” but has different effects depending on the target, this is more in keeping for how it was intended to appear but does mean that you will need to do your research (hey look Venators) to know what effect it’ll have. Psykers are rare so its way to simply end their threat didn’t fit with what was desired.
  • The calls Mass, Burn and Haywire have been reworked to read easier, the call Boom and Blind have returned to the game because of the challenges making things work without them. The call Frag Out! Is no longer a call but just a thing people yell. The Calls page has been reworked to make things clearer this and is now at the bottom of this update
  • Sunder no longer causes two wounds when it puts you down, this is to simplify combat flow.


Changes to Wargear Traits
  • Rend Changes: We were beginning to notice an emerging trend where because we had simplified the ammo rules the call Rend was becoming disturbingly common because of the simplification meaning it was fairly easy to spend a scene emptying your bolter downrange. This did not feel right with the themes of the universe so we have increased the resource cost of doing so which has affected a few traits including Assault Weapons, Purifying Weapons and Heavy Weapons which now pay for a number of calls-per-scene depending on the weapon. This does not apply to melee weapons that require someone to hard-skill strike their foe.
  • Throwing Grenades now requires at least the Combat Weapons trait to do, and with that trait can only be done once per scene.
  • The new Demolitionist trait replaces both Lay Mechanicus (for defusing/setting explosives) and grants the ability to spend as much ammunition as you want on grenades, it also grants incendiary grenades and explosives.
  • Special Issue Grenades as a trait have been removed, Incendiary Grenades are now granted via Demolitionist, Haywire Grenades are now granted via Venator (Xenos specialism) and Null Grenades are now granted via Venator (Mutant Specialisation).
  • Alternative Firing Mode has been renamed Special Issue Ammunition for aesthetic reasons, it’s sync with Vigilator has been removed and now it syncs only with Venator as this more appropriately represents a specialist loading the right ammunition for the job. It can also now access Boom and Blind now to represent underslung grenade launchers or explosive ammunition. It has also had wording tidied up about how many times it can be used per scene. It has lost Haywire as that’s an exotic effect best related to aliens and Techpriests.
  • Artefact Firearm has been updated to remove its ability to call Dakka or Burn as these can be accessed via Special Issue Ammunition however it now grants you one call you can access freely per turn similar to militant. Its Sunder however now requires a short ‘cool down’ in line with other ranged Sunders in the game having RP around them.


Changes to Endurance Traits

As one might expect given the shifts to the rules for calls and damage a number of traits have had to be rewritten to reflect this.

  • The trait I Will Not Die! Has been removed and its component abilities returned to the Veteran Warrior trait.
  • Supernatural Reflexes subtrait of Unnatural Endurance has been reduced to Once per combat scene reflecting the rebalance of other traits in that set.
  • Hulk Smash subtrait of Unnatural Endurance has been renamed Bestial Frenzy and now activates only if the character is reduced to Grievously Wounded.
  • Second Wind no longer works if you are Grievously Wounded the condition is rare enough in the game now that the durability it grants no longer makes sense.
  • Power Armour now requires a Tech Priest to help them when they become Grievously Wounded - with all its vulnerabilities if PA armoured characters do enter that state it means they have been Brutalised or hit by Sunder and as such we think they should fear that.


Changes to Willpower Traits
  • The big changes here are moving Get it Together, Trooper! from this section and detaching it from the Willpower economy and the removal of the Armour of Contempt trait entirely which has been reworked into a new expertise trait.
  • As GITT is no longer a source of Willpower, the WP provided by several abilities has been increased so these are the main changes and Ritual Sacrifice (which was previously under Outsider Traits) and Psi-Meditation have been changed/introduced to provide alternative routes to gaining WP rather than through Faith and Fire.

The quick breakdown of the Willpower economy is now:

  • Iron Within grants +3 WP (up 1)
  • Adamantium Will grants +3 WP (up 1)
  • Faith and Fire Grants +1 WP
  • Ritual Sacrifice Grants +2 WP (cannot combine with F&F)
  • Psi-Meditation Grants +2 WP (Characters with Psyker trait package only)


Changes to Expertise Traits
  • Loremaster has been removed and replaced by Lorekeeper a very similar trait that also includes the most important power we have ever introduced in DuD...the ability to get your hands on paperwork.
  • Whispers has been removed and replaced with Spymaster a very similar trait...yadah yadah...that now grants the second most powerful ability in the game, the ability to play cluedo with NPC 'sources’ to get info from them.
  • The Venator trait has been introduced replacing the old Armour of Contempt trait representing specialist hunters of foes.
  • The Get it Together, Trooper! Trait has been moved to this section and reworked to remove its connection to willpower and it has been renamed Exhorter.
  • Vigilator has also been revisited to put it in line with other changes.
  • Lay Mechanicus has been removed from the rules, as it has no longer got a place in the game. If you want to represent the advanced technical knowledge of a member of the laity of the Machine Cult who has been educated in this then you simply need Mechanicus Lore (which you can obtain for free when you create your character). Traits that previously required the aid of someone with Lay Mechanicus now either require the assistance of someone with Mechanicus Lore or a Tech Priest.
  • The trait Alchemist has been introduced for all your mad science needs (can also make molotov cocktails and is currently the only trait that lets you get ammo calls by spending chems.
  • Alchemistry has become the ‘powers’ of characters with Medicae, Chirurgeon or Adept Mortis and has different costs depending on what you are trying to achieve, the Alchemist archetype also has access to these.
  • Chem Trooper has been fairly heavily reworked to flow better with various changes to the system it now ignores the Alchemistry system and uses the Chems resource to power its own abilities.
  • The trait Explicator has been updated to work clearly with the new changes to chems
  • The trait Savant has been introduced offering the ‘Giles’ to the Venator’s ‘Buffy’ a combat scholar who helps in combat by reading books and buffing their friends with what they’ve found in them.
  • The trait Info-Executioner has been introduced offering the ability to sit back and plug in and help your allies with your L33T H4X0R skills.
  • The Preacher trait has been introduced to the game, this allows for another non-combat role to be granted a place in the game without the quite game-breaking ability of the old ‘For the Emperor’ trait - but serves as a spiritual successor.
  • Verispex though not included beneath, has had the UV torch removed as we have never got this feature functional, we are exploring better options for using tech to give this trait a unique insight.
Changes to Bionics Traits

Some tweaks and adjustments to some of the subtraits of Bionic Enhancements have been made.

  • Neural Failsafes and Volitor Implants have been updated to fit with the metaphysic around Will and Martyr’s Gland has been updated to match the wording of similar traits.
  • Inbuilt Sidearm and Baleful Eye have been combined to become Neuro-linked Firearm.
  • Exoskeletal Implant and Psi Amp have been removed.
  • Enhanced biology has been altered and its endurance benefits baked into the trait.
  • Martyr’s Gland no longer works if you are Grievously Wounded the condition is rare enough in the game now that the durability it grants no longer makes sense.

In addition:

  • Servant of the Omnissiah has been renamed Tech Priest for aesthetic reasons in line with the renaming of Mechanicus Protector to Tech Guard. It now has the Secrets of the Machine trait which allow it exclusive action to Tech Puzzles and other ‘high technology’ elements of the game.
  • The Tech Guard trait has been updated to bring it in line with various changes and improve it as it’s old main trait has lost meaning.


Changes to Outsider Traits
  • Force Weapon has been removed from the basic Psyker trait, it is now recommended as an option for Assault Weapons and Power Weapons or just as a plain Relic. It has been replaced in the Sanctioned Psyker trait with the Empyreal Shield ability.
  • The trait Ritual Sacrifice has been moved to Willpower Traits.
Changes to Powers
  • Psychic Powers: As a result of the change to Warp that make it a lot more deadly, we’re making some adjustments to various powers as follows.
  • Divination: Because of how lethal Warp is now, Guide has some added costs to using it that we think will actually make it more fun to roleplay. Boon of Good Fortune has changed in line with other changes to have a different effect and Unerring Defence has been updated.
  • Telekinesis: This has been revisited extensively in light of how things have changed with the sections above. Empyreal Blade nowworks for the Psyker and on force weapons only and has been revised in light of changes to Force Weapons. The new major rote Telekinetic Shockwave has been added. Empyreal Conflageration has been removed. Smite has been moved to a Greater Rote and revised in light of how horrific Warp Rend is now...repeat after me...Kameh….hame….
  • Taghmata and Biologis Canticles have been removed as they didn’t really feel ‘right’ in the game and a lot of what they did is replicated by taking Alchemist and Chirugeon in the first place. Taghmata’s power has been replicated in the Tech Priest and Tech Guard abilities to preserve it, it now runs off of Get it Together rather than simply having a group.
  • The Enginseer and Secutor canticles have been reworked to flow better and update them to season 2
Other Changes:
  • Opia’s rules have been clarified to state that it is needed for Surgery unless you’re going to restrain someone, or to deal with Complications and effects which have lingering pain roleplay effects.
  • The following line has been added to Investigations rules; We encourage you to limit yourself to reading only a few clue cards in a scene, this allows for multiple characters to participate in an investigation scene and creates a more collaborative roleplaying experience for all involved.

29/04/2020 - Changes to Chem Trooper

The use of GITT has been set to 'once per scene' as it is one of the few risk-free ways to use this call on yourself.

29/04/2020 - Changes to Scum

In line with the update to I Am A Knife In The Dark for Adept Mortis, Scum has had its wording changed too;

  • You may use the cue I Am A Knife In The Dark. You must be within reach to be able to hit your target with a dagger, you must be behind them and they must be unaware of you, this cannot be used on a character already fighting in melee. If, you are able to use this call without making hostile NPCs aware of your presence, you may use it again, otherwise you may not use it for the rest of the scene.
    • Physrepping: Only reasonably stealthy weapons may be used; knives or pistols with physrepped silencers/flash suppressors are suitable, but bolt pistols are not, you do not need to land a melee blow on the target unless you are using a melee weapon.

29/04/2020 - Changes to Deathtouch

In line with the removal of Toxic, Deathtouch has a new effect;

Once Per Scene you induce your body or anothers produce toxins, if you are able to get an NPC to willingly enter physical contact with you such as a handshake (do not force physical contact ever) or ingest something within a few seconds of you roleplaying poisoning it with the Warp and personally handing it to them. You may then, after a while inform them, "Feel the warp poisoning your body, for I am a Knife in the Dark." - this has the effect of Knife in the Dark however it is important for characters who have Adamantium Will and other traits to mention the warp as it can almost be resisted by this.

29/04/2020 - Changes to Adept Mortis

In line with changes to I Am A Knife In The Dark Adept Mortis has had the rules for how it uses that call revised.

  • You may use the cue I Am A Knife In The Dark. You must be within reach to be able to hit your target with a dagger, you must be behind them and they must be unaware of you, this cannot be used on a character already fighting in melee. If, you are able to use this call without making hostile NPCs aware of your presence, you may use it again, otherwise you may not use it for the rest of the scene.
    • Physrepping: Only reasonably stealthy weapons may be used; knives or pistols with physrepped silencers/flash suppressors are suitable, but bolt pistols are not, you do not need to land a melee blow on the target unless you are using a melee weapon.

I line with the introduction of Toxic Alchemistry (coming soon) to simplify Poisons, Adept Mortis has had its rules changed;

  • You can carry five Chems on you at a time, you gain five Chems which you may use to deliver any of the Toxic Alchemistry effects

29/04/2020 - Arch-Chirugeon changed to "Primus Medicae"

Literally because it's the better IC term for the rank of Chirugeon.

29/04/2020 - Explicator clarified

Explicator's wording has been updated to clarify how it uses chems.

29/04/2020 - I am a Knife in the Dark altered

In addition to other rules shifting in anticipation of changes to Adept Mortis; I AM A KNIFE IN THE DARK has been altered.

I AM A KNIFE IN THE DARK [Optional addition: NONLETHAL] Fall to the ground as silently as possible and become Grievously Wounded (this usually instantly kills most NPCs). If ‘NONLETHAL’ is tagged on, collapse unconscious to the ground until someone spends 5s bringing you around or the scene ends.

29/04/2020 - Poison Removed from Alchemistry, Toxic removed from calls

In anticipation of updates to Adept Mortis (coming soon) Poison has been removed from the general Alchemistry list available to medicae and chirugeons.

28/04/2020 - Aegis Training Clarification

Two changes:

This first covers the fact that people can use people with shields as cover;

  • One individual able to hide wholy behind you and your shield may use you as Cover but they must move away from you to new cover to reset their cover benefits, rather than their cover resetting when you move five long steps.

The Second are clarifications regarding Shields vs Sunder largely to improve the language used;

  • The call Sunder will destroy a non-relic shield, but protect the bearer from the call that destroyed it if they take the blow on the shield, or they would have received cover from a ranged Sunder and were aware of the individual making the call.
  • You may use smaller shields to defend yourself in melee as well, but these confer none of the above benefits and are not only destroyed by Sunder but you will take the call as if it hit you.

28/04/2020 - Adamantium Will Clarification

We have added a line to clarify that Adamantium Will does not allow you to bounce Warp Sunder as per the Sunder rules that specify that it can only be defended against by a trait that specifically says it can be defended against..

28/04/2020 - There's no Need for All this Bleeding and Get it Together Clarification

We have added a line to clarify that you cannot use Get it Together calls on yourself if they come from this subtrait of Get it Together Trooper - Get it Together can be used on yourself via Chems or via Biomancy.

There was some question about whether you could use it on yourself while Wounded or Greviously Wounded but as both these states state you cannot use traits while you are in them unless they say otherwise, the answer should be clear.

24/04/2020 - Haywire Clarification

Clarity has been added to Haywire to confirm that:

All weapons that make calls are considered to be technological items, but strike safe weapons may continue to be used to perform uncalled melee attacks while disabled, unless those calls are sourced through supernatural means.

05/04/2020 - Telepathy Changes

The rote 'Pre-empt' has been removed from Telepathy.

Divert has had the restriction 'outside of combat' removed

04/04/2020 - Flagellant Change

Flagellant has been reworked to make it less restrictive then it's previous iteration, this is a complete re-work.

04/04/2020 - Biomancy Changes

Each of the healing powers in the Biomancy list now requires you to make draws from the Biomantic Healing Perils deck depending on how potent it is.

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