May the 4th Be With You - 2021

Last year, I shared with you the rules for Dzedai Warriors in Horizon Wars: Zero Dark. This year, possibly inspired by the Disney+ subscription I no longer have but which I enjoyed very much while it lasted, I bring you rules for Dogg Hunters.

First, though, an extra upgrade choice for your Dzedai:

The Eighth Dimension

The minds of the weak-willed are easily manipulated by the power of the Dzedai. If a bogey within 12” and in LOS of the Dzedai would move, the Dzedai may make a D(v) test where v is 12 + the target’s Att+Def. If any successes are achieved, the bogey doesn’t move. Additional successes in this test do not generate bonus actions. This doesn’t count as an activation.

The Order of Dogg

The world of Dogg was settled early in the Solar Diaspora by a community of historical re-enactors looking for an out-of-the-way planet on which they could study history and the martial arts. After several generations, a charismatic leader arose who persuaded the people of Dogg to turn their military brilliance outwards in a campaign of conquest. Unfortunately, this was before the withdrawal of the artilects, the massive, ship-based artificial intelligences that acted as arbiters of the Diaspora. As a result, the Order of Dogg’s fleet was rapidly corralled and destroyed.  The survivors were sent back to Dogg and a quarantine imposed.

Under the quarantine, the people of Dogg came to hate their home world and their forced isolation and, when they belatedly discovered that the artilects had vanished and, along with them, all enforcement of their quarantine, the much diminished population rushed to escape.

The Order of Dogg, diminished as it was from its heyday, had continued to teach the full scope of human martial arts and military tactics. As a result, its members - who now tend to walk lonely journeys of self-discovery from world to world - are much sought-after as bounty hunters and mercenaries.

Dogg Hunter

The Dogg Hunter is a new specialism.

Dogg Hunters tend to be loners and gel poorly with teams, even when they work within one. As a result, a Dogg Hunter may never benefit from a Leader’s re-roll or be given the Second trait. Other characters in a Dogg Hunter’s team may not use bonus actions generated by a Dogg Hunter.

Dogg Hunters all have the Peerless Warrior upgrade as part of the Dogg Hunter Specialism. They also have access to all of the Dogg Hunter upgrades in addition to the upgrades in the Horizon Wars: Zero Dark rulebook and the 2020 Rules Update.

Peerless Warrior

The hero may re-roll a number of dice during any mission equal to their D. These re-rolls may be used for any normal or counter test made by the hero.

Dogg Hunter Upgrades

Dogg Hunters may have as many upgrades from this list as their team composition allows. One other hero in a team that contains a Dogg Hunter may have a maximum of one upgrade from this list.

Devastating Strike

Once per mission, the hero may make a devastating strike action. Take a D(4) test.  For each success, one hit is scored on an enemy target (ignoring down bogeys) within 12”, starting with the one closest to the hero.  A hit bogey immediately enters the down state.  A hit enemy character must also take a cAV(11) test.  If the test is failed, the character suffers wounded(+4). Each success on the cAV(11) test reduces this by wounded(-1) (with a Lucky 12 counting as an additional success as usual).

Grapple Claw

A hero with a grapple claw may declare it is being used in a Shoot action at a target in LOS and no more than 9” away. The Shoot action ignores Def and AV for the purposes of determining the target number (AV may still be used for a cAV(v) test as normal). For each successful hit the hero achieves, the target is moved 2” directly towards the active hero. For each point of Cyl the target is greater than the active hero, this is decreased by -1 and vice versa if the target is a smaller Cyl than the active hero.

Jetpack

A jetpack is a notoriously dangerous piece of equipment to learn to use, as likely to kill its operator as their enemy. Only the Dogg Hunters are said to have mastered it. A jetpack counts as both a jump rig and a drop rig. However, if a D(v) test to use it is ever failed, the jetpack immediately enters the O state and the wearer suffers wounded(+1).

Doggite Armour

No one knows where doggite is found. No mine has been discovered on the abandoned world of Dogg and the surviving Dogg Hunters will die before they give up its secrets. Only the most senior members of the Order of Dogg may claim a full suit of Doggite Armour.

Doggite Armour is an armour upgrade and may not be combined with any other armour upgrade. It may be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, the hero’s AV is increased by +1, but for the purposes of the hero’s M (for jumping, climbing etc) the wearer’s AV always counts as 1. In addition, the first time the hero is hit by an enemy attack that includes a Lucky 12, the Lucky 12 must be re-rolled.  If the re-roll is also a 12, the result stands.

For each Doggite Armour upgrade taken after the first, the hero may force an additional Lucky 12 roll to be re-rolled.

May the Force be with you!