Last time I discussed how Manifestations “die.” This time, I’d like to develop Agents as a tactical consideration.
Because Agents are units too; They move about the battlefield and engage in actions. They can have weapons, tools, and one of the two actions every turn can be used by them. All that said, what impact do they have on the game?
The obviously simple answer is “a target.” It makes sense that Manifestations are only present because of the Agent, so if the Agent “dies,” then so do the other Manifestations. This would turn every combat into a complex “defend the Agent” combat, but without significant balancing and rule-rewriting, the best strategy is a cross-the-map sniper that kills the Agent in one hit. I think we can do better.
We could say that an Agent can’t be targeted by Manifestations, but that’s worse: Why have Manifestations at all, then, if their only use/value is targeting other Manifestations? We might be able to modify this idea by saying an Agent can’t be targeted by Manifestations if they are Manifesting. Then, the goal becomes “kill all the Manifestations and then the Agent,” like the 8-ball in pool. Not a terrible idea, but it could affect some strategic incentives: why not build a team of hard-to-kill Manifestations and become invincible?
Some of that is balancing, naturally. Another possibility along similar lines is that killing Manifestations is what hurts the Agent. Perhaps every dead Manifestation reduces the Agent’s emotional stat by 1, permanently, and if any reach 0, they Agent is taken out?
Or, Agent are just like any other unit, except not nearly as powerful: balancing the game so that killing the agent is the goal, but dangerous as long as enemy Manifestations are gunning for you is possible, and probably the ideal goal. This makes the game almost sport-like. You can try blitzing through the enemy’s defensive wall of Manifestations, but if they manage to trip you up, you might be in trouble. If the enemy tries to swarm your units, you can decide whether to clear them out or head for the enemy Agent.
Okay, but then why not hide your agent in the back, behind a brick wall? Why not have your Agent be strategically valuable?
Back when discussing Conditions, I suggested that the Agent could be a dedicated Cleric unit. The Agent could have the ability to heal their Manifestations, reduce their conditions, and influence their team in other minor supportive ways. I like this idea, but we could push it just a bit further…
The Company has been studying Manifestations for some time, it makes sense that they’d have some methods for fighting Manifestations that aren’t other Manifestations, right? Not as efficient or reliable, but useful in a pinch, and better than nothing. I said that Agents have a “use” action, why can’t they use it for their own equipment? I suggested earlier that this could be a narrative conceit, like Mighty Deeds in DDC, but I’d like to try making it more codified. Let’s look at Agent Equipment.
Simple rules for equipment: Agents can carry items up to a maximum weight of 5. If they are carrying less than 5, then they gain an extra Move action on their turn. Some items can only be used a certain number of times. Once they are used up, they can be discarded for free.
Melee Weapons
| Large (Bat, sword, sledgehammer) |
| Weight: 1 |
| deal 2 physical damage to 1 target at range 1, or Push 1 all targets in 90arc range 1. |
| Small (Knife, baton, claw hammer) |
| Weight: 1 |
| deal 1 physical damage to 1 target at range 1. Ignore 2 points of Physical armor |
Ranged Weapons
| Tazer |
| Weight: 1 |
| 2 uses: Target one human at range 4. They cannot move or act on their next turn |
| Pistol |
| Weight: 1 |
| 8 uses: Deal 2 physical damage to 1 target at range 10. |
| Sub-machine gun |
| Weight: 2 |
| 5 uses: deal 2 physical damage to 3 targets within arc45 range 8. |
| Sniper Rifle |
| Weight: 3 |
| 4 uses: deal 6 physical damage to 1 target at range 15. Ignore armor |
| Shotgun |
| Weight: 2 |
| 4 uses: deal 3 physical damage to all in 45arc at range 6 |
| Shoulder RPG Launcher |
| Weight: 4 |
| 2 uses: deal 10 physical damage in Burst 3 at range 10, push all targets 2 |
| Manifestation Resonance Disruptor(MRD) Rifle (Codename: BOLT) |
| Weight: 3 |
| 3 uses: deal 4 raw damage to 1 Manifestation at range 8. |
| Manifestation Resonance Disruptor(MRD) Pistol (Codename: SPARK) |
| Weight: 2 |
| 2 uses: deal 3 raw damage to 1 Manifestation at range 6. |
| X-FE-LR-3 (Experimental Field Laser, Codename: PENLIGHT) |
| Weight: 2 |
| 2 uses: deal 3 physical damage in range 8 line |
Throwables
| Gas Granade |
| Weight: 1 |
| 3 uses: Create a Burst 2 field in range 6. Humans inside the field roll 4d4 on their turn, take 1 raw damage on each 1 or 2. |
| Chem Granade (Chill-pill) |
| Weight: 1 |
| 3 uses: Create a Burst 1 field in range 6. Humans inside the field treat all all emotional stats as -1. |
| Smoke Granade |
| Weight: 1 |
| 3 uses: Create a Burst 2 field in range 6 that blocks targeting; all attacks made into, out of, or through the field are reduced by 2 |
| Frag Granade |
| Weight: 1 |
| 3 uses: deal 4 physical damage in a Burst 2 area in range 6 |
| Malatov Cocktail |
| Weight: 1 |
| 2 uses: Create a Burst 2 field in range 4 that deals 4 physical damage. |
| Throwing Knives |
| Weight: 1 |
| 6 uses: deal 2 physical damage at range 6. |
| Manifestation Resonance Disruptor(MRD) Grenade |
| Weight: 2 |
| 2 uses: Inflict Bind(2) on all Manifestations in a burst 3 area in range 6. Destory any with LP 2 or less |
Armor
| Leather Jacket |
| Weight: 1 |
| Reduce all Physical damage by 1 |
| Armored Vest |
| Weight: 2 |
| Reduce all Physical damage by 2 |
| Combat Armor |
| Weight: 3 |
| Reduce all Physical damage by 4 |
| Emotional Stabilizer |
| Weight: 3 |
| Reduce all damage from Manifestations by 5 |
| Gas Mask |
| Weight: 2 |
| Gain immunity to Gas fields |
| Thermal Vision |
| Weight: 1 |
| Gain immunity to Smoke fields when targeting Humans only |
| Face Mask |
| Weight: 1 |
| Suffer gas effects on a roll of 1, only |
Consumables/Equipment
| Field Pack |
| Weight: 0 |
| Increase Weight Limit by 2. First move action taken by Agent is ignored every turn (It costs 2 move to move 1, 3 move to move 2, etc.) |
| Emotional Resonance Manipulator |
| Weight: 2 |
| 1 use: Create burst 3 field at range 1. Manifestations inside this field are pushed 3 from its center, and no Manifestaiton can enter or target inside this field |
| Ammo belt |
| Weight: 1 |
| 1 use: Restore all uses of one ranged weapon |
| Field Stabilizer |
| Weight: 2 |
| 2 uses: A Medical kit that restores 4 LP to one human at range 1 |
| Adrenaline Boost |
| Weight: 1 |
| 1 use: gain 3 free move and 1 free action only usable by humans |
| Tranquilizers |
| Weight: 1 |
| 2 uses: Heal one Manifestation for 4 LP, or reduce one Condition by 3 |
| X-FE-D-9 (Codename: HAZE, Yellow Devil) |
| Weight: 1 |
| 1 use: Double next Power Roll, suffer Type condition of strength equal to boost after ability is resolved |
And there’s the opportunity for more. Items like these turn the Agent into a dedicated support unit, able to throw down fields that lock off targets, attack enemy agents, and affect the battlefield in ways that Manifestations can’t.
Of course, I pulled these numbers out of nowhere and we’ll need to balance it in playtesting, but already I can see some possibilities. Maybe your Agent loads up on armor and machine-guns and joins the front lines with distracting Manifestations. Maybe they hang back with long-range fire-support. Maybe they load up on grenades to keep other Agents locked down, or have a ready supply of drugs to keep their allies alive.
And through it all, you have to decide whether to risk your Agent by getting close to the action, or whether to stay back and safe.
Again, this is a mechanic that will obviously need playtesting and tweaking, but it’s worth sticking with for now, I think.
